Accused Hit-And-Run Driver Drove With Victim's Body For 40 Miles Before Stopping

A Texas man accused of a hit-and-run apparently hit the victim so hard that the body flew up into the air and into the car’s passenger seat.

Even stranger: The driver didn’t notice the body next to him in the car and drove another 40 miles before passing out in a Jack In The Box restaurant in White Settlement, Texas, Saturday night.

Officers were called to the restaurant for a welfare check for a man who appeared to be slumped over the steering wheel of a gray Kia Forte 4-door passenger car, according to a department release.

The responding deputy noted the car had extensive front end, hood and windshield damage.

The officer also noticed something else: “A human body with no signs of life in the front passenger seat,” the release noted.

The driver, later identified as 31-year-old Nestor Lujan Flores of Arlington, was immediately asked to step out of the vehicle and detained for further investigation.

Investigators think the impact of the accident was so intense that the pedestrian was thrown inside the vehicle and landed in the passenger seat.

Lujan Flores told police he thought he had struck a deer in Dallas and just continued driving to the Jack In The Box, according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.

Lujan Flores apparently never reported the collision to police, White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook told the station.

“It’s very unfortunate that he did not realize that this was a human being to stop and render aid, and call for help,” Cook said. “When you’re impaired to this level where you hit a pedestrian on the roadway, and you think it’s an animal, that’s a significant impairment.”

Lujan Flores is in custody at the White Settlement Jail on a pending charge of intoxication manslaughter, according to KWTX TV, which noted that he had two previous arrests for DWI, including a conviction in 2021.

The victim hasn’t been identified, but the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office notified White Settlement Police on Sunday of a crash Saturday night on I-30 where human remains were found.

Authorities will test them to see if they match the remains of the body found in the car. Once identified, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the name publicly after the victim’s loved ones have been notified.

You can see Cook’s press conference below.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/texas-hit-and-run-victim-in-car_n_65807363e4b036ecab460a67 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com
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Merriam-Webster Is As Confused By Santa’s Reindeer Names As We Are

The folks behind the Merriam-Webster dictionary apparently want to have some words with Santa Claus ― mostly about the names he gave some of his reindeer.

The dictionary asked some hard yet hilarious questions Tuesday about Santa’s choices for reindeer monikers.

Posting on X (or, as virtually everyone still calls it, Twitter), Merriam-Webster conceded that some of the animals’ names make sense.

There’s “Dasher,” which means “one that dashes”; “Dancer,” which is “one that dances”; and “Prancer,” which means “one that walks or moves in a spirited manner.” Fine. Reindeer might reasonably do all three of these things.

Rudolph gets all the love so let’s talk about the names of Santa’s other reindeer.

dasher | noun | one that dashes
dancer | noun | one that dances
prancer | noun | one that walks or moves in a spirited manner

Ok, those three are easy to understand.

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) December 19, 2023

But some confusion crept in with “Vixen,” a word that Merriam-Webster noted can mean “a female fox,” “a shrewish, ill-tempered woman” or “a sexually attractive woman.”

“Ummm, what’s going on here, Santa?” Merriam-Webster’s social media person asked, speaking for all of us.

Now, we get to ‘Vixen.’ ‘vixen’ is a noun and has 3 senses.

1. a female fox
2. a shrewish, ill-tempered woman
3. a sexually attractive woman

Ummm, what’s going on here, Santa?

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) December 19, 2023

Merriam-Webster found it slightly easier to understand why Santa might name a magical reindeer Comet: “Both fly... so sure, why not?”

comet | noun | a celestial body that appears as a fuzzy head usually surrounding a bright nucleus, that has a usually highly eccentric orbit, that consists primarily of ice and dust, and that often develops one or more long tails when near the sun

Both fly... so sure, why not?

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) December 19, 2023

But Cupid’s name caused more head-scratching for Merriam-Webster, since it’s also the name of the Roman god of erotic love.

“We’re kind of drifting back into ‘Vixen-territory,’” the tweet noted.

Ok, we’re kind of drifting back into ‘Vixen-territory’ with ‘Cupid.’

Cupid | noun | the Roman god of erotic love

Ho-ho-hold on a minute...

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) December 19, 2023

The dictionary had no notes for the final two reindeer, Donner and Blitzen, since their names are based on the Dutch words for “thunder” and “lightning,” which is pretty metal.

“We’ve always thought these two were the bad boys of the sleigh,” Merriam-Webster tweeted.

Lastly, we get to ‘Donner’ and ‘Blitzen.’

