News of the Weird

Serendipity Books in Chelsea, Michigan, got a hand -- or 600 -- with a big project on April 14, NBC News reported. Owner Michelle Tuplin was wondering how she was going to move more than 9,000 books to the store's new, larger location without closing the business for days. The community came to the rescue, and more than 300 people showed up, forming a human conveyor belt that stretched around the corner and into the new location. "It was just a joyful experience," said volunteer Donna Zak. In less than two hours, the entire inventory had been transferred -- all in alphabetical order. "It was overwhelming," Tuplin said. The new store will open on April 26 to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day. [NBC News, 4/15/2025]

The Passing Parade

"Star Wars" fans, listen up! If you're free on May 4, you can hop over to The Little Vegas Chapel in Nevada and tie the knot with your knight or princess. United Press International reported that the chapel is offering two special packages for the special date: "Yoda One for Me" and "Love Star." Both feature an officiant dressed as either Princess Leia or Darth Vader, "Star Wars" music, professional photography and video and a special themed wedding certificate. You may want to stop at the blackjack table first, though -- the packages cost $600 and $860. May the Fourth Be With You. [UPI, 4/14/2025]

Weird in the Wild

Well, almost wild. At the San Diego Zoo on April 14, the animals reacted to the magnitude 5.2 earthquake, too, United Press International reported. Video from the elephant enclosure showed the pachyderms' behavior even before the shaking started; the adults ran to form a circle, facing out, around the juveniles, Zuli and Mkhaya. "This behavior is known as an 'alert circle' and is intended to protect the young -- and the entire herd -- from threats," said zoo spokesperson Emily Senninger. She said the elephants can feel sound through their feet. [UPI, 4/15/2025]

Recent Alarming Headline

On April 13, after a United Airlines flight took off from Denver International Airport, the pilot had to make an emergency landing because of a fire in one of the engines, ABC News reported. After being told the apparent cause, the pilot responded, "Rabbit through the number 2, that'll do it." A bunny -- NOT the Easter bunny -- had been sucked into the engine. Passenger Scott Wolff said he experienced "a loud bang, and a significant vibration in the plane. Every few moments (as the plane was climbing) there was a backfire coming from the engine, a giant fireball behind it." Passengers were loaded onto a different aircraft and proceeded to Edmonton, Alberta. Rabbit strikes are fairly rare, experts say. [ABC News, 4/16/2025]

Unclear on the Concept

Visitors to Abbey Road in St. John's Wood in England are voicing their disappointment on Tripadvisor, Your Local Guardian reported. The street, made famous by the eponymous Beatles album, is a favorite spot for a photo op, but some tourists were expecting ... more. "Disappointed doesn't cover it ... My disappointment in not finding street sellers, either side of the road, selling cheap T-shirts and merchandise was a surprise," one commented. Another said, "I am a massive Beatles fan, but there is really nothing to see here. It's just an ordinary zebra crossing." It's no Penny Lane, that's for sure. [Your Local Guardian, 4/4/2025]

Clothing Optional

-- About 700 women gathered at Glenwood Springs, Colorado's Sunlight Mountain Resort on April 11 for the Boot Tan Fest, a three-day event that includes the "naked lap," The Denver Post reported. The festival started four years ago with just a few friends but has grown to include live music and women-owned brands peddling their wares. Participants ranged in age from Gen Z to retirement and stripped down to celebrate women's bodies. For instance, Lisa Harper of Dillon wrote on her stomach "3 weeks postpartum." "This is what's real, having your baby pooch and still skiing," she said. Another skier gushed, "Here you belong; everyone belongs." [Denver Post, 4/16/2025]

-- At Disneyland's New Orleans Square on April 12, an unnamed naked Canadian man climbed a building, exposing himself to people below, KABC-TV reported. He was taken into custody for trespassing, public nudity and being under the influence of narcotics. [KABC, 4/14/2025]

Animal Antics

The Blavatnik School of Government building at the University of Oxford features a glass roof, the BBC reported. But as of mid-April, the building has been closed after a cheeky seagull broke the glass by repeatedly dropping a stone on one of the glass panels. Seagulls are known to drop shellfish on the ground to try to break them open. A spokesperson said they hope the building will be "open as normal again soon." No word on the fate of the seagull. [BBC, 4/15/2025]

Ewwwww!

