In early November, Emily James, 27, of Kansas City, Missouri, underwent a most unusual and expensive ($17,000) body-altering surgery, the New York Post reported. The trans woman had six ribs removed from her ribcage in order to achieve a smaller waist. The recovery gave her plenty of time to think about what she wanted to do with those extra ribs -- yes, the hospital gave them to her -- and her options seemed limitless: Make them into dog toys, boil them down for broth, have an "Emily barbecue." But eschewing all the cannibalistic notions, James has come up with the perfect project: "I plan on having someone make a crown and, like, incorporate my bone pieces in there," she said. "Getting my ribs removed doesn't change the fact that I'm a kind, loving trans girl. It's my money, my body and I'm going to do what I want with it." Yas queen. [NY Post, 1/10/2025]

Precocious

A 12-year-old boy from Grand Traverse County in Michigan was charged with joy riding, operating a motor vehicle without a license, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of marijuana on Jan. 12, MLive.com reported. The boy's parents contacted the county sheriff when they realized their 2000 Chevy Blazer was missing, saying their son had taken it. They had tracked his progress south into Clare County, where deputies were alerted to be on the lookout. By the time he was stopped, he had driven more than 90 miles; officers found a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and ammunition, along with a little weed, but said there was no indication that he planned to use the gun. He did tell deputies he was unhappy at home. He was released to his parents. [MLive, 1/14/2025]

Compelling Explanation

San Mateo, California, police arrested a Kentucky man early on the morning of Jan. 12 for a suspected hit-and-run incident, CBS News reported. Frank Falcone, 62, told officers that he was driving northbound on Pacific Boulevard when a southbound car came toward him with its high beams on. The lights disturbed Falcone "because of the brightness and potential radiation," he said, so he rammed the other car. When it stopped, he allegedly rammed it two more times. Falcone fled the scene and told officers he evaded them because people impersonate cops. He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. [CBS News, 1/13/2025]

Um ...

Nigerian gospel singer Timileyin Ajayi, 30, was arrested on Jan. 12 as he carried a bag that contained the severed head of his reported girlfriend, the BBC reported. The bag drew the attention of other people, who held him until police arrived. "The suspect was found with a fresh human head," Nasarawa police said, "and when we got to the scene, we rescued him from being mobbed." Other parts of the deceased's body were found later at his home. Abby Simon, a friend of the 24-year-old victim, said Ajayi was not her boyfriend. "Even if she was his girlfriend, she didn't deserve to die this way," Simon said. [BBC, 1/14/2025]

You Had One Job

Brigantine (New Jersey) police were called to a home on the Jersey Shore on Jan. 13 after a neighbor found a toddler wandering around outdoors, NBC Philadelphia reported. The neighbor recognized the child and returned them to their home, where she found babysitter Jena Davidson, 35, passed out on the floor. First responders took Davidson to the hospital, where it turned out she had "consumed a significant amount of the homeowner's alcohol to the point that she became unconscious and unresponsive," police reported. She was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. [NBC Philadelphia, 1/14/2025]

Bright Idea

Toilet paper shoppers in Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan have a new option, GoodNewsNetwork.org reported on Jan. 14: rolls made from used diapers and other hygiene products. The cities of Shibushi and Osaki worked together to recycle disposable diapers starting in April 2024. The used items are sanitized, bleached and shredded into a pulp to be mixed with recycled paper, to the tune of 30,000 rolls in the first two months of production. They're sold at $2.70 for a dozen rolls. "Please support this eco-friendly product, which aims to promote a sustainable society by reusing local resources," said Takumi Obo, spokesperson for the Osaki Municipal Government's SDGs Promotion Council. [GoodNewsNetwork.org, 1/14/2025]

