UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Cheerleaders punished for urine prank

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 8 (UPI) -- Officials with a Texas school district said a group of high school cheerleaders was disciplined for giving urine-tainted drinks to teammates.

Administrators said at least two girls at Fort Worth's Saginaw High School received in-school suspensions and an unspecified number of their fellow cheerleaders received lesser punishments for serving sodas contaminated with a cheerleader's urine to their teammates during a basketball game late last year, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Thursday.

District officials said Principal Ric Canterbury began an investigation after hearing rumors about the incident. They said the girls involved in the prank will be barred from cheerleading events for the remainder of the school year but will be eligible to rejoin the team during the next school year.

The father of one of the girls who drank the contaminated soda said the offending cheerleaders should be permanently removed from the team.

"They shouldn't be allowed to represent Saginaw," said the parent, who asked not to be named to protect his daughter's anonymity.

Turkey crashes into police car

BELLEVILLE, Ill., April 8 (UPI) -- Police in Illinois said a wild turkey crashed into the side of a patrol car on its way to a call, causing about $700 worth of damage to the vehicle.

Belleville police said Officer Anthony Branchini was responding to a call about a suspected intoxicated driver just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday when the massive bird smashed into the side of his patrol car on Illinois 15, the Belleville News-Democrat reported Thursday.

"It literally flew into the side, by the tire and the mirror," Capt. Don Sax said. "I would say it's a freak accident, what's commonly referred to as an act of God."

Sax said damage to the car included a dent in the side and the complete removal of the passenger-side mirror.

"It's not much anybody can do," Sax said. "Wildlife moves around. You hit rabbits and squirrels and groundhogs and raccoons and whatever else all the time."

He said the officer was not injured in the incident and the turkey was also apparently OK.

"Nobody got hurt," Sax said. "The turkey obviously wandered off."

Customs: Woman hid plants in diaper

EL PASO, Texas, April 8 (UPI) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Texas said a woman attempted to smuggle live plants concealed in a disposable diaper across the border from Mexico.

Roger Maier, an agency spokesman, said the Hood River, Ore., woman, whose name was not released, told agents at the El Paso, Texas, border crossing she had nothing to declare, The (Portland) Oregonian reported Thursday.

However, Maier said a search of the woman's 1999 Dodge Caravan by an agricultural specialist turned up 10 live plants hidden in a disposable diaper and a half-pound of citrus leaves and blossoms.

Officials told the Las Cruzes (N.M.) Sun-News the plants were all types prohibited from being brought into the United States from Mexico.

"People have smuggled items in diaper bags and baby car seats before," said William Molaski, El Paso Port director for the agency, "but it is rare to find prohibited agricultural items concealed in a disposable diaper."

The woman was fined $300 and eight of the plants were destroyed. Two of the plants, endangered agaves, were handed over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to their rarity.

Fan attends 57th Masters Tournament

AUGUSTA, Ga., April 8 (UPI) -- An 86-year-old North Carolina golf fan attending the Masters Tournament in Georgia said he has not missed one of the events in 57 years.

Hunter Gammon, 86, of Greensboro, said this year's Masters in Augusta is the 57th consecutive event he has attended and he plans to walk the course despite the strain the golf tournament has put on his knees in recent years, WFMY-TV, Greensboro, reported Thursday.

"Sitting is for football and basketball," he said. "For golf, it's walking."

Gammon, who attended his first Masters at age 29 in 1954, said the 11th hole is usually the most exciting of the course, while the 13th features the most beautiful view.

The golf enthusiast said he is expecting Ernie Els to win this year's Masters, but he is not discounting the possibility of Tiger Woods taking home top honors.

"I just think Tiger Woods is a great putter and that will carry him a long ways at Augusta," he said.

Woods shot an opening-round 4-under-par 68, finishing the day tied with four other players for seventh place.

Gammon said his years at the tournament led him to encounter golf greats including Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus.

"I met Jack my first year there," Gammon said. "I think the most excited I was is when he won the tournament in 1986."