Fire investigators in British Columbia, Canada, discovered an unlikely culprit in a brush fire that knocked out power in the town of Ashcroft on July 30: a hungry osprey. Ashcroft Fire Rescue posted on social media that the peckish avian pulled a large fish from a river about two miles away, but as it labored to fly with its super-sized meal in the July heat, it became tired and eventually dropped the fish ... directly onto a power line, which sparked the blaze in the dry grass below. NBC Bay Area reported that it took about 4,800 gallons of water to stop the fire -- quite a lot of trouble over a bird whose eyes were bigger than its stomach. "Another suspicion could be that it's tired of raw fish and wanted to give cooked a try," the post from Ashcroft Fire Rescue said. [NBC Bay Area, 8/5/2025]

New World Order

A zoo in northern Denmark has made an unsettling request of pet owners in Aalborg, the Associated Press reported. In a July 31 Facebook post, the zoo suggested, "If you have an animal that has to leave here for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us." Not for a domestic pet display, mind you. The zoo is planning to "gently euthanize" the donated animals and feed them to its predators. Zoo officials said they're trying to mimic the natural food chain, calling out specifically guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens as preferred donations. "That way, nothing goes to waste -- and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators," the post read. [AP, 8/4/2025]

Sports Whiplash

On July 31, as the Tampa Bay Rays battled the New York Yankees in the Bronx, one player ended up "winning today regardless," the Associated Press reported. Jose Caballero, 28, started the game with the Rays and played through the sixth inning. But during the seventh-inning stretch, he was traded to the Yankees. The deal was announced after the rain-delayed game, which the Yankees won. Caballero reportedly hugged his Tampa teammates in the dugout, then turned up in the Yankees clubhouse to conduct his post-game interview. [AP, 7/31/2025]

Bright Idea

In the Hautes-Vosges region of France, farmers have become discouraged with the lack of help from the law regarding squatters who appear in camping vans and park illegally on private property. So, The Economic Times reported on Aug. 4, the farmers unleashed the power of the poo on the interlopers. Six tractors circled around the campers and released slurry -- a mixture of manure and water -- that's used to fertilize the soil. "We've had enough," one farmer said. "If no one listens, we make ourselves heard another way." [Economic Times, 8/4/2025]

Easy There, Leadfoot

A driver on Germany's famed Autobahn was issued a $1,000 fine and had his license suspended for three months, CNN reported, after he exceeded the speed limit by 124 mph on July 28. Speed limit? On the Autobahn? Yes, while the motorway is known worldwide as a de facto raceway where drivers can go as fast as they please, it has stretches where speed limits are posted and enforced. German police said the motorist was clocked at over 199 mph on the A2 highway near Burg, a portion of the Autobahn where the limit is 74.5 mph. [CNN, 8/8/2025]

The Bear Jar

For more than a week, residents of northwest Wisconsin had been riveted by sightings of a hapless yet elusive bear with a jar stuck on her head. “The bear had been identified plenty of times ... but by the time anyone got there that could help, she was gone,” said Erik Donley of Duluth. Donley and his nieces were arriving at their family cabin when the bear came out of the woods near them. Understandably scared, the youngest niece locked the cabin doors -- briefly leaving her poor uncle outside. The family called wildlife authorities, then Donley went back outside to follow the bear from a safe distance and prevent her from disappearing again. The USDA soon arrived, tranquilized the bear and finally -- finally -- removed that stubborn jar. Authorities said the creature was underweight for this time of year, but has been safely relocated and is expected to recover. [Northern News Now, 8/4/2025]

Climb Every Mountain

To be awarded a scholarship for college, most prospective students must write a killer essay, but South Korean students with the right lofty aspirations can take a hike. Literally. According to UPI, Seoul National University offers a scholarship of up to $540 to students who climb any six mountains in the Blackyak Apline Club's 100 Famous Mountains and 100+ Famous Mountains lists, excluding those traversed by cable car or gondola. Students must use the Blackyak app to prove they hiked the mountains. The Misan Mountain Hiking Scholarship, which is funded by alumnus Kwon Jun-ha, 81, is highly competitive -- only 70 spots are available, but 1,400 students applied for it during the open period from July 8-18. "The scholarship reflects the donor's desire to foster healthy individuals with a spirit of challenge and community spirit," the school said. [UPI, 8/4/2025]

No Fans of Drama

Farmers near Yellowstone National Park, struggling with wolves attacking their livestock but prohibited from harming the protected animals, have turned to technology -- and Hollywood -- for help in keeping the predators away. Yahoo News reported on Aug. 4 that quadcopter drones equipped with speakers blaring AC/DC songs and audio from a Scarlett Johansson movie had been dispatched in the ongoing fight. Per the USDA, "people arguing is a distressing sound for wolves, and so the fight scene between Johansson and Adam Driver in the 2019 movie 'Marriage Story' is a perfect deterrent." The music and film clips seem to be working: Since their deployment, the number of cows killed by wolves in southern Oregon has fallen from 11 over a 20-day period to two over the next 85 days. [Yahoo, 8/4/2025]

