ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Utah hospital reports high number of snake bites

LOGAN, Utah

A northern Utah hospital is reporting an increase in snake sightings and bites this summer.

Officials at Logan Regional Hospital report they’ve seen six snake bite victims so far in 2011, including two recently.

The hospital usually sees just one or two snake bites during an entire year.

Hospital spokeswoman Debbie Ostrander tells the Logan Herald Journal that the numbers are highly unusual.

Two of the bites happened when victims tried to touch or capture the snakes.

The others happened when victims were walking through bushes or climbing rocks and encountered the snakes.

Doctors say snake-bite victims should seek medical help immediately.

They also advise keeping the area with the bite below heart level to slow the spread of venom.

Ohio shop’s classical music seems to cut loitering

COLUMBUS

Shoppers and employees say an Ohio convenience store has fewer people hanging around and hassling customers since the business started blaring classical music.

Customers tells WBNS-TV that loitering has declined quickly outside the United Dairy Farmers location in the Columbus Short North neighborhood.

Workers who have also noticed a change say the new music went on last week as part of upgrades at the store.

Shopper Allie Beck says the classical music is loud — she can hear it all the way down the street.

She says it’s an improvement over all the people who used to ask for change or bother passers-by outside the store.

Austrian says he won millions; casino says no, he didn’t

BREGENZ, Austria

It seemed too good to be true — a slot-machine jackpot of almost 43 million euros. And maybe it was.

Austrian state broadcaster ORF reports that Behar Merlaku is going to court over the refusal of the Bregenz casino to give him what he considers his win from March 26.

Casino officials do not dispute that the gaming machine showed a payout of nearly 43 million euros — almost $62 million.

But they say that a malfunctioning computer chip was responsible for what they say was the faulty display.

Both sides are going to court.

In the meantime, says the ORF website, Merlaku has been banned from the casino in the capital of Austria’s westernmost Voralberg province.

Associated Press