‘Donner’ was originally ‘Donder’ which is Standard Dutch meaning “thunder.”

‘Blitzen’ comes from the Standard Dutch ‘bliksem,’ which means “lightning.”

We've always thought these two were the bad boys of the sleigh.

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) December 19, 2023

The names of the eight main reindeer first appeared in the 1823 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” aka “’Twas The Night Before Christmas” ― so maybe Merriam-Webster is better off directing its questions to the estate of author Clement Clarke Moore.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/santa-reindeer-weird-names-merriam-webster_n_6581d902e4b01d1b95356884 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com
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Kentucky Family Finds Baby Owl In Their Christmas Tree

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — One Kentucky family got a little something extra when they picked out their Christmas tree this year: a baby owl.

Lexington resident Michele White told WDKY-TV that it’s a tradition for the family to pick out a Christmas tree every year and this year seemed no different. They had the tree in their home for four days and didn’t notice anything unusual.

“I have three dogs,” White said. “We use this room nonstop: watch TV; the kitchen’s right here; no indication.”

Bobby Hayes, who owns Magic Carpet Cleaning and was at the home while the family was out, first noticed the bird after plugging in a piece of equipment and seeing the tree start to sway.

“The owl was literally sitting on a lower limb here,” Hayes said.

“It crawled up into the tree further,” Hayes said. “It took me several minutes to even find it.”

He sent photos to White, who said she was glad he was there to deal with the animal. Hayes said he was able to safely release the owl in the family’s backyard.

“Everybody’s going to be able to have a merry Christmas now,” Hayes said.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ap-us-christmas-tree-baby-owl_n_657ca5f5e4b0e142c0bd9dcc ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com
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Man Arrested After Allegedly Molesting Manatee Statue At Florida Restaurant

A Pittsburgh man is facing a disorderly intoxication charge in Florida after he allegedly molested a manatee statue at a St. Petersburg restaurant.

Oh, and he also tossed gator nuggets into the establishment from the parking lot, according to Orlando Fox affiliate WOFL.

Anthony Lessa, 23, was arrested last week in connection with the alleged incidents, which happened at two separate businesses.

Authorities arrived on the scene after getting a call from Rick Reef’s Restaurant on St. Pete Beach that an intoxicated person was causing a disturbance.

According to NBC Miami, Lessa allegedly got angry after restaurant employees told him he had already paid his bill and it was time for him to go.

Once outside, he allegedly “molested” a plastic manatee located in the restaurant’s parking lot, which prompted another request from an employee that he leave.

Officials said Lessa got “physically aggressive” with the employee, and that he allegedly started tossing gator nuggets ― that is, deep-fried pieces of alligator meat ― into the Rick’s Reef dining room.

Lessa allegedly ran away toward his hotel, the Postcard Inn on the Beach, but what happened next wasn’t exactly a pretty picture.

The hotel manager told police that Lessa was “acting disorderly” and screaming obscenities at the person working the front desk.

According to an affidavit obtained by WOFL, the manager attempted to deescalate things by escorting Lessa to his room, but he refused to say which one it was.

Lessa was removed from the hotel, but he allegedly lingered in the parking lot, still shouting obscenities. Deputies said his actions caused traffic to back up, and led to the “disturbing of the peace of several other guests waiting for rides,” WOFL said.

Deputies who arrested Lessa said he smelled of alcohol and his pupils were dilated in a bright environment.

His short-term memory wasn’t so good, either. Authorities said Lessa kept asking why he was being arrested, even after they told him.

As deputies were patting Lessa down, they found a little something extra in his pockets: more gator nuggets, which prompted an exchange that can be seen in this video.

After asking what Lessa had in his pockets, one of the deputies realized: “Oh, that was the crap that he had ― that you were throwing in the other restaurant.”

“Gator nuggets,” Lessa replied. “Shark bites.”

The deputy then remarked to her partner: “I thought it was like, cork. I’m like, ‘Why does he have cork in his pocket?’”

Lessa was taken to the Pinellas County Jail and booked on a disorderly intoxication charge before being released on his own recognizance.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anthony-lessa-accused-molesting-manatee-statue-florida_n_657c86fce4b0 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com
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Menu Autographed By Mao Zedong Brings Big Bucks At Auction

BOSTON (AP) — An official menu for a state banquet that bears the signature of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong has been auctioned for $275,000.

Boston-based RR Auction said the menu auctioned Wednesday was for a banquet held in Beijing on October 19, 1956, and commemorated the first state visit to China by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy.

