Oddly enough

Oddly enough

Tree gnawed by beaver causes brief outage

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa

If you live in one part of western Pennsylvania and had to reset the clock on your microwave oven recently, blame the beaver.

West Penn Power officials say the beaver chewed through a large tree that was threatening to topple onto some power lines near Slippery Rock, about 45 miles north of Pittsburgh. The borough also is home to a state-owned university of the same name, which also was affected by the brief power outage.

Company spokesman Todd Meyers says the damaged tree was spotted during a routine helicopter inspection of power lines earlier, so crews alerted residents about the need to shut off power briefly to down the tree.

Meyers says the resulting outage to about 10,000 customers lasted just a few seconds.

Geese cause fowl problems for school

BECKLEY, W.Va.

Almost like a scene from the movie “The Birds,” a West Virginia school is dealing with some fowl problems.

So many geese are converging around Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley that Principal Ron Cantley says after-school activities have been diverted. Even walking outside without tracking bird poop in the building is a challenge.

Cantley told WVVA-TV that he is working with the Division of Natural Resources to try to get rid of 100-plus birds roaming the grounds. He says part of the problem is that people feed the birds, and they’ve lost their fear of humans.

A plan to get rid of the geese includes withholding food and harassing the birds so they will regain their fear and hopefully move on.

Millions of bees in traffic accident near Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

Drivers along an interstate north of Kansas City were told to be on the lookout for an unusual traffic hazard after a semi-trailer truck loaded with honeybees overturned.

The Missouri Department of Transportation said the accident occurred recently on Interstate 435. No serious injuries were reported.

The Transportation Department initially said the truck was carrying about 40,000 bees.

But the Kansas City Star reports bee experts said between 8 million and 11 million bees were in the truck. Some of the bees flew away from the accident scene.

Matt Winstead, of Midwest Bee Removal, says hives typically contain about 40,000 bees. The owner of the hives, Brian Buoye said about 408 hives were being transported.

Associated Press