The Guardian reported on July 19 about a phenomenon among American preschoolers called the Peppa Effect. The hypothesis is that children who watched a lot of "Peppa Pig" during the pandemic lockdown have developed British accents and started using British terms like "mummy" for "mommy," "give it a go" instead of "try it" and "satnav," the British abbreviation for satellite navigation, or what we call "GPS." Wall Street Journal reporter Preetika Rana tweeted that her niece "had an American accent before the pandemic. Now she has a posh English accent." One responder agreed: "And for Christmas I had to put out a freaking mince pie for Father Christmas, or, as we call him here in the States, Santa Claus."

A cold welcome

Delray Beach, Fla., has a new addition to its fleet of police vehicles: an ice cream truck. Police Chief Javaro Sims told WPBF-TV, "We must continue to find ways to break down those invisible barriers we continue to deal with on a daily basis within our communities." He hopes the public will grab some free ice cream and stay for some conversation, getting to know the officers and building relationships.

A foot race

An arrest warrant was issued July 8 in Little Rock, Ark., for Brian Dale Reams, 32, in connection with several incidents where he allegedly approached women and asked if he could touch their feet — with a curious twist, KATV reported. In Conway, Ark., a woman said a man with no arms followed her into a Walmart last September, telling her she had pretty feet and asking if she liked having people touch them. Later he began harassing her on Facebook. In June, a second woman said a man matching the same description (but wearing a face mask with "Brian" written on it) followed her around the same Walmart and wondered if she'd let him give her a foot massage. He didn't explain how that might work. A third woman identified Reams after viewing screenshots of his Facebook account; he approached her in a Kroger store.

Gunning for grass

When code compliance officers arrived at a home in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 16 to issue a violation for too-high grass, the homeowner did not answer the door. But when mowers hired by the city showed up and started cutting the grass, the person inside began shooting at them, KDFW-TV reported. The person inside continued shooting until SWAT units arrived, shot tear gas into the home and took the shooter into custody. "Being shot at for trying to make the community look better?" said Fort Worth officer Jimmy Pollozani. "That just proves the dangers of this job." The man was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Amateur dentist

A woman in Reno, Nev., was charged on July 14 in a break-in incident at a dental practice where she worked, the New York Daily News reported. Laurel Eich allegedly broke into the practice, took some money and extracted 13 teeth from a sedated patient — even though she is not licensed to perform such procedures. Eich was charged with multiple felonies, including performing surgery without a license.

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