Police responding to a noise complaint in Baraboo, Wis., found that the loud noises were actually the loud sounds of frogs fornicating.

It was the second time this month that a neighbor called police to complain about "loud music" coming from Debbie and Jeff Alsip's backyard, Baraboo's News Republic reported.

"Every spring, this happens," Debbi Alsip told the News Republic. "It has woke us up before, if we have our windows open."

Officer Mike Pichler told the News Republic that when he arrived he found about a dozen frogs in the Alsip's backyard koi pond mating and emitting their loud, shrill mating calls.

The paper reported the Alsips have had the pond since 1994 and that each spring female frogs lay their eggs in the area outside Madison and look for Mr. Right.

Billions of bite-sized snacks are about to appear in backyards across the Northeast.

After nearly two decades living under the earth, cicadas are about to shake off the dirt and invade our great outdoors. And they’ll be ripe for feasting, says Isa Betancourt, an entomologist from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

“It’s a delicacy that’s rare,” says Betancourt, who’s known to dine on a few bugs from time to time. She calls cicadas "the shrimp of the land.”

“They are arthropods, which means they have an exoskeleton,” she said. “We regularly eat the arthropods of the sea and those are the shrimp, lobsters and crabs. And so cicadas are arthropods too.”

The Magicicada, as this type of cicada is named, spend 17 years underground snacking on the roots of plants, trees and vegetables. Now they’re coming above ground to shed their skin and mate.

Like other edible insects, cicadas are nutritious, according to Betancourt. She says their bodies are high in protein, low in fat and feature a lot of muscle.

Betancourt suggests trying to grab the magicadas when they’re fresh from the ground and undergoing their molting stage, which consists of shedding their skin as they prepare to fly away to find a mate.

“That’s when they’re softest,” she said. “When they first emerge, they’ll be kind of a green color and after a few hours they’ll harden.”

The scientist says you’ll most likely find the soft cicadas in the morning hours. She says you can still eat them once they harden, but you should expect a little extra crunch. You’ll also want to pull off the wings, because, like corn kernels, they can get stuck in your teeth.

There are a couple dozen recipes for how to specifically prepare cicadas. Betancourt is planning on taking an old shrimp skewer dish that her grandmother has made for ages and substituting in the insect. She also suggests boiling your insects first to quickly kill and clean them.

Online you can learn how to make Cicada-Portobello Quiche or a German Chocolate Cicada Cake – complete with a coconut-pecan frosting.

Cicada-Licious, a cicada cookbook (yes, this exists), has a number of other interesting ideas. The book was penned by University of Maryland entomology professor Mike Raupp and a group of students named the Cicadamaniacs. They put the book together when a brood, or group, of magicadas made their appearance around Maryland in 2004.

“I’ve had them several different ways and frankly, I’ve enjoyed them every way I’ve eaten them,” he said.

Raupp has been studying, teaching about, and feasting on cicadas for years. The insect ecologist is now working on a Discovery Channel special about the magicadas. He says as for how they taste, it really depends on how the insect is prepared.

“Boiled they’re going to taste a lot like shrimp. If you eat them au naturel, raw, they’ve got a delicate nutty flavor; a buttery texture,” he said. “I like the soft-shelled ones.”

Both entogastronomists -- what insect eaters are called -- warn those with food allergies, specifically those who are allergic to shellfish, should consult their doctor before eating cicadas. Betancourt says you should also avoid binging on cicadas that have been living in areas where a lot of pesticides have been used.

While eating insects is taboo in the United States and other Western cultures, that’s not the case for the rest of the world. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates 2.5 billion people, mostly in Africa, include insects in the regular diet. Raupp says in some parts of the world, bugs make up as much as 20-percent of some culture’s diets.

For the squeamish, Raupp says he has a land and sea analogy he likes to use.

“Have you ever eaten an oyster or a clam out of the bay? It lives on the bottom of the bay and filters, you know what (feces),” he said. “You’d eat this thing, but would not eat this delectable insect that’s been sucking on plant fat for 17 years? I think it’s weird.”

