92-year-old becomes oldest to cross the Grand Canyon rim to rim on foot

Alfredo Aliaga Burdio, 92, became the oldest person to cross the Grand Canyon rim to rim on foot when completing his trek in October 2023. (Guinness World Records)

A man is setting records at the age of 92 after conquering a nearly 24-mile hike at the Grand Canyon.

According to the Guinness World Records, Alfredo Aliaga Burdio completed his record-setting trek across the Grand Canyon on Oct. 15, 2023.

He reportedly hiked about 21 hours over two days to become the oldest person to hike the Grand Canyon rim to rim on foot.

After his wife passed away from ALS in 2006, Burdio said he decided to revisit the places where they had traveled together.

In October 2022, Burdio hiked the Grand Canyon with his son, and it was during this trip that he came up with the idea to attempt the record.

“I had read about the previous record holder, Mr. John Jepkema, whom I admired immensely,” Burdio said. “I knew that I was only a few months younger than Mr. Jepkema and thought that I had a great shot at setting a new record.”

After a delayed attempt due to weather, Burdio began training for what would be the hike of a lifetime last January. He said he began walking about 8 miles every day up until his record-breaking hike.

He started his journey at the North Rim and stopped to take a break about every hour.

“I was very tired after those first five hours,” he said. “But what surprised me is that after about a 15-minute break, some food, and electrolytes, I recovered and felt strong again to tackle the next seven hours.”

He says many people were hiking the Grand Canyon during his journey and they took the time to be kind to him.

“Truly the best thing was meeting all the people on the trail,” Burdio said.

The 92-year-old said every person was cheering him on and encouraging him.

He reportedly took 11 hours and 15 minutes to hike from the North Rim Trailhead down to Phantom Ranch and an additional 10 hours the next day from Phantom Ranch to the South Rim Trailhead.

Burdio said he hopes his journey will show people that doing what they love and never giving up on trying to achieve things is what matters.

He also said he would like to show people that it is never too late to try something.

Bottle of Irish whiskey becomes most expensive ever sold at $2.8 million

The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. reportedly set a new record by selling a bottle of whiskey for $2.8 million. (PRNewswire)

A 30-year-old Irish single malt whiskey has become the most expensive bottle of whiskey ever sold.

According to The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., it sold a bottle of The Emerald Isle for a record-setting price of $2.8 million to collector Mike Daley.

“This world-first sale makes The Emerald Isle, already the rarest triple-distilled single malt in existence, the most expensive bottle of whiskey, or whisky, ever sold,” the company shared.

A company spokesperson said historically the most sought-after bottles of the spirit have been Scotch whiskies.

Last November, a bottle of The Macallan 1926 sold for at that time a record-setting $2.7 million at auction.

However, this year’s sale may represent a shift in luxury collectors’ interests.

“Irish is the future of whiskey. I’m excited to be part of it, as a collector, but most importantly as a drinker,” Daley said.

Daley is reportedly one of the more prolific collectors of the spirit in the United States, with a vast collection consisting of several thousand bottles.

According to reports, the bottle of The Emerald Isle comes in a walnut case that includes a single decanter, alongside a Faberge egg containing an emerald gem, a custom timepiece and a pair of Cohiba cigars.

“A bottle of The Emerald Isle becoming the most expensive whiskey or whisky ever sold is a monumental achievement for my business,” Jay Bradley, founder and CEO of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., said.

Woman screams, falls to floor after winning $1 million lottery jackpot

Sharon Culpepper burst into her home in joyous celebration on Monday after scratching off a $1 million win. (North Carolina Education Lottery)

Carteret County, N.C.

A lucky North Carolina lottery player couldn’t wait to tell her family about winning a million-dollar prize.

According to the North Carolina Education Lottery, Sharon Culpepper burst into her Newport-area home in celebration on Monday after scratching off a $1 million win.

“I jumped out of my car and ran into my house screaming at the top of my lungs,” Culpepper said. “Then I just dropped to my knees and hit the floor.”

She won the $1 million prize after buying a $10 Multiplier Mania ticket from a Newport BP gas station on Main Street.

“My son’s fiancé was home when I was screaming and she asked what’s wrong and I yelled, ‘I just won a million dollars!’” Culpepper said.

Culpepper said the timing of this win will come in handy to start the new year.

“This is a game changer for me,” she said. “The first part of 2024 is looking outstanding.”

Culpepper arrived at lottery headquarters on Wednesday to claim her prize money. She chose to receive a lump sum payment of $600,000.

Culpepper said she plans to buy a new car, pay some bills, do some home repairs and take a cruise to the Caribbean.

According to lottery officials, the Multiplier Mania game debuted last June and has since paid six players $1 million jackpots.

Deputy completes DoorDash delivery after driver arrested on suspicion of DUI

A customer's delivery order was completed by a deputy after the driver was reportedly arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. (Nassau County Sheriff's Office)

Nassau County, Fla.

A deputy in Florida ended up completing a customer’s food delivery after the driver was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

According to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to an area Chick-fil-A last week regarding a possible drunken driver who was almost hitting several vehicles in the drive-thru.

Authorities said arriving deputies made contact with the driver in question, later identified as 57-year-old John Kaminski. He was slurring his speech and stumbling, according to deputies who asked him to get out of his vehicle.

Kaminski was instructed to perform field sobriety tests, but the sheriff’s office said he couldn’t complete them.

The 57-year-old was arrested on suspicion of DUI and taken to the Nassau County Detention facility. Deputies said they also found controlled substances in his vehicle that he did not have an authorized prescription for.

According to Nassau County authorities, Deputy Dale Hutcherson completed Kaminski’s scheduled DoorDash delivery by taking the Chick-fil-A food order that was inside his vehicle to the customer “just in time for breakfast.”

Cat missing for nearly 3 years finds owner again thanks to animal rescue team

A woman has been reunited with her cat after it went missing for more than two years. (Maui Humane Society)

Puunene, Hawaii

A woman in Hawaii has been reunited with her cat after the feline went missing nearly three years ago.

According to the Maui Humane Society, its animal rescue team helped the two get back together this week.

The team said the woman, identified as Anna, was losing hope that she would ever find her lost cat named Hyssy.

Anna and her husband lost other cats in the deadly Maui wildfires last August and Hyssy had already been gone for more than two years.

She was working with a cat trapper in the area and searched tirelessly for him, but he was never found until this week.

The team said they were able to contact Anna after finding a cat they believed was her Hyssy.

Anna and her husband came to the shelter immediately.

“Hyssy recognized them right away, even after so long apart,” the shelter shared. “Thanks to an incredible group effort, Hyssy was able to be reunited with his Ohana only a few hours after arriving at our Annex location.”