Close Call

On June 25, members of the Seattle Kraken hockey team, on a fly-fishing trip at Brooks Falls at Katmai National Park, Alaska, drew the unwanted attention of a bear on the prowl for food. Multiple outlets report that center John Hayden and the team's mascot, Buoy -- who was in full costume -- were in the water when their guide spotted the bear and moved the group. The bear took a sudden interest in Buoy and charged toward him briefly before stopping and turning around. "I want to blame it on Buoy," Hayden joked. "They were pretty interested in his look." No one was harmed in the encounter, and other team members were unfazed. Meanwhile, the whole situation has drawn the ire of PETA, who sent a strongly worded letter filled with hockey puns, detailing the harm that fishing for sport does to fish, even when they are thrown back, and urging the team to "bench their fishing rods for good." [Fox News, 8/7/2025]

Never Heard of Him

St. Jude the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Erie, Pennsylvania, holds a Corvette raffle every year to raise money for the parish, and in 2024, one "Martin Anderson" came away with the top prize. But on Aug. 6, the Erie Times-News reported that an investigation by the Erie County District Attorney's Office discovered that no such person exists. Father Ross Miceli is under investigation for making up the name of the winner as well as winners of other prizes. The church declined to comment but acknowledged there was an active criminal investigation underway. The reverend has been placed on administrative leave. [Erie Times-News, 8/6/2025]

When a certain intern started her summer job at Sidley Austin in New York City, she made her mark by biting another employee -- for which she was not immediately fired, Inc. magazine reported on July 28. Nope, the law firm tolerated the behavior through five victims, presumably because the biter was "otherwise personable and there was some reluctance to elevate the matter." However, employment attorney Dan Schwartz said that even if she has a disability that compels her to bite other people, "The ADA does not protect an employee at the expense of another employee." Vampire lawyers, indeed. [Inc., 7/28/2025]

Wait, What?

As Albert Cutler was driving home from church on July 27, he noticed a bald eagle flying over the highway in Okauchee Lake, Wisconsin. The eagle was carrying a fish -- until it wasn't, and as Cutler watched the fish fall, he wondered if he had hit it with his car, Fox6-TV reported. Upon arriving home, Cutler's daughter located the fish, stuck in the grill of his truck. The largemouth bass went into the family's fridge, and Cutler said it's the "biggest bass" he's ever caught. [Fox6, 7/27/2025]

Repeat Offender

In August 2023, News of the Weird reported the arrest of Calese Carron Crowder of Glendale, California, for the unusual fetish of butt-sniffing. Now he's back in the news: According to KTLA-TV, Crowder was arrested on July 22 at a Walmart in Burbank after he crouched behind a woman at Nordstrom Rack and "inappropriately sniff(ed) her buttocks." Crowder, who's a frequent flyer with Los Angeles County, was on active parole for his previous offenses and had his bail set at $100,000. "He needs to be put away for good," said one alleged victim. [KTLA, 7/25/2025]

Irony

The U.S. Coast Guard's newest recruiting office is open -- in Omaha, Nebraska. KETV reported on July 19 that the USCG's goal is to increase its workforce by 15,000 over the next few years, so they're heading inland. The Omaha office will serve a landlocked region including parts of Iowa, South Dakota and Kansas. "If we're not here, then (people) have to travel hundreds of miles, sometimes get on a plane to go to a recruiting office," said Gregory Watson, recruiter in charge. [KETV, 7/19/2025]

Animal Antics

-- Visitors to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming responded in a surprising way to a wily fox nicknamed the Sneaker Snatcher, The New York Times reported on July 17. The National Park Service posted "wanted" signs to warn campers that a fox was stealing shoes from campsites, but as the total number of shoes ballooned to 32, park staff realized people were intentionally leaving their footwear accessible to the four-legged Jesse James -- "just in case he visits." A video posted to Instagram pleads with visitors: "Don't bait wildlife with belongings. Feeding or encouraging wildlife can put animals at risk," the park advised. [NY Times, 7/17/2025]

-- Early on July 26, as Katherine Vanbuskirk let her dogs out on her deck in Somerville, Massachusetts, a raccoon jumped at her, clawing her face and scratching her arms as she tried to fight it off, WFXT-TV reported. Vanbuskirk was able to get away from the raccoon and close her deck door, and she called 911. "I just encountered a monster," she said. "All I could do was scream, 'Help me! Help me!'" She was treated with antibiotics and rabies shots at the hospital. [WFXT, 7/28/2025]

