Flathead Lake Mermaid and Chupacabra spotted in Hood County?

POLSON - Apparently not content with just a monster, Flathead Lake now has a mermaid, too.That is, if you believe longtime Polson columnist and author Paul Fugleberg, who wrote about her in this week's Lake County Leader."It all started with a picture in the Flathead Courier several years ago when the cutline writer speculated whether or not the photo of strange water rings might have been made by a mermaid," Fugleberg wrote.He went on to detail an ensuing "investigation" wherein a photographer saw the mermaid during the next full moon. He captured a silhouette of her but failed to get the classic mermaid pose, of her caressing her long, flowing hair while looking into a mirror, before he tripped and fell into the water.Several photographers staked out the lake during the next full moon, Fugleberg wrote, but were foiled by "cloud cover, storms, a lunar eclipse, wind-driven waves, etc."And so, he wrote, "Imagine the surprise folks aboard the Port Polson Princess got as the ship came through the Narrows and there was Winnie the Mermaid (she'd earned a name by then) preening, combing her golden locks. Startled, she again disappeared into the water with a farewell flip of her tail."Only Fugleberg's son, Alan, was quick enough to get a photograph of Winnie this time, and the picture - of a mermaid with long blonde hair on rocks along the shores of Flathead Lake, her face hidden by a mirror - accompanied Fugleberg's "Among Other Things" column.
"A legend of the sea
"Sometimes is hard to see,
"But a tale of the lake
"Can never be fake," Fugleberg wrote, quoting a poem he said could have been written by the renowned Greek philosopher "Illustrious Anonymous," but was actually, he admitted, penned by someone in the Polson Chamber of Commerce office.Winnie, he reported, has left Flathead and returned to the sea,
source:  http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_b90ee9d8-8be0-11df-8aa1-001cc4c002e0.html

 The Secret History of Mermaids

Possible Chupacabra spotted in Hood County

When Sgt. Rosemary Moninger with Hood County's Animal Control stumbled up a dog-like creature bearing it's teeth, she thought she had come face-to-face with a Chupacabra.

"We have heard stories about that for years and that's what we thought it was."

Because the animal was aggressive, a Hood County Deputy shot it. Sgt. Moninger then drove it to the Texas A&M Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Sharman Hoppes understands why Moninger was so frightened by the way the creature's appearance.

"I do think they look scary in the dark and from a distance. They don't have any hair, and because of that, you can see their teeth better. When light shines into it's eyes at night, they do appear to grow. "Chupacabra sightings have been reported all over the U.S. and Mexico. The word "Chupacabra" translates to "goat sucker" in Spanish. There have been reports of sightings dating as far back as the 1950's. But Dr. Sharman Hoppes isn't convinced."In my mind, it doesn't exist." Dr. Hoppes says she's received more than 30 phone calls and emails from people who believe they've seen a Chupacabra, but they all turn out to be coyotes or dogs with mange. As for Sgt. Moninger's findings, Dr. Hoppes conducted a necropsy and plans on sending it's DNA in for testing, but, for now, she's calling it a coyote. 

Source:  http://www.kbtx.com/local/headlines/98145504.html

Chupacabras: And Other Mysteries