ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Moooving on: Cows stranded by earthquake are rescued

WELLINGTON, New Zealand

Three New Zealand cows whose predicament captured the interest of many people around the world after they became stranded on a small island of grass after a powerful earthquake have been rescued.

The Newshub news service reported Tuesday that the two cows and a calf were rescued after a farmer and helpers dug a track to them and brought them out.

Newshub first filmed the cows stuck on the patch of grass near the township of Kaikoura after the magnitude 7.8 quake triggered landslides around them.

The farmer, who was not identified by Newshub, said the cows were desperate for water after the rescue. He said the quake fault line ran right beneath his farm, which was relatively flat before the earthquake.

Neb. senator moonlights as driver for ride-sharing Uber

WASHINGTON

A Republican senator helped his constituents get around last weekend by moonlighting as a driver for the ride-sharing service Uber.

In a series of tweets, Ben Sasse of Nebraska explained his decision to get behind the wheel by saying he works “alongside and for” the people of the Cornhusker state.

He said the money he earned is going to charity. As a senator, he’s not allowed to make any money outside his congressional service.

Sasse worked late Saturday and found that at least a few of his fares had been partying a little too much. He said they were “three sheets to the wind,” according to one tweet.

“If you throw up in an Uber, the surcharge can be substantial,” he quipped. But the risk has rewards. He says it’s a “market incentive to get drivers to agree to” Saturday night shifts.

Sasse emerged as one of Donald Trump’s harshest critics before the election. After Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton last week, Sasse congratulated Trump and said he and his family will pray that the billionaire businessman will lead “wisely and faithfully keep his oath to a Constitution of limited government.”

But the senator, a former college president who was elected in 2014 with support from the tea party, also said he will do everything he can to hold Trump to promises he made during the campaign.

He called on Trump last month to abandon his presidential bid after the release of old video footage that featured Trump making vulgar sexual comments.

Sasse, who does not face re-election until 2020, acknowledged earlier this year that his anti-Trump stance would be unpopular in his strongly Republican state.

Associated Press