WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Sidebar: Spilled Milk, a Shipping Container Canine, and a Rogue Raccoon

Episode Date: February 10, 2024

In this episode of Sidebar on Radio Free Hillsdale, Lauren Scott, Maddy Welsh, and Emilie Moneyhon discuss wacky news stories about spilled milk, one dog's harrowing journey, a raccoon who darkened a city, and more. Then Emilie quizzes Lauren and Maddy to see if they can determine which of her three zany headlines is a lie.

You are listening to Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. This is Sidebar, the show where we bring you the news you probably won't find on the front page. I'm Lauren Scott. I'm Maddie Welsh. And I'm Emily Moneyhun. Today we'll be talking about an opportunity to cry over spilled milk, a dog who took an unexpected trip, and a raccoon's misadventures that brought the city of Toronto to darkness. Then Emily will read three stories. and we'll see if we can determine which one is fake. Now let's get into it. Our first story for today is about cockroaches and Valentine's Day. Coming to you from Fox News, the lead reads, zoos throughout the country are continuing the unorthodox Valentine's Day tradition of naming animals and critters after X's, some of which will meet an unfortunate end in nature's food chain.

So basically there are several zoos throughout. the country that are allowing people to pay a small fee to name a cockroach after their ex. This story has a tweet from the Bronx Zoo that says Valentine's Day is creeping up once again. Only one gift has six legs and an irresistible aura of romance. That's right. Name a Bronx Zoo Madagascar hissing cockroach after your special someone and spell out your love for them in big, bold, bug letters. I'm sorry. What is a hissing cockroach? I have not heard of that, but I do not want to encounter one.

No, they're like cockroach. It's a breed of cockroach that hisses. And I'm not making that out. Are you serious? No, I'm serious. I don't believe you. My sister's best friend raised hissing cockroaches. Why? I don't know.

To name them after her exes? Yeah, yeah, and then kill them. Okay. It was a symbolic thing. I feel like, here's the thing, though, do you pay to get to name one of these cockroaches? Yeah. So the article continues and says the program, which got at start in 2011, allows zoo guests to name a Madagascar hissing cockroach for $15. Digital certificate included.

The naming of a cockroach doesn't have to be limited to X's either. So my sister can name it after her friend who actually liked hissing up. I guess I could because it goes on to say that the zoo encourages customers to name them after friends and loved ones too. I don't know why, but I feel like if, like, I don't know, I named a cockroach after my mom. Like, if I named a kissing cockroach Laura Jr., I don't think my mom would be very flattered. Well, I actually did this and I named one Lauren and one Emily. Really? Oh, wow.

I did not do it, but if I did, that's what I would do. That's so sweet. I would love it. Here's the thing. I hate cockroaches, but that's $15 you just spent on me. I would love to have my exes spend $15 on me. Do we know what the money goes to? Cockroaches?

Does it go to the supplies that will kill the roaches? I have no idea, actually. It doesn't look like the story says, really. Well, it also says not only could you name a cockroach, but you can get an assortment of gifts, including a roach plush and a pair of roach socks. So how much does this cost? Well, to name the cockroach, it's $15.

But then, I don't know. It doesn't say how much all the gifts cost. But for only $35, the recipient honored with the cockroach can meet one of the hissing cockroaches he or she is named after. Wow. What would you say to your cockroach? I have no idea. I guess you'll have to name a cockroach after me. And maybe I'll have the words then.

Okay. I can make that happen. Well, it's actually too late because today, which is Thursday, February 8th, was actually the last day that you could place an order. Oh, great. Yeah. Well, and what's amazing is that what we've been reading, this is just what the Bronx Zoo does. There are many other zoos that do similar things. They do cockroaches, and then there are other zoos that do things like rats.

Yeah, that's true. Coming from my homeland, Texas, the San Antonio Zoo. Zoological Society in Texas is bringing back its annual Crimea Cockroach Fundraiser. The article reads, and again, this is still from Fox News, zoo guest 18 years of age or older will be able to name a cockroach for $10, a pre-frozen rat for $25, or a vegetable for $5. And the, quote, San Antonio Zoo will help squash your pass. a true heartbreak healer by feeding your selection to an animal resident?

