Tues, February 21, 2012

WIND ADVISORY BUT WARMER
Today's one of those days you need to make sure things at the house are not where they could blow away, and you may find driving a little rough. We have a wind advisory in effect till tonight, with winds gusting up to 35 miles an hour.

TORNADO IN OKLAHOMA, HAIL IN KANSAS
And people in the midwest and south central U.S. are in cleanup mode today after some severe weather. Tornadoes killed one person in Oklahoma, and in Kansas, hail storms and high winds did widespread damage in several counties.

MORNING EARTHQUAKE RATTLES MISSOURI, ILLINOIS, TENNESSEE, KENTUCKY
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a 4.0 magnitude earthquake shook areas in Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee and Kentucky before dawn Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. The quake, which struck just before 4:00 a.m. CST, was felt as far away as St. Louis. The quake center was 16 miles southwest of Cairo, Ill., and 122 miles north-northeast of Memphis, Tenn. The soil composition in the region likely magnified the effect of the quake somewhat, causing it to be felt over a broad area, and added to the shaking. However, no major damage has been reported, according to the Associated Press and other sources.

GAS PRICES ALL TIME HIGH
I'm sure you noticed: gas prices are soaring, and they're on the way to a possible all-time high. Prices are over four-dollars a gallon in some parts of the country, the average price for a gallon of regular is already $3.57 (but that was yesterday).Experts say the current price will probably seem CHEAP compared to what it is by Memorial Day.

NISSAN HIRING FOR SMYRNA
Nissan is hiring a thousand new workers for its Smyrna plant to staff a second shift over the next year. The company announced yesterday the assembly line positions will assemble the new Infiniti JX and the new generation of the Nissan Pathfinder. Executives say the second shift employees will add to more workers they'll need for the billion-dollar lithium-ion battery plant opening later this year. You can get information at www.nissan.jobs

NURSING CAREER FAIR AT MTMC TUESDAY
A career fair for nurses will be held today (Tuesday) at Middle Tennessee Medical Center. They are looking specifically for licensed registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. The career fair starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 2 p.m. Employers will be set up in the meeting room at Middle Tennessee Medical Center. You're asked to complete your application online before you show up. http://www.sths.com/careers/

STUDY: DRINKING DIET SODA MAY RAISE HEART ATTACK RISK
Drinking diet soda every day may raise your risk of heart attack or stroke. A University of Miami study followed nearly 26-hundred people for ten years, and found those who drank diet soda every day were 44-percent more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than people who didn't drink it. Diet soda lovers also tend to weigh more and be more prone to high blood pressure, diabetes and high blood sugar.

HALF OF AMERICANS HAVE SMARTPHONES
If it seems like everybody has a smartphone... you're half right. A Nielson study finds about half of Americans have smart phones. ... with two in THREE of those people in the 24-to-34 age group.

BAND PERRY BREAKS IN NEW RYMAN STAGE
Members of the Band Perry have become the first performers to use the new stage at the Ryman Auditorium. Workers finished replacing the 61-year old former stage just hours before the group's sold-out concert last night. (The new one is made of Brazilian teak and has a darker finish.)

METRO COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTE TONIGHT ON ARRIOLA SITUATION
Metro Council members are expected to vote tonight on asking Davidson County Clerk John Arriola to resign. And councilman Charlie Tygard is pushing a second resolution asking him to refund the 40 dollars to any of the three-thousand couples who want their money back for marriages he conducted on government time.

LAW PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR JOBLESS MILITARY SPOUSES
Men or women forced to leave their jobs when their military spouse has to move would be eligible for unemployment benefits under a law that's being proposed now in the state legislature. The bill passed the Senate after Governor Bill Haslam added 280-thousand dollars for it in next year's budget proposal. The Democratic sponsors of the bill say Tennessee is one of just eleven states that don't pay unemployment to families frequently forced to move by the military.

BONNAROO TICKET SALES RESUME SATURDAY
Bonnaroo officials say they'll have the website back up and tickets to the June Festival will go back on sale this Saturday at 11. They say they've fixed the problem that made the website crash after just three hours of ticket sales last weekend.

IT'S FAT TUESDAY
It's not just any Tuesday in New Orleans. It's Fat Tuesday and it's in full swing. Some two-million people will be partying in the streets of the Big Easy today while parade after parade moves through the streets along the French Quarter. Mardi Gras is a tradition dating back 300 years and called the "World's Greatest Free Party."

FATHER FIXING SON'S VANDALISM
A Columbus, Ohio man has done something you don't hear about often: his son has depression and drank alcohol on top of his meds, and went on a spree, slashing tires int he parking lot. The dad, left handwritten notes on the windshield of each car, explaining the situation, apologizing, and offering to pay for the damage. His neighbors say that's the right thing to do.

GREECE GETS BAILOUT
If Greece's economy fails, it'll have repercussions around the world, including hurting our economy in America. But for now, Greece is getting another bailout from European finance ministers.

HAIRDRESSERS BLAME CUSTOMER STORIES FOR STRESS, DEPRESSION
The stories and gossip you share with your hairstylist might be making her sick. A study of stylists in Australia found many hairdressers become so stressed from listening to their customers' depressing stories, they grow ill themselves. Tales of divorce, deaths, domestic incidents and other things life throws at us actually cause some hairdressers to drop out of the profession never to return.

MAN TRYING TO EVICT 98-YEAR-OLD MOM
A Connecticut man says he doesn't want to evict his 98-year-old mother from her home but believes he is doing it for a good reason. Mary Kantorowski of Bridgeport has lived in the house for four decades and told WTNH she was shocked when she received an eviction notice from her son. Peter Kantorowski says he's not trying to toss the woman on the street but thinks she should be in a nursing home. Peter's parents signed the home over to him several years ago but he hasn't seen his mom in more than half a year. The case hits the courts early next month.

WHITNEY HOUSTON ITEMS ON AUCTION BLOCK
Whitney Houston memorabilia is going on the auction block. Darren Julien of Julien's Auctions says dozens of family, friends and colleagues of the late singer have offered up items that once belonged to Houston for auction. A dress and a pair of earrings Houston wore in her movie "The Bodyguard" will be part of the "Hollywood Legends" auction on March 31st and April 1st.

MUSIC CITY DISTILLERY LAUNCHES NEW 'SIPPING CREAM'
A music city distillery is trying to create a new category for the liquor store. "The Nashville Business Journal" reports Speakeasy Spirits is preparing to launch Whisper Creek Tennessee Sipping Cream liquor. Speakeasy executives say they wanted to create a product unique to Tennessee, described as a sipping cream with the first taste of aged whiskey followed by flavors of caramel, vanilla and burnt molasses. They say they hope to have it in stores by April.

SUGARLAND BLAMING FANS FOR OWN DEATHS AT FAIR
Sugarland is blaming its fans in the aftermath of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse last August that killed seven people and injured dozens more. It's in reaction to a civil lawsuit that states singer Jennifer Nettles was partly to blame for not postponing the show. The band is saying some of those hurt or killed, quote, "failed to exercise due care for their own safety."

BLUES MUSIC RINGS OUT AT THE WHITE HOUSE
The White House plays host today to a group of musicians for the latest "In Performance at the White House" concert. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will host the event titled "Red, White And Blues" from the East Room of the White House. The concert will pay homage to Blues artists in honor of Black History month.