Meanwhile, in Florida...

[jarnon]

From Ohio ....

Woman arrested after raccoon named Chewy found with meth pipe in driver's seat during police stop

I can’t believe this didn’t happen in Florida.

[silverscreenselect]

Don't mess with kangaroos...

Man Brutally Beaten to Death by Kangaroo

A zoo employee has died following an interaction with a kangaroo at a family-operated petting zoo in South Carolina. Eric Slate, 52, was discovered deceased inside an enclosure at the 5-Star Farm near Loris, South Carolina, about 30 miles north of Myrtle Beach. Slate, the brother of the petting zoo’s owner, Robert Slate, had reportedly entered the kangaroo’s pen on Friday evening, May 9, 2025. According to local officials, he was found with “multiple blunt force injuries” just before midnight.

Horry County Councilmember Mark Causey informed local media that Slate had a history of entering the enclosure and “roughhousing” with the kangaroo, Mr. Jack, which he was doing at the time. “It just went south,” Causey explained. Councilmember Causey noted that the kangaroo involved in the incident has not been euthanized. “It’s not an aggressive animal. It’s very sad… It was not the animal’s fault,” he said. Experts are scheduled to visit the farm this week to ensure the enclosure is safe and check the animal’s condition.

The 5-Star Farm provides an interactive petting zoo experience featuring various exotic animals, including camels, wallabies, and kangaroos. According to its website, the facility has been operating for more than 15 years and offers educational programs for families and children. The 5-Star Farm had recently shared a photo of Mr. Jack, describing him as an animal that “loves neck scratches and will take treats from your hands.” The 5-Star Farm describes itself as being “dedicated to providing a safe and enriching environment for animals and visitors alike.” The facility continues to operate, though it’s unknown if any changes will be made to the kangaroo exhibit following the incident. Adult male red kangaroos are robust animals weighing up to 200 pounds and standing nearly 6 feet tall. They have extremely strong hind legs and powerful feet capable of delivering forceful kicks. Red kangaroos can jump up to 30 feet in a single leap and reach heights of up to six feet when jumping.

Fatal kangaroo attacks are extremely rare. In 2022, an elderly man was killed by his pet kangaroo in Western Australia. Before that incident, there had reportedly not been a fatal kangaroo attack in Australia for nearly 90 years.

[jarnon]

I posted this in a topic about pardons. It’s also relevant here.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=63270&p=617344#p617344

[jarnon]

Another shark story:

Hammerhead shark falls from sky onto disc golf course in South Carolina

Thanks to Stephen Colbert for publicizing it.

[silverscreenselect]

Another shark story:

Hammerhead shark falls from sky onto disc golf course in South Carolina

Thanks to Stephen Colbert for publicizing it.

Are you sure this wasn't a Sharknado movie?

[jarnon]

Here in Pennsylvania ...



Marty is lucky he was returned to the Giant supermarket before he ended up like HitchBOT.

[Vandal]

Zephyrhills bar manager chases garbage truck through streets, shoots driver

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. (WFLA) — The manager and operator of a bar in Zephyrhills is facing attempted murder charges after police said he chased a garbage truck through city streets and shot the driver.

Quinson De’Shawn Croson, a Dade City resident and manager at LA Billiards, was taken into custody Monday on two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the Zephyrhills Police Department.

https://www.wfla.com/news/pasco-county/ ... er-police/

[silverscreenselect]

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contestant Disqualified for the Urge to Purge

The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest this year came with a footnote. One of the eaters was disqualified.

The women’s standings shown on a graphic on the event organizer's social media site listed “Madison Barone (DQ).’’ She's not listed in the final results distributed by Major League Eating, which runs the contest. So what happened?

"Ms. Barone experienced urges contrary to swallowing after the contest but before the conclusion of presentations and the awarding of places," said Sam Barclay, director of operations at Major League Eating,. "By Major League Eating rules, urges contrary to swallowing before the conclusion of the event, including presentations and the awarding of prizes, results in a DQ."

“Urges contrary to swallowing” translates to getting sick. Barone, a 24-year-old from Manville, New Jersey, did not immediately respond to an interview request sent by email.

George Shea, who has served as the contest announcer since 1991, said he was unaware of any such incident taking place at the time. And he was averse to using graphic language to characterize what took place. "We will only say urges contrary to swallowing.'' Shea told USA TODAY Sports. "We never utter other words. It is like saying Voldemort."

If there were Golden Corral eating contests, I would have been disqualified several times by now.

[Vandal]

India

7 Engineers Suspended Over Bhopal Bridge With 90-Degree Turn



The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday suspended seven engineers, including two chief engineers of the Public Works Department for the 'faulty design' of the new Rail Over Bridge in Aishbagh area of the city with an unusual 90-degree turn.

"I took cognisance of the serious negligence in the construction of Aishbagh ROB and ordered an inquiry. On the basis of the inquiry report, action has been taken against eight PWD engineers," Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on X late in the evening.

Seven engineers including two chief engineers were suspended with immediate effect while a departmental inquiry will be conducted against a retired superintendent engineer, he added.

The construction agency and design consultant have been blacklisted, and a committee has been formed to make necessary improvements in the ROB, the chief minister said.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/seven-e ... rn-8788636

[jarnon]

In Ohio ...

