News of the Weird: Week of August 7, 2025

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Fine Points of the Law

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

              -- 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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