Darren McConachie, 30, of Glasgow, Scotland, assumed he was going deaf or had an ear infection when his hearing became impaired, the Daily Record reported on April 15. But one night he woke up to a surging feeling of pressure in his head and felt something start to move. "I thought my ear had ruptured," he said. "Then I felt something small and hard sort of pop out. I was absolutely terrified." He used his phone light to check out the object, which turned out to be a "tiny piece of pink Lego, covered in wax." McConachie said he hadn't played with Legos since he was a small child. "I don't remember sticking the brick in my ear. I genuinely had no clue it was in my ear all that time." [Daily Record, 4/15/2025]

Sweet Revenge

Joshua Lowe, 19, was sentenced to eight months in prison on April 14 for a stunt he pulled in January 2024, NBC News reported. Lowe, who was living with his girlfriend's family, became angry that they went on a cruise and left him behind to care for the pets. So he sent an email to Carnival Corp. after the cruise had departed, warning of a bomb on board. Prosecutors said the ship's crew had to check more than 1,000 rooms. FBI agents traced the email to Lowe, who apologized to the judge. [NBC News, 4/14/2025]

Inexplicable

Crystal Gauss, 47, is the director of food and nutrition for the South Western School District in York County, Pennsylvania, WGAL-TV reported. She is also facing charges after an incident on April 7 at a Royal Farms convenience store. Police allege that Gauss arrived at the store and walked into the beer cooler around 5 p.m., where she pulled her pants down and defecated. Surveillance footage captured her arriving at the store and inside the beer cave. Royal Farms estimates it lost about $80 worth of product. Gauss was charged with scattering rubbish, open lewdness, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. [WGAL, 4/16/2025]

Compelling Explanation

Four men in Baker, Louisiana, rode horses into a Walmart on April 8, the New York Post reported. They trotted and galloped through the aisles as shoppers and employees looked on. The riders, who call themselves the Cutthroat Cowboys, all turned themselves in on April 11, with one, Mason Webb, 18, explaining that they had no real purpose for the stunt, other than it was something fun to do. "We didn't wanna hurt nobody. That's my emotional support animal," Webb said. The riders were charged with entering and remaining after forbidden, unlawful post of criminal activity and disturbing the peace. [New York Post, 4/12/2025]

In December 2022, Mark Lucas, owner of HCS Furniture in Buckinghamshire, England, parked his 6-month-old work van in a stacked car park in central London, the BBC reported. It's still there. In this type of structure, mechanical platforms and lifts are used to stack the cars on top of each other, saving space. When Lucas went to retrieve the electric van, he was told he couldn't because "the stacking system had malfunctioned." He and his co-owner, Steve Davies, rented another van, which they thought would be a temporary fix, but after a couple of years, "we gave the hire van back and took out another loan to buy a second van," Davies said. In January 2024, Lucas was told the garage repairs were unlikely to happen before May 2024, but losses would be recoverable from the responsible party. But the partners can't claim losses until the van is freed. "While we're trying to grow the business, we can't because we have all this," Lucas said. [BBC, 4/7/2025]

Recent Alarming Headline

An already difficult day was made even more dreadfully memorable on April 7 in Philadelphia, the Western Standard reported. As pallbearers maneuvered a casket to a graveside service at Green Mountain Cemetery, the plywood platform above the burial hole gave way, sending them sprawling and causing injuries to legs, hands and backs. The son of the deceased was pinned under the casket and briefly lost consciousness, according to the deceased's stepdaughter, Maribel Rodriguez. "It was just a horrible incident that happened in a bad moment," she said. The family is hoping for an apology and possible reimbursement for the chaos. [Western Standard, 4/8/2025]

Overreaction

On April 1, Steven Cusumano, 45, stopped at a kids' lemonade stand in a Clearwater, Florida, neighborhood for a refreshing drink, The Smoking Gun reported. He purchased one glass but "became angry when he was not allowed to refill his cup," police said. Cusumano admitted that he then "grabbed the victim by the wrist aggressively ... telling the victim he would beat her up." The victim's age was not reported. He walked away but was caught soon after the incident. He was charged with felony battery because of his extensive rap sheet and held on $5,000 bond. [The Smoking Gun, 4/3/2025]

The Aristocrats!

