On Today’s Show
➢ Someone in North Carolina randomly found some World War Two medals in a dumpster that belonged to a guy named Donald Helfer who died in 1993. And his kids were thrilled to find out . . . because they had no idea he was a war hero. He flew almost 30 flights into enemy territory, but never talked about it. It turned out he received a Bronze Star, a Flying Cross, and a thank-you letter from President Truman. An American Legion official named Jeff Truitt tracked the family down.
➢ A woman in the Netherlands got a tattoo by a robotic arm . . . the tattoo artist was 300 miles away. This is the first-ever remote tattoo.
➢ A woman in North Carolina who was searching for her biological father took a DNA test . . . and found out he’s on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for murdering five family members in 1976.
➢ The “Downton Abbey” sequel is set to be filmed this summer. Shooting will begin as soon as coronavirus rules allow, with hopes for a Christmas release. All the main cast members are reportedly on board for the project and Highclere Castle in Berkshire – which doubles for the Downton estate in Yorkshire – is available for filming in early summer, before it opens to the public for eight weeks beginning in July.
SATURDAY-
• “Spring Arrives”, the new season officially begins at 5:37am EDT.
SCIENTIFIC REASONS SPRING IS THE MOST DELIGHTFUL SEASON:
– More daylight. Exposure to sunlight increases serotonin in your brain, making you feel happy.
– Flowers bloom. Science has proven that just looking at buttercups can make you happy.
– You get vitamins naturally. Sunlight triggers your body to produce vitamin D, for instance.
“Maple Syrup Saturday”, a celebration of the running of the sap from which they make liquid gold. About 75% of the world’s supply is produced in Canada, with 91% of that coming from the province of Québec.
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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE
Neal McCoy scored his first #1 single with “No Doubt About It” in 1994.
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Mom Is Arrested for Making Deep Fakes of Her Daughter’s Cheerleading Rivals
There’s a 50-year-old woman named Raffaela Spone from Pennsylvania. Her daughter is in high school and is on a traveling cheerleading team.
And Raffaela came up with a plan to get her daughter’s rivals off the team. She made DEEPFAKE PHOTOS and VIDEOS that made it look like those girls were drinking, vaping, and nude. She anonymously sent those pictures to the team’s coach, and also to the girls themselves. the reports say there’s no sign her daughter knew she was doing any of this.
The coaches and parents called the police, and they figured out the pictures and videos were deepfakes. Then they traced the photos back and the Mom was arrested last week for cyber harassment of a child and other charges.
Mom and Daughter Are Arrested for Casting Fake Votes for Homecoming Queen
There’s a 50-year-old woman named Laura Rose Carroll who’s the assistant principal at an elementary school in Florida. Her 17-year-old daughter is a student at the local high school.
Back in October, the daughter was crowned homecoming queen.
But something was off. And when the school district contacted the police, they ran an investigation . . . and found that someone had accessed hundreds of students’ online accounts from the same IP address to vote for the daughter for homecoming queen.
And they figured out what happened: Laura and her daughter used Laura’s access to the district’s computer systems to get into those accounts and cast the votes.
Those accounts also have students’ grades, medical information, personal information, and more. So Laura and her daughter were both arrested on FELONY charges of offenses against computer systems, unlawful use of a communications device, and criminal use of personally identifiable information.
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FOUR RANDOM FACTS
- The last shot of the U.S. Civil War was fired on June 28th, 1865 . . . almost two months after the war ended . . . off the coast of Alaska. A Confederate warship hadn’t gotten word the war was over and destroyed 24 Union boats.
- Colombia is being overrun by dozens of HIPPOS, who are destroying crops, crushing cows, and damaging property . . . and it’s all because Pablo Escobarbuilt himself a zoo in the ’80s and imported a bunch of hippos, who’ve now bred.
- Play-Doh was originally created in the 1930s as wallpaper cleaner.
- Basketball in North Korea has different rules. Dunks are worth three points, shots in the final three minutes are worth eight points, three-pointers are worth four points if the ball doesn’t touch the rim, and you lose a point for missing a free throw.
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GOOD NEWS
A handyman in Maryland named Dan Reynolds found out one of his clients was on dialysis, realized they had the same blood type, and immediately offered him a kidney.
The surgery happened last month, and they’re both doing great.
Now people have donated over $20,000 to help the handyman while he’s recovering and can’t work. (The handyman and the guy’s wife recently did an interview about it.)
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BIRTHDAYS
[74] Glenn Close, actress
[66] Bruce Willis, actor
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RESEARCH ANIMAL:
University of Guelph researchers say they’re surprised by the findings of their study about how vegan diets affect the health of cats.
They conducted an online questionnaire of cat owners and found that cats on vegan diets have no more health problems than felines fed conventional, meat-based diets. Over 1,300 cat owners in the US and Canada were surveyed, with just over 18% feeding their cats a plant-based diet.
