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 The 10 Most Hilarious Things That Happened in 2024—From a Comedian’s Perspective

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 The 10 Most Hilarious Things That Happened in 2024—From a Comedian’s Perspective

by JOE WALLACE

The year 2024 brought us a treasure trove of moments that seemed scripted straight from a sitcom writer’s notebook. As the world turned, so did the comedy, and the absurdities didn’t disappoint. Let’s take a lighthearted look back at the top ten moments that had us clutching our sides.


1. AI Tries Stand-Up Comedy
Artificial intelligence took a bold leap this year, venturing into the world of stand-up comedy. A bot named “Chuck-L-O-Tron” debuted at the Laugh Factory, delivering lines like, “Why did the programmer go broke? Because he lost all his cache!” The laughter was… tentative. The robot’s heckler comeback—“Your signal-to-noise ratio is suboptimal”—left the audience more confused than amused. It’s safe to say comedians’ jobs are secure. For now.


2. The UFO Congressional Hearing Comedy
When Congress called for hearings on UFOs, the testimonies had everyone questioning their reality. One official nervously admitted that the “aliens” might’ve “just been high-tech drones or, worse, really shiny seagulls.” Social media lit up with memes of extraterrestrial seagulls demanding breadcrumbs. Somehow, it felt like Earth’s official audition tape for joining the galactic neighborhood.


3. AI Predicts Super Bowl Winner, But…
A highly advanced algorithm claimed to predict the Super Bowl’s outcome with 99.9% accuracy, but it hilariously mistook the Puppy Bowl for the real game. Betting sites exploded when “Team Fluff” won by a landslide, leaving many gamblers to console themselves with their newfound plush toy collections.


4. Fashion’s “Chair Pants” Trend
High fashion introduced “chair pants,” an innovative fusion of trousers and foldable chairs. While intended to promote practicality, the viral videos of people inadvertently sitting mid-stride provided hours of entertainment. One unfortunate model’s accidental collapse during Paris Fashion Week became the meme of the year.


5. Influencer Attempts Moon TikTok
A social media influencer managed to join a lunar tourist mission and tried to film a TikTok dance under reduced gravity. Let’s just say things didn’t go as planned. The 30-second clip of a zero-gravity somersault—culminating in a faceplant into lunar dust—broke every view record on Earth and probably caught the moon people’s attention, too.


6. The Great Avocado Heist
When an international avocado shortage hit, a group of vigilante “guac enthusiasts” staged a dramatic heist of a shipment bound for luxury markets. They livestreamed the escapade, donning green spandex suits and leaving handwritten notes reading, “You can’t make toast without us.” The Robin Hood vibes earned them cult status—and jail time.


7. Politician’s Hot Mic Moment
A high-profile politician accidentally left their microphone on during a meeting break, broadcasting, “Does anyone know if AI can babysit? Asking for a friend.” The statement sparked a wave of online tutorials for training AI-powered robotic nannies and inspired the creation of a Netflix comedy series.


8. Zoo’s “Escape Drill” Goes Viral
A Japanese zoo’s realistic animal escape drill took a turn when an employee dressed as a bear got too into character. The sight of zookeepers “chasing” their colleague, who dramatically climbed trees and growled at visitors, left onlookers in hysterics. One child exclaimed, “That’s the happiest bear I’ve ever seen!”


9. The AI-Generated Music Awards
The first-ever AI Music Awards crowned a song created by an algorithm as “Song of the Year.” The catch? The lyrics were entirely composed of random Yelp reviews. Lines like “Best sushi in town, but parking was a nightmare” had everyone humming and laughing uncontrollably. The acceptance speech, delivered by a hologram, thanked “all humans for their emotional baggage.”


10. The Emotional Support Peacock Scandal
Airlines tightened rules on emotional support animals, but one passenger tested the limits by boarding with an “emotional support peacock” named Sparkle. The flight was delayed after Sparkle commandeered a beverage cart, pecked at peanuts, and perched atop a seat, posing majestically. Fellow passengers documented the chaos, making Sparkle an internet celebrity overnight.


From AI’s awkward attempts to infiltrate human creativity to unexpected animal antics, 2024 reminded us that the world’s sense of humor remains intact. Here’s to another year of laughing through the chaos!

How Did the Month of January Get Named?

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Naming rights for the months of the year go back to Roman times. The ancient Romans gave us numerous innovations, including the Julian Calendar (named after Julius Caesar).

The name January is very appropriate for the first month of the year, drawing the name from Janus, the Roman god of new beginnings. The name Janus is based on the Latin word for “doorway.” So, in January, we walk through the doorway to a new beginning.

The second King of Rome, Numa Pompilius, is the one who added the name January (Ianuarius in Latin) to the ancient Roman calendar in 713 BCE.

Evansville’s 2nd Amendment Patriots January and February Meetings Cancelled

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The 2nd Amendment Patriots of Evansville will not meet in January or February. Group leader Jim Tomes tells us that scheduling conflicts forced the cancellation.

