Monday, June 18, 2012

METRO COUNCIL TO LOOK AT ALTERNATE BUDGET TODAY
The Metro Council takes a closer look today at an alternate budget proposal.  The substitute budget ordinance drafted by Councilman Sean McGuire also includes a 53-cent property tax increase, but four-cents of that would go into a reserve. The proposal also makes financial cuts to several programs the mayor wants to fund. The council is supposed to vote for a third and final time on the Mayor's proposal tomorrow night. 

RODNEY KING FOUND DEAD
Rodney King, whose beating by Los Angeles police helped spark the L.A. riots, died yesterday at his home in California. His girlfriend claims he'd been drinking all day and smoking pot before his body was found at the bottom of the swimming pool. King's girlfriend says she awoke at 5 a.m. to hear him screaming, naked, and banging on the patio glass, and when she went to get her phone, heard a splash. King was found at the bottom of the swimming pool, and could not be revived. Rodney King was 47.

FREIGHT LINER TRUCK EXPLOSION IN ANTIOCH
Two people have been seriously injured this morning from a tractor trailer explosion in Antioch, not far from the Rutherford County line. The explosion happened in the 4100 block of Murfreesboro Pike across from Hurricane Creek Boulevard.

SOLDIERS RETURN TO FORT CAMPBELL FOR FATHER'S DAY
Just in time for Father's Day... more than 80 soldiers got to come back home to Tennessee yesterday. The soldiers got back to Fort Campbell so late that some of their children who were there waiting, had fallen asleep, and were awakened by their parents, who they hadn't seen in almost a year. One little boy was THRILLED his daddy was home, because he said he had a boo boo and his daddy could kiss it and make it better.

PLANNED OUTAGE TUES NIGHT WILL AFFECT MOST OF BRENTWOOD RETAIL DISTRICT 
A planned power outage in Brentwood this week will affect most of the retail district. Nashville Electric Service officials will shut off power along both sides of Franklin road, from 7 TUESDAY night till 7 Wednesday morning.

GIRLS' DAY OUT AT VANDY SATURDAY FOR MAMMOGRAM PARTIES
The Vanderbilt Breast Center is holding a "Girls' Day Out" this Saturday, to give you some pampering while you're waiting for your mammogram. The event is Saturday,10 to 1 at Vanderbilt's 100 Oaks facility on Thompson Lane. You get a complimentary brunch, massage and door prizes, but you DO have to pre-register. We'll have the info on the mix929.com NEWS page. (suite 25000 in Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks. To register, call 322-2064.)

FRIST SAYS DOCTORS CAN HELP REVERSE OBESITY EPIDEMIC
Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says coaching from your doctor could help you and your family lose weight. Frist, who's a surgeon, is the honorary vice chair of the Partnership for a Healthy America, which held a roundtable discussion on childhood obesity in Nashville on Friday.  Frist said if DOCTORS aren't ready to do the coaching, they can pair their patients with coaches to work on behaviors that lead to obesity. 

SANDUSKY DEFENCE STARTS TODAY
After graphic testimony from eight alleged victims... the defense starts presenting its case today in former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's child sex abuse trial.  Attorneys for the 68-year-old Sandusky claim Sandusky suffers from histrionic personality disorder. 

FCC HEAD REQUESTS CELL PHONE HEALTH CONCERN REVIEW 
The Federal Communications Commission may take a fresh look at radio frequency energy emitted by cell phones and possible health effects. The Agency Chairman wants a formal inquiry into standards set for mobile phone emissions in 1996.  The chairman cites continuing worries that RF emissions from phones may cause brain tumors.

TON LOC COLLAPSES
Singer Tone Loc was in the middle of a set last night, and suddenly collapsed. His people say it was heat exhaustion. They cooled him down, gave him water and he got back on stage. Witnesses say the odd thing was that he performed the same songs as before the fall. Loc says he's fine now and has a show tonight in Texas. 

AIMEE COPELAND LATEST
Her story has garnered national attention, and yesterday was a particularly emotional day for the family of Aimee Copeland.  The University of West Georgia grad student is suffering from an infection of flesh-eating bacteria.  Copeland's dad has been updating her supporters through Facebook, where he wrote yesterday that Aimee is experiencing her worst pain yet due to skin grafting and a muscle in her abdomen that doctor's had to remove.

ZIPLINE INJURY AT TENNESSEE FARM
A guest at Honeysuckle Hill Farm in Springwas injured Saturday while zip lining at the Springfield facility. The victim was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The identity of the guest or their current medical condition has not been released.  "We are devastated that one of our guests was injured and are praying that she have a speedy and complete recovery," said Jeff Alsup, the farm's owner. The zip line, the newest attraction at Honeysuckle Hill Farm, will be closed until further notice as the cause of the incident is investigated, he said.  Honeysuckle Hill Farm offers farm tours to about 15,000 children annually, along with a fall pumpkin patch, corn maze and haunted hayride.

TV TONIGHT
On your TV tonight, there's a new reality show called "The Glass House."  The ABC show puts 14 strangers in one house and incorporates interaction from viewers at home.

NIAGARA FALLS HIGH-WIRE WALK SUCCESSFUL
Nick Wallenda has become the first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a high wire.
Tens of thousands of people gathered at the falls and millions more were believed watching on television as Wallenda crossed some 200 feet in the air on a two-inch-wide wire strung over the raging waters of Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three falls that make up Niagara Falls. Wallenda trotted in his final steps across the wire and stepped into Canada, barely 25 minutes after he started.

JACK OSBOURNE REVEALS MS DIAGNOSIS
Jack Osbourne, son of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  MS affects the central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord - and can cause problems with muscle control, strength, vision, balance, and thinking. Jack got the diagnosis just two weeks after he and his fiancee had their first baby.

NUN TOUR
A group of Catholic nuns will set out today on a nine-state bus tour to ramp up support for social service agencies.  The 15-day "Nuns on the Bus" tour is in response to the Pope's recent criticism of American nuns for their dedication to social service.

TEBOW CHURCH?
Usually, on Father's Day, church attendance by men is low. But Shadow Mountain Community Church in California found a way to get dads to attend: they had the service at a stadium, and had New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow speak. 

GRAND OLE OPRY HANDS OUT "OPRY FAN AWARD"
The Grand Ole Opry is honoring its most loyal fan.  Saturday night, Paul Eckart received the first-ever Opry Fan Award.  Eckart has gone to every weekend show for 40-years and sits in the same seat every time; Section Five, Row BB, Seat One. 

PAUL MCCARTNEY TURNING 70 WITH PRIVATE GATHERING
Paul McCartney turns 70 today.  But the former Beatle says he doesn't have any lavish plans to launch the seventh decade of his life.  He tells the UK's "Telegraph" he's not into "big dos," and he'll mark the occasion with a small gathering of family members and friends.