December 28, 2015

Train Derails in Neosho Due to Flood Waters

NEOSHO, Mo. -- According to the city's Facebook page, a train has been derailed due to high flood waters.

The Burlington Northern Railroad train cars were traveling in the Keeling Flats area along US Business 60, just north of Neosho, when the cars began detaching.

Burlington Northern officials are on site and say that the cars were not carrying any hazardous materials.

http://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/train-derails-in-neosho-due-to-flood-waters

December 28, 2015

Daily Holidays - December 28

National Chocolate
 Candy Day There may have been a few pieces of chocolate candy tucked into your stocking. Or perhaps you received a box of your favorite chocolates as a gift. December 28 is the day to enjoy those delicious treats. It’s National Chocolate Candy Day. http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/

Pledge Of Allegiance Day Congress formally recognized the Pledge of Allegiance on December 28, 1945. Thought to have been written by Francis Bellamy, the Pledge of Allegiance was published anonymously by a magazine for young people, The Youth’s Companion, and was written in celebration of the 400th anniversary, in 1892, of the discovery of America. http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/

Card Playing Day Card Playing Day falls a few days after Christmas, when everybody needs a bit of a break and a wind-down. What better way to relax and spend some time with family and friends than by playing a game of cards? https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/card-playing-day/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/december28.html

December 28, 2015

All lanes of I-70 closed in St. Charles Co. for Monday morning rush hour

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- All lanes of Interstate 70 are closed due to flood water in St. Charles County.

MoDOT says the eastbound lanes are closed near mile marker 220 from Bryan to the Mid Rivers Mall. Westbound lanes are closed from Mid Rivers to Highway 79.

MoDOT said in a tweet to expect the interstate to be closed at least until through the Monday morning rush hour.

http://www.kmov.com/story/30835450/eb-i-70-closed-in-st-charles-county

December 27, 2015

Daily Holidays - December 27

National Fruit Cake Day Rome is believed to be the creator of fruitcake and one of the earliest recipes known comes from ancient Rome listing pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and raisins that were mixed into barley mash. Records indicate that in the Middle Ages, honey, spices and preserved fruits were added. Recipes for fruitcake vary from country to country depending on available ingredients and tradition. http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/

Visit The Zoo Day If animals are your passion then Visit the Zoo Day gives you a great opportunity to really get close to some of the most intriguing and engaging species on the planet. No matter where you live, your usually not far from a zoo, so why not go for a visit and find out more? Some people think of zoos only as cruel prisons where countless animals are kept, bored to death, from the moment they’re born till the moment they die. But these days zoos are at the forefront of much of the research which goes on into animal behaviour and how best to protect vulnerable animals from extinction. Many zoos have breeding programmes running, where they work with other facilities around the world to increase the numbers of endangered populations. In most of the better zoos around the globe, the enclosures the animals are kept in are relatively roomy and attempt to mirror an animal’s natural environment as closely as possible. Some zoos house indigenous species as well as or rather than those from further away. All in all, zos are fascinating (and often smelly) places where we can get a lot closer to nature than we would ever have the chance to otherwise, and that’s definitely worth trying at least once or twice in life. https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/visit-the-zoo-day/

Make A Cut Out Snowflake Day A great way to celebrate the festive season and winter in general is by making your own snowflake decorations. Make Cut-out Snowflakes Day encourages you to get busy with paper and scissors to make your very own snowflake decorations!
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/make-cut-out-snowflakes-day/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/december27.html

December 26, 2015

Daily Holidays - December 26

National Candy
 Cane Day A lot of things have their own day dedicated to them; one you may not have known about is the candy cane. Yes, this veritable symbol of tasty festivity has a dedicated day, so if you ever needed an excuse to stockpile them or indulge, now you have one. So let the deliciousness begin! https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/candy-cane-day/

Boxing Day The day after Christmas is traditionally the day for employers to give a gift, a “Christmas box”, to their employees. The holiday is a primarily British holiday and is celebrated across the world in current and past British held commonwealths. http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/

National Thank-you Note Day The day after Christmas is a perfect opportunity to give thanks by sending thank you notes. Celebrate Thank You Note Day by writing to friends and relatives to show your appreciation and gratitude for their festive gifts and to tell them how much you value them. https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/thank-you-note-day/

National Whiner's Day. If you want to, you are allowed to whine about being too tired, over eating, having to go back to work, having so much to clean up or the long lines in the return aisle at the store. December 26 is National Whiners Day. http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/december26.html

December 25, 2015

Daily Holidays - December 25

National Pumpkin
Pie Day Pumpkin Pie Day celebrates the humble pumpkin pie, a national favourite in the USA. Pumpkin pie is a traditional North American sweet dessert, eaten during the fall and early winter, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The pumpkin is a symbol of harvest time and featured also at Halloween. https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/pumpkin-pie-day/

