In the news
■ George Smith, 78, a University of Missouri professor emeritus who shared the 2018 Nobel Prize for chemistry with two other scientists, is donating his $243,000 winnings to support needs-based scholarships for College of Arts and Science students at the university.
■ Elizabeth Jones, 34, a Virginia woman accused of faking a pregnancy to deceive a couple who expected to adopt the child, was arrested on nine counts of felony larceny in what prosecutors said was a scam to obtain gifts and other perks.
■ Chris Ferry, who turns 62 on Saturday, said he changed his phone number after getting more than 15,000 calls and Facebook messages when his two sons put up a billboard in Linwood, N.J., asking people to call him to wish him a happy birthday.
■ Mark Stevens, the winch operator on a British coast guard rescue helicopter during a training mission in Scotland’s snowy Cairngorms Mountains, was lowered from the chopper to scoop up a cold and frightened dog that the crew later learned from its owner had been missing for two days.
■ Nihar Gala, a doctor who runs a pain management clinic in Millsboro, Del., could lose his license after being accused of prescribing opioids in exchange for sexual favors from a female patient undergoing treatment for drug addiction.
■ Cinthia Davis, 34, of Wellington, Kan., convicted of stealing thousands of dollars in donations intended for an 11-year-old burn victim whose family received only a few hundred dollars, was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to repay the stolen money.
■ Richard Gathercole, 40, a Montana man dubbed the “AK-47 bandit” for the assault-style rifle he carried as he held up banks in five states beginning in 2012, has pleaded guilty to robbing a bank in Nebraska and faces up to 35 years in prison, prosecutors said.
■ Andrew Mitchell, 55, a vice squad officer in Columbus, Ohio, is being held without bail on charges that he tampered with witnesses and lied to investigators after forcing women to have sex, threatening them with arrest if they didn’t, prosecutors said.
■ John Welsh, with the city of Banning, Calif., said french fries are the favorite treat of a brown-and-white ferret that was abandoned in a pet crate outside City Hall, adding that whoever left the animal, which is illegal to own in that state, could face charges if found.