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‘Sorry, I been drunk’: Thief returns stolen mandolins to New Jersey guitar store with apology note

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — In a sobering decision, one drunk thief apparently changed his tune and returned two mandolins that he had previously stolen, according to the owner of a New Jersey vintage guitar store.

In a social media post Friday, Lark Street Music said that two previously stolen mandolins – a small, guitar-like instrument in the lute family – had been returned to the store, along with a handwritten note partly in all caps that read, “SORRY, I BEEN DRUNK, MERRY CHRISTMAS You are good man.”

Buzzy Levine, who has owned the store since 1981, told ABC News that he was shocked when the instruments were returned.

“I couldn’t believe it. I said, ‘this is insane.’ This is like, some kind of weird movie that has a happy ending or something,” Levine said.

The store had previously posted surveillance video online depicting the alleged thief stuffing the instruments beneath his parka and leaving the store on Monday, Dec. 22, and asking for help in identifying the culprit.

“How to steal 2 mandolins at the same time! Be on the lookout for this criminal and the Gibson F-12 #A2985 and a Weber Yellowstone #9360302. This thief has a Montenegrin accent,” the post read.

Levine told ABC News that the mandolins were valued at $3,500 and $4,250, respectively.

Levine said in his online post that he saw the alleged thief “surreptitiously” open the store’s front door and return the mandolins in two shopping bags.

“An instant later, I wanted to see who did it, and so I went outside, and I saw the guy sort of trotting down the street. And I took chase, probably not the smartest thing to do, and he was he took off. He was running really fast and kept looking back to see if I was catching up or he was gaining ground, and then he took a turn – and then I lost them,” Levine said, adding that he then called 911.

Christopher Kurschner, captain of investigations for the Teaneck Police Department, told ABC News that they’re investigating the crime but haven’t made arrests. Anyone with information can call the Teaneck Police Department at 201-837-2600.

Good ‘Karma’: Taylor Swift surprises Arrowhead Stadium employee with hefty Christmas tip

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

If you watched Taylor Swift‘s Disney+ docuseries, you saw the scene where she gives everyone on the Eras Tour bonuses. But her generosity also extends to people she doesn’t know that well — or at all.

An employee at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, revealed on a Taylor Swift fan Facebook group that she encountered Taylor, Travis Kelce and his mom, Donna Kelce, during her shift at the Chiefs’ Christmas Day game, and was surprised when Taylor handed her an extremely unexpected tip.

The employee, Robyn Gentry, wrote of Taylor, “She was running around telling everyone merry Christmas and came towards me, saying thank you so much for working on Christmas, please take this, Merry Christmas. My mind just froze. Of course I said Merry Christmas and thank you so much.”

“Travis and her were smiling so big and just kept saying merry Christmas, thank you for working Christmas,” Gentry continued. “But then they were gone and I stopped to look at what was in my hand…. $600. My whole paycheck for two weeks. I had just dropped that much for Christmas for 8 kids. I immediately started crying.”

Gentry goes on to say she couldn’t bring herself to spend the money — immediately, anyway — and posted a photo of a framed $100 bill.

“I framed one,” she wrote. “Still havent spent any, but I wanted to share the story with people who will appreciate it with me. Taylor and Travis are beautifully kind people.”

Prior to Christmas, Taylor donated $1 million to the American Heart Association and another $1 million to Feeding America.

Chappell Roan reveals the late Brigitte Bardot inspired one of her songs

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(A previous version of this story was published on 12/29/25 at 12:53 p.m. ET. This version has been updated to include new remarks from Chappell Roan.)

The French movie icon and sex symbol Brigitte Bardot died Sunday at age 91, and Chappell Roan paid tribute to the late star on her Instagram Story.

Chappell, who was born over 40 years after Bardot became a worldwide sensation in the 1956 film And God Created Woman, posted a photo of the actress and wrote, “She was my inspiration for red wine supernova. Rest in peace Ms. Bardot.”

“Red Wine Supernova” is from Chappell’s debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. It was originally released as a single in 2023, but hit the Billboard Hot 100 in 2024 thanks to the success of “Good Luck, Babe!” The opening lines of the song are, “She was a playboy, Brigitte Bardot/ She showed me things I didn’t know.”

Chappell’s not the only artist who has name-checked Bardot in a song. She also appears in the lyrics of songs by Billy Joel, Elton John, Bob Dylan and the Pretenders.

Following Chappell’s initial post, fans apparently informed her of some of Bardot’s more controversial views, which the actress espoused later in life. She supported right-wing politicians, made disparaging comments about gay people and immigrants, and was convicted and fined multiple times by French courts for “inciting racial hatred.”

Chappell wrote on her Instagram Story, “Holy s*** i did not know all the insane s*** Ms. Bardot stood for obvs I do not condone this. very disappointing to learn.”