Irony

On Dec. 18 at the Family Dollar store in Mulberry, Florida, two shoplifters worked together to pull off a cleaning products heist, the Miami Herald reported on Jan. 10. The Polk County Sheriff's Office, referring to the couple as Mr. Clean and Ms. Dookie until an arrest is made, hatched a plan to distract employees. "The man walked around the store gathering nearly $500 worth of merchandise (like lots of Gain, Tide and Clorox products)," officers said, "whilst the woman ... (used) the restroom, without going to the restroom." While employees cleaned up the mess, Mr. Clean walked past the registers and out to a Ford van, where Ms. Dookie joined him, and they drove away. The odd couple are still at large. [Miami Herald, 1/10/2025]

Unclear on the Concept

Hampton, Virginia, police officer J'ron Harry lost his job after a less-than-satisfying encounter with a prostitute on Dec. 30, WAVY-TV reported. Harry met 20-year-old Alexus "Dream" Copeland on an app and arranged to meet her that day at an apartment in Virginia Beach, police say. They agreed to shower together, but Copeland never came into the bathroom, instead lifting Harry's phone, keys, wallet and car (with police credentials). Police were able to track down the car in Norfolk; Copeland told them Harry had given her permission to borrow his car, but she was charged with grand larceny, credit card fraud and prostitution. Harry was not charged but was terminated on Jan. 7. [WAVY, 1/14/2025]

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

A coyote "made a mistake" on Jan. 13 and ended up in the refrigerated case of the produce section at an Aldi store in Chicago, WLS-TV reported. It was sequestered behind a selection of fine cheeses after roaming around the parking lot just minutes earlier. "It picked an odd location," said Stan Gehrt with the Cook County Coyote Project. "They do this sometimes. They're trying to hide from us." Gehrt said many of the animals who end up in a sketchy situation are those who haven't found a mate yet. The coyote will be evaluated by the Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation group, which will determine whether it can be released back into the wild. [WLS, 1/13/2025]

Least Competent Criminal

Victoria state police in Australia released a video on Jan. 9 in an effort to identify two would-be arsonists who bungled their crime, Yahoo! News reported. In the video, two people in dark hoodies attempted to set fire to a Melbourne fast-food outlet on Christmas morning, but one of them became engulfed in flames. The footage shows the person removing their fiery trousers and running away bare-cheeked; the other person was seemingly unharmed. [Yahoo! News, 1/10/2025]

Mistaken Identity

As a group of schoolchildren walked home on Jan. 13 in Syracuse, New York, Onondaga County Sheriff's deputies approached the kids and said one girl, wearing a pink jacket and camo pants, was the suspect in a car theft nearby. WSTM-TV reported that another child started recording video as the 11-year-old girl and her friends denied the accusation and deputies put her in handcuffs. They showed the kids a picture of the suspect and said, "Girl, you gonna tell me this ain't you?" Eventually, one deputy noticed that the suspect had longer hair and "apologized," saying, "I'm sorry about it, but you matched the description pretty clearly." The sheriff's department reviewed the situation and claimed the detainment was "lawful and reasonable," but Sheriff Toby Shelley met with the girl's mother afterward and called their conversation "productive." [WSTM, 1/15/2025]

In Beeston, Nottinghamshire, England, locals are perplexed about a monthly offering at the corner of Abbey Road and Wensor Avenue, United Press International reported on Jan. 6. Starting over a year ago, on the second day of each month, a plate heaped high with peeled bananas has appeared at the intersection. Resident Clare Short said she put up a sign reading, "Please, respectfully, no more bananas! The uncollected plates and rotting bananas leave such a mess." But on Jan. 2, a new plate appeared. "I think it's a special thing for someone, and I wish them well," Short said, adding that she has taken down her sign. "But if they could come back and clean up the mess a few days later that would be lovely." [UPI, 1/6/2025]

Heroes

On Jan. 5 in rural Norton, Kansas, temps following the big snowstorm weren't even reaching 20 degrees, and the wind chill was 5 below zero, KAKE-TV reported. That didn't stop two linemen who were trying to restore power to area residents from going above (literally) and beyond: On top of a utility pole, a bobcat and her kitten were frozen to the line and the pole. Dominic Urban and Eric Hartwell worked for about two hours to free the frigid felines. "I couldn't knock them off," Urban said. "(The mother) was frozen down to the top of the pole ... I beat the ice loose then lowered her to the ground. I had to do the same with the kitten." He said the mom and kitten ran off immediately after reaching the ground. [KAKE, 1/6/2025]

