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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Sinkholes Plague Florida by the Thousands

And people are sometimes to blame

(Newser) - Giant sinkholes like the one that swallowed a Florida man this week aren't so rare as you might think—and are sometimes caused by human behavior, the Christian Science Monitor reports. About 15,000 exist throughout Florida, most of them appearing slowly over a period of years while groundwater...

Ex-Con Snuck Back Into Rikers Island: Cops

He's accused of impersonating corrections official

(Newser) - Police say a former Rikers Island inmate managed to sneak back into the prison repeatedly by impersonating a corrections official. Matthew Matagrano, 36, allegedly used the badge and ID of the official for at least a week to get back inside and mingle with inmates before his arrest yesterday, reports...

Louisiana Man Sues Clinic, Says Ex Stole Sperm

He might owe child support as a result

(Newser) - In a bizarre lawsuit, a Louisiana man claims a vengeful ex-girlfriend duped a sperm bank into handing over his specimens, which she then turned into a bouncing baby boy. Louisiana's Layne Hardin is suing the fertility clinic over an "utter lack of safeguards and protections," along with...

City's Novel Way to Oust Perverts: Build a Tiny Park

... because sex offenders can't live nearby

(Newser) - Los Angeles has started building a city park that will be smaller than some backyards, only one-fifth of an acre in size. No matter, explains the LA Times . The point isn't to celebrate the great outdoors, it's to force 33 registered sex offenders out of an apartment building...

Bahrain Bans Import of ... Guy Fawkes Masks

That should put an end to protests

(Newser) - Bahrain thinks it has found one way to stem the nation's 2-year-old protest movement: Ban the import of those ubiquitous Guy Fawkes masks. The nation's commerce chief announced this week that anyone caught bringing them into the country faces arrest, reports the Independent . Of course, protesters might be...

New York's Tough Gun Law Needs Exemption for Movies

State will let Hollywood have real guns with fake ammo

(Newser) - New York sought to combat violence by rushing the nation's toughest gun-control measure into law after the Connecticut school shootings that killed 26 people, but the state is now carving out an exemption to make sure movie and TV producers can stage running gun battles on Manhattan streets. "...

Cop Charged With Not Investigating Racial Threats

... that were made against himself

(Newser) - A Canadian police officer faces serious disciplinary charges on accusations that he failed to investigate racial threats made at a party. The weird part is that those racial threats were hurled at the officer himself, reports the Toronto Star . Dameian Muirhead, who is black, was one of the officers sent...

Latest 'Diplomat' to North Korea: Dennis Rodman

Former NBA star engaging in 'sports diplomacy'

(Newser) - Who needs diplomats when you've got Dennis Rodman? The former NBA great, perhaps best known at this point for his flamboyant appearance and very messy personal life , has a new gig ... as an ambassador to North Korea. Rodman arrived in the communist country today to engage in "sports...

'Military' Ammo Burns Down Texas Gun Range

Shooter probably won't face criminal charges

(Newser) - Whoops: A guy firing military-style bullets sparked a four-alarm fire yesterday that burned down a gun range in Dallas, KVUE reports. About 50 people escaped the range unharmed, but the one-story building was toast and a firefighter suffered from smoke inhalation. Witnesses heard stored ammunition "popping" inside as fire...

76-Year-Old Faces Jail Over 1957 Murder

Wisconsin woman was charged in death of infant daughter

(Newser) - A 76-year-old Wisconsin woman accused of killing her infant daughter more than a half-century ago will serve 45 days in jail and 10 years' probation, under a plea agreement approved today. Ruby Klokow was charged with second-degree murder in the 1957 death of her 6-month-old daughter, Jeaneen, only after her...

Can Judge Have Comedy Career? Court to Rule

Vince Sicari has appeared on reality TV

(Newser) - Municipal Judge Vince Sicari has seen success in a very different field: As a comedian and actor, he's primed audiences for Stephen Colbert and appeared on ABC's What Would You Do? But tomorrow, things could change, compliments of the state Supreme Court. That's because New Jersey state...

