Craig's List: 4 Things to Know

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Slainte! (means health in Gaelic)

1 - Most of us will be "wearin' the green" today, but why? What is the origin of green on St. Patrick's Day? Green is the color of the Christian faith in Ireland, while Orange is the color of the Protestant faith, as in the Irish Rivers song "The Orange and the Green." With St. Patrick being a patron saint of catholics, the connotation is simple. But, as Maria Goody notes in this NPR article, many of the "traditions" of St. Patrick's Day in America are uniquely American creations, and the history more morose.

2 - WQAD news 8 reports that a Henry County Board member, who created a firestorm on social media when he hurled insults at a LGBTQ couple he was trying to best in a Valentine's Day Contest held by our sister station B100, apologized at last night's county board meeting in front of many protesters. Read more here.

3 - The Iowa State Cyclones won their first round game in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament last night, while Northwestern surprised Vanderbilt 68-66 to advance. My bracket was busted when Vermont, who was projected to go deep in the tourney, and who I had in the Final Four, lost to Perdue on opening night. Grrr. Details when we do That Sports Thing at about 7:35am on The Morning KIIK Start.

4 - While the weather has been pretty balmy for the past few St. Patrick's Day parades in the Quad Cities, tomorrow's weather will be pretty cool, although not unbearable. WQAD Meteorologist Eric Sorensen has the details here.

Have fun this weekend, but remember to be safe.

- Craig