’Tis the Season
Leavenworth, Washington, has become a tourist destination because of the Bavarian theme businesses have adopted there, NPR reported. One shop, the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, houses the world’s largest nutcracker collection, thanks to 101-year-old Arlene Wagner. Wagner started the collection in 1976, and soon after, she and her husband were going to estate sales and auctions in the U.S. and Europe to find rare examples. Once they’d collected 7,000, Wagner said, “It was time to share it with people,” and they opened the museum. The oldest nutcracker she has is a bronze device made between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. Now, Wagner is training a new “Nutcracker Lady,” Michelle McMullen. [NPR, 12/9/2025]
Animal Antics
Andrew Mackay, a politician in Sydney, Australia, was surprised in early December when he checked in on his dogs via a pet-cam, CBS News reported on Dec. 10. His dog Thunder nuzzled open a sliding glass door to get outside, but a couple of typically outdoor animals took advantage. A steer named Sue and a horse named Cricket soon appeared on the camera. “Over the next hour and a half,” Mackay said, “they took turns playing inside, knocking things off cabinets. The fish tank has been drunk from.” [CBS News, 12/10/2025]
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
No one was seriously injured on Dec. 8 in Brevard County, Florida, when a small plane crashed into a moving 2023 Toyota Camry on I-95 around 5:45 p.m., Spectrum News 13 reported. The 27-year-old pilot was attempting an emergency landing, Lt. Tara Crescenzi said. He and his passenger remained at the scene. The 57-year-old driver of the car was taken to the hospital. Jim Coffey and his son, Peter, were in the car behind the Camry; Peter said, “I thought it might maybe aim around and not hit the car, but bam, the wheel just smacked right dab on the back of the car.” [Spectrum News 13, 12/9/2025]
Truth Is Stranger Than Netflix
When law enforcement questioned Calvin Johnson, 36, about the stolen BMW he had just crashed in Ormond Beach, Florida, they got an earful, The Smoking Gun reported. Investigators say Johnson took the car on Dec. 8 and drove it at speeds exceeding 100 mph before the crash, but Johnson had a different explanation. He said he was “teleported into the vehicle” and told officers, “You saved me from the aliens.” He was charged with grand theft auto and driving on a suspended license. [The Smoking Gun, 12/9/2025]
Least Competent Criminal
A clumsy 20-year-old burglar bungled his own effort to break into a home in Spanaway, Washington, on Dec. 5, KIRO-TV reported. Homeowners called police because someone was banging on their front door, trying to get in. The intruder then moved to the back of the house and tried to break a window. As he attempted to escape, deputies said, he tried to crawl under a fence, but got his foot stuck. Law enforcement used bolt cutters to free his foot before arresting him on charges of residential burglary. [KIRO, 12/8/2025]
The Aristocrats
On Dec. 7, The Washington Post reported, a drone flew over the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina, and dropped the ingredients of a swishy holiday dinner: steak, crab legs (along with a small container of Old Bay seasoning), two bags of marijuana, and a pack of Marlboro cigarettes. The contraband was picked up by law enforcement before reaching its intended recipients, the South Carolina Department of Corrections said. Spokesperson Chrysti Shain said the prison receives “nightly attacks” of drones trying to drop drugs into the prison yard, “but this was a bit unusual, even for us. I’m guessing the inmates who were expecting this package are a bit crabby.” [Washington Post, 12/10/2025]
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