Gregory Saxton, 35, of New Virginia, Iowa, interviewed for a deputy position with the Warren County Sheriff's Office, which included a pre-employment polygraph screening, KCRG-TV reported on Feb. 23. During the screening, Saxton admitted that he had viewed child pornography on the dark web. On Feb. 19, investigators executed a search warrant for Saxton's phone, and he was arrested at his home and charged with 13 counts of possessing child pornography. [KCRG, 2/23/2026]

Hero

Reuters reported on Feb. 24 that during the first half of a football match in Zeytinburnu, Turkey, a ball kicked high into the air struck a seagull that happened to be flying by, knocking it to the ground. Istanbul Yurdum Spor team captain Gani Catan rushed to the fallen bird and began CPR on its little chest -- which worked! The gull began to move, and Catan took it to the medical staff on the sideline for further care. While his team lost the match, Catan had no regrets. "Helping save a life is a good thing," he said. "This was more important than the championship." [Reuters, 2/24/2026]

Mystery Unsolved

The Rockingham (North Carolina) County Sheriff's Department announced on Feb. 20 that it had located a woman who went missing in Virginia on Dec. 9, 2001, Cleveland19-TV reported. Michele Hundley Smith, now 62, kissed her kids goodnight and left her home to do some Christmas shopping around 8:30 p.m. She was not seen again. Detectives said they had "received new information" about her and made contact with her, but Smith requested that her whereabouts remain a secret. Netflix, are you getting this? [Cleveland19, 2/22/2026]

The Tech Revolution

Kaiya Reel of East Hollywood, California, ordered food for delivery, KTLA-TV reported on Feb. 22, but the Coco robot device that brought her dinner ran into some problems (literally). Reel said she was inside her home when she heard a commotion outside; "I came out here and found the Coco in my garden. It had got my fence caught up in its wheel ... then just drove away with the fence attached to it," Reel said. "I chased after it and looked like a total crazy person." The company that runs the Coco robots is going to reimburse Reel for the damage to her garden; apparently, it's not Coco's first rodeo with deliveries going amok. One ran into an ambulance, and another knocked over a parked motorcycle. [KTLA, 2/22/2026]

News You Can Use

The Nantucket Current reported on Feb. 19 that the island's occupants are having a MUCH BETTER time than you are, at least if wastewater data are your gauge. Eight months' worth of readings show that levels of cocaine in Nantucket's sewage are three times higher than the national average. Interestingly, levels of other drugs, such as meth and fentanyl, are lower than the national average. Nantucket Police Chief Jody Kasper said her department is focusing on illicit drugs in general, not just cocaine. "They have made a dent, but we certainly understand that the narcotics industry is the supply and demand industry, so that we need to stay on top of it," she said. [Nantucket Current, 2/19/2026]

Overkill

The Pocono (Pennsylvania) Mountain Regional Police are looking for Sean McDermott -- no, not the former Buffalo Bills coach, but a resident of a townhouse in Pocono Pines who is suspected of starting a fire that spread to other units. WPVI-TV reported that on Feb. 23, a witness said McDermott, 36, set multiple small fires in his own home to try to kill spiders. He allegedly had a small smoldering fire on his floor and placed a loveseat over it. The witness said he tried to put out the fires, but McDermott kept setting more. They left the scene, and when they returned it was fully engulfed. McDermott escaped in a U-Haul and is still at large. [WPVI, 2/24/2026]

Recurring Theme

When a 12-year-old in Monroe, North Carolina, missed the bus to school on Feb. 18, he made the obvious choice to just drive himself. The Charlotte Observer reported that a Monroe police officer made a traffic stop around 8:30 a.m. and discovered the middle-schooler behind the wheel. A school resource officer from Monroe Middle School transported the boy to school "without further incident," officers said. The state's social services department is following up with the family. [Charlotte Observer, 2/19/2026]

The Continuing Crisis

Drivers of two vehicles waiting at a stoplight in Omaha, Nebraska, on Feb. 24 suddenly found themselves staring at the sky, KETV reported. An SUV and a pickup truck suddenly fell into a sinkhole several feet deep; neither driver was hurt, but the SUV driver needed help from bystanders getting out of the hole. Omaha Public Works said the sinkhole was caused by an underground pressurized water leak. [KETV, 2/24/2026]

The Litigious Society

In a lawsuit filed on Feb. 19, Dennis and Patricia Swartz are seeking $150,000 in damages -- each -- from an incident in February 2025. The Independent reported that the couple were dining at LongHorn Steakhouse in Madison, Tennessee, when a "decorative object" (a large set of antlers) fell from the wall above them and struck them both. The lawsuit alleges the object was "improperly and inadequately secured to the wall of the premises" and the owner of LongHorn, Darden Restaurants, was negligent. The suit does not outline the Swartzes' injuries, but says they have suffered lasting "mental anguish" and "severe personal damages." [The Independent, 2/24/2026]

