An official with the Saint Louis Science Center has all but ruled out creationists as the possible suspects in a brazen attack this week of a dinosaur sculpture at the museum.
A technician with the traveling "Dinosaurs Unearthed" exhibit repairs the split-open tail of the Apatosaurus statue on Wednesday at the Saint Louis Science Center.
Beth McClure, a spokesman for the Science Center, said the attack on the Apatosaurus statue outside the facility came from someone swinging on its tail, breaking it off and splitting it open.
Asked by Daily RFT if religious zealots may have been behind the vandalism, McClure responded: "I can't comment on that or speculate."
She was, however, more than willing to speculate on another theory.
"We think it was just some kids who got too close and were just messing around with it," McClure said.
On Wednesday afternoon a technician traveling with the exhibit used a paintbrush to glue the tail's outer layer back together. Despite the seemingly superficial damage to the statue, McClure said the press release she sent out alerting media to the vandalism at the museum was not a publicity stunt designed to drum up interest in the exhibit.
Unreal's inbox overfloweth on Mondays, so you can imagine our discombobulation when a missive pops in from Amanda Hassler, a flack at BrightonUSA who wants to know if RFT is covering Alzheimer's Awareness Month.
OMG! We forgot!
If you or a loved one has a similar problem, the press release on the jump might interest you....
On Sunday, November 1, 2009, at 6:30 p.m., St. Louis County Police Officers Kevin Martin, Jared Ruhland and Sergeant Daniel O'Neil, South County Precinct, found and rescued a canine from the Mississippi River. The dog was trapped on a small piece of land in the river surrounded by rapid moving rising floodwater.
The officers responded to Cliff Cave Park after residents living near the park heard a woman crying out for help. The officers found a woman who stated that her border collie broke off the leash to chase two deer into the woods. The woman stated that her (sic) and her mother had searched for the dog but could not find it and were concerned about the nearby flooding Mississippi.
The advice includes warning children to trick-or-treat only at "friendly houses" that leave their lights on and taping reflective tape onto the kiddos costumes to keep them safe from cars.
Sadly, though, the press release contains absolutely no mention of having children "karate chop" or "sweep the leg" if they get into trouble on All Hallows' Eve.
One wonders: What's the point of the martial arts lessons?
St. Louis' forecast: cloudy with a chance of sexual innuendo
Rise and shine campers. Take a look outside: the leaves are changing, the air is crisp and it's shaping up to be another beautiful fall day (with a forecasted high of 70 degrees!).
But alas, it all means that winter is just around the corner and who knows what that holds.
Luckily for us, the good folks at the National Weather Service have been hard at work cranking out their predictions. Unfortunately for them, El Niño (Spanish for "The Niño") is back and wreaking havoc on conventional weatherman wisdom.
Indeed, a historically mild summer showed climate change is upon us and their job is no longer as simple as saying, "You live in Missouri? Bundle up, it's going to be cold."
This just in from the "esteemed polo fields of Blue Heron Farms" in Defiance, Missouri.
The St. Charles equestrian center is pleased to announce that it will host next month the 2009 Nationals for the American Polocrosse Association.
What is polocrosse, you ask? Why it's the game you get when you combine polo and lacrosse, duh!. And, according to the APA, it is "America's fastest growing sport."
(Huh, we here at Daily RFT thought donkey-tennis and ostrich-fencing had eclipsed polocrosse in popularity, but what do we know!)
The polocrosse competition gets under way Friday October 2 and the public is invited to watch and tailgate. And what food goes best with a bastardized sport like polocrosse? Turducken, double duh!
Continue on to learn more about polocrosse and read a breathless press release announcing next month's competition. It's Daily RFT's Press Release o' the Day.
Given the name or the victim and the stupidity of the following incident, you'd almost think this story was made up.
Then again, it did occur in Jefferson County, Missouri.
Today Jeff-Co Sheriff Oliver "Glenn"
Boyer reports that 40-year-old James Looney accidentally shot himself to death last Friday, September 18, while teaching his girlfriend a lesson on firearm safety.
The incident occurred in a residence in Imperial -- about 20 miles south of St. Louis. According to witnesses,Looney's teaching method involved him placing the gun to his head and asking his girlfriend if the gun would go off.
Looney apparently did this with two other firearms and varied safety mechanisms, before the last one actually fired into his head. He was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead the next morning.
And the kicker? Witnesses say Looney was going to take his girlfriend to the shooting range the next day, but insisted on firearm safety the day prior.
Continue on to see the full press release, courtesy of the Jefferson County Sheriff.
The swine flu is coming! Flu season is here! We're all gonna die! Everybody panic! Ahhhhhh!
