WEATHER
*Partly cloudy skies and overcast this afternoon, today's high 56
LOCAL
*There's an overturned semi on the Westbound Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge at highway 70. There are reports of diesel fuel leaking on the highway but crews are working to dilute it. They are hoping to open the bridge by 7:30am but are still unsure.
*Hopefully you got your Hamilton tickets because they are sold out! The popular show is coming the Fabulous Fox Theater April 3rd-22nd. The Fox did say they may have additional tickets available closer to the show dates.
St. Louis County police have issued an Endangered Person Advisory for 69-year-old Timothy Conrad. He was last seen at his home in Wildwood where relatives found suicide notes.
NATIONAL
*The Mega Millions lottery is making some changes that will result in jackpots topping $1 billion. Starting with the October 31st drawing, the multi-state lottery will go from $1 a game to $2. This will create longer odds but larger jackpots. The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever was $656 million, which was won in 2012. The changes are expected to result in $1 billion jackpots. The starting jackpot will also increase from $15 million to $40 million. Players will also have better odds to win the $1 million second-tier prize. (Newsline)
EPA Silences Three Scientists Amid Threats-
The controversy is continuing over three scientists from the EPA being pulled from scheduled speeches at a presentation on the state of Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay.
Several-dozen protesters gathered outside the Providence headquarters of the environmental group Save the Bay yesterday, where the conference was being held, accusing the EPA of censoring its scientists.
Democratic Senator Jack Reed held a news conference with the rest of Rhode Island's congressional delegation, saying “This type of political interference, or scientific censorship — whatever you want to call it — is ill-advised and does a real disservice to the American public and public health,”
An EPA official told the "Providence Journal" after yesterday's conference that the cancellation of the speeches from the EPA scientists was due to a miscommunication that has been blown out of proportion.
Source: Washington Post
Tampa Murders Force Town Meeting-
A Tampa neighborhood is on edge after three fatal shootings within a one-mile radius stoked fears that a serial killer is on the loose.
Three people have been shot to death in the Seminole Heights neighborhood over the past two weeks. Police say all three people, who did not know each other, were alone when they were shot on the street. None of the victims were robbed.
The neighborhood is now on high alert. Parents are keeping their kids indoors and police are escorting children to schools. City buses are also changing their routes. Police say right now they have no leads or a motive. All they have is a surveillance photo of a lone man in a hoodie walking the streets on the night of the first murder. (CBS News)
Source: WTSP
FBI Upends Mall Bombing Plot-
A Honduran citizen living in Florida is being charged with trying to blow up a mall in Miami.
The U.S. Justice Department says Vicente Solano talked about his plot to put a bomb in a popular Miami mall with undercover FBI agents. He also made pro-ISIS statements in three video he gave to an informant. The 53-year-old even had what he thought was a live bomb and took it to the mall to carry out the attack.
The bomb was a fake and didn't pose any threat to people. He is in jail now on a charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. He faces a possible life sentence if he's convicted.
Source: CBS Miami
Tornadoes Suspected As Storms Race Through The South-
The Carolinas are recovering from yesterday's severe weather. Storm damage across the Charlotte region caused several school districts to close or operate on a delay. The Hickory airport reported a tornado flipped cars and several small airplanes into a pile of debris. An apparent tornado also caused widespread damage in Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
Reports came in of downed trees and power lines across the region and flooding was widespread. In Boone, police report they had several swiftwater rescues and 10 homes were damaged in a mudslide.
The National Weather Service will survey the damage and determine if twisters did touch down. There were no reports of injuries or deaths.
Source: Charlotte Observer
*Facing mounting criticism, the Pentagon on Monday explained what happened in Niger [pr: nye-jehr] earlier this month when four U.S. soldiers were killed in an ambush. According to General Joseph Dunford, the United States Africa Command's investigation into the incident didn't show any signs, at least initially, that the soldiers involved had taken unnecessary risks.
(Reuters)
SPORTS
*He's being called "The Secret Weapon", the St. Louis Cardinals welcomed back Jose Oquendo he will now be the Third Base Coach. Fan favorite Willie McGee will be on the coaching team, he has been serving as a Special Assistant to the General Manager.