Train Halts Pennsylvania Marathoners On Course
In September, runners at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Via Marathon were stopped in their tracks, or rather at the tracks, when a slow-moving train crossed the course at the race in Allentown, Pa. The Associated Press reported that more than 100 runners were held up for approximately 10 minutes, which ended up being a big bummer for runners like 22-year-old Charlie Young, who missed his Boston Marathon qualifying time by eight minutes. Marathon officials said they would review and address the times of all runners affected by the race interruption.
Hundreds of Baby Squirrels Rescued After Tropical Storm Hermine
Animal rescue groups in and around Virginia Beach were quite busy after the high winds from Tropical Storm Hermine blew through the area in early September. According to a report in the Washington Post, the big gusts came through during a time when many baby squirrels are born, resulting in many of them falling from trees and becoming displaced. Helpful residents started finding the squirrels and bringing them to places like the Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which took in about 78 babies.
Evelyn Flengas, who runs her own refuge that took in about 50 squirrels and seven baby raccoons told the paper: “There was a steady stream of cars coming down the driveway with boxes filled with little critters.”
Flengas noted it can take months of rehabilitation, including time in an incubator, special diet, and medicine, before the squirrels can return to the wild. “It is not just taking in an animal and feeding it,” she said.
Watch Your Yeti
The State recently published an interesting story about the frequent theft of Yeti coolers in South Carolina. Writer Jeff Wilkinson of the Columbia-based paper touched on a growing number of theft incidents that police are now calling a “Yeti ring,” due to the coolers—expensive, durable, and highly insulated—being stolen so often. Since January 2015, 43 Yetis, also known as “redneck Rolodexes,” were reported stolen in Horry County, and back in April, two men reportedly walked into a Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Columbia and stole 10 of the coolers at one time.
D.C Bike Share Program Expanding
Since its inception in the fall of 2010, the Capital Bikeshare program has successfully put a steadily growing number of people on bikes in the District of Columbia and surrounding areas. Started as a joint program between D.C. and Virginia’s Arlington County, the alternative transportation initiative launched with 1,100 bikes at 114 stations. Program officials recently announced that it now has 400 stations offering bikes in more locations surrounding the National Capital, including Alexandria, Va., and Maryland’s Montgomery County. In six years, Capital Bikeshare riders have made approximately 14 million trips covering an estimated 23 million miles, and those numbers should only continue to grow. The program will see the addition of 29 new bike stations this fall in Fairfax County, Va.
Newborns Get Free Nikes in Maryland
Nike is hoping a new crop of competitive runners come out of Annapolis and other cities where recent Olympic gold medalists were born. The iconic shoe company recently donated 70 pairs of shoes to newborns at the Maryland city’s Anne Arundel Medical Center. The gesture came in honor of Nike runner Matt Centrowitz, a native of nearby Arnold, Md., who won gold in the 1,500 meters at the Rio Olympics. As part of its “Unlimited Future” campaign, Nike is giving the limited edition Nike Waffle 1 newborn shoes to babies born in the hometowns of medal winners across the country. Little ones also received new kicks in Seat Pleasant, Md., since Kevin Durant grew up in the area, and Spring, Texas, where Simone Biles was raised.
Trying to inspire future athletes, Nike included a note with the shoes for Annapolis newborns that said: “It all starts now. 26 years ago, it started in Arnold for a little champ just like you. And in Rio Matt Centrowitz conquered the world. Maybe, someday, that could be you. Or maybe you’ll choose to do something else. There really are no limits to your potential.”
Adventurous Governor Makes Big Descent To Fight Cancer
As we get set to head to the polls, many of us are rightfully quite tired of election news. But here’s a story about a politician not running for office, instead rappelling for a worthy cause. Back in September, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper strapped on a harness and rappelled down a 380-foot high-rise apartment building in downtown Denver. The feat was undertaken to benefit the Cancer League of Denver as part of the annual fundraiser Over the Edge, which this year included an opportunity for a limited number of people to descend the 32-story building if they raised a minimum of $1,000 for the cause. Hickenlooper described his noble adventure as “pure fear, but nothing like facing cancer.”
