News of the Strange, weird, odd, and funny from Raleigh, North Carolina, and around the country. 

Strange News

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a challenge for all new parents: Getting enough sleep while keeping a close eye on their newborns. For some penguins, it means thousands of mini-catnaps a day, researchers discovered.

Penguin parents sleep for just a few seconds at a time to guard newborns, study shows

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The journey of Minnesota's Rutt the moose is tracked by a herd of fans

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Nebraska woman bags marriage proposal shortly after killing big buck on hunting trip

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Cheers! A bottle of Scotch whisky sells for a record $2.7 million at auction

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Century-overdue library book is finally returned in Minnesota

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MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. (AP) — A customer has filed a lawsuit against the fast casual chain Chopt over a salad that she says contained a piece of the manager's finger.

Customer sues Chopt eatery chain over salad that she says contained a piece of manager's finger

Robbery suspect's colorful underwear helped police arrest him, authorities say

Watches and jewelry are the most commonly counterfeited items that are seized by customs officers, CBP Chicago, which oversees operations throughout most of the Midwest, wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), so it came as no surprise to agents when they found the watch.

The item's estimated price tag and its rarity are perhaps the most shocking aspects of the November 16 seizure by CPB officers in Cincinnati.

US customs officers seized a fake Richard Mille watch. If real, it would have been worth $3.7 million

Watch

(CNN) -- A pond in Hawaii looks like something right out of a fairy tale. Water at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, one of the few coastal salt marshes on the island of Maui, has been bright pink since at least October 30, officials say, after its salt content surged amid an extreme drought.

The water has turned a shocking shade of magenta in this Hawaii refuge

Hawaii refuge pink water

New York (CNN) -- Taco Bell has won its fight over the "Taco Tuesday" trademark in all 50 states now that lone holdout -- a restaurant in New Jersey -- has "parted ways" with the term.

Taco Bell's battle to free the 'Taco Tuesday' trademark is officially over

Taco Bell tacos

An unusual candidate is running for mayor of Anchorage. His campaign manager says he has the right dispostiion for the job, and he's a good boy.

Alaskan Malamute running for mayor in Anchorage

The model is part of a collection that belonged to the late Greg Jein, an Oscar- and Emmy-nominated miniature-maker known for his work on "Star Trek" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

Long-lost 'Star Wars' X-wing model fetches over $3.1 million at auction

X-wing fighter model

It took 15 years of a man to carve the craft pumpkins that make up this Halloween tradition in one Rhode Island community.

House of 1,000 pumpkins celebrates Halloween with a grin

Millions of birds fly over Chicago during the fall migration season, and a number of them die after being confused by bright lights or after trying to fly through a window, but the carpet of bird carcasses outside a convention center Thursday morning shocked people who have been monitoring birds in the city for decades.

Nearly 1,000 Birds Die After Striking Chicago Building

18-year-old Heaven Elliot was arrested and charged with larceny after investigators with the Snow Hill Police Department said he broke into a church and stole tithes and offerings.

Man named Heaven arrested, charged after breaking into church

Crime Scene police lights

It was quite a day for animal rescues in the state on Monday

Bald eagle rescued in Raleigh, horse removed from pool

The roller coaster, Fury 325, was shut down earlier in 2023 after cracks were found in its support beams. The coaster reopened after repairs completed in August.

Charlotte roller coaster named "Best Steel Coaster" months after cracks found

Carowinds ride

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Medicaid expansion means North Carolina's working poor can go to the doctor for free. It also means billions in new federal funding for hospitals.

After 14 years, billions to flow as 600,000 qualify for Medicaid insurance in NC

More than half a million North Carolinians now qualify for Medicaid 

Medicaid expansion takes effect Dec. 1 in North Carolina, and 5 On Your Side is helping answer your questions about the change. 