Odd news from around the world | Viral Now
Forget hot dogs! Food fest to feature kale-eating contest
An event at a New York food festival is being billed as the world’s healthiest eating championship.
Competitors sanctioned by Major League Eating are famous for downing hot dogs by the dozen but will compete for the Kale Cup at this year’s Taste of Buffalo food festival on Saturday. They’ll have eight minutes to consume as much of the leafy green vegetable as possible.
The winner will take home $2,000.
The Kale Yeah! contest is meant to highlight the healthier fare served alongside the chicken wings and ice cream at Buffalo’s annual food festival. The Independent Health Foundation’s Healthy Options program requires each vendor to offer a health-conscious menu item.
The Swiss army battles its latest foe: bedbugs in dorms
The Swiss army is working hard to fend off its latest foe: bedbugs.
The defense department said Monday that a parents’ day event planned for July 16 is being cancelled because bedbugs have appeared in dormitories and fabrics used by three companies at an infantry training school in several parts of French-speaking Switzerland.
It said no one’s health was in danger but “several recruits had bites typical of bedbugs.”
Disinfection measures have been taken and specialists have been called in to clean up the sites. The three companies will not travel to Bure, along the French border near northern Basel, for the “Parents Day” celebration on July 16 that has been cancelled to prevent a wider contamination.
Police capture foot-long alligator roaming neighborhood
Police have captured a foot-long alligator that was spotted roaming around a residential Massachusetts neighborhood over the July Fourth weekend.
Lowell police say they received a call around 7:30 p.m. Sunday reporting the alligator was walking down a street in the city’s Highlands neighborhood. Responding officers located the animal along the side of the road.
Animal control officers arrived on the scene and took custody of the alligator. It was transported to a facility specializing in reptile rehabilitation for an evaluation.
There’s no word on where the alligator came from.
This isn’t the first time an alligator has turned up in Lowell.
The Boston Globe reports a two-foot alligator was spotted swimming in the city’s Merrimack Canal in 2012.
Texas city council votes to reinstate library cat
A North Texas city council has voted unanimously to reinstate Browser the cat to his job as live-in mascot of the city’s public library.
KRLD-AM in Dallas-Fort Worth reports the governing council of the Fort Worth suburb of White Settlement voted 3-0 to let Browser stay at the library two weeks after voting 2-1 to give the tabby 30 days to check out.
Mayor Ron White had said the move against Browser was a response to officials’ denial of permission to an employee to bring a puppy to work at City Hall. But he says he was overwhelmed with more than 1,000 messages on social media, all in support of keeping Browser on the job.
The vote was taken without hearing from Browser’s supporters who jammed the council chamber.
Police: Man punches another for refusing ramen noodles
Police say a central Pennsylvania man beat his friend for refusing to eat some ramen noodles.
Brecknock Township police say 23-year-old Brian Douglas Hunter had cooked the noodles about 11:30 p.m. Thursday and became angry when his 20-year-old friend refused to eat them.
Police say Hunter punched the other man in the right eye 10 to 15 times. Police say the victim had bruises, swelling and a 1-inch cut under his eye.
Online court records don't list an attorney or arraignment information for Hunter. Police say he's being charged with simple assault and harassment.
This story was originally published July 5, 2016 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Odd news from around the world | Viral Now."