state park

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Man on Walk With Girlfriend 'Tickled to Death' Over Big Find
Man on Walk With Girlfriend
'Tickled to Death' Over Big Find
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Man on Walk With Girlfriend 'Tickled to Death' Over Big Find

Jerry Evans thought it was glass, but discovery in Arkansas state park was 4.87-carat diamond

(Newser) - If you stumble upon a sparkling, gemlike object while walking in a park called Crater of Diamonds, it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume your find might be, well, a diamond. Jerry Evans wasn't quite sure, however, when he made such a discovery last spring in the Arkansas state...

Campers Slain at State Park Were Couple, 6-Year-Old

Boy, 9, survived the shooting

(Newser) - Update: The victims of a fatal shooting Friday in a Iowa state park were a Cedar Falls couple and their 6-year-old daughter, officials said, in what appears to have been a random attack. The bodies of Tyler Schmidt, 42; his wife, Sarah Schmidt, 42; and their daughter, Lula, were found...

Guy Finds 'Shiny' Thing That's Really So Much More

Kevin Kinard says he 'teared up when they told me'

(Newser) - A bank manager discovered a 9.07-carat diamond at a state park in southwestern Arkansas after thinking the precious gem was a piece of glass, the AP reports. Kevin Kinard of Maumelle found the second-largest diamond in the 48-year history of Crater of Diamonds State Park on Labor Day, according...

Ancient Redwoods Show Calif. Wildfires Who's Boss

Most giant trees in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, including 'Mother of the Forest,' survive blazes

(Newser) - When a massive wildfire swept through California’s oldest state park last week, it was feared many trees in a grove of old-growth redwoods, some of them 2,000 years old and among the tallest living things on Earth, may finally have succumbed. But an AP reporter and photographer hiked...

NJ Cops: 'Inordinate' Amount of Poop Left in State Parks

Parks were reopened, but not bathrooms

(Newser) - New Jersey reopened state parks on May 2—but authorities say they may have to reconsider the move if people don't stop relieving themselves and discarding the waste there. State Police Superintendent Pat Callahan said Monday that "state park police reported an inordinate amount of urine and feces...

Officials: Woman's Death at State Park Wasn't Accidental

She was killed by falling 'section of tree'

(Newser) - A photographer was killed when part of a tree fell on her at Ohio's Hocking Hills State Park on Labor Day—and authorities believe it didn't fall by itself. Victoria Schafer, 44, was taking senior photos of six high school students when she was killed by the falling...

Group Wrecks Rock Formation, Calls It Justice

Authorities initially thought sandstone pedestal had been destroyed by erosion

(Newser) - Cops and park officials in Oregon would like to speak to a group of young people captured on video destroying a unique rock formation in the state's stunning Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area. Authorities initially thought the 7-foot sandstone pedestal known as the "Duckbill" had been destroyed by...

New Yorkers Want Trump's Name Off Their State Park

'It is embarrassing that the state of New York has a park named after him'

(Newser) - "Why don't we name it after Mussolini or someone else less terrible?" That's what one New Yorker wondered after joining more than 2,000 others in signing an online petition to change the name of Donald J. Trump State Park in New York's Westchester and Putnam...

After Breaking Both Legs in Park, Teen Could Face Charges

Christopher Stewart undergoes surgery after falling 90 feet

(Newser) - Sometimes it pays to stay on the beaten path. Not only did an 18-year-old break both legs after climbing over a wooden railing at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois—he's also facing potential charges for heading into a restricted area, according to authorities. Christopher Stewart, of Aurora, Ill....

Parks Ranger Found Passed Out With a Beer

Tyson Young was noticed by a passerby

(Newser) - Nothing like cracking open a brew and falling asleep ... at the wheel of your patrol car. That's apparently why California State Parks Ranger Tyson Young was found dozing in his parked vehicle on Aug. 15 in Northern California, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. A passerby (who's staying anonymous)...

Rock-Toppling Men Hit With Felony Charge

Glenn Taylor, Dave Hall pushed over Utah formation

(Newser) - Two former Scout leaders have been charged with felonies—criminal mischief and aiding criminal mischief—after one of them knocked over a rock formation in Utah's Goblin Valley State Park. Glenn Taylor, 45, pushed over the rock while Dave Hall, 42, filmed it, Deseret News reports. The two, who...

Google Maps Sends Travelers to My House: NJ Woman

State park seekers directed to private driveway

(Newser) - Get driving directions to a New Jersey state park on Google Maps, and you just may end up in a private driveway. The mapping error has been the source of endless frustration for resident Laurie Gneiding and her husband, she tells the Star-Ledger . “It started with one or two...

California: This Landmark, 69 More State Parks to Close

Budget cuts forcing closure of quarter of state parks

(Newser) - California is planning to close more than a quarter of its 278 state parks and slash services at the rest as part of sweeping budget cuts. Southern California's beaches will stay open but redwood forests, coastal woodlands, and many of the state's historic sites will be shut down...

Neverland Ranch Could Become ... State Park

Assemblyman pushes for study amid skepticism

(Newser) - Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch is one of the most opulent estates in the US, and one California lawmaker can't resist the idea of turning it into a state park. "It will absolutely be a destination for many who admire music and the performing arts," said Assemblyman Mike Davis,...

Calif. Moves to Ban Smoking at Parks, Beaches

Measure aims to crack down on outdoor puffers

(Newser) - California's smokers will soon be losing yet another place to light up if state lawmakers have their way. The state assembly has passed the nation's most extensive ban on smoking in state parks, outlawing smoking at all state parks and beaches, except in parking lots and campgrounds. Supporters say the...

Brother, Can You Save a Park?
 Brother, Can You Save a Park? 

Brother, Can You Save a Park?

(Newser) - Cash-strapped California parks are searching for private money to cope with the state's sweeping budget cuts, the Los Angeles Times reports. Up to 100 of California's 279 state parks and beaches could be forced to close after Labor Day. Just 13 of them make enough money to survive without state...

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