LEAD STORY — Recurring Theme – News of the Weird – UExpress

It's happened again. On Oct. 15, as an EasyJet flight prepared to travel from the Spanish island of Tenerife to London after a three-hour delay, the pilot announced that the flight would depart in about 20 minutes. "And that's when the incident happened with the defecation," said passenger Aaran Gedhu, according to CNN Travel. Gedhu saw two people visit the forward restroom before an unpleasant odor permeated the cabin and word spread that someone had pooped on the bathroom floor. "Obviously, the plane was in an unsanitary state. So they had to get external cleaners out from the airport to clean it," Gedhu said. After the cleaning was complete, the pilot announced that passengers would have to disembark — which took another 30 minutes. Another passenger, Kitty Streek, said: "We obviously can't prove whether the person simply had an accident or if they had done this out of anger for the delayed flight … but nobody wants to be stranded in another country." And yet, they were: Gedhu was lodged in a hotel overnight before taking a "rescue" flight the next day. [CNN Travel, 10/17/2023]
If It Ain't Broke …?
A restaurant in Tokyo, Abe-chan, recently revealed the secret behind its popular pork skewers, Oddity Central reported. The skewers are dipped in a sauce jar that hasn't been cleaned in more than 60 years and is covered on the outside with a hardened goo. Each day, cooks pour new sauce over the previous day's sauce, as they have throughout three generations of owners — a practice they say contributes to its rich flavor. Experts said as long as the concoction is heated, there shouldn't be any bacterial growth. [Oddity Central, 10/11/2023]
That Bugs Me!
As Volaris flight 221 prepared to leave Guadalajara International Airport on Oct. 6, passengers and crew were delayed by an infestation of mosquitoes in the cabin, ABC7-TV reported. The flight was headed to Mexico City, and crew members and passengers tried for two hours to eradicate the pests, swatting them and spraying bug repellent. Finally, passenger Elizabeth Corona said, the insects settled down when the cabin lights were turned off. [ABC7, 10/12/2023]
My Strange Obsession
Fox News reported on Oct. 17 that Rowan Sturgill of Lexington, Kentucky, has documented her mother, Beth's, obsession with Diet Coke on TikTok: "This isn't even half of it, I'm not kidding," Rowan captioned her video. Beth's decor includes a soap dispenser labeled with Diet Coke and a wall full of images related to the no-calorie drink. Her Christmas ornaments are dominated by the soda, and an entire wall of her home is dedicated to a shrine of sorts comprised of bottles and cans of various sizes and shapes. One friend posted that it's like being in an "alternate reality" when they're at the Sturgills' house. [Fox News, 10/17/2023]
The Passing Parade
On Oct. 15, as a child stood near a canal in Cape Coral, Florida, a Dodge Challenger left the road nearby at a high rate of speed and plunged into the canal nose first, NBC2-TV reported — fortunately just missing the child. "I can only imagine how he's feeling," said Lorraine Holder, who lives on the canal and had a home security camera trained on the water that captured the incident. The car's airbags deployed, which made it difficult to get the driver out, but a Good Samaritan helped him escape before it sank completely. No injuries were reported. [NBC2, 10/17/2023]
News You Can Use
People in London have been perplexed by a bale of hay hanging from the Millennium Bridge, a modern structure that spans the River Thames, Sky News reported on Oct. 18. The bridge is undergoing maintenance that will reduce its headroom. When social media lit up with questions, the City Bridge Foundation, a charity that benefits crossings over the Thames, came to the rescue: "In accordance with ancient tradition (and the Port of London Thames Byelaws), a bundle of straw is dangled from the Millennium Bridge to warn shipping of work under the bridge (we're not making this up, honest)." At night, workers hang a white light to warn ships. Work is expected to be completed by Nov. 5. [Sky News, 10/18/2023]
Least Competent Criminals
Three Florida men were arrested on Oct. 14 in Pompano Beach, Florida, after a hapless kidnapping attempt, KMOV-TV reported. Raymond Gomez and brothers Jonathan Arista and Jeffry Arista grabbed a man outside his apartment in Plantation, Florida, and drove him to a home nearby — but then realized they had the wrong guy, police said. They threatened him with an electric drill and a firearm and attempted to waterboard him before deciding he might be able to lure their intended victim to them. The kidnappers drove him to his place of business, where the other man was, but the original victim phoned in a bomb threat (to get an immediate response), and the suspects were arrested. They face life in prison. [KMOV, 10/17/2023]
Bright Idea
Japanese milk producer Seki Milk has devised an entertaining solution to a growing problem, Oddity Central reported on Oct. 11. The company did research showing that 65% of students weren't finishing their milk at lunch, so it partnered with a manga studio to produce an original comic series and print it in white on its glass milk bottles. As they drink, kids are compelled to finish the beverage so the artwork is revealed. The company says Milk Manga encourages healthy behavior and reading, and gets kids thinking about food loss. [Oddity Central, 10/11/2023]
It's a Dirty Job
