Offbeat

Offbeat 10-year-old boy finds $10,000 in hotel room

By Associated Press Published: May 31, 2013 at 10:13 AM PDT Last Updated: May 31, 2013 at 10:13 AM PDT

A 10-year-old boy who found $10,000 in a drawer at a Kansas City hotel where he was staying with his dad turned the money over to police.

Offbeat New Yorkers treated to semi-annual 'Manhattanhenge' display (Photo Gallery)

By KOMO Staff & News Services Published: May 30, 2013 at 10:35 AM PDT Last Updated: May 30, 2013 at 10:35 AM PDT

People in Manhattan were treated Wednesday to their twice-yearly display of an astronomical quirk where the sun is perfectly aligned with the city's avenues.

Offbeat "French kiss" finally enters French dictionary

By THOMAS ADAMSON, Associated Press Published: May 30, 2013 at 8:30 AM PDT Last Updated: May 30, 2013 at 8:30 AM PDT

For centuries, there's been no official French word for the sloppy Gallic export "to French kiss" — though that certainly hasn't stopped any citizen from doing so. Now the oversight has been rectified.

Offbeat Wait ... what? Colony of ants jam bell, keep woman awake

By Associated Press Published: May 29, 2013 at 9:24 AM PDT Last Updated: May 29, 2013 at 9:24 AM PDT

A 75-year-woman in the southwestern town of Offenburg called police at 3 a.m. Wednesday complaining that she couldn't sleep because her doorbell was always ringing.

Offbeat Hospital: Man had pencil in head for 15 years

By Associated Press Published: May 29, 2013 at 9:12 AM PDT Last Updated: May 29, 2013 at 9:12 AM PDT

German doctors say a man spent 15 years with a pencil in his head following a childhood accident.

Offbeat Rare twin giraffes born in Central Texas

By Associated Press Published: May 28, 2013 at 5:01 PM PDT Last Updated: May 28, 2013 at 5:02 PM PDT

Officials with a Central Texas wildlife refuge say twin giraffes have been born, marking just the second time such a birth has occurred in the U.S.

Offbeat Canadian snowplow operator pleads guilty to drunk driving

By Associated Press Published: May 28, 2013 at 9:31 AM PDT Last Updated: May 28, 2013 at 9:31 AM PDT

A Winnipeg snowplow operator has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.

Offbeat Romania unfurls largest flag in the world (Photo Gallery)

By ALISON MUTLER, Associated Press Published: May 27, 2013 at 8:53 AM PDT Last Updated: May 27, 2013 at 8:53 AM PDT

A Romanian village on Monday unfurled what is the largest flag ever made, Guinness World Records said.

Offbeat Ohio man, 87, skydives to aid sick great-grandson

By Associated Press Published: May 26, 2013 at 5:41 PM PDT Last Updated: May 26, 2013 at 5:41 PM PDT

Clarence Turner of Fairfield made the jump Saturday with an instructor. He says he wanted to generate attention for the plight of 10-month-old Julian Couch, who suffers from a lung disease that could require a transplant.

Offbeat Rare Superman comic found in house insulation

By SSTEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press Published: May 24, 2013 at 2:55 PM PDT Last Updated: May 24, 2013 at 2:55 PM PDT

It's considered the Holy Grail of comic books: Action Comics No. 1 from 1938, featuring the debut of Superman. And David Gonzales found one mixed in with old newspapers insulating a house he was renovating in a small town in Minnesota.

Offbeat After 13 years on the run, fugitive busted for peeing on wall

By TAMI ABDOLLAH, Associated Press Published: May 24, 2013 at 1:15 PM PDT Last Updated: May 24, 2013 at 1:15 PM PDT

A man wanted for 13 years on attempted murder charges in Los Angeles was captured in Colorado after someone called police to report he was urinating on a wall outside a KFC restaurant.

Offbeat Manila officials not thrilled with Dan Brown for calling it 'gates of hell'

By Associated Press Published: May 24, 2013 at 9:58 AM PDT Last Updated: May 24, 2013 at 9:58 AM PDT

Dan Brown's description of Manila as "the gates of hell" in the American novelist's latest book has not gone down well with officials in the Philippine capital.

Offbeat NJ: Caramel-colored rubbing alcohol sold as scotch

By REMA RAHMAN,Associated Press Published: May 23, 2013 at 6:38 PM PDT Last Updated: May 23, 2013 at 6:38 PM PDT

At one bar, a mixture that included rubbing alcohol and caramel coloring was sold as scotch. In another, premium liquor bottles were refilled with water — and apparently not even clean water at that.

Offbeat 84-year-old woman indicted for drug trafficking

By Associated Press Published: May 23, 2013 at 12:48 PM PDT Last Updated: May 23, 2013 at 12:48 PM PDT

An 84-year-old Albuquerque woman who uses an oxygen tank has been indicted for drug trafficking.

Offbeat For this urban bicyclist, a cat is his co-pilot (Photo Gallery)

By KATHY MATHESON, Associated Press Published: May 23, 2013 at 8:26 AM PDT Last Updated: May 23, 2013 at 10:21 AM PDT

Rudi Saldia often buzzes around Philadelphia with his year-old feline Mary Jane perched on his shoulder. Their urban adventures have turned heads on the street and garnered big hits on YouTube.