Vintage Super Mario Bros. video game sells for $114,000

DALLAS (AP) — An unopened copy of a vintage Super Mario Bros. video game has been sold for $114,000 in an auction that underscored the enduring popularity of entertainment created decades ago. A bidder who wished to remain anonymous snapped up an early version of the pioneering Super Mario Bros. game...

Deceased cat gets voter registration application in mail

ATLANTA (AP) — In a presidential election year, there's always a push to get people registered to vote. For one Atlanta family, that push got a little interesting. Ron Tims said he checked his mail Wednesday and found a voter registration application addressed to Cody Tims — his cat, who died 12...

Pandemic leads 7-Eleven to forgo free Slurpees on 7-11

DALLAS (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic has taken away another summertime tradition in the U.S.: There will be no free Slurpees at 7-Elevens on Saturday — July 11 — to hail a date that doubles as an abbreviation of the convenience store chain's name. 7-Eleven has been giving away its slushy...

Doggy deliveries help Colombians shop during pandemic

MEDELLIN, Colombia (AP) — Eight-year-old Eros trots through the streets of this hilly city several times a day with a straw basket in his jaws, taking vegetables, fruit and packaged foods to customers of the El Porvenir mini-market. The chocolate Labrador retriever is paid with treats and massages of his...

Would-be travelers in Taiwan live out dreams of flying again

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Like almost every region, Taiwan has been hit hard by restrictions on international travel imposed because of the coronavirus. Some residents have found comfort in boarding a flight that didn’t take off, just to revisit some memories and plan for the day when they can fly...

Woof Warning: Dog alerts owner to house fire next door

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) — A dog in Tennessee became a hero on the Fourth of July by alerting her owner to a house fire next door. Roux, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, woke her owner Jeff LeCates with “frantic and unusual barks" on Saturday night, a Franklin Fire Department press release said. When...

Was new Chex flavor worth South Koreans' 16-year wait?

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Koreans have waited 16 long years for a savory, crispy bite that would satisfy their taste buds and right an infamous wrong. This week, they finally could fill a bowl with the cereal they wanted all along: green onion-flavored Chex. Kellogg’s Korea's limited-edition...

Coronavirus concerns freeze Vanilla Ice show

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Vanilla Ice cooled off plans for a concert in Texas after taking considerable heat for an event that sought to gather hundreds of fans in one of the nation's coronavirus hot spots. The 1990s rapper with the hit single “Ice Ice Baby” had been scheduled to play a lakeside...

Vanilla Ice indefinitely postpones a Texas concert that drew fierce criticism due to the coronavirus pandemic

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Vanilla Ice indefinitely postpones a Texas concert that drew fierce criticism due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Firm to offer balloon rides from Alaska to the edge of space

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A company wants to use an advanced balloon to fly customers from Earth's surface in Alaska to the highest reaches of the planet's atmosphere. Florida-based startup firm Space Perspective plans to use the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak to serve as one of the launch sites for...