ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Python on the lam: Snake cuts class after show-and-tell

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C.

A python that slithered away after show-and-tell at a school in South Carolina has been found.

Media outlets report that a student brought the ball python to Laing Middle School in Mount Pleasant to show during science class recently.

Later, it was discovered the snake had made a break from the plastic foam container in which it was kept.

School officials called a wildlife-removal company. More than five hours later, the python was finally found lodged in a gap behind a cabinet.

School officials did not say how long the python was but sent a message to concerned parents saying the snake was not poisonous and there was no danger to students.

The subject line of the message was “Happy Friday the 13th.”

Thousands of tiny red crabs wash up on California beach

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.

Thousands of tiny red crabs are carpeting beaches in Orange County and creating an amazing spectacle for swimmers and surfers.

Lifeguards estimate that hundreds of thousands of the tiny crustaceans washed up May 13 on beaches in Newport Beach.

Others were spotted in Laguna Beach.

The Orange County Register reported that pelagic red crabs are usually found off Baja California, but currents that are part of the El Nino weather pattern are sweeping them north.

The 1- to 3-inch-long crabs have washed up for several years along the Orange County coastline.

Before that, they hadn’t been seen in the area for decades.

Man attempts to rob car wash with empty potato-chip bag

ROHNERT PARK, Calif.

Authorities say a man tried to rob a car wash in Northern California with an empty potato-chip bag and a possible handgun.

Rohnert Park’s Department of Public Safety says in a statement that the man entered KaCees World of Water car wash recently and dropped an empty potato-chip bag on the counter.

He told the cashier to fill it with money, warning that he had a gun.

The man gestured that the weapon was in the empty bag, but the cashier saw it held only a piece of cardboard and called a co-worker for help.

Police say when the other employee approached, the suspect fled on foot.

Associated Press