(Unreal dons surgical mask, douses hands in sanitizer, takes a deep breath and...phew. Ok.)
Seriously folks, the St. Louis County Department of Health wants to raise community awareness for flu season and to that effect they have been busy bombarding local media outlets with press releases, creating a new website with the sole purpose of providing flu information, and staging photo-ops (like the one pictured above) with County executive Charlie Dooley receiving a dose of the ol' vaccine juice.
Mostly the campaign drills home the obvious: wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, don't go to work when you're sick. Duh.
There's also a fanatical emphasis on vaccination, especially for children and the elderly. It's a great idea, considering the flu kills about 36,000 people each year, mostly in those high-risk groups.
But what about other age groups? Teens, twenty-somethings, eighties babies, and everyone in between? If you don't want to hog that precious preventative medicine from the people who really need it, Unreal has discovered a way to make an effective* flu vaccine in the comfort of your own home...
Somehow I don't think this was what U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was hinting at recently when he suggested sending an increase in forces to Afghanistan.
Then again, who knows. Nothing else seems to be working.
Today the St. Louis Rams announced that five of its cheerleaders will depart next week to a nine-day tour of Qatar and Afghanistan.
The mission is actually the second time this year that the cheerleaders have traveled overseas to visit our troops, promote democracy and ensure our freedom.
Now if only the girls could inspire the Rams players as much as they did this soldier back in a February visit to the Middle East.
As we reported last week, U.S. "Drug Czar" Gil Kerlikowske is in St. Louis today to unveil the White House Office of National Drug Policy's new anti-meth campaign.
Here's hoping the campaign is as good as the last one featured here.
Continue on to view the full press release of today's announcement and see a spirited cover of the PSA above!
Look! Up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. No! It's a f@%#ing funnel cloud!
Ever want to be a storm spotter, but just didn't know if you have what it takes?
Well, you're in luck. The St. Louis County Police Department this fall is offering free SKYWARN training to anyone interested.
That's right! Now you can be one of those good citizens who calls into the National Weather Service during storms to offer your very own "SKYWARN" report.
Think of the responsibility! The glory! The celebrity!
Read all you need to know about the training program after the jump. It's RFT's "Press Release o' the Day."
Have you ever wanted to know the inside scoop on police procedure? You know, the stuff they just don't explain on CSI, Law & Order and the Andy Griffith Show?
Well, here's your chance. Beginning next month, the St. Louis County Police Department will host a Citizen Police Academy. Participants will gain "personal knowledge and experience in how actual police officers patrol their beats, conduct traffic stops and investigate crime."
Presumably, the cops will also instruct their pupils on the intricacies of making a citizen's arrest.
For more info on this free program, check out the notice after the jump. It's Daily RFT's "Press Release o' the Day."
A 25-year-old man, part of a five-member group, was arrested in a home this morning in St. Louis for allegedly "taking over" several St. Louis banks in April and May.
Cortez Adams is one of three brothers in the five-member group. John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge of the the St. Louis Division of the FBI, made the arrest announcement today.
The FBI statement does not elaborate on how the group "took over" multiple banks in the St. Louis area.
Cortez was the final member of the five-person group to be arrested. All are in custody, and face local and federal charges.
At first glance I thought a friend was sending me a headline from The Onion yesterday when I received the email titled: "Orphans Criticize the Movie Orphan as 'Offensive.'"
But no, it seems that the real-life orphan community is outraged about the release today of the horror flick Orphan. If you haven't seen the trailer yet, the film is about a family that adopts an orphan named Esther.
Esther seems sweet and precocious for a Wednesday Addams look-a-like. It's not 'til the family takes Esther home, however, that they soon realize she's a lot more like Linda Blair's Regan from The Exorcist than Little Orphan Annie. Killings ensue.
Apparently, orphans -- and one orphan in particular who's using the film to promote her new book -- feels that Orphans paints a twisted view of parent-less children. Continue reading to see the press release from the angry orphan and author, Kim Michele Richardson. It's Daily RFT's Press Release o' the Day.
This just in from the Missouri State Fair, attention fiddlers -- or just out-of-work violinists -- out there, you can win some cool cash by performing, one month from today, your best hoedown, waltz and a tune-of-choice at the Missourah Missouri State Fair.
Missouri State Fair News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fiddling Earns Cash at the Missouri State Fair
(JULY 22, 2009,SEDALIA, MO) -- Missouri fiddlers can pick up bows in anticipation of picking up some of the $1,500 in cash prize money at the Missouri State Fair Fiddling Championship Contest on August 23 in Sedalia.
What is a redneck limousine, you ask? Well, it's anything looking remotely like the vehicle pictured above.
or...
