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:

Cops: Bank robber had recognizable face Saturday 04th of July 2009 04:45:31 PM FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 4 (UPI) -- A man who allegedly robbed a Florida bank was recognized by bank employees as a former customer, police say . Sgt. Frank Sousa of the Fort Lauderdale police said bank employees picked David Lotridge out of a photo lineup after he allegedly robbed a Citibank branch Friday morning, The Miami Herald reported Saturday. Read more	Expert: Fourth of July lore not accurate Saturday 04th of July 2009 04:01:23 PM LOS ANGELES, Ark., July 4 (UPI) -- Common lore Americans connect with the Fourth of July is inaccurate because the main celebratory points took place two days prior, a British historian says. Cultural history Professor Peter de Bolla of King's College at Britain's Cambridge University said in a Los Angeles Times story published Saturday that while the Fourth o... Read more
Costa Rica leads 'Happy Planet Index' Saturday 04th of July 2009 03:56:38 PM LONDON, July 4 (UPI) -- Costa Rica tops the Happy Planet Index, a ranking of ecological efficiency among the world's nations, survey officials say. Costa Ricans reported the highest life satisfaction and have an average life expectancy second only to Canada, said a release from the New Economics Foundation, a British think tank that promotes ecology and ... Read more	Chestnut retains hot dog-eating crown Saturday 04th of July 2009 03:21:12 PM NEW YORK, July 4 (UPI) -- Defending Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion Joey Chestnut says he practiced hard to successfully retain his crown Saturday in New York. The 25-year-old told the New York Daily News he went into the annual Fourth of July competition in Coney Island confident he would repeat as the hot dog-eating champion of the world. I... Read more
Mister Softee toughens up Saturday 04th of July 2009 02:00:38 PM PHILADELPHIA, July 4 (UPI) -- Mister Softee is getting tough with impersonators this July Fourth holiday -- the Christmas of the ice cream season, one of the firm's U.S. owners said. With 600 trucks in 15 states, the company, which has its headquarters in Pennsylvania, is taking legal action against competitors who illegally use Mr. Softee's name, logo o... Read more	Wis. 'Cheese Lady' weds Navy man Saturday 04th of July 2009 01:46:39 PM MANITOWOC, Wis., July 4 (UPI) -- Wisconsin's Cheese Lady says she's marrying a retired Navy commander enamored by her efforts to sculpt an aircraft carrier out of cheddar. Professional cheese sculptor Sarah Kaufmann, 57, first caught the eye of retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Bill Parry, 67, as they were aboard a plane and she was poring over the plans for her ... Read more
Texas prisons enduring long summer days Saturday 04th of July 2009 01:35:13 PM RIVERSIDE, Texas, July 4 (UPI) -- Workers and inmates alike in Texas prisons say they are struggling to endure long summer days with sweltering temperatures. The Houston Chronicle reported Friday that only 19 of the 112 prisons in Texas have air-conditioning available and prison officials typically reserve comfortably cooled quarters for mentally ill or sick i... Read more	Ball club takes flak for 'ball-less' promo Saturday 04th of July 2009 01:16:07 PM FISHKILL, N.Y., July 4 (UPI) -- A minor-league baseball team affiliated with Florida's Tampa Bay Rays has caught government flak for a promotion called Ball-less Baseball honoring women. The Hudson Valley (N.Y.) Renegades promotion, set for Tuesday, is to have women only in Dutchess Stadium until the fifth inning as a celebration of femininity and in... Read more
Police: Prank calls led to fatal shooting Saturday 04th of July 2009 01:16:04 PM PHILADELPHIA, July 4 (UPI) -- Philadelphia police say officers were forced to fatally shoot a homeless man who had been repeatedly making prank emergency phone calls. Police said the 59-year-old homeless man, whose identity was not released, used a call box at a Municipal Services Building concourse to repeatedly phone police Friday only to immediately hang up ... Read more	Wis. agency logo resembles anarchy symbol Friday 03rd of July 2009 08:02:00 PM MADISON, Wis., July 3 (UPI) -- Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board has drawn criticism for a new logo that some say resembles the symbol for anarchy. The logo, which was designed by Cricket Design Works of Madison, Wis., features an A inside a circle, similar to the traditional symbol for anarchy but with softer lines, the Milwaukee Journal Sent... Read more
