Comment on Pumpkin weighing 2,471 pounds wins California contest

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) — A Minnesota horticulture teacher remained the reigning champion Monday of an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern California where his massive gourds have won the top prize four years in a row. Travis Gienger, of Anoka, Minnesota, beat his closest competitor by 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms) to clinch the victory at the 51st World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco. His winning gourd came in at 2,471 pounds (1,121 kilograms), falling short of the world record he set last year with a pumpkin weighing 2,749 pounds (1,247 kilograms). Related Articles National News | School plants a ‘Moon Tree’ grown with seeds flown in space National News | 6 people accuse Diddy of sexual assault in new lawsuits, including man who was 16 at the time National News | Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated with an eye on the election National News | Nobel economics prize goes to 3 economists who found that freer societies are more likely to prosper National News | Lilly Ledbetter, whose fight for equal pay changed U.S.