It's when you have your friends and their dog pile into the backseat of your auto while you throw the kids in the trunk.
That's what a duo from Lebanon, Missouri, did last week. We'll let the police explain the rest of the details in the following press release sent out today.
Earlier this afternoon we brought you news that the first cell phone call was made in St. Louis 25 years ago today.
Had we waited five minutes before publishing that post, we could have informed you then that July is also "Cell Phone Courtesy Month." (At least, according to the good folks at U.S. Cellular whose press release on the topic just rose to the top of our unopened emails.)
This marks the eighth year U.S. Cellular has observed Cell Phone Courtesy Month -- a time in which it encourages cell phone users to take stock of how they use their phones in public.
Not sure how to politely use a phone around others? For starters, U.S. Cellular reminds us that the device is a "cell phone" not a "yell phone". The company provides additional tips in its press release (attached after the jump), such as not cussing or sending nude pictures of yourself.
And if you're still not sure how to courteously use a cell phone, then maybe you just need a SHHH! Card.
Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer has come up with a curious way to raise money for new mattresses at the county's new jail addition.
On Friday, July 31, the sheriff's department is offering thrill seekers a chance to spend the night in the jail -- for $50 per person or $90 per couple. (Can you say "conjugal visit"?)
In a press release dated July 10 (but emailed yesterday July 14) the sheriff refers to the promotion as a jailhouse "bed and breakfast." Participants will be issued prison uniforms and be treated to trivia, games, movies and snacks. For an additional $10 guests of the B&B can be excused for the evening and sleep in their homes. But really, what fun is that? Also, you'll miss breakfast in the morning.
Find out how to book your cell reservation, after the jump. It's Daily RFT's Press Release o' the Day.
Question: Who's the Boss when it comes to hitching her clothing company to sporting spectacles?
Why it's none other than actress Alyssa Milano who just sent out a press release announcing that she, too, will be in town for this coming week's All-Star Game festivities. The television actress has used NBA games, the Super Bowl, and even a Cardinals game last September to market Touch, her hoochie-mama clothing line for the female sports fan.
Fans who purchase a Touch item at the official Cardinals Team Store at Busch Stadium beginning today through Sunday, July 12, will be able to participate in the special autograph session with Milano between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. on July 12 at the Touch by Alyssa Milano boutique (Section 505 at Busch Stadium).
So, sports fans, are you as touched as I am with this news?
Video of Milano modeling Touch products and a copy of today's press release after the jump.
Now we're back to report some good news for people who don't have a beef (per se) with Obama but got plenty to gripe about other U.S. presidents.
Major League Baseball today announced that all living U.S. presidents (Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama) will appear in a special video to appear just before the start of the All-Star Game. The presidents will be honoring 30 "All-Stars Among Us" -- men and women recognized by MLB and People magazine for their acts of
giving and service to their communities.
MLB says its the first time that all living presidents have participated together in a sporting event. It's also the first time -- to our knowledge -- that the presidents have appeared together in a video since Saturday Night Live's hilarious TV Funhouse cartoons depicting the crime-fighting "X Presidents."
Check out MLB's press release on the presidential video, after the jump.
Can't you imagine this headline getting read in a sonorous voice? Maybe even by McGruff? Anyway, our friends at the FBI are always eager to help us out, which is why they've sent out this press release about how to avoid online auction fraud. Now if only they could tell us how to curb that Ebay addiction.
Computers, sports memorabilia, rare coins, designer fashions, and even cars.
These are just a few of the items offered for sale
every day on legitimate online auction sites. They're also just a small
sample of the items used to lure unsuspecting victims into online
auction fraud schemes.
Most of the one million-plus transactions that take
place each day on these websites are legitimate; just a fraction
actually result in some type of fraud.
But even that fraction adds up. According to the
latest report of the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), more than 70,000
complaints made to IC3 last year -- about one in every four -- involved
online auction scams.
There are a variety of auction frauds, but here are some of the more common ones to watch out for:
Not mentioned by the Health Department: Never eat an egg fried on the sidewalk.
Normally, we would file this under No Shit Sherlock, but since the Daily RFT cares so much about you, gentle readers, we're going to pass along these tips we received from the St. Louis County Health Department. (Never mind that the heat wave started last week. We say better late than never.)
The Saint Louis County Health Department is strongly urging caution and common sense during periods
of extreme heat this summer.
"Saint Louis experiences heat waves almost every year and it
is important to observe common sense precautions whenever this happens," said
Dr. Dolores Gunn, director of the Health Department.
