Star 99.9

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why is a blizzard different from a snowstorm?

With all this snow on the ground it’s a good time to figure out the difference between a snowstorm and a blizzard.

Snowstorm: Can involve snow, sleet, ice, or freezing rain and usually has freezing temperatures. Snowstorms can be dangerous because of the driving conditions and hazardous elements.

Blizzard: Unlike the delicious treat from DQ a blizzard can be way more destructive than a snowstorm. To be classified as a blizzard, conditions need to involve three things. 1) Winds that are sustained at 35 miles per hour or more 2) snow that reduces visibility to a quarter-mile or less and 3) the conditions must be expected to last for at least three hours.

The storm we just had this week was actually a nor’easter. Which is when the storm comes from a low-pressure system originating in the Mid-Atlantic coast and gains strength as it moves towards the east coast.

Photo credit: Getty Images

It’s Present Time!

It’s present day here in the studio and Anna got Raven a fancy new hat! Only issue is, the feather that goes with it didn’t get mailed in time. How does Raven look?

Things to Know Friday December 18th

Trailers full of vegetables, 4,000 pounds of bleach catch fire in Milford CT Post

Aquarion Water Co. warns of increased scam activity CT Post

Connecticut teen stars in Netflix show ‘Cobra Kai,’ based on ‘The Karate Kid’ CT Post

Pence, wife Karen, surgeon general get COVID-19 vaccines WFSB

Field hospital going up at Connecticut Convention Center WFSB

CT’s first nursing home resident, staff receive COVID vaccine WFSB

How ‘black-ish’ sparked curiosity about Darien and salad forks The Hour

CT Eyewitness News anchor and husband both test positive for COVID-19 The Hour

Winter travel raises more fears of viral spread The Hour

New Canaan employee on leave following burglary charges in Norwalk Stamford Advocate

The Anna & Raven Show: Raven’s Report Card; Christmas Song Dissection; Is Anna Out Of Line?

Friday, Dec 18th, 2020

Self care is one thing, but if you spent all your money on YOURSELF instead of your kids this holiday season, that’s all I need to know about you! Full story in the podcast.

Have you ever wondered what all of your favorite holiday songs are REALLY about? Some of them are…a little questionable. Anna and Raven break down “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”, and it turns out to be a lot creepier than they remember! Find out why in the podcast. (3:25)

Every week, Raven’s wife Alicia calls in to give him a grade on how good a husband he was! This week Raven had to hang the lights. Did he do an A+ job? Or was it a complete fail? Find out in the podcast! (6:42)

What phrase from 2020 do you NEVER want to hear again? Social distancing? The “new normal”? Anna and Raven break down the most annoying phrases of 2020, and Raven reveals which one annoys him the most! Get the full story in the podcast! (10:47)

Was Anna out of line? Anna’s husband made them dinner reservations for a date night. Nice right? But instead of being grateful, Anna did THIS! Was she out of line? Hear her side of the story, and decide for yourself in the podcast! (22:00)

The Santa Tip Line is back! Leave Santa a voicemail and tell him who has been naughty or nice this year! Anna and Raven play some of the messages in the podcast. (29:42)

Gerald & Kayla had their four and six-year-old girls decorate the Christmas tree. It was a bit of a mess, stuffed animals in the tree, ornaments only on the bottom, tinsel everywhere. Kayla decided to redecorate and “fix” the tree while the kids were asleep because she can’t stand when things look so sloppy. When the kids saw the tree, they were really upset to see the tree had been redecorated. Gerald says she was wrong to redecorate, she should have left it. She said she couldn’t leave it like that! Whose side are you on? (32:29)

Trish is the last competitor of 2020! Can she defeat Raven in pop culture trivia and win the $1300. (39:22)

SHOOTING STARS COUNTDOWN: Thursday December 17th: Taylor’s Willow Makes It’s Debut, But Can It Get To Number 1?

Here are the top 5 biggest songs in Connecticut this week. Vote anytime by texting your song pick to 800-330-9999.

