CUTE: Baby chimpanzee makes public debut at Oklahoma zoo

A baby chimpanzee named Kiazi has made her public debut at a zoo in Oklahoma. (Oklahoma City Zoo)

Oklahoma City

A zoo in Oklahoma shared a special moment this week with a baby chimpanzee appearing in public for the first time.

According to the Oklahoma City Zoo, the baby named Kiazi joined other members of her group to explore the outside of her habitat for the first time on Wednesday.

“We are excited to watch Kiazi become a rooted member of not only the chimpanzee troop but our OKC Zoo family!” the team shared.

Officials with the zoo said Kiazi was born in October 2022. She was placed with a surrogate mother after her birth mom did not display proper maternal instincts.

Kiazi, now 7 months old, weighs about 11 pounds. The animal care team said she still needs formula but is beginning to eat solid foods.

According to the team, they are continuing to introduce Kiazi to the rest of the chimpanzee family while they expect her to also spend more time outdoors.

The animal care team said guests should have the opportunity to see Kiazi in action getting acclimated to her surroundings during their upcoming visits.

Original owners buy brewery back from Anheuser-Busch

The co-founders of a North Carolina brewery have brought it back under local control. (Appalachian Mountain Brewery)

Boone, N.C.

The co-founders of a North Carolina brewery are buying their business back from Anheuser-Busch.

Nathan Kelischek and Chris Zieber founded Appalachian Mountain Brewery in 2011 before entering a partnership with the Craft Brew Alliance and eventually being acquired by the world’s largest brewing company.

In 2021, beers from the Appalachian Mountain Brewery officially became part of Anheuser-Busch’s craft beer portfolio.

Kelischek and Zieber, who are also cousins, said they stayed involved with the operation through the years under the different ownership groups, but they have now reached an agreement to purchase Appalachian Mountain Brewery back from their partners at Anheuser-Busch.

“We’re grateful to have spent the last two years as active founders within A-B’s craft portfolio,” the business partners shared.

Kelischek and Zieber added, “We will be shifting our focus immediately on growing our local team, opening our new taproom in Mills River, North Carolina.”

The North Carolina business partners said they have opened a new tap room in Asheville and will continue to own and operate their original location in Boone, North Carolina.

More information on the Appalachian Mountain Brewery is available online.

Strawberry moon to light up the sky this weekend

Looks like we are in line for a special full moon viewing this weekend.

According to NASA, the next full moon will be the strawberry moon on Saturday night.

The strawberry moon typically appears in June as the last full moon of spring or the first of summer and is positioned lower in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere.

As reported by Space.com, the moon will appear to give off a warmer light and look more yellow or orange.

The strawberry moon is expected to be visible starting Friday evening through Monday morning while reaching peak illumination on Saturday at about 11:42 p.m. ET.

According to The Farmer’s Almanac, the strawberry moon gained its name from Native American tribes, not because of its appearance but to mark the ripening of June-bearing strawberries that are ready to be gathered.

Stargazers can also catch the bright star Antares on Saturday night. That star is expected to appear a few degrees to the right of the strawberry moon.

Firefighters save kitten trapped underneath SUV

Texas firefighters saved a kitten caught in the undercarriage of an SUV this week. (Abilene Fire Department)

Abilene, Texas

Firefighters in Texas were able to free a kitten that was tapped underneath a vehicle on Thursday.

According to the Abilene Fire Department, a female driver pulled up to one of their stations and asked the firefighters to help remove the kitten that was caught under her Chevrolet Tahoe.

The woman told first responders that she could hear the cat in the car’s undercarriage.

Firefighters said they were able to safely rescue the animal in about 20 minutes.

According to the fire department, the kitten also found a new home with one of the firefighters taking in the cat after the call.

Suspect who told police ‘gotta be quicker than that’ on his wanted poster arrested

Tanner Rhinehart, who commented on his own wanted poster, was arrested by police the following week. (Newark Division of Police)

Newark, Ohio

Authorities in Ohio say a man has been arrested after he commented on his own wanted poster online.

According to the Newark Division of Police, officers were able to take 20-year-old Tanner Rhinehart into custody on Wednesday.

Last week, police shared online that Rhinehart was a wanted man for having multiple warrants. They alerted the public to contact them if the 20-year-old was spotted.

Rhinehart then replied to the social media post saying, “Y’all almost had [me] the other day you gotta be quicker than that.”

Officers said they ended up catching Rhinehart after he jumped into a river.

“Mr. Rhinehart thought jumping in the river would evade capture; however, he was wrong,” police wrote.

Authorities said the 20-year-old was arrested without further incident.