Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Ravens in Alaska in flying 'memorial' FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Hundreds of ravens held what looked like a flying memorial for two of their own, electrocuted while roosting on a transformer in Alaska, witnesses say. Advertisement After the two birds were killed, hundreds of ravens began circling silently above and perching in trees nearby, the Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner reported. "I walked out there and there were all these birds just circling. There were ravens in all the trees. It was weird. They said their respects and moved on," Rod Stephens, owner of nearby Rod's Saw Shop, said. Another witness saw "a vortex of ravens circling." "I could see them a half-mile away," said Ben Brees, a computer technician. "It was a funnel of black birds. I pulled up to the building right as they were circling." A biologist at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks said it's not unusual for ravens to be electrocuted. Advertisement "They're the same size as a lot of raptors that we know get electrocuted on a regular basis, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if ravens get electrocuted on a pretty regular basis," he said. The big black birds have big brains compared with other bird species and are known for their problem-solving abilities. They also eat carrion. -0- Man creates 26-foot-tall gingerbread man MADISON, Wis., Nov. 24 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin man created the world's tallest gingerbread man, standing 26 feet tall, as part of a cookie decorating event at a mall. Mary Beth Collins, the executive director of Dane County Court Appointed Special Advocates, said Dave Bowden of Market Street Diner created the gingerbread man as part of the "Gingerbread Cookie Factory" fundraiser at the Hilldale Mall in Madison, WISC-TV, Madison, reported. "This was a goal he had," Collins said. "To create the world's tallest gingerbread man. So Dane County CASA approached him to see if he would do it, and he agreed, and here we are today." The cookie factory, which will be open the first three Saturdays in December, will allow children to decorate their own gingerbread cookies to raise funds for CASA, which advocates for children in abusive situations. Advertisement -0- Hotel uses own bees for honey CHICAGO, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Officials with the Marriott in downtown Chicago said the hotel uses honey from its rooftop bees to make beer and several dishes. The Italian five-striped honeybees, which have created 260 pounds of honey since they arrived at the hotel in March, have contributed their product to the Marriott's in-house draft wheat beer and several dishes designed by the hotel's chefs, the Chicago Tribune reported. Executive chef Myk Banas said the hotel spent about $2,500 on the bees, three insulated hives, bee protective gear, honey extracting equipment and other expenses related to the rooftop hives. "We always look to do crazy ideas here," executive sous chef Joe Plucinski said. -0- Police: Suspect ate robbery note TWINSBURG, Ohio, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Police in Ohio said they have video footage of a bank robbery suspect eating the note he allegedly used to demand money from a teller. Twinsburg police said a dashboard mounted camera on a police cruiser recorded John Ford, 35, eating a piece of paper while officers searched his clothing for weapons Thursday, the Akron (Ohio) Beacon-Journal reported. "He grabbed it in his mouth, just like Pacman," Patrolman Daniel Biada said. "He just ate it right there." Advertisement Police said they discovered a .38-caliber pistol and an undisclosed amount of cash covered in red ink inside Ford's vehicle. Authorities said Ford walked into a FirstMerit branch in Streetsboro Thursday and handed a teller a note demanding money. He did not display the gun inside the bank, police said. Police said they were investigating whether Ford was connected to bank robberies in nearby Stow and Akron.
