The Odd Truth, June 22, 2004

(CBS/AP)  The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Brian Bernbaum.

Home Is Where The Corpse Is

JUNIOR, W.Va. - A man diagnosed with a terminal illness is fighting officials for the right to be buried in his back yard.

Dan Vest has emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The Vietnam veteran said after town officials found out about his wishes they passed an ordinance outlawing burials on personal property within city limits.

"(My family) built this house," Vest said. "This is where I was raised."

Vest said he plans to sue the city, but representatives from the Barbour County Circuit Clerk's office say nothing has been filed to date.

"We have an ordinance that says you can't be buried in your back yard," said Mayor Gary A. Miller.

Miller said the ordinance recently went into effect. Town officials were not available for comment Monday because of a state holiday.

Suspect Pulls A 'Houdini Move'

EDMONTON, Canada - A handcuffed car theft suspect in Edmonton pulled a Houdini move in a bid to get away from his arresting officer.

That left a red-faced city police officer to explain where his suspect and his patrol car went.

Police say the suspect was briefly left alone in the back of the cruiser, while the cop did some paperwork to get the stolen car towed.

The man was handcuffed with his hands behind his back.

But police say the guy performed "a bizarre yoga move" to slip the cuffs in front of him.

He then jumped into the front seat of the cruiser and sped away.

Edmonton police spokesman Dean Parthenis calls it "a freak set of circumstances."

The suspect's bid for freedom was short lived though - within an hour police had tracked him down again in a residential neighborhood.

Pool Springs A Leak, Just In Time For Summer

GRAFTON, Wis. - Just as hot weather is finally arriving in Wisconsin, the village swimming pool has sprung a leak - to the tune of 35,000 gallons a day.

Local officials must decide whether to make the repair, which could shut down the pool for four weeks, or live with the leak through the swimming season - and pay $8,500 in extra expenses to keep the pool filled.

"At this point, the concern would be that should the repairs be significant, the swimming pool season would be disrupted for up to one month's time," Village Administrator Darrell Hofland said Monday. "That's not a favorable option."

Last summer, the Family Aquatic Center got 27,041 visitors over 75 days. Officials expected it would again bring in about $125,000 in revenue, about covering the operating costs.

The leakage of 35,000 gallons a day is about one-10th of the pool's volume. A fill valve automatically keeps the water level up.

John Safstrom, community activities director, suspects the problem could be in a plastic pipe under the pool that carries heated, treated water back to the pool.

Buffalo Salutes The Wing

BUFFALO, N.Y. - This may be the only city in America where a man in a foam chicken wing hat would not be bounced from a meeting with top officials.

On the contrary, Buffalo's "wing king," Drew Cerza, was more than welcome Monday as Mayor Anthony Masiello, Erie County Executive Joel Giambra and the region's tourism chief, Richard Geiger, gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the spicy Buffalo wing.

Invented at Buffalo's Anchor Bar in 1964, the wing has its own festival each Labor Day weekend. After the birthday festivities, the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau sent Cerza on the road for a four-city tour to promote the festival, and the rest of the region's assets.

"We're going to use this great icon to promote Buffalo tourism," Geiger said, as dozens lined up for free wings in the city's Niagara Square.

Joining Cerza on the tour is Sonya Thomas, the 100-pound competitive eater who downed 134 wings in 12 minutes at last year's Buffalo Wing Festival.

The wing tour includes stops in Pittsburgh and Erie, Pa., and Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.

36 Consecutive Hours On A Ferris Wheel

ST. LOUIS - And you thought you were wasting precious time going around in circles.

Six people say they have a claim on the world record for consecutive hours on a Ferris wheel after three days spent on a ride at Six Flags St. Louis.

The roughly 36-hour record will be submitted to Guinness World Records this week. The riders got off the wheel twice during the contest that began Wednesday, due to lightning. They ate and slept on the wheel, and had privacy curtains and portable toilets.

The contest was in honor of the 1904 World's Fair, which was held in St. Louis and featured a Ferris wheel.

At the end of the contest, all six riders were entered into a drawing for $1,000, which was won by Rhonda Crocker, 42, of Bonne Terre.

The five other riders were each given $500 from Six Flags, three-year season passes to the park and concert tickets.