Ryan Smith, 41, who transports bodies for a funeral company in Omaha, Nebraska, was arrested on Oct. 6 after he broke into the home of a deceased person he had moved, The Smoking Gun reported. Investigators said that when Smith initially went to the apartment, there was a "very real life size" sex doll on the bed near the body. Later, Smith called the property manager and said the sheriff had asked him to remove the doll "to collect swabs for biopsy." The property manager denied Smith entry to the home, but he later suspected Smith was inside the unit, which had been secured with a deadbolt and chain. The manager watched as Smith left with his shirt untucked and trousers in "disarray," then called police. The sex doll showed evidence of recent use, and she was confiscated for DNA testing. Ryan was relieved of his job. [The Smoking Gun, 10/13/2023]
It's a Mystery
Adorchita Di Perno of Calgary, Alberta, was proud of finishing her 22nd marathon in Chicago on Oct. 8, so she decided to have her medal engraved on the back, Running magazine reported. She also had the 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden sign the back in Sharpie. When she picked up the medal from the engraver, though, she saw that not only was her time wrong on the back, but the F-word was engraved above it. "This is my medal, but this is not my time or name," she said. "And I did not ask for the F-word." Later that day, store employees figured out that her medal had been confused with another runner's, who, oddly, DID want the F-word engraved on the back — but declined to say why. Di Perno said she was upset about the mix-up at the time, but now she's laughing about it. Probably helps that she qualified for the Boston race. [Running, 10/18/2023]
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
Some people are just desperate to get behind an underdog. So it seems with the members of a Facebook group called Chair Watch, who have locked in on an unlikely subject: a chair hanging from the top floor of a roofless abandoned home in Dennis Township, New Jersey. "One day it will come down but until then we all must drive by and look at the chair in all its mesmerizing glory," the group's description says, according to United Press International. "How long can it last? Will it blow down before the entire house falls down? … Things we all want to know and don't want to know at the same time because it will ruin the fun." The group has attracted almost 10,000 followers, one of whom, Donna Marie O'Leary, commented that she hasn't "enjoyed this much fun since Christie was Gov. and closed the beach!" [UPI, 10/9/2023]
News That Sounds Like a Joke
In 1995, the Seattle Times reported, filmmaker Gerry Fialka of Los Angeles started a book club with an unconventional schedule: Members read the notoriously difficult "Finnegans Wake" by James Joyce — one page at a time. They just finished on Oct. 3. "We do one page at a time and then discuss it for two hours," Fialka said. "That's why it's taken us 28 years." When people ask what his book club is going to read next, he tells them, "We're never going to read another book." He explained that the book ends with a run-on sentence on page 628, which then continues on the first page of text. "So it's a cyclical book. It never ends. We'll read page 3 again next." Since the pandemic, the club has been meeting via Zoom, which Fialka says he likes better than in person. "I don't have to set up chairs," he said. [Seattle Times, 10/3/2023]
It's a Dirty Job
In this week's edition of "We Don't Pay Teachers Enough," Stephen Taylor, an educator at the Mill Creek Campus alternative school in Olathe, Kansas, lost his job over videos he posted to TikTok, Fox4-TV reported. In the videos, Taylor, who also does stand-up comedy, said he "saved up" his "big milky lactose intolerant" gas and "drop(ped) bombs silently … and then I just let it stew." He also claimed that he gives students misinformation when they "annoy" him: "I tell them Abraham Lincoln invented the car, that's why it's named after him." When Taylor was called before the school board, he told members, "The reason I'm doing comedy on TikTok is to make money because you only pay me $45,000 a year and I work all the time." Taylor said the students understand his jokes, but he was relieved of his duties nonetheless and has no plans to return to teaching. [Fox4, 10/11/2023]
Oops
Fourth graders at the Academy of Innovative Education charter school in Miami Springs, Florida, got to choose a movie to watch during lunch on Oct. 2, CBS News Miami reported. They unknowingly chose "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey," a 2023 horror film about two murderers who prey on university students while wearing Pooh and Piglet costumes. The teacher "didn't stop the movie, even though the kids were saying, 'Hey, stop the movie, we don't want this,'" said parent Michelle Diaz. She said her twins were traumatized. The school later issued a statement saying they "have already met with those students who have expressed concerns." Oh, bother. [CBS News Miami, 10/9/2023]
Police Report
Lenni Rodriguez Cruz, 28, topped off a busy night of crime with an assault on a police officer on Sept. 20, the Associated Press reported. Cruz was allegedly driving a car with license plates that didn't match in Queens, New York, when an officer tried to pull him over. Cruz instead raced off, driving on a sidewalk and through a park and hitting four other vehicles, including a police car, before crashing. His breath smelled of alcohol and there was a cup with an alcoholic beverage in the car, police said. But it was back at the station where Cruz sealed his fate: He bit off an officer's left ring finger up to the first knuckle. The Queens district attorney said he could be looking at 25 years in prison. [Associated Press, 10/11/2023]
