Offbeat News

SOMERVILLE, Mass. (AP) — A wild turkey that had developed an online fan following but also drew complaints about aggressive behavior was euthanized in Massachusetts last week. The Boston Globe reports that the turkey had become a fixture in a Somerville neighborhood and was know by some as

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Humane Society in Portland has taken in 250 guinea pigs from an overwhelmed pet owner. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports it’s not known exactly how the unidentified person in Lane County became inundated with the furry critters. But experts say it can be

RAINSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama sheriff’s office says it’s busted an illegal winery that was operating at a city’s sewage plant. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office says it got an anonymous tip about an alcohol operation at a municipal building in the town of

By JIM MUSTIAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A New York state trooper has rescued a man stranded for 10 hours in a car buried in snow by a passing plow during this week’s storm. Kevin Kresen, of Candor, drove off the road, got plowed in and made several 911 calls early Thursday.

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky Monday, appearing closer than they have in centuries. The last time the two gas giants looked this close together was during Galileo’s time in the 17th century. But it occurred

PRAGUE (AP) — Prague’s zoo says it’s finally completed the process of naming a critically endangered Sumatran orangutan born in the park on Nov 17. He’ll be called Pustakawan, or Kawi. It took a while because the zookeepers had to go through over 4,000 name proposals submitted

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Wisconsin dentist is accused of damaging his patients’ teeth so that he could bill insurance companies for crown procedures. A federal indictment charges 60-year-old Scott Charmoli, of Grafton, of multiple counts of health care fraud and false statements. Charmoli is

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is now using trained dogs to sniff out troublesome pythons. Truman is a python-hunting black Labrador retriever that recently tracked down his first snake as part of a new Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

POMONA, Calif. (AP) — A Chihuahua dog named Sweet-Pea who went missing five years ago in Southern California has been found and is back home. KNBC-TV reports the tiny dog was reunited with her owner on Tuesday thanks to microchip identification. Sweet-Pea went missing in the city of Compton in