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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Squatter Gets Texas Luxury Home for $16

Uses an obscure "adverse possession" law to acquire ownership

(Newser) - Thanks to a little-known Texas real estate law, one creative guy seems to have snagged a $300,000 Texas home for just $16, reports KHOU-TV . Kenneth Robinson found a high-end home that had been abandoned after the owner walked away and the mortgage company went bankrupt. Then he filled out...

North Dakota May Not Be a State


 North Dakota 
 May Not Be a State 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 16, 2011 7:00 PM CDT

North Dakota May Not Be a State

Local historian trying to get constitutional 'oops' fixed

(Newser) - North Dakota has been a state since 1889—or has it? An 82-year-old government watchdog and local historian has been trying, for 16 years, to get someone to notice an important flaw in the state's constitution that he says renders North Dakota's very statehood invalid. The state constitution...

Philippines: Geckos Won't Cure AIDS

Health officials suggest trying actual medicine

(Newser) - Put down that gecko: The Philippine health department is warning citizens that using geckos to treat AIDS, asthma, and tuberculosis doesn't work and endangers those who don't seek proper treatment. There's no scientific evidence to the folklore behind the practice, and it's caused an increase in...

Peanut-Throwing Man Banned From Flying

He also had to forfeit his driver's license and passport

(Newser) - A Utah man may have gotten us that much closer to peanuts being banned on planes. Pogos Paul Sefilian is accused of throwing peanuts and pretzels at crew during a flight, and is now prohibited from flying on commercial airlines, reports Connect2Utah . He also allegedly refused to put away an...

Woman Mistaken for Casey Anthony, Attacked

Sammay Blackwell thinks she was targeted because they look alike

(Newser) - Looks like it may indeed be a good idea for Casey Anthony to disguise herself : In Chouteau, Oklahoma, a woman allegedly tried to kill an Anthony look-alike. Sammay Blackwell was working at her convenience store job last week when a suspicious-looking woman visited the store after 10pm. But after Blackwell...

Jail Lets Alleged Child Rapist Watch Videos of His Attacks

Acting as own lawyer, Weldon Gilbert must be given access to evidence

(Newser) - A loophole in Washington state law allows a man charged with sexually assaulting children to watch child porn—in a county jail, no less, KIRO-FM reports. Weldon Gilbert has chosen to defend himself, and all evidence in his case must be made available to the defense, including video of Gilbert...

Ukraine Zoo Gets Two-Headed Snake

And each has a mind of its own

(Newser) - A two-headed snake has gone on display at a zoo in southern Ukraine. The "Skazka" (Fairy tale) zoo in Yalta on the Black Sea said today that the albino California Kingsnake has two heads that think, react, and eat separately, though one is more passive than the other. A...

Swimmer Takes Dip in Central Park Reservoir

He's lassoed by firefighters

(Newser) - It apparently got a little too hot yesterday for a guy who decided to take a leisurely swim—through New York City's Central Park Reservoir. The swimmer, in his 40s, scaled a chain link fence surrounding the 40-foot-deep reservoir. He refused firefighters' orders to get out, so three of...

Drunk Actor Breaks Into Late Show Theater

22-year-old smashes glass, crawls inside

(Newser) - A struggling actor stuck waiting tables managed to make an appearance at the Ed Sullivan Theater—and was arrested for his trouble. Police say James Whittemore, 22, kicked through a glass door at the home of the Late Show with David Letterman yesterday morning, after a night of drinking, and...

Metal Sticks to 'Magnet Boy' Paulo David Amorim
 Metal Sticks to 'Magnet Boy' 
Jul 10, 2011 5:17 PM CDT

Metal Sticks to 'Magnet Boy'

Doctor says Paulo David Amorim's health not at risk

(Newser) - A real-life Magneto in Brazil? Metal appears to stick to Paulo David Amorim, reports the AP , citing local media. The 11-year-old’s apparently magnetic qualities have led classmates to nickname him “magnet boy.” Though a doctor says he’s never seen such a case before, he adds that...