The menu was signed in fountain pen by six influential Chinese statesmen, including Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai. The banquet featured foods from both nations and included delicacies such as “Consommé of Swallow Nest and White Agaric,” “Shark’s Fin in Brown Sauce,” and “Roast Peking Duck.”

“To hold a menu signed by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai is to hold a piece of the past – a piece that tells a story of diplomatic engagement, cultural exchange, and the forging of friendships that have endured through the decades,” Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction, said in a statement.

Other items auctioned off included a fully operational World War II-era Enigma coding machine for $206,253, a Thomas Edison-signed document for a light bulb patent for $22,154, and a check signed by Steve Jobs to Radio Shack was sold for $46,063.

The check, dated July 23, 1976, is payable to RadioShack for a whopping $4.01, and was signed by Jobs the same year he and Steve Wozniak launched Apple in a Silicon Valley garage.

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46 Weird Christmas Gifts Perfect For All The Oddballs On Your Shopping List

Christmas shopping season is upon us.

And while there are some people on your list you think might be hard to shop for ― the weirdos ― it doesn’t have to be that way.

HuffPost Weird News has combed the world looking for the year’s weirdest Christmas items.

Even Ebenezer Scrooge will find something to like in this guides (something I feel safe in saying since he’s a fictional character who can’t speak for himself).

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Woman Bags Marriage Proposal Shortly After Killing Big Buck

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska woman bagged a marriage proposal earlier this month along with a big buck during a recent deer hunting trip.

Samantha Camenzind’s boyfriend not only gave her the first shot at the deer they had spotted on a trail camera south of Lincoln, but then surprised her by popping the question in the middle of a photo shoot with the prized trophy — a giant buck with 11 tines on one side of its antlers and nine on the other.

“Everybody has been saying they would marry him, too, if he let them shoot this big of a deer,” Camenzind, 28, who lives in Omaha, told the Omaha World-Herald.

In three years of dating one of the things the couple bonded over is their shared love of hunting. They process and eat the meat of what they kill.

Cole Bures said he didn’t have any problem letting Camenzind take the first shot at the buck

“I was just as excited as she was when she got it,” the 32-year-old from Filley, Nebraska said.

Then Bures told Camenzind that he wanted a professional photographer to take some pictures to commemorate the big moment. Partway through the pictures, he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him, allowing the photographer to capture exactly when she said yes.

Bures said he got the idea after a friend made a similar proposal during a hunting trip to Alaska.

Their friends were amazed when they saw the photos.

“I don’t know if they were more shocked we got engaged or the size of the deer,” Camenzind said.

The two are aiming at a possible wedding date next fall, but she said it definitely won’t be during hunting season.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bc-us-deer-hunting-proposal_n_6564c207e4b05f498ba157a5 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com
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Police Bodycams Film Deer's Escape From New Jersey Elementary School

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey elementary school had an unexpected visitor over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend: A deer jumped through a small window and knocked over items in a classroom before fleeing the building.

A man walking his dog around 10 p.m. on Nov. 25 saw the young deer smash through a window at Cedar Grove Elementary School in Toms River, which is about 60 miles east (96.5 kilometers) of Philadelphia. The man notified police, and their subsequent search of the school was recorded by the officers’ bodycams.

When officers encountered the deer in a stairwell, the animal — who police have nicknamed “Rudolph” — initially charged at them as it ran down a hallway. It then entered a classroom by opening a door that happened to be unlatched and jumped onto a bookshelf, scattering some items — but it didn’t cause any major damage.

The officers eventually used a dog snare to get the deer out of the classroom, and it soon fled the building the same way it got in. Authorities said the animal didn’t appear to be seriously injured.

School staffers boarded up the window and cleaned up after the deer’s escape.

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Neil deGrasse Tyson Spills On His Shocking X-Rated Career Contemplation

Neil deGrasse Tyson didn’t dance around how he considered making dough in college when he told Kelly Clarkson about his past encounter at a male strip club.

The astrophysicist, once an active dancer while at the University of Texas at Austin, told the talk show host that he was a performing member of three different dance companies before opening up about the career path he took into consideration.

“I was still studying astrophysics, and I had fellow dancers who were making extra money — ’cause I needed money, ’cause we weren’t paid much — and one of them said, ‘Why don’t you come down with us?’ because some of them danced at a strip club, a guy’s strip club,” Tyson said.

“So I went and I was cut and flex— I could do a full split ... but I went to just investigate, I wanted data first.”

