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Odd news 2012: ‘Cooked’ wives, sidewalk lungs ... Mayor Kim Kardashian?

An L.A. woman was arrested in January after she approached a Burbank McDonald's manager, told him she was hungry and asked him for free McNuggets in exchange for sexual favors. She was also seen opening car doors of customers waiting in the late-night drive-through. More: Sex-for-McNuggets suspect was hungry, homeless

An L.A. woman was arrested in January after she approached a Burbank McDonald’s manager, told him she was hungry and asked him for free McNuggets in exchange for sexual favors. She was also seen opening car doors of customers waiting in the late-night drive-through.
More: Sex-for-McNuggets suspect was hungry, homeless   (Karen Bleier / AFP / Getty Images)

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2012 was a year of eye-popping news in Southern California and beyond, with stories of rocks bursting into flame, Kim Kardashian’s mayoral hopes, men allegedly cooking their wives and more. Find out more about the stories that made us say “wow.”

LL Cool J breaks burglar's jaw in 'knock-down, drag-out' fight

A transient who broke into LL Cool J’s home in August suffered a broken nose and jaw at the action star’s hands. The actor, who rose to fame with the aptly named hit song “Mama Said Knock You Out,” later told authorities that he acted out of concern for his family.
More: LL Cool J ‘safe’ after violent confrontation  (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

Video shows 'Kony 2012's' Jason Russell naked, acting strangely

In March, neighbors told police “Kony 2012” creator Jason Russell was running naked in the streets of his Pacific Beach neighborhood, pounding his fists on the sidewalk and shouting incoherently -- a bystander caught the meltdown on video. Russell’s family said he was suffering from “extreme exhaustion, stress and dehydration.”
Video: ‘Kony’ creator hospitalized for ‘reactive psychosis’  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Woman bites driver who stole parking spot

Talk about road rage. A Palo Alto woman was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon in April after she bit a woman who slid into the parking space she was waiting for in San Francisco.
More: Multiple bite marks found on victim’s chest  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Kim Kardashian wants to be Glendale mayor

Kim Kardashian said she is “for real” about plans to run for Glendale mayor in a few years in a March video clip from from E!’s “Khloe and Lamar.” She told Politico she had met with a few Glendale councilmen, but did not commit to a run for office. For now, we’ll have to “stay tuned.”
Video: Kim Kardashian mulls run for Glendale mayor -- ‘for real’  (Hasan Jamali / Associated Press)

L.A. chef said he slow-cooked his wife's body for days

A chef accused of killing and cooking his wife said he packed her body into a large drum and boiled it in water over four days. David Viens said he poured much of what remained into the grease trap of his Lomita restaurant and threw other remains in the trash.
More: “I cooked her four days, I let her cool, I strained it out.”  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Bear loves meatballs, French fries and, most of all, Glendale

California Fish and Game officials lured the 400-pound “Glen Bearian” to a trap using a path of French fries.
More: “Meatball” staying at Club Med for bears  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

They waited hours; the fireworks lasted 15 seconds

The much-anticipated Fourth of July fireworks show in San Diego was ruined when a glitch caused all the pyrotechnics to ignite at once. Hundreds of thousands of spectators had waited hours for the show, which was supposed to have lasted 18 minutes. The event is one of the largest in the nation. The Big Bay Boom ended up lasting about 15 seconds.
Video: Big Bay Boom bust  (James Gregg / Associated Press)

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