A Canada goose got its final revenge Feb. 1 when, after being shot out of the sky by a hunter in Easton, Md., it struck Robert Meilhammer, 51, of Crapo, Md., seriously injuring the waterfowler. NPR reported that Meilhammer was hunting with a group when one of the large geese flying overhead was killed and fell about 90 feet, landing on Meilhammer's head and knocking him out. It also dislodged two of Meilhammer's teeth. Adult Canada geese weigh about 12 to 14 pounds and can have a wingspan of 6 feet.
Crime report
Aaron Meininger, 29, of Hernando Beach, Fla., was arrested Feb. 2 after Hernando County deputies caught him stealing items from the DeMarco Family Funeral Home in Spring Hill. When officers arrived, Meininger was carrying a tub of formaldehyde out of the building. They also found makeup, nail polish, electric clippers, soap and other items used in funeral preparation in Meininger's car. Curiously, the Tampa Bay Times reported, Meininger told deputies that he was "bored" and "messed up" and didn't even know what kind of business he was burgling. He said he probably would have just thrown the stolen items away.
And the winner is ...
Somebody in Muskegon, Mich., didn't want the Philadelphia Eagles to win Super Bowl LII. Immediately following the Eagles' Feb. 4 victory over the New England Patriots, Subaru of Muskegon ran an ad on local NBC affiliate WOOD-TV that featured 30 seconds of silence and a written message: "Congratulations Patriots!" WOOD-TV reported via Twitter that the business had submitted only one version of the ad and had specified that it run regardless of the game's outcome.
Precocious
When a Texas stripper arrived at her 11:30 a.m. gig Feb. 1, she smelled a rat: Her destination turned out to be Noel Grisham Middle School in Round Rock, Texas. Rather than going inside, the performer called the school and reported a prank. Jenny LaCoste-Caputo, a district spokesperson, told the Austin American-Statesman the student jokester had used his cellphone to order the stripper and paid for it with his parents' credit card.
Binge gamer
Staffers at an internet cafe in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, China, had to call paramedics Jan. 28 when a gamer lost all feeling in his lower limbs after playing the same game for more than 20 hours straight. Newsweek reported that the unnamed man didn't realize he had become paralyzed until he tried to use the restroom and couldn't move his legs. As he was being carried out on a stretcher, he was heard begging his friends to finish the game for him.
Wrong place, wrong time
A parking lot in Augusta, Ga., became the scene of a nightmare for an unsuspecting motorcyclist and his 1982 Honda bike on Jan. 31. On his way to exchange some shirts at Target in the Augusta Exchange shopping center, Don Merritt told WJBF-TV, "I was going to go around the back to avoid the speed bumps," but when he did, he and his bike fell into a sinkhole. Firefighters were called to rescue Merritt, who suffered a skull fracture and a loose tooth as a result of the 15-foot fall. The bike was totaled. "It's not good customer relations," Merritt said about the sinkhole. The center property manager reportedly is fixing the hole.
News of the Weird is compiled by the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication. Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.