Prince Laurent, 61, of Belgium, lost a court battle on April 7 in which he argued that he should receive social security benefits from the government, The Guardian reported. The prince argued that his work entitled him to the same support received by entrepreneurs, and that he was arguing over "principle" rather than money. But he was quick to point out medical costs and his concerns over his family's well-being to the court. However, the court ruled that his duties were more akin to the civil service, which is not covered by social security. Laurent received about $426,000 last year and lives in his home rent-free. [Guardian, 4/7/2025]

Animal Antics

A reporter from WFLA-TV was embedded in a war zone on April 9 -- not in the Middle East, but in Sarasota, Florida, where he went to report on a couple of fierce hawks. "It's not often you have to go to a story wearing a riot gear helmet and carrying an umbrella on a sunny day for protection," said reporter Jeff Patterson. Even so, a hawk attacked the helmet and left a gash in it. The hawks are nesting outside the business of Odalys Hayes, making it hard for clients to safely park and come inside. "The minute you go in the walkway here, you get attacked," Hayes said. A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer called to the scene was attacked, and both Hayes' husband and son have suffered the hawks' wrath. She said her husband was attacked eight times just while taking out the garbage. Unfortunately, the FWC informed her that the hawks are protected. "I can't do anything while the nest is there," she said. One expert recommended moving the nest when the fledglings are gone and putting up noisemakers and shiny objects to keep them from coming back. [WFLA, 4/9/2025]

News You Can Use

-- Here's a little factoid you may have missed: There are 96 bags of human waste left on the moon from the Apollo space missions. In an effort to curb any more space contamination, NASA is offering $3 million to anyone who can figure out how to recycle feces and other human waste in space and on the moon, United Press International reported on April 9. The LunaRecycle Challenge technology will be used on long spaceflights and at long-term outposts. [UPI, 4/9/2025]

-- An unnamed man in Chonqing, China, was admitted to a hospital after suffering a persistent cough, Oddity Central reported on April 9. Doctors noted suspicious shadows in his right lung on scans, and a bronchoscopy showed that he had a fungal lung disease. The man admitted that he had developed a habit of smelling his dirty socks when he removed them at the end of the day. Doctors tested some of his worn socks and found the Aspergillus infection that caused the lung disease. [Oddity Central, 4/9/2025]

It's Come to This

-- Part of the "fun" of hiking is the exertion involved, but now the Lingshan Scenic Area in eastern China has made climbing to the top effortless, Oddity Central reported on April 7. The location has installed a series of linked escalators, scheduled to open in May, from the foot of a 1,500-meter-high mountain to the top. What was a two-hour trek will now take just a few minutes, and the views will be accessible to the elderly and those with disabilities. [Oddity Central, 4/7/2025]

-- KFC has introduced a calorie-free (and fluoride-free) way to satisfy your chicken itch: fried-chicken-flavored toothpaste. The New York Post reported on April 9 that the toothpaste's flavor is "inspired by all of KFC's 11 herbs and spices. This toothpaste is irresistible, coating your teeth in flavor before leaving your mouth feeling fresh and clean." KFC partnered with toothpaste manufacturer Hismile to produce the paste for a limited time; it's available only on the Hismile website for $13 -- if it's not sold out. But wait! There's more! You can also snap up the KFC-branded electric toothbrush, which will set you back $59. [NY Post, 4/9/2025]

Irony

Memphis Allies, a community violence intervention group, was hosting a meeting at its offices on April 9 when shooting broke out, killing 22-year-old Matthew Williams and injuring five others, one critically. Williams' mother said he started participating in Memphis Allies to stay away from the violent streets, FOX13-TV reported. Nearby witnesses described the shooting as a drive-by, but the incident was still under investigation. [FOX13, 4/9/2025]

Ukrainian American national Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, was arrested on March 30 after he made a visit to a remote island in the Indian Ocean, the New York Post reported. North Sentinel Island is home to a hostile, isolated tribe called the Sentinelese, and traveling there is banned. Polyakov was seen taking off in a small boat around midnight on March 29, with his only cargo a coconut and a can of Coke, which he intended to present as "offerings for the Sentinelese." HS Dhaliwal, the director general of police on the Andaman Islands, said officials were trying to find out more about Polyakov. He did make it to the island but appeared to be ignored by the natives. He left his offerings on the beach and collected sand samples, then returned to South Andaman. Police say in January, Polyakov filmed another remote tribe, the Jarawa, while visiting the Baratang Islands. An American missionary, John Allen Chau, was killed with an arrow by the Sentinelese in 2018. [NY Post, 4/2/2025]

Surprise!

When a babysitter in Great Bend, Kansas, helpfully looked under the bed to check for "monsters" on March 24, she actually found one, NBC News reported. The Barton County Sheriff's Office was called to the home, where the babysitter had come face-to-face with a man hiding under the child's bed, around 10:30 p.m. After a short altercation with the babysitter, the man fled the home. The suspect, who was captured the next morning, was Martin Villalobos Jr., 27, who once lived in the house. Villalobos was under a protection order and had been warned to stay away from the home. He was arrested on charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery, child endangerment and other offenses and held on $500,000 bond. [NBC News, 3/27/2025]

Awwwww!

