oddly enough

oddly enough

Man thinks cops want him, jumps into Hudson River

RENSSELAER, N.Y.

Authorities in New York say a 21-year-old man who jumped into the Hudson River to escape police got all wet for nothing.

The man was riding in a car Wednesday afternoon when it was pulled over by police in Rensselaer, across the Hudson River from Albany. Police say he bolted from the car’s passenger side and ran toward the river, where he jumped in near a bridge.

The current carried him about 250 feet downriver before he was able to grab onto a branch. Police soon arrived and pulled him from the 50-degree water.

Authorities say the man, whose name hasn’t been released, thought there was a warrant out for his arrest.

But police say there was no warrant.

He was taken to an Albany hospital for an examination.

Smokey the cat purrs its way into Guinness World Records

LONDON

It’s official: Smokey the cat has roared her way into Guinness World Records, having achieved the loudest purr by a domestic cat.

Guinness said Thursday the gray-and-white tabby earned her place with record-setting 67.7 decibels.

In a video on the cat’s website, the 12-year-old, ordinary-size feline purrs with a sound akin to the cooing of an angry dove.

Smokey first rose to prominence in February, when her owner, Ruth Adams, ran a local competition for the most-powerful purr. A community college recorded the purr and submitted it to Guinness.

Guinness says the loudest animal sounds are the low-frequency pulses made by blue whales and fin whales when they communicate with one another — sounds that reach 188 decibels. By comparison, a lawnmower is 90 decibels.

Mountain of tires mysteriously appears in Connecticut city

NORWICH, Conn.

Officials in Connecticut are spinning their wheels trying to figure out who dumped as many as 2,500 tires on city property behind a restaurant.

Blight Control Officer Edward Martin says the mountain of tires in Norwich was first noticed by restaurant workers Tuesday morning. The shift that left the night before didn’t remember seeing them.

Some were used, marked “no good” with X’s marking holes, though others appeared to be new, with the labels still attached. There were multiple brands.

Police went to local tire dealers, but they all said they pay a contractor to haul away their old tires.

Police are hoping video surveillance from nearby businesses yields some clues.

Mayor Peter Nystrom says he’s disgusted and vowed to prosecute the dumper.

Associated Press