Knott's Berry Farm, CA, USA

WHOA! SENSATIONAL HEADLINE TIME! 20 riders were stranded 300ft (91mtrs) in the air after Knott's Berry Farm's WindSeeker swing-tower ride malfunctioned. The ride stopped working at 4pm; riders were lowered to the ground and evacuated from the ride until 7:40pm by Knott's Berry Farm's own maintenance crew. There were no reported injuries although the riders were probably bored of the view after 3.5 hours.

The same WindSeeker also broke down on September 7th, stranding riders for three hours. Sister-park Carowinds' WindSeeker also malfunctioned in July. These things happen.

Pleasure Beach Blackpool, Lancs, UK

At midday today (Wed 19th Sept), 54 year-old American, Richard Rodriguez, ended his ride marathon on Pleasure Beach Blackpool's The Big One roller coaster.

Rodriguez started his challenge on 31st May, therefore he has rode it for 112 days consecutively, thrashing the previous Guinness World Record for consecutively rollercoaster riding by nine days.

During this time, Rodriguez would travelled over 20,000 coaster miles, spending up to 10 hours on the ride only being allowed five minutes rest every hour under Guinness rules. Big congratulations to Richard! How's the back?

Disneyland Paris, France

Euro Disney S.C.A., the operating company of Disneyland Paris, has announced the refinancing Euro Disney group’s debt with a new €1.3billion (£1b/$1.7b) cash injection from The Walt Disney Company.

The refinancing means interest incurred by the Group will be reduced by a total of €45m over the next 5 years, which, more importantly, might pave the way for new attractions. Is it a face saving exercise on Disney's behalf or will it lead to investment? Only time will tell!

The full press release can be found in the link below.

A panel of world wide theme park enthusiasts yesterday (Saturday Sept 8th) revealed the winners of the Golden Ticket Awards2012. The Golden Ticket Awards celebrate the "best of the best" in the theme park industry. The awards are compiled by Amusement Today.

25 awards were up for grabs, Dollywood (where the ceremony was held this year) scooped 5 awards, including the "Best New Ride for 2012" for Wild Eagle. Cedar Point won "Best Theme Park" and "Best Steel Coaster" for Millenium Force. El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure won "Best Wooden Coaster". For the full list of categories & winners, click "read more" below.

Six Flags Magic Mountain, CA, USA

Featuring the world's "tallest, fastest loop" and three launches, the recently announced Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain will be a fantastic new addition to the 2013 coaster line up

As if the loop and launch wasn't enough, they've also added in a reverse launch, a top hat that is connected to the loop and enough inversions and thrills to make your pants wet.

Full Throttle will be located near the front of the park in a newly themed area where guests will experience high-energy action through fast-paced imagery, sound and lights. With this addition, Six Flags Magic Mountain firmly holds the coveted “Coaster Capital of the World” crown — with a total of 18 roller coasters — more than any other theme park on the planet.

California's Great America, CA, USA

California's Great America has not opened a new coaster since 2012, but it looks like they may have struck gold with thier new-for-2013 wooden coaster, GoldStriker.

Billed as "the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in Northern California", GoldStriker will be 3,197ft (974mtrs) long, have a 103ft (33mtrs) first drop and travel at nearly 54mph (84kph).

The coaster will be manufactured by Great Coasters International, famed for Thunderhead at Dollywood and Troy at Toverland (amongst others) so we're expecting something special here! Even if it turns out to be bronze rather than gold, after a 12 year drought, any new coaster at CAGA is better than none!

The ride is scheduled to open in Spring 2013. The park is holding a "First Rider Auction" for the San Francisco 49ers Foundation charity; details below.