News of the Weird: Elizabeth was the queen of pen pals

Adele Hankey of Park River, N.D., was born on April 21, 1926. As such, she shared her birthday with Queen Elizabeth II. But she shared more than the date, KFYR-TV reported. When Elizabeth was crowned in 1952, Hankey wrote her a letter, and the queen responded by sending Hankey a birthday card. "I could have jumped out of my shoes," Hankey said of the unexpected greeting. Over the past 70 years, the two have exchanged handwritten cards every year. Now that the queen has died, Hankey said she'll miss the regular communication: "Oh, absolutely. You miss your pen pals."

Noise complaints are way down at a restaurant in Singapore after it implemented a "screaming children surcharge" of $10, Yahoo News reported. Angie's Oyster Bar & Grill said that before the new policy was put in place, they were receiving complaints on a weekly basis about children running around unattended or disturbing other tables. Now, parents are trying harder to control their children and "99%" of patrons are respectful and understanding.

On June 6, Kylynn Chambers, 32, used bright red spray paint to deface a bronze statue of the character Samantha from the 1960s TV show "Bewitched" in Salem, Mass. Even though Salem is famous for the witch trials of 1692, the incident had nothing to do with the fact that Samantha was a witch. Rather, Chambers told prosecutors he "wanted to do something to get arrested." His wish came true. On Sept. 20, he was sentenced to 18 months' probation.

One morning five years ago, Cincinnati resident Joey Lykins, then 30, woke up and realized his nose ring was missing. He searched through his bed but never located the small item, and eventually he gave up, the New York Post reported. A few weeks ago, Lykins developed a violent cough, and an X-ray revealed that his nose ring was lodged in his left lung. He underwent a bronchoscopy, in which the ring was retrieved using a tube fed down his throat and into his lung.

In Alameda County, Calif., you no longer can engage in wild cow milking, CBS News reported. As of Sept. 20, the event, often seen at rodeos in the area, is illegal. In case you're not a rodeo fan, wild cow milking involves two people who try to corral a loose cow and then extract milk from her udder. But the event is not sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Animals "don't get a chance to speak. Who speaks for them?" asked county supervisor Richard Valle, who introduced the ordinance.

Gresham, Ore., is dealing with an unusual serial criminal: the Gresham Lumberjack. Someone is cutting down trees along the Springwater Corridor Trail — to the tune of 750 trees since August 2021, KATU-TV reported. But they're not poaching firewood; the Lumberjack leaves the trees where they fall. The cutting seems to happen at night and with a hand saw (likely because it's quieter). Police have identified a suspect, and the city has installed cameras along the trail in hopes of catching them in the act.