Friday, May 29, 2015
ODDLY ENOUGH
Officials try to de-bat chamber as interloper halts debate
MONTPELIER, Vt.
The Vermont Statehouse chamber was evacuated after a brown bat flew in to join the state’s lawmakers.
The Burlington Free Press reported that the winged mammal was trapped in the chamber as legislators discussed end-of-session business May 14 in Montpelier.
The bat flew around in circles several times before House Speaker Shap Smith called a 10-minute recess.
House leadership hoped the bat would eventually fly out of a window. When it didn’t, legislators gathered a cardboard box and jacket to use in their attempt to catch the bat.
The group succeeded and sent the animal out an open window. Moments later, the bat returned and the House reconvened anyway.
Rep. Doug Gage says this was the third bat to enter the chamber this year.
Beaver takes shopping trip inside Alaska hardware store
FAIRBANKS, Alaska
A beaver walked into an Alaska hardware store May 15, but couldn’t find anything for his lodge.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported that the beaver triggered the automatic doors and walked into Lowe’s about 7 a.m. that day.
Employees trapped the beaver with a cardboard box in the plumbing department. A state wildlife biologist was called.
Ton Hollis says he’s used to wake-up calls about “a bear in town or an ornery moose or something, but this was a little different.”
Hollis released the beaver into the Tanana River, far enough from town where it won’t be a nuisance.
Lowe’s assistant manager Adam Vanhoveln says the beaver didn’t cause too much of a commotion, and it didn’t reach the lumber department.
Disney World: Nix selfie sticks
ORLANDO, Fla.
Disney World is looking to crack down on guests who use selfie sticks on rides at the park.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that a spokesman said earlier this month that guests can bring selfie sticks on the rides but must securely store them.
Disney policy forbids visitors from using the sticks, which can be used to extend cameras out up to 3 feet.
One ride, Thunder Mountain, has had a number of incidents in which the ride had to be stopped because of selfie-stick use.
Disney World workers posted a “No Selfie Sticks” sign at the Magic Kingdom’s Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Associated Press