Oddities
  • Ala. court says woman can't claim $41.8M jackpot

    MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Supreme Court says a woman who thought she had hit a jackpot worth almost $42 million at the Victoryland electronic bingo center will end up empty handed. The court ruled Friday that an electronic bingo machine that showed Sherry Knowles had won $41.8 million obviously malfunctioned and that she was actually due no more than $2 from the operation in Macon County.

     
  • Pregnant woman seeks help, allegedly robs homes

    WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police arrested a pregnant woman after she allegedly robbed homes after asking residents for help. Police said the woman, who is eight months pregnant, had been telling people in west Wichita that her car broke down and she needed to call someone for a ride.

     
  • Eye doc may lose license after calling patient fat

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina doctor could lose his medical license after a patient complained he made cutting criticisms, including telling her she was fat. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported the North Carolina Medical Board will decide if Dr. Earl Sunderhaus of Asheville overstepped the bounds of professional decency.

     
  • Cops: Woman smuggled drugs to Pa. inmate with kiss

    MERCER, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania woman has been ordered to stand trial on charges she passed a drug-filled balloon to a state prison inmate while kissing him. State police said guards at the State Correctional Institution-Mercer became suspicious when an inmate appeared to swallow something after a prolonged kiss with a visitor on Oct. 19.

     
  • Mich. police nab wrong-way driver twice in 3 days

    KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Authorities in western Michigan arrested a person twice in three days for driving the wrong way down the highway Kalamazoo County deputies said they were alerted about 1:30 a.m. Friday after several people called 911 when they passed the unidentified driver traveling south on northbound U.S. 131.

     
  • Man who claimed disability spotted on TV show

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — California tax officials say an interior designer's false disability claim was uncovered when he was spotted on a home improvement television show.

     
  • Alleged burglar warms up bottle for crying baby

    INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An 18-year-old is in police custody after he warmed up a bottle for a crying baby inside the house he was allegedly robbing. Indianapolis police arrested the suspect at Arlington High School on Tuesday after receiving a tip from a television viewer saw surveillance video on a newscast.

     
  • Miss. toddler, 2, helps mom give birth to brother

    OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (AP) — A 2-year-old in north Mississippi has done something few toddlers can: He helped his mother give birth to his brother. Bobbye Favazza told The Commercial Appeal she went into labor this past Friday and gave birth on the family's living room couch in Olive Branch. She said her toddler, Jeremiha Taylor, got her a towel and caught the baby before firefighters arrived to cut the umbilical cord.

     
  • Man who left wallet in bank robbery pleads guilty

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man who left his wallet on the counter of a bank he was robbing has pleaded guilty in federal court. Albert Perkins, 40, admitted Thursday that he stole more than $3,100 from First Federal Bank in Kansas City on May 7. Prosecutors said that after he ordered a teller to give him all the $100 bills, he placed his wallet on the counter and handed her a plastic bag.

     
  • Jury sides with NYC police in clown's lawsuit

    NEW YORK (AP) — A federal jury has ruled that New York City police didn't use excessive force when they arrested a professional clown who left a suspicious device that turned out to be a balloon inflator inside a coffee shop.

     
  • Researchers: Ohio State lake jump a wee bit of fun

    COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Intrepid Ohio State University researchers have learned students don't just party in a campus lake during rituals before the annual Michigan game. They also potty there. Thousands of students will jump into Ohio State's Mirror Lake Thursday night, ahead of Saturday's football game between the Buckeyes and Wolverines.

     
  • Police: Man runs over light pole, punches officer

    FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Fargo police said a man ran over a light pole and punched a police officer in the mouth when the officer tried to arrest him. Police Sgt. Mark Lykken said police got a report about 2 a.m. Thursday that a pickup hit a light pole and pulled into a nearby parking lot.

     
  • Man accused of squeegee attack at Ark. gas station

    CONWAY, Ark. (AP) — A man accused of using a squeegee to hit another man during a fight over who was first in line at a gas pump was due in court on charges. The man, Hector Chavez, 21, was to be arraigned Friday in Faulkner County Circuit Court on a second-degree battery charge.

     
  • Person in chicken suit ruffles feathers in Colo.

    DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — A person in a chicken costume ruffled the feathers of Durango's city council as its members discussed rules for backyard fowl.

     
  • NY town decides to re-Christmas its holiday parade

    PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (AP) — A town on New York's Long Island is hoping for better attendance at its 16th annual holiday boat parade this year by restoring "Christmas" to the event's name.