Merrell In The Morning Fun You May Have Missed

Today's Celebrations

Fraternity Day

King Tut Day - 1922 - The tomb of the Boy King, Tutankhamen, was discovered in Egypt by Lord Carnarvon of England and Howard Carter of the United States. The find was called, “The greatest archaeological discovery of all time.” People in America, looking for brevity in identifying great things before they forget, shortened the name to Tut.

Peanuts Day - 1922 - Charles Schulz
cartoonist: Peanuts; Emmy Award-winning writer: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving [1973]; died Feb 12, 2000

Celebrity Birthdays

1938 - Rich Little (Caruthers) (75) - comedian and impressionist: over 150 impressions; actor: The Late Shift, Happy Hour, Dirty Tricks

1939 - Tina Turner (Annie Bullock) (74) - Grammy Award-winning Pop Singer of the Year [1985]; What’s Love Got to Do with It, Private Dancer, We Don’t Need Another Hero, Theme from Goldeneye; w/Ike Turner: A Fool in Love, Proud Mary; Ike’s ex

1945 - John McVie (68) - musician: guitar: group: Fleetwood Mac: Dreams

1946 - Art Shell (67) - Pro Football Hall of Famer: Oakland Raider LT, Super Bowl XI, XV; coach: Oakland Raiders

1962 - Linda Davis (51) is born in Dodson, Texas. Her 1993 pairing with Reba McEntire on "Does He Love You" earns a Grammy, and Davis nets a 1996 solo hit, "Some Things Are Meant To Be." Davis' daughter, Hillary Scott, co-founds Lady Antebellum

1976 - Joe Nichols (37) is born in Rogers, Arkansas. Starting in 2002, he becomes one of the first new hitmakers of the century, scoring Grammy nominations and using a Haggard-like tone on such releases as "The Impossible" and "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off"

1984 - Guitarist Mike Gossin (29) is born in Utica, New York. In 2007, he's a founding member of the harmony-laden Gloriana, which earns hits with the 2009 single "Wild At Heart" and 2011's "(Kissed You) Good Night"

Tabloid News

Driver Racks Up Over $200K in Toll Road Fines

From WashingtonPost.com -

So what happens when you repeatedly drive through one of those toll road E-Z Pass or E-Z Tag gates without paying? Jason R. Bourcier decided to find out. Jason was working at night and asked an attendant “if the cameras were on when there were no attendants on duty. He said they weren’t. So I started going through without paying the tolls.” That was bad info.

Bourcier racked up 335 violations beginning in 2009 and faced a $202,000 tab, much of it in administrative fees.

Bourcier negotiated a deal with prosecutors and MWAA, which operates the toll road. He pleaded guilty to 70 counts of failing to pay a toll, and agreed to pay fines and costs of $40,000, plus $56,000 in interest and other fees, for a grand cost of more than $96,000. He worked out a payment deal to pay $150 a month — for 54 years, until July 2067. He’ll be 87 then.