Friday, August 31, 2012
THESE ISAAC PHOTOS MAY REMIND YOU OF THE NASHVILLE FLOOD: HEARTBREAKING
The storm that had been Hurricane Isaac crawled into the central U.S. on Friday, leaving behind a soggy mess in Louisiana and two newly reported deaths. Neighborhoods were underwater and even homes that stayed dry didn't have lights, air conditioning or clean water.
It will be a few days before the soupy brown water recedes and people in flooded areas can return home. New Orleans itself was spared, thanks in large part to a levee system fortified after Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005.
There are still flood watches and warnings for areas of Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.
LOCAL GIRL APPROACHED BY MAN WHILE WALKING TO SCHOOL
When you hear about some guy trying to kidnap local children, it's just TERRIFYING. And there's another one on the loose here in Nashville, and we need to get this guy off the streets. He's a heavyset white man, either bald or with very short hair, who's been allegedly stalking children and approaching them: the latest was a girl near Cameron Middle School. So far the kids have just run away, but managed to get a partial tag number. They say he's driving a white, two-door Nissan, and B-O-3 are the first three characters on the license plate.
FORMER CO-OWNER OF LOVELESS CAFE FOUND DEAD IN CAR
George McCabe, a former co-owner of the Loveless Cafe, has been found dead in his wrecked car at Edwin Warner Park. There was no sign of alcohol at the scene. George just apparently veered off the road, hit some trees and ended up in a ditch. He was not wearing a seatbelt. As well as being a one-time co-owner of the Loveless, McCabe worked there for 30 years, so he was very well-known, and very loved, by people who knew him. George McCabe was just 51.
ROMNEY ACCEPTS GOP NOMINATION
Mitt Romney formally accepted the GOP presidential nomination on the final night of the Republican National Convention in Tampa.
OBAMA IN TEXAS TODAY
President Obama flies to El Paso, Texas today to speak to U.S. Army troops at Fort Bliss, and have a private roundtable chat with service-members and their families.
NEIL ARMSTRONG FUNERAL TODAY, FLAGS ORDERED AT HALF STAFF
The funeral is today in Cincinnati for Neil Armstrong, who commanded NASA's Apollo 11 mission, and was the first man to walk on the moon. Armstrong died last week from complications following heart surgery. He was 82. The President has ordered American flags to be flown at half staff today in his honor. (http://www.allstarflags.com/blog)
TITANS WIN FINAL PRESEASON GAME
Preseason is over for the Tennessee Titans. They beat the New Orleans Saints last night 10-6. The first regular season game is September 9th at LP Field against the New England Patriots.
Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt will NOT play in that game. He's being punished for his "suspicion of DUI" arrest last month at Fort Campbell.
FOOTBALL FAN FALLS TO DEATH
A football fan trying some stunt at a game in Houston yesterday fell to his death. The 45 year old man was trying to slide down the outside handrail of an escalator, and fell three stories to the pavement below. No word on whether alcohol was involved.
BLUE MOON TONIGHT
There's a Blue Moon tonight, which basically means the rare second full moon in the same month. It won't happen again till 2015.
ROBIN ROBERTS LEAVES GMA A DAY EARLY
ROBIN'S MOM PASSES AWAY
How much can one woman take? You knew she was sick, and leaving Good Morning America to have a bone marrow transplant, but she had to leave a day early because her mom was dying, and Robin needed to say goodbye. She made it back home to Mississippi just in time. Her mother was 88.
Robin says she gets strength from this quote, "Life provides losses and heartache for all of us. But the greatest tragedy is to have the experience and miss the meaning." Roberts said, "I'm determined not to miss the meaning." Robin Roberts, there are a lot of people praying for you.
(Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Chris Rock and Oprah will be among the celebs who'll fill in while Robin is on medical leave.)
ROBERTS' BREAST CANCER TREATMENT CAUSED HER CURRENT ILLNESS: This was her emotional moment on the show, back in June, when she explained what happened, why she's sick again, and said she's going to beat this, too! Bless her.
LEANN RIMES ENTERS TREATMENT FOR STRESS, ANXIETY
Singer LeAnn Rimes turned 30 on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, checked herself in to a 30-day inpatient treatment facility. Her rep says it's not for substance abuse or an eating disorder... it's to get help for anxiety and stress.
MASS SHOOTING IN NEW JERSEY There's been another mass shooting. A gunman wearing body armor opened fire at a shopping center in New Jersey this morning... police say at least three people are dead, including the gunman. We'll keep you updated as soon as the details start coming out.
