On Today’s Show

➢ A 94-year-old guy from Ontario named Gordon Precious recently became the oldest person in the world to heli-ski.  He did it in B.C.  That’s where a helicopter drops you at the top of a mountain, and you ski down. He beat out a 91 year old for the record.

➢ A 35-year-old Sudbury woman had to be rescued last weekend after she had a fight with her friend during a five-day canoe trip on the Spanish River near Gogama.

“A heated argument ensued between the two, which resulted in one woman leaving in the canoe and the other being stranded on shore with the tent and limited supplies,” police said in a news release. “Due to not having any cell service at that location, the woman inflated her sleeping pad and used it to continue down the river, but before leaving, she wrote ”SOS” (distress signal) in the sand. Once she reached an area with somewhat of a cell signal, she contacted her spouse for help and was able to provide the location coordinates.”

She was rescued from the remote area and taken to hospital. “Other than suffering with insect bites, she was in good health,” Police said.

➢ A group of teenagers in Michigan stole six baby goats from the petting zoo at a place called Moo-ville Creamery.  Police figured out who did it after one of them posted a photo of the baby goats online, but the owners decided not to press charges.

➢ Welcome back to Jurassic Park! Nearly three decades after the release of the first Jurassic Park film, it was #1 at the box office thanks to drive in theatres. With most theaters remaining closed drive-ins have been showing classic movies as many new releases opted for on-demand premieres or pushed their debuts. Steven Spielberg’s 1993 hit played at 230 theater sites this past weekend and reportedly earned $517,600. Spielberg’s Jaws also screened over Father’s Day weekend, taking in $516,300 at 187 locations.

➢ Paul Blart is somewhere crying right now.  Because the company that makes Segway scooters just announced they’re going away, 19 years after they debuted.

The first Segway came out in 2001 and everyone wanted one, but the $5,000 price tag was a little steep.  So in two decades, they only sold 140,000 of them.  Mostly to cops and private security firms.

Segway’s parent company will still make smaller self-balancing scooters that are cheaper and easier to ride.  But the original Segway that we know and love won’t be manufactured after July 15th.

TODAY IS……………….

• “Take Your Dog to Work Day”, created by Pet Sitters International to give dog owners the opportunity to invite their ‘best friend’ to participating workplaces.
• “National Canoe Day” in Canada. The canoe has been chosen as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of Canada’.

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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE

George Strait records “The Cowboy Rides Away” in a late-night session at the Sound Stage in Nashville in 1984.

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2020 DUST STORM

The current Saharan dust episode is leading to the worst dust storm in the Caribbean in decades.

Over the weekend Saharan dust moved into the Caribbean. By Monday, it had changed the tropical blue skies into a hazy brown-gray color in one of the worst dust events seen in the Caribbean. One researcher calls it historic creating the worst air quality conditions some have ever seen.

It is unusual that the dust is forecast to travel over central America and the US with such high concentrations, It’s expected to hit Texas by today but not expected to reach Canada.

Another scientist says “Usually by the time dust from the Sahara has traveled this far, much of it has been dispersed and/or deposited to the ocean so that typically this long-range transport to the Americas would involve much lower concentrations,”

The initial dust outbreak was driven by a few different smaller storm systems over central and west Africa. Meaning a larger amount of dust than usual was able to accumulate just off the west coast of Africa. The dust layer is so thick you can see it on weather satellites. Astronauts have also gotten a good view of it from the international space station.

One of the first things you’ll notice when the Saharan dust layer arrives is that your typical blue sky will have more of a milky haze to it.

That milky haze is the Saharan dust. Those tiny dust particles lofted tens of thousands of feet in the air do a great job of scattering the sun’s rays at dusk and dawn, too, which gives way to stunning sunrises and sunsets.

However as some of it settles to the ground it could cause some severe allergy attacks.

FOUR RANDOM FACTS

1.  Michelin Tires got into the business of reviewing great restaurants for its Michelin Guide in 1900 so people would drive further to eat . . . and need new tires sooner.

