A Marion, Louisiana, resident called police in November to report a trespassing incident on her property, WKRC-TV reported on Jan. 8. When deputies arrived at the home, Elizabeth Sutton, 41, was swimming nude in the resident's pond. At first, Sutton refused to exit the pond, telling officers she was "trying to be a mermaid." When she finally complied, medics evaluated her (because of the cold weather) and tried to lead her indoors. At that point, Sutton charged at a deputy, causing them to use their Taser. She kicked and punched the deputy before being subdued and taken to a hospital. A warrant was issued for her arrest, and on Jan. 6, she surrendered and was charged with several crimes. [WKRC, 1/8/2026]

The Tech Revolution

-- Everything's up to date in Heber City, Utah, where the police department has been trying out an AI program that writes up reports based on body camera footage, Fox13-TV reported on Jan. 4. "I'm saving myself about six to eight hours weekly now," said Sgt. Rick Keel. But one report went a little sideways: The AI said an officer had shape-shifted into a frog. "The body cam software and the AI report writing software picked up on the movie that was playing in the background, which happened to be 'The Princess and the Frog,'" Keel said. "That's when we learned the importance of correcting these AI-generated reports." So much for all that saved time. [Fox13, 1/4/2026]

-- Many hospitals single out the baby born closest to midnight as the new year turns over, as did Lifebridge Health's Carroll Hospital in Westminster, Maryland. WMAR-TV reported that Hudson Oakley Winkler was the star this year, born just after midnight on Jan. 1. Hudson's parents didn't have any problem agreeing on a name for their new son; "Hudson's name was generated and selected using ChatGPT!" the hospital announced. Hudson's parents work in the county's police department and public school system. [WMAR, 1/4/2026]

The Litigious Society

In the new year's oddest legal twist, the National Rifle Association is suing the NRA Foundation, its own charitable arm, for trademark infringement and unfair competition. NBC News reported that on Jan. 5, the NRA alleged that the foundation passed "itself off to donors and the public as the NRA or an authorized NRA affiliate" and "misappropriat(ed) the many millions of dollars that NRA supporters contributed." The lawsuit reveals ongoing internal turmoil within the NRA and its foundation. [NBC News, 1/5/2026]

Buried Treasure

About 500 miles north of Perth, Australia, local Quoin Sellenger got a tip last week from a friend who was diving in the crystal-clear Indian Ocean: There was a safe in the seabed. So, ABC News reported, Sellenger and his daughter headed up to the site. They lifted the heavy box onto the back of their Jet Ski and took it back to land, where he posted a photo on Facebook in search of the owner. Sellenger then recruited his friend Brad to help break into the safe, which was emitting a strong smell. "I was hoping there was like a big gold bar in there, I guess," Sellenger said. But alas, the only treasure was an expired and pungent package of beef jerky. "It's a very well-known reef in Shark Bay, and someone has put it there with the intention of it being found, I believe," Sellenger said. He has handed over the safe to the Western Australia police. [ABC News, 1/6/2026]

Need a Job?

Smithsonian magazine reported on Jan. 7 that the British Museum has a job opening: dedicated treasure hunter. In 2023, the museum revealed that 1,500 of its Greek and Roman artifacts had been stolen, were missing or had been damaged. The items include gems, glass and jewelry dating back to between the 15th and 19th centuries B.C. "We want to get as much staffing as we can to try and push ahead," said Thomas Harrison, head of the museum's Greek and Roman collections. About 600 pieces have been recovered already after being listed on eBay or coming up for auction. No information on the qualifications for such a position, although owning a fedora and whip couldn't hurt. [Smithsonian, 1/7/2026]

Bright Idea

A Chinese shopping center has solved its problem of people smoking in the restrooms, Oddity Central reported on Dec. 31. The Shuibei International Center posted signs reading, "Smoking makes the glass transparent." And sure enough, when smoke is detected, the special doors become see-through. "Resist the urge to smoke, unless you want to become internet famous!" reads another sign. When the glass clears, a loud announcement rings out: "This is a public place where smoking is prohibited. For your own health and the health of others, please do not smoke here." One social media commenter posted, "Smoking in men's restrooms in China is practically ubiquitous. I think this is a great idea." [Oddity Central, 12/31/2025]

Wait, What?

