Weird News: Locals Give Up Their Gators; Stony Brook a 'Sexy' College

As a local news organization, Patch covers stories of all kinds, from heartbreaking tragedies to inspiring tales of community brotherhood. But some stories are just plain weird. Here are some of the stranger headlines from the past seven days.

Sweetbriar Reptile Event Creates Mini Media Frenzy

This past weekend, Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown held a Reptile Amnesty Day where people with illegal lizards and amphibians could turn them in no questions asked. The day netted the agencies that took part in the event a cache of animals that might have otherwise ended up being released into the wild, as a man who was drinking his coffee one morning found out when four alligators floated by him in the Peconic River. 
The event turned into a mini media frenzy with coverage coming from major news outlets like the The New York Post, CBS, Newsday and other local papers.

SBU Gets Nod Among ‘Sexiest, Smartest’ Colleges

Buzzfeed.com has created an infographic of the "smartest, sexiest colleges in the country," and Stony Brook University has landed among the best in both categories. Buzzfeed created the list by plotting the Forbes list of best colleges against the DateMySchool.com index of hotness by school. Stony Brook beat out other state universities such as SUNY Buffalo, Arizona State, Colorado State, New Mexico State and Georgia State in both hotness and smartness. Others that landed in a similar position were Penn State, Fordham University and St. John's University. Click here for the full infographic from Buzzfeed.com.