At the Tabor, South Dakota, Senior Center, a regular card game got a little weird on Jan. 4 after players enjoyed some brownies supplied by the mother of 46-year-old Michael Koranda. KTIV-TV reported that Koranda, an elementary schoolteacher, had recently traveled to Colorado and brought back some THC-infused butter, which he used to make a batch of brownies. His mother unknowingly shared half the treats with her fellow card players, which resulted in multiple calls to county officials about a possible poisoning. Sheriff's deputies spoke to Koranda and took the remaining brownies as evidence, charging him with possession of a controlled substance. He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 25. [KTIV, 1/11/2022]

Unclear on the Concept

On Jan. 7, the California Court of Appeal ruled that the Los Angeles Police Department was justified in its firing of two officers in 2017 after they ignored a robbery call to play Pokemon Go, the Los Angeles Times reported. On April 15, 2017, Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell were assigned to patrol the LAPD's southwest division. But when a call for backup came over the radio, Lozano and Mitchell were captured on their in-car video responding, "I don't want to be his help" and "Screw it." Instead, they continued their hunt for a Snorlax and Togetic Pokemon, eventually meeting up with their sergeant at a 7-Eleven. When he questioned them about the robbery call, they said they hadn't heard it because they were responding to another call, leading their supervisor to review the dashcam footage. After the officers were fired, they sued, saying that the video captured their "private communications" and that they were improperly questioned. Five years later, the courts disagreed, and Lozano and Mitchell have plenty of time to hunt for Snorlax and Togetic. [Los Angeles Times, 1/10/2022]

Family Values

Cypress Falls High School teacher Sarah Beam took her 13-year-old son to a Houston-area COVID-19 drive-thru testing site on Jan. 3, KHOU-TV reported. When a worker there approached her car, Beam told her that the boy was in the trunk because she didn't want to be exposed to the virus. Police were alerted, and Beam was arrested and charged with endangering a child. While he was not hurt, officials said in the event of an accident, he could have been. But the Cypress Falls community has shown support for Beam, posting messages outside her home to say they "have her back." She was released on bond and put on administrative leave, the school district said. [KHOU, 1/11/2022]

Awkward

"Ms. Wang," 30, of Zhengzhou, China, agreed to a blind date arranged by her parents ("I'm getting quite old, so my parents arranged more than 10 blind dates for me," she said) and went to the man's home for dinner on Jan. 6. But during the meal, they learned that his community had gone into a rapid lockdown because of COVID-19, and she wouldn't be able to leave for several days, the BBC reported. She posted on WeChat that the situation was "not ideal" -- while he did cook for her, "he doesn’t speak much," she noted. "I feel that apart from him being reticent like a wooden mannequin, everything else about him is pretty good." Wang said she thinks his friends alerted him to the posts, so she removed them. "I think it has affected his life." [BBC, 1/12/2022]

Boundaries

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) in the United Kingdom on Jan. 10 removed the medical license from Simon Bramhall, a transplant surgeon at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, The Washington Post reported. The action stemmed from an incident in 2013 in which, after finishing up a transplant, Dr. Bramhall used an electric beam to burn his initials into the patient's liver before closing her up. The flourish might not have been discovered, but the liver began to fail the following week and another surgeon discovered the signature. Bramhall said at the time it was something he did to relieve stress during long, difficult operations. In 2017, he was convicted of assault and fined about $13,000. In 2021, he submitted a letter arguing that he was again fit to practice, but the latest ruling has denied him the right to do so, noting that his actions "undermined" people's trust in the medical profession. [Washington Post, 1/13/2022]

Keeping Up With the Times

In Aksaray, Turkey, one family has been raising cattle for three generations, Oddity Central reported. Izzet Kocak believes their success is linked to their willingness to keep up with modern technology. To that end, the farmer is testing virtual reality goggles that make his cows think they're standing in a green field of grass in the summer. Kocak says the average yield per day from his cows is 22 liters, but "We had two of our cows wear virtual reality glasses and watch vast green pasture all day, and the daily milk production increased up to 27 liters." He said the quality of the milk also increased. He has ordered 10 more pairs of VR goggles, and if results are similar, he plans to order them for all of his 180 cows. [Oddity Central, 1/10/2022]

