oddly enough

oddly enough

Historic cheese vans stolen in California found

MANTECA, Calif.

Three bright orange Tillamook cheese vans that were stolen over the weekend in Central California were located undamaged, police said Tuesday.

Manteca police said authorities found the restored Volkswagen minibuses, worth $100,000 each, in a recently rented storage locker in Copperopolis about 8:30 p.m. Monday. They were stolen from a hotel about 50 miles away in Manteca, where they had stopped on a tour promoting the Oregon-based Tillamook County Creamery Association’s dairy products.

Authorities served a search warrant on the locker after a task force that includes the California Highway Patrol and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office received a phone tip, Manteca Police Chief Nick Obligacion said.

The vehicles were in their original condition. Authorities have identified two suspects, though Obligacion declined to release their names or provide any information about their alleged connection to the thefts. He also would not elaborate on the tip authorities received.

Ping-Pong balls rain on highway after pilot’s mistake

BLACKFOOT, Idaho

A pilot who dropped 3,000 Ping-Pong balls that were redeemable for prizes missed a crowd assembled for the stunt and instead hit a nearby interstate.

Organizers immediately called off the contest. Aaron Moon and helpers told revelers at Blackfoot Pride Days on Saturday not to risk retrieving the Ping-Pong balls amid high-speed traffic because organizes still planned to pass out the prizes.

Most of the Ping-Pong balls could have been exchanged for candy, but some were worth gift certificates up to $100.

Moon said a new pilot attempted the drop this year but apparently didn’t understand that Ping-Pong balls lose speed quickly and drop straight down.

Blackfoot Police Chief Kurt Asmus told the Idaho State Journal that no charges are planned, but police plan to work with organizers next year.

On-duty officer delivers his own son in California

HEMET, Calif.

Every now and then a police officer has to deliver a baby. The first time Officer Bryan Anderson did it, the baby was his own son.

Anderson was on duty early Sunday in Hemet, Calif., when he got a call from his wife saying she was about to give birth to their baby, who wasn’t due for another week.

Anderson hurried home and called paramedics, but they didn’t arrive in time. The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported that Anderson delivered baby Michael in their bathroom at 3:53 a.m.

The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck, but Anderson pulled it over his head. Holly Anderson and baby Michael are doing fine.

Associated Press