‘Seinfeld’ star Michael Richards reveals prostate cancer battle

Michael Richards poses at the premiere of the Netflix film "Unfrosted" at the Egyptian Theatre, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Actor Michael Richards revealed a health scare that he says could have ended his life a few years ago.

Richards, 74, shared with People that he underwent surgery to remove his prostate after being diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer in 2018.

“I thought, ‘Well, this is my time. I’m ready to go,’” People quoted Richards. “But then my son came to mind just a few seconds later and I heard myself saying, “I’ve got a 9-year-old and I’d like to be around for him.’”

In his upcoming memoir “Entrances and Exits” he writes about coming face-to-face with his mortality.

“It had to be contained quickly,” he said “I had to go for the full surgery. If I hadn’t, I probably would have been dead in about eight months.”

Richards, best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the hit series “Seinfeld,” has mostly stayed out of the spotlight in recent years.

But said he has been keeping journals about his life experiences and wanted to share them in his memoir.

“I had over 40 journals I’d kept over the years and wanted to do a full review of my life,” he shared. “I’m turning 75, so maybe wanting to do that is something that comes with being my age. I wanted to connect with feelings and memory.”

Richards is said to be currently living a quiet life as husband to actress Beth Skipp and father to their son Antonio.

“Entrances and Exits” will be available at stores on June 4.

18-year-old wins $1 million lottery prize after giving money to sister to buy scratch-off ticket

Raleigh resident Jalen McLean couldn’t help but smile after a $10 scratch-off ticket turned into a $1 million prize. (North Carolina Educational Lottery)

Raleigh, N.C.

An 18-year-old North Carolina man turned $10 into a $1 million payday thanks to playing the lottery.

According to the North Carolina Education Lottery, Raleigh resident Jalen McLean couldn’t help but smile after a $10 scratch-off ticket turned into that $1 million prize.

“I feel like the luckiest guy in the universe,” Jalen McLean said.

Lottery officials said McLean had given his sister, Dasha Silas, some money on Tuesday and asked her to pick out a scratch-off ticket for him.

Silas ended up choosing a $10 Jumbo Bucks ticket from a Valero gas station in Fayetteville and the two scratched off the ticket together.

When McLean finished scratching the ticket, his sister said he couldn’t help but smile.

“He had a huge smile on his face,” Silas said. “Like so big. it looked like the movie character Venom.”

McLean, the youngest of five siblings, laughed when trying to articulate what the win meant to him.

“How many 18-year-olds win something like this?” he said at lottery headquarters.

Lottery officials said McLean chose to receive his prize money as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years instead of a lump sum of $600,000.

So, for the next 19 years, until he is 38, he’ll get a check for $50,000 fulfilling the $1 million payout.

North Carolina lottery officials said he received his first payment on Wednesday, taking home $35,753 after taxes.

McLean said he plans to use his winnings to buy a new car.

Zoo welcomes 5 new African lion cubs to its animal family

African lioness Dunia, 8, gave birth to five cubs on Monday at the Oklahoma City Zoo. (Oklahoma City Zoo)

Oklahoma City

A zoo in Oklahoma says its family of lions has grown with the birth of five cubs.

According to the Oklahoma City Zoo, African lioness Dunia, 8, gave birth to five cubs on Monday at the zoo’s Lion Overlook at Expedition Africa.

Zoo officials said this was Dunia’s second litter of cubs with 12-year-old father Hubert after they welcomed their first litter in September 2022.

“We are excited to welcome the cubs to the Zoo and look forward to watching our pride grow! Seeing Dunia become a mom again is an incredible experience that we are grateful to be able to witness a second time,” Tyler Boyd, the zoo’s curator of carnivores, said.

Animal caretakers said Dunia and the cubs were doing great after the birth and they will be spending time together behind the scenes to bond and rest.

“This birth is significant to not only the OKC Zoo but lion populations globally. African lions are classified as vulnerable through the International Union for Conservation of Nature and we are excited to be able to increase the lion population globally. We look forward to sharing more about the cubs soon,” Boyd said.

According to the zoo, Dunia was in labor for about seven hours and birthed her first four cubs before surprising caretakers by giving birth to a fifth cub hours later.

The zoo said the cubs now bring its lion population up to 12, and visitors can visit the family in the Lion Overlook area.

T-Mobile announces prices are going up starting next month on some of its plans

T-Mobile is reportedly sending out notifications this week to customers whose charges will increase. (T-Mobile | MGN)

Some T-Mobile customers will be noticing higher prices on their next bill.

According to multiple reports, the company will start sending out notifications on Wednesday to those customers whose charges will increase, starting as early as next month.

CNET reports that customers with older plans can expect a $2 or $5 per line increase.

T-Mobile representatives cited the price hikes were to “keep up with rising inflation and costs.”

The Verge reports that some of the older plans expected to see a price increase include One, Magenta, Magenta 55 Plus / Military, Simple Choice, and Go5G 55 plans for seniors.

This is the first time in nearly a decade that T-Mobile has raised its rates, according to the company.

The company did not share exactly how many customers the increases will affect but those consumers can expect to see their new monthly price on their first bill after June 5.

Boy, 7, battling through rare skin conditions that prevent him from closing his eyes

Carter, 7, was born with two rare skin conditions called lamellar ichthyosis and ectropion. (GoFundMe)

Las Vegas

We can sometimes take the little things for granted in life but for a little boy in Las Vegas, some of those more simpler things can be a challenge.

Carter is 7 years old and is your average child, but he is dealing with a couple of rare skin conditions that he was born with.

“My skin was hurting super bad when I woke up,” he said.

Carter’s family says he was born with two rare skin conditions called lamellar ichthyosis and ectropion. He has also been diagnosed with autism.

“His body overproduces skin at a rapid rate but his skin cell turnover isn’t up to par to release the dead skin cells,” Carter’s mother Shai Bresee said.

Carter’s skin condition is far beyond just severe dry skin. His mom said she has to moisturize him up to seven times a day with special products.

“We have to be very careful because we can cause more damage than good over-exfoliating,” Bresee said.

Even if his skin is soothed, Carter has another challenge that his mom can’t make better.

“His skin is so dry and tight that it pulls his upper lids basically flat,” Bresee said.

Carter has not been able to close his eyelids since he was born. He has to sleep with his eyes open.

“Why does such a great kid have to go through all of these everyday struggles just to experience these normal day-to-day things,” Bresee said.

This summer Carter will get skin graft surgery on his eyelids so he can hopefully close them for the very first time.

“I’m going through a lot. It hurts, but I have to go through it until I get surgery and then it won’t really hurt anymore.” Carter said.

For it to not hurt anymore, the family will have to travel to San Diego for surgery, but it will get costly for the family which is why they are asking for help through a GoFundMe account.

“He will struggle no matter what we do so all we can do is help him struggle with fewer things,” Bresee said.

Even through the pain, Carter says he still likes to play video games and watch the Vegas Golden Knights.