strange stuff

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

Stories 3841 - 3860 | << Prev   Next >>

Greek Outages, Flight Delays Blamed on ... Errant Balloon

Helium balloon knocked out Athens' main flight radar

(Newser) - Greece saw a power failure over the weekend that caused Athens' main flight radar to go down, causing flight delays for more than an hour—and it was all thanks to a balloon. The "aluminized" helium balloon first caused a 13-minute power outage, and the radar shut down 40...

Sliding Seats Force Plane to Land at JFK

Row was 'completely not attached' on Boston-Miami flight

(Newser) - Passengers on an American Airlines flight from Boston to Miami faced an unusual airline threat: A row of seats was "completely not attached," says a pilot with the airline. The sliding seats prompted an emergency landing at JFK Airport. The row "became unbolted from the floor,"...

Police Chief Quits, Leaving Just Dog in the Force
Police Chief Quits, Leaving Just Dog in the Force
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 30, 2012 6:25 PM CDT

Police Chief Quits, Leaving Just Dog in the Force

Nikka is New Mexico town's only certified crime-fighter

(Newser) - A drug-sniffing dog now is the only certified member of the police force in the small eastern New Mexico town of Vaughn. Police Chief Ernest "Chris" Armijo decided to step down this week after news stories reported that he wasn't allowed to carry a gun because of his...

Guy Threatens Cat, Wife Shoots Him


 Guy Threatens Cat, 
 Wife Shoots Him 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 30, 2012 8:37 AM CDT

Guy Threatens Cat, Wife Shoots Him

That settles the 'it's the cat or me' argument

(Newser) - Audrey Deen Miller chose her cat over her husband in a big way this week: When hubby threatened to either shoot the cat (according to KHOU ) or throw it over the fence (according to KSAT ), the 42-year-old Houston woman allegedly shot him in the stomach with a .40-caliber...

Swede Smuggler Sneaks in Pal to Serve His Sentence

And the scheme works

(Newser) - A man convicted of smuggling in Sweden outwitted his jailers by sneaking in a friend to serve most of his yearlong sentence. The identity of the false convict was discovered only when he'd been released on probation after serving about two-thirds of his friend's sentence "sometime in...

KKK Leader Convicted for Trying to Blow Up Sheriff

Charles Robert Barefoot upset over Mule Days parade, nightclub

(Newser) - A Ku Klux Klan leader from North Carolina has been convicted on weapons and explosive charges related to a plot to blow up his county sheriff. A jury convicted Charles Robert Barefoot Jr. of Benson on six felony counts this week, including conspiracy, possession of stolen guns, and receipt of...

Canadians Bust Cheese-Smuggling Cops

Trio made $165K selling cheap cross-border cheese

(Newser) - First the great maple syrup heist , now this: Police in Canada have sniffed out a large-scale cheese-smuggling ring involving a serving police officer, an officer who resigned this summer, and an American accomplice. Cheese is a lot cheaper in the US than it is in Canada, and officials believe the...

Here Come the Cockroach Cyborgs ...

Scientists attach electrodes to control insects' movements

(Newser) - It's not exactly a T-1000, but it is a cyborg—the melding of machine and ... cockroach. Scientists have created lightweight circuits that can be connected to cockroaches and allow the cockroach to be steered wirelessly, reports Raw Story . Electrodes attached to the cockroach's antenna can make it think...

Sons of Anarchy Actor Dies in Bizarre Ending
Sons of Anarchy Actor Dies in Bizarre Ending
UPDATED
Sep 27, 2012 9:52 AM CDT

Sons of Anarchy Actor Dies in Bizarre Ending

Johnny Lewis killed landlady, 81, then fell to death: Cops

(Newser) - Johnny Lewis, who starred in Sons of Anarchy for two seasons, was found dead yesterday after allegedly murdering an 81-year-old woman and beating two men. Lewis, who also appeared in The OC and dated Katy Perry in 2006, was found in the driveway of a Los Angeles home where the...

