Tues, February 28, 2012

15 HOURS OF FREE FLAPJACKS AT IHOP FEBRUARY 28
Today is free pancake day at IHOP restaurants. Till 10:00 tonight they'll give you a free short stack, and they'll ask you to make a donation to the Children's Miracle Network. Our local Children's Miracle Network hospital is the Monroe Carrel Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Get more info at www.ihoppancakeday.com

INFECTED HORSES GIVE WARNING OF RABIES VIRUS
If you have children who are involved with horses, or you are around them, state health officials want you to know there've been two rabies cases in horses in Rutherford County. They say you should be extra careful and keep an eye on your pets for rabies, since while it's going around this time of year, it can spread to any mammal through the saliva of one that's infected.

OHIO SCHOOL SHOOTING
Two of five students shot yesterday morning at an Ohio high school have died. Three more are still in the hospital. The alleged gunman, 17-year-old T.J. Lane, was arrested and is scheduled to be in court today.

DAYTONA 500 WINNER
Matt Kenseth is the winner of the 2012 Daytona 500. Kenseth crossed the finish line just ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. for his second win in the so-called "Great American Race."

POLICE: MURFREESBORO MOM DRIVING DRUNK WITH 4 KIDS IN CAR
A Murfreesboro mom has been arrested for driving drunk with four young children in the car. The oldest of the kids was 5. Angel Britton was driving the wrong way on Church street around 9:30 Friday night, crashed into two cars, then tried to drive away. Police say a witness reached into the car and grabbed the keys. Britton also had an open container in the car. The kids are okay. Britton is out on bond.

SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER VIOLENT ATTACK NEAR METRO PARK
Police have arrested a man for attacking a woman outside a south Nashville city park, and stealing her car. The victim was attacked with a box cutter, around 6:30am, at William A. Pitts Park on Tusculum Road. Three nearby schools were placed on lockdown, but opened back up when the suspect was caught.

CRUISE SHIP STRANDED
A cruise ship run by the same people who own the Costa Concordia is still stranded in the Indian Ocean, with more than 1,000 passengers and crew after a fire in the ship's engine room. No injuries have been reported ... but the ship is completely without power. A tug boat will get there tonight to tow them to shore. (Since they're in an area frequented by pirates....nine Italian marines are onboard for security.)

HEALTHWAYS: U.S. OBESITY RATES LEVELING OFF
Adult obesity in the United States seems to have hit a platuea, and MAY be slowly declining. The U.S. obesity rate fell from 26.6 percent to 26.1 percent last year... the first time it's gone DOWN in years. Tennessee, however, is still one of the ten fattest states in the country.

BILL OUSTING OCCUPIERS WAITS FOR HASLAM'S SIGNATURE
The bill authorizing police to evict Occupy Nashville campers is now on the Governor's desk to be signed into law. If he doesn't sign it within ten days it'll become law automatically, since both House and Senate lawmakers passed it.

METRO SUES DEVELOPER FOR UNFINISHED SUBDIVISION
And developers Nicholas and Deborah Psillas are being sued by the city and the county for not finishing homes in the Woodland Forest subdivision. Nine homeowners have waited six years for them to finish the job.

GILL LEAVES MCA RECORDS
Vince Gill is leaving MCA records, after being with the label for more than 20 years. His last album was "Guitar Slinger" back in October.

PRIMARIES TODAY IN MICHIGAN AND ARIZONA
Michigan and Arizona presidential primaries are today. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is favored to win Arizona, but he faces a tough challenge from former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in Michigan...even though. Romney was born and raised there.

NEW JERSEY AIRPORT BACK OPEN AFTER EMERGENCY LANDING
New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport is open again this morning after a landing scare... a United Airlines flight lost its front landing gear, and had to make an emergency landing... with the nose against the runway. Everybody's fine.

FAA PROPOSES NEW FLYING RULES FOR PILOTS
The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing new rules requiring more experience for commercial airline pilots. They want pilots to have a certificate showing they've got 15-hundred hours of flying time before they can fly commercially.

MAN ROBBING BANK WITH 'NUCLEAR BOMB'
There's a guy going around in Maryland, robbing banks by handing bank tellers a note that says he has a nuclear bomb. He's gotten away with it four times so far.

OSCARS FALLON
A lot of us were talking about Angelina Jolie's leg-baring stance on the red carpet and on stage at the Oscars. Well, Jimmy Fallon put his twist on things on HIS show last night, saying, "The ratings for the Oscars were up 4% this year. Or as Angelina Joline's leg said, 'You're welcome.' "

'BIG BANG THEORY' BEATS 'AMERICAN IDOL'
For the first time in five years, another TV series has beaten American Idol outright in the Nielsen ratings to win the night. After weeks of near-topples and ties, CBS' The Big Bang Theory overtook Fox's Idol on Thursday. And when it finally happened, the margin wasn't small in the adult demo: Big Bang had 16.1 million viewers and a 5.2 rating in the adult demo, while Idol had 15.4 million and a 4.4 rating. Idol fell 14 percent from last week to a new low (clearly the strategy of draaaagging out revealing the Top 24 contestants didn't work out).

HUD CHARGES BofA DISCRIMINATES AGAINST DISABLED
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is charging Bank of America with discrimination against disabled homebuyers. HUD says B-of-A made disabled borrowers meet unnecessary and burdensome requirements. The agency says the bank asked the borrowers from Michigan and Wisconsin to prove their disabilities before approving the loans.

OSCARS ON SALE TODAY
A collection of 15 Oscar statuettes hits the auction block. Among those to be sold today are the 1933 Best Picture Oscar for "Cavalcade," an Academy Award for "Citizen Kane" and a cinematography Oscar for 1939's "Wuthering Heights." The auction, by L.A.'s Nate D. Sanders Auctions, is taking place despite protests by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

WHITNEY FILM BEING KEPT SECRET TILL OPENING
Fans who hope to catch an early preview of Whitney Houston's final film may be out of luck. TMZ.com is citing sources who say "Sparkle" is under close watch to make sure no one leaks Houston's scenes or music. People are said to be working on the film "around the clock" to finish post-production as soon as they can.

ELTON JOHN AIDS FUNDRAISER
Elton John raised a staggering five-million dollars for the fight against AIDS. The singer raised the sum at his 20th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Viewing Party Sunday night. Dozens of celebrities including Katy Perry, Steven Tyler, Kim Kardashian and Buzz Aldrin showed up at the charity event and auction to raise money for AIDS research.