Strange News

COVID-19 safeguards have created a black market for gyms.

Ian Brackenbury Channell walks around in black robes and a pointy hat. He's a tourist attraction, and the city of Christchurch has paid him. As he steps aside, a successor wizard will take over.

No coin shortage here: While it's closed for the pandemic, the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores has drained a 30-foot waterfall and cleaned off 100 gallons of pocket change.

NPR's Lulu Garcia Navarro speaks with Ardeshir Agahi, who drove from Ohio to Florida to deliver an urgent package to one of his UPS customers.

"We put the sign up, but we're not quite sure whether they're able to read or not," Yaraka Hotel co-owner Gerry Gimblett says in an Australian TV interview.

The Akron Zoo has a new resident for its collection, courtesy of an observant employee at a Red Lobster restaurant.

The man, hiding his identity, showed up in the Star Wars costume to claim his $95 million prize. The lottery company tweeted: May the millions be with you.

Chalk up another win for spell check. According to prosecutors, a man tried to escape his sentencing by forging a death certificate — but the alleged ruse unraveled with a few misplaced letters.

As America experiences a coin shortage, Planet Money takes a look at the value of the penny.

Sex educators and sexologists have some advice for safe coronavirus socializing. Just like in the bedroom, overcommunicate about your needs and seek consent.

Frogs have had a long history as memes online, but over the past several months, a wave of frog euphoria across multiple platforms has featured cute wholesome content.

Their foreign ministries confirmed the mix-up, in which Polish soldiers mistakenly crossed the border and stopped people on the wrong side. Both countries seem to have taken it all in stride, though.