SIDELINES...

LIGHTNING BREAKS

According to NHS Digital, 18 people were admitted to hospital having been struck by lightning in 2020/21, six times as many as in the previous year. They believe this increase was a result of the pandemic, which meant many people holidayed at home and took part in outdoor leisure activities such as golf, fishing, hill walking and camping, all of which put people at increased risk from lightning strikes. D.Telegraph, 3 Jan 2022.

POLICEMAN GO

Two Los Angeles police officers, Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell, have been dismissed from the force for ignoring a robbery in progress and instead attempting to catch a Snorlax in Pokémon Go. They were fired for “wilfully abdicating their duty to assist a commanding officer’s response to a robbery in progress and playing a Pokémon mobile game while on duty”. D.Mirror, 15 Jan 2022.

BATMAN BAT

An Austin, Texas, cinema had to halt a screening of The Batman after an actual bat was spotted swooping around the theatre. Animal control were called but could not evict the creature. Patrons were offered a refund, but most decided to stay and put up with the extra bat. The cinema manager believed the animal had been released deliberately and said they will be “adding additional security and checking all bags upon guest entry.” Austin is famed for the vast colony of Mexican Free-tailed Bats that live under a city bridge. huffpost.com, 7 Mar 2022.

HEAD START

In Denver, Colorado, police are looking for someone who broke into a truck used to transport body parts for medical research and made off with a box of human heads. Police were asking the public to look out for the missing container, which had “Science Care” written on it. kiro7.com, 5 Mar 2022.