It is a weird and wonderful world that we live in, and Nebraska is no exception to the wackiness that pervades human society. Here are some of the strangest news stories from 2015 in our state: some are quirky, some are amazingly coincidental, and others are just plan looney. Do you remember hearing about any of these this year?
1. A man paid his parking tickets back more than 40 years late.
Kent Broyhill graduated from University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1974. At the time of his graduation, he had accrued a few parking tickets that he couldn't afford to pay off at the time. Over the next few years, Broyhill forgot about the owed money. That is, until this year when a conversation with an old friend reminded him of the debt. He mailed a $100 check to the school with an explanatory note; the school returned the check because they couldn't find any record of the parking ticket. Broyhill says he feels that his conscience is clear of this mistake.
2. A man stole a lawnmover by simply driving it out of Wal-Mart.
When a person chooses to shoplift, they ordinarily choose an item that can be concealed in their pocket or bag. Not so for one man in Lexington, who in May drove a lawnmower out of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. He then drove the stolen vehicle onto Interstate 80 and into the sunset before being apprehended by the police. (Note: the above photograph does not depict the criminal in question, but rather a miscellaneous man sitting atop a lawnmower that he presumably acquired through honest means.)
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3. A woman was bitten by a tiger after she snuck into the Omaha zoo.
Looks cuddly, doesn't he? That's exactly what one woman thought when she snuck into the Henry Doorly Zoo to pet a tiger. Predictably, the tiger bit her and the woman lost part of her hand. The tiger was cleared of any wrongdoing.
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4. Atheist groups took over the state capitol for Christmas.
Atheist groups reserved all of the open display space at the state capitol in Lincoln this year, ousting the nativity scene that normally occupies the space during the holiday season. The display that the group put up was called "Reason this Season" and intended to depict separation between church and state through a variety of models of various religious buildings as well as patriotic monuments.
In a feat of unbelievable athleticism, Deputy Todd Volk leapt from the highway into the cab of a semi truck that came close to plummeting right off a viaduct bridge on U.S. Highway 81. The driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, possibly due to a diabetic reaction.
6. A man in Lincoln was caught hiding his pot in a container labeled "Not Weed."
The brilliant strategy did not work when police pulled him over in March, and came across the suspiciously labelled sour cream container. The man was arrested for suspected drunken driving and cited for possessing the marijuana.
7. A woman found her lost wedding ring at the landfill.
Most people who accidentally throw something of value away fail to find it at their local dump. This was not the case for Lincoln woman Geralee Olson-Triplett, who in September accidentally threw away her 2-karat diamond wedding ring - the same ring she had worn for more than seven years. Miraculously, she was able to locate the tiny ring among the piles and piles of trash at the landfill.
8. Crazed woman attempts to sue all homosexual people on the planet.
In May, Sylvia Ann Driskell filed a court case in which she called herself ambassador for plaintiffs "God and His Son, Jesus Christ." The court noted that no summons was issued for the defendants (all homosexuals).
9. A deer broke into a York hotel, possibly looking for a room.
It’s not every day that absolutely insane events are captured on camera, but luckily security cameras caught this one on tape. The deer ran around the hotel for a while before being trapped in the laundry room, then returned to the wild. “No shirt, no shoes, no service,” the hotel manager apologetically told the deer.
10. An angry woman goes off on a bizarre rant at the Lincoln City Council Meeting’s open mic.
Inscrutable performances at open mics are normally reserved for ones that take place in dimly lit coffee shops or Brooklyn bars, but in December, a woman took her performance on the road to a city council meeting in Nebraska. Not only does she have some colorful language and great one-liners (“I have six butts, not six boobs”), but an arsenal of wonderful props, as well.
Do you remember any other weird stories that you would add to this list? Share your memories below.
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