The District of Columbia's Department of General Services fell victim to a scam in July when officials there wired almost $700,000 to a hacker posing as a city vendor. The fraudsters gained information from a vendor's computer system, reported the Washington Post, then created a fake e-mail address by changing just one letter, from which they requested electronic transfers from the D.C. government. David Umansky, a spokesman for the district's chief financial officer, told the Post that since then the city's protocols for making vendor payments have "been modified to require additional confirmation before changing bank information."

Colon located

The University of Kansas Cancer Center has its colon back. The $4,000 giant inflatable colon, used to educate the public about colon health, was stolen from the bed of a pickup truck on Oct. 18. The Kansas City Star reported it was scheduled to appear at a run/walk event the next day. Kansas City police said the 150-pound, 10-foot-long colon was found Oct. 29 in a vacant house.

Undignified flatulence

Atif Masood, 42, an employee at a Tesco supermarket in Thornton Heath in south London, is suing the store over the harassment and racial discrimination he says he suffered when a fellow employee broke wind in his face. The Sun reported Masood claims he was targeted because he is Muslim, saying the "unwanted conduct ... had the purpose or effect of violating his dignity." Tesco dismissed Masood's complaints in February, saying it found no evidence of racial discrimination. Masood's hearing will take place in 2019.

Above and beyond

Judge R.W. Buzzard got a free pass on doing his cardio on Oct. 16 after two inmates appearing in his courtroom at the Lewis County Courthouse in Chehalis, Wash., made a break for it. The Daily Chronicle reported that Tanner D. Jacobson, 22, and Kodey L. Howard, 28, were being escorted out of the courtroom by a deputy when they turned and ran out the public door of the chamber. Buzzard stripped off his black robe and set off in hot pursuit, grabbing Howard as he followed Jacobson down the steps. Jacobson was caught a few blocks away.

Ewwww!

William Friedman, 68, of Franklin Township, N.J., told police officers when he was apprehended that his practice of dumping his grandson's used diapers around town "almost became a game." Friedman had been disposing of the soiled nappies along several roadways over the past year, until an officer spotted him at 3:15 a.m. on Oct. 21 making another deposit. Officials told the Associated Press that a motorcyclist crashed in June after running over a diaper Friedman had allegedly thrown out. He was charged with interference with transportation and faces up to $1,000 in fines.

The way the world works

Krissa White of Pensacola, Fla., planted a butterfly garden in her front yard six years ago. Since then, she's nurtured monarchs through their life cycles. But her yard has been the source of much discussion among neighbors, and in early October, the Crown Pointe Property Owners Association charged that White's butterflies violate the community's covenants against breeding or raising animals, such as livestock or poultry, on the property. Dogs, cats or other household pets are exempted from the rule. WEAR-TV reported on Oct. 19 that White may be charged $25 every day for harboring the butterflies.

News of the Weird is compiled by the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication. Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.