News of the Weird: Week of June 4, 2026

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Got a Little Something in Your Eye

Doctors at the Kursk Regional Hospital in Russia recently treated a 50-year-old man with an unusual MRI result: a nearly 5-inch-long piece of wood extending from the man's eye socket to his skull, Oddity News reported on May 26. Back in 2024, the patient, Yuri, was doing yard work. He wasn't wearing protective eye gear, so when he felt a sharp pain in his left eye, he assumed a small piece of wood had struck him while he was chopping maple branches. When the pain went away shortly after, he forgot about it, dealing with only the occasional flashes of pain in the years following. When he did seek medical help, ophthalmologists couldn't figure out what was wrong, and their treatments were ineffective. Earlier this spring, his pain increased and his vision was starting to fade, so he headed for the hospital. "A CT scan performed at the regional hospital showed that the foreign body was a branch that penetrated the eye socket, destroying the sinuses and damaging the base of the skull in dangerous proximity to vital brain structures," doctors said. Miraculously, doctors were able to remove the wood through the nasal passages -- no brain surgery needed. Yuri's vision came back, and he is expected to make a full recovery. [Oddity Central, 5/26/26]

Awesome!

When Noreen Van Holstein and Lalita van Lamsweerde launched the WasteBar food truck in 2022 in The Netherlands, they weren't sure how their idea for people to collect cigarette butts in exchange for Dutch pancakes would go over. "I wasn't sure whether people would be apprehensive of picking up things from the ground," Van Holstein said. "But immediately from the start, it was just positivity." According to The Guardian, the food truck "sells" poffertjes, or small Dutch pancakes, for 20 cigarettes. Patrons can also purchase other items, such as drinks, fruits and candies for varying amounts of butts and plastic. The WasteBar appears at various events throughout the year, including children's events, festivals and business gatherings. Given the abundance of butts as litter and the difficulty of cleaning them up, the entrepreneurs are under no delusions that their food truck alone will solve the litter problem. Rather, they see the exchange of litter for food as a way to raise awareness. "We want to get people in action mode, and [hope] that by picking up litter, they would not litter any more, because we believe that once seen, it cannot be unseen," Van Holstein said. [The Guardian, 5/26/26]

Stuck in the Mud

A Wisconsin driver found out the hard way that "road closed" signs are there for a reason. According to UPI -- and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's May 22 social media post -- a Milwaukee County driver not only encountered a "road closed" sign, but got out of their pickup truck, removed the sign and drove straight into freshly poured concrete. WDOT shared a photo of the truck's submerged tires and noted that the driver "cemented their inability to adhere to signs." Police and road crews had to employ heavy machinery to haul the truck out. [UPI, 5/27/26]

Cracking Under the Pressure

Benjamin Fragale, 23, of Palm Harbor, Florida was arrested for felony criminal mischief on May 24, after vandalizing a local marquee sign known for its puns, The Smoking Gun reported. According to the police report, Fragale used bricks and branches to "smash the sign, damaging the letters, message board and interior lights." The sign belongs to a local chiropractic office and memorable phrases include: "We never crack under pressure," "It's easier to throw out your back than your mother in law," "We won't stop until everyone is cracked up," and "Our Easter adjustments are eggsellent." The message that made Fragale crack? "Licensed Crack Dealer." The arrest report indicates that Fragale thought the statement was illegal, but court records do not corroborate the claim. Fragale remains detained while he awaits a court hearing. [The Smoking Gun, 5/26/26]

Crime Report

On May 15, Daniel Christian Pettit, 49, of Minnesota, was charged with second-degree assault and intentional discharge of a firearm after shooting at a firefighting airplane, Fox 9 reported. The pilot reported hearing popping sounds as it went on its final run to bring water from a lake to battle a nearby wildfire. The plane landed safely with no pilot injuries, and investigators determined that the damage in the rudder was caused by a bullet. After pinpointing the location where the shots were fired, law enforcement suspected Pettit, who had made complaints in 2024 about aircraft near his home. Pettit claims he was crow hunting, not aiming for the plane. "If I accidentally hit him crow hunting, too bad," he said. "[The pilot] endangered my life. I decided to go outside and crow hunt. Did I aim and try and shoot the plane? Nope, no, I didn't." The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources instituted a no-fly zone over Pettit's property. The restriction applies only to aircraft battling fires. [Fox 9, 5/23/26]

You Put That WHERE?

A Grand Traverse, Michigan, woman was found to have an entire bottle of wine in her person while being booked into the county jail. Monique Megchiani, 48, of Michigan, was arrested for trespassing at a pharmacy in Grand Traverse, The Smoking Gun reported on May 22. After checking her for weapons, officers attempted to load her into the squad car. According to the police report, "During this time, Megchiani advised that she was not able to get into the vehicle. After some convincing, Megchiani was able to slowly maneuver herself into the backseat." As she was being booked into the county jail, a female corrections deputy completed one more physical check of Megchiani, when, according to the report, "it was learned that Megchiani had concealed a bottle of Cupcake Vineyards Pinot Grigio inside her person." In addition to her trespassing charges, she was charged with attempting to smuggle contraband into a penal institution. A former counselor at a substance abuse treatment center, Megchiani faces prior convictions for robbery and credit card theft. [The Smoking Gun, 5/22/26]           

Nature Gone Wild

A car buyer in Kansas has to wait a little longer to collect their new pickup truck from the Olathe Ford Lincoln dealership. According to UPI, a dealership employee found a robin's nest on one of the F-250's tires. Active robins' nests are federally protected and cannot be moved. "This may be the only F-250 in America currently protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act," the dealership said on social media. After a few days, the four eggs in the nest hatched. "We want to give a huge THANK YOU to our incredibly kind and understanding customers, who have been so patient and thoughtful while we wait for these little ones to grow up and leave the nest safely," the dealership said. [UPI, 5/20/26]

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