UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Man accused of gas station rampage

BISMARCK, S.D., April 2 (UPI) -- Police in Bismarck, S.D., say a man used a snow shovel to damage a car at a gas station and then climbed into the vehicle.

Tyler Kraft, 20, allegedly approached a 25-year-old man outside the Country West Conoco gas station and raised his shovel in a threatening manner, the Bismarck Tribune reported Wednesday.

The 25-year-old and a 32-year-old friend went into the gas station to get away from the man and watched as he used the snow shovel to smash two windows and damage a window frame on the 32-year-old's car, police said. The suspect then allegedly climbed inside the car and turned on the headlights.

Police said Kraft, who is also accused of using his shovel to damage a gas pump and break two glass doors at the business, made several bizarre statements during his arrest, including a claim that he and another man were the last two humans alive on Earth. Police said Kraft is suspected of being under the influences of substances other than alcohol.

Kraft has been charged with terrorizing, criminal mischief and unlawful entry to a motor vehicle, all felonies.

Winemaker produces gender-shaped vintages

ROME, April 2 (UPI) -- An Italian winemaker has produced three vintages he claims can help people decide their sexual identity.

Franco D'Eusanio's masculine wine is a red with the name "Is," the Italian news agency ANSA reports. The feminine is a white, "Ea," while for the sexually ambiguous there is a rose, "Id."

D'Eusanio has supplied a psychological test and a questionnaire on sexuality to help people decide which wine to buy.

"Our personality is a complex combination of our different 'souls' which manifest themselves through our desires," D'Eusanio told ANSA. "Taking this into account, we have sought to link the right taste to the right personality, starting with the choice of grapes used in the wine."

After previewing his three wines Tuesday in Romey, D'Eusanio is taking them to Vinitaly, the major trade show for Italian wines, which runs Wednesday through Monday in Verona.

Ernie Banks statute inscription needs work

CHICAGO, April 2 (UPI) -- The Chicago Cubs agree that a punctuation error in the inscription on a new statute of Ernie Banks will have to be fixed.

A team representative assured the Chicago Tribune that the missing apostrophe in Mr. Cub's beloved motto, "Let's Play Two" will be added at a later date.

The bronze statue outside Wrigley Field was unveiled Monday with the words "Lets Play Two" cast for perpetuity on the base.

Sculptor Lou Cella said he was first informed of the glitch by a radio DJ. "I'm the sculptor, I'm not a writer," Cella shrugged. "I just read it the way I heard it in my head."

A Tribune reporter who staked out the statue this week said Cub fans were about evenly divided between those who caught the error and those who didn't.

'Mush, mon': Dogsledding comes to Jamaica

OCHO RIOS, Jamaica, April 2 (UPI) -- A Jamaican tourism operator is offering dogsled rides as the latest attraction for visitors to the sunny Caribbean island.

Danny Melville said the idea of hitching a team of rescued strays to a sled on wheels and racing them along a tropical beach sounded "outrageous," which is exactly why he did it.

"We can't be just outrageous, we have to be outrageous and good at it," Melville told the Calgary Herald.

Building on the legend of the Jamaican Olympic bobsled team and with the backing of singer Jimmy Buffett, dogsledding has become a big draw for Melville's company, Chukka Caribbean Adventures.

Melville told the Canadian newspaper he has 40 dogs in his stable that take turns providing guests with a 16-minute dash across the sand with a professional musher at the controls.

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