Wisconsin's Weirdest Headlines Of 2010

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- There was very little love in Wisconsin this year for wannabe dancer Bristol Palin and wannabe state lawmaker Ieshuh Griffin.

Their fates are two of the oddest tales of a year chock full of the bizarre, unusual and unexpected. And, no, Brett Favre's apparent love of texting doesn't count. He hasn't played for the Packers since 2007 and the alleged sexting happened when he was a New York Jet.

So, let's start with Bristol. Ain't she a pistol?

Not to Steven Cowan.

The 67-year-old man became so enraged over her talent, or lack thereof, during an airing of "Dancing With the Stars" that he pulled out a gun and blew away his TV.

Palin went on to lose the following week.

Coincidence?

Griffin wasn't on a reality show, but she was vying to earn a spot in the mostly unscripted drama that is the known as the state Assembly. An independent, Griffin wanted to set herself apart from others in the more established political parties who were running against her. She asked elections officials to let her describe herself on the ballot as "NOT the whiteman's bitch."

"She says a lot in five words," said Government Accountability Board member Thomas Barland, a retired judge of 33 years. "It wasn't pornographic, it wasn't obscene and I didn't interpret it as racial."

Despite winning over three of the white, retired judges on the board governing elections, Griffin, who is black, didn't get enough votes to have the description placed on the ballot.

Would it have helped her chances? It couldn't have hurt, seeing as she got crushed 93 percent to 7 percent.

Palin and Griffin were just two of many losers this year.

The timing just wasn't right for a thief who snatched a purse outside the state Capitol in August. Just as he was reaching for the handbag, the New Jersey couple it belonged to was having their picture taken. Unfortunately for the thief, his illegal act was caught in the background.

Police recognized the thief from the picture and caught him later -- still holding the bag.

The news wasn't all bad for criminals.

A state appeals court allowed a maximum security inmate to be given four pictures of women in bikinis he had ordered in the mail. The court said the pictures were OK because they weren't pornographic, unlike others the inmate also ordered that were blocked.

There were plenty of cautionary tales for those who like to imbibe.

A 40-year-old drunken Wausau man stumbled into the frigid Wisconsin River while chasing a one-legged goose in October. The man, who took off his shoes and shirt before jumping into the water, told authorities he wanted to catch the bird and roast it.

Overcome by the cold water, he had to be rescued by firefighters.

In another tale showing that drinking and driving don't mix, a 24-year-old Illinois man stole an ambulance -- with a patient and paramedics still inside. Luckily for all involved, the wannabe ambulance-jacker never made it out of the parking lot of the ski area where he took it.

Oh deer!

The "fear the deer" rallying cry for the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team turned into reality when two deer burst through a Menomonie restaurant as patrons watched a Bucks playoff game. Customers of the Stout Ale House wrestled the deer to the ground, before releasing them outside.

An anterless deer collided with a 15-year-old high school cross country runner in Wausau while she was in a race. The girl said she spun around, kept her balance, and kept on running.

She finished 18th overall, out of qualification for the state meet.

While her encounter was with an anterless deer, a woman in rural Richland County struck a 15-point buck. Even though the deer destroyed her car, the woman said she was offered up to $10,000 for the buck because of the rarity of its rack.

Now that's a lot of money in these tough economic times.

There were signs of frugality this year, though.

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay switched its default font on its e-mail system from Arial to the smaller Century Gothic in a move designed to save printer ink and, therefore, money.

And in a reminder that all the oddities this year are rather insignificant to the larger universe, a meteor streaked from the heavens across Missouri and Iowa before landing in southwestern Wisconsin.

The cosmic event excited scientists and treasure hunters alike. The appeal was understandable, said John Valley, a geology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"One, they're rare, and two, they're older than anything on Earth," he said of the meteors. "They tell us about places none of us will ever travel to and a time that is beyond our understanding."

Not unlike many of the other odd happenings in 2010 that were truly beyond anyone's understanding.

(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)