A look back at the unusual from 2019

We all need an occasional break from the hard news of the day. Thankfully, 2019 provided its share of lighter moments.

A few of them:

One’s good; two must be ...

If your heart doesn’t warm to an otherwise normal, happy little furball with a tail growing out of its forehead, neither we nor Narwhal can help you.

Narwhal — dubbed the Little Magical Furry Unicorn and named for a marine mammal that features a single tusk growing out of its forehead — is a months-old golden retriever puppy, found abandoned with his father.

Mac’s Mission of Jackson, which specializes in animals with special needs, took in the pair, and word of the twice-tailed pup spread quickly.

Rochelle Steffen, Mission founder, said in November she’d spoken with media around the world about the puzzling pooch.

So, what caused that extra tail? Reporting in The New York Times postulated the tail was a remnant of a parasitic twin.

Whatever the cause of the inch-long growth, Narwhal is doing fine and has enjoyed the attention.

The Mission has, too. Donations flooded in, helping support other animals there.

Steffen ultimately decided against allowing Narwhal to be adopted because of the potential for exploitation.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels owners and their dogs are seen Oct. 12 during the "puppy reunion" at the home of Will and Marlene' Dudley in Jackson.Submitted

More from the dog beat

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels aren’t a common dog breed, but Will and Marlene Dudley of Jackson, owners of Rainbow Bridge Cavaliers, specialize in them.

They raise the “spoiled rotten” pups in a puppy bedroom nursery.

In October, the couple hosted a reunion, bringing together dozens of dogs adopted from them. Owners and their spaniels came from as far away as Jefferson City, Missouri.

Emergency personnel search for a person who reportedly caused several traffic accidents while driving the wrong way on southbound Interstate 55 and then fled on foot into the woods near the Cape County Cowboy Church on Aug. 29 east of Oak Ridge.Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian, file

Shedding evidence

Not all unusual stories are ha-ha funny.

The case of a man who fled a crime scene in only his underwear is one example.

On Aug. 29, police responded to reports of a man driving north on southbound Interstate 55 around mile marker 88. The man drove 20 miles north in a Ford F-150 pickup before colliding with another vehicle and fleeing on foot, removing his clothing while running into the woods along the interstate outer road.

The next day, Myron Lee Tillman, 41, was arrested in connection to the Aug. 29 chase.

The incident took a dark turn when authorities discovered a body near where the chase began. Claude Nix Jr. apparently died after he jumped from the truck.

Authorities charged Tillman with manslaughter in the case.

Daniel Willingham poses for a photo days before an encounter with a charging mother grizzly bear and its two cubs in Montana.Submitted photo

Show no fear

Daniel Willingham might be afraid of something, but a grizzly bear isn’t on the list.

While backpacking through Montana’s Glacier National Park in September, Willingham approached Two Medicine Pass.

It was there the Cape Girardeau native came across grizzly bear cubs — and, more importantly, their mother. The encounter might have ended with the trio scampering up the next hill, but the mama grizzly returned. The gigantic bear was 15 feet away.

Willingham pulled a firearm, aimed at the bear and commanded, “Stop!”

The grizzly reared up on its hind legs.

“Do not come any closer!” Willingham ordered. “We don’t have to do this. I don’t want anymore to do with you than you want with me.”

A standoff ensued.

Others in the hiking party arrived and began making noises to frighten the bear. In the distance, one of the cubs began to whine, and the mama grizzly backed away.

A screen-capture from the "Old Town Road Parody" video announcing a snow day for the Cape Girardeau School District.

Second career?

If Cape Girardeau School District superintendent Neil Glass leaves education, he could consider pursuing a career in music.

Glass has become known for his extravagantly produced videos announcing class cancellations because of wintry weather.

On Nov. 12, he unveiled a parody of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” which follows last school year’s sendups of Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice, Baby” and Imagine Dragon’s “Thunder.”

The “Old Town Road” video — viewed nearly 30,000 times after its debut — took nearly 30 hours to make, Glass said. Glass; his daughter, Lisken; and two other district students made the video, with help from Randy McWilson of the district’s Career and Technology Center.

Research assistance provided by Nicolette Baker.

In Monday’s look back at 2019, we focus on some of those we lost.