Around the weird:news of the bizarre

I think there was a full moon out.

Man Attacks Inflatable Ghosts, Pumpkin
Oct 12, 6:55 PM (ET)

LLOYD, N.Y. (AP) - A Hudson Valley homeowner says a neighbor attacked her lawn display, three inflatable ghosts and a pumpkin, then apparently smashed his head through her window in a pre-Halloween rage she finds mystifying.

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Pepsi, Coke Rivalry Becomes Physical
Oct 12, 9:46 PM (ET)

INDIANA, Pa. (AP) - The long-standing rivalry between Coke and Pepsi took a physical turn Friday when a Pepsi deliveryman allegedly punched his Coke counterpart in the face at a western Pennsylvania Wal-Mart, state police said.

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Cops: 'Karaoke' Attacker Bites Man's Ear
Oct 12, 9:46 PM (ET)

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) - A crazed attacker broke into a man's home, beat him with a karaoke machine and bit off his ear, police said. Doctors were unable to reattach the ear of the victim, but his injuries were not considered life threatening, said Nassau County police Officer Mary Verna. The 64-year-old Uniondale resident attempted to defend himself with a vacuum cleaner hose.

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Woman Drops Bid on Bin Laden Name Change
Oct 12, 9:51 PM (ET)

APPLETON, Wis. (AP) - A woman who petitioned to change her last name to bin Laden did not appear in court on Friday and her case was dismissed. Caren Ann Burke, 49, of Seymour, failed to show for a name change hearing in front of Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge Dee Dyer.

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Burglar Steals Food, Leaves Valuables
Oct 11, 10:14 PM (ET)

APPLETON, Wis. (AP) - This thief apparently had quite the appetite. Appleton police received a call Wednesday of a burglary - not of valuables but of food. The burglar apparently entered the unlocked apartment and walked away with a pizza, six eggs, a can of beef ravioli, a can of peaches and one chicken-and-broccoli Hot Pocket, authorities said.

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Woman lived in island hotel room with 38 cats
By Daniel Brownstein, The Island Packet, Hilton Head Island, S.C.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News

Oct. 12--More than three dozen cats were removed from a Hilton Head Island hotel room where a woman had been living for at least the past several months, authorities said Thursday.

The 57-year-old islander had rented a room at Motel 6, 1 Marina Side Drive, and was asked two months ago to move out, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's report.

 

There's something fishy here.

Fisherman Lands Record 844-Pound Shark
Oct 14, 10:00 PM (ET)

DESTIN, Fla. (AP) - Six friends went to a fishing tournament looking to catch some grouper. They caught an 844-pound shark instead.

The fight by Adlee Bruner and friends to pull the 11-foot mako shark onto the boat from the Gulf of Mexico took more than an hour on Saturday. But when they made it back to land, it was a record for the decades-old Destin Fishing Rodeo.

Full story with picture at Iwon/AP News

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Handcuffs Called Poor Fashion Statement
Oct 13, 9:17 PM (ET)

TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Some fashion statements draw more attention than others, and wearing handcuffs while walking near the Tulsa County Courthouse is one that got noticed.

A man wearing a pair of handcuffs on one wrist drew the attention of passersby Friday, who contacted law officers. But it turns out it was just his idea of a fashion statement, said sheriff's Sgt. Jody Britt.

The man, whose name was not released, was wearing "goth" clothing, with one end of the handcuffs on his wrist and the other end dangling, making it appear as if he had escaped custody, Britt said.

"Wearing a set of handcuffs near a courthouse is not exactly the most intelligent thing you could do," Britt said.

Deputies stopped the man and checked for warrants. None were found, and he was released.

 

WOMAN CHARGED AFTER KISSING PAINTING

Avignon, France..A woman who planted a lipstick-laden kiss on an all white painting, by the American artist Cy Twombly went on trial Tuesday, telling the court she had committed an "act of love" not a crime. Rindy Sam, a 30-year old French artist, faced charges of "voluntarily damaging a work of art" The painting is worth an estimated $2,830,000. Restorers have tired using nearly 30 products to try and remove the lispstick smudge, to no avail. Prosecutors want Sam to pay a $6,400 fine and take a class on good citizenship. The verdict was set for Nv. 16!

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

Man Texting While Driving Hits Train
Oct 16, 10:46 PM (ET)

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - When Robert Gillespie looked up from his text message, he saw a freight train. EOM. ("End of message," that is, for non-texters.) Eugene police say Gillespie's car crashed into the side of the Union Pacific freight train about 2 a.m. Tuesday.

When officers arrived, they found him alert and talking, but trapped in the car. They learned about the cell phone and text message as they worked to rescue him.

Gillespie, who had turned 38 the day before, was charged with drunken driving and careless driving, police spokeswoman Kerry Delf said. His injuries were described as not life threatening, and no members of the train crew were hurt.

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DUI Defendant Caught Drinking Near Court
Oct 16, 10:44 PM (ET)

MINDEN, Nev. (AP) - A man who was out on bail following a drunken driving arrest is back behind bars after he was caught drinking a 12-pack of beer on the Douglas County Courthouse lawn. Martin Ruiz asked the judge to release him on his own recognizance, promising not to drink another beer or drive.

But Judge Michael Gibbons set his bail at $100,000 on Monday, saying he was surprised Ruiz was released on recognizance the first time.

Ruiz was arrested in January shortly after his 21st birthday following an accident in which he, his passenger and the other driver were injured. He allegedly was driving 70 miles an hour down the twisting mountain road with a blood alcohol content of .104. The legal limit in Nevada is 0.8.

 

Those last too were classic. two real dumb-bunnies

WOMAN GETS REWARD FOR TURNING IN CASH

Wernesville, PA.,,A woman who found $20,000 in cash at a convenience store last month is getting a $500 reward from the armored car company that lost it [HOW CHEAP] Joi Lyn Honer found the stack of $20 bills by a cash ATM machine in Brigantine, N.J. last weekend and turned in the money [ANOTHER DUMB BUNNIE] "I'm grateful," she told police. "I didn't do it for the reward" [OBVIOUSLY] but I didn't have $5000 before, and that is really helpful to me" News of the reward arrived in the form of a letter with the check. "If I didn't know this was going to happen, I would have still done the same thing" [OH, SHUT UP] I'd take it and say "thank you lord" they've got insurance.. just kidding! or am I?

 

Another Animal Planet edition of Weird News

Man Gets Bitten on Face by Crocodile
Oct 19, 8:15 PM (ET)

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) - A man was bitten on the face by a crocodile when he accidentally collided with the reptile after diving through a wave at a surf beach in northeastern Australia, a newspaper reported Friday.

Camper Matt Martin, 35, received more than 40 sutures to gashes around his left eye and cheek after the mishap on Tuesday last week off the remote tropical northeast coast, The Cairns Post newspaper reported.

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Police Find Gator Trying to Cross Street
Oct 19, 5:34 PM (ET)

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) - Law enforcement officers are trained for all kinds of circumstances, but Ventura County sheriff's deputies were stunned to find an alligator crossing an intersection in Thousand Oaks.

Deputies were called to a residential area about 11 p.m., but admit they didn't believe the 911 call. They arrived and found a 2.5 foot-long gator in the intersection.

Deputy Jason Fuller grabbed the animal by the snout, and taped its mouth shut. It was taken to the Agoura Hills animal shelter.

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Calif. College Uses Cockroaches As Lure
Oct 20, 10:39 AM (ET)

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - Thinking about the University of California, Riverside for college? Then come pet our cockroaches!

UC Riverside is using a cockroach petting zoo to attract students and parents to an upcoming recruitment fair. The zoo will include several species, including cockroaches that emit a foul, ammonia-like scent and the famous, palm-sized Madagascar hissing cockroach.

Also in plentiful supply: rubber gloves for the squeamish.

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Police Decontaminated After Flea Attack
Oct 19, 8:20 PM (ET)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Four officers investigating a burglary were attacked, not by a fleeing burglar, but a swarm of fleas in a filth-ridden vacant house. The tiny, biting attackers were so overwhelming that the South Bend patrolmen had to be decontaminated and ended up being sent home early from their shifts.

"They were all over the place - in our socks and even in our shorts. It was disgusting," said Cpl. Ken Stuart.

To avoid infesting their squad cars, the police station or relatives, Stuart, Cpl. Chris Slager and Patrolman Paul Strabavy endured a lengthy flea decontamination process.

 

Dyanmo those are all so gross but fascinating as well!

EXCAPED KILLER ARRESTED AFTER 35-YEAR SEARCH

Pulaski, Tenn.
A 35-year hunt for an excaped Indiana inmate convicted of killing her husband has ended in a small Tennessee town, where the woman had remarried and raised a family, authorities said! Linda Darby, 64, was arrested Friday in this town of about 7,800 people near the Alabama border living under the name Linda Joe McElroy. Darby had been convicted in the 1970 shooting of her husband Charles R. Darby. She was sentenced to life in prison, but escaped from the Indiana Womens prison, in March, 1972, by climbing over a barbed wire fence! [bye-bye to fake freedom]

The Associated Press

 

The full moon edition of Weird News

Woman Stabs Tied-Up Lover to Drink Blood
Oct 23, 6:32 PM (ET)

MESA, Ariz. (AP) - A woman who stabbed her tied-up lover so she could drink his blood has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Tiffany Sutton told Maricopa County Superior Court Judge David Udall that she was sorry for the incident and said she never meant to hurt anyone, but received the stiff sentence anyway after he called the crime especially heinous.

Sutton, 24, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in August. She was arrested by Tempe police in February after she repeatedly stabbed her lover during an alcohol- and drug-fueled sexual tryst.

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Irked Homeless Man Pummels Slot Machine
Oct 23, 5:52 PM (ET)

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) - Frustration and anger over losses compelled a homeless man to bash a slot machine until it broke, an eastern Iowa man told a judge on Monday.

Truy Huu Phung, 41, admitted to losing his cool at the Catfish Bend Casino and also pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal mischief in the incident, which was caught on surveillance tape.

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More Bras Stolen From Victoria's Secret
Oct 23, 5:55 PM (ET)

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) - Fairfield police say thousands of dollars worth of bras have been stolen from the Victoria's Secret store in recent weeks. In the latest theft, last week, someone stole 50 bras from the lingerie store. Lt. Michael Walsh says the bras were valued at a total of about $4,000.

 

SIGNS OF THE TIMES..AMERICA'S WACKIEST WARNINGS OFFER LAUGHS

If you want a good laugh, try crusin' the open road. Hagerty Insurance has just announced the winners of it's Road Sign Rally, a contest for America's wacckiest road signs, ant the top honors went to an obvious, yet hilarious sign submitted from someone in Peachtree, GA. The banner reads "If You Hit This Sign, You Will Hit That Bridge", warning big rig drivers of the large bridge that lies just ahead. Other silly signs include A gasoline station marquee that makes light of the outrageous gas prices across by citing that it's gas costs "An Arm, Leg, and your Firstborn"
Finally a sign submitted by a contestant in Cincinnati asks it's patrons to please "Drop Your Pants Here"

The Buzz..Ken White..LVRJ

 

Holy Cow! 103 Hamburgers in 8 Minutes
Oct 28, 8:35 PM (ET)

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - A competitive eater who has already triumphed at a famous hot dog eating contest swallowed 103 small hamburgers in 8 minutes Sunday to take home $10,000.

Joey Chestnut, 23, of San Jose, Calif., surpassed the previous record of 97 Krystal burgers - 2 1/2 inches square - held by Japan's Takeru Kobayashi, set at last year's Krystal Square Off.

"We never thought we'd see someone anywhere near, let alone past, the century mark when we started the Krystal Square Off in 2004," said Brad Wahl, vice president of marketing for The Krystal Co.

Chestnut beat 12 other contestants. Kobayashi, who won all previous Krystal Hamburger Eating Championships, didn't compete this year because of lingering jaw pain from having a wisdom tooth extracted in June.

The 29-year-old Kobayashi received chiropractic treatment before losing his hot-dog-eating belt in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July tussle in New York.

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Pa. Hunter's Images Stir Bigfoot Debate
Oct 28, 3:16 PM (ET)

RIDGWAY, Pa. (AP) - It's furry and walks on all fours. Beyond that, about the only thing certain about the critter photographed by a hunter's camera is that some people have gotten the notion it could be a Sasquatch, or bigfoot. Others say it's just a bear with a bad skin infection.

