Gulp! Man fined $525 for drink refill at hospital

A construction worker who helped himself to a refill of his 89-cent drink at a Veterans Affairs hospital was fined $525 and lost his job because he was barred from hospital grounds.

More Stories

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after speaking to troops via video from his Mar-a-La ...

‘Reverse migration’: Trump wants to ‘permanently pause’ migration to the US from poorer countries

National Guard patrol on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in ...

Suspect in shooting of National Guard members now facing a first-degree murder charge

This photo shows National Guard member Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. (U.S. Attorney's Office via AP)

One of the two National Guard members shot by Afghan national dies, Trump says

Tourists flock to Mather Point at Grand Canyon National Park, Oct. 1, 2025, in Grand Canyon, Ar ...

It will cost you $100 to visit the Grand Canyon. If you’re from Germany

ASSOCIATED PRESS

April 17, 2014 - 1:40 pm

CHARLESTON, S.C. — A man who helped himself to a refill of his 89-cent drink at a Veterans Affairs hospital found it cost a lot more than he expected when he was fined $525.

WCSC-TV reports there are signs in the cafeteria telling people refills are not free. When Christopher Lewis of North Charleston, S.C., refilled his drink without paying Wednesday, a federal police officer gave him a ticket.

Lewis is a construction worker and says he never noticed the signs and has refilled his drink without paying before.

The medical center said in a statement that Lewis was ticketed for shoplifting, but that the VA doesn’t determine the amount of the fine.

Lewis says he wasn’t given a chance to pay for the refill and will contest the fine in federal court.

‘Reverse migration’: Trump wants to ‘permanently pause’ migration to the US from poorer countries

By Josh Boak Associated Press

November 28, 2025 - 9:26 am

President Donald Trump says he wants to “permanently pause migration” from poorer nations and is promising to seek to expel millions of immigrants from the United States by revoking their legal status. He is blaming immigrants for problems from crime to housing shortages as part of “social dysfunction” in America and demanding “REVERSE MIGRATION.”

Suspect in shooting of National Guard members now facing a first-degree murder charge

By Collin Binkley and Ben Finley Associated Press

November 28, 2025 - 9:36 am

Charges against the man accused of shooting two National Guard members have been upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia announced Friday.

One of the two National Guard members shot by Afghan national dies, Trump says

By Alanna Durkin Richer and Gary Fields The Associated Press

November 27, 2025 - 9:57 pm

President Donald Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national near the White House had died.

It will cost you $100 to visit the Grand Canyon. If you’re from Germany

By Matthew Brown and Matthew Daly The Associated Press

November 26, 2025 - 3:54 pm

The change in policy puts the U.S. in line with other countries that charge foreigners more to see popular attractions.

Emergency personnel gather in a cordoned off area where National Guard soldiers were shot near ...

2 National Guard members shot in an ambush attack just blocks from the White House

By Alanna Durkin Richer and Gary Fields Associated Press

November 26, 2025 - 5:36 pm

Two West Virginia National Guard members who deployed to the nation’s capital were shot Wednesday just blocks from the White House in brazen act of violence described as a targeted attack.

A shopper heads into a Walmart store Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo/Dav ...

What’s open on Thanksgiving?

By Matt Ott Associated Press

November 26, 2025 - 10:53 am

Most big U.S. retailers are closed on Thanksgiving Day. However, many will open early the following day, Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday gift-buying season and the biggest shopping day of the year.

Lake Havasu City from above. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

This Arizona town is an unexpected magnet for Californians: ‘We do it our way’

Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times

November 26, 2025 - 9:59 am

For years, Southern Californians have come to Havasu in search of a vacation home, said Lake Havasu City Mayor Cal Sheehy, but the pandemic gave many the added incentive to move into their secondary homes full-time.

Cans of Campbell's soup are seen in Washington on Jan. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)

Campbell’s executive on leave after lawsuit claims he said company’s food is for ‘poor people’

By Dee-Ann Durbin The Associated Press

November 25, 2025 - 1:38 pm

The Campbell’s Co. said Tuesday it has placed one of its executives on leave while it investigates claims that he made racist comments and mocked the company’s products and customers in an audio recording.

Jamaican musician, singer and actor Jimmy Cliff performs during the Timbre Rock and Roots conce ...

Reggae giant Jimmy Cliff dead at 81

By Hillel Italie Associated Press

November 24, 2025 - 8:22 am

Jimmy Cliff, the charismatic reggae pioneer and actor who preached joy, defiance and resilience in such classics as “Many Rivers to Cross” and “You Can Get it If You Really Want” and starred in “The Harder They Come,” has died at 81.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks during a news conference on the Epstein Files Transp ...

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, former Trump loyalist, says she is resigning from Congress

By Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro and Jeff Amy Associated Press

November 21, 2025 - 5:56 pm

Greene, in a more than 10-minute video posted online, explained her decision and said she’s “always been despised in Washington, D.C., and just never fit in.”