Tues, March 20, 2012

SEVERE WEATHER IN PARTS OF THE U.S.
Severe weather continues today for much of the South Central U.S. Flash flood warnings are in effect from south Texas up into Oklahoma and Arkansas. Those areas also remain under a tornado threat after they got hit yesterday with storms and possibly tornadoes.

MANNING NOT GOING TO TITANS, TEBOW TRADED
Peyton Manning is not coming to play for the Tennessee Titans. He'll join the Denver Broncos, who now say they'll try to trade away their quarterback Tim Tebow once Manning's contract is signed.

ALLERGY SUFFERERS SUFFERING: TREE POLLEN COUNT HIGH
Make sure you take your allergy meds today. Trees are blooming early and the tree pollen counts are EXTREMELY high. The most active tree pollen types right now are Cedar, Maple and Pine trees, and not only does it put that yellow layer of pollen on your car, but it causes itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing, and runny nose. This is when you need to start taking precautions like wiping down the dog with a damp towel when he comes back indoors, and taking your shoes off when you come inside so you don't track pollen into the carpet.

MTSU TO HOLD STUDENT JOB FAIR TUESDAY
http://www.wkrn.com/story/17193888/mtsu-to-hold-student-job-fair-tuesday
Middle Tennessee State University holds its internship and student job fair today.... Representatives from about 50 different camps, parks, businesses or government agencies are expected to be there, looking for interns and summer employees. (See the list of participating employers http://www.mtsu.edu/career/2011_ISJF_Reg.shtml )

SHOPLIFTING SUSPECTS NEARLY RUN OVER OFFICERS
Police are looking for four women who were apparently seen shoplifting and who then nearly ran over two police officers near Rivergate Mall as they made their getaway. Cops are looking for a silver Chrysler Sebring with temporary tags.

2ND FORECLOSURE WAVE COULD HIT MID TN
Middle Tennessee could see a second wave of foreclosures hit the market this year. The 25-billion-dollar mortgage settlement that clarified foreclosure rules is done. That means many of the foreclosures that had been in legal limbo, will go through, and home prices will go back down, after starting to rise the past few months.

TENNESSEE EXPANDS STEM SCHOOLS PROGRAM
Instead of kids getting out of school or QUITTING school because they have no idea what they want to do after, Tennessee has a program called Stem Schools that puts students on the path to an in-demand career straight out of school. Governor Bill Haslam says he plans to expand the program, but adding three million dollars for three new schools.

ER DOCS NOT FAMILIAR WITH SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA
A new study shows more teenagers are being sent to the ER after using synthetic marijuana... but the drug is so new that ER doctors don't recognize the symptoms. Researchers say doctors need to start sharing the symptom information they gather, with other doctors, schools and parents.

NINTH ANNIVERSARY OF U.S.-LED INVASION OF IRAQ
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/20/world/meast/iraq-violence/?hpt=hp_t3 Nine years ago today the U-S was leading an invasion of Iraq. Nearly 4,500 Americans, 300-plus allied troops, and an estimated 100-thousand Iraqis were killed before the last American troops left in December. Today in Iraq, there's been a fresh wave of violence. Roadside and car bombs killed at least 39 people and injured nearly 200.

SPRING ARRIVES WITH EQUINOX TUESDAY, EARLIEST IN OVER A CENTURY
http://www.livescience.com/19149-spring-equinox-early-arrival-2012.html
And today is the first day of spring. It got here overnight. And with temperatures expected to hit close to 90: welcome to Tennessee!

WENDY'S NOW SELLING MORE THAN BURGER KING
Wendy's has dethroned Burger King as the country's second biggest hamburger chain. Wendy's edged out Burger King in U.S. sales volume for the first time last year since Wendy's was founded in 1969.

EARHART SEARCH CONTINUES
Federal government officials and a private historical group say they're goping to try again to find Amelia Earhart's plane. She went missing somewhere over the Pacific Ocean 75 years ago as she tried to fly around the world. (The search will focus on a Pacific atoll known as Nikumaroro. The atoll is located halfway between Hawaii and Australia.)

DISNEY SAYS 'JOHN CARTER' TO LOSE $200 MILLION
The movie "John Carter" is now officially a flop of galactic proportions. The Walt Disney Company says it expects to book a loss of $200 million dollars on the movie... just in this first quarter of the year. That puts John Carter among Hollywood's all-time biggest money-losers.

NASHVILLE FIREFIGHTER FACES DUI, WEAPONS CHARGES
Nashville firefighter Michael Calvin is facing DUI and firearms charges after being pulled over Friday night. Murfreesboro Police say he almost hit a patrol car, crossed the double yellow line several times, refused a blood test, and claimed he was impaired from an antidepressant taken earlier that day. The firearms charges are for having a handgun while intoxicated.) (He had a nine millimeter Smith and Wesson in the glove compartment.

APPLE STOCK SETS MORE RECORDS FOR STOCK PRICES
Apple's stock is still setting records. It closed at more than 600-dollars per share for the first time yesterday ( up nearly 50-percent since the first of the year). 

"DANCING WITH THE STARS" DEBUT
"Dancing with The Stars" started its new season last night. Former "Family Matters" star Jaleel White and classical singer Katherine Jenkins got the night's top scores of 26 each, former "Little House on the Prairie" star Melissa Gilbert and singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw got the lowest scores with 20 points each from the judges. There's no elimination episode this week, just another dance next Monday at 7 on ABC.

AMAZON LOCAL HAS SPECIAL TODAY
Amazon is looking to draw more people to its daily deals site www.AmazonLocal.com Today, the company will offer ten-dollar gift cards to its site for five bucks. Amazon expects to lose money on today's deal, but believes the promotion will pay off in the future.