Passers-by were reported to be incredulous at signs posted since mid-September outside Trillade elementary school in Avignon, France, asking parents to refrain from throwing their children over the locked gate when they are late to school. "Parents who arrived after the ringtone literally threw their children away," Principal Sanaa Meziane told La Provence with a nervous laugh. "It hasn't happened that many times ... but we preferred to take the lead." While there were no injuries, the practice alarmed school officials enough to create the signs, which feature an adult stick figure tossing a child-sized stick figure over the gate. [La Provence, 11/9/2020]

Uniform Complaints

-- The BBC reported that Police Constable Simon Read of the Cambridgeshire Police will be the subject of a misconduct hearing on Nov. 25 after being accused of switching prices on a box of doughnuts in February. Read, shopping at a Tesco Extra store while on duty and uniformed, allegedly selected a $13 box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and replaced its barcode with one from the produce section that lowered the price to 9 cents, then went through the self-checkout line. In papers filed before the hearing, Read was said to bring "discredit upon the police service ... because a reasonable member of the public ... would be justifiably appalled that a police officer had acted dishonestly and without integrity." [BBC, 11/17/2020]

-- San Juan, Puerto Rico, police officer Fernando Leon Berdecia, 46, is accused of stealing $1,300 worth of merchandise from a Home Depot on Nov. 16 while wearing his uniform. The Associated Press reported Puerto Rico Police Chief Henry Escalera said Leon has been suspended from the department, and a court date has been set for Dec. 2. [Associated Press, 11/17/2020]

Fake News

Readers of Radio France Internationale's website were alarmed to learn on Nov. 16 of the passing of dozens of world leaders and celebrities, The New York Times reported. Obituaries for Queen Elizabeth II, Clint Eastwood, soccer legend Pele and about 100 others were posted on the broadcaster's website, and it was several hours before the notices were removed. The station issued a statement apologizing to "those concerned" and noting that the prewritten obituaries were accidentally posted as the website was moved to a new content management system. [New York Times, 11/18/2020]

Line Crossed

Typo, a gift and stationery retailer in Australia known for its tongue-in-cheek merchandise, is drawing fire from moms and dads Down Under after marketing a Christmas ornament that features a small elf holding a sign that says, "Santa isn't real," 7News reported. One dad posted that the item led to an awkward discussion with his son and encouraged other parents to "complain and get these things taken off the shelves." The store said the ornament, which is part of its "naughty" line, has been removed from Typo's in-person and online stores. "Sometimes we do make mistakes," a spokesperson admitted. "We certainly don't want to take the fun out of Christmas for anyone, especially after the year we've all had." [7News, 11/11/2020]

Awesome!

Twenty concerned citizens in Norman, Oklahoma, turned out on Nov. 17 to help George Simmons, an arborist from Idaho, continue the search for his missing pet raccoon, an effort that had stretched into its second week and included support from the Norman Fire Department, which deployed its thermal imaging technology. Coonsie had accompanied Simmons when he traveled to Oklahoma to help cut trees around power lines after a freak October ice storm, KFOR reported, but Coonsie got loose in Nov. 6, and Simmons says he won't return to Idaho until he locates her. He has been overwhelmed with gratitude for the Norman residents who are helping him look for Coonsie every night: "I've been all over the United States and never seen the hospitality like I have here," Simmons said. At presstime, Coonsie was still missing. [KFOR, 11/17/2020]

Finders Keepers

Douglas Allen Hatley, 71, of Lakeland, Florida, was arrested on Nov. 16 after the Florida Highway Patrol said he found a metal light pole by the side of the road in Tampa and tried to sell it to Eagle Metals Recycling. The Tampa Bay Times reported the recycling center turned him away because he didn't have documentation for the pole, and officers responding to reports of a 1997 Camry with a pole twice its length strapped to the top pulled him over soon afterward. Hatley told troopers a highway maintenance worker "gave it to me." He was charged with third-degree grand theft. [Tampa Bay Times, 11/17/2020]

Bad Behavior

Police in Middlesbrough, England, are asking for the public's help in locating those involved in an apparent egg fight at a local Tesco supermarket during the two minutes of silence meant to honor fallen servicemembers on Nov. 8. Most shoppers at the store on Remembrance Sunday stood still and quiet for the observence, but one customer continued shopping and talking, reported Metro News, and objected when asked to be quiet. "We were all stood still, observing the two minutes' silence when we heard lots of screaming and shouting," one witness said. Police noted "a man allegedly assaulted two women ... following a verbal altercation." [Metro News, 11/9/2020]

