UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Distracted man drives Bugatti into lagoon

LAMARQUE, Texas, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A man distracted by a flying pelican drove his Bugatti Veyron, possibly the world's rarest sports car, into a saltwater lagoon in Texas, authorities said.

The Bugatti ended up in 2 feet of water, allowing the uninjured driver to walk ashore, the Galveston County Daily News reported.

The man, a Lufkin resident who said he had been on a trip to inspect real estate in Galveston, did not want to be identified. He said he was distracted by a pelican flying low as he drove north on Interstate 45, causing him to swerve into the lagoon near Omega Bay.

A tow-truck operator carefully pulled the Bugatti out of the lagoon.

The two-seat Veyron, equipped with 16 cylinders and four turbochargers, has a top speed of more than 250 mph. New models of the car retail for about $2 million.

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Scandal-ridden Spitzer gives ethics talk

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, in an ethics talk Thursday at Harvard University, tried to avoid talking about the scandal that brought him down.

Spitzer, who became known for a hardnosed attitude toward Wall Street when he was state attorney general, discussed business ethics, The New York Times reported. But one of the last questions came from a man who asked if Spitzer believed someone's agenda was behind the leaked federal investigation into the governor's dealings with escorts.

"Whatever may have led to their being public didn't relate to anything I did and doesn't excuse it," Spitzer responded, saying he resigned because it was right to do so.

Spitzer was invited to speak by Lawrence Lessig of The Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics. Kristin Davis, owner of the escort service Spitzer used, sent a letter of protest to Lessig, the New York Daily News said.

"As attorney general, he went around arresting and making examples out of the same escort agencies he was frequenting," she said.

Davis said Spitzer's unethical behavior included booking the services of escorts using a false name.

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Veteran, 84, fights off would-be thief

TORONTO, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A young, gun-toting would-be thief fled a Legion branch in Toronto empty-handed after an angry 84-year-old World War II veteran tackled him.

John Dietsch and 64-year-old volunteer Earl Gray were counting money from donation boxes for veterans and their families midday Thursday when the gunman appeared and said, "Give me all your bills," the National Post reported.

Dietsch, who has five great grandchildren, said he was enraged and lunged at the man.

"There was no way I was going to let him get away with the money," the navy veteran told the Toronto Sun. "Our veterans and their widows need that money."

Dietsch was knocked off his feet by the thief and that's when Legion volunteer Gray tackled the man, who wrestled him off and fled, the reports said.

The men were counting about $10,000 in coins and bills, the Post said.

Dietsch said he was a little disappointed with the outcome.

"I would've punched his head in, if I had the opportunity," he said.

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Young boy fined $276,000 for fire

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A Swedish boy who caused smoke and water damage to a home when he was 9-years-old has been ordered to pay $276,000 in damages.

The Stockholm boy, who is now 11, set fire to some paper in a house he was visiting two years ago and the flames spread throughout the building, The Local reported Friday.

The family's insurance company covered the damage and sued the boy to get the funds back.

A court in Stockholm ruled the boy is responsible for the fine and it cannot be collected from other family members.