‘Flying’ Spiders Expanding Presence In U.S. [Weird News & Oddities]

ACROSS AMERICA — No, folks in Pennsylvania are being told, the giant spiders they’ve seen “flying” through the air are not part of an early Halloween trick — or treat for those fascinated by an arachnid that can grow the size of a human palm.

The invasive giant Joro spiders have been spreading north since they were first spotted in Georgia in 2014. They don’t exactly fly. Rather, Joro spiders use a silk-producing technique known as “parachuting” or “ballooning” that allows them to create webs that allow them to travel relatively long distances.

The spiders are building their webs now and will continue to do so through October, and the females will lay egg sacks beginning in mid-October through November. Docile and shy, Joro spiders don’t pose a threat to people or pets. It’s best just to leave them alone, experts say.

• Read the full story: Giant Joro Spiders: What To Do If You See Them

Mind Readers In Love

Rachel Hundertmark and Rashad Polk’s first kiss was at a Modest Mouse concert in Baltimore in 2022 and they’ve been inseparable since. The Maryland couple knew then they would spend their lives together, though neither had proposed marriage.

That changed when Modest Mouse played Columbia, Maryland, in June.

As if choreographed by the cosmos, Hundertmark, 36, and Polk, 41, each bent down on one knee with the same important question in mind and rings they’d kept secret from the other in hand. Stunned by the kismet, neither said “yes.”

“We just hugged each other and cried, we were so happy,” Polk told The Washington Post.

• Read the full story: Couple Stunned By Simultaneous Proposals

A Passel Of ’Possums And Fentanyl

A vehicle search in San Bernardino, California, resulted in drug charges against two people and freedom for a passel of opossums.

Police said they found multiple marsupials in an illegally parked vehicle, along with fentanyl, drug paraphernalia and other items that led them to believe the Ontario, Canada, couple who owned the vehicle were in the area, which had been evacuated due to a fire, to commit theft.

The couple were charged with possession of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia, according to the sheriff’s office. The opossums were released back to their homes in the wilderness, where the couple had captured them, authorities said.

• Read the full story: A Passel Of ’Possums, Fentanyl Found In Vehicle Illegally Parked In Fire Evacuation Area

Taylor Swift In The Corn

Unless the mega superstar makes a surprise visit, you won’t find Taylor Swift in the corn near Annapolis, Maryland. But you may feel as if you’ve had a close encounter, according to the owner of Swift-themed corn maze.

The maze theme changes every year. This year, organizers cut into the field the words “MD Corn Maze Taylor’s Version” and a 300-foot replica of her guitar. There are other Swift trademarks throughout the maze.

“It’s the biggest topic in the nation, and everyone loves Taylor Swift,” MD Corn Maze owner Carol Paul told Patch. “You’ll just feel her presence everywhere.”

• Read the full Patch Exclusive: Taylor Swift Is Everywhere In This Corn Maze

A Truck, An ATM And An Abandoned Plan

Do a trio of burglars get points for creative problem-solving or demerits for property destruction?

That would be the latter, according to investigators in Montgomery County, Maryland, who are on the lookout for three men they said barreled through the doors to a Giant Food store in a pickup truck in an attempt to rob an ATM.

The suspects rammed the ATM several times and tried to pry it open before abandoning their plan to rob it. The pickup disabled, they took off on foot, according to the store’s security video.

• Read the full story: Burglars Drive Truck Through Store Doors To Get Near ATM

In Case You Missed It ...

Catch up on some of the weirdest news of 2024

• Read the full story: Loud Fish Sex; Granny’s Ashes At Disney: Best Of Weird News & Oddities