Dillinger-damaged theater to be auctioned Friday 03rd of July 2009 07:36:48 PM SOUTH BEND, Ind., July 3 (UPI) -- A South Bend, Ind., theater that retains bullet holes from a 1934 bank robbery by John Dillinger is due to be auctioned online, the auctioneers said. The State Theatre, formerly called the Blackstone Theatre Vaudeville House, was purchased by an evangelical pastor three years ago as a venue for Christian entertainment but is n... Read more	Experts warn Scots against 'binge tanning' Friday 03rd of July 2009 07:36:24 PM EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 3 (UPI) -- Scotland has the highest skin cancer rate in the United Kingdom due to widespread unsafe tanning practices, British medical experts said. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain said a YouGov survey of more than 1,000 Scots found one in five respondents had participated in binge, or excessive, tanning, while four... Read more
Dog found two days after airport escape Friday 03rd of July 2009 07:16:57 PM ANCHORAGE, Alaska, July 3 (UPI) -- The Alaska Department of Transportation said a dog that escaped from its kennel at an Anchorage airport was recaptured two days later. Roger Wetherell, a spokesman for Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport, said the Australian miniature shepherd, Fesgahi, escaped from its kennel about 3 p.m. Monday while it was being un... Read more	Web site picks 'Top Five Quirky Parades' Friday 03rd of July 2009 07:13:14 PM WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., July 3 (UPI) -- A travel Web site has picked the Pasadena, Calif., Doo Dah Parade as the top quirky parade in the United States. VirtualTourist.com chose the Pasadena parade, which is famed for its barbecue and hibachi marching grill teams, for the No. 1 slot on its list of the Top Five Quirky U.S. Parades. Read more
Stolen crown found at police station Friday 03rd of July 2009 06:51:26 PM STOCKHOLM, Sweden, July 3 (UPI) -- A Stockholm, Sweden, museum said a decorative Mongolian silver crown that was stolen in 1984 has spent more than 20 years in police storage. Officials with the Museum of Ethnography said the crown, part of a Mongolian woman's costume, disappeared during a power blackout in 1984 and was not seen again until the Swedish Police ... Read more	Old monkey dead at Utah zoo Friday 03rd of July 2009 06:46:39 PM SALT LAKE CITY, July 3 (UPI) -- Officials at Utah's Hogle Zoo said a capuchin monkey thought to be among the world's oldest has died from cancer in its jaw. Zoo spokeswoman Holly Braithwaite said the monkey, Jocco, died in its sleep June 13 and a sign has been placed at the monkey's habitat to inform his friends, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Friday. Read more
Police: Man bit wife during dog argument Friday 03rd of July 2009 05:17:40 PM ST. CHARLES, Ill., July 3 (UPI) -- A 51-year-old man bit his wife during an argument about custody of a dog, police in suburban Chicago said. Donald Paul, 51, of St. Charles, was arrested and charged with battery Wednesday evening after he allegedly bit his wife and threw her cell phone to the ground when she tried to call for help, the Kane County (Ill.) Chr... Read more	Career expo called off due to job shortage Friday 03rd of July 2009 05:10:29 PM MARIETTA, Ga., July 3 (UPI) -- Organizers of a Georgia career expo said the event has been canceled due to a lack of available jobs at the companies planning to attend. Marietta City Council member Anthony Coleman said the Marietta/Cobb Career Expo, which had been planned for the autumn at the Cobb County Civic Center, was canceled with the approval of the Geo... Read more
Legoland abandons Jackson tribute plans Friday 03rd of July 2009 03:41:26 PM CARLSBAD, Calif., July 3 (UPI) -- Officials at the Legoland theme park in Carlsbad, Calif., said plans for a Michael Jackson tribute have been put on permanent hold due to legal issues. Legoland spokeswoman Julie Estrada said Thursday the planned Jackson exhibit, which was due to open Friday in the park's Miniland Southern California, has been permanently canc... Read more	Man crosses Canada handing out underwear Friday 03rd of July 2009 02:31:13 PM MONTREAL, July 3 (UPI) -- A Canadian man drove into Montreal Friday to deliver 2,500 pairs of white underwear to homeless men as part of his cross-country Underwear Tour. Brent King, 41, is an engineer who lives in Calgary, Alberta. He told The Gazette newspaper the idea of driving a motor home from the west coast to the east coast was a result of learning last... Read more