CRIME
FUZZY FRIENDS
FOOD, PLANTS, & SCIENCE
100
Six men stole more than 2 million _______s from a tractor-trailer in Philadelphia, a shipment weighing about six tons.
Thousands of ______s were still left scattered all over the lot in northeast Philadelphia.
Dimes.
100
Not in the Yucatan anymore: Hurricane Idalia flung _________s across the eastern U.S.
_________s have been popping up in the most unusual of places since Hurricane Idalia blew through parts of the U.S. Southeast last week.
In recent days, dozens of sightings have been reported from Texas to Florida, as far north as Pennsylvania and most states in between.
Experts say that the creatures likely got caught up in Hurricane Idalia - and now are being spotted all over the place!
Flamingos.
100
People are freaking out over a ________ ____ seen in space.
The James Webb Space Telescope recently captured a stunning new image of what scientists call a pair of actively forming stars.
But eagle-eyed viewers were quick to seize on an even tinier — and to some, more intriguing — detail at the very bottom of the frame: an orange formation in the unmistakable shape of a ________ ____.
Question Mark.
200
A New York City police officer lost his ______ when a reckless driving suspect bit it off.
Lenni Rodriguez Cruz, 28, led the officer on a wild car chase, crashing into several vehicles, and then proceeded to bite off the sergeant's ______ while he was trying to put him in a holding cell.
Finger.
200
___ ____ Week at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, won this year’s contest, defeating Chunk in the finals.
Viewers of Alaska’s most-watched popularity contest are glued to computer screens all summer long to see which (_____) are stocking up the most on salmon. They then vote in tournament-style brackets over the course of a week, advancing contestants to the next round until a champion is crowned.
Fat Bear Week
200
Unspeakably stinky and unpredictable: two (______) flowers are blooming in the U.S.
The Titan Arum, or (______) flower, has become a rockstar in the plant world for its unpredictable displays, and more notoriously, its putrid stench of _______ _____.
One individual described the flower's perfume as "like if you took your teenager's dirty laundry and you put it in a big black garbage bag, and then you added in some hamburger meat, maybe some fish, a little garlic and some parmesan cheese. And you left that by the side of the road on a very hot desert day for about 24 hours." But it is more commonly described by the more succinct yet macabre scent, of _______ _____.
Rotting Flesh.
300
Police arrested a man climbing on the ______ _____, leading to visitors being temporarily stranded at the summit — including a Washington, D.C., couple who decided during the wait - to get married.
Amir Khan had been planning to propose to Kat Warren later Thursday in a (_____) garden away from the crowds, but when the lifts were temporarily shut down because of the climber, stranding the couple and others at the top, Khan decided to spring his surprise. She said "Yes!"
The Eiffel Tower
300
A baby African mammal - at the Tennessee zoo made international headlines last month when word got out that she was born without her _____.
It was thought to be the only one in the world to hold the title — that is, until a new wild creature was spotted in a reserve in Namibia. She too, without her _____.
Spots.
300
Today is Biomedical engineer Joseph Dituri's 79th day living __________. It is a new world record, but this is not some stunt. He is studying how extreme pressure affects the human body over long periods of time from his base in the Florida Keys.
He's teaching online classes, spreading his love for science, technology, engineering and math with thousands of students - all from __________.
Underwater.
400
The U.S. Coast Guard arrests a man trying to run a giant _______ _____ across the Atlantic.
Florida man, Reza Baluchi was taken in by the Coast Guard last week aboard his vessel, (made of buoys and wire, self-propelled by Baluchi himself) following several days of back and forth with the authorities.
He told officers his destination: London, England — more than 4,000 miles away.
Hamster Wheel.
400
An _____ turned outlaw continues to evade wildlife officials in Santa Cruz.
The _____ in California is on the run from local and federal authorities, wanted for aggressively confronting locals and stealing surfboards at a popular beach.
The 5-year-old female _____, has been deemed a public safety risk by state and federal wildlife officials because of her "unusually aggressive" behavior along the Santa Cruz coast. But its outlaw status has turned this slippery girl into an international icon, with growing support to leave her in the wild.
Otter.
400
The guy who ate a $120,000 _______ in an art museum says he was just hungry.
The installation of a _____ taped to a wall by artist Maurizio Cattelan evokes everything from slapstick comedy to global trade. It spoke to Noh Huyn-soo in simpler terms, reminding him that he had skipped breakfast that morning.
So as his visit to Seoul's Leeum Museum of Art stretched past noon late last week, Noh seized the _______ and ate it, ignoring the alarmed cry of a museum staffer.
Banana.
500
A massive dump of _____ in New Jersey sets off a fury of interest.
Hundreds of pounds of _____ was left along a local brook - leaving also a mystery about who did it and why. Workers in Old Bridge Township found 15 wheel-barrow loads of "illegally dumped _____ along a creek in a residential neighborhood."
A New Jersey resident says "It was funny and humorous and mortifying."
Pasta.
500
In Beloit, Wisconsin, a ____ charged through a crowded restaurant after crashing through the window.
Surveillance footage shows a ____ charging into a crowded Noodles & Company around lunchtime, prompting diners to scatter. The ____ then explored the dining area and kitchen before exiting out a back door opened by an employee.
The restaurant offered a “2 Buck Mac & Cheese” special on Wednesday to commemorate the incident.
A Deer.
500
A woman gets 21 years for trying to kill her ____________ with poisoned cheesecake.
A Russian woman living in New York City was sentenced to 21 years in jail for poisoning her friend, who she says to be her ____________, with sedative-laced cheesecake, then stealing her passport, employment authorization card, and other forms of identification.
Her friend survived, but it'd be a surprise to no one if she ends up "changing her look" in the near future.
Doppelganger.