Lead researcher Sarah Dodd says the results are surprising because previous studies have indicated that cats, which are considered carnivores, need nutrients from meat, and without them, they can suffer from liver, heart, skin and eye problems. But she also pointed out that research has shown most people are notoriously bad at scoring their own cats’ bodies, so more objective studies are needed.
She says anyone considering a vegan diet for their cat should use commercial food over a homemade diet, and to let a veterinarian know, so any potential problems can be caught early.
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Tomorrow Is the First Day of Spring! Here’s Why It Might Make You Happier and Healthier
The first day of spring is tomorrow. Here are some ways the changing season could make you happier and healthier . . .
- There’s better light. We just changed the clocks so it’s brighter later now. And the sudden jump in the amount of sunshine we get can have a big impact on our mood.
- The sky is bluer. It’s not your imagination, the sky actually looks more blue in the springtime. It’s due in part to the Sun’s position in the sky this time of year.
- You might sleep better. Being exposed to more sunlight during the day can help you sleep better at night. And if you’re sleeping better, you’ll feel more awake and able to concentrate during the day.
- Activities like gardening are a mood-enhancer. Any activity that gets you outside and moving is probably good for your health and wellbeing. It can affect everything from your metabolism, weight, and mood, to things like cardiovascular disease and even eyesight.
FRIDAY MARCH 19TH
- NJD 3 – PIT 2 BOS 4 – BUF 1 PHI 4 – NYI 3 CBJ 3 – CAR 2 OT
TBL 4 – CHI 2 NSH 2 – FLA 1 DET 3 – DAL 2 EDM 2 – WPG 1
COL 5 – MIN 1 ANA 3 – ARI 2 OT
- Here’s Jamie Foxx advocatingfor early colon cancer screenings.
- Here’s a Flashback Friday from 1997. It’s a videospoof from Rockwell Automation of a salesman pitching their “Retro-Encabulator.” There’s no such thing, though. The funny part is hearing all the technobabble words he uses that may or may not even exist in the English language.
- The biggest and fastest asteroid to make a flyby of Earth this year is expected this weekend.
The space rock will zoom past on March 21 at a speed of 34.4 kilometers (21.4 miles) per second, according to NASA. It’s about 1.1 km (0.7 miles) wide.
Nearly 100 known asteroids will fly past Earth before the end of 2021, but asteroid 231937 will be the largest and fastest.
The good news? Its orbit is well known and poses no threat to we earthlings. NASA says it will make its closest approach at (11:03 a.m. EST), when it will still be over 2 million kilometres away from Earth.
- Do you know what Jello is made out of? Here’s Jim Gaffigan to educate us all. (From his special “Noble Ape”.)
THOMAS RHETT’S ‘COUNTRY SONG’ WOULD BE ONE BY ERIC CHURCH
Thomas Rhett’s latest hit asks “What’s Your Country Song,” and when the question is posed to Thomas, he has a definitive answer. He tells us: [“I think if I had to pick my country song, it would probably be something by Eric Church, cause I think going through middle school and high school, he was my idol in country music, and I just remember listening to ‘These Boots’ over and over and over and over again. I just loved how simple it was, how stripped down it was and the story that it told, cause I think we all have been in those places where, whether we’re wearing boots or tennis shoes or whatever it is, you’re like, ‘Dang, these things have seen a lot of life and a lot of crazy memories, a lot of sad memories, a lot of the good ones,’ so I think ‘These Boots’ would be my country song.”]
“What’s Your Country Song.” is the lead release from his upcoming double album, called Country Again: Side A, which will be released on April 30th.
Country Again: Side B is set for release later this year.
TIM MCGRAW’S WORKOUTS
TIM MCGRAW’s legendary workout routines strike fear into his opening acts who have to keep up. Turns out he goes easier on himself when he’s home, if you consider 90 minutes easy. But he turns it up several notches on tour. Quote, “In the mornings, when I’m home now, it’s an hour and a half or so.
“But touring, it starts out an hour and a half in the morning and then we do 20 laps up and down the lawn carrying weight. And then it’s a break, and then it’s two hours in the afternoon, so it’s a long time.”
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REBA McENTIRE TO HAVE THEME SONG IN NEW GLENN CLOSE MOVIE
Reba McEntire announced on Twitter that she is singing the theme song to an emotional new movie coming out next month. Her voice will be heard as the credits roll for the film,
Four Good Days, starring Glenn Close and Mila Kunis.
Reba posted a trailer for the movie and said: “It was written by the amazing Diane Warren who also wrote my songs ‘I’ll Be’ and ‘What If.’”
In the movie, Mila Kunis plays a young woman struggling with multiple addictions and Glenn Close is her estranged mother… who’s still willing to do anything to save her.
It’s slated to open in theaters on April 30, and it will be available on-demand beginning May 21.