Bright Idea

Two recent graduates of the Sydney Grammar School in Australia hatched a plan to skirt COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings to host a graduation party while their parents were out of town. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 30 people, and indoor events are capped at 10, the Daily Mail reported, but up to 150 guests can attend weddings if they follow social distancing protocols. On Nov. 12, the unnamed best friends "married" in a backyard ceremony and planned a 150-person party to follow, until their parents caught wind of the event online and returned to put an end to it: "We shut down the planned private celebratory event as soon as we found out about it, and thankfully, nobody was put at risk," one of the lads' dad said. [Daily Mail, 11/18/2020]

Unclear on the Concept

Charlene Stanton passes a book donation box in the Roxbury Park neighborhood of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on her daily walks, and told WTAJ on Nov. 18 that lately she's become concerned about the bags of raw meat she regularly sees left hanging on the side of the box. She has seen both fresh and frozen meat left at the box, and someone keeps taking them, which alarms her "because so many ... illnesses could be caused by leaving meat out unrefrigerated." Officials suggest donating food to a food bank, rather than leaving it at a book collection site. [WTAJ, 11/18/2020]

Oops!

The mayor of Oudenburg, Belgium, said it was not the city's intention that new Christmas decorations it installed resemble an iconic part of the male anatomy. City officials had set out to create lighted columns that looked like candles, the Daily Mail reported, but decided to do something different and placed blue spheres on top instead of flames. "I only realized (they looked phallic) when they were illuminted," Mayor Anthony Dumarey said. "I see the funny side of it myself (and) I see no reason to remove or replace them ... we will have the country's most talked-about Christmas lights this year." [Daily Mail, 11/19/2020]

Engineers at Japan's Gifu University have developed a robotic device that re-creates the experience of holding another person's hand -- without the other person. "My Girlfriend in Walk" attaches to the user's forearm, and the metal hand is covered with a soft, gel material that simulates human skin, even allowing custom fragrances to be added to the artificial sweat. A heater provides warmth and a pressure sensor duplicates the strength of the wearer's grip, according to Oddity Central. An accompanying smartphone app can emit sounds including footsteps, breathing and the sound of clothes rubbing against skin. [Oddity Central, 11/5/2020]

Schemes

-- Kimberly Ragsdale's apparent plan to get free food at a Chick-Fil-A in Rockmart, Georgia, ended in her arrest on charges of impersonating a public officer on Nov. 5. According to police, Ragsdale, 47, of Dallas, had repeatedly visited the restaurant, telling workers she was an FBI agent and threatening to arrest them if they didn't serve her a complimentary meal. Ragsdale continued her charade, the Associated Press reported, telling arresting officers her credentials were electronic and talking "into her shirt like she was talking into a radio," the arrest report noted. Rockmart Police Chief Randy Turner said in a statement to news outlets, "You will not hear a real officer demand a meal anywhere." [Associated Press, 11/9/2020]

-- Two men have been arrested on suspicion of conning an unnamed doctor in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh into paying $41,600 for an "Aladdin's lamp" that the sellers promised would bring him "wealth, health and good fortune." The two con artists even conspired to conjure a genie from the lamp, which turned out to be one of the men, to convince the doctor of its authenticity, the BBC reported. According to local police, the con men had duped other families in the same way. [BBC, 10/31/2020]

Awesome!

-- Mayor Yutaka Umeda of the Japanese town of Yamato was puzzled when his name started trending on social media after the U.S. presidential election, but he is now hoping his newfound fame will help him "promote the town," United Press International reported. The extra attention online came because the Chinese kanji characters used to spell Umeda's name can also be pronounced "Jo Baiden" -- strikingly similar to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden. "Although there are differences in the positions of a U.S. presidential candidate and the mayor of Yamato ... our passion is the same," Umeda said. [United Press International, 11/10/2020]

-- A couple hiking in Ingersheim in northeastern France in September came across a tiny aluminum capsule that turned out to contain a message in German dropped by a carrier pigeon 110 years ago, CNN reported. Curator Dominique Jardy at the nearby Linge Memorial museum, dedicated to a battle between French and German forces in 1915, determined the message was sent from one German officer to another, detailing military exercises taking place in the area. The find, Jardy said, "is really very, very, very rare," and the message will go on display at the museum. [CNN, 11/9/2020]

Bright Ideas

In September, police in Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic, where a 9 p.m. curfew has been imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, came upon a man pulling a toy plush dog behind him late at night in the town's center, Idnes.cz reported. "I'm walking a dog here. I'm not doing anything illegal here," the man told officers. Walking a dog is permitted after curfew, but the police gave him a warning and sent him and his "pet" on their way. [Idnes.cz, 10/30/2020]