Inexplicable

Need something to do during a snowstorm in Queens, New York? One person had an idea: Around 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 7, someone rode up on an electric bike to a speed camera in Howard Beach. The camera caught the action, Pix11-TV reported, as the person calmly stopped the bike, aimed a handgun and shot multiple rounds at the camera (which did not appear to be damaged), then put the gun away and rode off into the snowy night. Police released the video in hopes someone can identify the shooter. [Pix11, 1/12/2022]

Recurring Theme

Zane Wedding, 40, of Auckland, New Zealand, went swimming on Jan. 7 and thought he got water in his ear, United Press International reported. He saw a doctor the next day, who suggested he use a hair dryer to evaporate the moisture in his ear. But on Jan. 10, as the sensation persisted, he saw a specialist. "She said, 'I think you have an insect in your ear,'" Wedding said. It took the doctor only five minutes to extract a cockroach, and Wedding felt instant relief: "I felt a pop as soon as the doctor pulled it away." He also noted that a fumigator was scheduled at his home for Jan. 14. [UPI, 1/13/2022]

Awesome!

In Baltimore, David Bennett Sr., 57, became the first person to receive a heart transplant using a donor heart from a pig, The Washington Post reported. The eight-hour surgery took place on Jan. 7; Bennett was so sick that he could not qualify for a transplant from another human. Dr. Bartley Griffith, who performed the surgery, said, "It's working and it looks normal. We are thrilled, but we don't know what tomorrow will bring us. This has never been done before." Scientists have worked to genetically alter pigs so that human bodies would not reject their organs, in an effort to supplement the supply of donor hearts from other people. Bennett, who was convicted of battery in a 1988 stabbing that left a man paralyzed, spent six years in prison. Before the surgery, he admitted, "I know it's a shot in the dark, but it's my last choice." His son said Bennett wished to "contribute to the science and potentially save patient lives in the future." [Washington Post, 1/13/2022]

In what one police officer called a "real-life Lassie situation," a 1-year-old Shiloh shepherd named Tinsley is being hailed as a hero for saving her owner and another person after a car crash on I-89 in Vermont. WMUR-TV reported that Cam Laundry and his passenger had been ejected when his truck hit a guardrail and went off the road on Jan. 3. When state troopers and a Lebanon, New Hampshire, police officer found Tinsley on the side of the road, she evaded capture and led them to the scene of the accident. "We were shaken up, didn't know what was happening," Laundry said. "Next thing we know, the cops were there, and it was all because of her." Tinsley's reward? A venison burger. Follow-up: Laundry has a February court date for driving under the influence. At least Tinsley was sober. [WMUR, 1/5/2022]

Anger Management

Tennessee state Rep. Jeremy Faison, 45, had to be ejected from the stands at a high school basketball game in Johnson City on Jan. 4 after he became angry at a referee and tried to "pants" him -- pull down his trousers. Faison's son was playing on the Lakeway Christian Academy team, the Associated Press reported. Later, Faison tweeted: "Totally lost my junk and got booted from the gym. ... I hope to be able to find the ref and ask for his forgiveness. I was bad wrong." Our advice to referees everywhere: Always wear a belt. [Associated Press, 1/6/2022]

Conniving Cats

Seoul, South Korea's Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters is warning citizens: Your cats may burn your house down. According to the agency, more than 100 fires over the past three years have been started by cats, The Washington Post reported. "We advise pet owners to pay extra attention as fire could spread widely when no one is at home," warned Chung Gyo-chul, an official at the department, which recommends keeping paper towels and other flammable items away from cooking appliances. [Washington Post, 1/2/2022]

Signs of the Apocalypse

In Texarkana, on the border of Texas and Arkansas, Dec. 30 brought a new phenomenon: fish falling from the sky. KXXV-TV reported that people found fish on their sidewalks and lawns, but city officials have an explanation: "Animal rain" occurs when small water animals are swept up in waterspouts or drafts. "2021 is pulling out all the tricks," the city posted on Facebook. "While it's uncommon, it happens ... And please, for the sake of everyone, let's tiptoe into 2022 as quietly as possible." [KXXV, 1/4/2022]

But, Why?