End quote, the zoo's marketing team stated online. Why is there an age limit to buying a cockroach? Maybe they don't want 16-year-olds like buying animals and naming them after their high school boyfriend or girlfriends and then feeding them to animals. I don't really think anyone should be doing that, but maybe they don't want to corrupt the youth. This is a great, you know, less damaging alternative to like keying someone's car or something, though, you know? That's so true. Yeah, going up to just kind of wrap up this story, I'll read a quote released from the Bronx Zoo website, which says,

naming a cockroach is a Valentine's tradition for us. Roses and chocolates come and go, but roaches last in eternity, just like our love. which is kind of strange because they're encouraging people to name the roaches after their exes, yet they're kind of comparing cockroaches to love. I personally have never met a roach that was immortal. Neither have I. It's a very complex subject. Have you met an immortal cockroach?

That's none of your business. Oh, okay, okay. Roaches aren't very appetizing, but you know what are? Drugs and strawberry dessert. Ban out of Russia from NBC News, banned Russian skaters strawberry dessert defense failed to prevent doping ban. World Sports top court rejected Camilla Vallevese explanation that a positive test may have been caused by her grandfather's heart medication handing her a four-year ban. So she's a Russian figure skater and she was tested for drugs and came back positive and she's alleging

that it's because on the same cutting board that her grandfather uses to chop up his heart medication, because you know, you use a cutting board for that. She made this strawberry dessert and it got into her system enough that it came up positive on test. And they did not believe her. It says in the story that the strawberry dessert is mentioned 43 times in the documents laying out why the panel rejected her explanation. It's a lot. I mean, I'm surprised you got rejected.

That's a really solid case. It's just so descriptive. Like, no, no, guys, I don't take drugs. It was probably my strawberry dessert. Yeah, like, is it trademarked? Why can they just not say? I know. Yeah.

If it is, we'll censor that out. Yeah, I don't know. A story like this just makes me wonder, like, if she was taking drugs, was it just for fun? Or was she trying to be a better skater? Like, could drugs even make you better skater? Yes. Well, drugs definitely could, but I don't know about heart medication.

Yeah, I guess I don't really know enough about drug testing to know what, like, would show up as something you can't have as a skater. All I can say is go Team USA. You know? Yeah, really. Like, we got this one in the bag now. We can eat strawberry desserts without coming up positive. on our drug test. And that's on period. You're listening to Sidebar on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.

So we've talked about Valentine's Day, but the day before Valentine's Day this year is Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday. It's the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, which will end in the celebration of Easter. And in New Orleans, is a strong tradition of celebrating Mardi Gras with festivals and such. And a big staple of Mardi Gras is the King Cake, which is like a ring-shaped cake

with purple, gold, and green icing on it. It's very popular, huge part of the culture. So this story that I have here, the headline says seven king cakes stolen from New Orleans bakery in a very Mardi Gras way. This is from the Associated Press and it says,

A Thief stole seven cakes. about as many as he could carry during a break in last week at a New Orleans bakery. The thief also took cash and a case of vodka from bittersweet confections last Wednesday, according to New Orleans Police Department. And then the bakery wrote on social media, Our king cakes are just that good, but please come and purchase one during regular store hours. And we have a clip here for you from WDSU6. Not unusual to walk away from a bakery with a kingcake or two in tow.

during carnival, but it was a frightening sight for one popular baker. Well, that's because the armful of kingcakes was stolen. Cheryl Scripter, owner of bittersweet confection says this massed suspect broke into her magazine street bakery last night and walked away with hundreds of dollars in kingcake, alcohol, and cash. Scripter says neighbors alerted her to the theft. Police say the suspect broke in through the side door after hours. Despite the loss, Scripter is grateful.

