Morning Edition

Police in Boxtford, Mass., responded to a call about six party crashers. The Tri-Town Transcript reports the cows chased away partiers, and drank their beer.

Hamelin was the setting for the tale of the Pied Piper who lured the town's rats into a river and then led away its children when he wasn't paid. Some 700 years later, the rats have returned and chewed through the electric cable powering the town's fountain.

When the Chinese firm Wanda announced the purchase of AMC cinemas, it may not have made a lot of business sense in the short term. But it could be part of a larger strategy that will bring the company into the U.S. in a major way.

Many small-business owners have had a tough time securing credit since the start of the economic downturn. "I couldn't understand why they wouldn't be willing to give us a loan," one owner says. A new website aims to help such owners, grading banks based on the percentage of deposits that are used for small-business loans.

Back in 2008, Zimbabwe's inflation rate was estimated at 79 billion percent. To cure hyperinflation, Zimbabwe ditched its own currency in favor of U.S. dollars. There's only one problem: Those constantly circulating dollars are now filthy and falling apart.