Small Bits of News You Didn’t Know You Needed

Australian penny sells for more than $1.5M

An Australian coin dealer said the economy has not damaged the investment coin market, allowing her to sell a 1930 penny for more than $1.5 million.

Belinda Downie of Coinworks said the coin, one of six proof pennies minted in 1930, was sold to an unidentified buyer for an amount she would only identify as more than $1.5 million.

"These proof pennies were never intended for circulation but instead created as museum pieces," Downie said. "It's a totally separate process. These are produced in an artistic environment from hand-selected blanks."

Downie said the market for rare coins has remained strong due to the high demand and low supply.

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Temperature hikes 17 degrees in Wichita after midnight

An unusual weather pattern caused temperatures in Wichita, Kan. to soar nearly 20 degrees in 20 minutes even though the sun had long gone down.

National Weather Service meteorologist Stephanie Dunten says the heat burst hiked temperatures from 85 to 102 degrees in 20 minutes, beginning at 12:22 a.m. Thursday.

She says a pocket of air in the upper atmosphere collapsed, and when it hit the ground it sent winds of more than 50 mph through parts of the city.

During a heat burst, rain falling from higher elevations cools air beneath it as it evaporates. The cooler air then descends quickly to the surface. As it falls, it is compressed and warms dramatically.

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