It wasn't worse. I'm just grateful that we weren't there and that everybody was safe and that the property wasn't, no property was destroyed and I hope that everybody enjoyed their king cakes. And he did take the traditionals, which chocolates are my favorite. So I guess his preference is more traditional than chocolate. So I don't know if you have ever been to New Orleans, but even not during Mardi Gras, this is just like routine in New Orleans. It's a crazy place. I absolutely love king cake.

And here's the thing. The first king cake I ever had, I made with my friend who was vegan. And it was disgusting. It was so bad. And for so many years, I was just like, this is like the worst dessert ever. I don't know who would eat. I don't know who would steal seven from a store. but then I had a real one and it was life-changing.

Well, maybe it was your friend stealing the seven kingcakes because she was sick of her gross vegan ones. That makes sense, except this was a man that stole the things. My friend was not. This next story will teach us not to cry over spilled milk. That's certainly not what the citizens of Lynchburg did whenever they saw a mysterious thing happen to a nearby creek. Coming from Fox News, this article reads,

The Lynchburg Fire Department answered a most unusual call. A creek had mysteriously turned white. It was quickly determined that the creek, located near Westover Dairy, a dairy plant, actually had been died by a undetermined amount of waste milk that had been accidentally released into the creek. Where did the milk come from? I would assume the dairy plant that was right next to the river. Wait, I miss that. I was not paying attention to the story at all.

Yeah. So hopefully our listeners were being a little bit more attentive than our own co-host was. Sorry. Yeah, this story goes out to all you weirdos and freaks that drink a glass of milk with dinner. I'm looking at you, Lauren. What can I say? I like the taste of milk. Specifically, raw milk.

Yeah, I drink raw milk. Okay, I'm not ashamed. We're not making political statements. The issue here is not milk. It's milk with dinner. This is the issue that Ellie brought to the table, and this is the issue we need to address. Well, most of the time I drink milk first thing in the morning. Yeah, but you've seen you drink it at night with a nice piece of lasagna, and that's messed up.

it washes it down quite nicely. What is wrong with drinking milk at dinner? You know, our listeners out there, if you also drink a glass of milk with your dinner, let me know. Email me,

email me at L Scott at Hillsdale. At edu. Okay, well, if you think that that's weird and messed up and a crime, then email me at eMoneyhunt

at Hillsdale. com. No one's going to know how to spell that. Do not email me. Moving back to the south, we have a story coming out of Houston from ABC 8. Dog survives more than a week inside Texas shipping container, says Coast Guard. The article says, it's said that cats have nine lives,

but a dog found in a shipping container Wednesday could give any cat a run for its money. The dog, named Connie, was found in the shipping container at the Bayport terminal at Port Houston. According to the Coast Guard, inspectors were randomly checking out containers when they heard barking and scratching coming from inside of one of them. This just makes me kind of sad. I feel so sad for Connie. It makes me feel sad for Connie, too, especially because after reading the article,

it doesn't appear as if she has a home because, well, the last sentence says, now she's going to a rescue group where she'll get the care she needs and they'll find her a fur-ever home. And that's fur, F-U-R. So I hope Connie finds a home. Our next story here is about a raccoon

and the damage it caused in Toronto. This story from Routers says Raccoon mischief triggers blackout in Toronto trapping people in elevators. This is from February 2nd. And the story says, An Inquisitive Raccoon fiddled with electricity equipment in Toronto and cut power for thousands in the downtown core

late on Thursday, knocking out traffic lights in Canada's largest city and trapping some people on elevators. Crews investigating the outage determined that the nocturnal mammal made contact with equipment at a downtown Toronto station. But is the raccoon okay? That's a good question. Definitely not. There's no way he'd cut power and is still alive.

I feel like a little chomp on a wire. Probably not good for the guy. A spokesperson for Hydro 1 said the raccoon did not survive the contact. Oh no. I'm going to be honest. If I got stuck in an elevator and it was because of some little raccoon, I would have beef with raccoons. I would actually name a Madagascar hissing cockroach raccoon just so I could squash it. Completely understandable.

