A University of Michigan student is one of the world’s foremost “speedcubers,” a person capable of quickly solving a Rubik’s Cube. He also is an accomplished violinist. Stanley Chapel says the two fields go hand in hand and the violin has aided in his speedcubing success. The 21-year-old is the world champion in two categories of blindfolded speedcubing. Factoring in the time it takes for him to review the cube before placing the blindfold over his eyes, Chapel can solve one in around 17 seconds. The junior majoring in violin performance intends to defend his titles later this year in South Korea.

The owner of a West Virginia restaurant that was heavily damaged by fire has his coveted hot dog statue back. The Kanawha County Sheriff's Office says the short statue was stolen from the Dairy Winkle in Campbells Creek during a break-in sometime after the Jan. 11 fire. A tip led deputies to a location where the statue was found undamaged. It was returned to restaurant owner Kerry Ellison. Investigators have not identified a suspect and are seeking information about the theft. The statue depicts a hot dog licking its lips and holding a bottle of mustard while pouring a bottle of ketchup on its head. Ellison hopes to reopen the restaurant later this year.

Several groups have flocked to the waterway off Manhattan in search of treasure. That's after hearing a guest on podcast host Joe Rogan’s show make a claim that a boxcar’s worth of prehistoric bones brought to New York City from Alaska was thrown into the East River in the 1940s. Despite the lack of evidence to back up the claim, in recent weeks treasure seekers have used boats, diving apparatuses and technology like remote-operated cameras to search. They're hoping the murky waters are hiding some treasures like woolly mammoth tusks.

A retired science satellite is about to fall from the sky but NASA says the chance of wreckage falling on anybody is “very low.” NASA announced the 38-year-old satellite's impending demise late Friday afternoon. It's expected to come down Sunday night, give or take 17 hours. Officials say most of the 5,400-pound science satellite will burn up upon reentry. But some pieces are expected to survive. NASA puts the odds of injury from falling debris at about 1-in-9,400. The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite was launched in 1984 aboard space shuttle Challenger. The satellite was retired in 2005.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is vowing to fight his own City Hall — again — after he was ticketed for rats at his Brooklyn townhouse. A city health department inspector had issued two new summonses last month. Those came just one day after the Democratic mayor appeared remotely before a hearing officer to get a $300 summons for rats at his property dismissed. The inspector said fresh rat droppings were spotted at Adams' property. Adams said Wednesday that his yard is clean and he will contest the summonses. An administrative hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12.