Author: Steve DiMatteo

What kind of country are we becoming when we can’t even take a raccoon into a bar with us? In addition to all of the other things going on in the world today, now you’ll have to worry about where you can take your raccoon, as a situation in Maddock, North Dakota – a town of about 500 people just 85 miles from the Canadian border – has made national headlines. Health officials issued a warning about probable rabies exposure to anybody who had contact after a lady entered a bar in North Dakota carrying a raccoon. Even after she…

Pigs are considered the fifth-most intelligent animal on the planet, ahead of dogs and even three-year-old children. They are gentle, sensitive creatures, and in the state of Iowa, they are on the cusp of a veritable pigtopia, so long as these wonderful animals don’t mind getting a little payback by spilling some human blood. Right now, pigs in Iowa outnumber humans in the state by a shocking ratio of more than seven to one. As recently as June of 2022, there were 23 million hogs and pigs on Iowa farms, and while that number will always fluctuate to some degree,…

The United States is no stranger to bizarre laws, and West Virginia is right there in the mix. Did you know that it’s illegal to flirt with a fireman in the state? Or, in Nicholas County, for a clergy member to tell a joke during a service? And don’t you dare think about making fun of someone for turning down your proposal to duel. The list goes on, but one that really stands out for its absurdity is this: It is illegal to whistle underwater in the state of West Virginia. Which begs the question… why? There is no shortage…

RoboCop Statue Update: It looks like the RoboCop statue could soon find its permanent home. Towards the end of 2022, it was reported that a deal was being reached that would make Detroit’s Eastern Market the final destination for this cultural landmark. The Eastern Market is run by a nonprofit that manages the market, but the area itself has been home to a wide variety of vendors, restaurants, businesses, art and culture for more than 150 years. It sounds like the perfect home for the RoboCop statue. — RoboCop is a Detroit hero and an American icon, and it’s a…

According to the International Dairy Foods Association, the average American eats about four gallons of ice cream per year. And with July being National Ice Cream Month, the IDFA implores Americans everywhere to double that annual consumption during the month, no matter the cost to both your health and wallet. Okay, so the IDFA didn’t really say that, but I imagine the organization would want to if it could. And yes, there really is a National Ice Cream Month, along with a National Ice Cream Day to boot. The History of National Ice Cream Month The month-long holiday dates back…

When you learn that an American president is just a little weirdo like the rest of us, that can come as either a terrifying realization or a reassuring one. I choose the latter, because I find it far better to never put these guys on a pedestal; they’re as fallible and disappointing as the rest of us. In the case of Richard Nixon, he was a deeply paranoid human being, which is somehow one of the nicer ways to describe the man. He was cold, calculating, and ruthless in his pursuit to destroy his enemies, both real and imagined. And…

Bigfoot – or Sasquatch to others – is an enduring mystery in North America, with hundreds of sightings alone across the entire United States. With very little physical evidence to speak of (depending on who you ask), how does this woodland ape continue to evade humanity’s grasp each and every year? What would ever happen if we did finally come across one? These are just a couple of the questions the North American Wood Ape Conservancy (NAWAC) aim to answer. With members all over the world, the NAWAC is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 organization that is dedicated to “studying the North…

Booger Hole, West Virginia might have a bizarre name, but the long history of unexplained, unsolved murders that happened in this small, unincorporated community are certainly even weirder. Booger Hole was the site of quite a few mysterious murders during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which you figure had to be like, what, half the population of the town at the time? And despite the best efforts of a well-intentioned town mob, none of these murders were ever solved, and no one was really ever brought to true justice. In a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article from January 29, 1917,…