Amy Sciarretto

A new survey on hand washing has revealed that 70 percent of Americans always wash their hands after using a public restroom, while 29 percent sometimes skip that ever-important, germ-killing step. And yes, 1 percent confessed to never washing their hands after using a public bathroom.

Judy Blume, author of many popular children’s books from the 1970s, revealed that she has been privately battling breast cancer since June. She shared the news on her blog, via a humorously written post titled ‘!@#$% Happens.’

It has long been rumored that Katie Holmes auditioned for the role of Tom Cruise’s missus via the controversial Church of Scientology, of which Cruise is a high-ranking member. That claim has been disputed, but a new blockbuster Vanity Fair article claims that Holmes wasn’t the first choice for Cruise’s wife.

Eleven years. That’s how long Devin Bost, now 22, was outfitted with braces on his teeth. We know what you’re thinking. Those must have been some crooked chompers, right? Wrong. Turns out that Bost is now suing Oregon orthodontist Brad Chvatal for $150,000, along with $35,100 in attorney fees, as compensation for surgeries and expenses related to tooth and gum problems he sustained as a result of

Hunter Spanjer, a deaf preschooler in Grand Island, Nebraska, is being prohibited from signing his name (in sign language) because administrators at his school believe that the gesture he uses looks like a gun. Wait, what?

If the administration at the Delhi Charter School in Delhi, Louisiana suspects a student of being pregnant, they are forcing the girls to take pregnancy tests.

Airplane food isn’t exactly cuisine reserved for the discerning palette, but it gets the job done. However, you might want to think twice before noshing on plane food and not because of nutritional concerns.

What a way to shut down enterprising youth. Nathan Duszynski, 13, of Holland, MI, decided he wanted to earn money so he set up a hot dog cart. But he went out of business as fast as he went into it — thanks to the local government.

Smoking is banned in a lot of places, since people don’t want to breathe in the fumes. But to fire someone from their job for smelling like smoke seems a bit excessive, no? Turns out it’s a loaded argument.

Sally Ride, the first American woman to go into space, has died. Ride, 61, passed away peacefully at her home in La Jolla, CA. on Monday, July 23 after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer.