The Saucon Valley School District in Hellertown, Pennsylvania, and The Satanic Temple have come to an agreement, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Earlier in 2023, the district had banned the temple from using its facilities at Saucon Valley Middle School to host the After School Satan Club (motto: Educatin' With Satan). But on Nov. 16, the district agreed to cover the temple's attorney fees and give the club the same access to facilities as "comparable groups." However, The Satanic Temple noted that they do not run the clubs in districts where there are no Christian-based religious programs; since the district's Good News Club appears to be defunct this year, the After School Satan Club will be on hold. [Philadelphia Inquirer, 11/17/2023]

Let This Be a Warning to You

-- Office Christmas parties are on the horizon, so take this cautionary tale to heart: Alana Bechiom filed a lawsuit last week in Los Angeles Superior Court over a Christmas party that went very sideways last year at a San Pedro, California, Taco Bell, where she worked at the time. KTLA-TV reported that Bechiom's manager invited her to the potluck staff party, and Bechiom brought a bowl of guacamole. When she arrived, she said, she realized her manager had "covered the windows of the restaurant with wrapping paper" and had covered the lobby cameras. She noted that the supervisor had provided alcohol and some staffers were "overserved." After stepping outside for a moment late in the evening, Bechiom returned to find a co-worker "having sex with his wife in front of everyone at the party"; the wife was also kissing the manager and another female co-worker. Bechiom said she ran out of the restaurant but went back in to get her guacamole bowl, where she found the manager and co-worker vomiting, one in her bowl. Bechiom reported the incident to Taco Bell, and the manager and co-worker were fired, but since then she's been threatened and had her car windows shattered. Bechiom said she has suffered "actual, consequential and incidental financial losses"; her lawsuit names Taco Bell and the franchise owner, who she said "did nothing about the threats." Taco Bell says they "take these claims very seriously." [KTLA, 11/21/2023]

-- Angela Presti of Parma, Ohio, was so excited to bring home her first real Christmas tree and decorate it with her daughter, WKYC-TV reported. But a few hours later, she noticed her face was swollen and "My cheek was hot and itchy," she said. "My tongue, I felt like I could swallow it, except I couldn't swallow and my throat started closing and my breathing was wheezy." Presti called her dad, who rushed her to the emergency room. She said medical staff weren't surprised that it might be the tree; about 7% of the population suffers from Christmas Tree Syndrome, caused not so much by the tree itself as the mold that grows on it in the sales lot. Presti's doctor suggested she go back to an artificial tree. [WKYC, 11/20/2023]

Supernatural

According to the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, a number of "witch bottles," created to deter evil spirits, are washing up along Gulf Coast beaches, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on Nov. 20. The bottles are part of old-school spell casting; they contain objects including iron nails, rusty pins, hair and urine. Jace Tunnell of the institute thinks the bottles originate in the Caribbean and South America. "I've found around eight of these bottles and never opened one. I have five of them on my fence in the backyard since my wife won't let me bring them inside," he said. Tunnell said the bottles are intended to "draw in and trap harmful intentions directed at their owners." [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11/20/2023]

Least Competent Criminals

Three unnamed men were taken into custody in St. Louis, Missouri, on Nov. 16 after accidentally locking themselves in a city jail known as the Workhouse, KSDK-TV reported. The Workhouse, a medium-security lockup, has been empty for more than a year; the trespassers had to call 911 after getting themselves trapped inside. After being sprung, they were arrested for property damage, burglary and stealing. [KSDK, 11/17/2023]

Mystery Solved

Residents of Tees Valley in Northeast England have been flummoxed by about 1,000 small blue balls that have washed up on their beaches since mid-November, Metro News reported. The bright blue orbs are made of a rubberlike substance, and many people believe the appearance has to do with storms and strong currents disturbing a deposit of balls on the seabed. As it turns out, the balls are called Taprogge balls, after their manufacturer, and they're used to clean the local power station's pipes. Sometimes they get released into the sea, but station officials say there's been no release lately. "They do this every week, they go through with the balls. It's a closed system and the balls shouldn't escape," said Jacky Watson from the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust. "They are natural and will biodegrade but are still a hazard. We put the word out locally if people found the balls, they could let us know." [Metro News, 11/19/2023]

Inexplicable

-- Tapacio Sanchez, 35, wasn't even a guest at the La Quinta Inn in Naples, Florida, when she started taking out her aggressions on the fire suppression systems there on Nov. 18, WINK-TV reported. Managers at the hotel asked Sanchez to leave the premises, but instead she tampered with the HVAC circuit breaker, ripping out internal wiring, and damaged eight sprinkler heads. Next, Sanchez took off for the Olive Garden restaurant next door, where she was discovered in the restroom with a dog (not hers). Police said she was speaking gibberish. She was arrested; the dog was returned to its owner. [WINK, 11/20/2023]

-- Thieves made off with a questionable booty on Nov. 20 in Philadelphia, WPVI-TV reported. While a tractor-trailer was parked in a Target lot, six men broke the locks on the back of the trailer and stole multiple cases of talcum powder, police said. The driver was in the cab at the time but was unaware of the burglary until he started to drive away. [WPVI, 11/20/2023]

Awesome!

At an adoption event on Nov. 11, the Anti-Cruelty Society, a Chicago animal shelter, had just one dog left: Elvis, a "3-year-old meatball," People reported. So the ACS took to Facebook to appeal for Elvis' placement: "Elvis was the only dog that didn't find a home during our Fall in Love adoption week. He met a lot of potential adopters ... Help us find Elvis a family to love!" Three days later, Elvis' dreams came true in a serendipitous way: Loren Michael Agron -- who used to work as an Elvis Presley impersonator -- and Drew Wilhelm took Elvis home. "Elvis has LEFT the building," the ACS announced. "We couldn't be happier for Elvis, who finally got his happily ever after!" The couple report that the canine king of rock has settled in nicely: "His personality is shining through so much." He may be nothin' but a "Hound Dog," but Elvis is not "Lonesome Tonight." [People, 11/19/2023]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

Dr. Jason Gladwell, an orthodontist in Raleigh, North Carolina, has a catchy new promotion going, WRAL-TV reported: "Grins and Glocks." Yep -- patients who sign up for Invisalign braces can choose between a free Glock 19 ($500-plus retail) or a membership to Youngsville Gun Club & Range. The deal is open only to those 21 and older, and the club will conduct a background check on recipients. Dr. Gladwell has received mixed reactions to the come-on; notably, Align Technology, which makes Invisalign, isn't happy: "This promotion does not reflect our brand purpose." [WRAL, 11/9/2023]

Animal Antics

A cargo flight on its way from New York to Liege, Belgium, was forced to turn around on Nov. 9 after a horse escaped its stall, CNN reported. The pilot alerted Boston Air Traffic Control that while the flight was not impeded, "we cannot get the horse back secured." They also requested a veterinarian meet the plane at JFK Airport, as the horse was having "difficulty." Later, the plane resumed its journey and arrived in Belgium the next morning. [CNN, 11/15/2023]

Florida

-- In West Palm Beach, Florida, on Nov. 9, Kelly Jacobson was heartbroken after officers led away her pet pig, Pork Chop, during an eviction. WPTV reported that animal care and control officers actually had to drag the pig, as he weighs 400 pounds and can't really walk. They plan to gain custody of Pork Chop and get him the dietary care he needs. Jacobson has been cited twice before for neglecting his needs, but she said she would "do whatever I have to do to make him better. I need him." [WPTV, 11/11/2023]

-- Rudy Wilcox, 45, of Clearwater, Florida, was "observed defecating on a deceased opossum" on Nov. 15, according to The Smoking Gun. Officers with the Clearwater Police Department said he was in "full view of the motoring public during busy traffic times." While Wilcox denied the accusation, officers found "physical evidence" to support the charges. Just one question: What would have happened if the opossum were only playing possum?! Wilcox was jailed. [The Smoking Gun, 11/16/2023]

Police Report

When a game warden pulled over a pickup truck near Lubbock, Texas, on Nov. 8, the driver and passenger obligingly waited with a deputy while the Texas Parks and Wildlife officer searched the vehicle, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. At one point, the driver asked for permission to retrieve a burrito and 44-ounce drink from the cab, telling the officer that he "did not have any drugs or anything in the vehicle." Ah, but how about that big drink? When the officer removed the lid from the cup, he found an orange bag inside with 5 grams of methamphetamine. The driver was taken into custody. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11/8/2023]

Weird Science

-- Charlie Curtis of Toronto, Canada, developed Crohn's disease in 2014, Yahoo! News reported. Although he took medicine, Curtis was hospitalized with his symptoms and had to visit the bathroom multiple times a day. Then he tried a new therapy: do-it-yourself poop transplants, using his mother's fecal matter. Fecal microbiota transplants, or FMTs, are typically performed by a doctor and involve collecting feces from a healthy donor, mixing it with a saline solution and inserting it in the patient's gastrointestinal tract through an enema. But Curtis' DIY transplants had an unexpected side effect: Over the four years they did the procedure, Curtis experienced sweating, hot flashes and mood swings -- his mom's menopause symptoms. Doctors believe hormones in his mom's fecal matter most likely were to blame. "When I was actually doing the procedure," Curtis said, "I'd feel tingling inside of me. It felt healthy, it felt like it was working." [Yahoo! News, 11/14/2023]

-- Kelsey Hatcher and her husband, Caleb, of Dora, Alabama, have three kids under 8 and a busy life, WVTM13-TV reported. Kelsey already knew she had the unusual condition of having two uteri and two cervixes when she became pregnant for a fourth time. But when she had her first sonogram last spring, she discovered something amazing: She has two babies on the way, one in each uterus. "OB/GYNs go their whole careers without seeing anything like this," Shweta Patel, Kelsey's doctor, said. The pregnancy is getting the Hatchers a lot of attention, which Kelsey isn't all that comfortable with. Both babies are girls and are due on Christmas Day, but doctors say they could be born hours, days or weeks apart. [WVTM13, 11/10/2023]

High on Christmas

Henry Meade, 40, was busy spreading the Christmas spirit on Nov. 11 in Tazewell, Tennessee, Fox59-TV reported. Meade was operating "Santa's Train," a riding lawn mower pulling a cart with children and families, at the town's Christmas Tractor Parade. But visitors thought Meade was acting erratically and reported him to police. He subsequently failed a sobriety test, and officers found a syringe, meth and other narcotics in his possession. He was charged with possession and driving under the influence. [Fox59, 11/14/2023]

Awesome!

Kathy Magruder, who operates the Pageturners Bookstore in Indianola, Iowa, was rummaging through the never-checked-out books at the Calvin Community retirement home when she stumbled upon a treasure, KCCI-TV reported. There among the other titles was a leatherbound Bible, printed in 1705 in Selkirkshire, Scotland. Interestingly, it was printed illegally, without the oversight of the church. "This one, just something about it, when I open it up, the pages make a noise when you turn them that's a little different than a new book. They feel a little different, and the book smells a little different than any other book," Magruder said about the Bible. [KCCI, 11/14/2023]

Citizen's Arrest

In Glendale, Wisconsin, on Nov. 15, police identified a stolen Dodge Durango being driven erratically, TMJ4-TV reported. Officers deployed stop sticks, and the Durango crashed into two other cars before all four occupants jumped out and ran away, with one ducking into a portable toilet to hide. As they crossed a golf course, one golfer stepped in to help: "When we realized they were being chased and that kid was in the porta potty ... I just made a rash decision to go push the porta potty down," said golfer Adam Westermayer. The suspect was trapped inside, and police were able to arrest him and one other suspect. [TMJ4, 11/16/2023]

That Rule Doesn't Apply to Me

It was always Sara Fazekas' dream to have sex in public, and so she did, on Nov. 10 in Dunedin, Florida, the New York Post reported. Fazekas, 55, and Robert Clarke, 60, weren't a bit shy about fulfilling her lifelong goal. The police report said the couple were "fully nude on top of one another" on a causeway, even as adults and children looked on. One witness said they were "going to town," but Clarke, a registered sex offender, told police he had no remorse and that "children should be at home and not at the causeway." He was held on $50,000 bond; Fazekas was charged with exposing herself. [NY Post, 11/14/2023]

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Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman accompanied the mayor on Nov. 6 at a news conference where they presented a resolution to help curb reckless driving in the city, The Washington Post reported, saying the city needs to "change the daily behavior" of dangerous drivers. But after the event, as soon as Norman hit the road in his SUV, a dump truck rear-ended him, injuring both Norman and another officer. "We did not need this type of reminder that all drivers need to slow down and increase caution on our roadways," Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. [Washington Post, 11/7/2023]

Surprise, Surprise!

When antique dealer Beth Meyer bought the contents of a storage unit in September 2022, she was disappointed that there were no rocks inside; rocks are her specialty. However, The Washington Post reported, she did find a human skull among the items. This October, she put a $4,000 price tag on the skull and used it in a Halloween display in the store she helps run in North Fort Myers, Florida -- until an anthropologist walked through and saw it. While Meyer already knew the skull was real, the scientist thought it was very old and possibly from a Native American person, making it subject to certain federal laws. So they contacted the Lee County Sheriff's Office. Deputies deposited the skull with the medical examiner's office, and while Florida law prohibits selling human remains, they don't believe Meyer did anything wrong. She said she was "unaware of the skull being a Native American. I put such a high price on it that I figured no one would buy it." [Washington Post, 11/6/2023]

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

In the Chinese province of Hunan, the Shiniuzhai Scenic Area offers stunning landscapes of sheer cliffs -- perfect for climbers. And who doesn't get a little thirsty on the way up a grueling vertical mountain face? CNN reported that perched at 394 feet above the ground, a 2-square-meter "convenience store" offers free water bottles and other sustenance to hungry and parched climbers. The general manager of Shiniuzhai, Song Huizhou, said staff members are tasked with hauling goods up to the store every day in their backpacks. And you thought your commute was brutal. [CNN, 11/5/2023]

The Tech Revolution

The BBC reported on Nov. 8 that a man in South Korea lost his life after a robot he was working on in a factory grabbed him and crushed his face and chest onto a conveyor belt. The employee of the robotics company, in his 40s, was working late on the robotic arm when it mistook him for a box of vegetables, which it was supposed to lift and transfer onto a pallet. The man was taken to the hospital but later died of his injuries. [BBC, 11/8/2023]

Meanwhile, at the Mall ...

A man who had been living in a Shanghai shopping center stairwell for about six months was finally evicted on Oct. 30, the Daily Star reported. One security guard discovered his cozy setup, which included a tent, an ergonomic chair, a desk and a computer, but allowed him to stay while he studied for exams -- until a second guard found the makeshift home. The unnamed man used the mall's electrical outlets to charge his devices. [Daily Star, 11/7/2023]

Recent Alarming Headlines

-- On Nov. 7, David Lassiter, 74, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, left his wallet behind when he voted, PennLive.com reported. Lassiter returned to the polling place and found his wallet, but $100 was missing. Police said he "made a scene inside ... (and) made threats to come back with a firearm." At home, he called police to report the alleged theft, but then said he would get a gun and handle it on his own. Officers arrived at the polling station before Lassiter arrived; in his car, they found seven firearms with ammunition. "Mr. Lassiter became aggressive and hostile toward the officers on scene," police said. "He was detained for his safety as well as that of everyone on the scene." [PennLive.com, 11/8/2023]

-- Well, this escalated quickly. A man in Malaga, Spain, called a plumber on Nov. 4 to fix a broken pipe in his home, Oddity Central reported. After assessing the project, the plumber gave the homeowner an estimate, which sent the homeowner into a rage. He produced a firearm and threatened to kill the plumber; neighbors heard the disturbance and called police, but when they arrived, the homeowner would not release his hostage. Police got a glimpse of him and the plumber/hostage through a window and began negotiations; they asked the man to slightly open the front door so they could see that the plumber was all right. That's when special forces stormed in and rescued the hostage. The homeowner is in police custody. [Oddity Central, 11/8/2023]

Great Art

Washington native Ben Miller is a painter of landscapes, focusing on river scenes to raise awareness about conservation. Oddity Central reported that it's his painting method that makes him stand alone: He applies paint to fishing flies that he makes himself, then flings them at a piece of plexiglass positioned several feet away. Having learned fly fishing from his dad, Miller hits the precise mark he's aiming for every time. He said he sometimes gets approached by police because people assume he's fishing out of season, but they've always been understanding. [Oddity Central, 11/8/2023]

It Doesn't Work That Way

On Nov. 1, at Canberra Airport in Australia, a woman who seemingly missed her flight ran past security and onto the tarmac, trying to attract the attention of the pilot, 9News reported. The QantasLink flight was headed to Adelaide. Witness Dennis Bilic said it was "weird" that no one stopped her: "People were a bit flat-footed ... that was the weird part." Another witness said the pilot was "warned or spotted her and killed the engine." Flights were delayed for about 10 minutes after the incident. [9News, 11/2/2023]

Wait, What?

Fashion icon Dior has launched a new scent made for babies, the Mirror reported. Bonne Etoile, priced at 230 British pounds (about $281), will provide a "gentle reminder of sweet memories of early childhood," the brand gushed, with its "light notes of fruit, pillowy cotton and velvety petals." (Do I detect a hint of spit-up?) It contains 98% natural-original ingredients. Parents can also indulge in hydrating body milks and bath cleansing foams. But everybody knows that babies smell amazing without the pricey perfumes! [Mirror, 11/9/2023]

Bright Idea

Workers at Arlington Auto Wrecking in Akron, Ohio, had had enough of 26-year-old Alexander Funk, who had broken into the facility three times, Fox News reported on Nov. 5. In the most recent incident in October, Funk broke into an SUV on the lot, but before he could drive away, a forklift driver hoisted the car about 20 feet off the ground with Funk inside. When they explained the situation to the 911 operator, they said, "Wonderful, that is the greatest thing I've ever heard." Officers arrived and Funk was lowered to the ground and handcuffed. He was charged with criminal trespassing and possessing criminal tools. [Fox News, 11/5/2023]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.