The Odd Truth, March 22, 2005

The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Joey Arak.

Biking Under The Influence

OGDEN, Ark. - An allegedly drunken bicyclist wound up getting a ride to jail after a state trooper saw him take a clumsy spill at a state highway intersection.

Don Evans, 46, was riding where U.S. 71 and Grand Street intersect early Saturday when he fell from his mountain bike onto the highway pavement.

Trooper Jamie Gravier was about 50 feet away.

"He was pedaling through the intersection of Highway 71 at the Grand Street crossover and fell off the bike. The pedals kept hitting the kick stand and he couldn't keep it up. He was in the middle of the southbound lanes of traffic," Gravier said.

"I saw it happen and thought 'Lord, don't let someone come around the curve.' I turned on the emergency lights and positioned the car to warn motorists. Fortunately nobody was coming or he would have been run over," Gravier said.

Gravier took the man to the hospital, where he was treated and released. He was then taken to the jail and charged with public intoxication.

'Sexy' Librarian's Lawsuit

BOSTON - A jury has been chosen to hear a lawsuit by a
Harvard University librarian who claims she has been denied promotions because she is black and considered too "sexy."

Desiree Goodwin says she's been rejected for 16 jobs at Harvard since 1999, when she completed her master's degree in library science.

Goodwin also has a master's degree in English literature, seven years experience at Boston College and another nine as an assistant librarian at Harvard.

She says a supervisor told her she was "a joke" and "was seen merely as a pretty girl who wore sexy outfits, low cut blouses, and tight pants."

Harvard denies discriminating and notes Goodwin's case has been previously dismissed by federal and state agencies.

Hogzilla Lives! Or, Lived

ALAPAHA, Ga. - Hogzilla was very real -- and very, very big.

National Geographic has confirmed the south Georgia monster hog known to local as Hogzilla was the real thing.

The confirmation came in a documentary shown Sunday night, to be replayed Wednesday and Saturday.

The super hog was killed last summer -- and the hype was that it checked in at 12 feet long, weighing 1,000 pounds.

It probably wasn't quite that big, but big enough. Experts estimate it was up to eight feet long and weighed about 800 pounds.

National Geographic experts had to put on biohazard suits to exhume the beast and check out its remains.

Easter Bunny Drama Part I

BAY CITY, Mich. - The Easter Bunny got punched in the nose at a Michigan mall. Police in Bay City report a 13-year-old kid hit the Easter Bunny in the face several times. The 18-year-old wearing the Easter Bunny suit suffered a bloody nose. The Easter Bunny was waiting to pose with kids for pictures at the time of the bunny bashing. But police say no children saw the bunny get roughed-up. Police plan to ask prosecutors to charge the younger teen with assault.

Easter Bunny Drama Part II

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - The Easter Bunny's been busted. Michael Desantiago Senior had been playing the Easter Bunny at a mall in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was arrested on charges of harassment after police say he got upset with a co-worker. Desantiago told officers someone threw water and other stuff at him while he was playing the bunny. Police say he changed into street clothes, went back to the mall and started to yell at a female co-worker.

I'm Not A Corpse!

SURREY, B.C. - The resident of a Canadian nursing home might want to put a sign on her door reading: "Just Sleeping." Officials in Surrey, British Columbia, report a bizarre mix-up that resulted in a sleeping senior citizen being taken to the morgue. The driver for a company hired to transport bodies apparently didn't check the wrist band on the supposedly deceased resident. Instead of taking the corpse, the driver took the sleeping woman. Officials say the 87-year-old was left in a hallway at a hospital when the mistake was discovered. She was taken back to the nursing home where officials say she's doing fine.

Penny Slot Pays Off, Big Time

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - What can you get for a penny these days? How about nearly $2 million. Officials at Harrah's casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa, say a Nebraska man won $1.9 million playing a penny video slot machine. The casino hasn't released the lucky guy's name. The man won his big bucks after feeding about $100 into the Twilight Zone penny slot machine. The winner said at first he thought he won $98, then realized it was almost $2 million. The jackpot will be paid in annual installments. The winner says he's in shock.

Pleasantly Plump And Proud

NEW YORK - Brooklyn nurse Andria Gazelle is full-figured and proud of it. The size-18 Gazelle is the winner of the Ms. Full-Figured USA 2005 pageant. Today, she'll be honored at Borough Hall in Brooklyn. Borough President Marty Markowitz says Brooklyn celebrates "beauty in all shapes and sizes." Gazelle has her plate full these days. She's been doing runway, print and catalog modeling jobs since winning the Full-Figured crown.