Tuesday, July 3, 2012

ACTOR ANDY GRIFFITH DIES
Beloved actor Andy Griffith died this morning. Former UNC President Bill Friday says The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock actor died at his home in Dare County, North Carolina around 7 a.m.

NO OUTDOOR GRILLING ON CHARCOAL OR WOOD GRILLS THIS WEEKEND!
http://www.burnsafetn.org
BURN BANS INCLUDE SOME OUTDOOR GRILLS, (natural or propane gas fired grills are not prohibited), CITRONELLA CANDLES, TORCHES
If you want to grill outdoors this weekend, check first, to make sure your area is not under a burn ban. That means no campfires, trash fires or outdoor grilling (except on natural gas or propane grills). SOME of the places under burn bans include: Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, LaVergne, Clarksville, Gallatin and Portland. And entire COUNTIES UNDER BURN BANS include: Dickson,  Cheatham, Maury, Rutherford, Robertson, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson counties (among others). NO OUTDOOR FIRES, INCLUDING GRILLING OUT, until our fire danger is past. A violation of the state burn ban is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor, which can carry a fine of $2,500 and up to 11 months 29 days in jail.

FINES, COURT COSTS FOR VIOLATING FIREWORKS BANS

WHERE ARE FIREWORKS BANNED?
Murfreesboro, Gallatin, Clarksville, Hendersonville, Goodlettsville, Dickson, Spring Hill, LaVergne, Smyrna, Woodbury, Millersville, Simpson County, KY, have banned the use of fireworks by residents. Some area cities, like Nashville, already do not allow the use of fireworks by residents.

DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE FIREWORKS AND MUSIC TONIGHT, TOMORROW NIGHT
In downtown Nashville tonight, the music starts at 5:30, a smaller fireworks show starts at 9. tomorrow, the gates open at noon and the fireworks start at 9:45. This week's show is expected to be bigger and better than ever, and include room for about 140 thousand people at Riverfront Park. Street closures in Nashville have already started.

SEE NASHVILLE FIREWORKS ONLINE
Watch the fireworks live on www.wkrn.com, WKRN's mobile app and on Comcast Cable channel 245.
 
FIREWORKS PARTIES AT ADVENTURE SCIENCE CENTER, MORE
Nashville - Fireworks Lawn Party
Where: Adventure Science Center
When: Wed., July 4
Cost: $35 and up
www.adventuresci.com
 
NASHVILLE SOUNDS GAME FIREWORKS
Where: Greer Stadium, Chestnut Street, south Nashville
When: Tues., July 3 Nashville Sounds game at 7:05 p.m.
Cost: Fireworks free with ticket
www.nashvillesounds.com
 
NASHVILLE'S HOT CHICKEN FESTIVAL
www.MusicCityHotChickenFestival.com
Where: East Park, Woodland Street
When: July 4, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Cost: Free
 
SPECIAL PATRIOTIC FIREWORKS MUSIC ON MIX 92.9
Mix 92.9 will have special patriotic music playing tomorrow night just after 9, so you can listen no matter what fireworks display you're watching. Get the Free App to listen on your smartphone!

OTHER PLACES TO SEE LIVE FIREWORKS
www.musiccityjuly4th.com
It's already illegal to shoot off fireworks in Nashville and Davidson county, but because of the drought there are fireworks bans all over the midstate. So here are the free, professional fireworks displays you can check out: Tonight and tomorrow night in Nashville, and tonight in Smyrna, Clarksville and Hendersonville as well as at Nashville Shores http://nashvilleshores.com/.
Police remind you that you parking on the shoulder of the interstate to watch the fireworks display is prohibited, and they will be writing tickets. 

4TH OF JULY TRAVELERS
There'll be a lot of traffic on the road all the rest of this week! New numbers from Triple-A show that more than 42-million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home. 

DUI CRACKDOWN, JULY 4TH DEADLY FOR TEENS
http://www.wkrn.com/story/18933892/no-refusal-campaign
The Fourth of July has become a deadly one for teenagers on the road. Drinking, speeding, and distracted driving such as using cellphones or having a bunch of people in the car, all contribute to the deaths.
 
IDEAS, FREE MAPS FOR ROAD TRIPS
If you want some great ideas for road trips, remember you have the resource of http://tnvacation.com/... it has day trips, brochures that explain the trips every step of the way including where the bathrooms  are and what kind of cellphone reception you'll get while you're there. That's tnvacation.com

DOWNTOWN STREET CLOSURES FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
 

TDOT TO HALT CONSTRUCTION LANE CLOSURES FOR HOLIDAY
And the Tennessee Department of Transportation is halting all road construction through Friday.... because of the travel expected this week. The construction zone speed limits will be in effect, and fines are 250 to 500 dollars for speeding in a construction zone... plus court costs. 

