News of the Weird: Week of November 2, 2023

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Halloween Fun

    -- At Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, a mystery occurs every year at Halloween: Two pumpkins become impaled on the twin spires of the clock tower in the middle of campus. United Press International reported that the pumpkins have appeared since the 1970s, but no one seems to know who puts them there or how they do it. "Conjuring the best, if far-fetched, tale on how it happens is a favorite campus pastime," the university's website reads.

    -- It could only happen in Utah: City officials in Grantsville took to Facebook on Oct. 18 to demand that a Halloween display centered on a street sign be removed, Fox13Now-TV reported. The tableau featured a skeleton pole-dancing while two other skeletons sat in folding chairs with dollar bills in their hands. "Displays like this are not acceptable as it is against city code to attach anything to a street sign," the city wrote. And the pranksters complied: They moved the display to a front yard, with a new lighted pole, lights on the ground to make a "stage," and a tip jar. One commenter on the city's page gushed, "I salute the Halloween Decoration WIZARD that created this MASTERPIECE."

    -- Hellen Schweizer, 28, of Wooster, Ohio, embraced her vampirism two years ago on Halloween, The Columbus Dispatch reported. "Not every vampire is bad," she explained. "I follow a higher path." For instance: "I'm not interested in sucking anyone's blood." But living as a vampire, with fangs, white makeup and a black cloak, "just felt right" for the social media manager. Schweizer said the "sun makes me nauseous" and she gains most of her energy at night. "I came out of the coffin, as it were, and never felt so free in my life."                                        

Awwwww!

While Amir Khan and Kat Warren of Washington, D.C., were visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Oct. 19, they became stranded along with other tourists at the top when a man was discovered climbing the structure. On hand with the couple was Associated Press reporter Pat Eaton-Robb, who was also visiting. Lucky for them, Eaton-Robb caught the moment when Khan decided to propose. He had been planning to do so later that evening at a restaurant, but "she always wanted to be proposed to on or under the Eiffel Tower. So I figured, 'This is it, this is the moment,'" Khan said. While romance was in the air atop the tower, police were arresting the climber, who was inexplicably carrying a banner that said something about singer-songwriter Billie Eilish.                                        

Bright Idea

An unnamed 22-year-old man in Warsaw, Poland, outwitted mall security guards -- for a time -- after twice posing in a store window as a mannequin, The New York Times reported on Oct. 20. The man stood still next to two other mannequins and held a bag until the mall closed, when he stole jewelry from a kiosk. On another occasion, he ate at one of the mall's restaurants, found a new set of clothing and headed back for another meal. Police arrested the suspect, who faces up to 10 years in prison.                                        

Animal Antics

Since Sept. 20, Alejandro Rios, 25, has become the target of a dive-bombing magpie who follows him as he rides his bike home from work. Fox News reported on Oct. 18 that the Brisbane, Australia, resident first felt something hit his head more than a month ago. "I ... thought a piece of fruit had fallen off a tree or someone had hit me," he said. Rios' helmet and eyewear protect him from injury, but the bird is persistent. Scientists say magpies remember faces and this one is likely protecting his young. "It's a bit of a friend and a bit of a nemesis," Rios said of his attacker. "I want to say it's my friend -- but it really, really hates me."                                        

Saw That Coming  

Two men in Minnesota were shot on Oct. 22 in separate incidents involving child shooters who were participating in youth hunting events, CBS News reported. In the first case, a 45-year-old dad from Becker Township had his 12-year-old daughter in a deer stand, where she had just successfully shot a deer. But then she accidentally shot her father in the leg. Another family member applied a tourniquet until emergency personnel arrived. In the second incident, a 50-year-old man was trying to explain to a 10-year-old boy how to unload a hunting rifle when the child accidentally pulled the trigger, somehow hitting both of the adult's buttocks. No news on the condition of either victim.                                        

I'll Have the Coors Light

Someone posted a video on Weibo on Oct. 19 that captured a man climbing into a malt container at Pingdu, China, brewery Tsingtao and relieving himself, Sky News reported. The company, which identifies itself as the world's sixth-largest beermaker, released a statement, saying: "The batch of malt in question has been completely sealed" and police are investigating. However, the company's stock took a sizable hit, with share prices dropping 7.5% by Oct. 23.                                        

Repeat Offender?

A particular house in Haddonfield, New Jersey, appears to be the victim of very bad luck -- or a serial car arsonist, WPVI-TV reported. Police say the most recent attack, on Oct. 21 around 1 a.m., was the third at the house since 2017. But strangely, all three attacks have been on cars belonging to different homeowners. In the latest incident, security cameras captured a person pouring gasoline on a 2010 Toyota Highlander and lighting it up. Police say they don't believe the attacks are aimed at the people who live there, who are "doing everything right. They have a camera system, they're calling us. It just unfortunately keeps happening."                                        

Awesome!

Members of the Auburn (Massachusetts) Fire Department knew Debbie Virgilio well, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported on Oct. 25. First responders had transported her frequently during her final years, but when she passed last year, they had no idea of the plans she had made for them. Virgilio left the department $525,000 in her will; they used the money to buy a new ambulance and updated equipment. Fire Chief Stephen Coleman said, "It means a lot to me, as the chief, to know my people made such an impact on somebody, they're willing to donate half a million dollars to us when they pass. It's a testament to the men and women of this department." Cheers to Debbie.                                        

Wait, What?

Jad K. Shipman, 48, of Longview, Washington, was arrested on Oct. 17 on two counts: soliciting a prostitute and first-degree attempted animal cruelty, Big Country News reported. A vice detective who had been monitoring an online forum identified Shipman in August. Allegedly, he offered $440 for a person to come to Longview and sexually touch him and his miniature horse. Shipman is out on bail and prohibited from being around animals.                                        

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