OFFBEAT NEWS:

Someone Abandoned A Thousand, Day-Old Chicks

Authorities in Crowland, England have a strange crime on their hands. Someone left around a thousand, day-old chicks in the middle of a field. A resident saw the birds and called animal services, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“I have never seen anything like it – it was just a sea of yellow,” RSPCA inspector Justin Stubbs says. “And the noise was unbelievable. The chicks are only about a day old and are really tiny and quite delicate.”

Luckily, most of the chicks did not appear to be suffering and with the help of locals, the RSPCA put them all into boxes where they could huddle together for warmth. An investigation is ongoing, but it’s believed a third party took the birds from a nearby commercial breeder. The breeder is said to be cooperating with police.

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College Accidentally Sends Out Hundreds Of Acceptance Letters

Columbia University is a prestigious school, but it looks like they need to work on their email system. The school has admitted they accidentally sent out 277 acceptance letters that “incorrectly implied” that the applicants had been accepted into its School of Public Health’s Master’s program.

Columbia says they realized their mistake “immediately” and sent out emails explaining their mistake. Julie Kornfeld, the Vice Dean for Education,  says Columbia “deeply” apologizes and values applicants’ “energy and enthusiasm” and regrets the “stress and confusion” the mistake caused.

Not that this helps those 227 people – who probably had a really, really bad day – but the school notes they’re working to “strengthen” their admission procedures.

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Woman Gets $500 Then A Marriage Proposal

Erin Tobin has a lot to celebrate. The 30-year-old Siena College graduate got to see her alma mater beat Manhattan, she won $500 for making a half-court shot, and she got a marriage proposal…all in the same night.

Tobin took part in a Dunkin’ Donuts promotion during the game and after making a half-court shot, she won $500. Then, the Dunkin’ mascot took off his costume to reveal it was actually Tobin’s boyfriend, Steve Duckett.

He got down on one knee and she said yes. As icing on the cake, Siena beat Manhattan 94-71.

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STUPID CRIMINALS:

Man falls down a chimney while filming a parkour video:

For those who don’t know, parkour is when you get from point a to point b without using anything but their own strength in the fastest and most efficient way possible (you know, like the people on “American Ninja Warrior?). But Dustin Hinkle is now banged up and behind bars because of his love of the sport. The 26-year-old was filming a parkour video with two pals when he fell 40-feet down a chimney, where he ended up being trapped for two hours. What’s more, now Hinkle is facing trespassing charges. The UP side – literally?  Hinkle says he’s found God. “I didn’t even believe in God before this,” Hinkle explains. “That’s a real mind-opener right there. I fell forty-feet, and I’m alive.” His two parkour pals are also facing charges and an additional charge for running from cops. No word on if they had religious experience.

Police have to “marinate” a man who smelled like gas:

Police in Devon, England had to play firefighter and “marinate” a man in foam from a fire extinguisher to get him to calm down. Residents called authorities after the man was seen hitting cars with a tree branch…completely nude…and smelling like gas. While the details are a bit hazy, we do know the unidentified man is facing several counts of criminal damage, public order offenses and drink driving.

Man claims 278-pounds of marijuana was for personal use:

Someone in Nebraska called police to report the smell of marijuana coming from the rental house next door. When they arrived, they found Timothy Jon Koch and his brother, Jason. Jason led police downstairs, where they found dozens of vacuum-sealed bags and Ziploc bags with freshly cut marijuana inside, cardboard moving boxes for packaging the product, a scale, a vacuum sealer and empty plastic bags. He claims the 278-pounds of weed were strictly for personal use. Jason later admitted that Timothy would sell off between 60 and 120 pounds of pot every three or four weeks. So far, only Timothy has been arrested and is now facing five felony counts of drug cultivation and distribution.