An Austin man who admitted that he stole a statue of the Virgin Mary and painted it to look like a clown is now expected to receive a suspended jail sentence and be ordered to perform community service. Briceson Bryan pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanor theft on Friday in Mower County District Court after admitting that he stole the statue from Calvary Cemetery on July 29.

In an incident of what can be yet another U. S. Mint goof, a Colorado couple has found a dollar coin without the face of George Washington on it. Although, the coin does have "In God We Trust" inscribed on its edge, it is missing out on the images both on its front and backside. "We're just so excited," Mary Smith told The Associated Press. "I'm just dumbfounded that we actually found something significant. "

A childhood letter written by Britain's Queen Elizabeth is going under the hammer next month. The letter was written by Her Majesty to a sick relative when she was just 12-years-old and is expected to fetch up to $785 at an auction.

A Maine farmer has almost given up his efforts to corral a donkey he bought two months ago at an auction. Tranquilizers, a luring date and even a horse whisperer have so far failed to persuade Jenny the donkey to make a comeback since she fled the corral, presumably in search for her lost love. Joe Varricchio, the co-owner of the farm called "Mary Gardens," bought Jenny from an auction thinking its presence in the farm would ward off predators like fox, coyotes and raccoons that have been snatching 50 to 60 hens a year. But his hopes were diluted when the freedom-minded equine eluded the farm just two weeks after and since then Varricchio's every effort to corral her have failed.

A Colorado woman is selling something the state has plenty of these days - snow. Mary Walker is selling a load of it on eBay. So far, bids are hovering around 99 cents. Colorado residents have been hit with two big snowstorms in the last two weeks.