This really is like the plot of like a fun anthropomorphic. animal cartoon show, I feel like, you know? Like, this is some sort of hijink that would happen in a show like that. Now, Emily has prepared a fun little game for us to play. Just like last week, I have here two true news stories and one fake one. We're starting off with one from NBC News. The headline says, Reba McIntyre's Super Bowl halftime show guest appearance in question after health scare. On Monday, February 5th, country music sensation and highly anticipated Super Bowl,

58 guest performer, Reba McIntyre, was reportedly diagnosed with throat polyps. They could be the result of nothing more than allergies, Dr. Richard Klein told NBC News, but it could also very easily be a much more serious problem. I've seen multiple singer's careers ended by what appeared to be at first a minor case of strep throat. Reba took to social media Monday evening to inform her fans of her possible withdrawal from the halftime show. There are still no updates on her condition. I hope this one is fake because that would be so sad for poor Ruth. Reba. It would indeed be sad. I would also be, I don't know, a little confused why you would choose

to make up one about this subject in particular. Yeah, that would be awful. Okay, moving on to Article 2. All right, this is from Kentucky news station WKYT. Bald Eagle that participated in Dollywood Show dies at 35. From Everier County, Tennessee, a beloved bald eagle that was a participant in the Wings of America show at Dollywood has passed away. The American Eagle Foundation said America's quality of life, America being the name of the eagle, America's quality of life took a sharp decline due to inflammation of the heart, and the decision was made to euthanize him peacefully. The foundation will be placing a plaque inside the Wings of America Theater to honor his legacy.

Rest in peace, America. If that's even your real name. I have never been to Dollywoods. I have no personal experience to corroborate this story with. You know, my sister's been to Dollywood. I wish this was one of those shows we could call in for help and I could ask her. But unfortunately, it's not. And finally, from a Lansing station, W-I-L-X,

Shaq's first big chicken restaurant opens in the state. Cleo, Michigan. Shaquille O'Neill's big chicken restaurant had a very busy soft opening on Tuesday, February 6th. The corporate chef said, our motto is big chicken, big food, big flavor, big fun. Also, keep an eye out because Shaquille will be visiting soon. I kind of feel like this one is not fake just because it is so bizarre. You probably picked this one being like, oh, they're definitely going to think this is the fake one. But in reality, it's real.

I think I agree with you. Are you trying to get inside my head? Yes. I think that the fake story is the one about the bald eagle. I don't know. I actually think the Shaquille O'Neal one is fake because for the quote, you just said corporate chef and you hesitated. So, hmm. Yeah, but for the bald eagle one, it said that the eagle passed away.

And usually in news stories, they say, died. Not necessarily, though. Well, they should. They should, but they don't. So my guess is that number three is false My guess is number two Well actually I'm heartless And number one is false

I realized now after saying them out loud That when I was making this I was more focused on just trying to trick you guys Also there's no way you could like Have a serious injury from throat polyps That's just strep throat So don't worry Reba's fine You know that kind of makes sense

Because you were kind of inconsistent With your terms there Yeah you know Is it polyps? Is it strep? What is it? Yeah, you just get polyps from strep. I don't know.

I got to say, Emily, you amaze me. Wow, I feel like a monster, though. Is Reba McIntyre real? No, I made her up, too. This has all been a ruse from the very start of her career. Well, well done. Emily created Reba McIntyre just for this episode. You literally fooled us both.

We guessed two different things, and we were both. Also, just to note, the Dollywood one, it actually does say died, but I changed it last minute. I don't know why. See? That's her lack of journalism. Yeah, that's crazy. Now I know. See, that was a good thing for me to pick up on.

Well, thank you for that, Emily. Always great fun. You have been listening to Sidebar on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. We are your host, Maddie Welsh, Lauren Scott, and Emily Moneyhun. You can find previous episodes of Sidebar on sidebar.transistor.fm. You can also find us on Instagram at Sidebar WRFH. Thank you so much for listening.

Wait, what do I say at the end? And we'll see you next week.