Two tales sadly show that little has changed in the past 400 years; vax conspiracy theories; Papal foosball fun; a really big tipper, and a toilet paper-swiping bear – just some of this week’s ‘weird and wacky.’

WITCHY WOMAN

More than three centuries after a Massachusetts woman was wrongly convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death, she’s finally on the verge of being exonerated — thanks to a curious eighth-grade civics class. State Sen. Diana DiZoglio has introduced legislation to clear the name of Elizabeth Johnson Jr., who was condemned in 1693 at the height of the Salem Witch Trials but never executed. DiZoglio says she was inspired by sleuthing done by a group of 13- and 14-year-olds at North Andover Middle School, who, with teacher Carrie LaPierre painstakingly researched the steps that would need to be taken to make sure Johnson was formally pardoned.

“It is important that we work to correct history,” DiZoglio said, adding, “We will never be able to change what happened to these victims, but at the very least, we can set the record straight.” If approved, Johnson would be the last accused witch to be cleared, according to Witches of Massachusetts Bay, a group devoted to the history and lore of the 17th-century witch hunts, which saw 20 people from Salem and neighbouring towns killed and hundreds of others accused during a frenzy of Puritan injustice that began in 1692 stoked by superstition, fear of disease and strangers, scapegoating, and petty jealousies.

THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW

Mississippi’s top health official says he has received threats from people who are spreading lies accusing his family of receiving payments for him urging the public to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Mississippi has seen a rapid increase in cases since early July, driven by the highly contagious delta variant of the virus and the state’s low vaccination rate. State health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs has been imploring people for months to get vaccinated.

On Tuesday, Dobbs wrote on Twitter that he has gotten threatening phone calls from people repeating unfounded “conspiracy theories” involving him and his family. One lie, he says, is that his son, who is also a physician, receives a World Bank-funded kickback whenever Dobbs urges people to get vaccinated. In Dobbs’ words: “I get zero $ from promoting vaccination.”

BUT ON THE FLIPSIDE…

A diner at a north Florida restaurant gathered the staff of 10 together to thank them for their hard work before leaving them a $10,000 tip to share. It happened last Tuesday night as the man, his wife, and son finished their dinner at the Wahoo Seafood Grill in Gainesville. Owner Shawn Shepherd said, “Watching these guys get their cheque was almost as good as Christmas morning.” He said he’s very thankful to the diner because his employees have been loyal to the restaurant through the pandemic.

G-G-G-G-G-GOOOAL!
Pope Francis has received dozens of soccer jerseys and game balls during his eight-year pontificate, but he got a new football-themed toy on Wednesday: his very own foosball table. Francis played a round on the table that was presented to him at the end of his general audience by representatives of a table football association from Altopascio, Tuscany, whose mayor said the gift was designed to be inclusive and work well for people with physical disabilities to encourage their participation in sport. The Argentine-born pope is a well-known soccer lover and has long promoted sport as a way to promote solidarity and inclusion, especially for young people.

SHAKE SHOCK

McDonald’s has pulled milkshakes from the menu in all 1,250 of its British restaurants because of supply problems stemming from a shortage of truck drivers. The fast-food chain is also experiencing a lack of bottled drinks, the latest in a series of shortages to parts and products in Britain blamed on a combination of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, chicken chain Nando’s temporarily shut about 50 outlets because of a shortage of poultry. KFC also warned recently that supply chain issues meant it was unable to stock some menu items.

NOT THE CHARMIN BEAR

A Connecticut woman who had a package stolen from her front step discovered the culprit was a black bear. Kristin Levine, of Bristol, posted home surveillance video on Facebook showing the bear sauntering across her driveway with the Amazon package in its mouth. Levine said she received an alert from her security system about five minutes after Amazon dropped off the package and was “taken aback because I wasn’t expecting anyone else in my driveway.” The bear ended up dropping off the parcel in a neighbour’s yard, apparently not interested in the contents: several rolls of toilet paper.

“It was hysterical… I knew nothing in there was going to be irreplaceable, so it was a fun afternoon for sure,” Levine said. Her post received numerous comments, including from people comparing it to the bear from the Charmin toilet paper commercials.

ODE TO JOY
The sudden appearance of a giant rubber duck in a Maine harbour is a whimsical whodunit that’s defied sleuths so far. The yellow waterfowl emblazoned with the word “joy” appeared in Belfast Harbor last weekend, and it’s a mystery who put it there. Harbour Master Katherine Given says the 7.5-m. duck doesn’t pose a navigational hazard, so there’s no rush to shoo it away. “Everybody loves it,” Given said. “I have no idea who owns it, but it kind of fits Belfast. A lot of people want to keep it here.”

WHAT A SLICE

A royal fan has bought a slice of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding cake for £1,850 ($3,215) at auction, more than 40 years after the couple tied the knot. The large piece of cake icing and marzipan base features a detailed, sugared design of the royal coat of arms in gold, red, blue and silver. It was given to Moya Smith, a royal staffer, who preserved it with cling film and dated it July 29, 1981.

After a flurry of bidding from across the world the cake piece was sold to buyer Gerry Layton for several times over its estimated price of £300 to £500. Layton, who described himself as a monarchist and said he would add the cake piece to his collection to benefit charities after his death. Chris Albury, of Dominic Winter Auctioneers, said he was amazed at the number of bidders who were interested. Most of the inquiries came from the UK, US, and the Middle East.

OUCH!

The world’s second-tallest roller coaster won’t open again this year after a person standing in line was hit in the head by a metal object that flew off the ride at Cedar Point amusement park. A female guest waiting to ride the 128-m. Top Thrill Dragster was struck by a “small metal object” that came off the coaster as it was nearing the end of its run. The woman, who was taken to hospital, could be heard screaming on body-camera footage released by police.

The coaster, which opened in 2003, launches riders on a straightaway at 193 kph before it climbs a hill and then comes back down. The ride lasts less than 20 seconds. A report released by the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s amusement ride safety division said the roller coaster was inspected in May and showed no structural issues.