Weird National Briefs (242)
Surplus spider surprise
AUBURN (AP) — A Maine landlord arranged for the rescue of 15 tarantulas and one python that had been left behind by a tenant.
Animal rescuer Drew Desjardins was called to the apartment Wednesday in Auburn, the Sun Journal reported.
He found that four of 19 tarantulas had died and that the ball python did not have water. Desjardins said Thursday that he took the surviving animals back to his home and that they were doing fine.
All the recovered animals are illegal in Maine and will be relocated. There was no word on whether the tenant was being sought.
TME – I don’t care who you are – 15 is too many tarantulas.
Farfegnugen
BERLIN - An 8-year-old boy got a stern talking-to earlier this week when he took his mom’s Volkswagen for a joyride on the German autobahn, but after pulling the stunt again - hitting speeds of 180 kph (112 mph) - he’s been put into psychological counselling.
Dortmund police said Friday the grade-schooler stole the keys to the Golf around midnight and drove from his hometown Soest to Dortmund, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) away.
Police say another motorist reported the child driving at high speeds in the city, saying “red lights and driving regulations did not seem to interest” him.
As police searched for the vehicle, the boy drove out of town and crashed into the rear of a parked truck at a rest stop. Nobody was injured but the Golf was badly damaged.
TME – Probably more of a joylessride – it is Germany, after all.
Shell smell
ATLANTA - Two dogs, part of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s “beagle brigade,” sniffed out two Giant African Snails in the luggage of a passenger arriving at Atlanta’s airport from Nigeria.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the beagles, named Candie and Chipper, were alerted to the passenger’s checked bags at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday. A Customs agriculture specialist found the snails in a suitcase, along with prohibited fruits and vegetables.
The snails were turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, while the food was destroyed. The USDA’s website says such snails are illegally imported for classroom exhibits as pets or for food. They’re also described as “one of the most damaging” in the world because they consume at least 500 types of plants, reproduce quickly, and can cause meningitis.
TME – So … explicitly illicit escargot cargo.
Fowl odor
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - If the smell of Kentucky Fried Chicken roasting on an open fire appeals to you, you’re in luck.
Verizon Windowless
RALEIGH, N.C. - A 74-year-old man ranting about a broken phone drove his car through the glass storefront of a Verizon Wireless store in North Carolina, authorities said Friday, stunning shoppers during the dinner hour at an upscale mall.
For art’s sake
NEW YORK - A New York City art dealer who bought the contents of a New Jersey storage locker filled with paintings for $15,000 says he got more than he bargained for.
He found half a dozen paintings he believes were done by artist Willem de Kooning, whose works have sold for millions of dollars at auction.
The New York Post reports David Killen bought the contents of the Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, locker last year. The paintings were originally from the studio of art conservator Orrin Riley, who died in 1986, and his partner, Susanne Schnitzer, who died in 2009.
The paintings aren't signed, but Killen reached out to an expert who's confident they were done by de Kooning, an abstract expressionist from the Netherlands who moved to the United States and died in 1997.
TME – One man’s trash is another man’s minor but vital piece of contemporary art history.
Work’s a beach
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rhode Island’s governor says she’s holding summer office hours at the beach.
Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo will hold the first event Monday at Scarborough State Beach in Narragansett. She’ll be joined by members of her Office of Constituent Services to help connect residents with various services.
While there, she plans to sign an executive order to reduce reliance on single-use plastics that can end up in the state’s waters.
Raimondo says she looks forward to hosting office hours and hearing directly from residents at some of the state’s most popular destinations. She plans to go to East Matunuck State Beach on July 23 and Lincoln Woods State Park on Aug. 3.
TME – Conference calls will be held at the ice cream stand.
Panini press?
HARTFORD, Conn. - A tasty typo mistakenly turned a U.S. Senate candidate’s name into that of a sandwich.
The Connecticut Post reports that a banner on Connecticut Senate candidate Dominic Rapini’s website’s read “Approved by Dominic Panini.”
When told about the mistake, Rapini told the newspaper: “Oh, my God, you’re kidding me!”
The mistake was fixed as of Thursday afternoon.
The Apple executive faces Republican-endorsed candidate Matthew Corey in the August primary. They’re hoping to take on Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy in the fall.
Rapini’s last name already has an appetizing meaning. He says rapini means broccoli rabe in Italian, so people often find recipes when they Google his name.
TME – He’d certainly be the most delicious candidate.
Talking turkey
GARDEN CITY, Mich. - A suburban Detroit man has been fined $100 for a turkey that’s been calling his backyard home.
Mark Johnston tells WXYZ-TV he hasn’t gone out of his way to make the turkey comfortable since it started showing up outside his Garden City home six months ago. He says the turkey will stick around a while then jump the fence and disappear before returning.
Johnston was recently ticketed for keeping the turkey as a pet. Police Chief Tim Gibbons says they’ve been working with Johnston since April on the issue. He says the turkey likes Johnston’s overgrown backyard and likely will leave if it’s cleaned up.
Johnston says he’s tried getting rid of the turkey, but nobody will take it. And he says he’s working on clearing out his yard.
TME – We smell a Disney movie!
Criminal charges
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Authorities say an Arkansas thief got his just deserts when he tried to pay for a meal using the waitress’ stolen credit card.
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