Tyson added that he was watching dancers come out with “asbestos-lined jockstraps that had been ignited with lighter fluid” before performing an iconic ’50s rock song: Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire.”

“Let me just say, I’m embarrassed that only in that moment when I saw their genitals on fire did I say, ‘Maybe I should be a math tutor,’” he said as Clarkson’s audience laughed.

“I’m just sayin’, at that point I had other thoughts about how to earn money,” he added.

“You’re like, ‘I’m gonna keep this junk safe,’” Clarkson quipped.

Tyson has previously opened up about his strip club outing during a 2017 episode of Pitchfork’s “Over/Under” where he described himself as being in “very good shape” at the time.

You can check out Tyson reflecting on his dancing past in “The Kelly Clarkson Show” clip below.

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A Pond In Hawaii Turned Barbie Pink. Here's What Scientists Think That Means.

HONOLULU (AP) — A pond in Hawaii has turned so bubble-gum pink it could be from the set of “Barbie,” but the bizarre phenomenon is no cause for a dance party. Drought may be to blame for the strange hue, scientists say, and they’re warning against entering the water or drinking it.

Staff at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on Maui have been monitoring the pink water since Oct. 30.

“I just got a report from somebody that was walking on the beach, and they called me up like, ‘There’s something weird going on over here,’” said Bret Wolfe, the refuge manager.

Wolfe was concerned the bright pink could be a sign of an algae bloom, but lab tests found toxic algae was not causing the color. Instead an organism called halobacteria might be the culprit.

Halobacteria are a type of archaea or single-celled organism that thrive in bodies of water with high levels of salt. The salinity inside the Kealia Pond outlet area is currently greater than 70 parts per thousand, which is twice the salinity of seawater. Wolfe said the lab will need to conduct a DNA analysis to definitively identify the organism.

Maui’s drought is likely contributing to the situation. Normally Waikapu Stream feeds into Kealia Pond and raises water levels there, but Wolfe said that hasn’t happened in a long time.

When it rains, the stream will flow into Kealia’s main pond and then into the outlet area that’s now pink. This will reduce the salinity and potentially change the water’s color.

“That might be what makes it go away,” Wolfe said.

No one at the refuge has seen the pond this color before — not even volunteers who have been around it for 70 years. The pond has been through periods of drought and high salinity before, though, and Wolfe isn’t sure why the color has changed now.

Curious visitors have flocked to the park after photos of the pink pond appeared on social media.

“We prefer that they come to hear about our our mission conserving native and endangered waterbirds and our wetland restorations. But no, they’re here to see the pink water,” Wolfe joked.

He understands everyone’s fascination.

“If that’s what gets them there, it’s OK,” he said. “It is neat.”

The wildlife refuge is a wetland that provides nesting, feeding and resting habitat to the endangered Hawaiian stilt, known as aeo, and the Hawaiian coot or alae keokeo. It also hosts migratory birds during the winter.

The water doesn’t appear to be harming the birds, Wolfe said.

As a wildlife refuge, people aren’t supposed to wade into the pond or let their pets in the water regardless of its color. But officials are taking an extra precaution to warn people not to enter the water or eat any fish caught there because the source of the color has yet to be identified.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hawaii-pond-turned-barbie-pink_n_654f0619e4b09c9500aa43f7 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com
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Bear-y Hungry: Video Shows Florida Mammal Swiping Food Delivery Order Off A Porch

LONGWOOD, Florida (AP) — A fast-food loving black bear stole a $45 Taco Bell order from the front porch of a home in the Orlando suburb of Longwood moments after the Uber Eats driver delivered it, an Orlando television station reported.

This is no Florida man story, as there’s no evidence a Floridian dressed in a bear costume stole the food. Rather, the criminal was a real-life Florida black bear estimated to weigh 300 to 400 pounds, WOFL-TV reported.

The caper happened Friday, and it was captured on the home’s Ring camera. The video shows the beast sauntering up to the front door and grabbing the bag in its mouth. Then, a short time later, it comes back to steal the drinks.

Yo Quiero Taco Bell!

“He came, and he grabbed the food – then he came again for the soda,” Nicole Castro told the TV station.

When the family opened the front door about 10 minutes later, the Ring video captures their reaction: “The bear took the food!”

Uber Eats reimbursed the family for the stolen food, the TV station reported.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/florida-black-bear-steals-taco-bell-order_n_654f2080e4b0c9f246603aa9 ... and provided by video-cutter-online.com
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