West Virginia and Oregon celebrating their respective cryptids, a lawsuit filed by a Pennsylvania fortune teller, and an eyebrow-raising update to the case of a seemingly incorrupt Missouri nun were among the weird and wondrous stories to cross our desk this past week.
Fortune-telling found its way into the news this past week by way of two stories centered around regulating the ancient practice. In Pennsylvania, after having tangled with local law enforcement over the state's 163-year-old ban on soothsaying, a metaphysical shop owner filed a lawsuit against the police chief and the community itself in the hopes of having the archaic law struck down for good. Meanwhile, in Tajikistan, where various forms of 'witchcraft' are strictly forbidden, the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that authorities have begun focusing their attention on those who patronize fortune tellers as part of a two-pronged approach to cracking down on the practice.
Photo: Getty Images
In an astounding update to an already incredible case, an expert analysis of a late Missouri nun's mysteriously preserved remains found no explanation for their curious condition. The story of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster made headlines last year when her exhumed body showed no signs of decomposition despite having been buried around five years earlier. This past week, the local Catholic Diocese released a report on their year-long investigation into the case. Amazingly, a team of medical experts enlisted to examine the remains described their condition as "highly atypical" with no apparent reason for their uncanny preservation.
Photo: Liz Pavlovic
This past week saw a remarkable three stories wherein the paranormal was celebrated in a manner that would have been hard to fathom not that long ago. First, in West Virginia, a pizza shop commissioned a sizeable mural depicting Mothman grabbing a meal with a menagerie of the state's famous cryptids. An eerily similar situation occurred later in the week in Oregon with the release of a new lottery scratch ticket that showcases the various 'monsters,' such as Bigfoot and Dogman, found throughout the region. Lastly, the police department for the town of Exeter, New Hampshire unveiled a special alien-themed patch to commemorate the community's place in UFO lore.
For more strange and unusual stories from the past week, check out the Coast to Coast AM website.