KI NEWS OF THE WEIRD STOCK-CAR racing legend Richard Petty, running for North Carolina secretary of _ State, paid a $65 fine last month for improperly bump- ing a car that wouldn’t let him pass in the left lane on Interstate 85. According to a_ state trooper, Petty said if the dri- ver got in front of him again, he was going to knock his “rear end” off the road. Petry told a reporter, “Now if ir had been a NASCAR showdown, {the driver) would have been over in the ditch somewhere.” Adding to the list of sto- . Ties that were formerly weird :,. but which now occur with ~ such) frequency. that they must be retired from circula- - tion: The person believed to :, be missing and‘dead but who "attends his own funeral and . .«c:shocks the mourners, as did - ~Dulal Chandra Das, who turned up in ‘October. after having’ ‘merely. | jgone. off from his: home.in:Calcutta, India, to pray for-a while. “And the episodes of just- ” desserts shootings in hunting “season, as- when Clifford ‘Shellman allegedly shot to . “death another hunter in May, , ‘near ‘Blooming Grove, New “York; after the two inadver- 3 tently coaxed zach. other . closer: together by: sounding their turkey lures. vA 60- -year-old | stray-dog a caretaker. ‘was killed in Los ‘Angeles: when’ four large ‘.. ‘Sacks of dog food fell on top of her-in her home. - And . in. -August, ~ the Ontario’ Labour Ministry issued a warning after two ~ professional divers drowned in June. and July in ponds while searching for poif balls for Sports Quest Inc., which ~ Tuns a $500,000-a- year busi- “ness of ‘reselling “experi: enced golf balls.” ~ And Basilio Re died in the village of Vigogna, Italy, dur- ing a party to celebrate his ‘Frankfurt, ig Richard tells 100th birthday, when a gust of wind blew off his hat and he suffered a heart attack chasing it. Italy’s highest appeals court has ruled that “occa- sional episodes of wife-beat- ing,” “interspersed with moments of (marital) harmo- ny,” did not amount to ille- gal domestic violence, The court added that such a charge requires “sys- tematic and deliberate” over- powering. The lucky hus- band got a new trial. e#o8@ Whcelchair-bound men in Germany (no legs), and Pompano Beach, Florida (missing part of a leg and one cye), attempted bank robberies last month but were thwarted when a customer and a cop, respec- tively, rushed in and tipped over the wheelchairs. Also in September, police in Rhode Island arrested Bronna-Jo Carmody for drug trafficking out of her apart- ment, where she is confined because of her use of crutch- es and an oxygen machine. Nancy. Ho Belli, who wed lawyer Melvin Belli three months before his July death, filed a lawsuit in August in San Francisco against anoth- ef Belli relative for improper- ly keeping the — skeletal remains of a man named Elmer, which Mr. Belli: pur- chased in the 1940s. A spokesman said the rel- ative would “go to jail before revealing Elmer's where: abouts.” ees Billings, Montana — Robert Dorton. barricaded himself in his residential motel room in August and held police off for more than 30 hours — firing dozens of shots at them — because he feared authorities were about to take away his 15 pet rats, some of which were reported to be the size of cats. Before the siege, accord- ‘ing to animal-control officer Mary Locke, Dorton kissed one of the rats and referred to them as “my brothers.” It was at that moment, she said, “I knew what I was up against.” An unidentified woman who refused to give her name was plucked . from. the Atlantic Ocean, about two miles offshore from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, dressed in street clothes. She told one of the res- cuers, “I’m fine, my family is here,” and said she had been eating seaweed for. the three days she had been in the water, | She said she was “in tran- sition,” that she had just come up to get some air. lmao. VANCOUVER HOSPITAL G Health Sciences Centre Are you troubled by obsessive thoughts? Do you engage in repetitive, compulsive behaviors? People with obsessive-compulsive disorder have unwanted and. often disturbing thoughts. These thoughts may result in excessive washing, checking, concern about order/neatness, the meaning of certain numbers, harming others, or other concerns. Psychologists at Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre at UBC are conducting a treatment study using state-of-the-art’ psychological treatment and are looking for participants. For information call the Anxiety Disorders Unit at 822-7899 | The most affordable spart utility in Caneda! per month “You can pay more, you just can't get more. $ SUZUKI Based on 36 mo. lease wth $1750 down, pa es, $795 frei A POL and 1st mo. socumy. T.P. $9,709 | $83-2088 ee All'you have to de is Grive one. oie. North Vancouver Suzuki We Marine Oe, 0. 