Mystery Canal Jet Skier Returns + Wine Dream Job Finalists + More

ACROSS AMERICA — Jet skis are common sights in lakes and oceans, but not so much the dirty canal waters of Joliet, Illinois.

But one jet skier, a 59-year-old man named Van, was spotted by Joliet Patch Editor John Ferak in March. The two stopped for a brief exchange when their paths crossed again on the banks of the same canal in late July.

“I bet you figured that I had to be someone like 20 or 25 years old,” Van told Ferak.

It turns out Van has been coming to the canal for decades, tuning up his water crafts to make sure they are ready to go in Lake Michigan. Read the full story on Joliet, Illinois, Patch.

Wine Dream Job

Murphy-Goode Winery in California’s scenic Sonoma Valley is offering $10,000 a month, a year's worth of free wine, and somewhere to live rent-free while at the winery to the winner of an application process that’s now been significantly narrowed.

Meet the final 17.

Read more via Healdsburg, California, Patch

COVID Surge In Sunshine State

Florida is among the states experiencing the fastest uptick of coronavirus cases. On Saturday, the state recorded the highest one-day total of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began.

Also: Disney, Walmart, Publix React To Florida COVID Surge

More Reads

Puppies Rescued: A mother and her 10 pups were in a urine-and feces-covered room with a temperature of over 90 degrees and had no food or water, via Wall, New Jersey, Patch.

Brothers Laid To Rest: James Farrell and Michael Farrell, two victims of a deadly crash a week ago that claimed five lives, are remembered, via Southampton, New York, Patch.

Vigil Shooting Suspect Surrenders: A man has turned himself into police after authorities said someone fired a gun into a group of people at a vigil, via Jersey City, New Jersey, Patch.

‘I Nearly Died’: Nancy Miller is among the 6,000 vaccinated Americans who have been hospitalized with the coronavirus after getting vaccinated, via Morristown, New Jersey, Patch.

WATCH: A police officer gets struck by a speeding car while making a traffic stop, via Centreville, Virginia, Patch.

ICYMI: A woman and her son shared a 50-year-old can of Coors banquet beer to honor a pact the woman had with her late husband, via Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Patch.

Trending Across Patch

• Tornado, Waterspout Confirmed In Maryland, via Columbia, Maryland, Patch
• Tik-Tok Star Dies After Movie Theater Shooting, via Lake Elsinor-Wildomar, California, Patch
• Vikings Coach ‘Frustrated’ With Unvaccinated Players, via Eagan, Minnesota, Patch
• 5 Tornadoes Hit Philadelphia Area, via Philadelphia Patch
• Pedicab Driver Killed When Hit, Run Over By Car, via Midtown Manhattan, New York, Patch

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