The Daily Mail reported that Israeli scientists at Ben-Gurion University have constructed a "fish operated vehicle (FOV)" -- a water-filled tank, camera and computer on wheels -- and have trained goldfish to "drive" it. In the beginning of the trials, the fish just drove around randomly, but eventually they were able to guide the vehicle toward a food reward by changing the direction they were swimming. The researchers said the experiment proved that fish can "overcome environmental manipulation" and if they one day adapt to live out of water, they'll be able to find food. Um, OK. [Daily Mail, 1/4/2022]

Weird Science

Russian biologist Vera Emelianenko stumbled across a strange phenomenon in the snow along the White Sea coast, in the Russian Arctic, in December. Bright blue glowing spots were embedded in the snow, Oddity Central reported, and her feet would leave streaks of blue as she walked. Emelianenko collected a sample and examined it under a microscope, where she found tiny aquatic crustaceans called copepods. When she poked them with a needle, they lighted up blue. The creatures normally live up to 100 meters deep in the ocean, but an expert at the Academy of Science in Moscow thinks they might have been caught in a powerful current that swept them ashore and into the snow. [Oddity Central, 1/5/2022]

Awwwwww

Alfredo Antonio Trujillo was born at 11:45 p.m. on Dec. 31 at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, California. Just 15 minutes later, at 12 a.m. on Jan. 1, his twin sister, Aylin Yolanda Trujillo, made her grand entrance, according to NBC Bay Area. Twins born in different years are a rarity, with the chances being about one in 2 million. "What an amazing way to start the new year!" said Dr. Ana Abril Arias. [NBC Bay Area, 1/3/2022]

Plot Twist

Since 2016, the publishing world has been baffled by a fake insider who tricks authors or editors into sending him unpublished manuscripts, then apparently just keeps them for himself. On Jan. 5, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Filippo Bernardini, 29, was arrested on wire fraud and identity theft charges related to the mystery. ABC News reported that Bernardini, who works for Simon & Schuster in London, allegedly collected hundreds of unpublished works, including those of well-known authors and a Pulitzer Prize-winner. If found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison. [ABC News, 1/5/2022]

Red Tape

Valerie and William Beverley tied the knot in 1995 and then went about their lives, WAVY-TV reported, raising a family in Newport News, Virginia. But when Valerie went to the DMV to get a new driver's license last spring, she still had her maiden name on her Social Security card. A little digging revealed a crucial oversight: The couple had never filed their marriage license with the state. They even filed taxes jointly. So on Dec. 30, 26 years to the day after their first wedding, the Beverleys said their vows again, this time with their son as the best man. And this time, they said, "We're gonna hand-take [the certificate] down to the courthouse to make sure that it gets there." [WAVY, 1/1/2022]

Ewwwww

Young people in Norway are called to military duty to guard NATO's northern borders, and until recently, when they were discharged, they were allowed to take their military-issued underwear with them. But no more, the Guardian reported. COVID-19 has caused supplies to dwindle, so as of Jan. 7, people leaving service are being asked to hand over their unmentionables to be "washed, cleaned and checked," defense logistics spokesman Hans Meisingset said. "What we distribute is in good condition." [Guardian, 1/7/2022]

Rude?