GAS PRICE CLIMB TO CONTINUE THROUGH LABOR DAY
http://www.wkrn.com/story/19393451/local-gas-price-feel-impact-of-isaac
These high gas prices have a lot of people putting in 10 dollars at a time... with fillups costing 60 bucks or so... and those who watch such things say our local gas prices will keep going up at least through the Labor Day weekend. You can get an idea of what they are across town at NashvilleGasPrices.com
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
It's time to get your favorite football food recipes out, college football season is on. Second-ranked and defending national champion Alabama plays Michigan tomorrow night, and the Tigers of LSU start the season ranked first in the "USA Today" poll, and hosting North Texas.
MAN TRIES UNSUCCESSFULLY TO MAIL HIMSELF TO GIRLFRIEND
Here's what NOT to do to show your love to someone: don't MAIL YOURSELF AS A SURPRISE GIFT! A guy in China climbed into a giant box, paid a courier to deliver the giant box to his girlfriend. It should have taken 30 minutes, but the courier got lost. By the time the guy got to his girlfriend's house he was unconscious and had to be revived by paramedics. He says he couldn't breathe in there, tried to cut an airhole and couldn't, but he didn't want to ruin the surprise by shouting.
NASHVILLE FIREFIGHTERS ON LEAVE AFTER FIRE HALL INCIDENT
Five Nashville firefighters are on administrative leave and an investigation is under way about inappropriate female visits and lewd conduct at a fire station. They apparently had a stripper at Station 24 in Bordeaux.
METRO COP CAUGHT BULLYING ON CAMERA BULLYING MAN, DECOMMISSIONED A Metro police officer, Vince Archuleta, has been decommissioned for approaching and pushing a street preacher at last week's Titans game.
CLOSING ARGUMENTS TODAY IN DREW PETERSON TRIAL
Closing arguments in the Drew Peterson trial are set for Tuesday. Prosecutors formally rested their case against the ex-Chicago area police sergeant this afternoon. He's accused of murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio, and trying to make it look like an accident. The trial was based mostly on forensic evidence and hearsay testimony because there weren't any witnesses to Savio's death. The hearsay evidence was mostly from statements allegedly made by Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, who's been missing since 2007. Drew Peterson is suspected, but not charged, in her disappearance. He was charged with Savio's death after Savio's body was exhumed in 2007.
AMAZON: KINDLE FIRE IS A SELL-OUT
Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet computer is a sell-out. The company says the tablet has claimed more than 20 percent of the U.S. market for the devices since it was rolled out last year. There's no word about restocking the tablet computer or about total sales figures. The announcement of the sell-out by Amazon chief Jeff Bezos has sparked speculation that the company will be bringing out a new version of the Fire next week. Numbers from the research firm Gartner indicate that tablet computer sales will almost double this year to more than 118-million units.
MTV CANCELS "JERSEY SHORE"
"Jersey Shore" has washed ashore. MTV is pulling the plug on its controversial reality series, announcing Thursday that the show that introduced characters like Snooki, The Situation, JWoww and Pauly D to the mainstream, will end after its upcoming sixth season. The network says it will mark the end of the show with farewell programming, starting next Thursday with the one-hour recap "Gym Tan, Look Back." The sixth and now final season of "Jersey Shore" begins on October 4th. The series' cast is also credited with introducing unique words and phrases like "guidos and guidettes," "smushing" and "gym, tan, laundry," or "GTL," into popular culture. "Jersey Shore" also inspired two MTV spin-off series, "Snooki and JWoww" and "The Pauly D Project." "Shore" star Snooki just gave birth to her first child, a son, over the weekend and is engaged to be married.
HALF A MILLION MR. COFFEE MACHINES RECALLED
More than a half-million coffeemakers are under a recall order on fears of burn injuries. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the Mr. Coffee Single Cup Brewing System could expel hot coffee grounds and water. The agency has received almost 60 reports of burn injuries from the small appliance. The machines were sold from September of 2010 through August of 2012 online and at retailers including Bed Bath & Beyond, KMart, Target and WalMart. They were made in China and imported by Jarden Consumer Solutions of Boca Raton, Florida. The coffeemakers were also sold in Canada. The CPSC says consumers should stop using the machines immediately and contact Jarden for information about a replacement machine.
COLORADO SUSPECT APPARENTLY TRIED TO CALL UNIVERSITY BEFORE SHOOTING
The suspect in the Colorado movie theater massacre may have tried to call the University of Colorado only nine minutes before he started shooting. The possible phone call came up during a pretrial hearing for James Holmes yesterday. Holmes is accused of murdering 12 people and wounding dozens more in Aurora last month.