Christmas According to Wikipedia, Christmas or Christmas Day (Old English: Crīstesmæsse, meaning “Christ’s Mass”) is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is prepared for by the season of Advent or Nativity Fast and is prolonged by the Octave of Christmas and the season of Christmastide. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world’s nations, is celebrated culturally by a large number of non-Christian people, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season. http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/december25.html

December 24, 2015

On Chess: Your Move Chess program stimulates minds of youth

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/chess-your-move-chess-program-stimulates-minds-youth

The intense concentration of Erica, a fifth-grader at Walnut Grove Elementary School in Ferguson, was apparent as she played chess against one of the best in the world. This fall, chess grandmasters visited Walnut Grove and Vogt elementary schools, which as part of the Ferguson-Florissant School District are benefiting from the Your Move Chess program.

Your Move Chess – a partnership between Ascension, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, and the Ferguson-Florissant School District – has brought after-school chess clubs to district students. The goal is to help them develop critical thinking skills, build confidence, and cultivate tools that can be valuable in all aspects of life.

The mission of Ascension, the largest Catholic and non-profit health system in the country, is to provide compassionate, personalized care to all, especially those in underserved communities. Some have posed the question, “Why chess?” The answer goes beyond the chess board and pieces.

Based in St. Louis, Ascension has more than 1,900 sites of care in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Ascension has learned that community health and wellness is supported not only inside the walls of a hospital, doctor’s office or other care site, but also through programs such as Your Move Chess, a program that stimulates the minds of youth and provides a fun, safe environment to learn outside of the regular classroom.

December 24, 2015

Daily Holidays - December 24

National Egg Nog Day Eggnog (or egg nog) is a sweet, dairy drink with cream, milk and often rum, brandy or whisky. Eggnog is popular in the US and Canada, though less so in Europe and the rest of the world. Eggnog Day falls on Christmas Eve and encourages you to make your own to celebrate the festive period! https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/egg-nog-day/

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve occurs annually on December 24th. The anticipation of Christmas is often cause for celebration. Stockings are hung. Last minute gifts are wrapped. Dishes are prepared for the big day. Cookies are left for Santa. Churches open their doors for solemn services.

It is also the day Father Christmas, Sinterklass, Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus take off on their journey delivering gifts around the world.http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/december24.html

December 23, 2015

Daily Holidays - December 23

National Pfeffernuesse Day Very popular around the holidays, pfeffernusse are fluffy cookies made with ground nuts and spices and covered in powdered sugar. http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/

Festivus Festivus encourages the celebration of the festive season without the commercial overtones typically associated with Christmas. Celebrate by getting a plain aluminium pole in place of a traditional Christmas Tree, and labelling common and perfectly normal events as ‘Festivus miracles’. https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/festivus/

Roots Day Many people are uninterested in where their ancestors came from…until they start researching the topic deeper. And then suddenly it turns out that their family history was a long and fascinating one, and they become obsessed with finding out everything possible about where their forefather come from that they talk the ear off of anyone even remotely interested. Maybe they were related to a famous person who made a significant discovery or took part in an important battle or other historical event? People have been migrating to all different parts of the world for hundreds of years in search of a better place to live, worship and raise their families, motivated by everything from religious prosecution to hunger and poverty in their own countries, to taking part in great wars that made our world what it is today, so it stands to reason that everyone would find something interesting about their own family history. Your parents, grandparents, etc. and their decisions are what made you who you are today, and had they made different decisions than they did, then it would not have only been their lives that would have ended up affected. Many times questions that have plagued us our entire lives can be answered with some solid family history research, and even spending just a few hours might reveal some valuable information. https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/roots-day/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/december23.html

December 22, 2015

Daily Holidays - December 22

Winter Solstice The winter solstice is marked by the point at which the North Pole is at its farthest from the sun during its yearly orbit around the sun. It will be approximately 23 degrees away from the sun. Despite the temperature outside, the winter solstice is considered the astronomical beginning of winter. Meteorological winter begins December 1 and lasts until the end of February and is marked by the coldest average temperatures during the year. http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/latest-posts/

National Date Nut
 Bread Day It’s worth laying on a spread to celebrate Date Nut Bread Day – but the question is whether to choose butter or cream cheese! Nobody seems to know for sure who decided that this delicious fruity bread should get its own day, despite evidence that the holiday has been celebrated for years. Published recipes for the bread “date” back to the 1920s, but fruited breads were also known in earlier centuries and many different parts of the world. https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/date-nut-bread-day/

http://www.famousbirthdays.com/december22.html