ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Rare jellyfish may have made Laguna Beach debut

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.

A rare jellyfish might have made a stinging debut at a Southern California beach.

The Orange County Register reports some people suffered stings all over their bodies last week at Thousand Steps Beach in south Laguna Beach.

Some Fourth of July swimmers came ashore with dark membranes clinging to their bodies as the jellyfish broke up in the surf. From the color, the jellyfish might be rare black jellies.

Nigela Hillgarth of Birch Aquarium says the species was only identified in 1999 and it only recently has appeared in Southern California.

Black-jelly tentacles can grow to 30 feet long. Hillgarth says higher ocean temperatures may have brought the jellyfish closer to shore in search of prey, where they were caught by the current and thrown ashore.

Vehicle with mounted ‘gun’ panics Detroit suburb

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich.

A man driving an armor-plated military-type vehicle and firing what appeared to be a machine gun mounted on top caused panic in suburban Detroit on the Fourth of July.

It turned out the weapon was a modified World War II .50-caliber machine gun that had been converted to fire compressed gas. It produced bright flashes and loud gunfire sounds as the driver, a man in his 40s, drove around Shelby Township.

Recordings of a series of 911 calls capture the fear of residents whose reports of the imposing sight sent officers swarming last Thursday. In one call, bangs similar to the sound of gunshots can be heard.

Police say they arrested the driver and confiscated his vehicle. He was released Friday. Charges are pending.

Michigan kids get down and dirty at annual Mud Day

WESTLAND, Mich.

Here’s mud in your eye. And your hair, back and legs.

It was a mother’s nightmare and a kid’s fantasy come true. Hundreds of children jumped into a 75-by-150-foot mud pit Tuesday as part of the 26th annual Mud Day at a park in the Detroit suburb of Westland.Events included wheelbarrow races and playing limbo.

A panel of judges selected a king and queen, based on their creative uses of mud.

Emily Cunningham of Riverview was chosen Queen of Mud. A crown was placed atop the 8-year-old’s head, which was caked in mud and adorned with leaves and a stick. She said, “It’s fun getting mud all over you.”

And after it was over, the Western Wayne HazMat team was there to hose off muddy children.

Associated Press