oddlY enough

oddlY enough

Hacked road sign warns of zombies in northern Ky.

FLORENCE, Ky.

The zombie menace once again has found its way onto a highway sign.

After pranksters switched the message on an electronic road sign, motorists in northern Kentucky were warned this week to watch for zombies along the Interstate 71-75 corridor.

The usual message about upcoming roadwork was changed to: “Nightly lane closures, zombies ahead.”

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokeswoman Nancy Wood said the Transportation Cabinet learned about the new message midmorning Thursday and turned it off until it can be fixed.

Wood said officials are not amused by the prank.

The gag hardly was original. There was a spate of such pranks in 2009 in Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois and Texas.

Last March, someone posted a zombie warning on a highway sign in South Carolina.

Man fined $100 for touching Hawaiian monk seal

HONOLULU

Touching an endangered Hawaiian monk seal will cost a 19-year-old man $100.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported today that Cameron Cayaban pleaded guilty in federal court to harassing, harming or pursuing an endangered species.

A federal magistrate judge imposed $100 in fines and fees.

Cayaban was charged with slapping a Hawaiian monk seal at Kalaeloa’s White Plains Beach in March.

His lawyer says Cayaban was overcome when he saw the seal, ran up to the endangered animal and touched it.

Witnesses reported it to military police.

Klepto kitty piles up the loot

GENEVA

Forget mice. A Swiss cat named Speedy has an eye for finer things.

Speedy has stolen so much loot that its owner had to post leaflets throughout a northern Swiss town saying, “Help, our cat steals!” and inviting people to recover their missing things.

Margrit Geiger of Wiesendangen said her kleptomaniac cat switched three years ago from bringing home mice to stealing badminton shuttlecocks, all to impress her teenage son.

Then the cat began specializing in gloves, scarves and T-shirts. The latest obsession: underwear and black socks.

Geiger told the Swiss daily Blick the cat has nabbed more than 100 items, and the paper said Thursday some neighbors already have claimed items back.

Veterinarian Brigitte Buetikofer says animals steal to gain attention, so ignoring them is the best cure.

Associated Press