Car Skids Off Snowy Road, Finds Missing Toddler

3-year-old had wandered nearly 2 miles from home

(Newser) - A car accident turned out to be very lucky in Sweden yesterday: Police officers accidentally skidded off a snowy road into a ditch, only to discover a missing 2-year-old girl, the Local reports. They heard the barefoot, lightly-dressed toddler crying; she had wandered off while playing with her sister three...

US to Shower Guam With Dead Toxic Mice

PETA not pleased with snake-minded move

(Newser) - The US has a plan to deal with Guam's overwhelming snake population , and it's not sitting well with animal rights activists: In April or May, dead mice stuffed with acetaminophen will be parachuted into Guam. As the AP explains, the plan is built around the brown tree snakes'...

SUV Hurtles Through House, Lands in Roof Next-Door

Houston driver apparently texting from ambulance

(Newser) - In what has to be one of the world's weirdest car crashes, a speeding SUV flew off a Houston road, hit a berm that sent it airborne, smashed into the roof of a house, then lodged in the roof of the house next-door—all without hurting anyone. Police think...

Man's Romantic Balloon Gesture a Felony: Florida

Anthony Brasfield faces felony under environmental crime statute

(Newser) - Warning to all Florida residents: Be sure to express your love in an Earth-friendly way. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that a 40-year-old man faces up to five years in prison because of 12 heart-shaped balloons. Anthony Brasfield was with his girlfriend in the parking lot of a Motel 6...

8 Hours of Wood Burning Enthralls 20% of Norway
8 Hours of Wood Burning Enthralls 20% of Norway
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 24, 2013 7:00 PM CST

8 Hours of Wood Burning Enthralls 20% of Norway

Primetime TV special also included 4 hours of wood chopping

(Newser) - Only in Norway: A primetime TV program featuring four hours of people chopping wood, then eight hours of that wood burning in a fireplace ran this month ... and 20% of the population watched some part of it. Not only that, but the program, called National Firewood Night, inspired quite a...

'Tiny Bubble' May Gobble Up the Universe

Higgs boson finding supports theory of 'vacuum instability'

(Newser) - Thanks, Higgs boson: Looks like the particle's tiny mass is proof that the universe will one day be vacuumed up and replaced by another universe, the BBC reports. That is, if the Large Hadron collider really has spotted the Higgs boson . Calling their discovery "Higgs-like" for now, physicists...

Palestinians Sneak Sperm Out of Israeli Prisons

Fertility doctor cooks up smuggling scheme

(Newser) - The wives of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons are getting pregnant in an odd way—by smuggling out the prisoners' sperm, NBC News reports. But the families won't say how they get the sperm past a glass separation, body search, and an airport-style scanner. "If I told you...

Baby Born Outside Revives After Death Declared
Baby Born on Frozen Street Declared Dead, Revives
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 24, 2013 11:02 AM CST

Baby Born on Frozen Street Declared Dead, Revives

Girl was born on freezing Toronto sidewalk

(Newser) - Two alert police officers are credited with saving the life of a baby girl who was wrongly declared dead after being born outside in freezing temperatures in Toronto. The girl's mother had attempted to walk to a hospital in temperatures around zero Fahrenheit, but she didn't make it...

Priciest Ever? Guy Concocts $47.30 Starbucks Drink
Priciest Ever? Guy Orders
$47.30 Starbucks Drink
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 24, 2013 8:03 AM CST

Priciest Ever? Guy Orders $47.30 Starbucks Drink

Meet the 'Quadriginoctuple Frap,' which is basically undrinkable

(Newser) - Remember that $23.60 priciest Starbucks drink ever? Amateur hour. A Washington state man claims he has set a new record after doing "a lot of research on it." After being unable to find any proof of a beverage pricier than $23.60 having been ordered, Beau Chevassus...

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