Watercooler Stories

Mystery man works hard to return lost cash

BUENA PARK, Calif., June 23 (UPI) -- California police said a man who found $5,000 in a grocery store went out of his way to return the money and ensure it went to the right person.

Anaheim Police Sgt. Rick Martinez said a 32-year-old Buena Park man left the money, which was in a bank deposit bag, in a shopping cart at a Food 4 Less store in Anaheim June 17 and forgot the bag when he left the store, The Orange County (Calif.) Register reported.

Martinez said the man, who asked that his name not be reported, received a phone call a short time later from a man who said he had found the bag. The other man said he had found his name and address on a deposit slip in the bag and tried to take it to his apartment, but a relative inside said the 32-year-old was not home and the good Samaritan wanted to ensure the money was returned to the right person.

The 32-year-old said he made arrangements to meet the man and the money was returned after he showed a valid ID.

"Nobody knows his name," Martinez said of the mystery Samaritan. "He was only identified as a black man in his 40s."

"From our department's perspective, we'd just like to at least put the word out there to say 'thank you' to him for doing the right thing," Martinez said. "This was a large amount of money and it speaks volumes about his character."

Man finds, returns $3,600 wedding cash

BRIDGEVILLE, Pa., June 23 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania man who found $3,600 cash lost by a couple after their wedding reception said his Catholic upbringing led him to turn the money over to police.

Brennan Breene of Bridgeville said he was driving home Sunday when he discovered the envelope in the middle of the road and he checked local news sites for reports of missing cash, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Breene learned newlyweds David and Ashley Marasco had lost the money while driving away from their wedding reception. Ashley Marasco said a motorist at a stop light informed her that the wedding album was on the trunk of their car, but the envelope had since apparently flown away.

"I come from a big Irish Catholic family and my parents kind of instilled in us to do the right thing," Breene said.

He said he immediately took the money to the Bridgeport police station.

"To be quite honest with you, I would have loved to have had $3,600," he said. "But my better conscience said it wasn't mine."

PETA offers to rebuild Jesus statue

MONROE, Ohio, June 23 (UPI) -- A prominent animal rights group has offered to rebuild a 62-foot-tall statue of Jesus statue in Ohio, destroyed by lightning, with a new vegan message.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to the Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, offering to rebuild the statue, destroyed June 14, with a redesign giving Jesus a lamb in his arms and an inscribed message: "Blessed Are the Merciful. Go Vegan," the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News reported.

"An ever-growing number of Christians believe that eating the flesh of God's creatures supports the unholy cruelty of today's filthy factory farms and slaughterhouses," PETA leaders wrote in the letter, which was addressed to Revs. Lawrence and Darlene Bishop.

The letter said the organization would supply the megachurch with vegetarian/vegan starter kits and "Christianity and Vegetarianism" pamphlets.

Pink hotel has permits, officials fume

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., June 23 (UPI) -- Officials in a Florida city say all proper permits were filed so they are powerless to do anything about a historic hotel painted pink.

Hollywood city officials said The Walkabout Beach Resort brought the paint chips to color the hotel "desire pink," "fussy pink" and "deep pink" to the city in November and officials gave approval and signed permits for work to begin in December, The Miami Herald reported.

However, after seeing the finished product, many locals and officials say they want the colors changed again.

"It was awful," City Commissioner Richard Blattner said of the paint job.

City leaders said they were in talks with John Zander, a representative for the hotel's owner, about toning down the colors. Zander declined to comment, the Herald said.

"It's a gem in our historic walking tour in the historic district," city spokeswoman Raelin Storey said. "They really have done so much great work on it. We hope to work with them to develop a color palette just as distinctive but not as bright."