It's Orwellian

A pair of pernicious porcine perpetrators are in the crosshairs of the Pataskala, Ohio, Police Department after a horrendous incident on Christmas Day, WOIO-TV reported. According to Chief Bruce Brooks, family members called for a welfare check on 75-year-old Rebecca Westergaard when they couldn't reach her. Police found the woman dead on her property near her home. Westergaard had been mauled and eaten by two pigs that belong to her neighbor, police said. Brooks said it's unclear whether charges will be filed, since the animals are livestock rather than pets. "It's just not something we've ever dealt with here," Brooks said. [WOIO, 1/7/2025]

News You Can Use?

If you own a Toto Washlet bidet toilet, listen up: Don't wipe the seat with toilet tissue. United Press International reported on Jan. 3 that owners have been complaining about the seats getting scratch marks and becoming discolored. A Toto spokesperson said the tissue can cause tiny scratches that expand and trap dirt. Instead, customers are urged to use a soft cloth and diluted detergent. The company also said there are "no plans to change the material at this time." [UPI, 1/3/2025]

The Tech Revolution

-- The Summit County (Colorado) Sheriff's Department responded to a call on Jan. 7 on the slopes of Keystone Resort: not an injured skier, but a wayward car that had taken a wrong turn and ended up on the Schoolmarm ski run. United Press International reported that the abandoned car had a note on the windshield, explaining that the driver had been following GPS and ended up stuck in the snow. A tow truck removed the car, which was returned to the owner. [UPI, 1/8/2025]

-- A small Welsh village has been inundated by shoppers looking for an Aldi supermarket that doesn't exist, Oddity Central reported on Jan. 6. A pin on Google Maps, probably dropped as a prank, directs shoppers and delivery drivers to a grassy field in Cyffylliog, leaving locals unamused. One large milk tank truck became stuck on a narrow village street while trying to locate the store, and "a bloke with a pallet of bread ... thought he'd been hired to stock shelves," one resident said. Finally, Aldi got involved and said it would work with Google Maps to get the pin removed. [Oddity Central, 1/6/2025]

Ewwww!

On Jan. 3, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina, The New York Times reported. The real highlight of the game, though, is the tradition of dumping 5 gallons of mayonnaise (Duke's, of course) on the winning coach's head. Other condiment-related attractions include mayo bobbing (trying to catch mayo packets swimming in mayo) and mayo giveaways with team logos. And for 2025, Flavor Flav was revealed as the Duke's Mayo celebrity mascot. Last year, Duke's had a record day of online sales during the contest. They may-o be doing something right! [New York Times, 1/3/2025]

It's Come to This

The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain in Belgium was forced to issue a warning to the country on Jan. 7 against eating Christmas trees, United Press International reported. The statement was in response to the city of Ghent recommending cooking with conifer needles. "You can make delicious spruce needle butter with them for bread or toast," Ghent's website read. But the FASFC wasn't having it: Christmas trees "are not meant to end up in the food chain" because many have been treated with pesticides and other chemicals, including flame retardant. Ghent responded by changing its headline to read "Scandinavians eat their Christmas trees" and added a warning: "not all Christmas trees are edible." Way to throw the Vikings under the bus, Belgians! [UPI, 1/9/2025]

The Golden Age of Air Travel

-- A Boeing 777 operated by Air France was forced to make an emergency landing in Brazil in early January after a passenger caused the toilet to be unusable, the Mirror reported. The flight, which was on its way to Rio de Janeiro, was almost there when it diverted to Fortaleza's Pinto Martins International Airport. Brazilian media did not provide details of the clog. The unit was serviced and unclogged, and the flight continued on its way. [Mirror, 1/6/2025]