2. The easternmost point in Canada is St. John’s in Newfoundland, and because Canada is SO huge, it’s actually closer to Croatia in Europe than to Vancouver on Canada’s west coast.

3. In 1759, Arthur Guinnesssigned a 9,000-year lease for a brewery in Dublin, Ireland at $75-a-month.  So Guinness will be in that brewery until the year 10,759 . . . when they can renegotiate.

4. Coca-Cola got into the wine business in 1977, but wound up selling everything in 1983 when they discovered soda was much more profitable.

GOOD NEWS

If your kids miss gathering around for story time at school, one boy is helping to recreate the experience at home.

Bryan Rumfelt, 7, of Brooklyn, New York loves to read and shares his favorite books with anyone who wants to hear a good story.

His grandmother gave him the idea for his Facebook group, Bryan’s Book Corner, where he posts videos of himself reading books like “Dragons Love Tacos” and “This Pigeon Needs a Bath.”

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BIRTHDAYS

[61] Mark McKinney, Ottawa Canada, actor (‘Glenn Sturgis’ on “Superstore” since 2015)

[50] Sean Hayes, actor (‘Jack McFarland’ on “Will & Grace” 1998-2006, 2018)

[50] Nick Offerman, actor (“Parks & Recreation” 2009-15)

[47] Gretchen Wilson, country singer

RECORD SETTING DOG

August the golden retriever celebrated her birthday recently. But little did she know she was making history.

The pup, affectionately known as Augie, turned 20, making her the oldest known golden retriever. There have been accounts of goldens living to 17 or 18, and even a few stories about 19-year-old goldens, but Augie is the first to reach 20.

She celebrated her 20th birthday with her humans, Jennifer and Steve Hetterscheidt, and her three furry siblings at their home in Tennessee.

“She had a dog-friendly carrot cake, the interior of the house was completely decorated,”

Augie was adopted by the Hetterscheidts when she was 14 after being rehomed twice. Jennifer Hetterscheidt was working at a golden retriever rescue organization in Nevada as the intake director. As soon as she laid eyes on Augie, she fell in love, she said.

While Augie was already a senior dog when she was adopted, that didn’t stop her and her family from taking road trips across the country and spending entire summers at the pool.

It’s unknown how much longer Augie has to live, but Jennifer said they’re already looking forward to her 21st birthday.

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RECORD SETTING STAR WARS

A prototype of a never-released Boba Fett action figure is up for sale for a quarter of a million bucks. The extremely rare toy likeness of “The Empire Strikes Back” character is available on E Bay for $225,000.

The now-defunct Kenner Products toy manufacturer designed the rocket-firing figure in 1978 with a key feature: a tiny, spring-loaded plastic missile that launched from the bounty hunter’s jet pack. But concerns that it may be a choking hazard to children led the idea to be nixed.

The prototypes that weren’t destroyed in the late 1970s reportedly landed into various laps over the decades. It is believed only a few dozen still exist, in varying conditions. The current seller bought it in 2018 for about $140,000.

Last July, a different rocket-firing Fett sold for $112,926, breaking a record among Star Wars fans. Just a few months later, the record was broken again when someone bought another one for $185,850.

The Mandalorian warrior spoke just four lines in the second film in George Lucas’ iconic “Star Wars” series, “The Empire Strikes Back,” which was released in 1980.

Men Break the Speed Limit Twice as Often as Women

The next time someone bombs past you on the highway at 140 km an hour, chances are it’s a guy.  A new study found men speed TWICE as often as women do.

Researchers in the U.K. looked at over five billion miles worth of driving data.

And they found men speed 94% more than women.  So about twice as often.

And young men are the worst: 17-year-old guys break the speed limit 130% more than women that age.

It doesn’t start to even out until we hit our 30s.  Then by our 40s, WOMEN are slightly more likely to speed, but just by about 2% more than men.

FRIDAY JUNE 26^TH  

1. There’s a guy in Pennsylvania named Daylan McLee who’s black.  He once spenta year in jail after he was wrongly arrested.  But he didn’t let that stop him on Sunday, when he pulled a cop from a burning car and saved his life.

