Weekly Weird News for 4 November 2022

Leftover candy

Welcome to the best in weird news coverage from this week. I don’t just do headlines, like those goofy TikTokkers, I at least give you something to chew on. This week, it’s left-over Halloween Candy. Lots of it. 

Halloween hysteria

It was a very busy post-Halloween as many claims surfaced about tainted candy. It seems like more than usual years. Maybe I was just looking harder, maybe the media was going harder, maybe people were trying harder, or maybe there really was more tampering. Let’s take a look at the quality of evidence here. Spoilers: The facts don’t match the headlines. No children were harmed. 

Ran out of candy? Refill

There were several incidents recorded of people not taking the unattended bowls of candy but refilling them. Thanks to the prevalence of doorbell cameras, several people all over the country spotted kids who approached a bowl and, when finding it empty, proceeded to donate some of their own loot to refill the supply. But in one Texas town, a guy hidden by a face mask, hat, and hoodie was seen refilling bowls and prompting people to call authorities. The man was eventually found and it was determined that the candy was not tainted and he had no ill intent. But, dude, not a good look! https://news.yahoo.com/mysterious-man-spotted-dumping-halloween-033851139.html

Blades in candy

The most notable incidents were blades found in candy. In Eugene, Oregon, police received four reports on Halloween and in the following days of candy with small blades. These were not full-size razor blades but more like small pencil sharpener blades. The location of the several accounts has been pinpointed to a few blocks in town - ironically called the “Friendly” neighborhood. https://www.kezi.com/news/eugene-police-investigating-3-reports-of-blades-in-halloween-candy-residents-weigh-in/article_752f6856-5a1c-11ed-b021-373dbf56e09e.html

Another case of a small blade was reported in Long Island. https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/halloween-candy-razor-blade-setauket-stony-brook-hwdm1dil

A piece of box cutter blade found embedded in a box of candy in British Columbia caused police concern but it was quickly determined to be not malicious intent. https://www.cranbrooktownsman.com/news/investigation-into-a-knife-blade-in-a-box-of-candy-reveals-no-malicious-intent/ 

Needling the kids

There were a handful of claims of “needles” found in candy. Sewing needles, even a hypodermic needle. Clearly, the hypodermic needle incident in Rhode Island was not going to hurt anyone and it looked more like an accident. https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/east-bay/police-hypodermic-needle-found-in-childs-halloween-candy/

The sewing needle claims in Atlanta were no more than social media posts, not a reliable source. https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/cherokee-county/metro-atlanta-parents-find-sewing-needles-kids-halloween-candy-police-say/VHE42DHTBJHLFGMWTE42UEZJUQ/

In Hawaii, one woman says she found a needle but the video shows it was a pin or very fine nail. She didn’t file a police report. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/11/03/woman-says-she-found-needle-her-granddaughters-halloween-candy/

Also in Hawaii, there was another alleged needle incident and police got a report of drug-tainted candy but so far have not found anything after searching through trash. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/11/04/police-investigating-following-report-halloween-candy-tampering-kailua/

Chicago - pot bag gummies

A dude in South Chicago Heights ran out of regular candy and started giving out gummies in bags. Parents noticed the bags smelled like pot and freaked out. The bags once contained cannabis but it appears the candy did not - except for possible residue. The man was arrested for child endangerment. The headlines erroneously suggested he gave out pot gummies on purpose. https://www.foxnews.com/us/man-ran-out-halloween-candy-handed-out-possible-marijuana-gummies-instead-report and https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-south-chicago-heights-halloween-st-1103-20221102-dyhw52rdtbdf7jk2eonfz3qcva-story.html

Cannabis candies

In Winnipeg, two people were arrested after giving away cannabis candy to children. The drug candy was the illegal labeling that used real candy names. The packages, however, did note the amount of drug in them if you looked carefully. No children were harmed. Again, the plausibility of it being a mistake is still high. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/cannabis-candies-halloween-winnipeg-arrests-1.6637873

Guess what? No fentanyl-poisoned candy. Certain people are desperately trying to keep you scared because it’s good for them. https://theappeal.org/halloween-rainbow-fentanyl-hoax-2022/

