Weird News: Toilet Rat, Shopping Drones and ‘Soletending’ Video

By Greg Hambrick

Editor's Note: Patch has 31 sites in Virginia and D.C., and not a day goes by that something weird isn't happening somewhere in the area. Here's a look back at some weird goings-on over the past week.

Sign Reads, ‘Occupied’: An Arlington resident found an unwanted visitor in the bathroom last weekend — a rat had come up through the sewer and was in the toilet. "Evidently, they tried to flush it a couple of times. But I guess he or she wasn't having it. They can fight the current," Animal Control Chief Alice Burton told Patch.

The Other Kind of Patch: Pumpkins were reported stolen from a Centreville home on Tuesday. Too late for Halloween carving and a bit too early for Thanksgiving desserts, we’re going with a pumpkin revolt orchestrated by, who else, the Great Pumpkin.

More Comfortable With UFOs: Herndon officials sent out an early warning to residents on Thursday: That small aircraft over town isn’t targeting terrorists; it’s targeting tourists. More specifically, state and regional economic development groups were using a drone to get footage of Herndon’s downtown shopping district. So smile at the camera (no peace signs, please).

Shoe Flying Action: Georgetown Women's Basketball player Shayla Cooper has a new use for the “basketball shoe.” On Nov. 8, the freshman forward threw a shoe to block a shot during a game against Richmond. She missed, but no call from the refs. The Associated Press called it, “soletending.” We recently spent $140 for li’l Patch’s basketball shoes — they better not leave his feet.