Ariz. Ski Resort Will Make Snow From ... Sewage

Native Americans, environmentalists not happy

(Newser) - This winter at Arizona's Snowbowl, the powdery white snow won't always have been so white: The ski resort will become the first ever to make its artificial snow from 100% sewage effluent. The wastewater has been treated, of course, and the US Forest Service—which owns the land—...

Finger in Trout Belongs to Guy Who Lost it Months Ago

Wakeboarder lost four fingers in an accident at Idaho's Priest Lake

(Newser) - A human finger found inside a fish at Idaho's Priest Lake has been traced to a wakeboarder who lost four fingers in an accident more than two months earlier. Fisherman Nolan Calvin found the finger while he was cleaning the trout he caught Sept. 11. He put it on...

Billionaire: I'll Give You $64M to Wed My Gay Daughter

Cecil Chao Sze-tsung apparently not happy with daughter Gigi's choice of suitor

(Newser) - Upon hearing rumors that his daughter had married her girlfriend in France, Cecil Chao Sze-tsung did what any loving dad would do: He offered nearly $64.5 million to the guy who can romance Gigi Chao into a traditional marriage instead, calling reports of her lesbian marriage "false."...

iPad App Gives You Access to... Einstein's Brain

Scanned images available for researchers and regular people alike

(Newser) - Want a look at Einstein's brain? For $9.99 it's yours, as long as you have an iPad. A new application launched today includes detailed scans of the genius' brain: After he died, his brain was removed, sliced up, and turned into almost 350 slides, and a medical...

Is Castration Linked to Longevity?
 Castration May Be 
 Linked to Longevity 
study says
Sep 25, 2012 4:32 AM CDT

Castration May Be Linked to Longevity

Male sex hormones 'decrease lifespan,' says researcher

(Newser) - Here's something no one will want to think about too carefully: Is castration linked to longevity? Some researchers think it's possible, especially after discovering that a group of eunuchs, castrated men, lived up to 20 years longer. The study examined records of 80 eunuchs from the Chosun Dynasty,...

Wall Street Traders Turn to ... Astrology?!

Thousands subscribe to star-based finance newsletter

(Newser) - Wall Street is a sophisticated place full of smart, savvy professionals who make decisions based on rational criteria … like whether or not Mercury is in retrograde. An astrology-based financial newsletter has drawn a couple thousand subscribers, Marketplace.org reveals. Another has at least 300 traders subscribed, for the low-low...

Imposter Pilot Nabbed After Europe Flight

Man had fake uniform, fake friends, fake Facebook page

(Newser) - It's Catch Me If You Can all over again: Italian cops have arrested a man who's been posing as a pilot for months or longer. The unnamed man sure seemed like a pilot—down to fake flight crew buddies in his Facebook photos—and he managed to ride...

Cops Catch Burglar Asleep on the Floor

Apparently nodded off while robbing house

(Newser) - No car chases necessary: Police picked up a burglar curled up on the kitchen floor of the Oregon house he was trying to rob, they say. The homeowners called police after spotting the 20-year-old sleeping man. He had apparently entered the home through an unlocked door before searching for valuables,...

Thieves Try to Bust ATM, Blow Up Bank Instead

Entire branch in Germany destroyed

(Newser) - Thieves in Germany attempted to bust open a cash machine last night … but the resulting explosion ended up destroying the entire bank instead, der Spiegel reports. The blast in the small town of Nottuln-Darup sent debris flying as far as 260 feet. "Damage to the building is likely...

Daring Divers Pull Off Rescue ... of Sex Doll

Turkish team heard warnings of floating body

(Newser) - Locals in northern Turkey were frantic when they saw a woman's body floating in the Black Sea, so they called in help and watched as officials cordoned off the beach and a team of divers made their daring rescue. So everyone was less than thrilled to find that the...

Botched Fresco Restorer: Pay Up
 Botched Fresco 
 Restorer: Pay Up 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 23, 2012 12:03 PM CDT

Botched Fresco Restorer: Pay Up

Image has brought church $2.6K in donations

(Newser) - Spain's botched restoration of a fresco of Jesus has developed quite a fan base —and it's brought in $2,600 in donations for the church that houses it. Now, the elderly woman who created the monstrosity wants to cash in, NPR reports: She's asking the church...

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