THE NORTH POND HERMIT

Christopher Knight (picture shown above) told police he had lived undetected in the woods for 27 years, spoken to only one person in that time, and not made a single purchase since the mid-1980s.

But Knight knew how to steal, authorities said, and how to stay hidden even though his tent lay within 600 yards of the nearest cabin.

Such is the singular world of the man dubbed the North Pond Hermit by the long-spooked residents here, where Knight is believed to have committed more than 1,000 burglaries for food, fuel, tools, and clothing since he left a computer-technician job and retreated to the forest. Now, the 47-year-old is residing in the Kennebec County Correctional Facility in Augusta, facing burglary and theft charges, as banjo players rhapsodize about him and bewildered Mainers shake their heads at the thought of 27 winters in the open.

Until Knight’s arrest in April, police had been stymied time and again in their quest to find the elusive hermit. Searches had been conducted in the woods, and troopers slept overnight in the camps. Wildlife cameras in this part of the Belgrade Lakes captured only rare, fleeting images of a man who seemed too well-dressed to be a survivalist. “The problem was this guy was a myth and legend for years. No one knew if he was actually real,” said State Trooper Diane Vance, who arrested Knight at a camp for disabled children and adults. “In conclusion, yes, there is a hermit.”

Through trial and error, Knight learned how to live through the harsh Maine winters in a campsite obscured by thick trees and ringed by large boulders. He stockpiled enough food in the fall to last until March, deliberately put on extra weight for the winter, and traveled only at night.

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THE ‘PORTSMOUTH PARROT GUY’

Formally known as the ‘Porsmouth Parrot Guy’ after some research, Myles Bratter was spotted over the summer by a friend of the staff riding his motorcycle in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area. Here’s an interesting article we found about Myles Bratter and Rainbow:

Myles Bratter and his mild-mannered macaw, Rainbow, will attempt to make history this weekend in support of a local food pantry.

Bratter is trying to create a new record for driving around a race track with an untethered bird. He said he plans to try to make three laps around the race track; the distance and speed portion of the record will be determined by his ride. He said his plan is to be at the race track at 10 a.m., take pictures with people, and then have volunteers walk around the track and collect donations for both the Seacoast Family Food Pantry and the Speedway Children’s Charity.

“I’m hoping we can raise a lot of money,” Bratter said. Bratter said he’s been riding with Rainbow for 17 years now. He said he and his feathered friend have been together Rainbow’s entire life.”I raised her from an egg,” he said. “The first thing she saw when she hatched was me.” In the past, Bratter said he’s been able to use Rainbow to raise funds for organizations like The Salvation Army. Bratter said people would often donate money to pose for pictures with Rainbow resting on their shoulders.

“We’ve been taking pictures for almost 17 years now,” he said. “All the money we collected out there was going to a worthy cause.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

BAD BREAK UP

There are messy breakups and then there’s erecting a giant middle finger bronze garden sculpture aimed at your ex-wife.

Alan Markovitz, a renowned strip club owner living in Detroit, recently had the giant hand sculpture installed in the back garden of his Orchard Lake home. According to Deadline Detroit, the 59-year-old was angered when his wife Lea Tuohy (now ex) of two years had an affair with a man he knew. Markovitz reportedly spent $7,000 (£4,300) on the 12-foot-high garden ‘ornament’ which is illuminated by a spotlight at night.

Twitter user Lenka Tuohy, believed to be the daughter of Markovitz’s ex-wife, tweeted a picture of the statue earlier this week. She wrote: ‘How psychotic do you have to be to buy the house directly next to your ex wife and then put a statue up like that?!?! Real classy alan.’

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

TEXAS TAG

Senate Bill 1792 gives the Texas Department of Transportation the authority to report the names of toll violators publicly in an effort to collect more than $27 million in unpaid tolls owed by these top violators and others across the state. The tolls collected will be used to pay debt and fund operations of state-maintained toll roads.

See the FULL LIST OF THE TOP 25 TEXAS TAG OFFENDERS HERE

HOOTER THE LOOTER

Joggers in the Highpoint neighborhood of East Memphis, TN are crying fowl after a large owl has reportedly attacked at least two joggers the past few days.

The aggressive bird has even taken a hat off one man’s head. John Bean said the owl stole more than his hat. His headphones are gone. They were attached to the hat, so the owl made off with his iPod, too.

Joe Parks runs through the east Memphis neighborhood of Hedgemoor everyday. A few days ago, he felt what he thought was a branch knock him on the head. But it wasn’t a branch. Rather it was a bird and it was circling around for another pass, Park said.

“He was coming at me at eye level,” Park told FOX13 News. “It was very dark. There was a little bit of fog, and he was dead silent. I happened to turn around when he was coming at me and I hit the deck. He landed in a tree. So there I was on the ground.  I could see the silhouette, up against the sky of the breaking dawn and it was very clear to me, it was an owl.“

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