TresSugar

High School Establishes HIV-Testing Center After Exposure

CitizenSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Normandy High School in St. Louis, MO, sent notes home with students this week warning them of a potential outbreak of HIV. The county health department traced a positive test back to the high school and determined that several students may have been exposed, the first time such an investigation had led to a school, according to officials. The understandably frightening newsletter, much more serious than the "head lice" letters of yore, has caused a panic.

The health department spokesman said, "There is concern, but we really don't want to raise alarms here. This is not some major new outbreak or method of transmission, and there's no evidence to suggest it was deliberately being spread." Despite his efforts at reassurance, speculation over who has it is rampant. The school is establishing a testing center, though the mostly sexually-active student body is split over whether to get tested, many are opting to even though according to one student, "most of them know to use condoms."

The school fears the stigma of the publicity with one junior saying, "But now people are going to say, 'He goes to Normandy, he has AIDS.'" Currently about five percent of HIV cases in St. Louis are diagnosed to teenagers. Is transparency and testing in the school the safest and smartest idea? What about privacy implications? How did we make the jump from head lice to HIV?

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Bye Bye Budweiser! American King of Beers Now Belgian

LibertySugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:00:21 -0700

Belgium's government collapsed today, but at least they can drink away their sorrows. An American treasure - Budweiser beer - is now Belgian. Perhaps baseball or apple pie will leave us next. For $52 billion Belgian company InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch, pledging to keep the North American headquarters in St. Louis, while cutting $1.5 billion in costs.

The King's defection hits no place harder than its birthplace St. Louis, MO. Anheuser-Busch's reign in the Midwest city dates back to a brewery founded in 1852. If you're keeping track, InBev's first brewery was founded in 1366.

For more on Anheiser-Busch's American legacy, and what my grandparents in St. Louis have to say about this "rotten deal" read more.

Anheuser-Busch may not have survived this millennium, but it did survive US prohibition by introducing ice cream, root beer, and chocolate-flavor drinks, as well as dealcholized Bud in the 1920s. When prohibition ended, the now infamous A-B Clydesdale horses delivered a case of beer to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the White House.

My Nana and Papa, born and raised in St. Louis, are mourning the end of their hometown icon. Nana remembers the days before air conditioning when you could smell the hops in your home on hot summer days. And Papa will miss checking the newspaper daily to see how the A-B stock is doing.

Are you sad to see the King of beers be bought by a European company, or do you prefer imported beer anyway? So Belgium, this Bud's for you.

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Obama Draws a Crowd of 100,000 in St. Louis

CitizenSugar — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:07:50 -0700

A crowd estimated by police to number 100,000 came out to an Obama rally in St. Louis, MO today. Standing before the crowd, Obama said, "What a magnificent sight. All I can say is, wow!" The sea of supporters collected under the St. Louis Gateway Arch the nation's tallest monument. The rally doesn't rival his largest, 200,000 in Berlin, but beats the 84,000 who heard him give his acceptance speech at the convention in August.

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Front Page: Hillary Clinton Is Winning the Popularity Contest

TresSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:00:30 -0700

Hillary Clinton has a higher approval rating than Barack Obama. - Gallup
Art experts believe they have found a new painting by Leonardo da Vinci. - BBC News
Rush Limbaugh has been dropped from the group that is trying to buy the NFL's St. Louis Rams. - ESPN
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is in some trouble over the execution of an allegedly innocent man. - Huffington Post
Congress will soon debate and decide whether healthcare reform should include a public option. - New York Times

Say What? Superstar Goalie Hope Solo Doesn't Like Pink

TresSugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:00:00 -0700

"They go and make this padded goal-keeper jersey and it's hot pink - it just looks girly, it looks juvenile, it doesn't look professional. And so I said, 'There's no way in hell I'm wearing this.'"

- Hope Solo, goalie for the St. Louis Athletica, quoted in The Atlantic magazine's September issue about her reaction to the uniforms Puma designed for the league's seven teams. Both beloved and reviled for her cocky ways, Solo, considered by some to be the best goalkeeper in the world, is getting endorsement deals from VitaminWater and Nike. The self-described "loudmouth goalkeeper" is shown here in Beijing after winning the Women's Football Gold Medal match between Brazil and the US in August. Many were not amused by her victory dance around the field wearing a fake gold medal dangling from her neck.