2. • “47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards” (CBS): Awards will be presented virtually in leading categories, with recipients and other special guests appearing from home. Hosted by Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood, Eve, Carrie Ann Inaba and Marie Osmond.
   SATURDAY-
   • “Global Goal: Unite for Our Future — The Concert”(NBC): Performers and world leaders unite to raise awareness and funds to defeat COVID-19.

3. Here’s comedian David Spade talking about an anti-cheating mattress.

4. The Kentucky Derby will be held with spectators, New York makes rules for reopening, and another lockdown over spiking COVID numbers.  (From Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers on Thursday, June 25, 2020)

A ticket sold in Lambton County won the LOTTO 6/49 draw Wednesday night, for just over $16 million.

The OLG hasn’t specified where in Lambton County the ticket was sold, but it recommends that anyone who believes they have it, should sign it immediately and have it validated at an authorized OLG retail location.

The OLG Prize Centre in Toronto is still closed due to COVID-19 precautions, but the corporation said it’s currently taking steps to resume in-person prize claims and will provide more information in the coming days.

DIXIE CHICKS DROP ‘DIXIE’ FROM THEIR NAME

The Dixie Chicks have dropped the “dixie” part of their name and will here forward be known as just The Chicks. People.com reports the name change separates them from the nickname for the Civil War-era South amid nationwide protests, including the removal of several Confederate statues. A statement on The Chicks’ website says, “We want to meet this moment.”

The name change comes on the heels of Lady A‘s permanent change from Lady Antebellum.

Finally, here’s a little trivia you may not know . . .

The Dixie Chicks name was originally inspired by the LITTLE FEAT song “Dixie Chicken“, with the lyrics “If you’ll be my Dixie chicken, I’ll be your Tennessee lamb.  And we can walk together down in Dixieland.”

That song was covered by GARTH BROOKS on his 1992 album “The Chase”.

Eric Church’s “Stick That in Your Country Song” Is a Call for Substance in Country Music

ERIC CHURCH isn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers with his new song, “Stick That in Your Country Song”, which is a call for more SUBSTANCE in country music.

He sings about poverty in Detroit, drugs and gangs in Baltimore, young veterans having problems when they return home, and underpaid, overworked teachers.

He doesn’t call anyone out . . . but his point is to make more music about real-life issues, and “take that one to #1.”

Although the message seems very current, Eric says it was written before the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd.  But the recent issues made the choice clear to make this his first single.

Eric saysit was truly ahead of its time. [“I’ve never had a song in my career that was a harbinger of things to come. When we recorded ‘Stick That in Your Country Song,’ we had a booming economy, and I remember thinking when I did it, ‘I’m not sure how relevant this is for right now,’ and within about 30 days, the world changed, and truth be told – 100% honesty – I had a different single picked out as the first single, and then the world kept changing and it kept bringing itself almost like a magnet back to this song.”]

COLE SWINDELL KEEPING BUSY DURING QUARANTINE: ‘I FOUND THE END OF NETFLIX’

Cole Swindell has been trying his best to keep himself busy and entertained during the COVID-19 quarantine. He says that songwriting has been a constant, as have golf and endless hours streaming shows and movies.

[“I’m just glad I can still write thanks to things like Zoom. I’ve written a couple songs that will end up on my next album, I’m sure of it, but that’s one thing I’ve been doing. I mean obviously (I) found the end of Netflix and Hulu and every other streaming service. (I’m) trying to play golf when I can, I mean, get outside, and just do my part to stay home so we can get back to work. I know I speak for everybody — we’re ready to get back playing shows.”]

Cole has released a new single called “Single Saturday Night,” the lead song from his upcoming project.

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If you missed it, there’s now video of DARIUS RUCKER performing “Wagon Wheel” as part of the Grand Ole Opry’s live broadcast last weekend.  It features CLINT BLACK on harmonica.  (Here’s video.)

Categorised in: Mornings

This post was written by Dave Palmer