This and That - Latest News

These are the latest This and That stories added to our newspaper. They're sorted in descending order with the newest story at the top.

This section is for odd news and curious articles. You know the saying, "truth is stranger than fiction." Weird news is constantly happening and we're reporting on it. Subscribe to This and That RSS Feed:

Police: Dye pack ruined bus escape Friday 20th of November 2009 04:51:48 PM ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A suspected bank robber in St. Petersburg, Fla., who fled on a city bus was arrested not long after the dye pack in his haul exploded, police said. Investigators allege Thomas John Castro, 54, entered a Wachovia branch Thursday in St. Petersburg wearing a disguise and handed a note demanding money to a teller. He left the... Read more	Survey: 58 percent plan turkey day naps Friday 20th of November 2009 04:35:32 PM CANTON, Mass., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Massachusetts-based Dunkin' Donuts said its survey suggests 58 percent of U.S. adults plan to take a nap on Thanksgiving Day. The company said its survey of 500 adults, conducted this week, found 58 percent of respondents are already planning a Thanksgiving nap, with 60 percent of men plotting a brief siesta and 58 percent of wo... Read more
Two monkey sightings reported in Tampa Friday 20th of November 2009 04:30:44 PM TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Authorities in Florida said they do not know if two monkey sightings Friday morning in Tampa were of the same loose primate. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Vida Morgan said the monkey sightings were reported about 2 miles apart at 7:50 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., the St. Petersburg Times reported. Morgan said aut... Read more	'Bo Obama' comic gets book treatment Friday 20th of November 2009 04:21:54 PM BELLINGHAM, Wash., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A Washington state publisher said an extended version of the educational comic book starring presidential pooch Bo Obama is on the way. The Portuguese water dog, adopted by President Barack Obama and his family in April, starred in Bo Obama: The White House Tails, published in September by Bluewater Productions Inc. T... Read more
Carjacking brings debt to victim Friday 20th of November 2009 03:55:39 PM ROSELLE, Ill., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- An Illinois woman whose car was stolen and totaled by an escaped suspect says she is facing thousands of dollars of debt from the incident. Domenica Saverino, 32, of Roselle, Ill., said she still owes $10,600 on the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta stolen Sept. 18 by Robert Maday, a bank robbery suspect who escaped from authorities as he w... Read more	Web sites blamed for sex industry slump Friday 20th of November 2009 03:30:33 PM CANBERRA, Australia, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Experts said Australia's sex industry, which has experienced a 6 percent drop in revenue during the past year, is being hurt by online dating sites. Edward Butler, a senior analyst for independent business information analysis firm IBISWorld, said Australia's $1.09 billion sex industry lost $67.6 million during the past fi... Read more
Web site lists 'Great Airport Museums' Friday 20th of November 2009 03:27:06 PM MANHATTAN BEACH, N.Y., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A California-based tourism Web site's list of Five Great Airport Museums includes destinations in San Francisco and the Netherlands. VirtualTourist.com said the San Francisco Airport Museum topped the list with exhibits including Mediterranean pottery and an analysis of the evolution of eyeglasses in the 20th cent... Read more	Students told not to ditch for 'Twilight' Friday 20th of November 2009 03:21:31 PM SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- School officials in California's Orange County said students were warned not to ditch school to see the new entry in the Twilight film series. Officials with the individual school districts said students were told they would be marked truant if they were absent without a valid excuse and teachers have been instructing... Read more
'Christmas ornaments' were bongs, pipes Thursday 19th of November 2009 07:42:40 PM LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Customs officials at Los Angeles Harbor said a shipment of cargo labeled as Christmas ornaments was actually bongs, pipes and other drug paraphernalia. The shipment of almost 860 boxes from China arrived about a month ago, addressed to a recipient in Los Angeles County, but was seized Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursda... Read more	Schumer backs deduction for deer donation Thursday 19th of November 2009 06:35:49 PM WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is proposing a new tax deduction for hunters who donate their kills to food banks. Schumer's plan would allow hunters to claim processing venison and other game as tax deductions if the meat is for donation to a food bank, the Albany (N.Y.) Times Union reported Thursday. The senator said his... Read more
