Out-of-the-ordinary news from the folks at Studio B...
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Tim Taylor has a problem — a problem with mirrors. The glass shop owner in central New York has had to replace nearly 50 mirrors the past year-and-a-half because they've suddenly broken. And it's not only Tim's problem. Folks all over the town of Sullivan have found their mirrors broken. The community thinks it knows who's to blame, though there's not much that can be done about it.
You see, a woodpecker has been smashing mirrors in self-defense all over town. The bird apparently thinks his own reflection is a predator. One birdwatcher says male woodpeckers aggressively defend their turf during breeding season — that includes imaginary enemies.
Furry Toilet Surprise
A west Texas family may want to stock up on diapers — enough to cover their two babies until the end of junior high. You see, it's awfully hard to potty train your kids — and that's without the threat of a rodent sneaking up the chute and biting their little behinds.
The family was woken up in the middle of the night by a splashing sound coming from the bathroom. They found a little baby opossum (search) doing laps in the can. The father got him out with the toilet brush and sealed up a hole in his trailer's septic tank so the animal's friends didn't pull the same stunt. The dad says his two young daughters — one- and two-years-old — have suddenly, for some reason, fallen behind in their potty training.
'Extra Cheesy' 911 Call
Usually when an 86-year-old woman calls 911, you fear the worst. But dispatchers didn't much care about a North Carolina woman's "emergency," so they hung up. So she called again — and again, she got the dial tone. This went on 20 times in a little more than a half-hour — about the time it takes to deliver a pizza. That's exactly why the woman was calling 911. She was miffed that a local pizza joint refused to bring her a pie.
She never got the pizza, but the cops made a delivery right to her door. They came to arrest her for making non-emergency calls. This 86-year-old, 5-foot nothing, 98-pound woman literally went kicking and screaming. And she allegedly bit an officer's hand. So she was also charged with resisting a police officer.
Beer Crisis in St. Louis!
Saint Louis, Missouri: known for being the gateway to the West, known for the Cardinals, known for its beer. It's the birthplace of beechwood-aged Budweiser (search).
But things may get a little dry in the home of the famous Busch Brewery because the local beer distributor's union has threatened to strike. Some watering holes saw it coming. One bar says it has stockpiled 5,000-6,000 cases of brew to cover Memorial Day and ballgame crowds. As for Busch Stadium, officials say they only have enough beer to last the week. That's even enough to make sedated Cardinals' fans get up and give a Bronx cheer. The union is not giving an inch. Workers have even threatened to picket the upcoming "rib festival."
Stinky Crime
It's a crime that can leave a trail of evidence. But cops in Vienna, Austria say they can't do anything about it — unless they catch the criminals in the act.
Now one lawmaker says he's had it with people who don't clean up after their dogs. He wants to go all CSI on them: He wants to test the DNA of doggy droppings and match it against a doggy database. If the measure passes, violators could be fined almost $300. Critics say it'll create a police state.
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