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A Pennsylvania grandfather built a backyard amusement park with a 105-foot waterslide, go-kart track and vintage carousel; his $24,700 roller coaster then triggered a zoning fight

The roller coaster was built as part of his hobby of restoring vintage amusement rides for his grandchildren. (Photos: Centre Daily Times) Michael Chorba, a 60-year-old grandfather in Pennsylvania, has spent years turning his backyard into a private amusement area for his family. The property already has a go-kart track, a 105-foot waterslide and a…

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Meet Jessica Lee, 17-year old Honolulu high school senior who logged 420 hours of volunteer service, competed in varsity golf and completed a multi-day expedition before earning the US Congress’s highest youth award

Congressman Ed Case presented Lee with her Gold Medal and a certificate of special recognition in August. She became the seventh person from his district to receive the honor over the past 25 years. For 17-year-old Jessica Lee, earning the highest youth honor presented by the U.S. Congress was not the result of a single…

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Who is Christos Marafatsos, the Greek-American businessman accompanying Kimberly Guilfoyle to key meetings?

Kimberly Guilfoyle under scanner as a private company lobbyist accompanies her to crucial energy meetings. US Ambassador to Greece and Donald Trump Jr’s ex Kimberly Guilfoyle has come under scrutiny over the prominent role played by Greek-American businessman and lobbyist Christos Marafatsos during her efforts to promote US energy interests across southeastern Europe. A Wall…

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned the woods of his North Carolina estate into a motorsport time capsule, keeping more than 75 wrecked race cars in a private graveyard beside a full Wild West-style town he built

Earnhardt’s collection goes back to the period when JR Motorsports was competing in late models. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has turned part of his property near Mooresville, North Carolina, into an unusual collection of racing history. More than 75 wrecked race cars are scattered across his estate, which includes a private “Racecar Graveyard” and a Wild…

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What do the latest US visa wait times reveal: Hyderabad, Mumbai near a year for B1/B2 appointments; Delhi at 10 months

US visa wait times in India have been updated in September. Indian applicants seeking US visitor visas continue to face lengthy waits, with the latest US State Department data showing next available B-1/B-2 interview appointments stretching to 12 months in Hyderabad, 11.5 months in Mumbai and 10 months in New Delhi.The State Department updated its…

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After Daunte Wright’s 2021 death, a GoFundMe raised about $1.04 million; a year later, the mother of his only child sued his parents and Ben Crump, alleging the boy received none of the money promised for his support

After Daunte Wright’s 2021 death, a GoFundMe raised about $1.04 million (Image Credit: Stephen Maturen/ Getty Images) What began as a public effort to support Daunte Wright’s family after his death later became a dispute over more than $1 million in donations. A GoFundMe campaign launched following Wright’s fatal shooting in Minnesota in 2021 raised…

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Three siblings in Essex cut down their neighbours’ 33-foot Leylandii trees after a boundary row; the dispute ended with about £30,500 in damages and £178,668 in the neighbours’ legal costs

View from Robert McCarthy’s home towards the old Leylandii trees at the bottom of the garden. (Photos: The Standard) Three siblings in Essex were ordered to pay about £30,500 in damages and £178,668 in their neighbours’ legal costs after cutting down a row of 33-foot Leylandii trees during a long-running boundary dispute. The court found…

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In 2017, four artists paid $95,000 to save Nina Simone’s childhood home from demolition; eight years later, a nearly $850,000 rehabilitation restored the three-room North Carolina house

Restorers used a family photo and research on early 20th-century Black homes to recreate the house. Nina Simone’s 650 sq ft childhood home in Tryon, North Carolina, has been restored after sitting vacant and severely decayed for more than two decades. The three-room house, where the legendary musician and civil rights activist lived with her…

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An Iowa company thought it was paying legitimate vendor invoices and transferred more than $800,000 to a scammer-controlled account; four years later, the US government has recovered about $375,000

Representative Image (AI-generated) An Iowa company that believed it was paying legitimate vendor invoices instead transferred more than $800,000 to a bank account controlled by a scammer in 2022. About four years later, the US government has recovered roughly $375,000 of the fraud proceeds through a federal forfeiture case. The US Department of Justice (DOJ),…

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