Weird News

Florida company offers 2 free homes as worker incentive

While many companies are offering bonuses or higher pay as a way to lure and keep workers, a central Florida business is offering a drawing for two brand new and mortgage-free houses.

Black juror: Smollett's reaction to noose makes no sense

The lone Black juror on the panel that convicted Jussie Smollett of lying to Chicago police about what authorities say was a staged hate crime says he cannot get past how the actor put a noose around his neck when officers were coming to interview him.

Photo from tornado-damaged home lands almost 130 miles away

A photo from a tornado-damaged home in Kentucky landed almost 130 miles away in Indiana.

'Bah-boom, bah-boom': Acorn-ucopia of food fattens squirrels

Humans aren’t the only species packing on extra pounds during the pandemic.

6 years and counting: Ex-treasure hunter still stuck in jail

A former deep-sea treasure hunter is preparing to mark his sixth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of 500 missing gold coins.

$1M in cocaine found floating near the Florida Keys

This isn’t the first time this has happened in Florida.

All Rep. Pressley wants for Christmas is her Mariah album

Massachusetts congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is upset that her beloved Mariah Carey Christmas album has gone missing.

Oh! Christmas tree? Cardboard display is the talk of a town

Opinions are flying about a cardboard Christmas tree display on the boardwalk of a Jersey Shore town where Bruce Springsteen cut his musical teeth.

Lock in: Dozens stuck in England's highest pub after storm

Dozens of customers who stopped for a drink at Britain’s highest pub are getting a longer stay than they bargained for after the building was cut off by a blizzard.

Drivers scramble as cash falls from armored truck on freeway

Authorities say drivers scrambled to grab cash Friday morning after bags of money fell out of an armored truck on a Southern California freeway.

Winds whip up volcanic ash from 1912 eruption in Alaska

An unusual alert was issued by volcano scientists Wednesday, warning that an ash cloud was headed toward Alaska’s Kodiak Island.

Millionaire pooch selling Miami villa once owned by Madonna

A multimillionaire dog named Gunther VI is selling his Miami mansion that was once owned by Madonna.

Roadrunner, going faster, ends up in Maine after hitchhike

A wayward roadrunner is on the mend in Maine after traveling across the country in a moving van.

Metal box mystery: How did this thing get on a Florida beach?

Recent storms may have pushed a big part of a ship onto a secluded Central Florida beach.

Girl, teddy bear reunited a year after loss in Glacier park

A little girl who lost a teddy bear she’d had since being adopted from an Ethiopian orphanage thought it was gone forever when she forgot it along a trail in Glacier National Park last year.

Man earns Ph.D., fulfills dream of being physicist — at 89

An 89-year-old man in Rhode Island has earned his Ph.D. and became a physicist after working toward it for two decades and thinking about it for a lifetime.

Thousands of red UK phone boxes to be protected from closure

Britain's telecommunications regulator says thousands of iconic red phone booths will be protected from removal under new rules.

With a wink, judge fights 'tyranny' of Elf on the Shelf

Santa may have fewer eyes in homes this Christmas season after a judge — jokingly — banned the Elf on the Shelf.

Game on: 9-foot video game joystick on record as largest

A 9-foot-tall video game joystick made of wood, rubber and steel has made it into the Guinness World Records 2022.

After long COVID battle, Iowa man decides to wed in hospital

Jonathan Johnson spent weeks on a ventilator battling COVID-19, then decided to get married — in the hospital.

American Girl Dolls, Risk, sand make it to Toy Hall of Fame

The National Toy Hall of Fame has inducted American Girl dolls and the strategy board game Risk, recognizing each for their influence on the toy industry.

Doug the ugly New Zealand potato could be world's biggest

A New Zealand couple have unearthed a huge potato that is quite possibly the largest on record.

Cat got your vote? NYC candidate brings pet to polling place

New York City’s Republican mayoral candidate, Curtis Sliwa, tried to bring one of his many pet cats to his polling place on Tuesday.

New Zealand strait crossed for first time by electric plane

The first person to fly across New Zealand’s Cook Strait in an electric plane says he did so with plenty of battery power to spare.

Escapee, 64, sentenced after 29 years on the run in Sydney

A 64-year-old fugitive who surrendered to Australian police because a Sydney lockdown left him jobless and homeless has been sentenced to an additional two months behind bars for escaping from prison almost 30 years ago.