-- Joan Hutchinson, 75, appealed to the Cardiff (Wales) Magistrate Court after her boss at Asda, a supermarket, suggested she might want to retire because of her increasing dementia, Metro News reported. The panel upheld her claims of age and disability discrimination, which may make her eligible for compensation from the store chain. Colleagues noticed that Hutchinson was forgetful and confused when trying to stock items, and her boss, Stacey Weston-Laing, reportedly brought up retirement with her several times. "It made Ms. Hutchinson feel she was being pushed out or that Asda felt she was too old to be there," employment judge Alison Frazer said. Hutchinson had stopped driving after going the wrong way around a roundabout, and she once walked to work because she forgot where the bus stop was. Hutchinson quit her job in response to Weston-Laing's inquiries. [Metro News, 1/6/2022]

-- Cinnamon Clarke and her husband made their regular weekly trip to Firehouse Subs in Ozark, Alabama, WDHN-TV reported on Jan. 7, but when they got home and she opened the sandwich, she saw that her half didn't have any meat. She called the shop and they told her to come back so they could remake the order. But when she got there, the owner refused to make a new sandwich for her. "When I talk to God tonight," the owner said as Clarke recorded him, "I'm going to see if he can come to your house and take you." Clarke was appalled: "It was just a fancy way, a nice way of saying, 'I'm going to pray that you die tonight.'" The Firehouse Subs corporate office told WDHN that the incident would be handled internally. [WDHN, 1/7/2022]

Ever watched a cooking show and wished you could sample the finished product? A professor in Japan has created a prototype TV screen that you can lick to taste a particular food. It works by spraying flavors on a film that rolls over the TV screen, Reuters reported. While such a product might seem misguided during a global pandemic, Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita sees it differently: "The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while staying at home," he said. Miyashita said a commercial version could be made for about $875. [Reuters, 12/23/2021]

Scrooge Is Real

-- Gina Sheldon of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, arrived home from Europe and opened her luggage to find $3,000 of gifts gone, WMUR-TV reported on Dec. 24. The items were "replaced with dog food, an old T-shirt, a shaving cream bottle," Sheldon said; she believes those items were used because they look like a "real luggage product" when scanned. She had spent 11 days in Italy and a few in Paris and believes the switcheroo happened in the baggage area of Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris. Sheldon had bought a leather jacket for her teenager and "these really cute leather wristlet band purses" for other family and friends. Delta Airlines and their partner Air France are looking into the incident. [WMUR, 12/24/2021]

-- In this story, Scrooge is a hyperactive rodent with a bushy tail: The vendor who usually installs holiday lighting at Mears Park in St. Paul, Minnesota, declined to take the job this year after squirrels chewed through the wires in 2020, Lee Ann LaBore, co-chair of the Friends of Mears Park, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "Our vendor reuses the lights, and they can't afford to ... have the squirrels destroy them again," she said. Instead, this year organizers used a projector with kaleidoscopelike moving images of snowflakes. People "want to see the twinkly lights," LaBore said. "Well, we can't have twinkly lights. It was probably this or nothing." [Pioneer Press, 12/21/2021]

Virtual Reality

Pinellas County (Florida) sheriff's deputies stopped a car at 4 a.m. on Dec. 18 for driving without its lights on, The Smoking Gun reported. They arrested the driver, Darius Owens, 27, for DUI and marijuana possession, but the real payoff came when they searched the car and passenger, Patrick Florence, 34. Under the Florence's seat, they found a gun; wrapped around his penis, they discovered baggies holding methamphetamine and cocaine. Florence, who has many felony convictions, denied that the drugs were his, but he wouldn't say who they belonged to. So many questions. [Smoking Gun, 12/20/2021]

Weird Christmas Tradition

Since 1966, the city of Gavle, Sweden, has erected a huge straw goat in its downtown square at Christmastime. The goats are pagan symbols that preceded Santa Claus as a bringer of gifts, the Associated Press reported. But in what has become an adjunct to the town's tradition, the goats have been torched dozens of times during the past 55 years, including this year on Dec. 17. Police arrested a suspect in his 40s who had soot on his hands and matched a description from witnesses. [Associated Press, 12/17/2021]

Thank You, I Think?

