Dateline: MaineA restaurateur’s choice to expose lobsters to cannabis smoke before boiling them for service has been decried by PETA. According to The Washington Post, Charlotte Gill, owner of Charlotte’s Legendary Lobster Pound in Southwest Harbor, wanted to make the preparation of lobster—which involves boiling or steaming the crustacean alive—more “humane.” Gill is also a licensed medical marijuana caregiver with the state of Maine, and has reportedly been experimenting with exposing the animals to cannabis smoke before preparing them. Her first experiment consisted of blowing cannabis smoke into a tank with a solitary lobster named Roscoe before returning him to the tank with the other lobsters. Gill says Roscoe was much less aggressive after the treatment. She plans to offer the “stoned” lobsters to diners as an option alongside the traditional method. However, she insists the psychoactive substance associated with cannabis—THC—will not remain in the final dish, as high temperatures will cause it to be broken down during the process. But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) made a statement last week that condemned the entire practice. “It is highly unlikely that getting a lobster high would make a lick of difference when it comes to the full-blown agony of being boiled or steamed alive,” a representative told the Marijuana Moment.Dateline: Pennsylvania A man was arrested for walking his wife with dementia on a dog leash. Penn Live reports Walter W. Wolford, of Maryland, was seen leading his wife around the York Fair attached to an 8-inch red nylon dog leash. A police officer on the scene reported finding Wolford’s wife in a confused state. He said she was unable to communicate and had red marks on her throat. Witnesses told police that the marks had been made by Wolford, who repeatedly pulled on the leash. When questioned, Wolford said he never pulled too hard, and only uses it to make sure his wife—who suffers from dementia—doesn’t wander away. He said the couple visited the fair last year, and his wife had become lost for 90 minutes. He claimed he had originally attached the leash at her waist, but that it had somehow made its way to her neck. West Manchester Township Police consulted with the York Area Agency on Aging and the district attorney’s office on the case and eventually charged Wolford with simple assault.Dateline: United KingdomAn online company that facilitates divorces says “addiction to Fortnite” has been cited in a large number of divorces so far this year. Divorce-Online says it began analyzing data after agents noticed an increase in inquiries mentioning the video game. The company offers clients the ability to “undertake their own divorce proceedings in the UK” without needing to use lawyers. In a blog post, the company said that since the beginning of the year, it has received at least 200 divorce petitions listing addiction to Fortnite and other online games as one of the reasons for divorce. A spokesperson for Divorce-Online said addictions to drugs or gambling are often cited as reasons for divorce. They said digital addiction is a natural result of technological proliferation. The company says divorce petitions citing Fortnite addiction make up roughly five percent of the total petitions filed so far this year.Dateline: South KoreaAn “Uncle Service” is offering South Korean parents the chance to hire a large and intimidating man to pose as their child’s uncle and scare away bullies. According to allkpop, the Uncle Service offers three different packages. The “Uncle Package”—which costs around $443 a day—will provide clients with a large man in his 30s or 40s who will pose as the student’s uncle and will accompany them on their trip to and from school. The “uncle” will give any bullies bothering the student a stern warning. If clients choose the “Evidence Package,” an “uncle” will obtain footage of any bullying with a camera and will bring the evidence to the school. He will then demand the school take care of the problem. This package costs around $354 a day. The “Chaperone Package” will bring an “uncle” to the workplace of one of the bully’s parents, where the “uncle” will protest outside the building and shout, “A parent of a bully works here.” This package costs around $1,772 and will cover 4 visits.Dateline: TexasGreat-grandmother and Livingston Mayor Judy Cochran shot and killed a large alligator that she believes ate her miniature horse. KPRC in Houston reports Mayor Cochran’s miniature horse went missing three years ago. She “highly suspected” that an alligator was responsible. Worried about the other animals on her property, the mayor wanted to track down the animal and kill it, but was required to receive a hunting permit and tag first. According to Polk County laws, hunters are also only allowed to hunt alligators between Sept. 10 and Sept. 30. After getting the permit and tag, Cochran hired a nuisance trapper to help catch the alligator. After numerous attempts, the trapper was able to catch the animal on a line and called the mayor out to shoot it. After wrapping up her mayoral duties, she went to the site of the alligator’s capture and allegedly killed it with one shot. The alligator was reportedly 12 feet long and weighed 580 pounds.
Compiled by Joshua Lee. Email your weird news to josh@alibi.com.
