Rural man annoying neighbors, piling up citations for bright lights used to ward off aliens

A rural Pennsylvania man who has adorned his house with spotlights to prevent aliens from abducting him is drawing the ire of neighbors, who say the excessive lights are annoying and are hurting property values, Joe Pinchot reports for The Herald, a Community Newspaper Holdings paper in Sharon, Pa. Hermitage homeowner Arthur Brown, 78, "who some refer to to as 'the alien light guy on Virginia Road,' has posted spotlights around his house for years. Brown also has wrapped part of his house in foil." (Herald photo by Cory Byknish: Arthur Brown's house)

Neighbor Nancy Raich, who said she hasn't had to turn on an outside light in years, said she has to keep her shutters closed at night to keep out the lights, Pinchot writes. Raich, who has been trying to sell her home, told Pinchot, "I’ve had a lot of nice couples come and look at my house. You can’t get a second look until that’s cleaned up.”

Brown, whose lights have caused him to the be a frequent victim of vandals, has ignored citations from local enforcement and skipped court dates, Pinchot writes. "In its latest effort, the city has used zoning regulations to prosecute Brown. An enforcement notice in February said Brown 'has several spotlights located throughout his property which are directing objectionable direct and reflected glare on adjoining properties.' When Brown didn't respond to the letter, the city cited him." When he failed to appear at a hearing he was found guilty and fined $500 plus court costs. A district judge said that if he "did not 'extinguish' the lights, he would be fined $500 a day. He now owes more than $20,000, the city said." (Best Places map: Hermitage, Pa.)

UFO sightings increase around the 4th of July

Two weeks from today is the 4th of July, when fireworks fill the sky, and loud bangs send skittish dogs into a frenzy. It's also the time of year when UFO sightings are on the rise, Abby Ohlheiser reports for The Washington Post. While some of those sightings could be attributed to a neighbor shooting off a Roman candle, it might not always be the case. (Metrocosm graphic: Rate of UFO sightings)

For those wondering if anyone else saw the same strange lights they saw, or where in the U.S. the most people claim to see UFO's, Max Glaka of Metrocosm has created interactive maps that chart UFO sightings and has a detailed list of the cities and regions with the most corroborated sightings. That would be Tinley Park, Ill., where in 2004 a total of 77 reports were made of a UFO sighting. Tinley Park is also third and sixth on the list, with 72 reports of a sighting in 2005 and 45 sightings on a different day in 2004. Two of the top 10 incidents occurred on July 4.

While six of the top 10 most reported sightings were at least partially in Illinois, Washington and Vermont have the most sightings, with 37 sightings per every one million people. Montana is third, followed by Oregon, Alaska, New Hampshire, Maine, Arizona, Idaho and New Mexico. The least number of sightings are in the South, led by Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia. (Metrocosm map: For an interactive version, click here)