Toilet Day marked with plea for prisoners Thursday 19th of November 2009 04:51:44 PM NEW YORK, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- United Nations officials marked World Toilet Day in New York Thursday with a plea to provide proper sanitation for the world's prisoners and detainees. With 2.5 billion people worldwide without access to proper sanitation, which leads to 1.8 million deaths a year, access to sanitation itself is clearly a human rights issue, U.N... Read more	Shumer backs deduction for deer donation Thursday 19th of November 2009 04:47:16 PM WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is proposing a new tax deduction for hunters who donate their kills to food banks. Shumer's plan would allow hunters to claim processing venison and other game as tax deductions if the meat is for donation to a food bank, the Albany (N.Y.) Times Union reported Thursday. The senator said his ... Read more
Swedish city computers used for porn Thursday 19th of November 2009 04:12:13 PM JONKOPING, Sweden, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Officials in a Swedish city say they were shocked to discover the amount of file sharing and pornography viewing on city-owned computers. Jonkoping city leaders said they analyzed use of the city's 8,000 computers by employees and students during a single month and discovered 1,300 hours had been spent visiting inappropriate... Read more	Baby born in car named after vehicle Thursday 19th of November 2009 04:01:53 PM POOLE, England, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- A British couple said they decided to give their baby the same name as the unusual place of her birth -- Kia. Tony Richardson, 24, and Samantha Smyth, 23, said they named baby Kia after the seven-seat Kia Carens that served as the birthing room when they arrived at a Poole, England, hospital moments too late, the Bournemouth Da... Read more
Authorities: Son-in-law pushed under Jeep Thursday 19th of November 2009 03:56:38 PM SISSONVILLE, W.Va., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Authorities in West Virginia said a mother's argument with her daughter culminated in the mother shoving her son-in-law in front of an oncoming Jeep. Kanawha County Sheriff's deputies said Kimberly Daugherty, 48, had argued over the phone with her daughter, Crystal Shamblin, early Wednesday morning and went to her Sissonvil... Read more	Strange items left on London transport Thursday 19th of November 2009 03:51:14 PM LONDON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Transport for London's lost property office, which turns 75 this year, has dealt with unusual items including breast implants and bull sperm. The office, which attempts to reconnect property owners with items left on buses, trains and trams, said some of the oddest items to pass its doors include a jar of bull sperm, a theatrical coffin... Read more
Official: Take pics of subway gropers Thursday 19th of November 2009 03:02:03 PM NEW YORK, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- A New York city councilman is encouraging women to snap cellphone pictures of subway gropers. Councilman Peter Vallone said women have been helping police by snapping pictures of subway gropers and he encouraged school-aged girls to carry cellphones with built-in cameras on the subway, the New York Post reported Thursday. New Y... Read more	Ex-official stole from campaign, copiers Thursday 19th of November 2009 02:41:34 PM MIDDLESEX, Mass., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- A former local official in Middlesex, Mass., was sentenced to 30 months in prison for stealing campaign donations and copier change. John Buonomo, who made $110,220 a year as Middlesex register of probate, admitted to stealing $102,792 in campaign donations and buckets full of change from Middlesex Registry of Deeds public co... Read more
Deer shows up for school breakfast Thursday 19th of November 2009 02:26:29 PM RUSSELLVILLE, Ala., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Administrators at an Alabama elementary school said a deer crashed through a plate glass window and joined students in the cafeteria during breakfast. Principal Romona Robinson of West Elementary School in Russellville said as a small group of children ate breakfast in the cafeteria Wednesday morning a small doe plowed r... Read more	Police: Attempted robber was too quiet Thursday 19th of November 2009 02:21:34 PM DELTONA, Fla., Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Authorities in Florida said they arrested a man whose whispered demands for money went unanswered at a Deltona dollar store. Volusia County sheriff's deputies said Carlie McDuffie, 24, walked into a Family Dollar store and told an employee to hand over money from the register in a quiet voice that the clerk either didn't hear or... Read more