Compelling Explanation
Karen Dedert, 58, of Seminole, Florida, woke her husband up early on Nov. 4 by standing over him and asking where their son was, WTSP-TV reported. Then she said, “I need to sacrifice and kill you both,” according to the arrest affidavit. She tried stabbing her husband, Richard, with a knife, but he blocked the attack and locked himself in a bathroom. Later, she lunged at him with the knife again, cutting his arm. Richard escaped and called for help; when they arrived, Karen was still in the house. She said she didn’t want to talk but spontaneously offered, “These aren’t the clothes I was wearing when I stabbed him.” She was charged with attempted first-degree murder. [WTSP, 11/5/2025]
It’s a Mystery
Police at Purdue University are grappling with a sticky situation on campus, WLFI-TV reported. On Nov. 5, officers received calls about a man walking around covered from head to toe in peanut butter. Witnesses were concerned about safety issues for people with peanut butter allergies. Investigators are unsure whether PB Man is a student and suggested he might be part of a hazing prank. [WLFI, 11/5/2025]
The Foreign Press
If you missed this year’s Tar Barrels event in Ottery St. Mary, England, make plans to attend next year. On Nov. 5, the BBC reported, selected residents of the town ran through the streets with flaming barrels of tar held over their heads in an “exhilarating” tribute to … something. Even historians aren’t sure what, but the tradition goes back to 1605, “when bonfires and effigies were burnt and barrels were plentiful,” said Andrew Wade, president of the Tar Barrels Committee. “The barrels used to be rolled; that’s why the people are called barrel rollers.” At some point, the barrels were picked up and carried. A total of 27 are carried throughout the event. Surprisingly, “None of the participants are allowed to drink,” Wade said. “It will carry on as long as there are people in Ottery who want to do it.” [BBC, 11/5/2025]
Finders Keepers
The town council in Neuville-sur-Saône, France, delivered good news to a homeowner on Nov. 5, CBS News reported: He can keep the $800,000 worth of gold bars and coins he unearthed while digging for a swimming pool in his backyard. The gold was stashed in plastic bags; the man alerted authorities in May, when he found the treasure. Police said they were able to determine that the gold had not been stolen, and the home’s previous owner had died, so it belongs to the current resident. [CBS News, 11/7/2025]
Least Competent Criminals
Police in Windsor, Connecticut, can’t credit their amazing investigative skills after they apprehended two men who stole a huge highway sign on I-91. WFSB-TV reported that Andrew Scott Lampkin, 42, and Jonathan Riopelle, 46, from Vernon, Connecticut, allegedly removed the sign and strapped it to the bed of a pickup truck around 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 5. The thieves were charged with third-degree larceny, reckless use of a highway by a pedestrian, and improper parking on a highway. [WFSB, 11/6/2025]
Odd Rescue
As Colleen Dunn was walking her dogs on the beach in Manzanita, Oregon, one early evening in October, she came upon a beached shark. Rather than steering clear or calling the authorities, Dunn told KGW-TV, “I just made the quick decision to get him back into the deep Pacific Ocean.” A veteran viewer of Shark Week, Dunn knew that if she dragged the shark by its tail, it wouldn’t be able to bite her; with some effort, she was able to wrangle the shark first to shallow water, then push it into water deep enough for it to swim away. Shark expert Taylor Chapple of Oregon University identified the shark as a juvenile salmon shark and said it is not uncommon for the creatures to experience shock while swimming in colder waters and end up beached. [KGW-TV, 11/7/25]
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NEWS OF THE WEIRD
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