These states will raise the minimum wage in 2026

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Nearly 20 U.S. states are set to raise their minimum wage in 2026, boosting pay for millions of workers spanning from Arizona to New Jersey.

A mix of Republican- and Democrat-controlled states will raise their wage floors on Jan. 1 in keeping with inflation-adjusted increases or as part of scheduled hikes that take effect at the beginning of each calendar year.

The pay increases will affect about 8.3 million workers, who will gain a combined $5 billion over the course of 2026, according to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, or EPI.

Beginning next year, the number of workers living in a state that guarantees a $15 minimum wage will exceed the number living in a state that offers the federal wage floor of $7.25 per hour, the EPI found.

After the wave of wage hikes, Washington will become the state with the highest minimum wage, offering workers $17.13 per hour.

Workers in New York will enjoy the second-highest wage floor, as the state implements a minimum hourly wage of $17 for workers in New York City, Long Island and Westchester. Outside those areas, workers in New York will receive at least $16 per hour.

Overall, the 19 states set to raise their minimum wage on Thursday include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.

The nation’s highest wage floors will take effect in some of the nearly 50 cities and other localities that will impose minimum pay hikes.

Twenty-nine localities in California will see pay hikes, including a $20.25 an hour wage floor that will take effect in West Hollywood. Eight localities in Washington will increase their minimum wage, among them the country’s highest wage floor: $21.65 an hour in Tukwila.

The latest round of pay increases, however, will not affect 20 states concentrated in the South that lack a minimum wage or offer a minimum wage that does not exceed the federal minimum.

The last federal minimum wage hike took place in 2009, when Congress raised the pay floor to its current level. Since then, the federal minimum wage has lost more than 30% of its value due to inflation, EPI found.

Ye says a new album is coming

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is working on a new album, he revealed to Deon Cole during a comedy show at the Hollywood Improv.

Cole brought Ye onstage to thank him for attending the show and asked the crowd to give his “good friend” a round of applause. He asked Ye if he enjoyed the show, jokingly asking him to clarify whether his laughter was genuine or just “symphony laughs.”

With Ye mostly staying quiet onstage, Cole quipped, “This is good, a good, healthy conversation. Two great friends.”

Cole asked if Ye had anything fans should be looking out for, to which Ye revealed a “new album [is] coming out.” Cole suggested he could appear on an interlude for the project, prompting a laugh from Ye.

Cole then asked Ye to send him a care package and gave him his flowers. “Thank you for being the legend that you are,” he said.

Ye was also spotted over the weekend at Disneyland with girlfriend Bianca Censori.

The rapper was expected to release his album Bully on his daughter North West‘s birthday, June 15, but it has been delayed multiples times. It’s unclear whether the new album he mentioned is an entirely different project.

The news comes ahead of his first solo performance in Italy this summer. Ye will be playing at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia on July 18 as part of the Hellwatt Festival.

Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston and more return in ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ revival teaser

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

It’s a family reunion in the new teaser for Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair.

In the teaser, which arrived Monday from Hulu, Frankie Muniz reprises his role as Malcolm. We also see Bryan Cranston as Malcolm’s dad, Hal, and Jane Kaczmarek as Malcolm’s mom, Lois.

Like the original series, the teaser is filled with quirky and loud family moments that made the sitcom a beloved show for many.

According to a synopsis, the Malcolm in the Middle revival, which will be a limited four-episode series, will focus on Malcolm, who “after shielding himself and his daughter from his family for over a decade” is “dragged back into their orbit when Hal and Lois demand his presence at their 40th anniversary party.”

Also returning to the revival are Christopher Kennedy Masterson as Francis, Justin Berfield as Reese and Emy Coligado as Piama.

New cast members include Keeley Karsten as Malcolm’s daughter, Leah, Vaughan Murrae as Malcolm’s youngest sibling, Kelly, Kiana Madeira as Malcolm’s girlfriend, Tristan, and Caleb Ellsworth-Clark as Dewey.

Malcolm in the Middle aired from 2000 to 2006 and earned a slew of awards during its seven-season run, including a Peabody, seven Emmys and a Grammy.

All 151 episodes of Malcolm in the Middle are now streaming on Hulu or via Hulu on Disney+.

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair will premiere on April 10, 2026, on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News, Disney+ and Hulu.

On This Day, Dec. 29, 1985: Billy Joel becomes a first-time father

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

On This Day, Dec. 29, 1985 …

Billy Joel became a father when he and his wife, model Christie Brinkley, welcomed their only child together, daughter Alexa Ray Joel.

Their daughter’s middle name was a tribute to legendary musician Ray Charles, with whom Billy collaborated on the 1987 song “Baby Grand.” Joel later wrote the 1993 song “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” for Alexa.

