Dateline: UtahWhen a man was told his yard wasn’t up to city code because it wasn’t green enough, he chose to paint it. According to Fox 13 in Salt Lake City, five-year resident Michael Goldman was told by Ogden city officials that his yard was in violation of city codes. Code enforcement officers informed Goldman that his lawn wasn’t green enough and would have to be fixed within 10 days. He responded by saying that 10 days wasn’t enough time, and that he would require a few years to fix his lawn. Ogden’s Director of Community and Economic Development, Tom Christophulos, told reporters that a “hardship request” could be granted to Goldman, but that a two-year plan was too long and would not be accepted. “We would expect a plan that would address the issue immediately,” he said. Goldman decided that instead of paying for an expensive water bill to naturally make his yard green or replacing it altogether, he would instead purchase an environmentally safe paint used to treat golf courses and football fields. He reportedly finished turning his yard green in a single day. Officials say the code has been in place for over 20 years.Dateline: MinnesotaTwo beer delivery drivers talked a suicidal man off of a ledge by offering to share a 12-pack with him. Last week BreakThru Beverage beer salesmen Kwame Anderson and Jason Gaebel were delivering their wares when they saw a man holding onto the outer fence of a bridge hanging over I-94 in St. Paul, Minn., reports Twin Cities. Realizing the man was suicidal, Anderson called 911 before attempting to talk him out of jumping. Anderson continued talking to the man after police and firefighters had appeared on the scene. He later told reporters that he was trying to emulate Denzel Washington’s police negotiator character in the film Inside Man. He asked the man about his past and offered to give him food or money, which were refused. Anderson reportedly then asked, “If you come down from there, do you want to get a drink with me and talk about what’s going on?” He then ran back to his truck and returned with a case of beer. “I have a pack of Coors Light for you,” Anderson told the man, who then climbed back to safety. The two were unable to share the beer, though, since paramedics immediately took the man to a hospital for evaluation. Anderson said he hopes to connect with the man in the future.Dateline: MissouriA health clinic denied multiple applicants for employment, citing their “ghetto” names as reason. Huffington Post reports at least 20 women were sent an email last week from St. Louis’ Mantality Health center rejecting their employment applications. “Thank you for your interest in careers at Mantality Health,” the letter reads. “Unfortunately we do not consider candidates that have suggestive ‘ghetto’ names. We wish the best in your career search.” The letter is signed by Jordan Kimler. In an interview with CBS 13 in Sacramento, Mantality Health’s clinic director Jack Gamache said it was believed that the company’s account with Indeed.com, who hosted the job listing, had been hacked. He told reporters that police were investigating the incident to see if the email was sent by a disgruntled employee. He maintains that the company does not discriminate and should not be judged based on what happened. CEO of Mantality Health Kevin Meuret does not believe that Kimler was the author of the email, and that the entire incident might have been a personal attack to malign her. Indeed.com says it has investigated the matter and does not believe the company’s account was hacked.Dateline: United KingdomThe Museum of London has placed the city’s infamous “fatberg” on its own livestream. Last year a section of London’s sewer system became blocked by what water company officials were calling a “fatberg”—a mass of cooking oil, fat, diapers and sanitary wipes. The massive blockage reportedly weighed 143 tons, measured 820 feet in length and was described by private utility company Thames Water as “rock-solid.” Work crews were tasked with breaking the monstrosity apart with high-powered hoses before transporting it to a site where it could be recycled for biofuel. A small chunk of the blockage was procured by the Museum of London last year to become a part of its permanent collection. The lump was on display until recently, but museum officials say the object has begun to grow an “unusual and toxic mold in the form of visible yellow pustules, which has been identified as aspergillus.” To protect the public from the dangerous mold, the fatberg lump has been moved to a secure location where a “fatcam” will transmit live footage of its continuing changes. Museum curator Vyki Sparkes has said the fatberg is “one of the most fascinating and disgusting objects we have ever had on display.”
Compiled by Joshua Lee. Email your weird news to josh@alibi.com.