Folks in Camden, New Jersey, head to Donkey's Place for their famous cheesesteaks, but it's another of their icons that has the restaurant in the news. NJ.com reported on Jan. 7 that someone pilfered their walrus baculum -- that'd be a penis bone -- and owner Rob Lucas Jr. wants it back. Lucas said it's a conversation piece and he often lets people guess what it is. Here's how it went down: "The bartender handed it out for them (customers) to figure out what it was," Lucas said. "She went to the back to do something else and then one dude stole it. We got his picture, but I don't think he's from around town." Lucas said he doesn't want to press charges. "We just want the thing back." [NJ.com, 1/7/2026]

Fish Story

Popular Japanese sushi chain Sushizanmai made news on Jan. 5 when its parent company paid $3.24 million for a single bluefin tuna, Reuters reported. It was the highest price ever paid at the Toyosu fish market in Tokyo. "I thought that (the winning bid) would come in a little bit lower," said Kiyoshi Kimura, the company's CEO, who is also known as the Tuna King. The 536-pound fish was transported to the chain's headquarters, then sliced up and distributed to its restaurants. [Reuters, 1/5/2026]

The Way the World Works

A 19-year-old girl identified as Pim sought the wisdom of a fortuneteller in Pataya, Thailand, early on New Year's Day, the Independent reported. The sage, 38, told her that she would meet with misfortune and lose something valuable, and he suggested she pay him to avert the bad luck. She declined and walked away -- then realized her iPhone was missing. Pim went back to the spot where the fortuneteller was working and confronted the man, who said the missing phone was proof of his accuracy. Bystanders stepped in and found the phone in the fortuneteller's bag, and police were called. Pim's phone was returned to her, and the shyster was taken into custody. [Independent, 1/2/2026]

Well, This Is Awkward

CTV News reported on Jan. 6 that a Toronto-based sex toy store received a return of "adult items" accompanied by a letter from the U.S. Department of Defense. It seems the products had ended up on a U.S. naval base in Bahrain -- a big no-no. "Please notify the sender that pornographic materials or devices are not allowed in the Kingdom of Bahrain," the letter read. "We didn't even know it was going to Bahrain until it came back to us months later," said Bonjibon owner Grace Bennett, 34. "It just kind of unraveled this whole hilarious moment." She wonders if the soldiers stationed there know that such products are off-limits. "This sounds like a you problem," she said. "I'm sad they didn't get their order." [CTV News, 1/6/2026]

A 38-year-old man named Sergei who was taking part in a corporate holiday party at the Igra Stolov "Game of Tables" cooking studio in Moscow was rushed to surgery after drinking a cocktail that ruptured his stomach, Metro UK reported on Dec. 25. The liquid nitrogen-infused drink was part of a "cryo-show" being put on by one of the culinary school's chefs. Liquid nitrogen is used by chefs and mixologists to flash-chill drinks and provide dramatic effects, but because the liquid expands rapidly into a gas when exposed to room temperatures, it's critical that the drinks are not consumed before the nitrogen has had a chance to fully evaporate. Witnesses at the Moscow event claimed they were given no warnings by the chef or staff of the danger the cocktail presented. Sergei underwent surgery and remained in serious condition at the time of the report. [Metro UK, 12/25/2025]

Lost & Found

Residents of Ogmore-by-Sea, Wales, were understandably puzzled when hundreds of small, hobnailed shoes began washing up on the local beach, the BBC reported on Dec. 23. The mystery only grew deeper when expert analysis revealed that the shoes were from the Victorian era. The working theory is that an Italian cargo ship from that time, known to have sunk just off the coast, has finally decayed enough to release some of its valuables to the ocean currents. The small size of the footwear is likely due to the fact that "people had much smaller feet in those days," said local mudlarker Lara Maiklem. (The hobby of mudlarking involves scouring riverbanks for historical artifacts.) [BBC, 12/23/2025]

Mixed Messages

After denying requests for a number of vanity license plates on the grounds that the requested tags were obscene or inflammatory, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias created a YouTube video in which he read off some of his favorites, including "IBPOOPN," "SNDNUDZ," "BDASMOM" and "ICUP." WBEZ Chicago reported that while Giannoulias and his staff appreciate the creativity of the state's drivers, he advises them to "keep it clean and avoid ending up on the naughty list." [WBEZ, 12/22/2025]

It Takes a Village

It's not a baby boom, but it's a start: Lara Bussi Trabucco is the first baby to have been born in the tiny rural Italian town of Pagliara dei Marsi in almost 30 years, The Guardian reported on Dec. 26. Lara's arrival bumped the village's population to roughly 20. "Pagliara dei Marsi has been suffering from drastic depopulation, exacerbated by the loss of many elderly people, without any generational turnover," said Mayor Giuseppina Perozzi. Lara's mother, Cinzia Trabucco, 42, lived in Rome for years before moving to her grandfather's hometown for a quieter lifestyle. Birth rates in Italy have been falling for 16 years, reaching a record low in 2024, per the country's statistics agency. Government incentives and “baby bonuses” can only do so much, leaving parents and communities struggling as nurseries, schools and even maternity wards close down. In this landscape, little Lara has become a symbol of hope -- and a tourist attraction, says her mom: "People who didn't even know Pagliara dei Marsi existed have come, only because they had heard about Lara. At just 9 months old, she's famous." [The Guardian, 12/26/2025]

