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Syracuse profits by handwriting thousands of late-tax notes
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A city in New York state has found a novel way of motivating residents to pay their back taxes: personal notes handwritten by city officials.The idea stemmed from an experiment on late-tax payments, in which the city of Syracuse partnered with researchers at Syracuse University. City officials wrote and signed thousands of notes by hand, rather than sending standard legal letters demanding payment.
The result was the city collecting nearly $1.5 million more than it predicted traditional methods alone would have brought in. University... Read More
France seizes jet at takeoff after Ryanair doesn't pay bill
PARIS (AP) — Storms, strikes, computer failures — you can now add "your plane has been seized by the government" to the list of things that can delay your flight.In France, 149 passengers were preparing to take off for London late Thursday when French authorities ordered their Ryanair Boeing 737 impounded.
The budget carrier owed money and it was "regrettable that the state was forced" to evacuate the plane, the civil aviation authority said.
The passengers had gone through passport control and security and were about to walk on the tarmac to... Read More
Officers catch huge lizard that terrified Florida neighbors
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Florida authorities have caught a huge lizard that has terrified residents of a suburban Miami neighborhood for months.The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Thursday the Asian water monitor lizard measures more than 8 feet (2.5 meters) long.
The lizard is an escaped pet. It was first reported loose in August in a Davie neighborhood. Residents said it lurked in their backyards and scratched at their patio doors.
Wildlife officers and Davie police officers caught it Tuesday after getting a tip from a resident who... Read More
What's in a number? Dutchman, 69, seeks age change to 49
UTRECHT, Netherlands (AP) — Self-styled positivity guru Emile Ratelband thinks age is just a number. And his is a number the Dutchman wants changed.The 69-year-old TV personality has asked a court in the Netherlands to approve his request for a new birthday that officially would make him 49.
Ratelband says his legal appeal is consistent with other forms of personal transformation that are gaining acceptance and government recognition in the Netherlands and around the world.
"With this free(dom) of choice, choice of name, freeness of gender, I want to I... Read More
Surprise: Large alligator found in Kansas City hot tub
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri landlord stumbled upon an unwanted house guest while evicting a tenant: a large alligator in a hot tub.The tenant described the 150-pound reptile as "gentle as a puppy" after animal control workers were called to the Kansas City home on Wednesday. The workers also found two boa constrictors and a rabbit.
The Kansas City Star reports a specialist removed the alligator, which was at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. No one was injured.
The tenant, Sean Casey, said he'd owned the alligator for four years and named it He... Read More
Top Stories in Offbeat News
- Missing zoo meerkat case solved with 3 charged in Australia
- Syracuse profits by handwriting thousands of late-tax notes
- National Grid to use 'noise cannon' to scare away crows
- Man crashes pickup truck into Mississippi courthouse
- 'Unusual air activity' over Ireland sparks investigation
- Runaway elephant returned to upstate New York sanctuary
- Trapper captures record-setting python in Everglades
- France seizes jet at takeoff after Ryanair doesn't pay bill
- Animal control officers, nearby helpers catch loose chicken
- Alaska man sentenced for faking death to avoid prison term
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