Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Big feet finally get big shoes LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The tallest man in the United States says he's finally found someone who makes shoes big enough for his big -- really big -- feet. Advertisement Igor Vovkovinskiy, 29, of Rochester, Minn. at 7 feet 8 inches had forgotten what it was like to have shoes that didn't cause painful foot sores on his feet, The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier Journal reported. Now that Louisville, Ky., shoemaker Alan Kleinman has made his custom footwear, Vovkovinskiy said he said he's able for the first time in years to go grocery shopping, walk his dog and "do everyday things." Kleinman, owner of Kleinman's Living Shoes, made a custom pair of shoes for Vovkovinskiy after learning about him on a national daytime talk show, the newspaper said. Vovkovinskiy's new shoes are the largest Kleinman has ever made, estimated at "about a size 25 1/2 to 26," Kleinman said -- compared to the 22 or 23 size footwear of retired basketball great Shaquille O'Neal. Advertisement Vovkovinskiy was born in Ukraine. Kleinman made the shoes at now charge as an early birthday present for the big guy, who turns 30 on Sept. 18. Chicken stuffed with cocaine LAGOS, Nigeria, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Nigerian drug agents arrested an auto technician allegedly carrying five pounds of cocaine concealed in a roast chicken. Nigeria's The Daily Times said the arrest was made during the weekend at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos while passengers were being cleared on a Turkish Airline flight from Sao Paulo. Officials estimated the street value of the cache at $15 million. Drug agents identified the suspect as Vincent Chegini Chinweuwa, the newspaper reported, who told them, "It took me three days to pack the cocaine inside the chicken. I was confident that the drug would not be detected. I have been living in Brazil since 2006. Life has been stressful because I cannot even visit my wife in Nigeria due to lack of money. I wanted some money to start any business of my choice back home. Unfortunately, I was disappointed upon arrival in Lagos." Texas alligator captured, released MAGNOLIA, Texas, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Police and a truck driver rescued a four-foot alligator as it attempted to cross a Magnolia, Texas, road, and the gator got a ride in a patrol car, police said. Advertisement Tow-truck driver and experienced alligator handler Richard Wible reported seeing the alligator early Monday morning, and with the help of Magnolia police, confined it with a rope and taped its eyes and mouth shut with electrical tape, the Montgomery County (Texas) Police Reporter said Monday. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was notified, and offered the suggestion that since the alligator was already captured and confined, it should be released in an undisclosed body of water in Montgomery County away from any threat to the public. Wible, familiar with alligators from working with the nearby city of Anahuac, Texas, home of the "Texas Gator Fest," was slapped across the back by the animal's tail, which the newspaper said "sounded like a professional baseball player hitting a home run," but after the alligator was controlled it was driven in the back seat of a patrol car to the lake. An officer removed the tape and rope, and Wible tossed it in. The alligator spent a moment watching its captors, then swam away, the newspaper said. Firefighters rescue deer from pool COLORADO SPRINGS, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- A man in Colorado Springs says he walked onto his back patio during the weekend to find a deer trapped in his pool. Advertisement Homeowner Scott Smith said the deer was wrestling with his pool cover and trying to get out of the water, KOAA-TV, Colorado Springs reported. The deer couldn't touch bottom. Firefighters arrived and built a ramp to coax the deer out, which took four hours. The deer finally made it out and ran away into the woods, the report said.
