SoDu We Like WEIRD News? December 2024
I maintain an affinity for unusual news – not just from Florida, although I’m a sucker for great “Florida Man” stories, but from all over the world. Therefore, each month, I’ll share some highlights from the realm of the weird and curious.
Look, I earned my stripes as a professional journalist covering strange stuff in Florida for The St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) – from an armadillo assassin to a bunch of cattle running loose on Interstate 75 to the mysterious Bayport Boomerang that baffled skywatchers decades before drones troubled the New Jersey skies.
So, I maintain an affinity for unusual news – not just from Florida, although I’m a sucker for great “Florida Man” stories, but from all over the world. Therefore, each month, I’ll share some highlights from the realm of the weird and curious.
World’s Oldest-Known Wild Bird Lays an Egg at 74
From NBC News: Wisdom, a 74-year-old Laysan albatross, laid her first egg in four years at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.
RockyFest Contest Turns Ice Rink into a Nostalgic Movie Scene
From Associated Press: The University of Pennsylvania’s 1923 Ice Rink hosted a Rocky and Adrian look-alike contest during RockyFest, echoing the cinematic scene where Rocky shuffles along next to Paulie’s sister as she struggles to remain upright.
Non-Spanish Speaker Wins Spanish World Scrabble Title
From ABC News: New Zealand’s Nigel Richards, who doesn’t speak Spanish, won the Spanish world Scrabble title after studying the language’s Scrabble list for a year.
Elusive Mutt ‘Scrim’ Outwits Night-Vision Binoculars and Tranquilizers
From Associated Press: A 17-pound mostly terrier mutt named Scrim in New Orleans eluded capture by citizens armed with night-vision binoculars, nets, and tranquilizer guns.
Googly Eye Craze Sweeps Bend, Oregon
From Associated Press: Googly eyes have gone viral in Oregon after they showed up on sculptures around the city of Bend.
UK Spy Agency GCHQ Challenges the Public with Cryptic Holiday Greeting
From Associated Press: The United Kingdom’s electronic and cyber-intelligence agency – GCHQ – published its seasonal greeting card with difficult puzzles for young people to crack.
Pennsylvania Couple Rekindles Love and Remarries Nearly 50 Years After Divorce
From U.S. News & World Report: Fay Gable and Robert Wenrich of Pennsylvania, who first married in November 1951 and had four children before divorcing in 1975, this month tied the knot again.
Thousands Hit the Lottery Jackpot with Identical Winning Number
From Myrtle Beach Online: Nearly 7,800 North Carolina lottery tickets sold on Dec. 13 contained the same combination of three numbers.
Town Breaks Record for People Dressed as Angels
From UPI: 2,000 people in the town of San Rafael, Bulacan, in the Philippines broke a Guinness World Record by dressing as angels.
Rescue Teams Free Hiker Trapped in Quicksand-Like Mud
From UPI: A hiker at Summersville Lake in West Virginia got stuck in waist-deep mud and required rescue by the Wilderness Volunteer Fire Departments and the Fayette County Vertical Rescue Team.
Got news? Reach out to Wes Platt, neighborhood news guy, at southpointaccessnews@gmail.com.
