News of the Huh??? (February 2021)
February 16, 2021
Memed mittens go viral, create chance for charity
To some people, the highlight of the Inauguration of Joe Biden was the oath of office, to others it could be the reading of “The Hill We Climb” by poet Amanda Gorman, but perhaps the most talked about and viral moment of them all, is what Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wore to the inauguration, and it caught the attention of the internet.
The senator was seen at the inauguration with mittens which were primarily brown, black, and white with two noticeable patterns on the gloves.
He got the mittens from Vermont teacher Jen Ellis who gave them to Sanders in 2016. Ellis was a supporter of the campaign and encouraged him to run again.
This wasn’t the first time Sanders had been seen wearing the mittens. He was seen in 2020 on his presidential campaign with the patterned mittens, which are made from wool sweaters and recycled plastic.
Demand for the mittens is high. Ellis said that she had up to 16,000 emails from people asking where they could find a pair.
She reported there are no more mittens available; however, recently the teacher began working with a teddy bear factory to produce the mittens to be sold to the public, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Vermont.
As of this writing, almost $2 million has been raised for charities in Vermont from merchandise sold by the Bernie Sanders official website. Sanders and his team sold merchandise such as sweaters and t-shirts featuring the image.
He has won the hearts of enough on the internet to raise money for a good cause, all by wearing some mittens.
Kentucky man uses flamethrower to clear snowy driveway
A man in eastern Kentucky made the rounds on the internet when he cleared out his snow-covered driveway with a flamethrower.
The man, Timothy Browning, resembled Cousin Eddie from the 1989 movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
In the video, which was posted to Facebook, Browning drank a beer before lighting his driveway on fire to clear the snow away.
Perhaps Browning’s quirky idea of clearing snow with a flamethrower might catch on to the rest of the world. Who knows what we’ll be doing when Winter brings its weather once again?
California man takes social distancing to new level, lives in airport for 3 months
A man from California, Aditya Singh, was scared to fly due to the coronavirus, and so he hid in an area of Chicago O’Hare International Airport for three months without being caught.
It is unknown why he came to reside for a few months at the Chicago airport specifically; however, he did inform the police when he was arrested that he was scared to return home due to COVID-19.
Singh carried with him a badge which belonged to an airport manager who had reported it missing. He was reported to the authorities by airline employees.
While this seems like a story of someone who seemed innocent enough, there was serious concern for an unauthorized person to be in a secure part of the airport for so long without being noticed, raising safety concerns and creating many unanswered questions.
Is this real life, or FIFA beginner mode? Goalkeeper scores from 105 feet
When you think of goalkeepers, you probably think of amazing saves or perhaps the occasional penalty kick. Chances are nobody would’ve thought of a goalkeeper scoring from 105 yards away.
In the English League Two, Newport County goalkeeper Tom King broke the world record for longest football goal. Thanks to the wind, he was able to score from his own 6-yard area.
It would be Newport’s only goal of the game, as the team drew 1-1 with the other League Two team, Cheltenham Town. Who knew the goalie would be doing the work for everyone else?
The new kids at school really are different
Near Salt Lake City, Utah, a pair of goats happened to escape their owner and wander into a nearby school.
The goats entered Morningside Elementary School and were placed into an empty classroom, where they walked around while Granite School District staff members took photos for Facebook.
Local Animal Control was called out to the school to retrieve the goats and return them to their owner. At the end of the day, nobody was harmed, and–while the goats may not have studied anything–these animals were able to enter the school.
Florida man gets caught with heroin and tells the police it’s a ‘chocolate laxative’
A man in Okaloosa County, Florida, was arrested by police for being found with drugs during a traffic stop on Jan. 30.
The local sheriff’s office originally stopped the man for having an expired vehicle registration. A dog that was with the deputies was able to spot drugs located in the truck; authorities found heroin, methamphetamine, and other drugs around the vehicle.
The suspect claimed to the deputies that the heroin was a “chocolate laxative,” and that he believed the other drugs he possessed were fake. He was arrested and taken into the county jail.