UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Stolen garden gnomes baffle Mounties

EDMONTON, Alberta, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- A collection of more than 25 ornamental garden gnomes dumped on an Alberta family's driveway has the Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigating.

The force's detachment in Leduc, 30 miles south of Edmonton, appealed for the media's help in getting the ceramic elves and other characters back to their owners and to identifying who left them on the driveway, the Edmonton Sun reported.

A woman called police when she found the little statues and solar lights on her driveway around 1:30 a.m. Aug. 24.

Constable Jodi Heidinger said the force has been able to return just five gnomes. She said the RCMP wouldn't issue photos or descriptions of the haul to prevent opportunistic people from claiming items that weren't really theirs.

Heidinger said the city has an annual rash of ornamental thefts in the spring and summer, "but it's unusual to have that number on one property at one time," the Sun said.

Officer rescues skunk, avoids stink

CHICAGO, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Authorities in suburban Chicago said a fleet-footed animal control officer who rescued a skunk managed to quickly run from its spray radius.

Police in Buffalo Grove, Ill., said an animal control officer was called to free a skunk with its head caught in a mayonnaise jar at about 9 p.m. last Friday in a residential neighborhood, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

The police report of the incident said the officer grabbed the jar, yanked it from the skunk's head and "ran like heck" before the animal could spray its unpleasant odor or otherwise react to the close human interaction.

Disney's Space Mountain goes ghoulish

ANAHEIM, Calif., Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The Space Mountain ride at Disneyland has been made over for Halloween terrors, officials at the California amusement park say.

The Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, which opened its doors to the public Friday, feature's the original ride's star-spangled tunnel ride before the stars align into a skull-like face with extending skeletal arms to the sounds of a roaring creature, The Orange County Register reported.

"It's classic Space Mountain with a whole new look," said Steve Roach, producer of the ride's show.

He said a sign posted outside the ride will warn parents the Halloween-themed attraction may be too scary for their young kids.

"For the first time, it's something actually very frightening for Halloween," Roach said. "I don't think we've done anything this scary before."

Roach said a team is expected to change the ride back to its original form overnight when the Halloween season ends. He said it took about 2 1/2 weeks to convert the ride.

Web site picks 'great factory tours'

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif., Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The Harley Davidson factory in Kansas City, Mo., and its counterparts across the country topped a California-based Web site's list of "great factory tours."

VirtualTourist.com said a visit to any of the Harley Davidson factories in the United States is a "dream come true" for motorcycle fans.

The opal mines of Coober Pedy, Australia, the largest opal mining operation in the world, was chosen as second on the list of "Five Great Factory Tours" for its underground hotels, restaurants, stores and art galleries in addition to the basic mine tour.

Third on the list was the Hacienda San Jose del Refugio tequila distillery, a major stop for Mexico's Tequila Express train, cited for its authenticity and the beauty of its building complex.

VirtualTourist picked the Bo Sang Umbrella Village outside of Cheng Mai, Thailand, for the fourth spot on the list for allowing visitors to watch a team of artisans hand-paint each umbrella, sun shield and parasol bound for market.

Rounding out the list was the Tabasco Factory in Avery Island, La., which not only allows visitors to see the origins of the famous hot sauce, but for an extra $1 they can visit the crocodiles, raccoons and other animals at the Avery Island Jungle Gardens.