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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No, This Creature Wandering Florida Isn't a Gator

Florida woman's video of nearly 6-foot-long monitor lizard in Sarasota County goes viral

(Newser) - A mother-daughter car ride in Florida's Sarasota County led to quite a sighting last month. McClatchy News reports that Renee Aland was driving in the southwest city of North Port on May 20 when she did a "double take" at something she spotted along the side of the...

Alleged 'Serial Slingshot Shooter,' 81, Arrested
Alleged 'Serial Slingshot
Shooter' Found Dead
UPDATED
May 31, 2024 5:56 AM CDT

Alleged 'Serial Slingshot Shooter' Found Dead

California man, 81, died of natural causes days after arrest, authorities say

(Newser) - An 81-year-old man accused of being a "serial slingshot shooter" died Wednesday, days after his arrest on charges including felony vandalism. Authorities say Prince King, who had been ordered to stay 200 yards away from his home in Azusa, California, was found dead from natural causes at a private...

Bay Area Lot Is Relatively Cheap, but There's a Catch

It turns out that 610 Grand Street in Alameda is underwater, literally

(Newser) - He surely thought he got the deal of a lifetime: A California pastor scooped up a lot with the official-sounding address of 610 Grand Street in Alameda for a relatively cheap $300,000 at auction, reports SFGate . Then he sent his realtor to take photos, only to learn that 610...

Feral Chickens Terrorize English Village

Though others say the chickens are just a long-time, charming part of the area

(Newser) - A village in Norfolk, England, is under siege—from about 100 feral chickens. Residents of Snettisham say the large flock that has taken up residence there is so noisy that locals have trouble sleeping at night, and that the birds are also digging up gardens, Yahoo News UK reports. "...

Undercooked Bear Meat Gives Family Brain Worms

CDC reports on the strange 2022 case

(Newser) - Six members of a family became infected with brain worms after undercooked bear meat was served at a family gathering. The CDC reports on the strange case from 2022, in which a 29-year-old Minnesota man was the first to be diagnosed. Over a two-and-a-half week period, he was hospitalized more...

The Most Famous Rock, Paper, Scissors Game

As Artnet recounts, it once decided which auction house would get $20M auction

(Newser) - Everyone knows the rules: Rock beats scissors, paper beats rock, and scissors beats paper. But if millions of dollars were at stake, which would you choose? As Artnet recounts, that very scenario once played out in Tokyo in the art world—and it turns out that "scissors" was the...

Flying Cars Are Now Legal in This State

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signs legislation making flying cars legal on state roads

(Newser) - If you've long dreamed of living life like the Jetsons, complete with flying cars, Minnesota might be the perfect destination. KFGO reports that Gov. Tim Walz has signed off on a transportation bill supported on both sides of the aisle that includes language on the use of "roadable...

You've Heard All About the 'Roof Ninja.' Now Meet Her

Footage released of unusual encounter in Michigan between cops, woman living in sign on store's roof

(Newser) - A woman who said she'd lived in a sign perched atop a Michigan grocery store for about a year is no longer living there after being busted by cops last month, but her first contact with the law was caught on video and is now circulating, reports MLive.com...

Happy Bitcoin Pizza Day
It's Bitcoin Pizza Day
May 22, 2024 5:41 AM CDT

It's Bitcoin Pizza Day

May 22 marks the anniversary of the first time cryptocurrency was used for real-world purchase

(Newser) - Happy Bitcoin Pizza Day to all who celebrate. Celebrate what, you might ask? Wednesday's "holiday" marks the anniversary of the day when, in 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz got two pizzas delivered to his house from Papa John's, which he paid for using Bitcoin, Quartz reports. (How exactly he...

That Naughty NYC-Dublin Portal Is Back Up

We'll see if we can have well-intentioned nice things again

(Newser) - A video link between New York City and Dublin that was shut down due to inappropriate behavior on both sides of the Atlantic has reopened with new security measures, reports the AP . The open-air video link between the two cities, which opened May 8 and was taken offline last week,...