5 Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby – Levitating

4 Taylor Swift – willow

3 Harry Styles – Golden

2 Billie Eilish – Therefore I Am

1 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior – Mood

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT! Thursday December 17: In Our Christmas Jammies

Every afternoon at 4:30pm you’re playing to win a $50 gift card to another store at Stamford Town Center so you can get some holiday shopping done.

Here was today’s question if you missed it. Another chance tomorrow afternoon.

Q: 36% of people say they will do this all day on Christmas. What is it?

A: Stay in their pajamas

Photo credit: Getty Images

TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD: Trumbull Teenager Spreading Holiday Cheer With Free Gift Wrapping

The holiday season is always stressful but this year more than ever people are either burned out or just don’t have the time for things like gift wrapping.

Enter Trumbull teenager Sarah Wojtaszec. Sarah loves Christmas so much that she decided she would help out Santa this year by offering free gift wrapping for anyone who needs it.

Sarah told News 12 Connecticut, “I really just wanted to help people out, I wanted to give back to the community. Wrapping is one of the really good things about Christmas, Just gives me a little extra joy in the holidays.

She has wrapped 32 presents so far and plans to do more if people need it. Some have even offered to pay her and she tells them to just donate the money instead. Saying, “It just makes me feel really good to see their smiling faces when they come to the door and pick their presents up.”

If you need some last minute gift wrapping you can reach out to Sarah Wojtasek at (203) 215-8167.

Thanks to News 12 for the fun story.

Photo credit: Getty Images

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why are no two snowflakes exactly the same?

Trick question! This is actually a myth. Back in 1988, a scientist actually found two identical snow crystals. They came from a snow storm in Wisconsin. So next time someone says that you can hit them with this snow knowledge.

Good luck searching through all these flakes that fell last night here in Connecticut. There’s a whole lot of them.

One More Day…

Tomorrow is the last day for “Can’t Beat Raven” until January 4th. Will someone win the $1,300 or will the jackpot carry over into the new year?!

The Anna & Raven Show: 12 Days; Fear of Needles; Worst Xmas Songs

Thursday Dec 17th, 2020

What’s your LEAST favorite Christmas song? Anna and Raven go over a list of the worst Christmas songs of all time and Anna’s favorite song actually came in #1! Find out what it is in the podcast.

Quarantine has made it a lot harder to do a lot of our favorite things, but if you do THIS in your van to try to get around social distancing rules, that’s all I need to know about you! (4:00)

Do you have a fear of needles? With the vaccine coming out, a lot of people will probably be getting shots soon, but you won’t believe the reaction this GROWN MAN had to getting a shot! Listen to what happened in the podcast! (7:00)

The Santa Tip Line is back! Leave Santa a voicemail and let him know who’s been naughty and who’s been nice! Anna and Raven play some of the messages in the podcast! (10:52)

How much would it cost to actually do the 12 Days of Christmas? Like, where would you even get 10 lords-a-leaping? Anna and Raven found out! Find out in the podcast! (14:15)

Have you ever kept a big gift a secret from your partner? Anna thinks that’s exactly what her husband is doing! Or at least she hopes…. What do you think? Do the clues add up? Find out in the podcast! (18:37)

How much do you rely on your GPS? Raven uses his to get find out what the traffic is like, but when he used it to find a fast food spot recently, it took him someplace that DEFINITELY wasn’t a Mcdonalds! Get the full story in the podcast! (22:09)

The PS5 is the must have gift of this holiday season, but the second-most popular gift this year is something you wouldn’t expect! Here’s a hint, it’s pink, it flies, and it does something else that you wouldn’t expect a child’s toy to do! Find out in the podcast. (25:23)

Brett would like to invite his wife’s (Joann) ex-husband to spend Christmas with them. He hates splitting the holiday with his step-kids and thinks that this is the perfect way for all of them to be together all day long. Joann agrees that the kids would love that but thinks it’ll be awkward because her ex is dating a new woman that she barely knows. She thinks it’ll be an overall uncomfortable situation. Would you offer the invite and deal with it or keep the holiday separated and have the kids spend the morning with you and the afternoon with their father? (28:58)

Virginia takes her shot at winning the $1200 jackpot! Does she have what it takes to beat Raven? (35:20)