[silverscreenselect]

It's been a while since we've had a real Florida story...

Sun-Loving Florida Man Arrested Nude in Tanning Bed After Gym Crime Spree

A naked man hiding in a tanning bed was arrested after allegedly tearing around a Florida Planet Fitness, starting a fire, and making holes in the ceiling after refusing to leave at closing time. The Lee County Sheriff’s Department said its deputies responded to reports of a naked man running riot at the Venice gym before midnight on Saturday night, with officers searching around gym equipment, smoke visible in the air in bodycam footage, before finally locating him.

Henrry Antunez-Avarado, 25, had allegedly exposed himself as staff closed the gym up for the evening, then began a bizarre naked spree that included “attempting to start a fire in the bathroom,” according to sheriff’s deputies, along with knocking down roof panels after climbing up into the ceiling. A K-9 was deployed in the hunt and was seen in a video posted by the sheriff’s department excitedly directing officers to a closed door, behind which the suspect was shut inside the tanning bed. Later on in the clip, as the suspect is taken out of the squad car, an officer can be heard saying: “Aww, you left cheek marks.” Antunez-Avarado was charged with indecent exposure and arson, along with criminal mischief and providing false information to law enforcement.

[silverscreenselect]

The City of Brotherly Love signs in:

Massive Brawl Breaks Out In Bensalem Golden Corral Over Alleged Steak Shortage

A Friday night out turned into a melee in Bensalem at a Golden Corral restaurant. Now police are trying to figure out how it started.
A former employee of the restaurant says he was told the fight may have happened after a customer became enraged when the buffet ran out of steak. Bensalem police confirm the brawl may have involved more than 40 people and happened following an argument among some customers. Officers are still looking into what caused the argument.

“There was a shortage of steak and two parties were involved and one family cut in front of another family, they were taking their time and they ran out of steak and it got into a heated exchange at the tables,” Gaven Lauletta said. In the video, a man is heard saying “all I wanted was some steak.” Golden Corral wouldn’t answer our email asking if a lack of steak caused the melee.

Running out of steak at a Golden Corral is a serious problem. You can't find meat like that just anywhere.

It appears that Carnival Cruise Ships are giving the Golden Corral a run for its money. A fight broke out in the buffet line of the Carnival Sunshine as it was returning to Miami. Apparently, the culprit this time was chicken tenders. It's been a few years since I've been cruising, but Carnival chicken tenders are no match for Golden Corral steaks in terms of haute cuisine. This time, the fight was captured on video in the linked article.

https://nypost.com/2025/08/20/us-news/w ... n-tenders/

[silverscreenselect]

'Butt-Sniffing Bandit' Arrested Again — Less Than 1 Month After Similar Incident Involving a Woman's Buttocks

A man — dubbed the "butt-sniffing bandit" online — has once again been arrested for smelling a woman's buttocks. Calese Carron Crowder was arrested for the same crime within less than a month on Wednesday, Aug. 20. He was allegedly caught sniffing a woman at a Walgreens in Burbank, CA. Store employees called the police, and Crowder, 38, was arrested several hours later.

Crowder was previously arrested for the same crime on July 22. At the time, police responded to a report of a “suspicious individual loitering in the women’s department” at a Nordstrom Rack in Burbank. When officers arrived, Crowder had left the department store. Officers later spotted him at a nearby Walmart. “Using the store’s surveillance system, officers monitored the suspect as he moved through various departments,” the Burbank Police Department (BPD) said in a press release. “While in the women’s section, the suspect was observed following a female customer, crouching near her, and engaging in lewd behavior by inappropriately sniffing her buttocks," authorities added. Crowder was charged with one count of loitering with intent to commit a crime for the July 22 incident. His bail was set at $100,000.

Authorities said Crowder is a registered sex offender with “a documented history of similar arrests for lewd conduct in both Glendale and Burbank, dating back to 2021,” per the release.

[Bob Juch]

'Butt-Sniffing Bandit' Arrested Again — Less Than 1 Month After Similar Incident Involving a Woman's Buttocks

A man — dubbed the "butt-sniffing bandit" online — has once again been arrested for smelling a woman's buttocks. Calese Carron Crowder was arrested for the same crime within less than a month on Wednesday, Aug. 20. He was allegedly caught sniffing a woman at a Walgreens in Burbank, CA. Store employees called the police, and Crowder, 38, was arrested several hours later.

Crowder was previously arrested for the same crime on July 22. At the time, police responded to a report of a “suspicious individual loitering in the women’s department” at a Nordstrom Rack in Burbank. When officers arrived, Crowder had left the department store. Officers later spotted him at a nearby Walmart. “Using the store’s surveillance system, officers monitored the suspect as he moved through various departments,” the Burbank Police Department (BPD) said in a press release. “While in the women’s section, the suspect was observed following a female customer, crouching near her, and engaging in lewd behavior by inappropriately sniffing her buttocks," authorities added. Crowder was charged with one count of loitering with intent to commit a crime for the July 22 incident. His bail was set at $100,000.

Authorities said Crowder is a registered sex offender with “a documented history of similar arrests for lewd conduct in both Glendale and Burbank, dating back to 2021,” per the release.

I sent my friend Randy Cassingham the story about the Burbank Nordstrom incident. He published it two weeks ago.