It must be true...

I read it in the tabloids

■■ Hundreds of mutant crayfish that can clone themselves have taken over a cemetery in Antwerp. The marbled crayfish, all female and genetically identical, can multiply quickly and exponentially without a mate. Their release into nature was banned by the European Union in 2014, but it is believed that a frustrated owner threw one into the Belgian city’s canals, from which it crawled into the Schoonselhof cemetery. Trying to round them up, said an official, “is like trying to empty the ocean with a thimble.”

■■ A “haunted” castle in central New York state with at least two resident ghosts was sold at auction on Halloween, for only $368,500. The 7,000-square-foot castle in Auburn boasts six bedrooms, four fireplaces, and a parlor, study, music room, dining room, and walk-in pantry. Paranormal investigators says they recently found evidence of “two spirits” residing in the home, which may explain why the opening bid was a mere $25,000 and bidding concluded shy of $400,000. Previous owner Patrick Collier Connelly said the castle’s “friendly” spirits” just want to let us know they’re there.”

■■ A Chinese man was presented with a dinner bill for nearly $3,000 after a woman brought 23 of her relatives along to their first date. The man looked on uncomfortably as the woman’s large family began ordering pricey dishes and drinks. She said she was testing if he would be “generous enough to pay for all 25 people.” Instead, the man fled and did not reply to repeated attempts to contact him, leaving her to foot the bill.