Government in Action

Long Island, New York, grandfather Seth Bykofsky went straight to the top after he was denied renewal on his car's vanity plate, United Press International reported on Feb. 26. The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles said in a letter that his plate -- PB4WEGO -- was in violation of their regulations. Bykofsky did not agree. "In all my years as a parent and now grandparent, the worst I've gotten has been a gentle roll of the eyes from my kids and grandkids," he said. Eventually, the dispute made it to Gov. Kathy Hochul, who spoke with Bykofsky on the phone. She called the plate's message "an important lesson." "We'll get it back for you," she told him. [UPI, 2/26/2026]

Field Report

Ronaldo, a man from Cascavel, Brazil, was walking to work when two vicious dogs attacked him, Ratopati reported on Feb. 26. The dogs lunged at his neck, and as he fought them off, one bit down on the cellphone in his shorts pocket, which turned out to be fortuitous: The phone exploded, scaring the dogs off. "That moment was terrifying, but that very mobile phone saved my life," Ronaldo said. He did sustain some minor burns on his leg. The dogs' owner apologized and agreed to cover his medical expenses and the cost of a new phone. [Ratopati, 2/26/2026]

Anthony Sapienza, 63, was charged with two counts of felony battery on Feb. 8 in Port Orange, Florida, after a brawl broke out during a pickleball game at the Spruce Creek Country Club, the Associated Press reported. Sapienza's wife, Julianne Sapienza, 51, was charged with a single count of felony battery. The Sapienzas were playing against another couple when an argument began about a rule; words were exchanged between the men before the accused hit his opponent with his paddle, then punched him on the ground. Before it was all over, about 20 players became involved in the fight, police said. The victim was over age 65. [AP, 2/12/2026]

The Way the World Works

Back in the 1940s, carpenters would sometimes slide a newspaper between the floorboards of a house to fix uneven planks, The Washington Post reported. On Jan. 14, contractor Vincent Vincent tore up boards in a home in Fargo, North Dakota, and unsurprisingly found a newspaper page from Oct. 6, 1946. When he showed the paper to the homeowner, Casey Chapman, 75, Chapman recognized someone in the photo on the page: his mother. "It was just a shock," Chapman said. His family had no connection to the home before he bought it in 2017. That issue of the Fargo Forum featured the seven nominees for North Dakota Agricultural College's homecoming queen, one of which was Marty Anderson, Chapman's mom. (She won, by the way.) Anderson died in 2014. Chapman said she was "very active, and not afraid to take on leadership roles. My mother was a wonderful lady." He and his wife have already framed the clipping and will hang it in their renovated bedroom. [Washington Post, 2/11/2026]

Least Competent Criminals

-- A 25-year-old man in Philipsburg, Montana, drove to the Granite County Courthouse to pay a fine he had received for open container, KBZK-TV reported on Feb. 17. While he waited, Sheriff Rico Barkell observed that he appeared to be intoxicated. He asked if the man had driven to the courthouse, to which he answered yes. Then he admitted he had had two drinks and smoked two bowls of marijuana. A breath test confirmed the sheriff's suspicions, with the man's blood alcohol at three times the legal limit. He also had an open container in his car. He was charged with aggravated DUI and open container. The sheriff's office posted about the incident on its Facebook page, summarizing with "Stupidity is not an excuse!" [KZBK, 2/17/2026]

-- On Feb. 11, Dean Young, 26, entered a parked landscaping van in Hialeah, Florida, allegedly with intent to steal tools inside, NBC Miami reported. However, Young became trapped in the locked van and started screaming and beating on the doors. "Help me! I'm inside," he yelled. The landscapers called police but didn't free Young from the van, as there were machetes inside that he might have used as a weapon. Young, who had posted bail in an earlier case, was held on charges of burglary and criminal mischief. [NBC Miami, 2/12/2026]

Irony

A famous rock formation in Melendugno, Puglia, Italy, called Lovers' Arch collapsed into the Adriatic Sea on Valentine's Day, The Guardian reported. Strong storm surges and heavy rain pounded the area before the landmark fell. "It is a devastating blow to the heart," said Melendugno Mayor Maurizio Cisternino. "Nature has been overturned." [Guardian, 2/16/2026]

Meanwhile, at the Olympics ...

