NEWS OF THE WEIRD
Fun Suckers
Organizers of Bats Day, a special celebration at Disneyland for the goth community, have called it quits, citing the loss of available tax deductions under President Trump’s new tax law. The annual event began 20 years ago and grew to attract more than 8,000 goths each year, with Disneyland offering discounted tickets and hotel rooms for participants. “We did a lot of research,” Bats Day founder Noah Korda told Vice, “and, unfortunately, it just wasn’t feasible to actually continue ... with the way that we run the event.” On May 6, about 800 goths showed up for a final group photo in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.
Awesome!
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo isn’t going to spend her summer sitting in a stuffy office. Instead, she announced on July 14 that she is holding summer office hours at state beaches, beginning with Scarborough State Beach in Narragansett. She and members of the Office of Constituent Services, who will help connect residents with state services, started their new schedule on July 16. The governor told the Associated Press she looks forward to hearing directly from residents while visiting some of the state’s most popular destinations.
Hey, It’s Florida
Indian River County (Florida) sheriff’s officers stopped Earle Stevens Jr., 69, on June 27 after another driver called 911, complaining that Stevens’ Mercury Grand Marquis kept tapping her bumper in a McDonald’s drive-thru lane. The officers noted “a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath ... His speech was slurred and his eyes were red and glossy.” He also had an open bottle of Jim Beam bourbon in a brown paper bag on the passenger seat. Stevens, of Vero Beach, struggled to produce his ID and said he’s never had a valid Florida driver’s license, according to Treasure Coast Newspapers. He also explained he was not drinking while driving, only when he stopped for stop signs and traffic signals. After failing several field sobriety tests and a breath test, Stevens was charged with driving under the influence and driving without a license.