Down on digging

Officials in an Outer Banks, N.C., town have a message for visitors: Stop digging holes in the beach sand. The complaints from officials in Nags Head began in 2015 when officials posted a picture of a hole dug so deeply that the bottom could only be accessed with a ladder. Officials say they don’t know why beachgoers are spending vacation time digging, but they note the deep holes pose a threat to people or animals that might fall into one. Nags Head officials posted the request to the town’s Facebook page on May 21, ahead of the tourist season.

Smoke but no fire

A creative billboard on U.S. 10 in Mounds View, Minn., displays a large pepperoni pizza with what is meant to look like steam rising from the pie. The problem: Many motorists have called 911 to report the billboard is on fire. “I’m sure it seemed like a good idea at the time, but one we’ve had to react to,” Mounds View Police Chief Nate Harder told the Duluth News Tribune. Similar billboards in other parts of the Midwest advertising Casey’s General Stores have also resulted in complaints. On May 12, the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Police Department posted an item on its Facebook page asking residents to stop phoning in complaints about their local steaming Casey’s billboard.

Bumpy ride

An Irish man has billed his hometown for $2,500 to compensate for damages to his car that he says were caused by speed bumps. Christopher Fitzgibbon of Limerick County, Ireland, said he’s also had to adjust his commute as much as 30 miles per day ever since the town installed the road humps in September 2018. Town officials have said they won’t pay, and instead blamed the 23-year-old commuter for lowering the ride height on his Volkswagen Passat to just 4 inches off the ground. The speed bumps are 6 inches tall. Fitzgibbon told the Daily Mail that he lowered his Passat in order that the car might “look fresh.”

Mixed-up drinks

Customers at a fancy Manchester, U.K., restaurant benefited from a pricey error by the waitstaff. After ordering a $330 bottle of Bordeaux wine, the staff at Hawksmoor Manchester accidentally brought the party a 2001 bottle of Château le Pin Pomerol listed at over $5,700 on the menu. Restaurant owner Will Beckett said a manager subbing from another location made the error by simply picking up the wrong bottle. On its Twitter feed, the restaurant encouraged the employee not to feel too badly. “Chin up!” the post read. “One-off mistakes happen and we love you anyway.” The unsuspecting couple that ordered the bottle enjoyed it so much they asked for another, but were told by staff that another bottle was unavailable.

The show must go on

Pop icon Whitney Houston died in 2012, but that might not stop her from going on tour again. The late singer’s estate is developing plans to create a hologram of Houston that could go on tour with a live backing band. The estate’s executor, sister-in-law Pat Houston, made a deal with Primary Wave, a music marketing company, in May to start planning the show. In recent years, laser-generated holograms of Roy Orbison and Frank Zappa have toured to packed crowds.

Coming home again

An emu that escaped its pen finally returned to its home after entertaining North Adams, Mass., residents and police for days. The large flightless bird got loose from its owner on May 19, and for days local residents chased the bird down the street and phoned police. But their efforts were in vain. “We are in the process of trying to use lassos and nooses,” North Adams Police Lt. Anthony Beverly told iBerkshires. “We had it cornered down here but he evaded us—not many things do that but an emu does—the saga continues.” After evading all methods of capture, the animal returned home on its own on May 22.

Getting tea’d off

British Airways ought to know better. The flagship airline of the United Kingdom has upset British passengers after unveiling the company’s new refreshments menu for short flights. At issue: The afternoon tea now offered by British Airways doesn’t include any tea. The airline offers a scone, jam, and cream as part of its $6.35 afternoon tea meal service. Tea, however, will be sold separately for roughly $3 more. One angry flyer—commenting in an online forum—compared British Airways’ new practice to advertising gin and tonics on the menu but selling the gin separately.

A crime scene wiped clean

The tip-off for Nate Roman that his Boston home had been broken into wasn’t bashed belongings and rifled-through drawers. It was the origami toilet paper roses he found in the bathroom. Roman reported a break-in at his home on May 15 to Boston police, but after a careful search, he found nothing missing. Instead, he found his home had been cleaned, the beds made, and the rugs vacuumed. Roman found no sign of forced entry but did note the back door had been left unlocked. Police say Roman was either the victim of a bizarrely fastidious burglar or that a cleaning crew accidentally entered the wrong house. “It’s funny now, but didn’t feel funny at the time,” Roman told The Boston Globe. “I kept the toilet paper roses as souvenirs.”

Dog track

The second-place finisher in the 100 meters at a track meet in China didn’t get a medal. That’s because he had four legs. Video from the meet shows that shortly after the race started at Beifang University of Nationalities on May 23, a stray dog joined the race. Running with the pack, the dog managed an unofficial second-place finish in the event, just a step behind the race’s winner. Meet officials say the stray dog has been well known by locals for years.