Creepy playing cards unnerve New York state neighbours
Residents of a New York state neighbourhood said they were unnerved to find playing cards in their mailbox as part of an apparent Halloween prank. Neighbors in the Nevins Road area of Henrietta said they have found Joker playing cards in their mailboxes in recent days bearing what appears to be fake blood and the date “10/31” — Halloween.
“Is it a sign that they’re going to come back on Halloween and do something to my property? To my dog?” resident Michelle Meyer told WHEC-TV. “I think the intent was to scare people and I don’t understand why this was funny.” Meyer said he believes at least six neighbours have found similar cards in their mailboxes. “It seems small and I want to hope it’s a prank but you can’t assume it’s a prank,” Meyer said. “Not anymore.” The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
(UPI)
Philadelphia building taken over by tentacles
A sculpture installation in South Philadelphia makes it appear as though a building is being attacked by a many-tentacled sea monster. The sculpture at Building 611 in the Philadelphia Navy Yard features more than a dozen inflatable tentacles protruding from the building’s windows, as though a giant sea monster is attempting to escape.
The installation is a partnership between the Navy Yard and art collective Group X. “Earlier this year, Group X pitched us on doing this piece,” Jennifer Tran, director of Navy Yard marketing and communications, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Out of all the designs, this one spoke to us because we thought it was really unique. It’s never been seen before in Philadelphia. We thought it really pushed the boundaries.” The installation is scheduled to last until November 16.
(UPI)
Oink oink, honk honk: Rogue pig goes hog wild in traffic
It was a classic case of a ham on the lam. Police in Maine’s capital city are looking for the owner of a 50-pound piglet that wore itself out while dodging traffic Saturday evening after presumably escaping. The Portland Press Herald reports Augusta police went door to door looking for the animal’s owner without any luck. They say the pig is being cared for by a person familiar with farm animals until the owner can be found. The animal was in good condition other than being tired out from running around.
(AP)
Scuba divers compete in underwater pumpkin carving
Scuba divers in the Florida Keys took their Halloween spirit 30 feet below the surface for an underwater pumpkin carving contest. The contest, organised by the Amoray Dive Resort, saw the divers going 30 feet below the surface at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to carve sub-aquatic jack-o-lanterns.
Participants said the task was complicated by the fact that their buoyant pumpkins kept trying to float away mid-carve. Brothers Sebastian and Gabriel Gimeno, ages 16 and 14, were declared the winners with their pumpkin carving, which portrayed a dolphin and a half moon. The Gimeno brothers were awarded a return dive trip with Amoray Dive Resort.
(UPI)
Houston couple creates ‘Good Boy’ beer for dogs
A pair of Houston bar owners who started brewing beer for their ailing canine a few years ago are now selling Good Boy Dog Beer at more than 20 locations. Megan and Steve Long said they learned how to brew beer for dogs, which does not contain alcohol, when their Rottweiler mix, Rocky, started having digestion problems a few years ago. The brews are called beer “because we use a lot of the same equipment a brewery does. We just skip the fermentation process,” Megan Long told USA Today. She said the beer contains all natural ingredients, including vegetables, meat and turmeric, a spice known to aid digestion in canines.
The Good Boy Dog Beer company now has products available at more than 20 dog-friendly bars and restaurants in the Houston area and they also ship their products in cans. The beer is available in three varieties: “IPA lot in the yard,” “Session...Squirrel!” and “Mailman Malt Licker.”
(UPI)
‘Willy Wonka’ pleads guilty to crimes
The leader of a multistate ATM and vehicle burglary ring known as “Willy Wonka” or the “Chocolate Man” has pleaded guilty to 60 charges. The Salem News reports that 47-year-old William “Willy Wonka” Rodriguez pleaded guilty Thursday to his role in crimes in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut that netted more than $300,000 in property and currency.
The Lawrence man was one of five people arrested in August during a police investigation dubbed Operation Golden Ticket. Rodriguez remains jailed on $500,000 bail pending sentencing November 7 where he faces up to 12 years in prison.
Authorities say the gang wore black clothing and masks, carried police scanners, two-way radios and power tools. They often stole vehicles, which they used to crash into businesses so they could steal ATMs.
(AP)
