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A 100-year-old woman is celebrating after finally getting her high school diploma. Ethel Nishimoto's diploma comes from Farrington High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was denied a graduation ceremony in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. Sunday was Ethel's 100th birthday. To celebrate the milestone, Ethel's family and Farrington High officials surprised her with the diploma. They even had a cap and gown for Ethel to wear as she accepted the diploma--82 years later.
People are saying their final goodbyes to The Mirage Las Vegas, which closes tomorrow. The hotel and casino will be replaced by a new Hard Rock Hotel, with a guitar-shaped hotel tower. The Mirage must first give away one-point-six-million-dollars in cash prizes before it closes. That includes one-point-two-million-dollars in slot machine winnings and 400-thousand-dollars in table game prizes.
A country singer is getting a lot of flak for her performance of the National Anthem last night in Arlington, Texas. The off-key performance by Ingrid Andress was ahead of the 2024 Home Run Derby, during MLB All-Star Week, at Globe Life Field. Andress quickly started trending on social media, with many people calling it the "worst National Anthem performance in American history." Some folks even said it was worse than Rosanne Barr's infamous 1990 singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a San Diego Padres-Cincinnati Reds game.
https://variety.com/2024/music/news/ingrid-andress-national-anthem-flub-home-run-derby-1236073130/
Taylor Swift is breaking several records as her number one streak on the Billboard 200 continues. "The Tortured Poets Department" has stayed on top of the chart for twelve straight weeks, breaking and tying multiple records in the process. Swift broke the record, which was previously held by Whitney Houston's "Whitney," for the most initial consecutive weeks at number one, among albums by a female artist. "Tortured Poets" is tied with Morgan Wallen's "One Thing at a Time" for an album that's spent the most consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 this century. Along with that, Swift also broke a personal record this week as the new album is her longest chart topper on the Billboard 200.
https://www.billboard.com/lists/most-weeks-at-no-1-billboard-200-taylor-swift-the-beatles/
Authorities in Orange County, California are warning of so-called "hugging robbers." That's after a robbery attempt. A man says a woman got out of a car, walked up his driveway with her arms out for a hug, then forcibly tried to take the gold chain around his neck. The woman, and a man, who was the suspected getaway driver, have since been arrested. Police say the pair may be connected with similar incidents in Orange and surrounding counties.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/law-enforcement-warns-of-hugging-robbers-in-southern-california/
Spam is unveiling a brand new favor. Minnesota-based Hormel Foods say the new offering is called Korean BBQ. They describe it as "sweet yet spicy." The new flavor becomes the 12th permanent variety of SPAM. Korean BBQ Spam is available online and at Walmart.