WEIRD NEWS

Therapy Dogs in the Modern Age

In Detroit, Cheryl Wassus has a therapy dog named Link and she's involved with a charity called Pets for Vets - a nonprofit that pairs dogs with soldiers. She thought it would be great to take Link to what was clearly a local convention for pets - one that even named Pets for Vets as the charity they were supporting. It wasn't until she got there that she realized the Motor City Furry Con was something quite different. Cheryl and Link's adventure was documented in a series of hilarious tweets by her son, Kenny Wassus. In an interview with New York Magazine, Cheryl explained that she assumed Motor City Furry Con was an animal event and had no idea she would find herself surrounded by humans dressed in furry costumes. But nevertheless, Link, a one-year-old Bernese mountain dog, had the best time. Cheryl said," I learned so much about this whole new culture of people who get together and dress up in furry costumes. I had no idea I was walking into Furry Con. It was a little embarrassing at first because Link was just a little curious why people were wearing tails, so he was doing some serious tail-sniffing and checking out people." And before you judge - Motor City Furry Con raised $10,000 for Pets for Vets. (Metro)

Wait - WHAT? The Daily Mail Lied?

This may shock you but it turns out the Daily Mail has lied. First lady Melania Trump has accepted an apology and damages from the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper for reporting rumors about her time as a model. Trump sued the Daily Mail in Britain and Mail Online in the United States over the August 2016 article that ran under the headline "Racy photos and troubling questions about his wife's past that could derail Trump" and alleged Trump once worked as an escort. The first lady's attorneys argued that the report damaged her ability to build businesses based on her status as a "successful businesswoman." Trump filed her lawsuit in February, seeking damages of $150 million. In a joint statement, the parties said the Mail retracted its false statements that Trump "provided services beyond simply modeling" and agreed to pay damages and costs. The amount was not specified. (The Star)

Alabama...Being Alabama!

Like Alabama doesn't have enough controversy on their plate with recent resignation of their naughty governor, the Alabama Senate has now voted to allow a church to form its own police force. What could possibly go wrong? Lawmakers voted 24-4 to allow Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham to establish a law enforcement department. The church says it needs its own police officers to keep its school as well as its more than 4,000 person congregation safe. Critics of the bill argue that a police department that reports to church officials could be used to cover up crimes. The state has given a few private universities the authority to have a police force, but never a church or non-school entity. Police experts have said such a police department would be unprecedented in the U.S. (WHNT)

Apparently Women Can Rape Too

You don't hear too many cases of a man being raped by a woman - but it happened in Findlay, Ohio and Brittany Carter has been charged after it was alleged that she sexually assaulted a taxi driver at knifepoint. Carter allegedly called for a cab to pick her and accomplices Cory Jackson and an unnamed person from a hotel. Police said Jackson pulled a knife on the driver and Carter performed a sex act on him against his will. An indictment said that she "purposefully compelled' the taxi driver to engage in sexual conduct by force or threat of force." They then fled after allegedly stealing $32 from the driver's pocket and warrants were issued for their arrests. Jackson remains on the run but Carter was taken into custody for two first-degree felony counts. The third accomplice is not expected to have charges brought against him according to prosecutor Phil Riegle. Carter had previously been indicted twice on drug charges. Jackson is wanted for rape, robbery and an unrelated murder charge. (Toledo Blade)

There's a New "Fastest Car" and It's a Dodge

Dodge has a very interesting way of describing their new 2018 Challenger SRT Demon - "A lady in the streets, but a freak in the sheets!" While there are more than a few who'd grin at the double entendre, Dodge says that "sheets" in this case is actually in reference to race log sheets - and for good reason. They claim the Demon is now the world's fastest production car, able to go from zero to 60 in 2.3 seconds, just beating Tesla's Model S P100D sedan. Motor Trend points out, however, that the Model S was tested on dry asphalt and the Demon on a coated drag strip. The Demon can also complete a quarter-mile in 9.65 seconds, making it one of the "10-second cars" so coveted in the Fast and the Furious franchise. It's no surprise, then, that Dodge enlisted Vin Diesel to help reveal the street-legal car Tuesday, ahead of the New York Auto Show. The car is also expected to appear in Fate of the Furious out this Friday. The Demon's 840 horsepower and 770 pound-feet of torque give it enough power to pop a wheelie. "This car is the epitome of power," adds race car driver Leah Pritchett, who worked on the car with Dodge. The car is expected to have a price tag well under $100,000 when it hits the market this fall, with 3,000 available in the US and another 300 in Canada, Kuniskis says. (Detroit Free Press)

Need a Transplant? Don't Smoke Pot!

In Utah, teenager Riley Hancey was denied a lung transplant necessary to save his life because he had smoked pot a few days prior to coming down with the flu. Now his family is crying foul! Hancey, who is 19 and an avid runner, biker, and skier, says he smoked pot with friends on Thanksgiving night, something he claims to do infrequently and hadn't for an entire year prior. So when he came down with the flu, which developed into pneumonia and sent him to the hospital, THC showed up in his blood work. Just as Hancey was being told he'd die without two new lungs, the University of Utah Hospital denied him a spot on the transplant list. His father, Mark Hancey, said the doctor told his son: "You will die. You better get your affairs in order." For the record, there are no federal laws or even guidelines on the use of cannabis - which is legal in some form in nearly half of US states today - among people who need organs. The head of medical ethics at NYU says it's obvious some hospitals are looking for ways to "kick" people off the list, but adds that it is "utterly wrong" to "discriminate against people for using substances that are legal." Fortunately for Hancey, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania agreed to take him in, and a YouCaring page is helping cover the costs. He got new lungs two weeks ago and is recovering now. (KTLA)

What the What?

Up in Montana, Scott Dion thought he was being funny when he wrote "sexual favors" in the memo line on a check to pay his property taxes. But now he's complaining that the $745.77 check that he sent in last November has not been chased by the Hill County Treasurer. Dion's lawyer sent a letter to Hill County Treasurer Sandy Brown, saying that not cashing Dion's check amounts to official misconduct and the treasurer should be prosecuted. Hill County Attorney Jessica Cole-Hodgkinson declined comment on Dion's situation specifically, though she said in general the county treasurer can't cash a check if it isn't clear what the funds should be applied to. (Great Falls Tribune)

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