News of the Weird: Week of June 5, 2025

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Awesome!

Twenty-nine-year-old Oliver Widger arrived on May 24 in Waikiki, Hawaii, with his cat in tow, the Associated Press reported. But he didn't fly there. Widger and Phoenix sailed from the Oregon coast in a boat he bought without knowing how to sail. Widger was diagnosed four years ago with a syndrome that carries the risk of paralysis, so he quit his managerial job with $10,000 of debt and used his retirement savings to buy and refit the boat. "You know, you're grinding at your job all day long and ... everybody's just trying to do enough to get by and that just wears you out," Widger said. "I think people have seen that it's possible to break out." Upon reaching Hawaii after several weeks at sea, he didn't have a clear plan for what's next but said he might sail to French Polynesia.

Rude

Three men came to blows on May 16 at CSL Plasma in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania, after one of them, ahem, let one rip while standing in line, the Times Leader reported. Chazz Pearson, 39, was standing behind an elderly man who dropped a bomb, then apologized. But -- and this really stinks -- Pearson allegedly struck the man in the head, and when the man's son stepped in, hit him, too. Pearson faces charges of simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct.

Holier Than Thou

Mount Athos is a self-governed monastic territory in Greece, where 20 or so monasteries coexist peacefully -- one would think. However, on May 22, the Associated Press reported, one young monk was hospitalized after allegedly being attacked by brothers of the Esphigmenou Monastery, whose members have defied court and church orders to leave the premises. The dispute began in the 1970s and has involved violent clashes, legal battles and supply blockades. According to police, the rebel monks used garden tools to injure the victim. However, the accused brotherhood denied the claims. "It is a well-known tactic for these perpetrators to play the victims," they said. "They feigned injury in a performance worthy of an acting class."

Surprise!

An East Shoreham, New York, homeowner who started the happy task of uncovering the backyard pool for the summer season on May 25 was shocked to find a man's body in the water, NBC New York reported. The Suffolk County medical examiner has yet to identify the body or discover how he died, but officials said it may be Matthew Zoll, 23, who has been on the run since stabbing his father to death in November in Rocky Point, New York. Neighbor Paul Gawreluk said he wondered "why somebody would try to get under the (pool) cover. It's not a smart thing to do."

News You Can Use

If you're one of those impatient flyers who's up out of the seat as soon as the wheels touch the ground, you'd better not land in Turkey. The New York Times reported on May 28 that Turkey will now fine passengers who leave their seats before the plane has stopped taxiing, to the tune of about $67. The Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the banned behavior includes unfastening seat belts, opening overhead compartments and moving into the aisle before it's your turn.

Florida

              -- Residents of Fort Myers Shores, Florida, who own pets are taking extra precautions about letting them out at night, Gulf Coast News Now reported on May 27. That's because cane toads are spreading through the community, especially near parks, canals and gardens. The invasive toad secretes a toxin from glands on its back that "can kill very quickly," said Jordan Donini, a biology professor at Florida Southwestern State College. "They can lay anywhere from 8,000 to 32,000 eggs in a single clutch," he said, noting that female toads "are a priority for removal." Donini said the toads have to be removed humanely and encouraged contacting local wildlife control services for help.

              -- Researchers from the University of Florida have just published a study identifying a new hybrid breed of termite, Gizmodo reported. "I was hoping never to find it," said the lead author of the study, Thomas Chouvenc. The insects are the result of breeding between the Formosan subterranean termite and the Asian subterranean termite, both of which are voracious chewers of wood. In October 2024, the scientists found a colony of the hybrid termites in a park in Fort Lauderdale that they think may have been there for five years. "This may be a Florida story now, but it likely won't stay just in Florida," Chouvenc said.

Nature Gone Wild

On May 28, 90% of the village of Blatten in Switzerland was buried after the Birch Glacier collapsed, the Associated Press reported. Rock and ice tumbled down the mountainside as predicted; the village had been evacuated of people and livestock earlier in May as a precaution. However, one 64-year-old man was missing after the avalanche. Police said the search-and-rescue operation to find him had been suspended on May 29 because of falling debris. Local officials said a lake is forming where the accumulated debris blocked the Lonza River; "The challenge lies in the behavior of this accumulation of water and the Lonza River, which could cause a torrential lava flow if the river flows into the deposit."

Truth Is Stranger Than Netflix

On May 24, Forest Ranger Robert Praczkajlo responded to a 911 call from Cascade Mountain in the Adirondacks, the Associated Press reported. Two hikers told a steward at the mountain's summit that the third member of their party had died and that they were lost. The steward, however, realized that the hikers "were in an altered mental state," and Praczkajlo escorted them to an ambulance. Turns out the hikers had taken hallucinogenic mushrooms, and their friend wasn't dead at all. After being treated at a hospital, the trio met up at their campsite.

Animal Antics

Residents of one Cape Coral, Florida, community may want to start shouting "Duck!" at their neighbors, Fox4-TV reported on May 23. That's because an aggressive Muscovy duck is terrorizing them. James Sepulveda, who likes to catch sunsets from a chair on his front porch, said he had his eyes closed when, "All of a sudden, I felt a jab on my hand and it was bleeding." The fowl has even tried to follow Sepulveda into his home. Another resident, Richard Guy, said, "I stood up and I made some noises ... Next thing I know, its wings come out, you know, like it's going to attack me." Sepulveda said he wants to "get rid of" the duck, but the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the species is "protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act." As such, they have to be removed humanely or by "use of a firearm on private property during daylight hours with landowner permission." That'll work.

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