strange stuff

From strange crimes to strange celebrity deaths, read all of the latest weird and strange stuff news stories on Newser.com

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Investigators: Fake Bear Used in Insurance Stunt
Investigators: Fake Bear
Used in Insurance Stunt
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Nov 17, 2024 4:00 PM CST

Investigators: Fake Bear Used in Insurance Stunt

California authorities say man dressed up as a bear to damage vehicles, collect payouts

(Newser) - If you're going to dress up like a bear to commit insurance fraud, at least dress up like a bear that actually exists in your state. Authorities in Southern California say four men overlooked that bit of common sense, among others, and now face charges of fraud and conspiracy,...

Man Makes 'Crippling' Delivery to NH Animal Shelter

He dropped off 1K mice, which the New Hampshire SPCA is now trying to handle

(Newser) - A group of mice is called a nest, but what do you call 1,000 of them in one animal shelter? "Crippling," said Lisa Dennison, executive director of the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is scrambling to care for an overwhelming influx...

Well, We Now Have Our Next 'Baby Shark'

Moo Deng the viral and bouncy baby pygmy hippo has an official song released in 4 languages

(Newser) - In case you can't get enough of the little pygmy hippo Moo Deng from Thailand, there's now an official song featuring the internet's favorite baby animal—released in four languages for her global fans, reports the AP . The upbeat 50-second song "Moodeng Moodeng," available in...

Hordes of College Students Really Wanted Dumplings

Chinese city of Kaifeng is overrun with 100K bike riders from Zhengzhou who rode 30 miles

(Newser) - The weekend kickoff got a little chaotic in China—not from any drunken reveling, but from tens of thousands of people renting bikes and riding 30 miles in search of a popular menu item, wreaking havoc on local roads. The Guardian reports that 100,000 students or so ( Sky...

More Than Half of the 43 Escaped Monkeys Recaptured

But the ones still free remain close to the South Carolina compound from which they fled

(Newser) - More than half of the monkeys bred for medical research that escaped from a compound in South Carolina last week have now been recovered unharmed, officials said Sunday. Twenty-four monkeys were captured on Sunday, a day after another of the 43 escaped monkeys was recovered, the AP reports. A "...

Llamas on the Loose on Utah Train Tracks

It's not yet clear whether the small herd has been recaptured

(Newser) - A small herd of domestic llamas was spotted taking an evening stroll on the train tracks in Provo, Utah, on Thursday after the woolen creatures escaped from their owner, according to the Utah Transit Authority. Several emergency responders were dispatched to round up the five llamas after transit officials received...

Small Plane Lands on Highway Amid Morning Commute

Nobody was injured in Cupertino, California

(Newser) - Morning commuters in Cupertino, California, saw a strange sight on Monday—a small plane landed on Highway 85 among them, reports SFGate . The good news is that nobody was hurt—neither the plane's lone occupant nor any drivers on the road. A California Highway Patrol officer tells CBS News...

Oklahoma Town's Entire Police Force Quits in One Day

2 of 3 city council members also resigned on the same day

(Newser) - Geary, Oklahoma, lost its entire police force and two-thirds of its city council all on the same day last week. The city's police chief and all four of its patrol officers resigned Thursday, the Oklahoman reports. They turned in their badges without giving an explanation for their departures, KOCO...

It's Billed as the Most Expensive Martini in the US

$13K cocktail comes with diamond necklace at Chicago's Adalina restaurant

(Newser) - A Chicago restaurant is serving a martini that will set you back $13,000, and while the ingredients are top-notch, the main reason for that price tag is that it comes with a diamond necklace, reports Quartz . The Marrow Martini is being offered at Adalina restaurant, concocted by the eatery'...

This City Never Trick-or-Treats on Halloween. Until This Year

Des Moines, Iowa, has instead celebrated Beggars' Night on Oct. 30 since '38

(Newser) - The last time the kids of Des Moines officially went trick-or-treating on Halloween was nearly nine decades ago. This Oct. 31, the Iowa capital will join the rest of the nation in celebrating the holiday the traditional way, all because the weather isn't cooperating. NPR reports that since 1938,...

