News of the Weird: Week of May 21, 2026

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Wait, What?

How does a car from a 1980s action-adventure TV series end up with a speeding ticket in Chicago in 2026? That's what officials at the Volo Museum -- home to a replica of KITT, the car from "Knight Rider," starring David Hasselhoff -- would like to know. On May 13, the Associated Press reported that the museum recently received a $50 speeding ticket for a car matching KITT's description going 36 mph in a 25 mph zone in Brooklyn on April 22. The black Trans Am even had the California license plate KNIGHT, the same as KITT on the show, and the museum's replica, which is unregistered. "The fact that we're legally tied to a movie prop is interesting," said Jim Wojdyla, the museum's marketing director. "We're known for having our Hollywood cars from TV and movies, but I have no idea how we got registered from a ticket in New York to the plates in California to the Volo Museum in Illinois. We're still trying to figure it out." Amateur replicas of KITT are not uncommon -- a Facebook group for people who own one has about 19,000 members -- and five original KITTs remain, out of the 20 built for the show. Volo Museum officials are challenging the ticket but haven't lost their sense of humor over the situation. "Does anyone have Hasselhoff's number?" they posted on social media. "He owes us $50!!!!" [AP, 5/13/26]

The Bear(s)

              -- Over the last year, 13 people have been killed by bears in Japan, with an additional 50,000 sightings recorded. The bears roamed near schools and broke into homes, supermarkets and resorts. Now, Japanese company Ohta Seiki has come up with a unique solution to the country's bear problem: robot wolves. Yahoo! News reported on May 13 that orders for the animatronic "Monster Wolf" are up by so much that the waiting list is a few months long. "We make them by hand," company president Yuji Ohta said. "We cannot make them fast enough now. We are asking our customers to wait two to three months." The "wolves" are made of pipe frames attached to speakers and covered with artificial fur. They can make up to 50 different sounds, including recorded human voices and electronic noises, and their eyes and tails flash with red and blue LEDs. Orders have come mainly from people who work in rural areas, such as farmers, construction workers and golf course operators. The wolf apparatus starts at $4,000. [Yahoo! News, 5/13/26]

              -- Meanwhile, in Tennessee, Gatlinburg police were called upon to free a black bear that had locked itself in a bathroom at a downtown Quality Inn and Suites, Fox News reported on May 11. In the wee hours of the morning on Friday, May 8, a hotel employee called for help because they "observed a bear enter an exterior bathroom and lock itself inside," according to the police report. When police arrived on the scene, one officer carefully opened the bathroom door while the other beat sticks together to draw the bear out. In the end, the bear ambled out, seemingly unbothered, leaving behind only minor property damage to the tune of $50. [Fox News, 5/11/26]

Seen This Movie Before

Kacy Claassen, 28, was arrested in New York for endangering the welfare of a child, trespassing and criminal impersonation, Oddity Central reported on May 8. Her crime? Impersonating a 16-year-old and enrolling in Westchester Square Academy in the Bronx. Claassen, who went by the name Shamara Rashad and attended classes for two weeks before she was caught, recently moved to New York from Ohio. Acting on a friend's suggestion, Claassen donned a teenage persona in hopes of qualifying for more social assistance. Her disguise was uncovered when school officials found her social media profiles, which showed her holding a baby that she referred to as her daughter, and listed Claassen's birth year as 1997. Claassen was arrested and released and is pleading not guilty to all charges. She is expected back in court on June 15. [Oddity Central, 5/8/26]

Americans Abroad

Two grown women are facing federal charges after getting into a slap fight while on a Carnival Cruise in March, Fox 10 reported on May 13. During their return voyage from the Bahamas, Tonya Nelson, 58, and Lisa Horace, 51, were in line to settle their cruise accounts. Nelson told investigators that she was trying to be helpful when she suggested to Horace and Horace's husband that they were in the wrong line. According to Horace's statement, she ignored Nelson, but took action after Nelson kept touching Horace's husband's shoulder. Horace said that Nelson threatened to slap her, so she slapped Nelson back. The fight escalated from there, with crew members stepping in to separate the two. The women, who did not know each other before the encounter, were issued federal citations for simple assault. The women report that they have both been banned from Carnival cruises and have lost their Diamond member status. "Things happen sometimes on a crowded ship," Buzz Jordan, Nelson's attorney, said. [Fox 10, 5/13/26]

I'm Lovin' It

Minor League baseball team the Charlotte Knights had an unusual celebrity lend their pipes for the national anthem at a recent game, Fox News reported on May 8. A May 1 Instagram post from the team shared a clip of fast-food chain mascot Ronald McDonald singing "The Star-Spangled Banner." The beloved clown also threw the ceremonial first pitch before a Philadelphia Phillies home game against the Texas Rangers on March 28. [Fox News, 5/8/26]

Years in the Making

After decades of playing the same numbers, Stephen Huesgen, 56, of Fraser, Michigan, finally struck it rich. UPI reported on May 13 that Huesgen won the $1 million prize in the April 22 drawing using numbers he received from, of all places, a Zoltar fortunetelling machine. "About 30 years ago, I was in Las Vegas and got a fortune from a Zoltar machine," Huesgen said. "On my fortune, there was a set of lucky numbers, so I have been playing those numbers on lottery games ever since." Huesgen plans to use the money to pay off loans, travel and save for retirement. "The morning after the Powerball drawing, I saw an email from the lottery, which is when I found out I'd won a $1 million Powerball prize," he said. "I yelled to my wife: 'Is this real?' I don't think this is going to fully hit me until I cash the check!" [UPI, 5/13/26]

Well, Well, Well, How the Turntables ...

Motorists in France are driving more carefully after a warning from police: Watch out for inebriated wildlife. UPI reported on May 13 that a social media post from the police in the Saone-et-Loire region of north-central France showed deer running around erratically after consuming fermented fruit. "Not all road users are sober," the post said. "If Bambi overindulges on the forest aperitif, it might not be the time to drive like you own the road." Drivers were urged to keep an eye out for "sudden crossing, inconsistent trajectory, immobilization on the road [and] disorderly escape" from local wildlife. [UPI, 5/13/26]

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