See Spot spend

With pockets full of federal funds, the Honolulu Police Department spent $150,045 of pandemic relief money on a robotic dog. The police department got the money for the robotic dog through the CARES Act, the coronavirus aid package that made billions of dollars of loan money available to businesses as well as state and municipal governments. Honolulu Police named the robot Spot and deployed it to the department’s tent city for the homeless with a charge to take the temperatures of inhabitants. In an emailed statement to Honolulu Civil Beat, a department spokesman claimed the dog was “more than a thermometer” and could also perform a “touchless field screening” and interact with people in quarantine. According to creator Boston Dynamics, the robotic dog also dances.

Show and tell

A New Jersey teenager’s science project caused the evacuation of his school when officials decided an object he brought to class was hazardous. The unnamed teen brought a quarter-sized antique to Haddon Township High School on Jan. 8 so that his science class could test a Geiger counter. The object was a piece from a Fiestaware plate. In the early 20th century, Fiestaware dishes often featured a uranium oxide glaze to provide a distinct orange-red color. Some school officials weren’t impressed, though, and after learning about the radioactive object, they ordered an evacuation and called for hazmat units to investigate. “It’s a dramatic over-exaggeration,” the sophomore told NJ.com. “[It] gave off less radiation than most things you can find in an antique store.” Students were back in class in 30 minutes after officials determined the old ceramic shard posed no threat.

Happy feet

On a Zoom call, no one sees your shoes. Investors and company officials with Crocs are crediting the global coronavirus pandemic with boosting sales of their comfortable but fashionably questionable shoes. In a quarterly report filed Jan. 11, Crocs announced it was expecting a 55 percent increase in sales of its foam shoes in the fourth quarter of 2020 over the previous year. “Amidst a global pandemic in 2020, we will deliver the strongest revenue in Crocs’ history,” CEO Andrew Rees said in a statement. “We definitely benefited from consumer casualization.”

Rules of the restroom

A Chinese company is facing criticism on social media after its restrictive bathroom policy became public knowledge. Anonymous tipsters leaked memos from Anpu Electric Science and Technology revealing the Guangdong province business was fining employees for using the restroom more than once per day. “We are helpless. The fact is that the workers are lazy at work,” a company executive told Guangdong TV. The executive argued the roughly $3 fine for every excess bathroom visit was a better option than firing employees.

Hand over the ham

The ending of the United Kingdom’s time as part of the European Union has led to bizarre scenes at European ports of entry. In January, Dutch television broadcast video of customs officers impounding ham sandwiches while processing British nationals at a ferry port. Once Brexit took effect on Jan. 1, travelers from the U.K. into Europe could no longer bring meat, fruit, or many other food products into Europe. As the drivers waited to direct their vehicles off the ferry docked at the Hook of Holland terminal, one passenger asked a Dutch officer if he could turn over the meat, but keep the bread. “No, everything will be confiscated,” the customs agent replied. “Welcome to the Brexit, sir, I’m sorry.”

Man on a leash

To get out of the house during a pandemic curfew, some people walk their dogs. One Canadian woman put a leash on her significant other. Police in Sherbrooke, Quebec, fined a couple approximately $1,200 for breaking an 8 p.m. pandemic curfew on Jan. 9. According to police, the woman claimed she was out walking her dog when questioned. Upon further inspection, authorities discovered the leash was connected to her male companion. According to media accounts, the couple was uncooperative with police, claiming that if dog walkers could break quarantine, they could too.

Serving the people

The mayor and former mayor of a Vermont town have helped raise $30,000 to renovate a local playground, but they’re interested in treats, not swings or slides. That’s because the mayor and former mayor of Fair Haven, Vt., are a Cavalier King Charles spaniel and a goat. The animals, elected as honorary mayors of the town, helped raise the money via raffles and sales of masks. However, the spaniel, at least, may not get to see the fruits of his labor: The playground has a “no dogs allowed” sign posted.

Po-ta-toe

A British woman walking her dog beside a field on Jan. 5 spotted what she believed was a human toe poking through the ground. Concerned about finding human remains, she took a picture and reported her discovery to Northumbria Police in northern England. Officers examined the photo and declared an investigation into a possible dead body. “It was already dark by the time we got a call, and so we had to deploy search teams to track down the scene to rule out any foul play,” police Inspector Phil Hamlani told the BBC. After a widespread search of the field, the team found the delinquent digit. But upon closer examination, police determined the object was actually a potato poking above the soil. Even so, Hamlani insisted he appreciated the woman filing the report. “If it does turn out to be a vegetable, our police dogs will thank you for the treat,” he said.

Jailer’s special

A home for sale in Guildhall, Vt., features four bedrooms, two bathrooms—and seven jail cells. The 2,190-square-foot property, listed for only $149,000, was once the Essex County Jail. According to its Realtor.com listing, the house’s main section once served as the jailer’s residence until officials shut down the jail in 1969. The listing agent encouraged potential buyers to “bring your own ideas on what this 28' x 40' wing could be!”