Briefing Book! Ex-Gov Blagojevich Pleads Not Guilty

CitizenSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:01:55 -0700

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich plead not guilty to 16 federal criminal counts today, saying, "Black care never catches a rider whose pace is fast enough." - New York Times
Use condoms or make Hitler? - The XX File
Interracial smooch photo on St. Louis Post-Dispatch magazine causes a controversy. - Gawker
You're born with your personality so stop trying to change it. - LemonDrop
Why bathroom breaks before going on national TV are important. - GiggleSugar
Facebook makes your grades drop! - geeksugar

Week in Weird News: Wax Museum Might Be Stiffing GOP

CitizenSugar — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:00:39 -0700

Wax Museum Accused of Dissing GOP - Some Republicans have accused Madame Tussauds of playing favorites with the Democrats. Michelle Obama is only the third first lady to get a wax figure, the other two being Jackie Kennedy and Hillary Clinton.
Austrian Woman Fined For Calling Her Son Too Much - An Austrian court fined a 73-year-old woman $478 for stalking her son. She called him 49 times a day.
Environmental Office Pollutes Washington Creek - Sewage from Washington state's Department of Ecology regional offices have been polluting a creak near Vancouver Lake.
Liquor Store Offers Home Delivery - Hoping to boost business ChrisPy's liquor store will now offer home delivery for $5, and $2.50 for senior citizens. The owner will deliver your goods himself.
Police Chief Allegedly Tasers His Wife -A police chief in a Texas town has been arrested and charged with tasering his wife.
Obama Gets Mixed Up in Midwest Rivalry - President Obama upset Chicagoans when he called in a St. Louis pizza-maker to cook deep-dish pies for a White House pizza party last night.

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5 Weird and Wacky Stories From This Week

CitizenSugar — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:00:32 -0800

Man Late For Flight Pretends He's an Air Marshal - Running late for a flight out of Florida, a man flashed fake police identification and claimed to be an air marshal. Once on board, the real air marshals recognized him as a fake and threw him off.
St. Louis Family Struggles to Save Its Cave - A family that converted a mining cave into a home has a big payment coming up on the property. If they can't get new financing, they're going to auction the place on eBay.
Woman Trades Kids For Bird and Cash - A Louisiana woman has been accused of selling two children in her care for a pet cockatoo and $175 cash to a couple who had been trying for years to have their own kid.
German Cashier Fired For Stealing $1.65 Sparks Capitalism Debate - Germans have erupted into a debate about unchecked capitalism after a cashier was fired after 31 years for allegedly stealing $1.65. National leaders are calling the sacking barbaric.
Man Accused of Putting Camera in Women's Bathroom - The assistant director of information technology at a private Massachusetts high school pleaded not guilty to putting cameras in the school's women's bathroom.

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Top 5 Most Dangerous Cities List Puts New Orleans at No. 1

CitizenSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:30:45 -0800

With a murder every 40 hours, New Orleans crime rate is hard to beat. The latest City Crime Rankings looked at reported incidents of six major crimes to determine the most dangerous dwellings in the US. With a population of only 250,000 that changed drastically after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans came out on top.

Rounding out the list, the top-five cities with the highest crime rate include:

New Orleans, LA
Camden, NJ
Detroit, MI
St. Louis, MO
Oakland, CA

The FBI warns that ranking cities head-to-head fails to paint a realistic picture. In addition, local mayors and law enforcement officials maintain that such a superficial ranking irresponsibly misuses crime data by ignoring complex factors. Do you think rankings of the most dangerous cities help hold law enforcement accountable or are they counterproductive?

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Missouri Students to be Punished For "Hit a Jew Day"

CitizenSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:30:59 -0700

Four students at a St. Louis area school are facing punishment after allegedly participating in "Hit a Jew Day." Apparently part of an unofficial "Spirit Week" the sixth graders started innocently with "Hug a Friend Day," and it progressed through "Hit a Tall Person Day" to the decidedly less silly "Hit a Jew Day."

School officials think fewer than 10 of the school's 35 Jewish students were actually hit. The perpetrators of the spirit gone wrong are facing suspension and could be required to go to counseling. A school spokesman says, "There is a mix of sadness and outrage. The concern is a lot of kids knew about it and they didn't take action or say anything." The Anti-Defamation League says the incident is more than just bullying and are meeting with school officials today.

Is this school hijinks gone awry with kids who don't know the true meaning? Or something much more dangerous?

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