Betancourt is more pragmatic, offering this piece of advice for the cicada-eating virgins: “Close your eyes when you’re taking the bite.”

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

A man from northwest suburban Roselle, in DuPage County, faces a charge of misdemeanor animal cruelty after police said he sexually abused his pet peacock.

David Beckman, 64, of the 600 block of East Devon Avenue, was charged with the crime after police learned the bird died while they were investigating Beckman about an alleged case of indecent solicitation of a child.

Details surrounding the case with the peacock, reportedly named Phyl, were unclear Friday, as investigators said it was part of the case involving the child, the Daily Herald reported.

Court records confirmed Beckman faces three charges of harassment by telephone, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of marijuana possession, attempted indecent solicitation of a child, cruelty to animals, and two counts of battery.

He remained in the DuPage County Jail on Friday on a $10,000 bond. An arraignment was scheduled for June 12.
 
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Billions of bite-sized snacks are about to appear in your backyard.

After nearly two decades living under the earth, cicadas are about to shake off the dirt and invade our great outdoors. And they’ll be ripe for your feasting says Isa Betancourt, an entomologist from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

“It’s a delicacy that’s rare,” says Betancourt, who’s known to dine on a few bugs from time to time. She calls cicadas "the shrimp of the land.”

“They are arthropods, which means they have an exoskeleton,” she said. “We regularly eat the arthropods of the sea and those are the shrimp, lobsters and crabs. And so cicadas are arthropods too.”

The Magicicada, as this type of cicada is named, spend 17 years underground snacking on the roots of plants, trees and vegetables. Now they’re coming above ground to shed their skin and mate.

Like other edible insects, cicadas are nutritious, according to Betancourt. She says their bodies are high in protein, low in fat and feature a lot of muscle.

Betancourt suggests trying to grab the magicadas when they’re fresh from the ground and undergoing their molting stage, which consists of shedding their skin as they prepare to fly away to find a mate.

“That’s when they’re softest,” she said. “When they first emerge, they’ll be kind of a green color and after a few hours they’ll harden.”

The scientist says you’ll most likely find the soft cicadas in the morning hours. She says you can still eat them once they harden, but you should expect a little extra crunch. You’ll also want to pull off the wings, because, like corn kernels, they can get stuck in your teeth.

There are a couple dozen recipes for how to specifically prepare cicadas. Betancourt is planning on taking an old shrimp skewer dish, her grandmother has made for ages, and substitute in the insect. She also suggests boiling your insects first to quickly kill and clean them.

Online you can learn how to make Cicada-Portobello Quiche or a German Chocolate Cicada Cake – complete with a coconut-pecan frosting.

Cicada-Licious, a cicada cookbook (yes, this exists), has a number of other interesting ideas. The book was penned by University of Maryland entomology professor Mike Raupp and a group of students named the Cicadamaniacs. They put the book together when a brood, or group, of magicadas made their appearance around Maryland in 2004.

“I’ve had them several different ways and frankly, I’ve enjoyed them every way I’ve eaten them,” he said.

Raupp has been studying, teaching about, and feasting on cicadas for years. The insect ecologist is now working on a Discovery Channel special about the magicadas. He says as for how they taste, it really depends on how the insect is prepared.

“Boiled they’re going to taste a lot like shrimp. If you eat them au naturel, raw, they’ve got a delicate nutty flavor; a buttery texture,” he said. “I like the soft-shelled ones.”

Both entogastronomists -- what insect eaters are called -- warn those with food allergies, specifically those who are allergic to shellfish, should consult their doctor before eating cicadas. Betancourt says you should also avoid binging on cicadas that have been living in areas where a lot of pesticides have been used.

While eating insects is taboo in the United States and other Western cultures, that’s not the case for the rest of the world. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates 2.5 billion people, mostly in Africa, include insects in the regular diet. Raupp says in some parts of the world, bugs make up as much as 20-percent of some culture’s diets.

