St. Louis

This entry is going to be all about St. Louis today. It has been a weird 24 hours here. I will copy some news stories and then comment on each one. I am taking a lighter approach today. I am on vacation as of 3 pm today and it is so much needed.

5.2 Earthquake Shakes Parts of Midwest

WEST SALEM, Ill. (AP) -- A 5.2 earthquake centered in southern Illinois rocked people awake throughout the Midwest this morning.
The earthquake surprised residents unaccustomed to such a large Midwest temblor.
It happened just before 4:37 a.m. and was centered near West Salem.Minor damage reports are coming in from around the region including Jefferson County, Soulard, Albion, IL. Kingshighway is closed between Vandeventer and Shaw while crews inspect an overpass.
The quake was clearly felt in Chicago, which is about 230 miles away. And residents in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky also reported feeling it.
West Salem is in Edwards County, and dispatcher Lucas Griswold says the county sheriff's department received several calls about the earthquake but only reports of minor damage.

An earthquake was not something I really expected in St. Louis. I know, I know; we are on a fault line and we should expect them. This is the first one I have ever felt. I woke up and said, what is that, the furniture in the bedroom was shaking. So we got everyone down on the main level and by then it was over. It was 4:30 in the morning. So much for rem sleep. It will be all over the news today and I am anxious to read or watch the news coverage of it. I know, I can be a dork sometimes.



Murder In The Downtown Loft District

St. Louis police are investigating a homicide in a luxury loft building on Washington Avenue downtown.
The victim was white male, who appeared to be in his 40's or 50's.
He knew one of the residents of the Ventanna Loft Building, which explains why he was inside, but it's still unclear who killed him and how they got in the building.
To get in to the structure, to activate the elevator or to get into the parking area you have to use a key.
A female resident found the victim's body around 5:30 pm Wednesday and called police.
Investigators have already conducted several interviews but say they will be back Friday reviewing surveillance video and talking to even more people.
Residents in the area were shocked to hear the news.
Police are not releasing any suspect information and they describe it as a possible shooting, but a local security guard claims he heard a single shot fired right around 5:30 while walking by the parking lot entrance.
Anyone with information about this shooting is urged to contact the St. Louis Police Department immediately.
addthis_pub = 'myfoxstl';

Ok, I got a call from a friend of mine that works right by where this happened last night. That is a little unnerving. I also work there a few times a week. Apparently, it was someone the person knew but that does not make it any better. You need to know about the loft district if you are not from St. Louis. This is a part of downtown that has made a huge transformation. The lofts used to be warehouses, and then abandoned warehouses and now high priced lofts. It has changed the whole area. It is amazing to see people walking, running, taking their dogs for a walk someplace that no one would go after dark two years ago. What will the reaction be to this incident? Who knows? I know I will be looking over my shoulder and making sure I am "aware of my surroundings" ( that is my dad's favorite comment to us kids) Just be careful out there everyone.

Brewers 5, Cardinals 3, 10 innings.

Prince Fielder hit his first home run of the season, a two-run drive off Brad Thompson in the 10th inning that gave the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.
Fielder, who led the NL with 50 homers last year, needed 54 at-bats to connect for the first time this year. He also tied the score with a bloop RBI double that capped a three-run, eighth-inning rally against Kyle Lohse and two relievers.

I was not able to take the day off to go the game but I was able to see the 10th inning. I have to say, I used to play softball and coach softball. I am no Tony Larussa but DAMM! Why would you give Prince Fielder a chance to hit the ball out of the park. Why thrown him either a change up or curve ball inside. That is nuts!!!!! I have noticed that the Cardinals would rather pitch the inside pitch to a pull hitter then put the ball on the outside of the plate and make the hitter take a good swing to get on base. But why to you give the best hitter on the Brewers the opportunity to hit the ball out of the park in his wheel well?

Ok that is all for now. I wanted to do something different today and if I have any creative thoughts of my own, I will post again later.