Community Corner

How (Not) To Relocate An Alligator + Elsa Slogs Up Coast

Here's your 5-minute read to start the day: Konkol on the road, a treasure hunt comes to an end, and an alleged killer's hateful thoughts.

At the Arvilla Resort Motel, certain deck chairs by the pool offered a palm tree-framed view of ospreys taking off from their nest atop the motel sign to hunt tiny fish for their hungry nestlings.
At the Arvilla Resort Motel, certain deck chairs by the pool offered a palm tree-framed view of ospreys taking off from their nest atop the motel sign to hunt tiny fish for their hungry nestlings. (Mark Konkol/Patch)

ACROSS AMERICA — Ever wonder what might happen if you kicked an alligator? Well, you could lose a limb. You could also become internet famous when a stranger captures your poor decision on camera and posts it for the world to see.

That’s what happened to one woman when she decided to look Darwinism straight in the face after she and a wandering alligator got stuck in traffic. In a TikTok video that's been viewed millions of times, Kelsey Marcantel of Lake Charles, Louisiana, caught a fellow traveler using her foot to push the alligator from the roadway.

"Typical day in Louisiana," Marcantel captioned the video, which rolls as the "Jackass" theme song plays as a backdrop.

Find out what's happening in Across Americafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Typical? Or an unwise choice? Read the story on Baton Rouge Patch

Elsa Slogs Up Coast

Tropical Storm Elsa dumped torrential rains on the Carolinas on Thursday in its trek up the Eastern Seaboard, where warnings were in place as far north as Chesapeake Bay. One person died Wednesday when a tree fell and struck two cars in Jacksonville, Florida, bringing Elsa's death toll to four. The storm is blamed for three deaths in the Caribbean before it made landfall in Florida. Read the story on Across America Patch

Find out what's happening in Across Americafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Pedestrians dash across the intersection of Greene and Duval streets as heavy winds and rain associated with Tropical Storm Elsa passes Key West, Florida. (Rob O'Neal/The Key West Citizen via AP)

More Reads

Konkol On The Road: When fewer vacationing snowbirds migrated to an "Old Florida" motel during the pandemic, a family of ospreys moved in, via St. Pete Patch

Hate-Fueled Thoughts: A gunman who fatally shot two people in Massachusetts last month wrote about white people being "apex predators" and racism being "healthy and natural" just days before the killings, via Across Massachusetts Patch

Mountain Treasure: A $1,000 cash prize hidden along a Santa Cruz Mountains hiking trail was found just days after a treasure hunt kicked off, via Santa Cruz Patch

College Dreams: A DACA recipient from Virginia launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise tuition money to attend his dream college: Harvard University, via Fairfax City Patch

Unbeatable Barbecue: The Austin metro area is home to some of the best barbecue in the Lone Star State, and nothing hits the spot like good old-fashioned Texas barbecue, via Austin Patch

Crisscrossing The Country: It's been more than 90 days and 7,500 miles since Jeff Salter set out on his cross-country bicycle ride. Salter, CEO of Senior Services, is making the trek to raise money for in-home senior services, via Tucson Patch

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