“We’re looking forward to getting everyone together in March,” Tomes said. That meeting, the first gathering since November, will be on March 29 at the VFW Post on Wabash Avenue.

Retail Food Establishment Inspection Report

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Healthy food. Healthy eating background. Fruit, vegetable, berry. Vegetarian eating. Superfood

 

Retail Food Establishment Inspection Report

Media Reports Dec. 1-7, 2024

 

Zach Weinberg named UE Head Volleyball Coach

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Weinberg brings a wealth of experience to UE

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville Director of Athletics Dr. Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried has announced the hiring of Zachary Weinberg as Head Volleyball Coach for the Purple Aces program.

“We are thrilled to welcome Zach, his wife Paige, and their children Ian and Eliana to the Purple Aces family. Coach Weinberg’s values perfectly align with those at UE,” Siegfried said. “He values developing well-rounded student-athletes, lifelong learning, and he understands the importance of the impact that UE has in our community and beyond. He also brings a wealth of experience and a proven ability to build successful teams at the Division I level.”

Weinberg joins the Aces program following a seven-year stint on the staff at Tennessee Tech where he served as the Associate Head Volleyball Coach since June 2021.  He began his role with the TTU program in February of 2018 as an assistant coach.  His staff inherited a team that went 2-14 in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2017 and turned it into a 14-4 squad that finished in second place in the OVC in 2022. In 2024, the Golden Eagles went 24-8, finishing with their highest win total since 1983.

Over a four-year span, Weinberg helped raise the RPI of the Golden Eagles from 313 in 2017 to 154 in 2021, an improvement of 159 positions.  His responsibilities included the training of setters, middle blockers, and pin hitters while overseeing the entire offensive scheme.  Off the floor, he managed the operating and travel budgets of the program while serving as the liaison to housing, marketing, and sports information.  He also coordinated social media for the program.

“I am honored, humbled and excited to be named the head coach at the University of Evansville. I’d like to thank Dr. Ziggy Siegfried and the entirety of the Search Advisory Committee for their time and professionalism in running the search and for gifting me this opportunity to lead the Purple Aces program,” Weinberg exclaimed.  “From the moment I stepped foot in Evansville, I could feel how this community rallies around the volleyball program and how ready they are to support these student-athletes. UE is a special place, and I can’t wait to get to know the student-athletes and aid them in reaching their academic and athletic goals while providing them with the best experience I can. Today is a dream come true, and my family and I can’t wait to embed ourselves into the Evansville community!”

“I would also like to thank everyone who aided me in getting to this huge step in my career, but especially those from my time in Cookeville with Tennessee Tech. Head Coach Jeannette Phillips, Athletic Director Mark Wilson, SWA Mandy Thatcher, and the rest of the TTU admin team provided me with so much autonomy and opportunity for growth that it shaped me into the coach I am today,” Weinberg added.  “It has been a wonderful 7 years in Cookeville, and I’m deeply appreciative of all the love and support they have poured into me. I also want to thank my biggest supporter-my wife, Paige- for her constant love and support and for allowing me to follow my dreams. None of who I am as a coach and person is possible without her endless support.”

Aside from his work with the indoor program, Weinberg was named the first-ever Head Beach Volleyball Coach in TTU history.  In the inaugural season for the program in 2023, Weinberg directed his squad to a 4th-place finish in the OVC along with two wins in the conference tournament.  He oversaw the management of the entire program while managing an assistant coach and student manager.

Weinberg is also an active member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and has served in multiple roles within the organization. He has served on the Board of Directors for the last two years as the Assistant Coaches representative while simultaneously serving on the AVCA’s High School All-American Selection Committee. As the board representative, Weinberg chairs the organization’s Assistant Coaches Committee and in 2021 was recognized as an AVCA 30 Under 30 award winner, which recognizes 30 of the top up-and-coming coaches in the country under the age of 30.

Prior to his time at Tennessee Tech, Weinberg served as an Assistant Volleyball Coach at UNLV. Posting a 24-8 record, UNLV finished 33rdin the RPI on its way to the school’s first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where his team upset #22 Utah in the opening round.  His work with UNLV included the recruiting of student-athletes on a nationwide scale while coordinating and conducting on-campus recruiting

In two seasons as an assistant coach at Northwestern State, Weinberg helped NSU capture its first and only Southland Conference Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2014.  He worked within all facets of in-gym training at NSU while working extensively in video and Cauldron – a complex statistical document that stores statistics for each member of the team and compares their production to the top players in the conference.

His work in college volleyball began at Ohio University where he was a Student Assistant Coach from December of 2008 through March of 2012.  As a sophomore, he was promoted from student manager to Student Assistant Coach.  In his time with the Bobcats, the program won three Mid-American Conference regular season championships, three MAC Tournament Championships and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in each season.

