Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Woman punches bear to save dog JUNEAU, Alaska, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- An Alaskan woman said she punched a black bear in the face when she spotted it attacking her dachshund in her yard. Advertisement Brooke Collins, 22, of Juneau, said she let her dogs outside at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday and she ran outside when she heard her dachshund, Fudge, barking frantically, the Juneau Empire reported Thursday. Collins said she saw the bear carrying Fudge "like a salmon" and she was operating on instinct when she ran up to the bear and punched it in the face. "It was all so fast. All I could think about was my dog was going to die," Collins said. "It was a stupid thing but I couldn't help it," she said. "I know you're not supposed to do that but I didn't want my dog to be killed." Advertisement Collins said she grabbed the dog when the bear dropped it. Regan O'Toole, Collins' boyfriend, said he ran outside when he heard Collins screaming and the bear appeared to be stunned from the punch. He said the animal ran off when he chased it, the newspaper reported. Collins said Fudge was not badly hurt. "I wasn't in my right mind at the moment but I would never think of doing it again," she said of punching the bear. Pizzeria owner accused of pot trafficking MEDFORD, Mass., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts pizzeria owner was arrested on a trafficking charge after authorities allegedly found 250 pounds of marijuana in 11 boxes in his pickup truck. Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone's office said Nikita Yanakopulos, 34, owner of Pinky's Famous Pizza in Medford, was charged with trafficking marijuana after police saw him load 11 boxes into the back of his pickup truck Friday that turned out to contain "high-grade" marijuana worth an estimated $750,000, the Boston Herald reported Thursday. Police said Yanakopulos' truck, three cellphones and $2,366 in cash were also seized during his arrest in Everett, The Boston Globe reported. Yanakopulos, who pleaded not guilty Monday, was released after posting $15,000 bail and he is due back in court Sept. 29. Advertisement Officials seek origins of roadside panties LANCASTER, Ohio, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Officials in an Ohio township said they were trying to determine the origins of about 3,000 pairs of panties found littering the side of a road. Berne Township officials said the panties, which were not packaged but appeared unused, were discovered Wednesday along a mile stretch of Crawfis Road southeast of Lancaster, WBNS-TV, Columbus, reported Thursday. "I came up and looked for myself and after I got here I couldn't believe what I was seeing," said Jim Carmichael, a Berne Township trustee. "We're just looking at it like somebody has done this and we want to find out who did it." 'Mayberry' attempting Twist record MOUNT AIRY, N.C., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The North Carolina town that inspired Mayberry on "The Andy Griffith Show" announced it will attempt the world record for most people dancing the Twist. Officials in Mount Airy, which is Griffith's hometown, said they hope at least 2,000 people will turn up to perform the popular dance simultaneously at the "Twisted in Mayberry" event Sept. 9, The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer reported Thursday. Jessica Icenhour, director of tourism and marketing for Mount Airy, said participants must perform the dance for at least 5 minutes to break the record set by 1,692 dancers last year in Glendale, Calif. Advertisement Icenhour said organizers are confident they can reach their goal. "We're being confident," Icenhour said. "This all came up very quickly, so we're trying to get the word out as quickly as we can."