According to the Associated Press, Suyin Ting, collections manager for vertebrate paleontology at the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science, is retiring, so researchers in Alabama and South Carolina honored her with a unique gift: They named a prehistoric shark species after her. Carcharhinus tingae lived 40 million years ago and was identified using fossilized teeth in the museum's collection. "I am very honored to be recognized by my peers for my work," said Ting on Dec. 23, her retirement day. [Associated Press, 12/24/2021]

Lovin' It

McDonald's locations in Guangdong and Shanghai, China, are testing new in-store seating: exercise bikes. A spokesperson said the bikes are part of McDonald's Upcycle for Good initiative, which promotes sustainability, United Press International reported. They generate electricity, which customers can use to charge their devices. Oh, and they help customers stay healthier while gobbling a Big Mac and fries. [UPI, 12/28/2021]

The Continuing Crisis

-- On Dec. 26, as bad weather kept Kristin Livdahl and her 10-year-old daughter inside, they looked for some fun challenges to do: "... laying down and rolling over holding a shoe on your foot," for example, Livdahl explained on Twitter. But when the child asked Amazon's Alexa for a challenge, Fox News reported, it suggested she plug a charger cord about halfway into a wall, then hold a penny against the exposed prongs. Fortunately, Livdahl was there with her and yelled, "'No, Alexa, no!' like it was a dog," she said. Later, Livdahl received an email from Amazon, apologizing for the incident and promising to follow up. [Fox News, 12/29/2021]

-- It appears that red-winged parrots in Australia can't hold their liquor, according to Broome Veterinary Hospital in Kimberley. It's the end of mango season, and the ripe fruits are falling to the ground, where they ferment in the sun. The parrots indulge in the boozy treat -- sometimes to their demise, ABC News reported. "A lot of them, unfortunately ... don't make it to the clinic because they pass away before people find them," said veterinarian Paul Murphy. It's not just the alcohol that kills them, but drunken behavior; Murphy said they fly into windows and sit on the ground, where they're vulnerable to predators. [ABC News, 12/18/2021]

Oops

When Olivia Crump tried to leave her apartment in Milledgeville, Georgia, on Dec. 28, she was surprised to find a crucial structure missing: the stairs to the ground floor. According to the Daily Mail, Crump said the management company did not notify her about the stairs being removed for construction. "It was impossible to get down without climbing over the ledge with a ladder or scaling the side with a decent drop below," she said. She and her dog were trapped in the apartment for about four hours, during which the dog almost had an accident. While Crump doesn't plan any legal action, she did note that the absence of stairs could be a fire hazard, and she hopes the management company will compensate tenants for putting them in a dangerous situation. [Daily Mail, 12/29/2021]

Oh, Canada

Two transport trucks full of butter went missing from Trenton, Ontario, on Dec. 26, CTV News reported. Each of the trucks was loaded with about 20,000 kilograms of butter, worth about $200,000 total, the Ontario Provincial Police said. While the trucks were found on Dec. 27, the contents were missing, which begs the question: When will the cookies be ready? [CTV News, 12/29/2021]

Short Fuse

Alvis Parrish, 54, of Jacksonville, Florida, got tired of hearing her boyfriend, William Carter, talk on Dec. 7, so she gave him "just enough" poison in his lemonade to shut him up. Then she called police "so he wouldn't die," clickorlando.com reported. When officers arrived, Parrish was on her front porch, where she was handcuffed. "Do whatever you want," she told them. "If you don't take me, I will kill him." A deputy who spoke to Carter, 61, said he was difficult to interview because he was so tired. Carter said the lemonade tasted funny, then collapsed on the floor. Parrish is facing a charge of poisoning food or water with intent to kill or injure a person. [clickorlando.com, 12/15/2021]