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07 May 2011 23:07

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U.S.: Mississippi River flooding: Near-record floodwaters in Memphis

  • 46′ the current levels of the Mississippi river in Memphis; some areas are already underwater
  • 48.7′ the prior record levels of the river in the area — set during a historic flood way back in 1937
  • 48′ the expected crest of the river in the area, which officials expect on Wednesday source
  • » A little bit of good news: While the floodwaters are extremely high, authorities say there will be no new rain until Tuesday, giving residents an opportunity to deal with the water already there, as well as to consider evacuation plans. (EDIT: A prior version of this story listed a 1927 flood as the record-setter. While the flood was devastating, it was not the worst. We apologize for the error.)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 May 2011 09:58

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U.S.: States struggle to handle Mississippi River’s rising floodwaters

  • We’re making a lot of unfortunate history here in Mississippi in April and May.
  • Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jeff Rent • Putting a pretty unfortunate period on the end of the sentence that is the Mississippi River’s flooding — along with last week’s tornadoes. All along the Misssissippi River, floodwaters are reaching record levels, putting some in precarious situations — or forcing some necessary but undesirable decisions, like blowing holes in levees that flood crops but save towns. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Dec 2010 12:03

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U.S.: Worst trip to Branson, ever: Riverboat gets stuck overnight

  • 567 number of passengers stuck on a cruise ship that left Branson yesterday; 76 crew were also stuck on the ship
  • 20 number of hours they’ve been stuck on the ship with a comedian – FROM BRANSON; what a nightmare!
  • 30 length, in feet, of the plank people will have to walk on to get off the boat; that’s right, they’re walkin’ the plank source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Sep 2010 10:35

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U.S.: In Missouri, judges can factor in a prison sentence’s price tag

  • Well, that’s one way to help shore up the budget. In Missouri, judges are now being given price tags for various types of sentences. And the main lesson to learn from this? Putting people in jail for a long time is way more expensive than simply giving them probation. No other state does it, and it’s created a bit of debate for the way that it seems to encourage weaker sentences. Our thought? If it means having safer streets, we’d rather have the added deficit. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Mar 2010 10:01

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U.S.: Kansas City, Missouri will have lots of empty schools soon

  • 28 of Kansas City’s 61 schools will close this year, in the wake of budget shortfalls
  • 17k students are enrolled
    in the schools, which is half of what it was a decade ago
  • $50M will be saved with the moves, which are understandably controversial source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2010 21:55

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Culture: Mark McGwire Highway renamed, but it still makes its Mark

  • McGwire Mark McGwire was one of Missouri’s greatest baseball players … well, until he admitted to using steroids. Highway revoked!
  • Twain Mark Twain is one of America’s greatest authors. And since he has the same first name, it’ll be easy to change the signs! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Sep 2009 11:55

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U.S.: Captured: A guy who recently robbed a bunch of banks

  • The basics ten banks
    four states
    one angry guy
    one goatee
  • The angry robber Chad Schaffner, Most Wanted bank robber
  • The detailsChad Schaffner, a guy with a long history of criminal activity, was arrested yesterday in Kingdom City, Missouri as a suspect in numerous bank robberies. His face was plastered on billboards across the South, which led to his capture. Nobody was hurt in any of the robberies. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink
 

22 Apr 2009 14:55

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Biz, U.S.: Speaking of layoffs, taking a bullet won’t even save your job

  • He got shot during a story last year. Todd Smith, a reporter for the St. Louis Suburban Journals, was at a Kirkwood, Mo. City Council meeting last year when Cookie Thornton, who had a lawsuit against the city, shot and killed five people, then himself. Smith was shot in the hand. The coverage of the shootings made the St. Louis Post Dispatch – the Suburban Journals’ parent paper – a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. Smith was laid off last Wednesday along with a bunch of other people. So no, taking a bullet won’t save your job. There goes our contingency plan. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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