'Van. She was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital, Bridgeport, Connecticutt — School bus driver Kerri Lynn Patavino, 28, has been convicted of statutory rape for having sex with « 14-vear- old passenger, who said she put a spell on him and made him fick her blood. According to the boy, the two had sex more than a dozen times, and she sent him. love letters signed in blood. Patavino admitted thar she is a follower of Wicca, an ancient, witch- craft-practicing, religion. Esyededeca Acsfyza, 46, was sentenced to six months in jail in Washington for hav- ing painted swastikas at more than 100 public places in town in the previous three years, In court, Aesfyza, dressed Sunday, October 27, 1996 — North Shore News -- 35 driver to move it or in a long white robe with a green sash, expounded on his love of swastikas, said he prayed to them and said they are a symbol against circum- cision. see According to documents obtained by a magazine in August, Canada’s military representative in the United States, Maj. Gen, Donald Williams, billed taxpayers improperly to have his house cleaned and for. ordinary civilian clothing: and golf course green fees, and Mrs. Williams charged off about $100 for armpit-waxing. The San Diego Union- Tribune reports that: hun- dreds of former pro athletes — some of whom, like Joe Montana and Bo Jackson, carned millions of dollars a year —- were also paid worker compensation benefits under California’s lenient law that Our 38th Year Pgs: - B.C.A.A, - ARA. | APPROVED CENTRE PREE COURTESY CARS. FOR COLUSION REPAIRS. DON TAYLOR. Same owner, same high tech equipped shop YELLOW PAG 299.9000: zl4lsis.~ 985-7455° “LIFETIME GUARANTEE” TALKING 4 Estimates j ‘Consultation The best just got hetter! With 70 years of proven German enginzering, innovation and excellence, it’s no surprise that STIHL is the number one chain saw world-wide. Right now, STIHL quality is even more affordable with up to $80 off** STIHL 025, 026 and 039 chain saws. free STIHL Wood-Pro™ kit valued at $75 with your purchase of selected STIHL models. Try it before you buy it at your full-service STIHL dealer. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back! **Untit November 30, 1996, o7 while supplies last at participating STIHL deaters:, & TIL: No. 1 worldwide. For full details and a FREE demonstration, come see us today! ARROW EQUIPMENT 207 Pemberton Avenue, N. Vancouver, BC. 9870926 iose it makes such payments for injured workers an absolute entitlement. Some other states, by contrast, restrict pro athletes’ claims. oee The = government — of Saskatchewan said it was unsuccessful in trying to return to the manufacturer almost 1,000 five-inch-long ° “wooden demonstrators” designed for school condom- education classes, Schools refused to use them, and opponents of the. ; program called for disposal via a “weenie roast.” . New “Smyrna Beach: Florida — Lynne Plasketr, o _ £6, running. for re- -election as * - a county councilwoman, said on TV’s “Maury Povich Show” that she was cured of the often-fatal T-cell lym- phoma 20: years ago ‘by, ae : small UFO disc that hovered ” over her bed and scanned her body before disappearing. Calendar 7 Maternity Sibling 1 Tour. Sat. Nov. 9 at 10:30 A.M. ' Meet on 3 West ‘A tour ofthe maternity :: unit for children whose .Moms are expecting anew baby. For info. call Pattyiy. Keith ¢ at 984-5864. : as well as the’ Special C Nursery. For info..call’ Patty Keith at 984-5864. : - Coping with Cancer. Support Group Wednesdays, 10 to 11 AM. Chemotherapy Unit For more info. call Joyce Auld at 984-3709 or Mona” Rechner at 984-5831. Relaxation Group™ Thursdays, 10 to 11:30 AM. Medical Day Centre For cancer patients, their. * familics or caregivers. For info. call Joyce Auld at 984-3709. ; Screening | Mammography If you are a woman aged 40 or over you may refer. - yourself to the LGH:. Sercening Program. For an appointment call 984-5714, Outpatient Speech Language Therapy - Programs are available for articulation, voice and:, fluency disorders. Fees _ vary dependent on the size of each group. For more info. call Nicole Armstrong at 988-3131 © local 4418.