Fri, January 13, 2012

SCHOOL CLOSINGS
There are some school closings today... including Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson counties. You can see school closings 24/7, at www.mix929.com  Just scroll over the news page and click on "School Closings."

WEATHER AND ROAD CONDITIONS
The roads are mostly clear this morning, though police say there were several accidents last night due to slick roads, so you should be cautious today, just in case. And keep in mind that your first step out the door could be a dangerous one: even if there's not a lot of snow on the ground, your porch, steps, or deck might be icy.

WARNING FOR POSSIBLE TERROR ATTACK IN THAILAND
The U.S. Embassy is warning Americans in Thailand today to be on the alert for a possible terror attack.

LOCAL: MUSIC CITY CENTER LOSES TWO CONVENTIONS
Nashville is losing two conventions over worries about whether Music City Center will be finished on time. The Southern Baptist Convention and the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association have cancelled their spring and summer 2013 meetings.

HEALTH: STUDY SAYS INACTIVITY IS UNIVERSAL HEART ATTACK RISK FACTOR
Even if you don't eat a lot of red meat, and you're not morbidly obese, you're PROBABLY doing the one thing that's the UNIVERSAL risk factor for a heart attack: being sedentary. Inactivity has DEFINITELY been linked to heart attacks. So has owning a car or TV, since they make you less likely to be active.

GEORGIA PARENTS UPSET ABOUT SLAVERY MATH PROBLEMS 
Parents in Norcross, Georgia are UP-SET over a third grade worksheet that used examples of slavery in math problems. The (Beaver Ridge) Elementary School teachers say they were kind of 'cross-training'; by incorporating a book the third graders had studied -- about the abolition of slavery -- into the math problems. The questions included, "Each tree had 56 oranges. If 8 slaves pick them equally, then how many would each slave pick?" and "If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in 1 week?" The school principal has apologized and says he's working with teachers to come up with more appropriate questions.

WALGREEN SUED FOR OVERCHARGING ON GENERICS
Walgreen Co. and a generic drug maker are targets of a class action lawsuit accusing them of overcharging for generic drugs. The suit claims that the largest U.S. drugstore chain and drug maker Par Pharmaceutical overcharged for various generic drugs in order to boost profits.

HEALTH: GIRLS EATING OFTEN LINKED TO LESS WEIGHT GAIN
Another study finds girls who eat more frequently and snack between meals eat less and gain less... than girls who eat only a couple times a day. The study followed more than two-thousand girls in three cities for ten years. (Their findings are published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.")

HOME DEPOT HIRING THOUSANDS
Home Depot is hiring 70 thousand people this spring... to get them through their busiest time of the year. About half the people who are hired for seasonal work end up working full time.

HOSPITAL NOISE LEVELS
If you've ever spent the night in the hospital, you probably didn't get a lot of sleep. A new study finds noise levels in patient rooms can be as loud as a chainsaw, and people say they get an hour less a night in the hospital, than they do at home. The noise comes from medical staff conversations, alarms and the sounds of intercoms.

KEITH URBAN RETURNING TO STAGE AFTER SURGERY
Keith Urban will return to the stage following vocal surgery. His first appearance back will be on the Feb. 3 Grand Ole Opry. The country superstar had a polyp removed from a vocal cord at Vanderbilt University Medical Center late last year and has been on vocal rest. His appearance at The Ryman Auditorium next month will be his first public performance since he recorded a song for the "CMA Country Christmas" television special in mid-November. He was forced to postpone his "All For The Hall" benefit concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame that was originally scheduled for Jan. 18. He also rescheduled the tail end of his 2011 concert tour for later this year. The Grand Ole Opry also announced Urban will perform in March.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR IN HOSPITAL
Heather Locklear is in the hospital, possibly because of a dangerous mix of drugs and alcohol. TMZ.com says the actress' sister called 9-1-1 yesterday afternoon, and paramedics rushed her in.

WHAT'S IN A NAME? POSSIBLY EVERYTHING!
There's a new article in a Social/Psychology Journal that says if you have a bad name, it can lead to a HORRIBLE life. The study of 12,000 people found there seems to be prejudice based on 'unfortunate' first names, that leads to a lifetime of neglect, reduced relationship opportunities, lower self-esteem, a higher likelihood of smoking and lower education prospects. (In the Journal Social Psychological and Personality Science)

RELATED TO BAD NAMES: MAN'S CHOSEN NAME NOT HELPING HIM ANY
In a related story, this guy may have just made his own life harder: a fellow in Madison, Wisconsin changed his name recently from Jeffrey Wilschke, to Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-bop-bop. He was already on probation for weapons charges, and now in trouble again for possession of marijuana and having a knife in a public park.

AIRLINES RAISE RATES
Airlines are likely to institute higher fares and new fees this year. Online tracking company FareCompare.com says rival carriers have started to match an increase Delta announced this week of 20-dollars on some domestic long-haul routes.

NATALEE HOLLOWAY DECLARED DEAD
Missing Alabama teen Natalee Holloway has been declared legally dead. Holloway has been missing for more than six years since she went missing during a trip to Aruba. Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot [[ YOR-un van der SLOAT ]] was a suspect in her disappearance, but was never charged.

FLORIDA PRINCIPAL IN TROUBLE FOR TRYING TO HYPNOTIZE STUDENTS
A Florida high school principal is facing criminal charges after he allegedly tried to hypnotize students. The Sarasota "Herald-Tribune" reports two charges of unlicensed practice have been filed against George Kenney. He took hypnosis training courses but does not have a medical license.