Animal Antics

Ken Johnson has been living with a 550-pound black bear under his home in Altadena, California, since November, reported Fox 12 Oregon on Dec. 22. After weeks of attempting to scare the ursine squatter off with loud noises and fake dog barks, Johnson got a little help from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which set up a cage trap near the crawl space and sprayed it with caramel and cherry scents to lure the bear inside. In a classic case of "good news, bad news," the cage was successful, in that it captured a bear, but unsuccessful, in that it was not THE bear, but rather a different bear that had wandered onto Johnson's property. That bear was relocated and released, but Johnson's unwanted guest remains. "I thought this would be over by now," Johnson said. "It's still going on, and there's no sign of him leaving." [KCAL, 12/22/2025]

Face the Music

At least he left an entertaining note. Buzzy Levine, owner of Lark Street Music in New Jersey, enlisted the help of the public by posting surveillance video of a theft that took place in his store on Dec. 22, but it turns out, he needn't have bothered. WABC-7 NY reported on Dec. 29 that the shoplifter, seen in the video stuffing two mandolins (worth about $4,000 apiece) into his parka and exiting the store, returned the instruments four days later, along with a box of chocolates and a handwritten note that read, "SORRY, I BEEN DRUNK, MERRY CHRISTMAS You are a good man." "I suspect that a friend of his or his mom said, 'Hey,'" Levine said. Police are looking for the suspect and still plan to press charges. [WABC-7, 12/29/2025]

Good Intentions

Steven Pavlik, 63, of Stuart, Florida, is facing charges of aggravated assault and resisting arrest after his stint as a Salvation Army bell-ringer went very much awry on Dec. 23, WFLA reported. Pavlik was stationed in front of a Publix grocery store on Kanner Highway before "Drunk ringing, belligerent tidings and assault took him from bell duty to booking blotter after a full blown charity tirade," the Martin Country Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post recounting the incident. Having become intoxicated during the course of his charitable work, Pavlik began confronting passersby, who informed the Publix store manager; when the manager came outside to discuss the complaints with the inebriated volunteer, Pavlik attempted to impale the manager with the donation kettle tripod, then fled. The manager was uninjured, and Pavlik was arrested at his home. [WFLA, 12/26/2025]

Dude, Where's My Seafood?

The FBI is on the case of a $400,000 shipment of lobsters that has gone missing, Boston.com reported on Dec. 30. The truck and its valuable cargo disappeared somewhere between its departure point at a warehouse in Taunton, Massachusetts, and its destinations at Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota. "It followed a pattern we’re seeing more and more," said Dylan Rexing, president and CEO of Rexing Companies, "where criminals impersonate legitimate carriers using spoofed emails and burner phones to hijack high-value freight while it’s in transit." U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement estimates that the U.S. economy loses $15-35 billion annually to cargo theft, with high-value items like pharmaceuticals, electronics and alcohol among the most frequent targets. [Boston.com, 12/30/2025]

Bad Idea

A 38-year-old man was arrested on Dec. 20 in Aukland, New Zealand, for checking all of the wrong boxes, 1News TVNZ reported. Using flashing lights on the roof of his station wagon to pull over other motorists? Check. Attempting to pull over an unmarked police car? Check. Fleeing the scene upon realizing his huge mistake? Check. And finally, failing a breath test once the police caught up with him? Check. The impaired impersonator's breath analysis registered at twice the legal limit, adding a charge of excess breath alcohol to the already serious charge of impersonating a police officer. "It's bad enough that this person thought it was okay to impersonate a police car," Inspector Kerry Watson said. "It's even worse to see impaired and dangerous driving." [1News TVNZ, 12/21/2025]

It's a Mystery

In Beeston, Nottinghamshire, England, locals are perplexed about a monthly offering at the corner of Abbey Road and Wensor Avenue, United Press International reported on Jan. 6. Starting over a year ago, on the second day of each month, a plate heaped high with peeled bananas has appeared at the intersection. Resident Clare Short said she put up a sign reading, "Please, respectfully, no more bananas! The uncollected plates and rotting bananas leave such a mess." But on Jan. 2, a new plate appeared. "I think it's a special thing for someone, and I wish them well," Short said, adding that she has taken down her sign. "But if they could come back and clean up the mess a few days later that would be lovely." [UPI, 1/6/2025]

News That Sounds Like a Joke

A high school teacher in Queensland, Australia, has taken to identifying as a cat, 7News-TV reported on Feb. 10. "Miss Purr," as she prefers to be known, teaches at Marsden State High School, where she "screeches and growls when (her students) don't listen," one person posted on Facebook. She also hisses and licks the backs of her hands during class and wears a headband with cat ears. One concerned mother said Miss Purr had made her daughter "purr for a lolly." The Department of Education said the school was aware of the complaints and the principal is speaking with the teacher. [7News, 2/10/2025]