People With Issues

Police in Fruitland Park, Florida, arrested Ronni Leigh Kimberlin of Leesburg on Oct. 31 on charges of theft and disturbing a grave after she allegedly repeatedly removed items left at her ex-husband's grave by his fiancee. The grieving fiancee first complained to police in late September, records show, saying items missing from the grave included a pair of $250 sunglasses, hanging LED lights, hanging planters, artificial flowers, a ring and assorted other items, all valued at more than $400. Kimberlin denied involvement, WKMG reported, but the arrest affidavit noted an ex-roommate came forward saying she was with Kimberlin when she stole the items, and police found some of the missing planters at Kimberlin's brother's home. [ClickOrlando.com, 11/3/2020]

Recent Alarming Headlines

Police in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, continue to investigate two explosive incidents in area port-a-potties, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. No one was injured in either explosion, the first of which occurred Nov. 5 in Lawrenceville and was strong enough to blow apart the toilet and damage a nearby home, police said. The second came on Nov. 10 in East Allegheny. Pittsburgh's Bomb Squad and Crime Unit is working to determine what types of explosives were used and whether the events are related. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/10/2020]

Government in Action

Indonesia has the highest death toll from COVID-19 in Southeast Asia, and officials there are getting creative with punishments in addition to fines for not complying with mask laws. Metro News reported on Nov. 11 that regional governments are forcing scofflaws to do pushups, pull weeds, clean riverbeds and dig graves for coronavirus victims. Coffeeshop owner Evani Jesselyn of Jakarta said she was given a choice of paying a fine or cleaning public toilets after she was caught not wearing a mask in her car. [Metro News, 11/11/2020]

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Motorists in Woodbury County, Iowa, started alerting State Conservation Officer Steve Griebel on Nov. 9 that hundreds of ducks had been killed after mistaking wet roads for wetlands, KCRG reported. The ducks, including bluebills, mallards, buffleheads and teal, were migrating south and landed on the wet pavement in parking lots and on highways, where the next day Griebel said he counted more than 200 that had been hit by unwitting drivers. [KCRG, 11/10/2020]

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

In China's Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, 27-year-old Luo Qingjun has found his calling as a "bad uncle" for hire by parents wanting him to scare their children into obedience, Oddity Central reported. Luo creates a short custom video, using the child's name and making scary faces while threatening them to behave. "If you don't do your homework, don't eat and don't go to sleep, I will take you away!" Luo warns on one video. One happy customer posted, "My 3-year-old son was scared at first sight, and he was immediately obedient." [Oddity Central, 11/3/2020]

Recurring Themes

More than 22,000 votes were cast in the race for mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, on Nov. 3, and the winner, with 13,143 of those votes, was Wilbur Beast, a French bulldog, Fox News reported, beating out Jack Rabbit the beagle and Poppy the golden retriever. Rabbit Hash's mayoral election is a fundraiser for the town historical society, with each dollar buying one vote. Mayor Beast’s spokesperson/owner, Amy Noland, thanked his supporters for their vote of confidence and encouraged them to reach out on social media, where Beast will be “all ears.” [Fox News, 11/4/2020]

Firefighters with Essex County (England) Fire and Rescue Service were called to a derelict laundromat in Epping on Oct. 30, where three young men had become trapped inside an industrial-sized tumble dryer. Two of them had climbed all the way into the dryer, while the third had managed to get his ankles trapped in the door. Firefighters were joined by Essex Police, a medical helicopter and the ambulance service as they employed "a lot of heavy equipment" to free the men, watch manager Glenn Jackson told Sky News. No word on what they were looking for in there. [Sky News, 10/31/2020]

Rise of the Machines

-- A thief in Lippstadt, Germany, was foiled by his own booty on Oct. 27 as he tried to make off with a robotic lawnmower. The Associated Press reported that the robot sent a message to the owner's smartphone, alerting the man that it had been flipped upside down. When the owner went to investigate, he saw the thief with the robot under his arm. Police said the thief then dropped the lawnmower and fled. [Associated Press, 10/30/2020]

-- Craig Hershoff of Miami has invented a robot to help people like himself who may have difficulty using the special contact lenses they wear for vision problems that can't be helped with regular contacts. The Cliara Lens Robot can insert and remove the lenses by voice activation. "It really helps with dexterity," Hershoff told WPLG, especially for elderly or disabled people. The robot is being tested in a clinical trial in Boston, and he hopes to have FDA clearance on it early next year. [WPLG, 11/2/2020]

-- Fans of the Caledonian Thistle soccer team in Inverness, Scotland, were frustrated as they watched a broadcast of the club's Oct. 24 game against rival Ayr United when the new robotic cameras programmed to follow the ball around the pitch focused instead on the bald head of one of the game's linesmen. The team had proudly announced a week earlier that it would be replacing human camera operators with a new system "with in-built, AI, ball-tracking technology" to stream live HD footage of home games to season ticket holders and fans who purchased the service. IFLScience reported that while many fans complained, others "saw this as a bonus, given the usual quality of performance." [IFLScience, 10/29/2020]

