Happy New Year! We kick off 2015 with the first official nominee for the 2015 Shiitake Awards

Voting for the 2014 Shiitake Awards started last night [To vote, click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5DGKT85]  and now we have our first stupid Predator Panic story of the year.

The NCMEC is warning hospitals not to announce the first baby birthed at their facilities because of fears of child abductors (and ID thieves). Thankfully I found a stat on just how often this happens, and it is even rarer than the average "stereotypical kidnapping." Well, Holy Shiitakes!

http://www.richmond.com/life/health/article_4e9207bb-5b1a-51aa-b33a-fbd78e408f91.html

Richmond area hospitals will not announce "first baby" of 2015
Posted: Tuesday, December 30, 2014 10:30 pm

Don’t look for local hospitals to boast that the first baby of the new year was born there.
In a joint statement released Tuesday, Bon Secours Richmond Health System, HCA Virginia and VCU Medical Center have said they will not announce the first birth of 2015 as a safety precaution and to protect families’ privacy.
It’s a trend, with more hospitals around the country declining to announce the first baby of the year for similar reasons.
“The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has cautioned against these announcements due to potential risk of abduction or identify theft. While the first birth of the New Year is a celebrated event, we jointly feel we must protect our patients and their children from unnecessary exposure,” the joint statement from the local hospitals said.
The National Center, in its policies, notes that many facilities no longer make such announcements but do share information with parents about how they may personally do so.