It's a Dirty Job

Nath Wyld is a star at Magic Men, a strip club in Prahran, Australia -- or at least, he was, until he discovered a more lucrative line of work. Metro News reported on Feb. 10 that Wyld makes about 20,000 pounds a year by posting videos of himself passing gas on TikTok. The onetime carpenter joined OnlyFans in 2017 and soon made enough with his X-rated videos to quit his daytime job. About two years in, he got a request for a fart video, which he initially refused. "I was blown away (no pun intended) by the demand and I have been making them ever since," Wyld said. "Some want to see my facial expressions; others just want to see me from far away," he said of the custom videos he makes. Wyld said he "starts bloated -- kind of part of the process -- and go through the video until I feel lighter by the end. ... I've been doing this long enough to know that everyone's into their own thing, and that's cool." [Metro News, 2/10/2025]

You Again?

Rescues are not uncommon on Mount Fuji, but one climber may have used up all the good will of the Shizouka prefectural police, who were called to save the man near the mountain's peak twice in a span of four days. The imprudent adventurer, a 27-year-old Chinese student living in Japan, began suffering from altitude sickness and was airlifted to safety after calling authorities on April 22; the Associated Press reported that he returned to the mountain on April 26 "to look for his cellphone and other belongings left behind," according to police. When another climber found him suffering altitude sickness and unable to move, authorities were called in to rescue him once again. There is no penalty for climbing Mount Fuji during the offseason, and no charge associated with being rescued -- even twice in the same week. [The Associated Press, 4/28/2025]

Awesome!

As of May 18, Landerneau, France, holds the distinction of being home to the largest gathering of people dressed as Smurfs, United Press International reported. Perhaps because of excitement about an upcoming Smurfs movie, the town gathered 3,076 costumed people together, breaking a record set in Germany in 2019. "Schtroumpfs," as they are known in France, were created by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford. [UPI, 5/19/2025]

Queen

Olivia Jaquith co-anchors the WRGB-TV morning news in Albany, New York, with Julia Dunn, United Press International reported. On May 21, the pair shared some truly breaking news: At 4:15 a.m., Jaquith's water had broken, but she went to work, and the show went on with her in the anchor seat. Jaquith, who was two days past her due date, said it was "early labor" and her contractions were far apart, but she headed to the hospital after the broadcast. [UPI, 5/22/2025]

Saw That Coming

The Madison (Wisconsin) Fire Department responded to a boozy blaze on June 15, WMTV reported. Someone reported an oven fire around 6 p.m.; the caller told firefighters they had been cooking a turkey for about eight minutes when the oven door blew open. First responders removed the oven from the apartment, and the fire went out. They later learned the turkey had been marinated in tequila, and they believe the accumulated vapors from the alcohol were not properly vented from the oven, which caused the fire. No one was hurt (except the turkey). [WMTV, 6/16/2025]

Creme de la Weird

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]

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]

Defies Categorization

In Manchester, England, a band called Bionic and the Wires is on the cutting edge of fun-guy (fungi) music, Metro News reported on Sept. 2. Jon Ross and Andy Kidd are producing music by attaching sensors to mushrooms and plants to turn their electrical signals into musical notes. The sensors are attached to bionic arms, which strike the instruments. The different organisms create different beats. "It's a really good way to connect with (plants and mushrooms) and a really sort of emotional experience," Ross said. [Metro News, 9/2/2025]

The Aristocrats

As if the idea of toddlers driving motor vehicles wasn't breathtaking enough, now you can purchase a luxury car for your wee one, Oddity Central reported on Oct. 1. For the low, low price of $49,000, your tot can proudly sport around in a Russian-made scaled-down Mercedes-Benz SL300 with a top speed of 28 mph. The model, popular in the 1950s and '60s, features adjustable leather seats, functional lights and a subwoofer, for the kids' refined listening tastes. Happy motoring! [Oddity Central, 10/1/2025]

Just Had to Know

Friends, acquaintances and other mourners at a funeral in Konchi, a village in Bihar, India, were stunned when Mohan Lal, the man whose funeral they were attending, rose and began taking part in the rituals of the Hindu service. Metro UK reported that the 74-year-old Lal, a retired Air Force veteran, is well-respected in Konchi for his work within the community -- which, oddly enough, includes helping to fund and build a crematorium for the rainy seasons -- but all of that goodwill didn't stop Lal from carrying through his plan. "I wanted to witness it myself and see how much respect and affection people give me," Lal said. Reactions varied from shock to confusion to relief, but Lal was able to calm things down by throwing a feast for the attendees. [Metro UK, 10/18/2025]