Bright Ideas

-- Two passengers traveling together on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Miami on Oct. 30 were removed before taking off after one of the women attempted to sneak from coach into first class and hide in the footwell of her friend's seat, Fox News reported. The flight had already been delayed because of a catering issue, according to a witness, who said, "Apparently the plan was for this woman's friend to remain there the entire flight ... (as a stunt to) drive viewers to their YouTube channel." Flight attendants discovered the plot when they noticed an empty seat in coach, and the plane returned to the gate so the friends could be removed. The witness reported an unrelated passenger was also removed after he "cussed out" a flight attendant over the delay. [Fox News, 11/2/2020]

-- An unnamed man from Idaho Falls, Idaho, pleaded guilty in a Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, court on Sept. 10 to citations including walking in restricted thermal areas of Yellowstone National Park after park rangers found him with a cooking pot and a burlap sack containing two whole chickens near a hot spring. Witnesses tipped off rangers on Aug. 7 that a group of 10 people, including a child, were seen hiking toward Shoshone Geyser Basin carrying cooking pots, EastIdahoNews.com reported. The man was ordered to pay fines and has been banned from Yellowstone for two years. [EastIdahoNews.com, 10/30/2020]

Government in Action

The San Diego City Council blocked funding last summer for its controversial smart streetlights program, which features not only streetlights but also a video surveillance system that has been used by the San Diego Police Department, and on Sept. 9, Mayor Kevin Faulconer ordered the cameras turned off. But Voice of San Diego reported the cameras and streetlights are connected to the same power supply, so turning them off would have left the city in the dark. Florida-based Ubicquia owns the underlying technology, but the company has been reluctant to work with the city because of unpaid bills amounting to $771,000. Meanwhile, the cameras are still recording and storing footage for five days. [Voice of San Diego, 11/2/2020]

Awesome!

-- Julie McSorley of San Luis Obispo, California, and her friend Liz Cottriel were enjoying a sunny day of kayaking and whale-watching at Avila Beach on Nov. 2 when they were overturned by a humpback that got too close while feeding. "I saw the big pool of fish, the big bait ball come up out of the water. ... All of a sudden, I lifted up and I was in the water," McSorley told KMPH. "I thought it was gonna land on me," Cottriel said. Other paddleboarders and kayakers came to their rescue, thinking the whale may have bitten the women, but it merely pushed them underwater. "We got back to the car, I was shaking my shirt and a bunch of fish came out of my shirt," Cottriel said. [KMPH, 11/2/2020]

-- Loyola University graduate Brianna Hill went into labor within minutes of sitting down to take the Illinois bar exam on Oct. 5, but "I didn't think about it because I was in the test," she told NBC5 in Chicago. Hill continued and finished the first part of the test, then gave birth to a healthy son hours later at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, Illinois. She tackled the second part of the exam the next day, from the hospital, breastfeeding during breaks. The whole experience was "definitely a little crazy," she said. She'll find out if she passed in December. [NBC5, 10/9/2020]

I Knew I Forgot Something

Deputies of the Anderson (Tennessee) County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a stolen log splitter in Marlow on Oct. 22, and discovered a severed finger among items left at the scene. Hugh Seeber, 50, later appeared at a local medical center with a missing finger, WATE reported, and was taken to UT Medical Center in Knoxville, where Anderson County Det. Sean Flynn met him with the severed digit. Seeber was charged with felony theft. [WATE, 10/23/2020]

The Foreign Press

Police in Boa Vista, Brazil, raided the home of prominent Sen. Chico Rodrigues on Oct. 14 as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and found the senator hiding the equivalent of $5,400 in his underwear. Rodrigues, 69, a close ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, who campaigned in 2018 on an anti-corruption platform, had no explanation for the money in his underwear, but claimed innocence, The Guardian reported. Brazilians quickly shared the news on social media, many commenting that the incident would go down "in the anals of history." [Guardian, 10/15/2020]

The Litigious Society

Dwight Turner, 50, is suing the owner of a backyard animal sanctuary in Davie, Florida, after the "full-contact" encounter with a black leopard that he paid $150 for turned into a mauling. Investigators said sanctuary owner Michael Poggi sold Turner time with the leopard to "play with it, rub its belly and take pictures" on Aug. 31, but the leopard attacked as soon as Turner entered its enclosure, leaving his scalp "hanging from his head," WPLG-TV reported. Authorities said Poggi is licensed to have the leopard, but he has been cited by Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation for allowing the contact and for maintaining captive wildlife in unsafe conditions. [WPLG-TV, 10/29/2020]