-- Whitney Kayla Watt, 30, got herself arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement on Jan. 5 at Indianapolis International Airport, the New York Post reported. Watt, who was flying on Southwest Airlines, objected to her bag being flagged as 5 pounds too heavy and let loose a string of obscenities and racial slurs after saying, "I work at a law firm ... I am freaking out right now," among other things. She said one of her children, who were with her, was supposed to get "a very important surgery that he couldn't have." Penny Thomson, who witnessed the outburst and posted video on social media, noted, "What's sad is her kids saw this and it didn't even phase (sic) them." [NY Post, 1/7/2025]

No Longer Weird

It's that time again, Florida: falling iguana season. Accuweather reported on Jan. 8 that as temperatures drop along the Gulf Coast and southeast Florida, cold-stunned iguanas are likely to fall out of trees after losing their grip on the branches. Residents are warned that the reptiles appear to be dead, but they're just sleeping. Fully grown iguanas can be up to 5 feet long and up to 25 pounds, so they present a danger to unsuspecting humans walking along the sidewalk. Professional iguana remover Michael Ronquillo warns against handling the lethargic animals, saying they can become defensive when they warm up. Plus, their droppings can contain salmonella. [Accuweather, 1/8/2025]

Sam, 22, is an assistant manager at a frozen yogurt shop in Florida, Newsweek reported on Dec. 26, but even at his young age, he is able to recognize cash that might be counterfeit. Unlike his employees, that is, who flagged a $10 bill and a $5 bill as FAKE. “I shed a tear because of the sharpie they scrawled onto the bills,” he wrote on Reddit. Sam said he had to explain that the bills were “just old, not counterfeit.” He admitted that people his age and younger might rarely use cash: “It’s a digital world nowadays, so I would suspect that to be one reason (they flagged the bills).” [Newsweek, 12/26/2024]

Questionable Judgment

On Dec. 17, California Highway Patrol officers in Madera County shared a photo on Facebook of a Honda Ridgeline truck they had pulled over, Carscoops reported. With an unintentional nod to “The Grapes of Wrath,” the truck was piled to at least twice its height with random items, some of which were flying off into traffic, officers said. “It is important to always secure your load/cargo and not exceed your vehicle’s load capacity,” CHP cautioned. “Flying debris can make motorists take evasive action and potentially be involved in a traffic crash.” [Carscoops, 12/31/2024]

Saw That Coming

The Rockwall County Herald-Banner in Texas reported that Valencia Smith, mother of a former football player for Rockwall-Heath High School, filed a suit on Dec. 23 against the team’s former coach, John Harrell, and 12 other coaches. Smith’s suit stems from an incident in January 2023, in which the coaches allegedly used excessive exercise as punishment for wearing the wrong uniform or failing to show enough “hustle.” Students were forced to perform more than 400 pushups within an hour, which led to at least 26 players being diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a condition that causes muscle to break down and enter the bloodstream. Smith said her son spent seven days in a hospital. The lawsuit seeks compensation for his medical expenses. Harrell resigned in March 2023; he settled two other lawsuits, but this is the first that names the assistant coaches as defendants. [Herald-Banner, 12/23/2024]

Bright Idea

Canadian business student Javeria Wasim, 19, was with a friend in Toronto when she hatched the brilliant idea to try to bite into a 3-inch jawbreaker, the Daily Mail reported on Dec. 24. Immediately, Wasim’s jaw began to hurt, and a tooth became loose. X-rays revealed that she had suffered two fractures in her jaw. The following day, she underwent surgery and had her jaw wired shut for six weeks. She said she would “probably never try a jawbreaker again. It hurt really bad, I was crying a lot when the ambulance came,” she said. “All my bottom teeth are messed up. I lost seven pounds in two weeks. It was a dumb idea.” [Daily Mail, 12/24/2024]

