News Of The Weird-28

Bizarre but true stories about real people collected by syndicated columnist Chuck Shepherd.

Three of these four things really happened, just recently. Are you cynical enough to figure out the made-up story?

(a) The government of Vietnam is said to be moving to lethal injection for capital punishment because its firing squads, populated with volunteers, too often nervously miss.

(b) An airplane hangar in a Los Angeles suburb was found filled with bags of empty soda cans, to a height of 10 feet, with police believing a gang has been stealing cans from homeless people.

(c) A California county is systematically ticketing drivers who appear to be high only on kava herbal tea.

(d) A Missouri man fled a court hearing on an animal abuse charge but was captured a few minutes later hiding in a doghouse.
Answer: (b) is false

In September, Floyd Edwards, 78, set out to drive his friend Ruth Stancil, 62, and Edwards’ son Clifford from their home near Erwin, Tenn., to nearby North Carolina towns for shopping, as they routinely do once a month. The round trip is usually about 100 miles, but once again, a senior driver became confused, lost track of time and distance, and was fearful of stopping. By the time the three returned, 60 hours later, they had traveled 1,600 miles, as far as an Atlanta suburb, where Edwards accidentally fell at a gas station and hit his head, necessitating a call to police, who were able to help the group turn around.

In September, according to a report in Tehran’s daily Mardomsalari newspaper, a local court ordered a husband to stop beating his wife. However, the Iranian woman, identified only as Maryam J, said she would have accepted an order that just limited the beatings to once a week. “Beating is part of his nature,” she said, “and he cannot stop it.” The disconsolate husband said, “If I do not beat her, she will not be scared enough to obey me.”
Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, Fla. 33679 or [email protected]
Copyright © 2001 by Chuck Shepherd

NEWS OF THE WEIRD