WEIRD NEWS

Alpha Chi! Alpha Chi!

The Alpha Chi Omega sorority is being kicked off the campus of Lehigh University until May of 2020 for a "reprehensible" sorority scavenger hunt that "involved the use of drugs and alcohol, sexual activity, and other activities that violate University policy." In a blog post, the university says the dubious acts involved in December's "Road Rally" scavenger hunt may not have been "required for affiliation into the organization, but are clearly considered a rite of passage and a consistent part of membership." Alpha Chi Omega will be ordered to vacate its sorority house and the university says that by the time the sorority can resume operations on campus, all the current members will have graduated, breaking a link with the tradition. "This incident was a significant, reprehensible event that the entire chapter was aware of and leadership endorsed," says the university blog post, which accuses sorority leadership of creating "a situation that occurred on and off campus involving morally questionable quests." Alpha Chi Omega, which cooperated with the investigation by turning over scavenger hunt lists, will be allowed to appeal the decision. (Morning Call)

A Grisly Fishing Trip

A Russian fisherman in Siberia made a grisly find: a bag containing 54 severed hands! A photo of the hands shows them lined up and looking much like leather gloves. Reportedly, the bag of hands was found on an island in the Amur River about 19 miles from the Chinese border. The area is popular with local fishermen. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation says the hands "are not of a criminal origin." And while locals mused the hands could have been amputated by a medical institution or cut off with an ax as punishment for thievery, investigators say they are likely the result of improper disposal by a forensics lab in Khabarovsk. Medical bandages and plastic shoe coverings were found nearby. But it remains unclear why a forensics lab would have so many severed hands, uh, on hand. (Live Science)

Worst Daycare Worker Ever!

The operator of the Little Giggles day care center in Bend, Ore., had a rule: Parents couldn't drop off or collect their children between 11am and 2pm. That was the period January Neatherlin referred to as "nap time" - and when she headed out to go tanning and to CrossFit. The 32-year-old was sentenced to just north of 21 years in prison after pleading guilty to 11 counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and one count of third-degree assault. Per court documents, Neatherlin would give the children in her care the sleep aid melatonin and then take off. Her misdeeds didn't end there: the daycare was an illegal one, and she was not a registered nurse, though she told parents otherwise. The Oregonian reports the scheme unraveled after an ex-boyfriend and ex-roommate tipped off police, who began tracking Neatherlin a year ago. They observed her exiting the house on two occasions, leaving alone seven kids, ages 6 months to 4 years. Bend Police Sgt. Devin Lewis testified that "what we saw was shocking." For example, one of the kids left unattended was found covered in damp vomit, and Lewis feared the child could have possibly suffocated without intervention. Said the sentencing judge: "It is sheer serendipity and chance that some of those kids were not killed." (Oregonian)

Sledgehammers - When Nothing Else Will Do

Several people tried to stop a driver of a silver SUV from fleeing the scene after crashing into several cars in Miami, and it was all captured on cellphone video. Some drivers followed the SUV and pulled off the door handle. Another driver got out of his car with a sledge hammer and broke every window on the SUV. Fortunately nobody was injured. The driver of the SUV, whose name was not released, was found and taken into custody. (WFTV)

Running Over an $85,000 Violin!

A California woman and her daughter are suing a New York City parking garage and a couple of its employees over a violin that got run over. Beth Bergman filed the suit in Manhattan Supreme Court and claims she and her daughter were taking their possessions out of a car at the West 51st Street garage in August. They had put the expensive Degani violin in its case on the ground. That's when an employee allegedly drove over the instrument and caused damage in excess of $85,000. An employee named in the suit, Victor Asitimbay, told The New York Post the daughter was "crying like somebody died." He added, "We didn't do anything wrong. If you have something very special, you don't put it on the floor!" (New York Post)

Mother of the Year!

A mother in Harrow, Ontario made her children walk four miles to school through the snow after she found out that they had been rude to their bus driver. When the school called to report their behavior, she not only made them walk to school, she made them where signs that read: "We were rude to the bus driver so Mom's making us walk to school." The mother posted pictures on Facebook. Speaking to CBC afterwards she said that her older son had learned his lesson. However, it took a second day of walking for the younger brother to get the message. Believe it or not, some people actually reported the mother to the Children's Aid Society which said that it was a "logical consequence" for the children to be made to walk to school for acting up. (Metro)

What the What?

Hate your driver's license photo? You may be in luck. A bill introduced by California Sen. Josh Newman would allow people to request that more than one photo be taken when they're posing for their license at the DMV. Senate bill 1407 would also allow people to bring in their own photos and request that they be put on their license. The bill would require the DMV to establish fees for each additional photo that someone might request, plus guidelines for any photos that people might submit themselves. Any revenue generated would go toward the Driver Education and Training Fund. The bill is currently going through the state Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. (NBC Los Angeles)

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