Dateline: EnglandA local government council is being criticized for using taxpayer money to publicize an adult education class teaching people how to wear scarves “effectively.” The three-hour course covers techniques involving “knots, twists, loops and folds” and costs £24.60 ($31) per person. Critics say Northamptonshire Country Council, which is currently slashing budgets by £128 million ($161.4 million) over the next five years, has wasted money promoting the class. “Local taxpayers have every right to be angry that their money is being spent on these nonsensical courses,” Harry Davis, a spokesperson for the Tax Payers’ Alliance, told the UK’s Mirror. The course, titled “Discover How to Wear Scarves Effectively” is set to happen Nov. 3 at Abington Bowling Club, Northants, and will be taught by noted “tie expert” Leslie Clarke. According to the course catalogue, “no prior knowledge” is required, but participants are encouraged to bring “a variety of your own scarves in shapes and colors.” Northamptonshire County Council is not subsidizing the scarf-wearing course but has rented out the room at a cost of £37.50 ($47.30). “Northamptonshire County Council’s adult learning service is self-financed and not subsidized by the County Council,” a spokesperson for the government agency said. “Promotion for all courses is done collectively through our printed Adult Learning Courses brochure and also online.” No word, yet, if the class has enough participants signed up to actually happen.Dateline: GermanyAfter a vicious seven-year rampage, police in the Münnerstadt area of Bavaria believe they have finally captured the “Paddling Pool Slasher.” A 27-year-old man, suspected of terrorizing locals by damaging inflatable, aboveground pools with knives, was questioned following an “extensive” police investigation involving “numerous eyewitness accounts.” Law enforcement officials said the unnamed suspect, dubbed the “Paddling Pool Slasher” by local media, admitted to damaging between 20 and 30 plastic pools in the small town located in the district of Bad Kissingen. “The man stated that he did not plan the attacks and that he acted spontaneously,” police spokesperson Bjoern Schmitt told reporters. The man allegedly told investigators he did it “just for fun.” Police also confiscated several blow-up plastic mattresses, believed to have been stolen during the slashing spree, from the suspect’s house. “We cannot rule out that the man has some kind of fetish,” said Schmitt. Charges are pending.Dateline: KentuckyA homeowner told police he only fired his rifle near a dogwalker because he thought she was a clown. According to the Bardstown Police Department, a woman was walking her dog down Burlington Court while wearing a white afghan when a man yelled at her and fired an AR-15. The man, identified by The Kentucky Standard as Adam Tingle, told police his wife was outside their home when she thought she saw a clown. Naturally, Mr. Tingle ran outside and started yelling at the clown-like individual. When the woman did not move, Tingle fired a shot from his AR-15 rifle in an attempt to scare her off. Tingle’s wife then called 911. According to a police citation, Tingle said he was scared for his family because of recent news reports involving clowns. The woman with the dog, however, was not a clown, and Tingle was charged with one count of second-degree wanton endangerment. Officers confiscated his rifle at the time of the incident. The woman and her dog were uninjured. Tingle is due in court later this month.Dateline: West VirginiaAn alleged drug dealer thought she had come up with a perfect plan for not getting caught by police—but the sign on her front door warning “snitches” to stay away simply caught the attention of the officers who arrested her. The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said Cpl. C.M. Fitzwater and Deputies Rachel Stephens and M.A. Sifers responded to a report of joyriding in the small town of Oak Hill around 10:15am on Thursday, Oct. 6. The deputies wound up at a residence with a handwritten sign taped prominently to the front door. The sign read: “Due to snitches, everyone entering my home is subject to being searched. All cellphones and drinks will be left outside!! (If you’re not a snitch, it won’t offend you if I search you!!)” In a statement released to the public, the sheriff’s office said, “This, of course, led deputies to the conclusion that drugs were most likely being sold from this residence.” Deputies questioned the home’s residents and got permission to search the premises. They turned up “significant” amounts of heroin, methamphetamine and unidentified substances believed to be narcotics. Homeowner April Lynn Lavender, 38, was arrested and charged with a felony count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Kristie Weis, 22, was also arrested and charged with misdemeanor joyriding. “While drug investigations often require a great deal of time and effort, sometimes the criminals make our job pretty easy,” Sheriff Kessler told reporters. “If someone posts a sign on their front door about searching ‘snitches’ it’s a pretty safe bet that there are illegal drugs being sold out of that location.”
Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary. Email your weird news to devin@alibi.com.
