Rest assured none of these stories are an April Fool’s joke (not sure if that makes things better or worse…). Here’s how journalists covered some of the weird stuff that happened this past week:
Baby Name Blocked by Germany: Journalist Hajar Hamalaw has been told by German officials that he can’t name his baby son “WikiLeaks.” Officials at Germany’s registry office told Hamalaw they were concerned the name could “endanger the baby’s welfare” later in life. Hamalaw said he found the name fitting because “WikiLeaks has changed the world.” The journalist has decided to name his son “Dako” instead. [NBC News]
Queen Gives Pope Eggs, Booze: It is customary for heads of state to exchange gifts with each other during state meetings, and the head of the Vatican is no different. On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II gave Pope Francis 18 items from the royal estate, including honey, eggs and whiskey. Vatican officials say the Pope will either share the gifts with residents at his guest house or donate them to charity. [Reuters]
Seattle Man Mistakenly Mailed Pot: Police are trying to figure out who keeps mailing a Seattle man marijuana. The man went to police after receiving two packages labeled “return to sender” that contained copious amounts of cannabis. Under Washington law, possession of small amounts of pot is legal, but police say it is still unlawful to send it through the mail. [KOMO-TV]
Woman Arrested For Oversharing on Facebook: There are some things that are better kept to yourself, especially if those things could land you in jail. Colleen Cudney, 22, learned that lesson the hard way after she bragged on Facebook about passing a random breathalyzer test after a night of wild drinking. Law enforcement caught wind of the post and arrested her for violating the terms of her probation. [WDIV-TV]
Keep the Change, Town Says: A Pennsylvania town has created a policy limiting how much change it will accept when residents pay utility fees after a woman paid her sewer bill with $200 in change. Officials say it took employees over four hours to count and sort the change. The new policy limits residents to $10 in unrolled coins or $20 in rolled coins. [Erie Times-News]
NTSB Gives Obvious Advice to Pilots: The head of the nation’s transportation safety agency issued a reminder to pilots that landing at the wrong airport could have “catastrophic consequences.” Several commercial pilots have made the news over the past few months after they apparently became confused about which airport to land in a city. [CNBC]
Google Denied “Glass” Trademark: The search giant attempted to trademark the term “Glass,” applying to its line of computerized goggles. The U.S. Patent Office denied Google’s request, saying the word merely describes its product and that the trademark could cause confusion among consumers with relation to other products, like Microsoft’s SmartGlass. Google has challenged the trademark’s decision with a 1,900-page document. Who knows where this will go. [The Verge]
Woman Caught Pooping in Courthouse Elevator: Patricia Jamison, 49, picked an odd place to do her business. Police arrested the Florida woman for pooping in a courthouse elevator, apparently incriminated by surveillance video inside the lift. Jamison was arrested on a misdemeanor health safety charge. [Treasure Coast Palm]
See a weird story that should be included in next week’s list? Tweet your tips to @matthewkeyslive or @theblotmag.