The real star of the Feb. 18 women's cross country team sprint qualifying round in Lago Di Tesero, Italy, was Nazgul, a 2-year-old Czechoslovakian wolfdog. NPR reported that as skiers flew across the finish line, Nazgul broke out of his doghouse and ran across, too -- even being captured with the official finish line camera. The dog's owner said Nazgul "just wanted to follow us. He always looks for people." [NPR, 2/18/2026]

Wrong Plane, Wrong Time

Fox5 Atlanta reported on Feb. 10 that a passenger on a United Airlines flight boarded the wrong plane, then wondered why it was taking so long. The passenger intended to fly from Los Angeles to Managua, Nicaragua, through Houston. Six hours into the flight, he asked a flight attendant why it was taking so long to get to Houston -- and realized he was on a flight to Tokyo. United Airlines paid for a two-night hotel stay as they worked out a new itinerary for the passenger and offered a $1,000 travel credit. [Fox5 Atlanta, 2/10/2026]

The Continuing Crisis

The Town of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, declared a local emergency on Feb. 17 after at least two sinkholes opened up on its streets, WFMZ-TV reported. A dump truck that was hauling asphalt to repair one sinkhole ended up falling into the ground, while farther down the street, a car fell into a hole. The dump truck also damaged a water main, which could not be repaired until the truck could be removed from the hole. Using ground-penetrating radar, officials located several different voids beneath the surface, said Mayor Randy Piazza. The emergency declaration allows faster access to resources and assistance, town officials said. Public Works Director Matt Noel said eight homes had been evacuated, and residents of other homes have been encouraged to leave. [WFMZ, 2/18/2026]

Repeat Offender

Michael Delsid, 46, is no stranger to Fresno, California, police. KMPH-TV reported that Delsid was arrested after a chase on Feb. 17 for the 36th time -- in this incident, for evading police, reckless driving and probation violations. Delsid's criminal record dates back to 1994 and includes violent crimes, drug offenses and property crimes. He is ineligible for bail. [KMPH, 2/18/2026]

Oops

-- Australian TV reporter Danika Mason offered an on-air apology on Feb. 19 after her coverage from the Winter Olympics got a little sloppy, CTV News reported. On Feb. 18, Mason reportedly stumbled over several words and wandered off topic (the price of coffee in Italy and iguanas in the United States) before one of her colleagues in studio blamed the cold climate for her slurring. The next day, Mason said she "totally misjudged a situation. I shouldn't have had a drink, and especially in these conditions -- it's cold, we've got altitude, and not having had dinner probably didn't help as well. It's not the standard that I set for myself." [CTV, 2/19/2026]

-- In Sherman, Texas, pediatric dentist Kelly Buck, 36, was arrested on Feb. 16 after someone contacted police about her practicing dentistry and appearing to be intoxicated, WCAX-TV reported. Buck failed a field sobriety test and was charged with a felony. If convicted, she faces up to two years in prison. [WCAX, 2/17/2026]

The Perks of Being a Dogg

NBC Olympics correspondent Snoop Dogg, 54, visited a gastropub called Cronox in Livigno, Italy, on Feb. 13, indulging in a cheeseburger, chicken wings, nuggets and fries, the New York Post reported. When it came time to tab out, however, his card was declined. Sofia Valmadre, the restaurant owner's daughter, said her mother "told him that it was OK (to take the food) without paying," which Snoop did. But the rapper and Team USA honorary coach paid his debt in spades ... or stomps. He gifted the restaurant five tickets to the men's snowboard halfpipe finals. "Grazie, Snoop!" Valmadre posted on X. [NY Post, 2/18/2026]

Former college design professor Don Glickman was 93 and dying when he and his daughter discussed how he wanted to be memorialized, The (Spokane) Spokesman-Review reported on Feb. 9. Leah Glickman said her father faced his fate head-on: "We never used words in our house like 'he passed,'" she said. "We said, 'he died.' No one gets out of here alive." She and her dad came up with a clever idea: Send out postcards to family and friends, announcing his death. On the front is a photo of Glickman and the text, "If you're reading this, I'm dead, and I really liked you," with a small sketch of him that had become his signature. On the back, Leah wrote, "After 94 years on this planet, my dad has departed. ... In a last act of design and Glickman ethos, he asked that this postcard be created, photo and text chosen by him." Glickman died on Nov. 11. Former student Jason Snape, 56, got a postcard. "It made me laugh really hard because it was just so him," Snape said. "It's unusual, it's sweet, it's straightforward." [Spokesman-Review, 2/9/2026]

Sir, This Is a Wendy's

City officials in Gastonia, North Carolina, got involved after a video surfaced of someone getting a tattoo in a Wendy's dining room in the city, WBTV reported. The video was recorded on Feb. 5 from outside the restaurant and shows a man with his shirt off and another person sitting behind him, wearing blue gloves and holding a tattoo gun. A city official said an environmental health team member talked to the store manager on Feb. 6 and reminded them that the restaurant "cannot tattoo without a permit." For its part, the franchisee said they "took immediate disciplinary action to address the situation." [WBTV, 2/6/2026]

