WEATHER
*Sunshine to start the day then afternoon clouds today's high 72
LOCAL
*The St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross is sending resources to both Texas and Florida to help with hurricane relief efforts. “We are preparing for another large disaster,” said Cindy Erickson, CEO of the St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. “We need a lot of volunteers to help in the months to come.”
*Check your lotto tickets, someone won $1 million dollars fro a QT on Dunn Road in North County. Whoever it is matched all 5 white numbers in the Mega Millions drawing from Friday.
NATIONAL
Residents and visitors of the Florida Keys have been ordered to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma which could slam into the state this weekend.
Visitors to the low-lying island chain must evacuate this morning and residents have been given until tonight to get out. The powerful Category 5 storm, which is packing winds of 185 mph, made its first landfall overnight in the Caribbean island of Barbuda and is on a path to target the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico later tonight. (NY Times)
There’s Another Named Storm Behind Irma-
It’s becoming obvious we’re in peak hurricane season.
The National Hurricane Center says a second storm is brewing behind Hurricane Irma. As we told you, Irma made landfall in the Caribbean island of Barbuda early this morning with winds of 185 miles-per-hour. The Category Five hurricane is headed for Puerto Rico and could hit Florida, where a state of emergency has been declared.
Now, forecasters say Irma is being followed by a second storm, Tropical Storm Jose. The National Hurricane Center says that Jose, the tenth named storm of the season, could become a Category Two hurricane as it approaches the Caribbean Islands at the end of the week. The center said residents in the Caribbean "should monitor the track" of Jose.
Wait! There’s more….Billionaire Richard Branson, who owns a private island in the British Virgin Islands, refuses to leave Necker Islanddespite the Category 5 storm aiming for him. Branson is known as a risk taker, but some are concerned this may be too much.
Source: ABC News
Cop Who Arrested Nurse Lost His Part-Time Job-
The detective at the heart of a national uproar concerning the arrest of a Utah hospital nurse is being forced out of his part-time job.
Salt Lake City detective Jeff Payne was fired from his job as a paramedic with Gold Cross Ambulance yesterday. The company's president said they had no issues with Payne during his nearly 30 years of service. But Payne was heard on body cam video saying he would punish the University of Utah Hospital by taking "good patients elsewhere" during the July arrest of nurse Alex Wubbels.
She was arrested after refusing to draw blood from a patient who was injured by another driver during a police chase. She told the officer that she would be violating hospital rules. The ambulance company said they took Payne's comments seriously and noted he ”violated several company policies and left a poor image of the company,” so felt the best thing was to let Payne go.
Source: Salt Lake City Tribune
*Lawmakers in California on Tuesday gave the final approval to name part of the 134 Freeway the President Barack H. Obama Highway in honor of the 44th president of the United States.
Those who support the plan now have to raise the funds privately to pay for the signs that will be posted on a portion of the Ventura Freeway between the 210 and 2 Freeways, which runs through sections of Glendale, Pasadena and Eagle Rock. The area is located near Occidental College in Eagle Rock, where Obama was a student in 1979 and 1980, before transferring in 1981 to Columbia University.
California Senator Anthony Portantino came up with the idea of naming the section of the freeway after Obama after discovering he lived in Pasadena when he attended Occidental and drove on that freeway to his classes.
Speaking on Tuesday, Portantino also made a reference to President Trump's announcement about ending DACA. Portantino said, "It is particularly proud to stand today to recognize [Obama's] compassion and heart and dignity on a day when we sorely need compassion, heart and dignity expressed."
SPORTS
Cardinals beat Padres, 8-4