Whenever
temperatures rise above 95 degrees, the Health Department recommends the
following:
At least, that's what we're hearing from the Save the Children organization. Today the agency sent out a fear-mongering alarming notice (attached at the end of this post) stating that Missouri is "unprepared to protect children from disasters."
According to Save the Children, Missouri meets
zero out of four crucial minimum
standards to ensure that schools and child-care facilities are prepared to
respond to the needs of children during a disaster.
Those standards include evacuation and relocation, reunification and plans for special needs
children at child care facilities, as well as multi-hazard plans at schools.
So we'll leave you on that note. Have a great weekend, everyone. And please, keep those kiddies safe.
Is your office like The Office when it comes to attitudes and policies regarding sexual orientation?
Well, then, tomorrow is your big day. Pony up $100 and send your boss (and/or ignorant colleagues) to The Diversity Awareness Partnership's workshop, "Straight Talk About Gays in the Workplace."
The seminar begins tomorrow morning (Tuesday) on the Wells Fargo (formerly AG Edwards) campus in downtown St. Louis. Click here for more information.
And now, a lesson from The Office on how not to treat your gay co-workers.
Ahh, the HydroHoosier. Though rare in these parts, he is an indefatigable
beast who will persist in "gunnin' it and stunnin' shit" no matter
what financial difficulties may accrue.
Still, there seems to be some problems with people confusing the Drag Boat Classic with that other watercraft showdown, the Grand Prix Race at Creve Coeur Lake, that was canceled this year.
But no, the Drag Boat Race is officially on even though they, too, have experienced financial hardships. But, hey, why are we still blabbing away about it when the Drag Boat Classic's promotional director, Chris Orf, does a dandy job of it in the following media advisory. It's Daily RFT's "Press Release of the Day."
Organizers are rounding up applicants for this year's Princess Tomato and Sir Catsup competition.
Think you got what it takes? Read the regulations in the press release after the jump. Contestants receive all the catsup (not ketchup!) they can eat, and the winner gets a sash, trophy and a genuine U.S. savings bond.
We all know how the fire department will rescue kittens from trees, but this one seems to go beyond the call of duty.
According to an FCC press release, the St. Louis Fire Department is now teaming up with KETC (Channel 9) to provide in-home D-TV installation for inept city residents who can't properly install their digital converter box.
I'm sure there are a lot of folks out there who will appreciate the fire department's help on this matter, but really: Is this an emergency that merits their involvement?
Excuse me, is that a wearable towel you're wearing?
For any of you with "only three arms," or an alter-ego who lived in Ancient Greece, for that matter, check out the $19.95 Wearable Towel, patent pending worldwide.
Got this press release today...way too good not to pass along. The bolded stuff is RFT emphasis.
FISHER ISLAND, Fla--(BUSINESS WIRE)--20/20 Vision Management releases the Wearable Towel, "The Towel with Arm Openings."
Indeed, this may seem quite familiar as you might recall "The Blanket with Sleeves" that took Americans by storm this winter, but with the summer heat headed our way, these blankets are all being put away. This however is not the end of the wearable craze; in fact it has just begun because now there's a towel you can wear!
At first glance, it looks like a towel and well, it is! But it's also so much more. The Wearable Towel consists only of three arm openings which are placed along the side of the towel. While the concept in and of itself seems so simple, it has never been seen before.
Chalk this one up to the press release of the day category. The St. Louis County Department of Health wants you to know that there are vicious little rats with wings frothing at the mouth and swarming all over the local skies. In fact, there's probably one of the furry monsters waiting to ambush you in your bedroom when you get home RIGHT NOW!
The warmer weather marks the awakening of bats from hibernation, and the Saint Louis County Department of Health is cautioning residents to avoid handling the animals, since some can carry rabies. Four bats that tested positive for rabies were recovered recently in west and south St. Louis County; University City and Affton.
Any county resident who encounters a live or dead bat in their home is urged to call the health department. Residents should not attempt to capture a live bat but should confine it to the room where it is discovered so animal control officers can collect it for rabies testing.
Never release a bat found in a home if it was present while people were sleeping or in the same room with children or adults who, due to health or age, may not be able to describe the extent of their exposure.
During business hours, residents should call (314) 831-6500. After business hours, and on weekends and holidays, county residents should call Saint Louis County Police at (314) 889-2341
Last year, 377 bats were tested and 20 had rabies, said La'Rhonda Garrett-Wheelington, DOH Program Manager of Vector Control and Veterinary Services.
Vile heinous beasts! Eradicate them from the planet! Wait, what's that last part say?
Most bats don't carry rabies, and in fact perform a beneficial service by eating large quantities of insects. But if one bat in a colony contracts rabies, chances are it will spread to other members of the colony.
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