News of the Weird newspapers illustration
Startled Starlings!
Officers of the North Wales (England) Police believe they have solved, with help from the government Animal and Plant Health Agency, the mystery of why more than 200 starlings were found dead in a road in Bodedern on Dec. 10. Rob Taylor, of the police force’s rural crime team, revealed that the birds suffered severe internal trauma, “support(ing) the case that the birds died from impact with the road,” he told Sky News. “It’s highly likely the starlings took avoiding action whilst airborne, from possibly birds of prey, with the rear of the group not pulling up in time and striking the ground.”
Porcine Perps!
A Polish pig farmer in his 70s who had been missing since Tuesday, Dec. 31, is believed to have been eaten by his livestock, Fox News reported. Lublin district prosecutor Magdalena Serafin told local media the farmer’s remains, consisting of bones and skull fragments, were found by a neighbor, who called police after spotting the bones while fetching water from a nearby well on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The farmer’s animals were roaming freely in the yard, and officials indicated it was clear that the pigs had feasted on him.
That’s Not Chicken Feed
In the western German city of Kleve, a regional court in mid-January overruled a lower court and awarded the owner of a chicken mauled by a dog higher restitution because the chicken had TV experience. Sieglinde the chicken, who died in the attack, had completed 10 hours of acting training and had appeared in at least one German movie, for which she received a three-figure daily fee. The court ordered the dog’s owner to pay 615 Euros (about $680) in damages, the Associated Press reported (a non-acting, regular chicken is generally worth about 15 Euros).
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Oops… Just Kidding
An unnamed 55-year-old man from the town of Pitalito, Colombia, got cold feet before his scheduled marriage on Saturday, Jan. 18, but lacked the courage to tell his fiancée. So instead, with the help of his best friends, he faked his own kidnapping, reported Oddity Central. The groom’s pals told authorities they had seen a group of armed men on motorcycles abduct their friend, and because kidnappings for extortion are not unknown in Colombia, the local police responded in force. Police commander Nestor Vargas ordered roads closed, sealed off the town and began a search. That’s when the friends got nervous and admitted they’d made the whole thing up. The reluctant groom and his cohorts will likely face up to six years in prison.
Charges Filed
If you’ve always thought those nail clippers in your kitchen drawer were a harmless tool, think again. Kathleen Ayala, 30, has been charged with murder in Cumberland County, N.J., following an altercation with her husband on Sunday, Jan. 12, the Associated Press reported. Authorities said Ayala, of Millville, and 35-year-old Axel Torres got into an argument in their home that became physical, and Torres left the premises. Ayala chased after him, stabbing Torres numerous times with the tiny nail file tool on the clippers, causing wounds to his arms, hands, shoulders, back and left leg. When police arrived, they found Torres unresponsive and transported him to the hospital, where he died the next morning.
Loud and Obnoxious
After numerous complaints going back six months, according to a neighbor, Robert Miller, 57, was arrested at his home Zephyrhills, Fla., home on Dec. 22 for disturbing the peace with his lawn mower. Body-camera footage obtained by WFLA shows Pasco County Deputy Michael O’Donnell arriving at Miller’s property and calling out to him, followed by a revving of the mower’s engine. “I’ve had four people come out and tell me that they can’t take it anymore,” O’Donnell told Miller, who responded, “Whatever!” before turning on the mower again and revving the engine. Dwaine White, who lives across the street, told The Washington Post the mower isn’t even capable of cutting grass. “He’ll run that tractor all night, and it echoes all over the neighborhood,” White said. Miller was ultimately arrested for disturbing the peace and not complying with a law enforcement officer’s command. If convicted, he could spend 18 months in jail and pay a $1,500 fine.
© 2020 Andrews McMeel Syndication
