Halloween

Read the latest Halloween stories and other news reports on Newser.com

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Violent Messages Flood Teachers Over Halloween Shirts

Math faculty at Arizona high school is accused of mocking Charlie Kirk's death, though the costumes were worn last year

(Newser) - Arizona high school teachers have received a flood of threats after a Halloween costume featuring fake blood was interpreted on social media as mocking the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The "Problem Solved" shirts, worn by math teachers at Cienega High School near Tucson, were intended as a...

Latest Fall Trend: Porches Packed With Pumpkins

Americans are paying big for elaborate, professionally designed autumn displays

(Newser) - Forget the humble jack-o'-lantern—now, it's all about luxury pumpkin porches. A growing number of Americans are paying hundreds—sometimes even more than $1,000—for elaborate, professionally designed pumpkin displays on their doorsteps, reports the Washington Post . The trend has been fueled in part by consumers' willingness...

DHS Has 2 Words for Report on Agents Wearing Halloween Masks

'Happy Halloween!' agency rep says of immigration officials reportedly sporting holiday getup in LA

(Newser) - A Homeland Security spokeswoman had a two-word response when asked about a report that immigration agents in Los Angeles had been seen wearing Halloween masks: "Happy Halloween!" That answer from Tricia McLaughlin came in response to an inquiry by NBC News about an LA Taco report that included...

Out of Halloween Candy? Break Out the Potatoes

Tubers are showing up in candy buckets across the country

(Newser) - This Halloween, forget the snack-size Snickers—kids across the US are hoping to score what NBC News calls the "new star of the spooky season" in their trick-or-treat bags: potatoes. The humble tuber is fast becoming an unlikely Halloween prize, though it may have started as a joke: Pennsylvania...

Trump Got Back in Time for White House Halloween

He says line was 'almost as long as the ballroom'

(Newser) - President Trump hosted hundreds of costumed guests—from superheroes to dinosaurs and even a few children dressed as the first couple—as part of Thursday night's Halloween celebration at the White House. Trump, who returned from his Asia trip hours earlier, emerged on the South Lawn with first lady...

Noem Rejects Request to Pause ICE Raids for Halloween

Governor's request followed tear-gassing near Halloween parade in Chicago

(Newser) - Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has firmly rejected Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's request to temporarily halt immigration enforcement in the Chicago area during Halloween festivities.
  • Pritzker's request came after a highly publicized incident in which federal agents deployed tear gas in Chicago's Old Irving Park neighborhood while
...

City Bans Black Cat Adoptions Ahead of Halloween

Spanish city seeks to prevent cats being used as props, or for 'macabre practices'

(Newser) - Black cats aren't just for Halloween, a Spanish city says. Terrassa, the third-largest city in Catalonia, has temporarily banned the adoption of black cats in an effort to protect the animals from being used as props or in rituals during Halloween, EuroNews reports. The city council says the suspension...

Halloween Isn't Looking So Chocolatey This Year

Why trick-or-treaters may bag more gummy candy than chocolate this Halloween

(Newser) - Ghouls, goblins … and gummy bears. Trick-or-treaters may find more fruity candy than chocolate among their Halloween handouts this year. That should be fine with younger consumers, who have been gravitating for years toward non-chocolate candies like gummies, freeze-dried treats, and other sweets that come in a variety of shapes,...

'Biggest Halloween Song of All Time' Is Getting Its Own Movie

Miramax to bring Monster Mash to life for animated musical film

(Newser) - Miramax is hoping to turn "Monster Mash" into a graveyard, er, box office smash. The film company is dusting off Bobby "Boris" Pickett's 1962 song for a new animated musical film, betting the Billboard hit dubbed the "biggest Halloween song of all time" has enough monsters,...

Candy Company Has Bad News Ahead of Halloween

Texas distributor CandyWarehouse.com seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as debt piles up

(Newser) - Just days before Halloween, when candy sales typically peak, CandyWarehouse.com has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Texas-based distributor, known for its wide array of bulk and novelty candies, is seeking to reorganize its finances after a significant revenue dip earlier this year made it difficult to keep...