'Fluffy' Won't Leave Her Car, So Woman Just Drives With It
'Fluffy' Won't Leave Her Car,
So Woman Just Drives With It
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 18, 2024 6:00 AM CDT

'Fluffy' Won't Leave Her Car, So Woman Just Drives With It

'Fluffy' being a poisonous red-bellied black snake that 4 separate snake handlers can't remove

(Newser) - A venomous snake that Lisa Kournelis believes has been living in her SUV since March apparently has no intention of leaving—and so the Aussie woman now simply throws on protective gear and drives around with it. Kournelis tells ABC Australia she thinks a red-bellied black snake snuck into her...

Rogue Raccoon Delights Fans at Major League Soccer Game

'SIGN HIM NOW!' was MLS' response in Philly

(Newser) - "We need to find him a ball because he's moving very well in the center of midfield." Those were a commentator's words during a Major League Soccer matchup this week between the Philadelphia Union and New York City FC, though the description wasn't about one...

Horses Needed a Rescue After Unfortunate Shortcut

They found themselves stuck in the mud for more than 7 hours

(Newser) - "Horses are known for getting themselves into trouble, they are curious by nature," says the head of a Connecticut horse rescue and rehabilitation center. That characterization certainly applies to Damascus and Beau. The two horses took an unfortunate "shortcut" between a pasture and a barn on a...

Dublin-NY Portal Antics Show Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Livestream connecting the 2 cities temporarily halted after 'inappropriate behavior'

(Newser) - An art installation that claims it's trying to create a "bridge to a united planet" via livestreams connecting cities on Earth has had to temporarily shutter one of them after the AP says it became "a magnet for boorish behavior." "The Portal" in New York...

'Fingerhakeln': Germany Has a Lesser-Known Festival

Finger wrestling sounds like a surefire way to put your digit out of joint

(Newser) - Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, more than 150 Bavarian men came together to compete in Germany's unique national championship of "Fingerhakeln," or finger wrestling. The "finger wrestlers" met in a big beer tent in the small southern village of Bernbeuren, reports the...

Michelin-Starred Chef Will Serve a Meal 100K Feet Up

It could include 'an edible piece of space junk'

(Newser) - Ever since humans have journeyed to space, their meals there have proved to be, well, nothing to write home about. But that could change after a Michelin-starred chef teamed up with the Florida-based startup Space Perspective to take fine dining to our upper atmosphere in late 2025, the AP reports....

Search for Missing Trucker Ends Where It Began

Brian Lush's body was found 2 weeks later inside truck's trailer

(Newser) - A 51-year-old Canadian trucker seemingly vanished from a gas station in Ontario on April 24. Surveillance video taken that afternoon shows Brian Lush exit his truck and walk around the front of it. Then he left the range of the camera and wasn't seen again. His keys and belongings...

Welcome to the Age of the 'High-End' Pineapple

Red-shelled Rubyglow fruit offered by Fresh Del Monte is selling for close to $400 in some places

(Newser) - If you're looking for a new foodie experience, Fresh Del Monte has a "fruit like no other." All hail the Rubyglow pineapple , a "red-shelled, hybrid fruit" with a "classically yellow interior" that FDM boasts "offers a special experience to those who appreciate uniqueness."...

Man Loses Emotional Support Gator: 'Bring My Baby Back'

Joie Henney was vacationing in Georgia when Wally vanished

(Newser) - A Pennsylvania man who credits an alligator named Wally for helping relieve his depression for nearly a decade says he's searching for the reptile after it went missing during a vacation to the coast of Georgia. Joie Henney has thousands of social media users following his pages devoted to...

Apple: We're Working on Fix for Glitchy iPhone Alarms

For some, the alarms have stopped working

(Newser) - Some people who rely on their iPhones to wake them up in the morning have gotten unwanted extra sleep of late, reports Today . It seems that for some, the alarms have inexplicably stopped working. It's not clear what's going on, or even how many phones are affected, but...

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