,
Utah Monolith Disappears, Twin Found in California
The mysterious monolith discovered in the Utah desert last month disappeared overnight before a similar object was found in California.
According to KUTV in Salt Lake City, Utah, a mysterious 10-foot steel “monolith” that was discovered by Utah Department of Public Safety agents and Utah Division of Wildlife Resource officers as they counted bighorn sheep in the Utah desert mysteriously disappeared overnight—seemingly without a trace.
But last week a group of hikers took credit for the removal, saying the apparent art installation was violating public land laws. Social media influencer Sylvan Christensen posted a video of the monolith being carried away in a wheelbarrow by a group of people with blurred faces.
“We removed the Utah Monolith because there are clear precedents for how we share and standardize the use of our public lands, natural wildlife, native plants, fresh water sources and human impacts upon them,” wrote Christensen.
“The dismantling of the Utah Monolith is tragic—and if you think we’re proud—we’re not,” wrote the hiker. “We want to make clear that we support art and artists. … The ethical failures of the artist for the 24” equilateral gouge in the sandstone from the erecting of the Utah Monolith, was not even close to the damage caused by the internet sensationalism and subsequent reaction from the world.” Sightseers were reportedly able to find the site by using Google Maps, despite efforts to keep the location a secret.
Days after the monolith’s disappearance, the mystery grew when a similar 10-foot object appeared in Atascadero, Calif. The second monolith was discovered at the top of a peak at a popular hiking trail. It was soon destroyed by a group of vandals who streamed the crime online, according to KEYT in California.
A third monolith was found in Romania, but upon closer inspection, it did not appear to share the material or construction methods of the American monoliths.
No one has claimed responsibility for the objects.
Wallaroo Leads Police on Two Hour Chase
An exotic pet broke free from its owner and led Illinois police on a two-hour chase through neighborhoods.
The wallaroo is a marsupial that is native to Australia. It is larger than a wallaby but smaller than a kangaroo. Last week a domesticated wallaroo named Wally escaped its owner in Peru, Ill., and was seen hopping through yards by a number of witnesses.
“About 1:15 this afternoon our 911 center started getting a lot of 911 calls from people that were literally reporting a kangaroo running down U.S. Route 6 in traffic,” said Peru Police Chief Douglas Bernabei.
Police, firefighters, neighbors and Wally’s owner gave chase to the animal for two hours before the animal reportedly jumped into the frigid Illinois River. “I had to hold back the owner of Wally because he wanted to enter the Illinois River and that would have been tragic,” Bernabei said.
People on the shore were able to get the attention of some fisherman who were working near Wally, and they were able to catch the pet in a net.
Wally was rushed to a veterinarian, who immediately got to work warming up the wallaroo. “He was so cold we couldn’t register his temperature on the thermometer,” said Dr. Allison Spayer. “We warmed him up. We dried him off.” Wally was released back into his owner’s care after only a couple of hours.
“Today is probably the best day of the year so far,” said Bernabei. “There was a lot of people cheering then, it was a neat thing to get him out of the river and get him to a warm place and get him treated.”
Police are investigating Wally’s owner’s claim that he has a permit to keep the animal.
Tickle Bar Opens
An entrepreneur has opened a business that offers to tickle the backs and heads of clients with fingers and other tools.
According to the Dallas Observer, small business owner Kimberly
Haley-Coleman was facing economic decline when she came up with the idea of a spa designed to stimulate clients with tickles called the Tickle Bar.
“I thought, ‘I wish I could get somebody to tickle my back. Why don’t people do that?’ ” Haley-Coleman told reporters. “So I decided I’m going to freakin’ do it. Who knows if it’s going to work, but I’m going to do it.”
When a client shows up at the Tickle Bar for an appointment, they are led to a waiting area where they are served pink cookies and a glass of rosé. They are then led to one of five “tickle tents,” where they may remove their shirts for a 25- or 50-minute session of either back tickles, “hair play” or both. [ ]
