NOVEMBER 9, 2011

First Nationwide Test Of Nation's Emergency Alert System Today
Wednesday, November 9th, at 1:00 p.m. local time, FEMA, the FCC and NOAA - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - will conduct the first EVER Nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test. That means at 1 p.m. you'll hear the emergency alert message on ALL TV and radio stations, at the same time. Since it's a real test of the REAL emergency alert, you may not see or hear the 'this is a test' message. Emergency officials want you to be ready for it, and make sure you can hear it. We're also asked to spread the word to family and friends that today's Emergency Alert System Notification is JUST a test! They ask that you do NOT panic or call 9-1-1. Excessive calls to 9-1-1 will flood the system, and keep people with actual emergencies from getting help.

Free Cupcakes, Food Drive For Second Harvest
Mix 92.9 was out at 4th and Commerce this morning helping celebrate the Cupcake Collection's third birthday by handing out free cupcakes and coffee. The Cupcake Collection just asks that you "pay it forward" by doing something nice for someone else. For example, they were taking donations for the Second Harvest Food Bank. If you didn't make it by this morning for the free food, you're still asked to drop off a food donation anytime today at the Cupcake Collection, 1213 6th Avenue North in Germantown.

Get Your Mammograms At 'Girls' Day Out' At Vandy
More than 230,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States this year, and approximately 39,000 women will die from the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute. The Vanderbilt Breast Center is inviting women to get their mammograms done during a special Girls' Day Out, this Saturday (Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.) at Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks. The special Girls' Day Out will feature a free brunch, massages, a healthy cooking demonstration, door prizes and free parking. You have to RSVP by Thursday. (615) 936-6979. (Insurance will be billed and co-pays will apply.)

CMA Awards Wednesday, Beware Of Road Closures 
Keep your eyes open, you may see some celebrities! The CMA Awards are tonight, and there are always not only country stars, but music stars from all genres of music, and Hollywood stars in town for the festivities! The show airs on NEWS2 at 7 p.m. Click Here for CMA ROAD CLOSURES.

Rapper Heavy D Dies
Hip-hop legend Heavy D passed away yesterday at the age of 44. Heavy D, whose real name was Dwight Arrington Myers, began his career in 1987 with his group Heavy D & the Boyz. The groups hits include "The Overweight Lover's in the House," and a remake of the O'Jays' "Now That We Found Love." Myers also wrote and performed the title song to the show "In Living Color." He most recently performed at the Michael Jackson Tribute Concert in Wales, and appears in the movie, "Tower Heist." Heavy D was well liked in the business, and known for not resorting to crude lyrics in his music. He collapsed inside his home in Beverly Hills yesterday, saying he couldn't breathe. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital.

Toyota Recall
Toyota is recalling half a million cars for a steering issue. The cars are 2004 through 2006 models, and include the Highlander, Avalon, Sienna, and Solara, as well as some 2004 and 2005 Lexus vehicles. You'll get a notice from your dealer in January, if your car is involved, or you can go online at Toyota.com
 
Websites List Stores With Layaway This Year
An old way of doing business is back. The economy is forcing more and more retailers to bring back layaway. Stores offering it this year include K-Mart, Walmart, Toys R Us, Best Buy Sears and TJ Maxx. www.Lay-Away.com  or www.eLayaway.com 
 
Nashville Comes In #3 For 'Most Shopaholic' American Cities
Nashville came in at #3 in a Bundle.com survey of the top Shopaholic cities. The average Nashvillian spends $251 a month on clothes, shoes and other items. At the top of the list: 1. Washington D.C. Residents average monthly spending on clothes, shoes and other wear: $263 #2. Arlington, Va. Residents average monthly spending is $254.58.

Herman Cain Says He's Not Ending Campaign
White House hopeful Herman Cain says he's not ending his campaign over recent sexual harassment allegations. Cain says he's willing to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence.
 
Penn State Will Appoint Special Investigative Team
Penn State's board of trustees said Tuesday it will create a special committee on Friday to investigate the sex abuse allegations, which became public last week after a grand jury report on the case was released. Former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was arraigned over the weekend on 40 counts alleging sex crimes with young boys. Head football coach Joe Paterno is urging prayer for the victims of the abuse. Read more.

Power Still Out Two Weeks After Connecticut Snow
Two weeks after a snow storm knocked out electricity to hundreds of thousands, thousands of people in Connecticut are still greeting each other with, 'Do you have power?' The Governor met with officials from the utility company yesterday and said the continued outages are unacceptable.