For the squeamish, Raupp says he has a land and sea analogy he likes to use.

“Have you ever eaten an oyster or a clam out of the bay? It lives on the bottom of the bay and filters, you know what (feces),” he said. “You’d eat this thing, but would not eat this delectable insect that’s been sucking on plant fat for 17 years? I think it’s weird.”

Betancourt is more pragmatic, offering this piece of advice for the cicada-eating virgins: “Close your eyes when you’re taking the bite.”

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

Ever wanted to leave planet Earth behind for a one-way ticket to Mars? Here is your chance to apply for a mission that claims to make it possible.

More than 78,000 people have signed up for Mars One, a Dutch company’s project that aims to put four people on the Red Planet every two years, starting in April 2023.

Among those who applied to leave Earth behind forever are a self-described spacecraft engineer from MIT and an award-winning author of science fiction.

“Going to Mars would make me feel like I am a true 'Star Trek' officer,” said Michael Archavian, one of the many applicants who works as a repairman.

He said that if selected he would "do a lot of exploring, see the sites, stay up at night to see the dual moons.”

The project aims to be funded by a media event fashioned after a reality show and even “Big Brother” co-creator Paul Rome is on board. If it all sounds too good to be true, the company is also being backed by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Gerard’t Hooft.

"My first impression was that this is an extraordinary project by people with vision, imagination," Hooft said in a Mars One promotional video. "But my first reaction was I think like anyone who would be confronted by such an idea: this will never work."

Colonists would stay on the red planet for the rest of their lives, eliminating the challenge of returning them to Earth.

The Mars One project has already garnered applicants from over 120 countries -- all within two weeks of its 19-week application period. Most applicants are from the U.S. (17,324), followed by China (10,241) and the U.K. (3,581). Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Argentina and India also boasted a high number of applicants.

“This is turning out to be the most desired job in history,” said Bas Lansdorp, Mars One co-founder and CEO in a press statement. “These numbers put us right on track for our goal of half a million applicants.”

The application process forces would-be Mars pioneers to reflect on their life's purpose on Earth. They are required to explain their motivation to go to Mars in a one-minute video, some of which have been posted on YouTube. The application process extends until August 31 and charges a fee from $5 to $75, depending on the country.

For Andrew Rader, who has a PhD in aeronautical engineering from MIT and specialized in long duration human spaceflight, going to Mars is “the next great leap for humanity.”

“In the history of exploration, people have gone through a lot worse for a lot less,” Rader wrote in an e-mail. “I don't see a one-way mission to Mars as being fundamentally different from leaving England in 1790 to travel to Australia for six months on a rickety old sailing ship, facing dangers of storms, pirates, and shipwrecks, never to return or see your family again - and at least in this case, the food and communication with family will be better.”

American scientist and award-winning science fiction author David Brin explained that the mission’s purpose is to “promote thought, discussion and flat-out fun.” An applicant himself, Brin said he would “fight like hell to survive” and gather scientific data to help the next generation of colonists.

“And I'd write, using words to capture as much of the experience -- the Martian desolation in all of its stark beauty and promise - as possible,” he added.

While the idea of migrating to a whole new planet might scare some people, Francisco Jauregui from Mexico believes that Mars One is a mission he is “willing to die for.”

“My curiosity is way bigger than my fears,” said the 32-year-old, who currently works for a plastic containers factory. “Exploration is in human nature.”

Ashley Owl, a 21-year-old Cuban-American in Miami who volunteers at a hospital there, admitted that watching too many science fiction movies and TV shows had “desensitized” her to fear. “It just makes me to want to explore even more,” she said.

The announcement of the Mars One application flood came during an important week for Mars exploration enthusiasts. NASA officials, and various scientists and engineers met for the Humans 2 Mars summit in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. And famed Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin this week released his book “Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration,” which was co-authored with veteran space reporter Leonard David. 