The Weird, Wild World of Walmart

Strange stories often take place at the retail giant's stores

(Newser) - Does Walmart imitate life or does life imitate Walmart? The ubiquitous big-box chain is very often the setting for births, deaths, marriages, and strange events, reports the Wall Street Journal . Recent incidents include: a man dressed as a cow who stole 26 gallons of milk from a Virginia store in...

NFL Receiver Sues to Get Engagement Ring Back

...after sending it to intended through mail

(Newser) - Take note: It's probably not a great idea to propose marriage by sending a $76,600 engagement ring through the mail, unless you're absolutely certain your intended is going to say yes. Dallas Cowboys receiver Roy Williams sent a ring to former Miss Texas USA Brooke Daniels around...

Saks Fifth Avenue Coming to ... Kazakhstan

Luxury retailer to open 3-story location in August 2012

(Newser) - Soon the fine and fashionable people of Kazakhstan will be able to shop in added style: Luxury retailer Saks said today it will open a Saks Fifth Avenue store in August 2012. Saks plans to license the store, which will be built in the former capital of Almaty. Financial terms...

Iowa Teen Survives Being Run Over by Train

17-year-old walked away with cuts and bruises

(Newser) - A 17-year-old boy somehow managed to suffer only cuts and bruises after being run over by a train in northwestern Iowa. The Altoona teen told city police he had been drinking at a music festival when he blacked out Sunday night. Two Iowa Interstate Railroad engineers told the police they...

Woman Tracks Stolen iPad Online, Can't Convince Cops to Help
Woman Tracks Stolen iPad, 
Can't Convince Cops to Help 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 2, 2011 7:00 PM CDT

Woman Tracks Stolen iPad, Can't Convince Cops to Help

She found the exact house where it turned up with app, to no avail

(Newser) - There's an app for pretty much everything—except cutting through bureaucracy. A woman who mistakenly left her iPad on a plane was able to track the whereabouts of the device, but couldn't convince authorities to follow up on it, reports the Syracuse Post-Standard , via the Consumerist . The woman...

Stephanie Robinette of Ohio Shoots Cops--With Breast Milk
 Woman Shoots 
 Cops—With 
 Breast Milk 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 2, 2011 6:26 AM CDT

Woman Shoots Cops—With Breast Milk

Fired at police from her car while drunk

(Newser) - An Ohio woman warned police that she was a breastfeeding mom—and then she opened fire with her right breast, NBC4i reports. Drunk at a wedding reception, Stephanie Robinette got into an argument with her husband, who told police that she repeatedly hit him. She locked herself in her car...

UFOs Over London? 2 Videos Say Yes

Multiple cameras record strange object in the sky

(Newser) - One UFO video might easily be a hoax, but are two proof of an alien invasion? A pair of clips from London show very similar white disc-like objects apparently floating in the sky, one above a BBC building and another over the Tower Bridge. The videos were taken last week,...

Man Accused of Coaxing Boy, 11, to Drive on Highway

Suspect told girlfriend's son to follow him, police say

(Newser) - An illegal highway game of follow-the-leader landed a 51-year-old man in jail, with investigators saying yesterday that the man coaxed his girlfriend's 11-year-old son to follow him in a car through the Mojave Desert. Terry Michael Varner was charged with willful cruelty to a child resulting in possible injury...

'Really Polite' Burglar Offers to Repair Screen

Homeowner says intruder still made her nervous

(Newser) - Authorities say a burglar offered to repair the screen that he damaged breaking into a New Jersey home after he was confronted by the homeowner, telling her that he meant to break into a neighbor's home. The homeowner, Maria Cardona, tells The Press of Atlantic City that the man...

Homeless Guy Arrested for Charging Cell Phone

Shaun Fawster charged with 'theft of services'

(Newser) - Police have brought charges against a homeless man in Maine who helped himself to an outdoor electrical outlet to charge a pair of cell phones. A Bangor cop checking downtown businesses discovered 23-year-old Shaun Fawster charging his cell phones in an outlet hidden behind some flowers. Fawster was charged last...

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