Alexa followed in her father’s footsteps as a musician and released the EP Sketches in 2006, along with several other singles. She is scheduled to perform at New York City entrepreneur Michael Dorf’s annual Music Of concert celebrating her father, which will take place March 12 at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Joel went on to welcome two more daughters with his fourth wife, Alexis Roderick. Della Rose Joel was born in August 2015 and Remy Anne Joel in October 2017.

Trump says US ‘knocked out’ a ‘big facility’ in Venezuela

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said that the United States “knocked out” a “big facility” in Venezuela last week, in what appears to be a reference to a strike on a drug trafficking site in the country.

Trump, in a radio interview with on WABC’s “Cats and Cosby” on Friday, was discussing his administration’s effort to stop drug trafficking from the region, including strikes against alleged drug boats, when he made the comment.

“And we just knocked out, I don’t know if you read or you saw, they have a big plant or a big facility where they send the, you know, where the ships come from. Two nights ago we knocked that out, so we hit them very hard,” Trump said in the interview.

The New York Times reported that American officials said that Trump was referring to a drug facility in Venezuela and that it was eliminated, but gave no further details.

If Trump’s comments are accurate, then it would mark the first known attack on land in Venezuela since the Trump administration began its campaign against the country.

ABC News has reached out to the Pentagon and the White House for comment; the Pentagon referred ABC News to the White House for comment. The CIA declined to comment on the matter.

Trump has teased land action in Venezuela for weeks, confirming in October that he authorized the CIA to operate inside the South American nation.

The U.S. has also built up its military presence in the region, with 15,000 U.S. troops and several warships standing ready in the Caribbean. Earlier this month, Trump ordered what he called a “complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela, targeting the government’s main source of revenue.

Further ratcheting up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, Trump said last week it would be “smart” for Maduro to step down.

“He can do whatever he wants, it’s alright, whatever he wants to do. If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough,” Trump said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

2nd pilot dies from midair helicopter collision, both identified

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(HAMMONTON, N.J.) — The second pilot has died after two helicopters collided midair and crashed in New Jersey on Sunday, authorities announced.

The pilot of the model 280C helicopter, identified as 71-year-old Michael Greenberg, of Sewell, New Jersey, died at the scene, according to the Hammonton Police Department.

The pilot of the model F-28A helicopter, 65-year-old Kenneth L. Kirsch of Carney’s Point, New Jersey, was rushed to a hospital where he died from his injuries, police said.

The crash occurred around 12:25 p.m. Sunday in Hammonton, about 35 miles southeast of Philadelphia, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA said an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and an Enstrom 280C helicopter “collided in midair” near the Hammonton Municipal Airport.

After colliding, both helicopters plummeted to the ground, landing near the 100 block of Basin Road, according to police. One of the helicopters became “engulfed in flames,” according to the Hammonton Police Department.

Police officers and EMS workers extinguished the flames, authorities said.

Witness Brian Sherr said he was outside of a nearby store when he heard a woman nearby “screaming, ‘Oh my God, oh my God.'”

“I did hear a metal clank, but there’s a lot of vehicles around, so I didn’t really pay much attention,” Sherr told ABC News.

He said that as he looked up to the sky, he saw one of the helicopters “slowly descending in a rotating motion, almost as if the rudder and the tail had lost control.”

“I thought that was the only one at first, and then I see a second one come down with the same issue behind it,” Sherr said, adding he saw smoke rise after the second helicopter impacted the ground, prompting him to call 911.

Police said the helicopters were seen flying close together before the crash.

ICYMI: 50 Cent, John Legend and A$AP Rocky

December 29, 2025 by WDNY Radio

50 Cent shared an Instagram post on Sunday that some believe is his way of brushing off the diss track from the men of the Let’s Rap About It podcast. He writes, “Let’s toast to success, health, and prosperity. I’m planning my new year. When I’m done, I’ll come out to play. You know everyone who plays with me wishes they didn’t in the end.”

Last year, John Legend celebrated his birthday with his wife, Chrissy Teigen, and children at a bubble experience in London and a performance of the Devil Wears Prada musical. This year, the family marked his 47th lap around the sun at the Sloomoo Institute in New York. Chrissy shared an Instagram Reel capturing highlights from their day.

A$AP Rocky teamed with the rewards program Bilt for a limited-edition vinyl of his forthcoming Don’t Be Dumb album. The vinyl, which Rocky described to People as his “love letter to New York,” is now available for preorder on Bilt’s app and website. Bilt is also covering January rent for tenants in Rocky’s old Harlem apartment building, which will also receive donations. Rocky also appears in Bilt’s game show Rent Free, where he offered free rent payments of up to $2,500 to Bilt Members. Ten winners will also get the exclusive vinyl, complete with Rocky’s signature. Don’t Be Dumb arrives on Jan. 16.

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