Quirky World ... Fancy your own village? That’ll be £20m
West Heslerton, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire, has been put up for sale — including its 21-bedroom mansion, 43 houses, a pub, a range of other buildings and more than 2,000 acres of farmland.
The village has been owned by the same family for generations but a decision has finally been taken to sell following the death of Eve Dawnay, the last owner, five years ago, at the age of 84.
From under their noses
Croatian police are investigating the reported theft of €280,000 and 2kg of gold — all snatched from the headquarters of the Croatian police.
Helena Biocic of the police media office confirmed that the theft had taken place, but refused to reveal any details.
The Jutarnji List newspaper says the heist occurred late on Sunday. The report says the thieves got in by the fire stairs and broke into the office of the organized crime department chief, Zeljko Dolacki.
The daily says police found an overturned, empty safe in the morning.
Life for a snack
A man is facing a possible 20 years to life in prison after being accused of stealing $31 (€27) worth of snack bars from a New Orleans store.
The New Orleans Advocate reports 34-year-old Jacobia Grimes pleaded not guilty in court. Orleans Parish prosecutors chose to charge Grimes under a statute that boosts the alleged theft to a felony. The law applies to those who have been convicted of “theft of goods” at least twice before.
Grimes has five prior theft convictions, making him a “quad” offender under the state’s habitual-offender law, and facing 20 years to life. Grimes’s attorneys, Miles Swanson and Michael Kennedy, said his prior guilty pleas were for similar shoplifting attempts.
Grimes is due in court tomorrow.
Thumbs up, aye
Soccer team Partick Thistle fans will be giving their team the thumbs up at the next game — thanks to a Turner Prize-nominated artist.
David Shrigley, who designed the club’s famous bright yellow mascot Kingsley, has now produced a foam thumb for supporters to wear at their game against Dundee United.
Glasgow-based Mr Shrigley, a long-term Jags fan, based the creation on a large bronze thumb he designed as part of an exhibition set to take place in September.
Courting the whisker vote
A Florida election official is working to help confused voters after one person reported that a registration flier had been sent for her dead cat.
Seminole County supervisor of elections Michael Ertel said he has set up a website to vet election mailings. He says he was motivated by the cat incident, in which a voter told him a Washington-based advocacy group had sent the mailing. Mr Ertel says the website will educate voters about which fliers are legitimate and which are not. The elections’ supervisor says some of the out-of-state fliers from interest groups can confuse voters.
Flying the nest
US researchers are launching studies on Mexico’s red-crowned parrot — a species that has been adapting so well to living in cities in California and Texas after escaping from the pet trade that the population may now rival that in its native country.
The research comes amid debate over whether some of the birds flew across the border into Texas and should be listed under the Endangered Species Act. Parrots in US urban areas are starting to draw attention from scientists because of their intelligence, resourcefulness, and ability to adapt. There is also a growing realisation that the city dwellers may offer a population that could help save certain species from extinction.
Catching celebrities
Bidders cannot get enough of America’s favourite pastime.
A baseball glove belonging to hard-swinging Babe Ruth was the top item during an auction of celebrity memorabilia in Maine. Troy Thibodeau, from Saco River Auction, said the leftie glove fetched $118,000 (€103,500).
A face mask and catcher’s mitt belonging to Hall of Famer Roy Campanella sold for $42,000. Other top items included a hat and harmonica from Janis Joplin that sold for $33,000 and Jimi Hendrix’s leather cowboy hat that netted $22,000.
It’ll leave you breathless
Nearly half of UK adults admit getting out of breath when running for a bus. Research by the British Heart Foundation found 48% of women and 42% of men confessed to feeling so unfit they would get short of breath if they had to run to catch public transport.
The survey also found 47% felt they could run up to just under a kilometre, while one in five said they could only manage 100m. Even of those who believed they could run a mile, three in 10 (29%) said they had last done so more than a decade ago, the survey of 2,000 adults by One Poll showed.
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