What were You Doing 20 Years Ago? // New Book About Aaron Rodgers Weirdness and Regrets // Woman Stole $1.5 Million in Chicken Wings

What's Eating Cale

JOKE

I didn’t want to believe that my brother was stealing from his job as a traffic cop, but when I got home, all the signs were there.

GRATEFULNESS

– I am grateful for AI images – man it sure can be fun to play with
– I am grateful for yet another mid-week of what has been a pretty good week so far
– I am grateful for consistent weather for the last week – mid to upper 70s sunny. Tomorrow’s high – 69 with rain

HISTORIC TODAY

18th Century

• 1784: The Russian Empress Catherine II annexed the Crimean Peninsula, which had been part of the Ottoman Empire.

19th Century

• 1880: The Cologne Cathedral in Germany, one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Europe, was completed after over 600 years of construction.

20th Century

• 1917: China declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary during World War I.
• 1935: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, establishing a system of old-age benefits and unemployment insurance.
• 1941: The Atlantic Charter was issued by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, outlining their goals for the post-war world.
• 1945: President Harry S. Truman announced Japan’s surrender in World War II, marking the end of the war.
• 1980: Workers at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, led by Lech Wałęsa, began a strike that led to the formation of the Solidarity movement, a pivotal moment in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.

21st Century

• 2003: A massive power outage affected the Eastern United States and parts of Canada, impacting over 50 million people.

Notable Birthdays on August 14

• 1945: Steve Martin, American actor and comedian.
• 1959: Magic Johnson, American basketball player.
• 1966: Halle Berry, American actress.

National Days on August 14

• National Navajo Code Talkers Day: Honors the Navajo Code Talkers who played a crucial role in the Pacific during World War II by using their language to create an unbreakable code.
• National Creamsicle Day: Celebrates the iconic frozen treat, a combination of ice cream and fruit juice.
• Pakistan Independence Day: Commemorates the day in 1947 when Pakistan gained independence from British rule.
• World Calligraphy Day: Encourages people to appreciate and practice the art of beautiful handwriting.

The 3 Things

THING 1

Vera Liddell, a former food service director for Harvey School District 152 in Illinois, was sentenced to nine years in prison for stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings. The theft occurred from July 2020 to February 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools were closed but still providing meal kits for students learning remotely. Liddell placed unauthorized orders for over 11,000 cases of chicken wings through the district’s supplier, Gordon Food Service, and used a school cargo van to pick them up.

The chicken wings never reached the students as they contained bones and were not part of the school menu.The scheme was uncovered during a routine mid-year audit in January 2022, which revealed that the food service department had exceeded its budget by $300,000. Liddell was the only person responsible for placing food orders, and her actions were discovered when the business manager found invoices for large quantities of chicken wings. She was charged with felony theft, operating a criminal enterprise, and forgery in January 2023, and later pleaded guilty to the charges.

THING 2

– Aaron Rodgers’ role in “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers” is central as the book is an unauthorized biography that delves into various aspects of his life and career. Written by sports writer Ian O’Connor, the book covers significant events and controversies surrounding Rodger