Fri, February 3, 2012

WEAR RED DAY
The American Heart Association says Nashville is one of the least heart-healthy cities for women in the country! They're hoping events like today's Go Red for Women day will make us talk about it, learn about it, and prevent it. You can get more information on Wear Red Day, the causes of heart disease, a WOMAN'S symptoms of heart attack, and how to reduce your risk at www.wearredday.org

HOMEOWNERS COMPLAIN OF CRIME IN NASHVILLE HABITAT NEIGHBORHOOD
Some north Nashville families are trying to sell their homes back to Habitat for Humanity, because they say the Timberwood neighborhood the homes are in... is filled with crime. Habitat For Humanity helps people purchase and own quality, affordable homes.. but they use the land they can afford. The company says it's working with police to improve the situation. (HabitatNashville.org.)

CONVERSE TO OPEN OPRY MILLS OUTLET
Another big name store is coming on board at Opry Mills. Converse is opening its first outlet store in Tennessee. The Opry Mills grand reopening is March 29th.

MEGABUS ADDING MORE SERVICE TO NASHVILLE
Megabus, the city-to-city express bus company, is giving you some more travel options. They're adding daily service between Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis, at the end of this month. Fares start as low as a dollar, and get higher as the travel date nears. (Megabus already provides service from Nashville to ) www.megabus.com

METRO TEACHER SUSPENDED FOR SLAPPING KINDERGARTNER
http://www.wkrn.com/story/16652754/metro-teacher-suspended-for-slapping-kindergartener
A Dupont Elementary School teacher has been suspended for allegedly slapping a five-year-old student in the face. The boy's mom says the child is developmentally delayed and believed to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Metro police are investigating.

NURSING HOMES INSPECTION REPORTS POSTED ONLINE
Soon you'll be able to see online the results of the state health department's inspections of nursing homes. That's one of the requirements of the new federal health care reform law, formally called the Affordable Care Act.

FARMER'S MARKET FOOD TRUCK MEET AND THREE TONIGHT
And there are some local things going on you may want to check out. At Nashville Farmer's Market, they have what they're calling Meet and three... it's 10 of Nashville's popular Food Trucks, and more than 20 local artists providing the music. it's tonight from 6 to 9.

THORNTON'S CONVENIENCE STORES OFFERS FREE HOT CHOCOLATE
And Thornton's stores says it'll give away free hot chocolate tomorrow from 8am to noon, to kids 12 and under.

FIRST BLACK WOMAN FIRECHIEF OF MAJOR FIRE DEPT
Oakland, California has named the first black woman to serve as chief of a major metropolitan fire department in the U.S. Teresa Deloach-Reed will take over the 580-person Oakland Fire Department next month, after serving as assistant fire chief in San Jose, California. Deloach-Reed notes that a lot of fire departments still don't have any women.

ARMY PSYCHIATRIST ACCUSED OF KILLING MORE THAN A DOZEN GETS TRIAL DELAY
The Army psychiatrist accused of killing more than a dozen people at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas will be tried this summer. The judge has approved a three-month delay in Major Nidal Hasan's trial to give defense attorneys more time to prepare. Hasan could face the death penalty if he's convicted of killing 13 soldiers and wounding 32 others in November of 2009.

COUNCIL MEMBER SAYS ARRIOLA TURNED DOWN TAX HELP
A Metro Council member offered John Arriola tax assistance to help clear his name, but he declined. That's according to a NewsChannel Five report on the updates surrounding the Davidson County Clerk accused of charging for wedding services he performed on government time. The Council is expected to vote next Tuesday on a non-binding resolution asking him to step down.

LAWMAKERS RUSH BILLS TO CHANGE TEACHER SYSTEM
The state legislature is getting a flurry of proposals to make changes to the new teacher evaluation system. Lawmakers rushed about 20 bills to make Wednesday's deadline. Some Democrats want this year to be a trial run, while some educators say the system is unfair and time consuming.

HEALTH STUDY: OLDER PARENTS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE AUTISTIC CHILD
A new study has found children born to a parent over age 35 are at greater risk of developing autism. And that the risk is the same whether just one or both parents are older.

COLORADO MONSTER STORM
People in Colorado are dealing with a monster storm. They're expectintg up to 2 feet of snow in the Denver Metro area.

LOOKING FOR A PRESIDENTIAL ALTERNATIVE?
You want a presidential alternative? Roseanne Barr has filed official documents to become the Green Party's nominee for President of the United States. Her green, however, is pot. She wants marijuana legalized and sold strictly domestically.

SUPERBOWL EFFECT ON ECONOMY
This weekend's Super Bowl is forecast to score big with the economy. The National Retail Federation expects Super Bowl 46 to add about eleven-billion dollars to the economy. The group says the average game-watcher will spend about 64-dollars on related merchandise, apparel and snacks. That's up about five-percent from last year.

JOB GROWTH SLOWS
Don't stress when you hear about the job growth figures going down this month. This is the normal drop off after Christmas and holiday hiring stops. The unemployment rate is expected to hold at eight-and-a-half-percent.

DISNEYLAND AND DISNEYWORLD ALLOWS BEARDS

Beards on employees will make their debut at Disneyland and Disney World this morning. But there are limits. Beards and goatees are being okayed for the first time ever as long as they're no more than a quarter-inch in length, and not a so-called "soul patch."

DAD PHOTOSHOPPED INTO SON'S WEDDING PICTURES
This is a sweet story. Brian Shoop was getting married, but his dad suddenly got sick and coulnd't make it the wedding. So the family Photoshopped dad into the wedding photos, but NOT in a tux. No, he was in in a blow up pool, holding a fish, wearing a sombrero. The photos turned out very sweet and funny. SEE THEM HERE.

THIEVES STEAL MILLIONS FROM CALIFORNIA COURTHOUSE
Folks at a Northern California courthouse thought it'd be neat to display part of their area's history by displaying three million dollars worth of gold nuggets behind glass. They now have surveillance video of two men smashing the glass, stealing the millions in gold and getting away.

BLAKE SHELTON COMMERCIAL TO AIR SUPERBOWL SUNDAY
Blake Shelton will be prominent on the TV on Super Bowl Sunday. In addition to performing at the game, the country star is featured in a commercial with the other coaches from "The Voice." In the spot Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, and Adam Levine are literally battling it out. Shelton tells NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" they needed some coaching before they shot the ad.   Shelton will be performing as part of the Super Bowl 46 pre-game festivities, singing "America the Beautiful" with wife Miranda Lambert. He said he's very excited about the event, explaining that for a singer the Super Bowl is one of the most prestigious gigs imaginable. "The Voice" will launch its second season immediately following NBC's broadcast of the Super Bowl Sunday night. The show will then air at it's regular time, Monday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, starting next week.

FACEBOOK STATS
Most Facebook users get more from their "friends" than they give, according to a new Pew Internet study. During the one-month survey period 40-percent of Facebook users made friend requests, while 63-percent got friend requests. The average Facebook user sent nine personal messages, and got 20.

NEARBY PLANET MAY BE ABLE TO SUPPORT LIFE
Astronomers say they've found a nearby planet that might be able to support life, even though it doesn't fit the mold. The planet is just 22 light years away and more than four-times the size of Earth. The astronomers say the planet is very close to its star and orbits it every 28 days, but the star is much weaker than our own sun.