By Gavin Steele, Staff Writer
Disorderly shopper, exploding toilet lawsuit, the “world’s ugliest lawns,” Haribo mosaic & new road sign rules
Shoppers were left stunned after a 42-year-old man cannonballed into a Bass Pro Shop’s aquarium naked in Leeds, Ala. The man crashed his car into a pole in the store’s parking lot, disrobed and spent about five minutes in the water and standing under the tank’s waterfall before police intervened. He was charged with public nudeness, disorderly conduct, assault on police, two counts of criminal mischief and two counts of reckless endangerment (Jan. 5).
Paul Kerouac is suing Dunkin’ for $50,000 in damages after alleging that a toilet he was using at a Florida Dunkin’ location exploded in 2022. He maintains that the toilet explosion covered him with feces, urine and other debris. Kerouac claims that he suffered “severe and long-term injuries” from the explosion and required mental health care after the incident. According to the lawsuit, a Dunkin’ employee told him that they were aware of a problem with the toilet (Jan. 5).
The world’s largest gummy bear mosaic was created in Wisconsin. The mosaic is 353.1 square feet and was created out of Haribo Goldbear gummy bears to create the company logo. It took about 300 people four hours to build it (Jan. 11).
The Municipality of Gotland, Sweden, created a global competition to choose the “world’s ugliest lawn.” The contest was meant to raise awareness of water conservation efforts that could divert less water to lawns from ecosystems and keep the environment healthier. The five-judge panel selected Kathleen Murray from Tasmania, Australia as the victor, with the judges noting that her lawn was dry, cracked and sparsely filled with brown grasses (Jan. 14).
The Department of Transportation has implemented a new 1,100-page manual on uniform traffic control devices. This prevents states from having comedic and pop cultural messages on traffic signs. Signs have said, “Visiting In-Laws? Slow down, get there late” from Ohio, “Use Yah Blinkah” from Massachusetts and “Spring Breakers: Does mom approve of your driving?” from Arizona (Jan. 14).