Gimp man caught

Somerset, England was haunted by a creepy, weird dude dressed in a black rubbery “gimp” suit. Reports of the man approaching people at night in several villages have been recorded since 2019. While he didn’t harm anyone, he sure freaked people out, approaching people or peeping, then falling down, convulsing, and making noises. Police finally arrested a suspect in the gimp incidents - a man who was caught in the suit, covered in mud. It’s unclear if he’s mentally stable. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-63421811 and https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/man-arrested-after-numerous-gimp-7749861

Sacramento purple light in the sky

A purple light on Halloween night perplexed residents of Sacramento. It wasn’t a spectacular thing, just a spot of purple on the clouds. But some people, according to the local reports, made a point of praying. How bizarre! I hope this wasn’t a typical reaction. And, I hope the people noted in the report were told what it actually was. It was the light from the top of the Sacramento Kings stadium because they won. Now you know… how mundane and ridiculous an explanation of something seemingly weird can really be. https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/sacramento-kings-purple-light-in-sky/

Smiling sun

NASA captured a photo of the sun in what looks like a Halloween grinning Jack o lantern. Dark patches appeared like eyes on the face. The effects were caused by coronal holes which signal a geomagnetic storm. The flares didn’t make it to earth, however. https://www.abc27.com/national/giant-space-pumpkin-nasa-explains-what-made-sun-smile-days-before-halloween/

Dobby beach

A beach in Wales where the filming of a key part of a Harry Potter movie happened, is plagued by fans. Freshwater West Beach has been inundated with people leaving tributes, including socks, at the fictional gravesite of Dobby the elf. The donations are having an effect on wildlife. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/world/europe/dobby-grave-beach-wales.html and https://knowyourmeme.com/news/welsh-environmental-officials-beg-harry-potter-fans-to-stop-leaving-socks-on-dobbys-beach

Cobras on the loose

A venomous cobra escaped from a sealed container during a “venom fest” show in Missouri. Police believe it might have been stolen as no trace of the snake was found. https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/missouri-snake-show-venom-fest-shut-down-after-cobra-disappears/

In Sweden, a king cobra escaped from his tank in a zoo. He disappeared out of site of the search cameras. Instead of leaving the building, and freezing to death, the snake returned to his enclosure of its own accord. Good boy. https://apnews.com/article/oddities-europe-snakes-b0f6b8988d50886c488a9f19ccd608a1

Owl attack

A barred owl attacked a woman in Washington clawing at her head. The territorial owl was known to be around but the attack was unprovoked. The woman had tried to avoid it in the past. A second attack was worse. Owls have been coming in to confrontational attacks more often as their habitat is encroached upon. Weirdly, this story contains an odd extra about a murder case that some people think was death by owl. https://www.npr.org/2022/11/02/1133260919/an-owl-twice-attacked-a-washington-woman-a-biologist-says-its-becoming-more-comm

Mountain lions in Illinois

There has been a flurry of mountain lion activity in Illinois over the past few weeks. Officially, there are no cougars in Illinois, but a few stray ones make the trek from the western states. In September, one was unmistakably captured on a trail cam. That one, unfortunately, was killed by a vehicle in DeKalb County this month. https://abc7chicago.com/mountain-lion-illinois-cougar-in-dekalb-county/12339978/ But another animal, one that was collared and tracked, came from Nebraska and decided to settle near Springfield. People knew it was coming. And it frequented inhabited places, making it a threat to people. The young male was tranquilized and placed in a wild cat sanctuary in Indiana. It could not be returned to Nebraska. All this activity clarifies some mysteries. First, a cougar is likely to be clearly seen and killed in the east after a short time here. That’s not happening in states like Pennsylvania where people insist the cats are present. Second, roaming cats can rather easily make their way this far east again. Given the chance, they will recolonize. And we are unprepared for that. https://journalstar.com/news/local/nebraska-mountain-lion-s-long-walk-comes-to-an-end-in-indiana/article_10266016-386a-51e0-b85f-f5440a099f1f.html and https://www.wthitv.com/news/cougar-captured-in-illinois-neighborhood-now-calls-local-big-cat-rescue-home/article_f3e983e4-59f8-11ed-84b8-7f8b96c37924.html

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Until next week… if you can’t do what’s right, do what’s left. Keep calm and Vote.