Bright Idea

In an unlikely brand extension, Coors Brewing Co. is pitching Dura Chill, an underarm deodorant that should be refrigerated before application, KDVR-TV reported on July 29. The limited-edition hygiene product is said to smell like the breezes of the Rocky Mountains. "Coors Light is all about helping people 'Choose Chill,'" said Marcelo Pascoa, vice president of marketing for the brand. "Dura Chill is like giving your underarms their own ice-cold beer." The deodorant, available on the company's website, sells for $14.99 and is limited to two per household. [KDVR, 7/29/2025]

Please Remain Calm

At the Savannah River Site nuclear facility in Aiken, South Carolina, a team found a nest of wasps near a tank on July 3, WCVB-TV reported on July 30. The nest was sprayed, then checked for radioactivity, reading at 100,000 dpm -- about 10 times the level of radiation allowed by federal regulations. The nest was bagged as radiological waste, and officials said the surrounding area was uncontaminated. The Savannah River Site became an EPA Superfund site in 1989 and no longer has functioning reactors. [WCVB, 7/30/2025]

The Tech Revolution

CBS News reported on July 25 that an unnamed man in Argentina won a court appeal against Google for "harm to his dignity" after the company's Street View camera captured him walking around his yard naked. The dispute began in 2017, when the man and his house, with the house number clearly visible, were posted to Google's system. He said the images exposed him to ridicule at work and among his neighbors. A lower court ruled against him, saying he was "walking around in inappropriate conditions in the garden of his home," but appeals judges disagreed and awarded him about $12,500. "The invasion of privacy is blatant," they wrote. [CBS News, 7/25/2025]

Only You Can Prevent Stupidity

When an unnamed man got caught after stealing Smokey Bear signs from state forests in Florida, Smokey himself was on hand to aid in the arrest, WTSP-TV reported on July 31. Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said the suspect had traveled from Pensacola to Orlando, lifting the signs and posting them on Facebook Marketplace for $1,900 each. Smokey held the door open for the perp as he entered the patrol truck and was seen in the driver's seat after the arrest. [WTSP, 7/31/2025]

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

After the large earthquake on July 29 in western Russia, tsunami warnings were communicated all the way to the U.S. West Coast. A Norwegian Cruise Lines ship docked at Hilo, Hawaii, took heed and left the port for the safety of its guests. But a group of passengers who were still on shore got the warning of the ship's departure too late, KHON-TV reported. Eric Anderson and his father were separated from their family, who had gone back to the ship. Anderson said the ship had texted that it would leave at 4 p.m., but it departed closer to 3:30. Fortunately, local residents transported the stranded passengers to Waiakea High School, where they spent the night. They were reunited with their families on July 30 after the warnings were canceled. [KHON, 7/30/2025]

Police Report

Boy, Chuck E. Cheese is a hotbed of weird behavior these days. This week's installment involves a brawl that took place on July 26 at a location in Mobile, Alabama. WKRG-TV reported that witnesses said about 20 people were fighting because a teenage boy "got upset about something." "They started fighting as I was walking by," said a girl who was hit in the face, "and then they punched me on accident." The Mobile Police Department is investigating by watching surveillance video and reaching out to those involved. Public Information Officer Roderick Miles advised that people in such circumstances "try to do something that's going to result in better decisions than fighting at a freaking Chuck E. Cheese." [WKRG, 7/30/2025]

Neil Hopper, 49, a vascular surgeon from Truro, England, has been the subject of a 2 1/2-year investigation after he allegedly tried to defraud two insurance companies, The Guardian reported on July 23. Devon and Cornwall police said that in 2019 he "made a false representation to insurers, namely the injuries to his legs were the result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted." Hopper is accused of amputating his own legs in the scheme, hoping to gain $320,000 from one company and $314,000 from the other. Before his legal problems, he was shortlisted in the European Space Agency's search for an astronaut with a disability. He was scheduled to reappear in court on Aug. 26. [Guardian, 7/23/2025]

Saw That Coming

Or not. Several victims reported on July 19 that they had been subjected to an involuntary "golden shower" at The Landing in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Smoking Gun reported that 30-year-old Matthew Day "entered the rooftop bar ... and urinated from the balcony onto the sidewalk," according to police, with urine striking people on the ground. Security officers saw the incident and showed Day the door; he was charged with disorderly conduct and released on $500 bond. [The Smoking Gun, 7/21/2025]

The Tech Revolution

The South Florida Water Management District is working with the University of Florida to develop a new strategy for managing invasive pythons in the Everglades, WFLA-TV reported on July 23. Solar-powered toy bunnies that emit heat and are equipped with cameras are alerting staff to python activity, which sends them out to capture and euthanize the snakes. The district said it is "committed to protecting this delicate ecosystem." [WFLA, 7/23/2025]

