(UPI) A Maryland man used a set of numbers he copied from another vehicle's license plate to play the lottery and scored a $50,000 prize.

The Hyattsville man told Maryland Lottery officials he often memorizes license plate numbers on the road or at the scene of accidents and uses them to play Pick 5 drawings.

One such set of numbers adorned ...Read more

(UPI) Members of a South Carolina family are on the hunt for an escaped emu that has become a local celebrity on social media.

Brad Cieluch said two emus initially escaped from his family's farm in Marlboro County about three weeks ago, and one of the birds was located in the Clio area during the weekend.

He said the remaining bird is believed...Read more

(UPI) A primary election in Oregon was resolved with a coin flip under state law -- but the winner of the flip was ineligible to run.

The 8th House District in Eugene, which skews heavily Democratic, had no Republicans on the primary ballot last week, so the race came down to write-in votes.

The two top candidates among the 103 write-in names ...Read more

(UPI) A sheep dubbed Waldo for his hiding abilities after fleeing slaughter in New York has been safely found and transported to a new sanctuary home.

The Woodstock Farm Sanctuary said the sheep, initially mistaken for a goat, escaped slaughter and was spotted wandering the streets of Washingtonville for weeks, but always managed to vanish ...Read more

(UPI) An outdoor market in Harrisburg, Pa., is asking for the public's help to choose a name for its new tent, with finalists including "The Pavilion" and Tenty McTentface.

The Broad Street Market solicited suggestions from the public between May 23 and June 22, and it has now announced the five finalists: "Tenty McTentface," Tent to ...Read more

(UPI) A North Carolina man's Father's Day tradition of playing the lottery earned him a $250,000 prize.

Wilmington resident William Bon Viso told North Carolina Education Lottery officials he normally receives scratch-off lottery tickets as Father's Day gifts from his aunt, but this year she sent him $20 cash instead.

"I kept the tradition and...Read more

(UPI) A pair of Idaho men spent 1 hour, 8 minutes and 52 seconds passing a giant inflatable ball back and forth a total 7,827 times to reclaim a Guinness World Records title.

David Rush, a serial Guinness World Record-breaker on a mission to hold the most records concurrently, teamed up with Seth Lemmons to recapture the record they originally ...Read more

(UPI) A British Columbia chicken earned a Guinness World Record by identifying different numbers, colors and letters.

Gabriola Island veterinarian Emily Carrington said she bought five hyline chickens last year to produce eggs, and she soon started training the hens to identify magnetic letters and numbers.

"Their job was to only peck the ...Read more

(UPI) Three British military horses broke free from their handlers Monday and ran loose through the streets of central London -- the second such incident in the past three months.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed three horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment escaped from their handlers during exercises Monday morning when the lead ...Read more

(UPI) The San Diego Zoo announced the safe arrival of Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, the first giant pandas to enter the country in 21 years.

The zoo said the pandas arrived safe and sound Friday after taking a long flight from China.

"They will spend the next several weeks acclimating to their new home in a private habitat at the San Diego Zoo and ...Read more

(UPI) A Pennsylvania woman who bought a lottery ticket to celebrate the dual milestones of her birthday and finishing cancer treatment won a $5 million prize.

The Pennsylvania Lottery said in a news release that Lancaster County resident Donna Osborne, 75, bought her Monopoly Own It All scratch-off ticket from the Speedway store on Oregon Pike ...Read more

(UPI) A Canadian man has become the first candidate in the nation's history to receive zero votes in a contested federal election.

Félix-Antoine Hamel was one of 84 candidates to run in a Toronto byelection after he and 76 others were approached by election reform group Longest Ballot Committee, which packed the race with candidates to ...Read more

(UPI) Animal rescuers in Prince Edward Island, Canada, are caring for a snake found in an unusual place -- the trash.

P.E.I. Humane Society officials said sanitation workers came across the roughly 3-foot-long ball python while emptying a dumpster in the East Royalty neighborhood of Charlottetown.

"The staff thought it was quite funny. You don...Read more

(UPI) A Michigan man said a last-minute decision at the check-out counter led to his winning a $446,571 lottery jackpot.

The 43-year-old Oakland County man told Michigan Lottery officials he went to the 7-Eleven on Hayes Road in Clinton Township to buy his usual lottery tickets.

"I usually play Mega Millions and Powerball, but when I was at ...Read more