Trump Costumes Are Out in Canada This Halloween

Costume shops say demand has disappeared amid trade tensions

(Newser) - Once a Halloween favorite, Donald Trump costumes are no longer in demand in Canada, with costume shops reporting a sharp drop in interest amid ongoing trade tensions. Shop owners say Trump costumes were all the rage in 2016, when he was first running for president, but the joke wore thin...

The Best Places to Get Your Spook On

A chill in the air won't kill the party in NYC

(Newser) - Halloween is America's third favorite holiday after Christmas and Thanksgiving, and no wonder: It's hard to not have fun getting dressed up and eating tons of candy, no matter where you are. But location does matter, according to WalletHub . It ranks the best US cities to celebrate the...

After Hot Pursuit, Ohio Cops Bust a Huge Inflatable Pumpkin

Body cam video shows an officer struggling with it

(Newser) - The subject of an Ohio police pursuit took off down the road, a flash of orange in the darkness, but officers eventually caught up and grabbed the escapee: a runaway inflatable pumpkin as tall as them. As the AP reports, body camera footage from the Parma Heights Police Department in...

SC Couple's Fiery Halloween Decor Keeps Fooling Neighbors

Illusion of flames, smoke triggers emergency calls nightly from folks who think home is on fire

(Newser) - A South Carolina couple's Halloween decorations are causing such a stir that neighbors keep calling 911, mistakenly thinking the home is on fire. Sam Lee and Amanda Riggins Peden, known in Fountain Inn for their extravagant spooky displays, have taken things up a notch this year, per USA ...

Man Accused of Terror Threats for His Grisly Halloween Decor

Fake corpses labeled with local officials' titles spark Kentucky police probe into Stephan Marcum

(Newser) - A Kentucky man's Halloween display has landed him in legal trouble after authorities allege it crossed the line from seasonal fright to criminal threat. Stephan Marcum, 58, of Stanton, was arrested Saturday and faces charges of making terroristic threats and intimidating a witness after police discovered a staged...

Halloween Display at Sheriff's House Sparks Controversy

Some skeletons wore ICE shirts; others had sombreros on

(Newser) - Many a lawn is peppered with skeletons at this time of year. The ones in an Alabama sheriff's yard, however, are garnering national attention. AL.com reports that a neighbor posted a photo of Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch's Halloween display on Facebook on Tuesday, showing three...

Judge Tosses Suit Over Not-So-Spooky Chocolates

Plaintiffs complained that Reese's chocolates didn't match images on wrappers

(Newser) - A federal judge has unwrapped a win for Hershey, tossing out a lawsuit that accused the company of tricking customers with the packaging of its Reese's Halloween treats. The lawsuit, filed last year, claimed Hershey's wrappers—decked out with jack-o'-lanterns, ghosts, and other festive faces—set...

'Appalling' Halloween Float Mars Pennsylvania Parade

Critics say float showing shackled Kamala Harris evoked racist Jim Crow-era lynchings, slavery

(Newser) - A Halloween parade in Pennsylvania this week was meant to inject a little bit of fun into a tense election season—but instead, one float that got political has now sparked an outcry over its "racist and offensive" content, per the Hill . Videos and photos from the event Wednesday...

Thousands Show for AI-Driven Halloween Hoax

Crowds turned up in Dublin for nonexistent parade promoted by artificial intelligence listing

(Newser) - "Chaos on the streets of Dublin" isn't the lyric to a new Smiths song—it's one of many headlines circulating after a listing popped up on an AI-generated website for a Halloween parade that never existed. The Independent reports that the promotion popped up on the My...

Orlando Halloween Shootings Leave 2 Dead, 7 Injured

A 17-year-old is in custody

(Newser) - A pair of linked shootings left two dead and many more running for their lives amid crowded Halloween celebrations in downtown Orlando early Friday. Police Chief Eric Smith says police responded to shots fired at Central Boulevard and Orange Avenue at 1:07am. Minutes later, more shots were fired nearby...

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