Clothing Optional

A couple in Oklahoma City were startled by a "big, fat, naked, crazy guy" entering their home around 6 p.m. on July 21, KFOR-TV reported. Homeowner Blake Overstreet said the perp, Korey Sisco, was 6-feet-2 and 400 pounds. When Overstreet and his wife pointed a gun at him, Sisco exited through the back door and skipped to the neighborhood pond, where he jumped in. "It was very strange," Overstreet said. He noted the pond is full of snakes and snapping turtles. Sisco lingered in the pond for about an hour until police coaxed him out. [KFOR, 7/23/2025]

Fashion Faux Paw

For more than a year, Natasha Lavoie of British Columbia has been receiving phone calls about her missing cat, Torbo, United Press International reported. Problem is, her cat's name is Mauser and is very much not missing. The mix-up mystery was finally traced to a T-shirt sold by Wisdumb NY, which features a lost cat poster that includes Lavoie's phone number. Wisdumb NY said the shirt is no longer available and the "use of a real number within the art created was not intentional." But Lavoie doesn't want to change her number. "I've had my number for 20 years," she said. "I'll just keep not answering." [UPI, 7/18/2025]

News You Can Use

-- For five days every summer, a flotilla of rowboats is unleashed on the River Thames in London, where carefully selected, scarlet-coated oarsmen are tasked with Swan Upping -- a census of the swans, the Associated Press reported. These swans belong to the Lord of the Swans, otherwise known as King Charles III, and they must be marked and checked for disease or injury. Veteran King's Swan Marker David Barber sees the ritual as more than tradition: "I think it's serving a very useful purpose. It gives us an indication of what's going on throughout the country." The census dates back to the 12th century, when swans were important food sources for royal banquets. [AP, 7/14/2025]

-- The National Police Agency in Japan is urgently warning parents and others about a "Real Gimmick Mini Revolver" found among the prizes in claw machines around the country, Oddity Central reported. The plastic toy, which comes with eight plastic bullets, reportedly can also fire real bullets. Sixteen thousand of the toys have been imported from China since December; the added danger is that shooting a live bullet could cause the plastic firearm to blow up in the shooter's hand. [Oddity Central, 7/23/2025]

Truth Is Stranger Than Netflix

On July 19, 36-year-old Stephen Blasetti allegedly stole a boat and took it for a joyride on the Hudson River in New York, WABC-TV reported. Blasetti, notably, wasn't wearing any clothes when he committed the theft, for which he was charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and reckless endangerment. He was admitted to New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia in New York for a psychiatric evaluation, but early on July 23, Blasetti slipped out of his handcuffs as the police officer guarding him slept, borrowed a doctor's lab coat and left the hospital. He was last seen on surveillance video walking down a sidewalk, barefooted. [WABC, 7/23/2025]

It's Come to This

At the Ryde Hotel in California, Fox5 Atlanta reported, peacocks and peahens are part of the appeal as they wander about the property. But on July 20, after a guest reported seeing two men loading one of the birds into a cage in a pickup truck bed, the hotel's general manager, David Nielsen, initiated a count of the flock, realizing that only four of about 15 remained. "We're not sure why anyone would do anything like this," he said -- but the male birds are valued at about $2,000 and the females at $1,000. The colorful birds have become tame and like pets to the staff of the hotel. Police are depending on tips from the public to locate the animals. [Fox5 Atlanta, 7/23/2025]

Ewwwww!

Leanna Coy, a flight attendant based in Connecticut, couldn't help but share the yuck factor after she made a discovery on the floor of a plane, the New York Post reported on July 24. "Those are toenails," she captioned a TikTok post. "The passenger clipped their toenails mid-flight and left them." Commenters had no empathy for the long-in-the-toenail flyer: "No-fly list!" said one. "What dirtbag did this?" asked another. [NY Post, 7/24/2025]

Great Art

People magazine reported on July 24 that 33-year-old Jane Labowitch of Maryland is making a living, and a name for herself, with her Etch-a-Sketch art. Labowitch's subjects include Russia's St. Basil's Cathedral and Grant Wood's "American Gothic." She said when she was little, her grandmother wouldn't let her watch TV as much as she wanted, so with her Etch-a-Sketch, she just "started from staircases." She hopes the classic toy "isn't going anywhere. I think that it's got a lot left to give the world." [People, 7/24/2025]

Suspicions Confirmed

On July 23 in Tallahassee, Florida, police took a famous mouse into custody: Chuck E. Cheese. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that Mr. Cheese, aka Jermell Jones, had been fingered as the person who stole a patron's credit card in June and made fraudulent purchases with it. When police arrived at the famous restaurant, Jones, wearing his giant costume mouse head, was handcuffed and escorted out the front door in front of patrons young and old. Officers found the stolen credit card in his possession. [Tallahassee Democrat, 7/24/2025]