oddly enough


oddly enough

Rhode Island governor says Iceland video may draw tourists

PROVIDENCE, R.I.

Rhode Island’s governor says people searching for Iceland online are finding her state instead because of a goof in its tourism video, and she’s hoping they’ll visit.

The state’s tourism video has been mocked on social media for showing a prominent concert hall in Reykjavik. Embarrassed state tourism officials quickly yanked the video off YouTube on Tuesday.

But Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo looked on the bright side Wednesday.

“Here’s the good news: Now when people go search for Iceland, they’re seeing Rhode Island. So maybe some people will come visit us, too,” she said with a laugh.

An editing company has taken responsibility for the mix-up. The state’s economic- development agency, the Rhode Island Commerce Corp. said it shared the blame since it hired the vendor.

The Harpa concert hall and conference center in Reykjavik had a little fun with the kerfuffle, tweeting, “We look good in that video, right?”

The scrutiny of the video has led to the discovery of an error on a newly redesigned tourism website. The smallest state has less than 2 percent of the nation’s historic landmarks, not the 20 percent listed.

The Commerce Corp. said that the website referred to what is now an outdated statistic from its listings on the National Register of Historic Places. It says it’s updating the website.

Flock of sheep escape, wander along suburban Atlanta road

BROOKHAVEN, Ga.

Police in suburban Atlanta found themselves counting sheep after a flock escaped an enclosure and blocked a road.

Brookhaven police said in a news release that about 20 grazing sheep and their security dogs were spotted along a road early Wednesday.

Police say they were able to contact the herder, who used a sheepdog to corral them back into their nearby enclosure.

Investigators say they’re not planning to file charges for blocking the roadway or impeding traffic.

Pastry helps save life of hungry piglet left on interstate

BLAIRSTOWN, N.J.

A pastry has helped save the life of a pot-bellied piglet that was abandoned on a busy highway in New Jersey.

A motorist called the Barnyard Sanctuary after seeing another driver toss the animal onto the side of Interstate 80 on Wednesday.

Director Tamala Lester tells WNBC-TV the motorist stood guard by the terrified piglet for 45 minutes until she could get to the scene. Lester says she used a cherry Danish to lure the animal closer and grabbed its hind legs to take it to safety.

The piglet has been named “Cherry.” It is recovering at the animal sanctuary in Blairstown and will be put up for adoption.

Associated Press

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