Man Lives In Sewer, Emu Cops An Attitude, The Witch City Exhales: Weird News & Oddities

At first, Unique Wiggins didn’t believe her children when they told her they’d been talking to a man who lived in a sewer in Baltimore County, Maryland, and that he chased them down the street.

But then she investigated and heard someone singing from underground. They exchanged words about who was harassing whom, and Wiggins reportedly told him, “They can’t possibly be messing with you, and you are in the sewer,” according to CBS Baltimore.

Wiggins said police initially told her the sewer lines and culverts were public property, limiting what officers could do about the man living there. He was arrested on unspecified charges in mid-October and released on his own recognizance. Another peace order served on him expired on Oct. 26.

“I don’t feel like I’m protected. I don’t feel like my kids are protected,” Wiggins told the outlet. “I’m not saying this gentleman should necessarily go to jail, but he should not live in the sewer. He should not be able to be down there.”

• Read more: Mom Says Man Living In Sewer Chased Her Kids

Home Sweet Home? Not Quite

Chiang Juei Sung hasn’t taken to living in a sewer, but courts say she can’t live in the Santa Monica condo she bought in 2018, either. And the privilege of owning a home she can’t occupy now comes with a legal bill exceeding $144,000.

The problem is a deed restriction dating to 1988 that requires Sung’s two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo to remain affordable rental housing. She bought it with a tenant already living there and, according to court records, was informed of the restrictions before closing. Months later, she tried to evict the tenant so she could move in herself.

That kicked off years of litigation over whether the restrictions had expired. Sung argued they had. Santa Monica officials maintained that the requirement to keep the condo available to qualifying renters remained in effect for the life of the development.

A California appeals court sided with the city, leaving Sung with a condo she cannot occupy or rent to family members, plus $144,210 for the city’slegal fees. And the meter may still be running: Santa Monica is seeking additional fees for the appeal, along with interest on the original award.

The ruling also affects 14 other units in the 42-condo development, where affordable housing requirements dating back nearly four decades remain enforceable.

• Read more: She Bought A Condo, But A Court Says She Can’t Live In It

Gone To The Dogs

The midterm election is over, but where do campaign yard signs go?

Julie London lost her bid for a Sarasota County Commission seat in Florida, but the dogs wearing sunglasses on her campaign signs may still have a bright future.

Rather than consign more than 200 signs to the trash heap of political history, London is inviting local artists to turn them into something beautiful, or at least interesting enough to win a contest. The only rule is that the sunglass-wearing dogs must be incorporated into the artwork, whether it’s a sculpture, collage or something else entirely.

Inspired by Louisiana artist George Rodrigue's famous Blue Dog paintings, London hopes her campaign watchdogs will become local artistic fixtures.

The signs that don't make the cut may find less glamorous second careers as weed barriers or materials for beekeepers. She intends to recycle every last one.

• Read the Patch Exclusive: Political Yard Sign Go To The Dogs

Salem’s Witchy ‘World Cup’

Halloween has come and gone, too. But it’s never that simple in Salem, Massachusetts.

The Witch City, as the city of 46,000 is known, squeezes more than 1 million visitors into its 8 square miles every October. This year, they came from as far away as Colombia, China, Japan and the Czech Republic, packing restaurants, bars and streets for what one business owner called Salem’s version of the World Cup.

“Salem now has become, because of social media, the Disney of the North,” Kieran O’Neill, co-owner of Olde Main Street Pub, told Patch. “It’s the place to be in October.”

Halloween was a record-breaker for his restaurant, but on the Sunday after, O’Neill was enjoying a Guinness with the regulars, who tend to steer clear of downtown during the six-week tourist crush.

The city was collectively exhaling. Ghost tours were still selling out, but locals could finally reclaim their favorite watering holes without elbowing through crowds of witches, vampires and assorted creatures of the night.

O’Neill isn't complaining. October's windfall helps his business survive the lean winter months. And Salem officials are already planning for next Halloween. There’s no putting this particular genie, or perhaps witch, back in the bottle.

• Read the Patch Exclusive: Life Returns To Normal After Salem’s Witchy ‘World Cup’

Loaded Halloween Costume

There’s a reason Halloween props are usually made of plastic.

A Halloween costume in Wheaton, Illinois, came with an accessory that was a little too authentic: an antique gun that went off when it fell from a man’s clothing at a restaurant and entertainment venue.

The gun discharged at Wheaton Yard, home to Front Street Kitchen and The Backyard, sending a nearby patron to the hospital with a thigh injury, according to police. The person was treated and released.

The restaurant initially assured customers that no one had been hurt, but police confirmed otherwise. The business also pointed out that firearms are strictly prohibited on the property, with signs posted at the entrance.

Police said the man had a valid concealed carry license, but that didn't get him off the hook. He was charged with reckless conduct and cited for violating the Illinois Concealed Carry Act.

• Read more: This Halloween Costume Was Fully Loaded

Emu Behaving Badly

Emus are trouble. Big, long-legged, flightless trouble, with the attitude of a bird that knows it can outrun you and sees no particular reason to respect property lines.

One such feathered troublemaker apparently decided that life on its property in Thompson, Connecticut, had become intolerably predictable and that the open road was calling.

The emu took off down Thompson Hill Road, presumably with places to go and absolutely no intention of explaining itself to the authorities. Its adventure ended in someone's backyard, where animal control officers apprehended the wayward bird.

By Wednesday afternoon, officials had identified its owners and were waiting for them to collect their oversized delinquent, who was reportedly “safe, comfortable and being well cared for.”

Was the emu remorseful? There’s little reason to suspect it was. Emus do what emus do.

• Read more: Emu Wrangled After Trying To Outrun Authorities

Undercover Lunch Patrol

Teenagers complaining about school cafeteria food is hardly breaking news. But officials at York High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, are taking the complaints seriously enough to consider a radical solution: better food.

Only about a quarter of students regularly eat cafeteria lunches, with taste and long lines among the biggest complaints. So the district is shopping for a food management company and plans to send students and staff on unannounced visits to cafeterias operated by prospective vendors.

“They can't set it up so that they roll out the red carpet for us,” district finance official Joe Blomquist explained. “We want to see it in its natural environment.”

The district is also considering withdrawing from the National School Lunch Program, giving up $150,000 in federal reimbursements in hopes that tastier, more appealing meals will bring enough students back to the lunch line to offset the loss. Officials say the district would continue covering meals for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

• Read more: Why These Students Aren’t Eating Lunch And What The School Plans To Do