Rick Jacobs says he got the pictures from a camera with an automatic trigger that he fastened to a tree in the Allegheny National Forest, about 115 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, hoping to photograph deer.

"We couldn't figure out what they were," Jacobs said of the images captured on Sept. 16. "I've been hunting for years and I've never seen anything like this."

He contacted the Bigfoot Research Organization, which pursues reports of a legendary two-legged creature that some people believe lives in parts of the U.S. and Canada.

"It appears to be a primate-like animal. In my opinion, it appears to be a juvenile Sasquatch," said Paul Majeta of the bigfoot group.

However, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has a more conventional opinion. Agency spokesman Jerry Feaser said conservation officers routinely trap bears to be tagged and often see animals that look like the photos.

"There is no question it is a bear with a severe case of mange," Feaser told The Bradford Era.

 

WORLDS WORST FASHION FADS ARE FLEETING Make it stop!

If you thought fanny packs and MC Hammer pants were the world's most horrendous fashion, think again. Martin Miller's Gin has just conducted a survey of the worlds most frightful fashion fads of the past 25 years., and according to 100 fashion editors, jeans...if they're too skinny, ripped or to low...are in the worst trend to hit your closet in decades. But don't throw out your denim just yet...fashionists say jeans can be worn as long as their clean and simple. Other fashion flurries include!! 12 percent of fashion gurus say shoulder pads are as nasty fashion trend of the 80's that overstayed it's cushy welcome and should moonwalk back into history! 8 percent agree that, cropped belly baring tops are never a good idea, not matter what shape your in!

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

Major breaking news story...

Twins Invent Wedgie-Proof Underwear
Nov 2, 12:49 PM (ET)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Wedgie-proof underwear earned 8-year-old twin boys a spot Friday on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

Using rigged boxers and fabric fasteners to hold together some seams, Jared and Justin Serovich came up with the "Rip Away 1000."

"When the person tries to grab you - like the bully or the person tries to give you a wedgie - they just rip away," Justin explained Thursday by phone from Los Angeles, where the TV segment was taped Wednesday.

The third graders from Gables Elementary School began brainstorming one day after they were horsing around, giving each other the treatment. Their mother's partner sarcastically said someone ought to invent wedgie-proof underwear, the family said.

The project got the boys to the finals of a central Ohio invention competition earlier this year, followed by the television appearance.

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Dog, Cat Honored for Saving Masters
Nov 2, 10:35 AM (ET)

By RICHARD PYLE

(AP) Debbie Parkhurst, of North East, Md., poses with her golden retriever Toby at the 2007 ASPCA Humane...
Full Image

NEW YORK (AP) - When Debbie Parkhurst choked on a piece of apple at her Maryland home, her dog jumped in, landing hard on her chest and forcing the morsel to pop out of her throat. When the Keesling family of Indiana was about to be overcome by carbon monoxide, their cat clawed at wife Cathy's hair until she woke up and called for help.

For their nick-of-time acts, Toby, a 2 1/2-year-old golden retriever, and Winnie, a gray-eyed American shorthair, were named Dog and Cat of the Year by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

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Snakes on a Bus: Man Faces Charges
Nov 2, 11:29 AM (ET)

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - This time, the snakes weren't on a plane - they were on a bus.

Now, a 21-year-old man who police say picked up a package of venomous baby timber rattlesnakes at the post office and took it home on a city bus is facing charges.

Dustin A. Draper of Muncie faces preliminary charges of possession of an endangered species and transportation of a dangerous reptile without a permit. He was in jail Friday on $3,500 bond. It was not known if he had obtained an attorney.

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Man With Beer Takes Hearse to Go Fishing
Nov 1, 11:15 PM (ET)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A mourner who authorities say got drunk, took a hearse from outside a New Zealand funeral venue and outran pursuing funeral directors told police he was "going fishing" when they pulled him over.

Police said the 46-year-old sickness beneficiary, who brought a carton of beer for the trip, told them he was heading to the coast to "check out the sea conditions."

The man had been attending a funeral near the tourist town of Rotorua on central North Island when he allegedly stole the blue Ford Forte hearse.

There was no dead body on board at the time.

 

I've got some weird, wild, wacky wons... er... ones today.