Animal Antics
A family outing to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas, got all awkward when a giraffe lost its footing and crashed into the windshield of Kari Hill's car, Fox7-TV reported. The park allows people to drive through in their own cars and feed the animals. As Hill and her family communed with a giraffe, it stuck its head through her sunroof and smiled for a picture. But then the animal slipped and fell, became panicked and started flailing its legs. After it recovered and ran off, Hill realized her windshield was shattered. No one was hurt, but they were covered with glass. Hill said when she filed an insurance claim, "It was hard for them, as anyone, not to laugh, but they were professional." [Fox7, 10/12/2023]
Unclear on the Concept
Lincoln County (Oklahoma) District Judge Traci Soderstrom, who was sworn in on Jan. 9, may already be out of a job, the Associated Press reported. In July, Soderstrom was captured on a court camera scrolling through social media and texting on her phone for minutes at a time during a trial. Soderstrom's texts to her bailiff included comments on jurors' and prosecutors' appearances and calling a police officer who was testifying "pretty" and saying, "I could look at him all day." She was suspended with pay pending a hearing by the Court on the Judiciary. The chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court recommended her removal: "The pattern of conduct demonstrates (Soderstrom's) gross neglect of duty, gross partiality and oppression," he said. [Associated Press, 10/11/2023]
Spooky
Townsfolk in Skelmorlie, Scotland, are getting their Halloween on as a Pennywise-type clown lurks around the streets, Sky News reported, leaving red balloons in his wake. Early on Oct. 12, the clown, who may or may not be someone named Cole Deimos, posted a "message to the media" in rhyme: "They called me 'killer clown.' Why don't you leave the jokes to me? The only thing that's dying is your credibility. This clown doesn't want fame, glory or gold. He just wants to play in this so-called 'sleepy town.' So, come and join in and learn to fear the Skelmorlie clown." Police haven't received any reports of crimes, and Facebook followers are gleeful: "Out of all the clowns in the village, he's the best." [Sky News, 10/13/2023]
The Neighbors
Daniel Powell, 76, got a rude response on Oct. 8 when talking with his mobile home park neighbor, Kali Robertson, 28, in Pinellas Park, Florida, The Smoking Gun reported. According to police, Robertson took an "unsecured bag of dog feces and pushed it" into Powell's face, "leaving feces smeared on his face." Robertson admitted to the assault but pleaded not guilty to the third-degree felony. She posted $2,500 bond. [Smoking Gun, 10/11/2023]
That's No Excuse
Amal Hanna, 60, will not be charged with driving under the influence, News12-TV reported, after an Oct. 4 incident in which she mistakenly guzzled a White Claw during her shift as a school bus driver in Smithtown, New York. Hanna said she is undergoing chemotherapy, which has affected her sense of taste, and she had no idea there was alcohol in the hard seltzer. "I have been crying and crying. I don't even have any more tears. It was just a mistake," Hanna said. While she won't face legal action, she did lose her job. [News12, 10/6/2023]
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
The Ministry of Health in the Sakhalin region of Russia revealed on Oct. 2 that an 80-year-old woman had been discovered to be living with a 1-inch needle in her brain, Insider reported. Radiologists had found the needle with an X-ray; doctors believe it has been there since her birth, when her parents may have tried to kill her because of war and famine. However, the woman survived and never suffered headaches from the object. She is being monitored by a physician. [Insider, 10/4/2023]
Armed and Clumsy
As Michael Gardner, 62, officiated a wedding in Denton, Nebraska, on Sept. 30, he inexplicably tried to get the attention of the guests by shooting a handgun into the air, CNN reported. Instead, Gardner shot his 12-year-old grandson in the shoulder. Lancaster County Sheriff's Office Chief Ben Houchin said Gardner wanted to "start the wedding with a bang. When he decided to cock back the hammer of this revolver, it slipped." The ammunition was a blank, but Gardner had apparently "put black powder into the casing and then glued it," Houchin said. "The glue is what injured the child." Gardner was charged with child abuse. "The act was not very smart," Houchin said. [CNN, 9/30/2023]
Recurring Themes
— In Palm Coast, Florida, on Sept. 30, 76-year-old Cheryl Henderson crashed her SUV into a pickup truck, ClickOrlando reported. The pickup's driver pulled his truck in front of Henderson's vehicle, hoping to avoid her leaving the scene — but when she started to do just that, he leapt onto her hood and held on for dear life as she raced along for two miles, going up to 50 mph. A good Samaritan followed her and nudged her off the road onto the shoulder. Henderson told deputies that she didn't stop because she was out of gas; she was charged with leaving the scene of a crash and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. The pickup driver didn't suffer serious injury. [ClickOrlando, 10/4/2023]