The Passing Parade

Residents of Stoughton, Wisconsin, have been complaining to police about someone using a city park as their toilet, WMTV reported on Feb. 7. The Stoughton Police Department said it had received numerous calls from citizens who found human feces and used toilet paper along a walking path in the park. Using trail cameras, police discovered the person was fouling the park in the early morning hours, then used a drone to catch a 46-year-old woman in the act. Officers say the woman is not homeless and doesn't appear to be mentally impaired. [WMTV, 2/7/2026]

Awkward

Olympic gold-winning downhill skier Breezy Johnson was jumping around in excitement after her medal ceremony in Italy on Feb. 8 when the medal broke, the Associated Press reported. "It's not crazy broken, but a little broken," Johnson said. She's not the only Olympian to experience a medal malfunction. German biathlete Justus Strelow realized his bronze medal had fallen to the floor as he danced with teammates, and U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu posted a photo of her team gold medal detached from its ribbon. Chief games operations officer Andrea Francisi said they're working on it. "The medal is the dream of the athletes, so we want that in the moment they are given it that everything is absolutely perfect." [AP, 2/9/2026]

Hair Today

During a boxing match on Jan. 31 in New York, heavyweight Jarrell Miller lost his head -- or at least, his hair. Fox News reported that as Miller fought Kingsley Ibeh, one of Ibeh's punches knocked Miller's head back, and his hairpiece flew upward from the front, revealing a mostly bald head. Miller ripped off the toupee and thew it into the crowd, where spectators posed for photos with it. Strangely, Miller said he got the hairpiece just two days before, after he accidentally washed his hair with "ammonia bleach" instead of shampoo. Miller won the bout in a split decision. [Fox News, 2/1/2026]

Nope

At Ershui Junior High School in Taiwan, it's not enough to be successful in the classroom, Oddity Central reported on Feb. 10. Before their graduation certificates can be signed, students must scale a 15-meter-high rock-climbing wall. The students take six climbing lessons each week in preparation for the test. The school says the training challenges students' limits and cultivates focus and physical coordination. [Oddity Central, 2/10/2026]

Wait, What?

Christopher Carroll, 36, was suspended from his job as a paramedic with the Baltimore County Fire Department and is facing 23 criminal charges following inexplicable behavior at work and elsewhere, WSFA-TV reported on Feb. 7. Investigators said Carroll urinated in different spots all over his workplace, including on his supervisor's keyboard, in a pot of chili, in coffee creamer and in an icemaker. Prosecutors said Carroll "urinated into the ice, wiped on a scoop and used the scoop to mix the urine throughout the ice" -- all while filming himself. Other targets were someone's ChapStick, a can of vegetables and a carton of orange juice. Officials believe Carroll was making the videos to post to online subscription services. He was denied bail. [WSFA, 2/7/2026]

Oversharing

Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid, who won bronze in the 20km individual event, stunningly announced in his post-event interview on Feb. 10 that he had cheated on his girlfriend three months ago, Yahoo! News reported. Through tears, Laegreid, 28, said he met "the love of my life" six months ago, then "made the biggest mistake of my life." He said his sport had "taken a back seat in recent days." For her part, the girlfriend called his revelation "hard to forgive. Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world." Later, Laegreid told a group of reporters, "Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview. I'm not really here mentally." [Yahoo! News, 2/11/2026]

News You Can Use?

Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed new technology to ... yes, it's true ... count the number of times people pass gas each day. The New York Post reported on Feb. 10 that previously, scientists believed people tooted on average 14 times a day, but UMD reported that the number is more like 32 times a day. The team created Smart Underwear, a wearable device that snaps into regular underwear and detects increased hydrogen levels. They say the previous lower estimates were based on self-reporting and people's varying ideas of what counts as flatulence. UMD is looking for participants for its Human Flatus Atlas, which will measure the gas patterns of hundreds of people -- in case you're interested. [NY Post, 4/10/2026]

Awesome!

Six-year-old Girl Scout Pim from Pittsburgh, whom her dad calls "literally unstoppable," has sold more than 75,000 boxes of cookies this year, People magazine reported on Feb. 11. Her numbers exceeded the previous record for single-year sales, and now she has her eye on the lifetime record, 180,000 boxes. Pim's go-getter attitude goes beyond cookie sales; she read 506 books last summer for her library's reading program, and her sales accounted for 10% of her school's popcorn fundraising effort. Pim's dad calls her troop "a place to be herself and belong. She is welcomed and loved." Go, Pim! [People, 2/11/2026]

Government in Action

Listen up, 29-year-olds in France: Health minister Stephanie Rist wants you to get busy! The Independent reported on Feb. 9 that all 29-year-olds in France will be receiving a letter from the government with "targeted, balanced and scientifically based information on sexual and reproductive health," the health ministry said. Rist said France's "concrete and long-awaited measures" will include increasing the number of fertility preservation centers. Critics suggest raising maternity leave from 16 to 26 weeks would have a greater impact. [Independent, 2/9/2026]