Purple Squirrel Found in Pennsylvania

A purple squirrel was found in Jersey Shore, Pa., on Sunday, by Percy and Connie Emert.

"We have bird feeders out in our yard, and the squirrels are constantly into them," said Jersey Shore resident Connie Emert. "My husband traps them and then sets them free elsewhere so they don't get into your bird feeders."

Emert said she had spotted a purple squirrel on her property but no one believed her.

"I kept telling my husband I saw a purple one out in the yard. 'Oh sure you did' he kept telling me," said Emert. "Well, he checked the trap around noon on Sunday and sure enough, there it was."

It was a warm and sunny day in Jersey Shore, Pa., on Sunday.

"The squirrel's been eating peanuts. That's what we used in the trap," she continued.

The Emerts currently do not know why the squirrel is purple.

"We have no idea whatsoever. It's really purple. People think we dyed it, but honestly, we just found it and it was purple."

The Emerts plan to release the squirrel back into the wild in the next few days.

"We put him in an extra big cage so he has room to run around, and we'll release him soon. In the meantime, all the neighbors have been by to see him. No one can believe we have a purple squirrel!"

The AccuWeather.com team is currently investigating why this squirrel is purple. Stay with AccuWeather.com for more developments.

Some AccuWeather.com employees have their own theories. Expert Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity said, "The squirrel could have been looking for somewhere warm and fallen into a port-a-potty or something similar."

AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski has a different idea. "Squirrels get into all kinds of stuff. He could have gotten into some purple ink or purple paint at some point."

Local squirrel enthusiast Erik Stewart said, "If it has white hair on it at all, it's probably not dyed. I've had multiple squirrels as pets, though, and I've certainly never seen a purple one. I've seen dark red, light red, gray and brown, but never purple. Also, I've tried to dye my dog before, and trust me it didn't look like this. Though, I've only seen a picture, so your guess is as good as mine."

"Like" the purple squirrel on Facebook or follow it on Twitter.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/purple-squirrel-found-in-penns/61308

Squirrel knocks WIS off the air

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A sneaky squirrel knocked WIS off the air Wednesday morning during the 6 o'clock hour of the morning news.


The power in and around downtown Columbia went out around 6:15 a.m. WIS meteorologist Ben Tanner was in the middle of his weather forecast when the surge caused everything to flicker and shut down at the WIS studios.

Our generators kicked in right away, but several of the computers in the building had to be reset. After a couple of minutes, Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield was back on the air.

SCE&G says a squirrel made its way to an area where is shouldn't have been and caused a problem with one of their breakers.

There is no word on the condition of the squirrel.

By Jason Old, New Media Content Director
http://www.wistv.com/story/15202079/squirrel-knocks-wis-off-the-air

Pekinite allegedly chucks dead squirrel into drive-through

 By MATT BUEDEL OF THE JOURNAL STAR
BARTONVILLE —
What would you do if a pal left a dead squirrel on your dashboard as a joke?

A) Laugh it off. Dispose of the carcass post-haste. Disinfect.

B) Abandon vehicle and friend.

C) Adopt the dead rodent as a pet and deposit it at the closest
fast-food restaurant drive-through window.

Christopher Thompson allegedly chose the last option Friday.

According to Bartonville police, the 26-year-old Pekinite had been at a friend's place working on a recently purchased vehicle earlier in the day when the friend placed a lifeless squirrel on the dash.

Thompson told police he saw the animal but decided to leave it there as he departed. It still was on the dashboard about 9:45 p.m. when he pulled into the drive-through lane of the Bartonville Hardee's
restaurant at 5515 S. Adams St.

After he pulled up to the window and received his order, he asked the attendant for "extra nuts" for his pet squirrel. The woman later told police he was holding and petting the dead rodent.

She expressed her disbelief at the scene unfolding before her eyes. "That squirrel is not real," she told the customer, according to a report. Then she turned to walk away.

Thompson allegedly retorted: "Yes, it is." And to validate the accuracy of his statement, he tossed the animal through the open window, where it skidded across a ledge and landed on the floor of the
restaurant. He then drove away.

A customer picked up the carcass and set it outside in the snow. Police found and photographed the evidence.

A detective didn't catch up with Thompson for several days, but the suspect knew right away what they wanted. He told police the incident was a "stupid prank" and he was issued a notice to appear in court on
a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. He also told police he thought the drive-through window was closing and that the animal would not end up in the restaurant.

Thompson did not return a call from the Journal Star on Thursday. The incident does not appear to be related to so-called "fire in the hole" acts where drivers record themselves throwing drinks back through
drive-through windows and post the videos online.

Pekinite allegedly chucks dead squirrel into drive-through

 By MATT BUEDEL OF THE JOURNAL STAR
BARTONVILLE —
What would you do if a pal left a dead squirrel on your dashboard as a joke?

A) Laugh it off. Dispose of the carcass post-haste. Disinfect.

B) Abandon vehicle and friend.

C) Adopt the dead rodent as a pet and deposit it at the closest
fast-food restaurant drive-through window.

Christopher Thompson allegedly chose the last option Friday.

According to Bartonville police, the 26-year-old Pekinite had been at a friend's place working on a recently purchased vehicle earlier in the day when the friend placed a lifeless squirrel on the dash.

Thompson told police he saw the animal but decided to leave it there as he departed. It still was on the dashboard about 9:45 p.m. when he pulled into the drive-through lane of the Bartonville Hardee's
restaurant at 5515 S. Adams St.

After he pulled up to the window and received his order, he asked the attendant for "extra nuts" for his pet squirrel. The woman later told police he was holding and petting the dead rodent.

She expressed her disbelief at the scene unfolding before her eyes. "That squirrel is not real," she told the customer, according to a report. Then she turned to walk away.

Thompson allegedly retorted: "Yes, it is." And to validate the accuracy of his statement, he tossed the animal through the open window, where it skidded across a ledge and landed on the floor of the
restaurant. He then drove away.

A customer picked up the carcass and set it outside in the snow. Police found and photographed the evidence.

A detective didn't catch up with Thompson for several days, but the suspect knew right away what they wanted. He told police the incident was a "stupid prank" and he was issued a notice to appear in court on
a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. He also told police he thought the drive-through window was closing and that the animal would not end up in the restaurant.

Thompson did not return a call from the Journal Star on Thursday. The incident does not appear to be related to so-called "fire in the hole" acts where drivers record themselves throwing drinks back through
drive-through windows and post the videos online.