Gold Coin Worth $500 Wrapped In $100 Bill Found In Salvation Army Kettle

A gold coin worth $500 wrapped in a $100 bill has been found in a Salvation Army red kettle set up at an upstate New York shopping plaza.

The American Eagle coin was wrapped in a C-note and a memo that read: "This coin is solid gold and worth around $500. God Bless."

Salvation Army officials say about 400 gold coins have been found in red kettles over the past 30 years. Gold coins have found recently in kettles in Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, North Carolina and Florida.

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U.S. drought: Half of all counties disaster areas

Nearly 220 counties in a dozen drought-stricken states were added Wednesday to the U.S. government's list of natural disaster areas as the nation's agriculture chief unveiled new help for frustrated, cash-strapped farmers and ranchers grappling with extreme dryness and heat.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's addition of the 218 counties means that more than half of all U.S. counties - 1,584 in 32 states - have been designated primary disaster areas this growing season, the vast majority of them mired in a drought that's considered the worst in decades.

Counties in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming were included in Wednesday's announcement. The USDA uses the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor to help decide which counties to deem disaster areas, which makes farmers and ranchers eligible for federal aid, including low-interest emergency loans. Read more >>

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