The Foreign Press

Belarusian retailer ZNWR, sometimes called the “Balenciaga of Belarus,” is making headlines with its newest line of dresses and jackets, starting at about $116, fashioned from bubble wrap. The Times of India reported on Dec. 30 that the air-filled pockets provide a satisfying, quirky popping experience. The brand hyped the dresses as perfect for those who want to stand out on New Year’s Eve (rather than wear the tired old velvet and satin). At least when you fall down drunk, you’ll be cushioned! [Times of India, 12/30/2024]

Least Competent Criminal

In Haines City, Florida, on Dec. 29, Jervin Omar Mendieto Romero, 40, arrived at the home of his former partner, ClickOrlando reported. Romero wanted to speak with her, but when no one answered the door, he crawled into the house through a window, police said. “Once inside,” police said, Romero “confronted ... his ex-domestic partner and her new boyfriend.” The boyfriend was shot five times; in the process, Romero managed to shoot off his own ring finger. “This caused (him) to drop the firearm and flee the residence on foot,” police reported. They tracked him down less than a mile away, and he was charged with attempted first-degree murder and armed burglary with assault or battery, along with other offenses. The boyfriend is expected to survive. [ClickOrlando, 12/31/2024]

Inappropriate Behavior

Jude Hill of Plymouth, England, traveled to Thailand a few months ago after a fire at her home in September, Metro News reported. Around 3 a.m. on Christmas, Hill and her boyfriend were seen in the lobby of the Flipper Lodge Hotel in Pattaya, Thailand, consummating their relationship on a sofa. Witnesses said the pair then tried to move to a glass table, but it shattered. “We approached them and discovered they were not hotel customers, so we ushered them out,” an anonymous worker said. Hill ran away but was detained by an armed officer near the beach. The hotel plans to press charges. [Metro News, 12/30/2024]

That Rule Doesn’t Apply to Me

Magnus Carlsen, 34, the No. 1 chess player in the world, dropped out of the Fide World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship in New York on Dec. 27 because he didn’t want to change out of his blue jeans, Sky News reported. Officials said he had broken the dress code; Carlsen wasn’t moved. “I didn’t even think about it. ... They said I could (change) after the third round today. I said, ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that’s OK’ ... but they said, ‘Well you have to change now.’ At that point it became a matter of principle for me.” Carlsen said he’d head somewhere with better weather. [Sky News, 12/28/2024]

Reunited

A Florida family got just what they wanted for Christmas when they answered a 2:30 a.m. doorbell ring on Christmas Eve to find their missing dog. Brooke Comer, a Green Cove Springs resident whose 4-year-old German shepherd, Athena, went missing on Dec. 15, spent the ensuing nine days receiving tips from neighbors and people in nearby towns about Athena sightings, but the frustrated family would always arrive too late, NEWS10 ABC reported. After several heartbreaking near-misses and with Christmas just one day away, Comer received an early morning notification from her Ring doorbell. “I was kind of like in a daze, and the dog was barking, and as soon as I heard that ring, I looked at my phone and you could see in the video it was Athena and she was jumping at the door, ringing the doorbell,” Comer said. Athena seemed no worse for the wear after her journey, but will receive a full exam (and a microchip) soon. [WDBJ-7, 12/11/24]

Lost at Sea

A shark caught in the net of a fisherman is nothing new, but when it's the first Lego shark find since a cargo ship lost its load of nearly 5 million pieces at sea 27 years ago, the news makes waves. The BBC reported on Dec. 28 that hundreds of pieces from the Tokyo Express cargo ship have been recovered this year; the ship was hit by an unexpected wave on Feb. 13, 1997, and lost 62 shipping containers some 20 miles off Land's End, England. Since then, the BBC reports that the pieces have been washing ashore in southwest England, the Channel Islands, Wales, Ireland and even the Netherlands and Norway, but the shark find in August by fisherman Richard West, 35, of Plymouth, England, was the first of the 22,200 dark gray and 29,600 light gray Lego sharks lost in the incident. "The sharks sink, which explains why so few have been found," said Tracey Williams of the Lego Lost at Sea project. "There are probably some 50,000-plus still lying on the seabed, some making their way ashore, others heading into deeper waters." [BBC, 12/27/24]