— In St. Louis County, Missouri, 38-year-old Stephanie Boyd of Vinita Park was charged with domestic assault and resisting arrest on Sept. 28 after she and her husband got into a dispute. According to WFTV, Boyd moved to leave the house in a car after an argument, and her husband climbed onto the hood; Boyd drove onto I-70 and continued for five miles with him clinging to the vehicle. Finally, an officer stopped them; Boyd's bond was set at $100,000. [WFTV, 10/1/2023]
The Continuing Crisis
— Maybe it's time to pay teachers more. Brianna Coppage, 28, an English teacher at St. Clair High School in St. Clair, Missouri, was put on leave on Sept. 28 after district officials discovered she was performing on the pornography website OnlyFans. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Coppage claimed she joined the site over the summer to supplement her income. "I knew this day was coming," she said. "The district says they haven't made a decision yet, but I'm just kind of putting the pieces together that I am not coming back," she added. She said she made an additional $8,000 to $10,000 per month from the site. "I can't control what people think of me. … I'm not doing anything illegal. I am a good friend. I am a good family member. That is all I can think about right now," Coppage said. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9/28/2023]
— The Metropolitan Transit Authority in New York City has had enough of bad behavior on the subway, The Messenger reported. On Oct. 3, the MTA launched its Courtesy Counts campaign, hoping to encourage riders to practice common decency. You know, things like: Don't leave your trash on the train. Don't block the doors. Use headphones. And of course, that Emily Post mainstay: Wait until you get home to clip your nails. "In our busy lives, it's easy to forget that your own individual behavior can have an impact on your fellow riders' commute. The goal isn't to lecture anyone," said MTA senior adviser Shanifah Rieara. [The Messenger, 10/4/2023]
Christmas Is Coming!
When customs officials seized a box of giraffe feces at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Sept. 29, they naturally were curious about why the traveler from Iowa was bringing the poop home from a trip to Kenya. CBP said the traveler "had obtained the droppings in Kenya and planned to make a necklace," United Press International reported. "The passenger also stated in the past she had used moose feces at her home in Iowa." The contents of the box were destroyed. [UPI, 10/5/2023]
What's in a Name?
The Township of Bonnechere Valley in Ontario, Canada, is on a mission to change the name of its most famous street: Harry Dick Road, United Press International reported. John Henry "Harry" Dick was born on the property in 1957, and his family has occupied three homes there for five generations. "Well, people think that's very, very funny, and the signs started to disappear," explained Lois Dick, Harry's wife. Officials said the sign is stolen about four times per year; the family installed a security camera, but it got stolen too. Lois noted that a name change will be a hassle for the family: "Any legal document with our address on it is going to have to be changed," she lamented. Harry just wants the thefts to stop: "All I want is some peace and quietness," he said. [UPI, 10/5/2023]
Surprise!
"I guess we got a pilot in our house," a perplexed homeowner told a 911 dispatcher after a U.S. Marine Corps F-35 pilot landed in his backyard on Sept. 17 in North Charleston, South Carolina. The pilot, who got on the phone with the dispatcher, told her, "I'm a pilot in a military aircraft and I ejected, so I just rode a parachute down to the ground. Can you please send an ambulance?" According to Yahoo! News, the plane eventually crashed 60 miles away. [Yahoo! News, 9/22/2023]
Halloween Is Coming!
Tim Perry of Cranston, Rhode Island, has an over-the-top way of celebrating Halloween, WJAR-TV reported. His favorite horror movie, "House of 1,000 Corpses," inspired him to create "House of 1,000 Pumpkins" — but this year, his collection will grow closer to 1,400. Cranston carves about 200 more craft pumpkins each year, starting around Oct. 1, to add to the display outside his home. "Everybody thanks me for doing it," Perry said. "They look forward to it every year. The kids go nuts." Through a Facebook fundraiser, he also collects donations to help families affected by cancer. [WJAR, 10/4/2023]
Know Your Market
Eccentric septuagenarian Reginald "Reggie" Kincer is facing federal charges related to a scheme he cooked up to supply erectile dysfunction drugs to members of The Villages retirement community in central Florida, Fox News reported. He allegedly bought $1,800 worth of the medicines with the intent to hawk them in Florida and other states. Kincer was featured in a 2021 documentary about the famous retirement community in which his wife, Anne, gushed, "The Villages have given Reggie an opportunity to grow in different ways." He is shown in the video working out while explaining, "My whole training is about ending my life with a smile on my face. I really like stimulating myself with drugs." Kincer has prior arrests for drug possession; he faces a maximum of a year in prison and a $10,000 fine. [Fox News, 10/3/2023]
Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

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