Police in Leicestershire, England, dispatched firearms officers to an Enderby hotel following a report of a man carrying a large knife — but it turned out to be a Harry Potter fan with a wand, the BBC reported on Feb. 12.
“Thankfully the situation was resolved peacefully,” said one of the responding officers. “Our Auror unit was handling a dark wizard in Loughborough so this could have gone south quickly.”

The Pittsburgh Union Progress reported on Feb. 9 that riders who use the light rail system in downtown Pittsburgh can expect delays of 30 minutes or more on most weekends through March.
“30 minutes? I can’t believe that,” said a Pittsburgh resident who takes the train to work. “Usually the delays are 45 minutes to an hour, glad to hear they’re finally doing something positive.”

Pittsburgh Magazine highlighted on Feb. 12 a three-bedroom home atop Mount Washington that has a view of downtown from its two-story deck. The view was described as priceless.
That’s good to know for future reference that $475,000 (the price the home is listed at) is when something becomes priceless.

An FBI informant has been charged with lying about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden’s ties to a Ukrainian energy company, according to Politico.
“It’s true I lied about the ties,” said the informant. “I told everyone they wore Windsor knots, when in actuality they wore the half-Windsor.”
The informant, if convicted, faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
“I didn’t even reveal the worst of it all,” said the informant. “These half-Windsor knots weren’t even knots. They were clip-ons!”

Spotlight PA reported on Feb. 15 that Penn State trustees and high-ranking university representatives met privately twice in January to discuss whether to name the football field at Beaver Stadium after former head coach Joe Paterno.
That’s like the Philadelphia Eagles renaming Lincoln Financial Field after Bill Cosby.

AP reported on Feb. 15 that a New York City man managed to live rent-free in a landmark Manhattan hotel by exploiting an obscure local housing law.
Mickey Barreto had moved from New York City to Los Angeles when his boyfriend informed him about a loophole that allows occupants of single rooms in buildings constructed before 1969 to demand a six-month lease. Barreto claimed that because he’d paid for a night in the hotel, he counted as a tenant.
He asked for a lease and the hotel kicked him out. He then took legal action – all the way up to the state Supreme Court, where he finally won.
The judge ordered the hotel to give Baretto a key. He said he lived there until July 2023 without paying any rent because the building’s owners never wanted to negotiate a lease with him, but they couldn’t kick him out.
This all came to a grinding halt when Barreto filed paperwork claiming ownership of the entire hotel and tried to charge another tenant rent.
Can you blame the guy? They say go big or go home, and he had no home.

The Irish Examiner reported on Feb. 16 that University College Cork has dropped plans for Cork University Dental School and Hospital to move to a bigger site, despite its dean warning that the current building is “untenable” without significant investment.
“We were chomping at the bit to build this,” said a UCC administrator. “But the idea has bit the dust. It’s a hard pill to swallow. I guess we bit off more than we could chew.”

The Meadville Tribune reported on Feb. 17 that the Meadville Police Department is currently seeking tips.
Tipping culture really is out of control.

Mac McClung won his second NBA Slam Dunk Contest on Feb. 17.
With any luck, McClung will be able to win two more dunk contests in the future. That would bring his contest wins up to four, the same number of games he’s played in the NBA.

The Oregonian reported on Feb. 19 that Portland restaurant Magna has just launched a lunch menu.
The lunch will be a la carte at The Oregonian’s 2021 Restaurant of the Year. It will be between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
“The new lunch menu will be called the Magna Carta,” said one of the chefs. “Anyone who orders at 12:15 p.m. will get a special discount.”

The concept of a silent book club is gaining popularity in the Pittsburgh area.
The rules of Silent Book Club are simple: No assigned reading, no homework and no small talk required. Members are expected to show up at a designated meeting place with whatever title they’re enjoying, sit and read. They can share thoughts if they want, but they don’t have to, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
This does sound nice and all, but it also just sounds like a library without being a library.

Disclaimer: All quotes are fictious. Any lack of joy as a result of this article is unintentional and we claim no responsibility.