Today is Monday, July 21, 2025.
It is the 202nd day of the year.
163 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
NOTABLE & NOTEWORTHY: North Korea changes course on its new tourist trap.
More in the ongoing divorce drama between DENISE RICHARDS and AARON PHYPERS in SHOWBIZ.
Chubbs Peterson will be honored in “Happy Gilmore 2.” Details in CASTING CALL.
QUEEN CAMILLA steps out for a sweet treat in ROYALS.
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A Florida woman faces charges of aggravated battery and burglary with assault after allegedly attacking another driver with bear mace.
The attack came after the other driver honked at and drove around 38-year-old Cynthia Diaz Sosa, who had stopped her vehicle to allow a chicken to cross the road. (No. This is not a joke!)
The other driver hit and killed the chicken, leaving Sosa no choice but to “teach her a lesson.” [via People]
IN OTHER BIRD NEWS: A 30-year-old New Jersey man has been hit with animal cruelty charges after decapitating a seagull that tried to steal a fry from his daughter. The incident took place at the Surfside Pier at Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks over the 4th of July weekend. [via Daily Beast]
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When North Korean officials unveiled the white sands and clear waters of the Wonsan-Kalma tourist complex earlier this year, they hoped it would attract foreign tourists, particularly from Russia.
Just a few weeks later, though, officials have halted all foreign visits to the area without explanation, or how long the ban will be in place.
The only clue to the ban comes from a recent diplomatic summit between Russia’s and North Korea’s foreign ministers, who met at the beach resort town.
One analyst believes a Russian reporter who was on-site covering the meeting could be responsible for the tourist suspension, after writing that the North Koreans he saw there appeared to be putting on a show rather than actually enjoying themselves. “The North Korean government is believed to have determined that it would face some negative consequences when it opens the site to foreigners,” the analyst suggests. [via NY Post]
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Police in Long Island have arrested a self-styled mystic for grand larceny – and a more obscure “fortune telling” charge.
New York State law defines and bans fortune telling when a person pretends to use “occult powers” or to have the ability to influence evil spirits or curses – unless that person does so explicitly for entertainment or amusement.
In this case, fortune teller Hemanth Kumar Muneppa reportedly bilked a 68-year-old woman out of $20,000 on July 3. When she returned on Thursday, Muneppa said the next reading would cost $42,000 – and he drove her to the bank to take the money out.
The bank alerted police, who arrested Muneppa outside of his strip mall fortune telling location without incident. No word yet if the unidentified victim will get her money back. [via CBS News]
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One of the provisions in the “One, Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed into law earlier this month adds a steep fee increase for visitors to the United States who require a nonimmigrant visa to enter.
The law immediately requires a $250 fee on top of other immigration fees, and rises in the future with inflation. [via CNBC]
WORTH NOTING: The fee does not apply to visitors who are citizens of 42 countries participating in the State Department’s Visa Waiver Program.
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SOTHEBY’s has sold a Ceratosaurus fossil for a whopping $30.5 MILLION – making it the third-most expensive dinosaur fossil sale ever.
Six aggressive bidders drove the final sale price well above the expected $6 MILLION target. The winner remains anonymous, though the auction house says they’ll loan it to an institution.
The Ceratosaurus had been exhibited at the Museum of Ancient Life in Utah, but one of that museum’s employees bought it privately and mounted the 139 original fossil bones and skull pieces properly to market it as a pricier show piece. [via ARTNews]
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