oddly enough

oddly enough

Church with naked paint parties loses tax-exempt status

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla.

A Florida church that hosted naked paint parties and slumber-party Sundays featuring the “sexiest ladies on the beach” has lost its tax-exempt status.

The News Herald of Panama City reports The Life Center: A Spiritual Community has been operating a seven-day-a-week party called Amnesia: The Tabernacle since Feb. 28.

A sign on the door says events are alcohol and drug free, but Sheriff Frank McKeithen calls the party atmosphere a “blatant slap in the face” to taxpayers. He says church officials are “trying to get around the laws.”

Patrons are charged a “donation” of $20 at the door. On the walls inside are T-shirts emblazoned with obscene gestures and signs that say “I hate being sober.”

This led Property Appraiser Dan Sowell to change the tax-exempt status.

Michigan couple completes visit to every county in lower 48

BARNSTABLE, Mass.

A Michigan couple has completed a quest to visit all 3,108 counties in the lower 48 states — closing out the task with their trip to Nantucket.

Jennifer and Jonathan Riehl completed their journey this week when they boarded a ferry to the island. The Riehls, of Hancock, Mich., have done it all in the same vehicle — a green 1999 Dodge Intrepid with more than 540,000 miles.

They tell the Cape Cod Times they have had their share of adventures, including encounters with bears and extreme weather, including an avalanche, a landslide and blizzards.

They started in 2006 with small trips, and Jennifer Riehl, a research scientist, and her husband, an engineering instructor, now typically drive about 50,000 miles a year.

Their next goal is to finish visiting Alaska’s boroughs, and then start on Hawaii.

Bamboozled: 5 barrels of stolen bourbon found in backyard

FRANKFORT, Ky.

Another iconic bourbon brand in Kentucky has been targeted in a heist, but this time authorities say they have arrested a suspect caught with the stash of pricey whiskey in his backyard.

Franklin County deputy sheriffs responding to a tip recovered five barrels — each filled with bourbon — that were taken from the Wild Turkey Distillery at nearby Lawrenceburg, Sheriff Pat Melton said Thursday.

One arrest has been made so far as authorities continue to look into the pilfering of the popular whiskey that was still aging, the sheriff said.

Each barrel is believed to carry a value of $3,700 to $6,000, but Wild Turkey officials took samples to determine the exact worth, the sheriff said. Labeling on each barrel had been spray-painted over, he said.

Associated Press