Pat DeReamer of Louisville, Kentucky, and Mary Wheaton go waaaaay back -- all the way to 1944 in Indianapolis, when Wheaton gave DeReamer a birthday card for her 14th birthday on April 1. When Wheaton's birthday came around a month later, DeReamer added her own message to the same card and gave it back to Wheaton. For the last 81 years, they've been sending the card back and forth, WLKY-TV reported. "We never said, 'We're going to do this,'" DeReamer said. "It just happened." Now in their 90s, the old friends don't get together as much, but they remain "really good friends." [WLKY, 4/2/2025]

Animal Antics

Mail carrier Wayne White was on his route in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on March 28 when he ran into a flock of troublemakers, WHDH-TV reported. As he got in and out of his truck and delivered mail, three wild turkeys followed and harassed him while he tried to fend them off with a box. "Every time I moved the truck, the turkeys followed," White said. One encounter with the birds was caught on a home's surveillance video and showed White trying to do his job as they gobbled at him. "I do a lot of stuff on Nantucket, so I see deer all the time, but this is my first time with turkey," he said. [WHDH, 3/29/2025]

A Cautionary Tale

Minot, North Dakota, mayor Tom Ross resigned on April 1, which some might find a fitting date for his ignominious downfall. KMOT-TV reported that Ross was the subject of a complaint made in late January by the city attorney, Stefanie Stalheim, who said she had received a sexually explicit text from Ross. Ross admitted he had made a video of himself masturbating during his lunch break, intending to send it to his romantic partner. "I do take responsibility for this mistake," Ross said. "I tried to immediately correct it and was unable." [KMOT, 4/1/2025]

Least Competent Criminal

Crush Comics in California's Castro Valley was burglarized on March 22, CBS News reported. The thief took a display of the store's most valuable comic books, said owner Josh Hunter. He figured they were gone for good, but then, just 12 hours later, one of his employees stumbled upon an eBay listing for a very specific comic book from the store. "I'm just going to buy that and see what happens," Hunter said. When he got the seller's name and address, he searched on Instagram and saw the burglar's offer to buy, sell or trade Lego sets. Next, Hunter called another comic shop and a toy store that had also been broken into and shared his findings. When the sleuths turned their results over to police, Alameda County Sheriff's officers served a search warrant at the home of Noorullah Amiri, 29, of Livermore, where they found tens of thousands of dollars' worth of comic books, collectibles and Lego sets. Amiri was taken into custody on March 27. [CBS News, 4/2/2025]

Recent Alarming Headline

Felipe Hoyos-Foronda, 38, of Queens, New York, was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport on March 28 after a medical procedure at his home went south, CBS News reported. According to police, a 31-year-old woman went to Hoyos-Foronda's home to have her butt implants removed. When the woman suffered complications, he called EMS and then took off, intending to flee to Colombia. First responders found the woman unresponsive. The criminal complaint said Hoyos-Foronda admitted to performing the procedure without a license and administering lidocaine, "causing her to go into cardiac arrest." Officials say the victim is still hospitalized with no brain activity, and she shows signs of lidocaine toxicity. [CBS News, 4/2/2025]

The Passing Parade

-- Delhi, India's "Potty Badmash," a 27-year-old pickpocket named Deepak, was finally arrested on March 24, The Times of India reported. Deepak is famous for committing thefts and knife-related crimes, then soiling his pants, creating a stench so terrible that it kept officers away from him. This time, however, they armed themselves with gloves and masks. "Team gave him chase and pinned him down," said an officer. "As expected, Deepak deployed his famous 'filth plan' but the officers ... thwarted his last-ditch effort and took him in custody." When they searched him, they found a knife, which Deepak described as his "lucky charm." During questioning he admitted to multiple mobile phone thefts and other crimes. [Times of India, 3/27/2025]

-- A 56-year-old Warsaw, Poland, cleaner is facing up to 20 years behind bars after she was caught putting cleaning fluid in a co-worker's drinks, Oddity Central reported on March 28. The 51-year-old victim visited the doctor with stomach pains and was told her internal injuries were consistent with poisoning. She couldn't think of anything that might be causing her discomfort, but then remembered that her morning cup of tea had tasted odd in recent weeks. She installed a hidden camera and saw that her co-worker was spraying corrosive substances in her tea and on her soda bottle. The perpetrator had been talking with another woman while poisoning the drinks; both of them said they just didn't like the victim. The accomplice could get three years in prison. [Oddity Central, 3/28/2025]