Between 2015 and 2022, Weinberg was the Head Volleyball Coach for Maccabi USA Volleyball.  He led the Indoor Women’s Youth team and Open Women beach team to gold medals at the 2015 Pan-American Maccabi Games in Santiago, Chile.  In 2022, he directed the Maccabi USA Women’s Open Team to a 4th-place finish in the 2022 Maccabiah in Jerusalem, Israel.

Weinberg’s first head coaching position was at Camden Catholic High School (N.J.) where he led the program in 2013, just its second season in existence.  Following a 1-21 season prior to his arrival, Weinberg won nine games in 2013 while finishing second in its division.

Student-athletes have benefited greatly from Weinberg’s tutelage.  He recruited and mentored 2024 OVC Player of the Year Madolyn Isringhausen while guiding her to four All-OVC selections including three on the first team.  Isringhausen was named the AVCA National Player of the Week on Nov. 12, 2024, as well as being named Tennessee Tech’s first-ever AVCA All-American at the conclusion of the 2024 season.  He led Jordan Karlen to a pair of All-OVC First Team selections along with OVC Freshman and Setter of the Year honors.  Weinberg has led multiple other student-athletes to conference and regional accolades.

Weinberg is married to his wife, Paige. They have two children-Ian (4) and Eliana (1).

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

Mark Wilson-Tennessee Tech Athletic Director

“Zach is a rising star in the volleyball world and has been a huge part of our success on the court along with leading Tennessee Tech’s entry into beach volleyball! Evansville is getting a superb coach but an even better person and family!”

Jeannette Phillips-Tennessee Tech Head Volleyball Coach

“Zach has always prioritized relationships with those he works with and our loss is Evansville’s gain. He has been passionate about continuing his coaching career as a Head Coach; it was always just a matter of him finding the perfect fit, and I am so happy that he found that in Evansville. The Tennessee Tech staff and players all support this move for Zach and we wish him well in the next step in his coaching journey.”

Jaime Gordon-CEO of the American Volleyball Coaches Association

“Evansville made a great choice to bring in Zach as their head volleyball coach. He is a professional who is committed to building a sustainable program of success on a foundation of high character that will make the community proud.”

Jaclynn Wilson-UT Martin Head Volleyball Coach

“Evansville made a great choice in selecting Zach Weinberg as its new head volleyball coach. I’ve coached against him for years, and he has continually demonstrated the qualities that make him a leader, on and off the court. Not only is he passionate about volleyball, but his commitment to his student athletes is unmatched. Evansville has landed a terrific coach and an even better person.”

Maddie Isringhausen-TTU Student Athlete 2020-2024

“Having Zach as a coach for the last five years has been nothing short of amazing. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the countless hours he spent teaching me everything there is to know as an outside hitter. He worked day in and day out to make us better players, but above all better people. He truly treats his players as if they are a part of his family and that is just one of the many reasons he will thrive in this new role. I am incredibly proud to say I was coached by Zach and I can’t wait to see what he accomplishes in the years to come.  Evansville is incredibly lucky to have him as their new head coach!”

Ali Verzani- TTU Student Athlete 2018-2021

“I am so grateful for the years I spent playing for Coach Zach. He made me a better student, volleyball player, and human being. Coach Zach believes in his athletes and gives them the tools they need to reach their full athletic potential. He is a true student of the game and a phenomenal leader. I am so excited to see what he can accomplish with the Aces!”

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

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EPD

EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT

 

FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.

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Runner named MVC Freshman of the Week following Valley opener

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The freshman is on pace to become the most decorated weekly player in a season
ST. LOUIS – After opening conference play to the reigning Missouri Valley Conference champions freshman guard Camryn Runner (Cicero, Ind. / Hamilton Heights HS) has been recognized for her play.
With her 12th straight double-digit performance on Sunday against the Drake Bulldogs, Runner has been named the MVC Freshman of the Week. It is the guard’s fifth weekly recognition from conference staff and her first of MVC play. Runner earned the freshman honor at the beginning of both the non-conference and the Valley schedules.
In 36 minutes on the floor Sunday at the Ford Center Runner was one of only two Aces to have a double-digit performance. Runner scored 14 points while adding two three-pointers including a buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter. Along with her strong scoring performance, Runner assisted on four other baskets and pulled down two rebounds.
With two made free throws and three attempts against the Bulldogs Runner continues to be one of the best in the nation at the line. The freshman leads the MVC in both free throw attempts and made free throws. With 110 attempts from the charity stripe Runner is second in the nation. She is also third in the country in made free throws with 88. Runner trails only sophomore forward S’Mya Nichols of Kansas and senior guard Izzy Higginbottom of Arkansas.
Runner and UE are back in action this weekend for the first away games of MVC action. Evansville will visit Peoria first on Thursday, January 2nd to take on the Bradley Braves at 6 p.m.

Gov. Holcomb directs flags to be lowered in honor and tribute to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr.

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INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Eric Holcomb is directing flags to be flown at half-staff across Indiana in honor and tribute to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr.

Flags should be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on from now until sunset Tuesday, January 28, 2025. Gov. Holcomb is also requesting businesses and residents to lower their flags to half-staff.