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Ten headlines from 2023 that made us say "Did I read that right?"

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Poop falling from the sky, neighbors living in fear of a turkey and worm warnings — these stories are as strange as they are true.

Scroll down to see the ten of the weirdest headlines out of Minnesota and Wisconsin this year.

 

Wild turkey terrorizing neighbors in Coon Rapids

Neighbors in a Coon Rapids mobile home park are battling with a bird. They say the lone turkey appeared in their park around Thanksgiving of 2021 and hasn't left since, becoming more aggressive as the months go on.

"This turkey has literally taken over our life," Coon Rapids resident Rachael Gross said.

Rachael Gross says she lives in fear of going outside, thanks to her neighbor, a wild turkey, who seems to have taken a liking to her property.

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WCCO

[Watch the report here]

By Kirsten Mitchell
 

Thousands of syringes containing "vaginal tightening gel" seized at MSP Airport

Customs officers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport seized a large shipment of unregulated injectable chemicals last week.

The shipment from Hong Kong contained "2,536 pre-filled syringes of vaginal tightening gel," according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and it was headed to a Woodbury residence.

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CBP

[Read the story here]

By Stephen Swanson
 

Cougar spotted in Lowry Hills struck, killed on Golden Valley highway days later

Minnesota conservations officials say a cougar that was struck and killed in the west metro was a young male that had traveled hundreds of miles. 

The incident comes days after a cougar was spotted roaming through the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis. City officials on Tuesday said it was spotted again near Kenwood Park. They believe it was traveling on popular trails near Lake of the Isles. 

cougar.jpg
Video shows what appears to be a cougar on side of the road in Golden Valley following a crash.  Nathan Kmet

[Watch the report here]

By Cole Premo
 

MRI machine causes Wisconsin woman's gun to fire, shooting her in buttocks

A newly-filed report by the Food and Drug Administration describes an incident in a Wisconsin hospital where a woman was shot in the buttocks after bringing a gun into a room with an MRI machine.

According to the FDA, the 57-year-old woman brought the concealed handgun into the room. The gun was attracted to the magnet of the MRI and filed a single round, which hit her in the right buttock.

MRI scanner in an empty hospital room
MRI scanner in an empty hospital room - healthcare and medicine concepts Getty Images

[Read the story here]

By WCCO Staff
 

It's July and there is still a pile of snow at MSP Airport

It's probably not a terrible surprise to anyone familiar with Minnesota winters, but we were well into the midsection of summer when there was still snow on the ground at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

According to the airport's Twitter account, the pile of snow that was building up all winter was still lingering in July. That was, as a reminder, at the tail end of the hottest week on record for the planet, overall.

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MSP Airport/Twitter

[Read the story here]

By Eric Henderson
 

NWS Twin Cities issues "worm warning"

The forecast: wiggly, crawly and slimy. 

The National Weather Service Twin Cities issued a tongue-in-cheek "worm warning" for areas south of Interstate 94 in May. The NWS said residents "can expect to see, smell, and step on many worms this morning. Proceed with caution."

Earthworm on white background showing the head of the worm.
Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, Earthworm on white background showing the head of the worm. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

[Read the story here]

By Anthony Bettin
 

Amazon driver punches man in the face over missing package complaint

St. Paul Police say a 26-year-old man delivering packages for Amazon got into an altercation with a 51-year-old man after he complained about a missing package.

The delivery driver allegedly punched the victim in the face and attempted to leave in his vehicle. The victim jumped onto the hood of the vehicle to prevent the driver from leaving. The delivery driver drove with the victim on the hood until he fell off a short distance later.

Prime Delivery Truck
Close-up of logo for Amazon Prime service on the side of a branded delivery truck in San Ramon, California Getty Images

[Read the story here]

By WCCO Staff
 

Neighborhood in a pique after preening peacock pinched by Eden Prairie powers that be

Some neighbors in Eden Prairie are crying fowl after a pair of wild peacocks have taken up residency.

If the peacocks were people they're so popular, they'd easily become the HOA president. The problem -- they're loud and sometimes confrontational.

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WCCO

[Watch the report here]

By Jonah Kaplan
 

Did an airplane drop poop over a Burnsville neighborhood?

Some south metro residents say Friday, May 12 was like any other day – until some foul-smelling stuff fell from the sky.

Carisa Browne was waiting in the drive-thru line at the Caribou Coffee off Highway 13 and Cliff Road in Burnsville.

"I was waiting in line, getting my daily coffee…and all of a sudden brown dropped onto my vehicle," Browne said. "It was like it rained brown for a second, boom, like that. I got out and I went to the car in front of me and I was like, 'What just happened to us?' And he was like, 'I have no idea.'"

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WCCO

[Read the story here]

By WCCO Staff
 

Massive snow pile lovingly named "Mt. Eden Prairie"

"Mt. Eden Prairie" has become the newest climate fascination taking the metro – and the internet – by storm.

Where some may see a dirty pile of snow in a Target parking lot, others see an opportunity to build community.

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A Target shopping cart on top of a massive, dirty snow pile outside of the Target in Eden Prairie.  The Independent

[Read the story here]

By Mackenzie Lofgren
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