An Illinois woman who was arrested Friday for driving under the influence told police she had been drinking to celebrate the fact that she was getting her driver’s license back after a previous DUI arrest, police said.

A Riverside, Ill. Police officer observed the driver, Erin James, speeding around 2:10 a.m., a press release from Riverside Police said. After stopping James, the officer noticed she might have been under the influence of alcohol.

The 58-year-old driver failed multiple sobriety tests and was placed into custody, the release said.

At the Riverside Police Department, James provided a breath sample, which showed an alcohol content of .155, nearly double the legal limit of .08, police said.

While being processed on the DUI charge, James told the officer the reason she was drinking was to celebrate the fact that was would be getting her license back from a DUI arrest in 2012, according to police.

“Ms. James purposely drove a car that she did not own to avoid the ignition lock device and was driving back from a Forest Park bar where she was celebrating that fact that she would finally have her driving privileges back after her 2012 conviction for DUI,” Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said in a statement. “Ms. James is exactly the type of motorist I want kept off the road permanently under a new proposed habitual DUI law that I will be proposing in the very near future.”

Weitzel will propose James loses her driving privileges for 10 years, that her vehicle be confiscated and a that she serves a mandatory seven-year sentence upon conviction of repeat offenders, the release said.

James was expected to appear in court for a bond hearing Saturday morning.
 

A Philadelphia mother wants her son’s high school teacher fired after he bought the teen the erotic novel "Fifty Shades of Grey" for in-class reading.

Maya Ladson says she was shocked to find a copy of the racy read in her 14-year-old’s book bag back on March 9. That shock turned to outrage when she found out how he got the book.

“The minute I found out about it, it raised concern,” the mother told NBC10.com Thursday. “This is not OK to me. This is major.”

Ladson's son, who is a 9th grade student at Eastern University Academy Charter School in Philadelphia, asked for and was given the book by his teacher and adviser Philip Aidoo.

According to the school, Aidoo asked students for a list of books they would like to read during an independent reading period. Ladson’s son’s requested "Fifty Shades of Grey." Aidoo then went online and ordered the book.

Ladson acknowledges that her son asked for the book.

“It clearly states on the cover, that the book is for mature audiences and has high sexual content,” Ladson said. “This was a 100-percent act of negligence. There should never be pornographic material purchased and distributed to a student by a school teacher.”

Eastern University Academy Charter School Chief Operating Officer Yvonne Turner calls the teacher’s actions a mistake.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Aidoo did not have an awareness of this popular book and ordered it with his own money,” she said. Turner says Aidoo also ordered books for other students, all of which were G-rated.

“I find it highly unlikely that a teacher who teaches reading and has a classroom for sustained silent reading period is unaware of contents of material that he’s giving to the students, let alone the material being pornographic material,” Ladson told NBC10.com.

Once Aidoo’s purchase was brought to the school’s attention by Ladson, officials immediately launched an investigation, according to Turner.

Officials met with Ladson and Aidoo and made a recommendation of action against the teacher, which the school didn't disclose. Ladson said she was not satisfied with the recommendation and filed a grievance with the school’s board of trustees. They heard the case and decided Wednesday to suspend the teacher for one week without pay.

Ladson says a suspension is not enough and wants Aidoo removed from the school.

“We all agree that it was a very serious mistake, however, it does not warrant a termination,” Turner said.

After Ladson told officials about the Grey incident, the school held a meeting with the parents of all the teacher’s students to notify them about the situation, according to Turner. Aidoo has taught math and advised at the 7th-12th grade school for several years.

“We heard nothing but high praises and support for Mr. Aidoo,” Turner said. “We have to deal with these things in a fair and impartial way which the school has attempted to do.”

Ladson says her son’s education has been compromised. Turner says the school is putting together a plan to move the 14-year-old to another class for the next trimester. The school has also enacted a policy that officials must now approve any purchase intended for students, she says.

The school has been on break for the past month. Ladson says when classes resume on Monday, she plans to protest outside the school with other parents.