Top Bizarre News Items of 2006

Truth is stranger than fiction, according to the old cliche. That was proved out during 2006 by an abundance of news stories that fell into the category of "weird nonfiction".

Even Hollywood can't come up with stuff like this!

Here are 10 news items of 2006 that go way beyond bizarre:

1. Attention, Wal-Mart Shoppers!

In Edmonton, Oklahoma, a Wal-Mart patron discovered more than he expected while doing some holiday shopping.

In the toy section of this particular store, he came across a cigarette pack that held a small bag with what looked like white powder in it. It turns out that the "powder" was actually one gram of cocaine that police assume must have been left behind by a customer, but there are currently no suspects.

It's a good thing an adult found the item, because had it gotten into the hands of a child who might have been looking through the toy section, this story could have ended tragically.

Hm, wonder if this would have happened at a Target?

2. Gassed Up Passenger

An American Airlines headed for Dallas had to make an emergency landing due to the complaints of passengers who reported the smell of burning sulfur. After the plane was diverted to the Nashville International Airport, everybody had to get off the plane for purposes of being screened.

The culprit, it turns out, was a woman who had decided to light a match to conceal her body odor, caused by a medical condition that made her...er... flatulent.

I'm glad to say that nobody charged this poor lady, because the sheer personal embarrassment of the incident is probably punishment enough.

3. Really, All Southerners Are Not Like This!

Being from the South, I find myself constantly trying to disprove a lot of stereotypes that folks where my husband and I moved have of Southerners. A lot of them assume that many individuals from "that part of the country" are dumber than a doornail. We have actually managed to help dispel such generalizations.

Then, of course, something like this happens.

Olivia Hutcherson, a 21-year-old South Carolina resident, visited Georgia and went through the kind of experiences country songs are written about.