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Falling man saved by bubble wrap

BOSTON, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Emergency responders in Boston said a construction worker who fell 30 feet was spared serious injury when he landed on bubble wrap.

A spokesman for the Boston Fire Department said the 38-year-old worker fell 30 feet off a building and landed in a pile of bubble wrap taken from the construction site's scaffolding, WCVB-TV, Boston, reported Tuesday.

The spokesman said the worker became lodged in the bubble wrap and needed to be cut free.

The man suffered back and shoulder injuries from the fall, but the injuries were not considered serious, the spokesman said.

300-year-old Bible returned to family

MARYSVILLE, Ohio, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- An Ohio man says a 300-year-old family Bible stolen in December 2011 was returned to him thanks to a website, a thrift store and the Fraternal Order of Police.

Tim Shier of Marysville, whose Bible, Ford F-350 pickup truck and gun safe were stolen in the 2011 incident, said the Bible was printed for his family in 1706 in Germany and included handwritten records of births and weddings, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Tuesday.

"What made me sick to my stomach was that Bible," Shier said. "It's of no value or use to anyone but my family. I felt like I'd let everyone down."

Four men were eventually tried and convicted in the thefts, but the Bible was not located until a few weeks ago, when one of Shier's cousins found a notation about an old German Bible on ancestry.com.

Shier contacted the Union County Sheriff's Office, which discovered the Bible had been sold online by thrift store Goodwill to a Louisiana buyer, who then sold it to a couple in Georgia.

The Georgia couple refused to relinquish the Bible without a refund of the $405 they spent on the tome.

The money was donated by the Union County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 171 and the Bible was returned to Shier during a ceremony Saturday night.

Shier said and his family donated more than enough money to repay the FOP Saturday.

"Our family can't put a price on that Bible," he said. "History can never be replaced."

Super Bowl leads to free furniture

BALTIMORE, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The co-owner of a Baltimore furniture chain said the Baltimore Ravens returning a 108-yard kickoff for a touchdown cost his store $600,000.

Gary Mullaney, co-owner of Gardiners Furniture, said his store pledged any furniture purchased between Jan. 31 and 3 p.m. Sunday would be completely free if the Ravens returned a kickoff for a touchdown, and he knew his store would be swamped Monday when Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown at the start of the second half, The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday.

"This morning has just been crazy," Mullaney said Monday. "People are hearing about this all over the country."

He said the $600,000 in free furniture being given away from the store will be covered under the store's $12,000 insurance policy.

Mullaney said the promotion is worth it for the advertising benefits. He said it gets people thinking about furniture during a weekend when attention is typically focused elsewhere.

"We're not a bar. We're not a restaurant. During the Super Bowl, no one says, 'Hey let's go to the furniture store,'" Mullaney said. "It was just our small way of being able to participate in the hoopla."

30 days for flipping judge the bird

MIAMI, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- A young Florida woman was sentenced to 30 days in jail for swearing at a judge and holding up her middle finger.

Penelope Soto, 18, appeared for a hearing Monday before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat after she was arrested for possession of Xanax, WTVJ-TV, Miami, reported Tuesday.

Rodriguez-Chomat set Soto's bond at $5,000 and told her "bye bye," leading her to laugh and reply "adios."

Soto's demeanor annoyed the judge, so he called her back and reset bond to $10,000.

"Are you serious," Soto asked.

"I am serious. Adios," Rodriguez-Chomat said.

Soto displayed her middle finger to the judge while walking away and uttered an expletive.

Rodriguez-Chomat sentenced Soto to 30 days in jail for contempt of court.