Vanguard Health Pays $2 Million In Latest Fraud Settlement
Brentwood-based healthcare company Vanguard is settling with the federal government to pay back $2 million for Medicare and Medicaid fraud. U.S. attorneys say its the latest case in an effort to dig up fraud in federally funded healthcare programs. The government has recovered over $100 million from investigating companies in Central Tennessee.
 
Drivers Warned To Watch For Deer
Highway officials are hoping you've been listening to that deer-car collision warning. This is the deadliest time of the year for car-deer collisions, and traffic fatalities because of it. Already this week a man in Kentucky was killed when his car hit a deer, and a Williamson County deputy severely damaged his car in a similar incident. Deer are most likely to be out in the morning and at dusk.

Legislators Prepare For Health Exchange Deadline
State officials are pledging to fight President Obama's health care law. It requires the state to set up its own health care exchange to provide coverage for the uninsured by the end of the year. If the state doesn't do it, the feds will. Some legislators are getting ready to make recommendations, but mostly they're hoping Congress just repeals the law.

Metro Negotiates $3 Million Deal To Buy Country Club
Nashville is considering buying the Ravenwood Country Club in Hermitage to use the 180 acres for park area and green space. It already has a pool and tennis courts.

Mississippians Reject Controversial 
A controversial ballot initiative in Mississippi has been struck down. Voters decided against an anti-abortion measure that would have defined human life as starting at the point of conception, and would have banned all abortions even in the case of rape and incest.

Occupy Wall Street Headed To White House
Occupy Wall Street demonstrators in New York begin a two-week march to the White House today. The protesters plan to walk 20 miles a day to get there in time for the Congressional Super Committee meeting on November 23rd.

National Christmas Tree Heads To Rockefeller Center Today
The Rockefeller Christmas tree this year will come from Pennsylvania, for the first time. The 74-foot spruce will be cut down this morning, then loaded onto a really, really long flatbed truck and hauled into Manhattan.

Smoking Cessation Drug Chantix Carries Serious Side Effects
Chantix, a popular drug used by people trying to quit smoking carries some serious side effects. That's according to a research group at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center that claims the drug is eight times more likely to be linked to suicidal behavior or depression than other nicotine replacement products. The researchers looked at more than 3200 reports of serious self-injury or depression linked to Chantix and another product, Zyban, also approved for smoking cessation, plus several other nicotine replacement products. They discovered in more than 2900 of the cases, about 90-percent of suicidal behavior reported to the FDA was related to Chantix. The full report is posted online in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS One. The Department of Health and Human Services says 36-percent of smokers try to quit each year, but only three-percent are ultimately successful for six months or longer.

Study: DIY Cervical Cancer Test Could Save Lives
British researchers suggest women can cut their risk of cervical cancer with a do-it-yourself test. The DIY test was more effective than traditional smear tests at determining early signs of disease in a trial involving 20,000 women in Mexico. The test detects the human papillomavirus, or HPV, responsible for cervical cancer. The researchers say the DIY kit could provide an alternative for women who live in countries where smear testing is difficult or impossible. Women can use the kit at home and the sample is assessed by an automated system. The results of the trial are published in the medical journal "Lancet."

Clinton: "AIDS-Free Generation" Is Possible With HIV-Fighting Drugs
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is setting a new course for the nation's global fight against AIDS. She said it's possible to reach the goal of having an AIDS-free generation. Clinton says the key priorities of America's worldwide AIDS effort going forward will include using drugs to prevent new infections, and stop mother-to-child transmission.

Eagerly Anticipated "Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" Out Today
One of the year's biggest video games is out today. Millions of gamers have been eagerly anticipating "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3." The game's single-player campaign will have players going to battlegrounds around the world as the U.S. reacts to a surprise Russian attack. The game is rated M for mature.

Bill Cosby Releases New Comedy Book
Comedian Bill Cosby is talking up his new book. Cosby says his book "I Didn't Ask To Be Born, (But I'm Glad I Was)" contains his observations about things such as love, the Bible, Adam and Eve, Cosby's first date, and dealing with a child who refuses to clean her room by declaring, "I didn't ask to be born."

Remember William Hung? See What He's Doing Now
You remember him from singing, "She Bangs" on American Idol. These days, William Hung works as a Technical Crime Analyst in the LA County sheriff's office.

Avril Lavigne Beaten By Mob?
Avril Lavigne was reportedly beaten up by a gang of people at a Hollywood bar over the weekend. Her boyfriend, Brody Jenner, was injured while trying to break it up.