Friday, April 27, 2012

POSSIBLE TORNADO IN FRANKLIN
Emergency responders are assessing the damage and figuring out what to call the high winds that flipped a car and damaged homes in Franklin last night. Witnesses say they saw a funnel cloud, or a tornado, but officials still have to decide whether it that it touched down... to confirm it as a tornado. Some areas also got half-inch size hail.

DEA SPONSORED PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY
Tomorrow is Prescription Drug 'Take Back' Day. From 10 to 2, the Drug Enforcement Administration wants you to turn in your old prescription drugs, instead of throwing them out or flushing them, to keep them out of our water supply. You can find out where the take back collection site is in your county, HERE.

TICK-BORNE ILLNESS JUMPS MORE THAN 500% IN TN
Cases of tick-borne Rocky Mountain spotted fever are up more than 500 percent from this time last year. The Tennessee Department of Health is warning you to take precautions, including using insect repellents when you're outside, and then checking carefully for ticks when you come indoors. The symptoms of Rocky Mountain usually show up two to 14 days after a bite from an infected tick.... and often start with fever and a headache. It can be fatal if you don't get treated in time.. so take it seriously!
 
ROADS CLOSED, MARATHON DRAWS MORE THAN 30,000 TO NASHVILLE
There'll be lots of street closures and visitors to Nashville tomorrow for the Saint Jude Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon. Road closures will start as early as 3am... most will be reopened by noon.

FRANKLIN MAIN STREET FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND
And the Franklin Main Street Festival is tomorrow and Sunday... with a CARNIVAL nearby that's already open. (More than 100 THOUSAND people are expected to attend. Get info at historicFranklin.com)

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS START TONIGHT WITH PREDS
The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs starts tonight when the Nashville Predators play in Phoenix.

HEALTH: BERRIES NEW BRAIN FOOD?
Berries may be the new Brain Food. Harvard Medical School researchers say women who ate more strawberries and blueberries were more likely to maintain intellectual ability as they got older. Blueberries had already been linked to healthier cholesterol levels, a stronger immune system and delays in age-related medical issues. ( The study is in today's edition of the journal "Annals of Neurology.")

ELISE GOES HOME ON "IDOL"
American Idol wannabe Elise has been sent home. Her departure leaves Hollie, Skylar, Jessica, Joshua and Phillip as "Idol's" final five.

TN GETS COLLEGE READINESS GRANT
Tennessee has been given almost 30-million dollars in grants from the U.S. Department of Education to help students in underprivileged schools go to college. The money would be used over seven years to help 75-hundred seventh-graders in next fall's class get to college and stay beyond the first year.. by providing mentors and helping with college prep.

HEALTH: FDA PANEL SUPPORTS IMPLANTED DEFIBRILLATOR
Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration are giving a thumbs up to the first defibrillator designed to be implanted directly under the skin. And the FDA usually accepts the staff's recommendations.

EXPECTANT MOTHER CARRYING NINE BABIES
A woman in Mexico is about to give birth next month to NINE babies. Karla Perez underwent fertility treatments, and is now in the hospital waiting for the births. If all goes well ... the nonuplets will be one of the highest multiple births ever recorded.

POWERBALL WINNERS SPLIT MILLIONS
Four-dozen workers at the Pennsylvania Transportation Authority have won the Powerball Jackpot, and will each get more than 3 million dollars once they divvy up the jackpot. One of the winners played every week... but ONE guy who NORMALLY played, decided NOT to ... just this time.

ROBIN WILLIAMS UP FOR COMEDY AWARD SATURDAY NIGHT
Robin Williams is up for the "Stand-Up Icon" award at tomorrow night's Comedy Awards in New York City. They'll air on Comedy Central May 6th.

HOUSE APPROVES BUDGET
The state House has approved Governor Bill Haslam's 31-point-four-billion-dollar spending plan. The Senate now has to vote on its version and the two chambers have to work out the differences so the Governor can sign it into law.

AMERICAN IDOL TOUR COMES TO NASHVILLE
The American Idol "Top Ten Tour" dates have been announced: it kicks off July 6th in Detroit, and comes to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on August 12th.

200 SICKENED IN SALMONELLA OUTBREAK LINKED TO TUNA
There's been an outbreak of Salmonella ... linked to Tuna... so health officials are warning you off of sushi, sashimi or ceviche made with Moon Marine tuna, and sold to restaurants. The CDC says 200 people have been infected in 21 states and Washington, DC.

MORE CLOTHING DESIGNED WITH GUN POCKETS
Clothing designers are now addressing something more people are demanding these days: secret pockets for your handgun. Apparently more people these days have concealed gun carry permits, and holsters are too bulky.

AGE AFFECTS WHO WE'LL VOTE FOR
Your age seems to affect how you'll vote in the Presidential election. A new poll finds voters under 30 are more likely to support President Obama, while GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has a 12 point lead among voters 65 and older.

HEALTH: WIDE RANGE OF FRUITS, VEGGIES COULD CUT DIABETES RISK
More reason to eat your fruits and veggies... a British study finds eating a wide rangs of fruits and vegetables could lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.

NINE-THOUSAND U.S. MARINES LEAVING OKINAWA
Thousands of Marines and their families will be leaving the Japanese island of Okinawa.... now that the U.S. and Japan have worked out a plan to reduce the size of America's military force there. Some will go to Guam, sent to Hawaii or stationed in Australia, where the U.S. is expanding its military presence.

STUDENT GETS SCHOLARSHIP FOR DRESSING LIKE JESUS
A Summit High School sophomore in Spring Hill probably didn't think his costume during the school's "fictional character day" would earn him college money. The Freedom of Religion Foundation awarded Jeff Shott a thousand-dollar scholarship for dressing like Jesus Christ. Shott voluntarily removed his costume when administrators said it caused distraction, but the foundation ended up rewarding him for exhibiting quote, "spunk and a light touch with his actions," according to "The Tennessean." The Madison, Wisconsin-based organization, established in 1978 promotes the separation of church and state and maintains a legal staff.

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FEST OPENS TWO-WEEKEND RUN
The good times roll today as one of the world's best known music festivals gets underway in Louisiana. The New Orleans Jazz Fest, a two-weekend, seven-day event takes place at the city's Fair Grounds, drawing tens of thousands of people each year. The Beach Boys are among the many opening day acts, while Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band cap the weekend with a late Sunday afternoon performance.