This week's winter storms dumped a load of snow and ice on the roof of a Wal-Mart super center in Branson, MO, that caused the roof to sag, forcing the evacuation and closure of the store.

Store employees noticed the sagging roof and evacuated the store around noon on Thursday.

A mysterious illness has been killing thousands of bats in New York and New England for the past two years, and it has now begun to spread to bats in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, environmental officials in those states said.

The disease causes bats to crawl out of their hibernation spots prematurely during the cold winter months and they end up dropping dead because they burn up crucial fat reserves. It also causes some bats to crawl further into cooler sections of their hibernation spots in an attempt to cool rising body temperatures, the New Jersey Star-Ledger reported.

Thousands of used picnic tables are up for sale on eBay by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County for $15 to the general public or $10 to non-profit organizations.

All wooden picnic tables are being sold in 'as-is' condition. The tables cost $300 new and are being replaced by cheaper, heavier, harder to vandalize models.

An American Alligator was discovered in the Chicago River Friday.

According to local reports, the alligator is estimated to be five-years-old and is 5 1/2 to 6 feet long. Volunteers with the Chicago Herpetological Society trapped the animal, and plan to send the female reptile back to a sanctuary in the Southeast United States.

An American Alligator was discovered in the Chicago River Friday.

According to local reports, the alligator is estimated to be five-years-old and is 5 1/2 to 6 feet long. Volunteers with the Chicago Herpetological Society trapped the animal, and plan to send the female reptile back to a sanctuary in the Southeast United States.