Price of the $120K Duct-Taped Banana Has Gone Up

Maurizio Cattelan's piece is heading to auction; Sotheby's says it'll fetch $1M to $1.5M

(Newser) - If you thought that selling banana duct-taped to a wall as "art" for $120,000 was—let's just go for the low-hanging fruit here—bananas, well, Sotheby's would like you to know the price has gone up. The Art Newspaper tackles next month's scheduled auction:
  • The
...

She Died in 1866, and Mystery of Her Skull Is Finally Solved

Authorities say remains found in 1978 belonged to teenager Esther Granger of Indiana

(Newser) - There was nothing fishy about the death of Esther Granger in Indiana in 1866. In a story fitting for Halloween, however, authorities have finally unraveled a mystery regarding her skull. As NPR explains, the mystery began in 1978 when a homeowner in Batavia, Illinois, ripped down a wall and found...

Who's the Most Gorgeous Bat Around? You Decide

Bureau of Land Management holds its annual online beauty contest for the flying mammals

(Newser) - Move over, Fat Bear Week . A bat beauty contest is now stepping up to the plate. The Bureau of Land Management has hosted the online competition since 2019 to raise awareness about the animal's ecological importance. The federal agency posts photos of bats on its Facebook and Instagram accounts,...

He Was Officially Declared Dead. Now He's Suing

Swedish man was locked out of accounts for weeks after somebody filed form with fake signature

(Newser) - Jonathan Ravelin was officially dead for a week last year and becoming officially alive again wasn't easy. The Swedish man says he was locked out of his bank account after a government agency declared him dead and he had to borrow money to feed his family for the six...

St. Louis Barbers Released From 'Irrational' '40s Law

Ordinance nixed that barred barbers from operating past 6:30pm, or on Sundays, certain holidays

(Newser) - Friday was a big day for the barbers of St. Louis—they're now officially allowed to cut hair after the late-afternoon rush hour. KMOV reports that the Missouri city's Board of Alderman passed a bill that repealed an "outdated and irrational" law dating back eight decades that...

Funeral Home Issues a Most Odd Apology

Paraphrasing the Polish company: Sorry that a corpse fell out of one of our hearses and into traffic

(Newser) - A funeral home in Poland issued an unusual apology on Saturday after a corpse that it was transporting fell out of a hearse and into traffic. Polish media reported that a man was driving down a street Friday in Stalowa Wola, a city in southeastern Poland, when a sheet ended...

Woman's Habit of Feeding Raccoons Ends Badly

'Obviously, word got out in raccoon land'

(Newser) - "Feeding raccoons may create undesirable situations," Washington state's Department of Fish and Wildlife warns on its website . And the situation a woman found herself in after decades of feeding the creatures was definitely a long way from desirable. The woman fled her home and called 911 last...

Germans Not Happy With New Rules on 'Idiot's Apostrophe'

Or would that be 'idiots apostrophe' in German?

(Newser) - Worldly punctuation pros know that Germans typically don't use an apostrophe to indicate the possessive—meaning it's correct to write "Newsers readers," not "Newser's readers." According to the Council for German Orthography, however, which dictates grammar for schools and other public institutions in...

Canadian Marathon Gets Unexpected Runner

Joshua the goat is having a viral moment after escaping to join a marathon

(Newser) - Runners in a recent Canadian half-marathon were joined by a surprise competitor of the four-legged variety—a Newfoundland goat who escaped from his pumpkin patch to join the fun. The goat, named Joshua, broke away from a tether to jump in the race, and per CBC News , he completed almost...

Guy on Smashing Taylor Swift Guitar: It Was Just a Joke

But it wasn't a guitar signed by Swift

(Newser) - The Texas man who spent $4,000 on a guitar at a charity auction only to immediately smash it says the whole thing was "just a joke" and not at all "malicious," though he also confirmed to NBC News that he's a Donald Trump supporter, and...

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