This will make more than a few balls of yarn

Shaun the Australian sheep had gone the whole six years of his life without a haircut, until Thursday. Shaun had been hiding for years on a farm on the island state of Tasmania. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Shaun was 23.5 kilograms (52 pounds) lighter after he was finally shorn. On video footage of the momentous event, he seemed shaky and a little embarrassed. “It’s going to be such a shock to him,” shearing instructor Jack Monks said. “It’s like you having three overcoats on and taking them off and walking outside and doing the ice bucket challenge isn’t it?” Shaun’s owners, farmers Peter and Netty Hazel, had hoped he would beat a wool weight record held by the now-deceased sheep Shrek, but Shaun lost by about 8 pounds. Shrek, a New Zealand sheep, went seven years without a haircut, and his wool weighed in at 27 kilograms (60 pounds). “It would have been nice to have it,” Netty Hazel said of the record. “But the most important thing is that he’s got the fleece off and now we can concentrate on making sure that he’s well and survives it.”

Worker's comp for kickball injuries

The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a man injured in a company kickball game is entitled to worker’s compensation benefits. The man, Stephen Whigham, organized the kickball game with his boss’s encouragement. During the game, he shattered two bones in his leg and had to have two surgeries. Doctors told him he’ll ultimately need a knee replacement, according to court documents. Workers’ compensation commissioners initially denied the man’s claim, saying he wasn’t required to be at the game. The appeals court upheld that ruling, but the high court ruled that because Whigham organized game, it had become part of his job duties. Two dissenting justices held that it still wasn’t clear if he had to be at the game, and if so, that he actually had to play.

Peeling interstate tape causes commuter confusion

Commuters driving on Interstate 66 towards Washington, D.C., became understandably confused Monday. Lane stripes suddenly went from straight lane borders to squiggly lines. According to myFOXdc.com, the lane stripes pulled away from the road surface, creating a mess of mangled tape. One driver’s car even got stuck when the tape wrapped around his wheels. “We’ve created quite a nightmare for commuters and we apologize for that,” said Joan Morris, spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Transportation.