PLACES TO GET OR GIVE HELP WITH AIR CONDITIONERS, FANS 
http://www.wsmv.com/story/18918107/how-to-help

5 YEAR OLD GIVES SISTER LOPSIDED HAIRCUT, HEAR HER ADORABLE EXPLANATION

STUDY FINDS 80 PERCENT OF 10-YEAR-OLD GIRLS HAVE BEEN ON DIET
A new study finds  80 percent of all 10-year-old girls have, at some point in their lives, gone on at least one diet. The campaign was created as an effort intended to get everyone from major magazines and media outlets to mothers and fathers around the world to think more about how their words and actions regarding perceived beauty affect a child’s view of themselves and others.

MID STATE MAN ARRESTED FOR 15TH DUI
A Mid-State man remains jailed after receiving his fifteenth DUI charge in 30 years.  He’s due in court today (Tues).  Kerry Meadows was first arrested for driving under the influence in 1979. He was most recently taken into custody on Friday after officers spotted him driving on Gallatin Pike.  Authorities say the 51-year-old man's license has been revoked since 1985… but he just keeps driving, and keeps driving drunk.  At the time of his arrest on Friday, authorities said Meadows was free on probation from a 2011 conviction out of Goodlettsville where he was charged with habitual driving offenses and sentenced to two years at the Sumner County Jail.  According to Assistant D.A. Bryan Gant, Meadows was given the stiffest penalty available….but it’s not enough to keep him in jail and off the streets.    
 

GEORGIA WOMAN AIMEE COPELAND IN REHAB AFTER FLESH EATING BACTERIA 
Aimee Copeland, the 24 year old Georgia woman diagnosed with a rare, flesh-eating bacteria... has been released from the hospital, and now goes to rehab, to hearn how to move around and take care of herself again, after having her left leg, right foot and both hands amputated. 

PEOPLE IN THE EASTERN U.S. STILL SUFFERING IN THE HEAT
Nearly two MILLION people in the eastern U.S. who are already baking in a heat wave...  may not have their electricity back on until the end of the week... or later. Damage to power grids in Ohio, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Maryland is catastrophic. There've already been several heat-related deaths, mostly elderly people.

COLORADO RESIDENTS WARNED ABOUT BEARS, BURGLARS
Homeowners in Colorado who'd been evacuated because of the Waldo Canyon Fire are now dealing with burglars and homeless bears rummaging through what's left. The Waldo Canyon Fire, which started June 23rd, is still not contained. 

SPANKING LINKED TO MENTAL ILLNESS
Although the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly discourages spanking, at least half of parents admit to physically punishing their children. A new study published in the journal Pediatrics now says as much as 7 percent of adult mental illness may be attributable to childhood physical punishment, including slapping, shoving, grabbing, and hitting. (The study reports that spanking ups the risk of major depression by 41 percent, alcohol and drug abuse by 59 percent, and mania by 93 percent.)

FIVE MILLION TEST TUBE BABIES BORN SINCE 1978
Research at a conference in Turkey shows an estimated five-million "test tube babies" have been born around the world.  Fertility experts call it a "remarkable milestone."  The world's first test tube baby was Louise Brown, who was born in the UK in July 1978.

ANDERSON COOPER, "FACT IS, I'M GAY"
 Anderson Cooper has confirmed what most people in the media world and New York already knew: He is gay."The fact is, I'm gay," Cooper wrote in an email to Daily Beast blogger Andrew Sullivan. "Always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud."  

DEBRIS FROM JAPAN ON WASHINGTON STATE BEACHES
Debris from the Japan tsunami is collecting on Washington State beaches faster than it can be hauled away.  Seventy pick-up loads of tsunami junk were taken from beaches last week, according to the "Peninsula Daily News".  They picked up refrigerators, an oil drum, Styrofoam, pieces of plastic, large crates, containers, buoys, ropes and household garbage.

MEL GIBSON'S STEPMOM; KEEP AWAY FROM ME
Mel Gibson's stepmother is seeking the court's help to keep the actor away from her.  E! Online says Teddy Joye Hicks Gibson has filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court to get a restraining order against the "Lethal Weapon" star," accusing him of verbal assault.  Teddy Joye, has been married to Mel's 93-year-old dad Hutton Gibson since 2001, although Hutton recently filed for divorce.  She says the actor and his sister Maura disagree with her on how best to treat Hutton's various ailments.