Thai police: Woman cut rope holding painters 26 floors high

Thai police say a resident of a high-rise condominium near Bangkok cut the support rope for two painters, apparently angry she wasn’t told they would be doing work, and left them hanging above the 26th floor until a couple rescued them.

Endangered orangutan in New Orleans expecting twins

A critically endangered Sumatran orangutan in New Orleans is pregnant with twins.

Body scan reveals shotgun shell inside Alabama prisoner

A man being booked into an Alabama jail wound up at a hospital rather than behind bars after a scan revealed a shotgun shell in his abdomen.

Australian town overwhelmed by response to free land offer

The Australian Outback town of Quilpie (Quill-Pea) hoped its offer of free residential land to anyone who would make it their home might attract five new families to the remote community of 800.

Rare coin made in Colonial New England could fetch $300,000

An extraordinarily rare coin with a face value of just pennies when it was minted in mid-17th century New England could sell for the equivalent of about $300,000 when it’s put up for auction in London next month.

For sleepy Hong Kong residents, 5-hour bus tour is a snooze

Travel-starved, sleep-deprived residents might find a new Hong Kong bus tour to be a snooze.

NZ police answer 4-year-old's call, confirm toys are cool

An emergency call made by a 4-year-old New Zealand boy asking for police to come over and check out his toys prompted a real-life callout and confirmation from an officer that the toys were, indeed, pretty cool.

Arizona police and local ranchers help catch a roaming bull

No bull: Tucson police had to respond Tuesday morning to reports of a bull roaming a neighborhood near an elementary school.

Thanks but no: UK queen turns down 'Oldie of the Year' title

Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch.

Israeli diver discovers 900-year-old Crusader sword on Mediterranean seabed

An Israeli diver discovered the iron weapon on the sea bed off the Carmel Coast in Israel.

Hail, Mary! High school's halftime show is a drag pageant

A Vermont high school homecoming football game turned into a “drag ball” runway at halftime with a mix of students and faculty members parading in gowns, wigs and makeup, and a big crowd in rainbow colors.

Removing the %&*@ from Maine’s vanity plates will take time

A Maine law banning obscene license plates goes into effect Monday, but getting the foul language off the roads and highways won't happen overnight.

Liberian teen becomes hero for finding and returning $50,000

A teenager in Liberia who has become a national hero after finding $50,000 and returning it to its rightful owner said he will meet with the country's president next week.

Large African cat captured after escape in Detroit suburb

An animal recovery group says a large cat native to Africa that escaped from its suburban Detroit home was captured after spending several hours on the lam.

Lucky Dog! Pooch trapped in crevice 5 days rescued, unharmed

A dog trapped for five days deep inside a narrow, rocky crevice at a state park north of New York City was rescued unharmed.

Large African cat escapes owner, prowls Detroit suburb

A large cat native to Africa is on the loose in a suburb north of Detroit after escaping from its owner.

Rare two-headed turtle hatches at Cape Cod nesting site

No, you are not seeing double!

Capone’s belongings go for at least $3 million at auction

Al Capone may have died nearly 75 years ago but, after some of his prized possessions were auctioned off for at least $3 million, it's clear interest in the infamous Chicago gangster is very much alive.

Bosnian makes rotating house a monument of love for his wife

It is not exactly on par with India's Taj Mahal, but a family house in a small town in northern Bosnia is in its own way a monument to love.

Panda cubs at Tokyo zoo get their names, to debut in January

Giant panda twins born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in June now have their names.

At flooded restaurant near Bangkok, the special is a splash

A flood-hit riverside restaurant in Thailand has become an unlikely dining hotspot after fun-loving foodies began flocking to its waterlogged deck to eat amid the lapping tide.

NYC public libraries will end late fees in push for equity

Officials have announced that New York City’s public libraries will no longer charge late fees and will waive existing fines for overdue books and other materials.

Top dog: Greek leader's pet interrupts news conference

The Greek prime minister's pet dog Peanut has briefly interrupted a news conference attended by the visiting prime minister of Slovakia.

Catfish eaten before being verified can't qualify for record

Uncertainty about the species of a massive catfish that was eaten before it could be vetted by authorities in August has led a Connecticut agency to withdraw its awarding of a new state record.

Dollar Tree breaks the $1 barrier as costs take a bite

Dollar Tree, the national chain of stores that promises everything for a buck, will begin introducing items on its shelves that will exceed $1.

A freeze warning and a frost advisory in effect for 21 regions in the area