Strange News

Successor To Fill The Shoes Of Retiring New Zealand Wizard

6:04am August 11, 2020

Ian Brackenbury Channell walks around in black robes and a pointy hat. He's a tourist attraction, and the city of Christchurch has paid him. As he steps aside, a successor wizard will take over.

Queue Listen Now

Staff at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores turned off a 30-foot waterfall and collected all the coins visitors had thrown into the water while making wishes. After cleaning them off, they'll put the money toward the aquarium's expenses.

Economy

Aquarium Is Washing Old Wishes To Pay Bills During Pandemic

4:50pm August 10, 2020

by Camila Domonoske

No coin shortage here: While it's closed for the pandemic, the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores has drained a 30-foot waterfall and cleaned off 100 gallons of pocket change.

Arts

Ohio UPS Store Owner Goes Above And Beyond To Deliver Package

7:55am August 09, 2020

NPR's Lulu Garcia Navarro speaks with Ardeshir Agahi, who drove from Ohio to Florida to deliver an urgent package to one of his UPS customers.

Queue Listen Now

An emu named Carol, age 3, walks around behind a fence in Yaraka, a small town in Australia. An Australian Outback pub has banned Carol and her brother Kevin for "bad behavior" after they learned to climb the stairs and created havoc inside.

World News

'Emus Have Been Banned' For Bad Behavior, A Hotel In Australia's Outback Says

6:22pm July 28, 2020

by Bill Chappell

"We put the sign up, but we're not quite sure whether they're able to read or not," Yaraka Hotel co-owner Gerry Gimblett says in an Australian TV interview.

A rare blue American lobster in the tank of a Red Lobster restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, last week.

National

Rare Blue Lobster Fished Out Of An Ohio Red Lobster

8:48pm July 27, 2020

by Ian Stewart

The Akron Zoo has a new resident for its collection, courtesy of an observant employee at a Red Lobster restaurant.

Lottery Winner In Jamaica Avoids The Spotlight Dressed As Darth Vader

5:59am July 27, 2020

The man, hiding his identity, showed up in the Star Wars costume to claim his $95 million prize. The lottery company tweeted: May the millions be with you.

Queue Listen Now

A copy of the alleged death certificate, including the spelling and font discrepancies that gave the ruse away, according to prosecutors.

National

Typos Spell Trouble For Man's Alleged Attempt To Fake His Own Death

1:40pm July 22, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

Chalk up another win for spell check. According to prosecutors, a man tried to escape his sentencing by forging a death certificate — but the alleged ruse unraveled with a few misplaced letters.

Is It Time To Kill The Penny?

6:30am July 14, 2020

by Greg Rosalsky

As America experiences a coin shortage, Planet Money takes a look at the value of the penny.

Communication skills used to negotiate safe sex are also useful for setting boundaries while socializing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Above, circles drawn in the grass encourage social distancing at Dolores Park in San Francisco.

Health & Safety

Starting A COVID-19 'Social Bubble'? How Safe Sex Communication Skills Can Help

7:00am July 08, 2020

by April Dembosky

Sex educators and sexologists have some advice for safe coronavirus socializing. Just like in the bedroom, overcommunicate about your needs and seek consent.

Internet Faces A Wave Of New Wholesome Frog Content

4:42pm June 25, 2020

Frogs have had a long history as memes online, but over the past several months, a wave of frog euphoria across multiple platforms has featured cute wholesome content.