Thousands of Bananas Wash Up on Shore
Wed Nov 7, 2007 9:42 AM EST

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Thousands of bananas washed up on two Dutch North Sea islands on Wednesday after at least six containers fell off a cargo ship in a storm and at least one burst open, a local official said.

"I think everybody on the island has a bunch now," said Gossen Buren, a shipping official at the local lighthouse.

A half-mile stretch of beach on Terschelling island, 70 miles north of Amsterdam, was littered with bunches of unripe fruit from Cuba, Buren said. Bananas also washed up on neighboring Ameland island.

Terschelling residents are no strangers to stuff turning up on their beach; a year ago thousands of tennis shoes, aluminum briefcases and children's toys washed ashore, drawing crowds of treasure-hunting residents. Some 20 years ago it was a load of sweaters.

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Man Uses String to Solve Sign Thefts
Tue Nov 6, 2007 4:55 PM EST

SALT LAKE CITY, UT (AP) — A homeowner frustrated with the theft of campaign signs from his front yard rigged up an alarm system with string and bells — and solved his own crime problem.

"He slept the night in his living room fully dressed so he could be ready," police Detective Jared Wihongi said Monday.

The homeowner was jarred awake early Saturday when bells rang from a string anchored to a sign in his yard.

He recorded the license plate of a man he says took a campaign sign supporting a Salt Lake City Council candidate.

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Man Arrested After Reporting Pot Theft
Tue Nov 6, 2007 4:50 PM EST

MCALLEN, TX (AP) — A man was arrested for drug possession after telling authorities that two masked gunmen had stolen 150 pounds of marijuana from his home.

Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies arrived at the home near Penitas in South Texas to find the door kicked in and nearly 15 pounds of pot lying on the floor, Sheriff Lupe Trevino said.

Jose Guadalupe Flores, 35, escaped while the men ransacked the house but returned later and told the deputies he had been wrapping the drugs for shipment when the intruders arrived.

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Cow Falls Off Cliff and Hits Van
Tue Nov 6, 2007 1:27 PM EST

MANSON, WA (AP) — Charles and Linda Everson were driving back to their hotel when their minivan was struck by a falling object — a 600-pound cow. The Eversons were unhurt but the cow, which had fallen off a cliff, had to be euthanized.

The year-old cow fell about 200 feet from the cliff and landed on the hood of the couple's minivan, causing heavy damage.

A Chelan County fire chief, Arnold Baker, said the couple missed being killed by a matter of inches in the accident Sunday on a highway near Manson.

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Mich. Cops Nab Grass Haul in Grass Lake
Mon Nov 5, 2007 11:10 PM EST

GRASS LAKE, MI (AP) - This township lived up to its name when authorities reported finding about 1,200 pounds of marijuana in a tractor-trailer.

The driver, a 43-year-old man from Tucson, Ariz., was jailed after Sunday's bust at a weigh station along Interstate 94 in Grass Lake Township, about 75 miles west of Detroit.

The trucker had been stopped for what state police called an equipment violation. An inspection turned up 48 bales of marijuana hidden among a shipment of sports drinks.

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Texan Sets Record With 87 Snakes in Tub
Mon Nov 5, 2007 6:38 PM EST

DUBLIN — Another day, another bizarre world record for Jackie Bibby, the "Texas Snake Man." Bibby spent about 45 minutes in a see-through bathtub with 87 rattlesnakes Monday, fully clothed, shattering his own record by 12 snakes just in time for Guinness World Records Day, which is Thursday. A Guinness official certified the record.

The snakes crawled under his arms, between his legs and anywhere else they could slither, Bibby said. None bit him.

 

^ I heard about the cow one on the news this morning. Poor thing although the DJ on my local radio station seemed to think it was hilarious

 

BEAR WITH SWEET TOOTH 'BRAKES INTO VAN

Vernon Township, N.J.--A black bear put his own spin on trick-or-treating when it broke into a van to get Halloween candy. Police believe the bear dislodged the parking brake, causing the manual trasmission vehicle to roll about 40 feet down the street, before stopping on the shoulder. That's where patrolman discovered candy wrappers in and outside the vehicle, along with paw prints, smudge marks, drool and black bear hair. Police say the police officer followed a trail into the woods, but the suspect got away!

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS