WILKES COUNTY, N.C. — A backyard angler has bagged the state’s record channel catfish using a 2½-foot hot pink Barbie Doll rod and reel.
David Hayes caught the record-breaking fish from a private pond while fishing early this month with his granddaughter, Alyssa, 3. The 21-pound, 1-ounce catfish measured 32 inches long — 2 inches longer than the Barbie Doll fishing pole.
“After catching two or three bluegill, Alyssa turns to me and says: ‘Papa, I’ve got to go to the bathroom. Hold my fishing rod,’” Hayes was quoted as saying in a news release from the state Wildlife Resources Commission.
“A few minutes later, the float went under, and I saw the water start boiling up — I knew right then that I had my hands full with that fishing rod.”
It took Hayes about 25 minutes to land the fish, which measured 22½ inches in girth. Hayes said that once he got it to the bank, he was pretty certain his channel cat would exceed the previous state record, an 18-pound, 5-ounce fish caught in August 2007.
The fish was weighed on certified scales at a nearby grocery store, and a fisheries biologist with the Wildlife Resources Commission certified that Hayes was right.
— WNCN, Raleigh, N.C.
‘Bikini barista’ gets back at flasher
PARKLAND, Wash. — A barista at a coffee bar where the women wear bikinis threw a cup of boiling water at a man who deputies said had repeatedly flashed the woman.
Investigators say the man was wearing women’s underwear and had come to the Java Girls harassing baristas at least three times. A surveillance camera at the coffee stand recorded the barista throwing the hot water at the man.
“She threw open the door and just threw it all over, got the face, chest and stomach. And I mean that has to hurt,” said barista Jamae Feddock, who also works at Java Girls.
“It’s definitely, definitely creepy knowing that he’s out there, and what if he’s mad now?” ” Feddock said.
Pierce County deputies said they were trying to question a “person of interest” about the incident.
Deputies have responded to similar calls this summer. At the same time, coffee stands featuring bikini-clad baristas have become more common.
“I can’t say there’s a direct correlation between these places and these incidents,” Pierce County sheriff’s Detective Jerry Bates said. “But it’s something we’re watching for out there.”
— KING, Seattle
Couple finally accepts invitation that floated in
CANTON, Ohio — The invitation came from a balloon that landed in their yard 15 years ago. They waited that long to collect on the offer.
The balloons were part of a grand opening for Nicky’s Restaurant in Canton in November 1993. Balloons were sent up with cards attached offering a dinner for two.
Those balloons crossed Lake Erie and landed in Waterford, Ontario, in the backyard of Margaret and Ken Savory, who held onto to the balloons and the card.
After putting off their trip for 15 years because of various health problems, the Savorys showed up for their dinner Tuesday night.
“I think that in back of my mind I was hoping that one day I would feel well enough to see if the place was here,” Margaret Savory said.
Nick Augoustinos, owner of the restaurant, said he was happy to make good on the ancient offer.
“Wow,” he said. “I was shocked. It was amazing, and 15 years later these people save the balloons and the card.”
— WKYC, Cleveland
Mayor’s race pits neighbor vs. neighbor
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — Love thy neighbor is proving to be a little difficult in one Alabama town. Just ask Dan Deason, Scottsboro’s mayor.
He’s proud of what he’s done over his four-year term and says he’s not ready to relinquish the position. But Melton Potter, the city’s fire chief, wants to give Deason a run for his money on Tuesday.
It’s just not a battle between two candidates. It’s also their mailboxes. Deason’s home is across the street from Potter’s.
“My address is 3006, and my fire chief’s is 3007 Scenic Drive, and we even had our own community split,” Deason said. “You see a lot of Deason signs, and you see a lot of the chief’s signs.”
Potter laughed when asked about the situation.
“Living across the street from your opponent, I haven’t had any real problems with that,” he said. “We’re still able to co-exist.”
— WAFF, Huntsville, Ala.