A PR Lemon in St. Louis
For the St. Louis Health Department, it was a sour lesson in PR 101. On Tuesday, an agency inspector shut down a lemonade stand run by Mim Murray, 10 years old, and Marisa Miller-Stockie, 12, following up on a complaint from a no-doubt well-liked neighbor. The inspector reportedly told the girls they lacked a business license and their ice cubes were unsafe. Mim's mother called a TV station and talked to the family's pastor, who talked to the mayor, who no doubt talked to somebody: Yesterday the city health commissioner not only apologized to the girls but also gave them $3 for a 25-cent cup of lemonade. The girls have landed on their feet, by the way: They racked up $112 in sales yesterday. No information was available about whether that topped or trailed analysts' expectations.

From the WSJ Afternoon Report