Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

CORONER RULES DINGO DID STEAL BABY
If you're old enough to remember the Merryl Streep movie "A Cry in the Dark," about a mom who claimed a dingo stole her nine week old baby, but instead was sentenced to life in prison for murder, you may be interested to know that case is finally closed. A coroner has ruled that a dingo, a wild dog native to Australia, WAS responsible for the death of the baby, and mom Lindy Chamberlain is officially innocent, 32 years after the fact. Lindy had been let out of prison after four years when some of the baby's clothing was found in a dingo lair.

MILITARY SUICIDES RAISING CONCERNS
The military doesn't seem to be stepping up its mental health services and training fast enough. As our military members come home from the war, more of them are committing suicide. About one a day.

STUDENT, EMPLOYEE INFO HACKED IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Authorities say hackers broke into the Clarksville-Montgomery County school system and accessed the personal data of 110,000 employees and students, including social security and state ID numbers, and email passwords. The school system shut down the entire website, and the TBI and FBI are investigating.

STUDY: COFFEE COULD DELAY ALZHEIMER'S
Your morning coffee could help you hold off Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that about three cups a day (of caffeinated coffee) seems to delay the onset of Alzheimer's, even in older patients who showed early signs of the disease.  The study is published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

GAS PRICES FALL FOR THE EIGHTH STRAIGHT WEEK
Nashville gas prices are 26 cents lower than a month ago, and still going down. They were at an average of 3.25 a gallon on Sunday.

MITT ROMNEY TO ATTEND PRIVATE FUNDRAISER IN FRANKLIN TODAY 
You wanna go to dinner with Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney? It'll cost you ten grand. He'll be in Franklin today for a fundraising dinner at the home of Lee Ann and Orrin Ingram. You can go to the reception, though, for 25-hundred.
 
LAWNMOWER THEFTS UP THIS TIME OF YEAR
Police remind you to keep your yard equipment out of sight and secure. This is the time of year that thieves find mowers, lawn equipment, trailers and construction equipment not protected well-enough, so they steal it.

AVERAGE AGE KIDS APPRECIATE MOM AND DAD: 22
If you’re looking for a little appreciation for your hard work and parental wisdom, you may have to wait awhile. A British survey finds children don't start to really appreciate their parents until they’re 22: AFTER kids leave home, and realize how much you did for them. It’s not till their MID to LATE twenties, however, that they may actually start taking your advice. (First Magazine for women)

CARRIE UNDERWOOD VOICES SUPPORT FOR GAY MARRIAGE
Carrie Underwood has spoken in support of same-sex marriage. In a British newspaper interview she said, "we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love." Carrie says her faith tells her it's not up to her to judge other people.

CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL SETS ATTANDANCE RECORD
We set a new record at this year's CMA Music Festival: more than 71-thousand fans came to see the stars and listen to shows.

RECYCLING AT CMA MUSIC FEST SETS RECORD
Metro also helped fans recycle more this year than ever before. That means instead of having to PAY to clean up the trash, we also get some cash back, for those recycled materials.  20-tons of recyclables were collected during the four-day event. 

HEALTH: CHOLESTEROL DRUGS COULD SAP YOUR ENERGY
If you feel tired all the time, your cholesterol drug may be to blame. A new study found about 15 percent of statin users have excessive tiredness as a side effect of the drugs.

GREENWOOD SONG PULLED, "LYRICS NOT APPROPRIATE."
Lee Greenwood says he's offended by the decision to pull his signature song "God Bless The U.S.A." from the kindergarten graduate ceremony at a New York school.  The Principal says the lyrics are not appropriate for children. Greenwood says the patriotic track is "about hope, faith, spirit and pride," and asks, "How could that be wrong on any level?" Many parents and teachers at the school disagree with the Principal and have started a Facebook page demanding she be removed from the school. The ceremony is scheduled to take place June 20th.

FIRST LADY, COLLEAGUES TWEET SUPPORT FOR ROBIN ROBERTS
After "Good Morning America" Co-host Robin Roberts announced yesterday that she has a rare blood disorder, messages of support have been coming in from around the country. First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted that she and the president have Roberts in their prayers. Myelodysplastic [[ MY-lo-dis-plastic ]] syndrome is rare but can develop in cancer patients who've had radiation or chemotherapy treatment. Roberts had breast cancer 5 years ago. She says she beat cancer, and that she'll beat this, too.

TOMMY CHONG BATTLING CANCER
And Comedian Tommy Chong has announced that he has prostate cancer.  He says he's treating it himself,  with hemp oil, taking it before bed at night. The 74 year old says he's had the symptoms for years but was diagnosed about a month ago.

LOS ANGELES KINDS WIN NHL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Los Angeles Kings have beaten the New Jersey Devils to win the NHL Stanley Cup Champions for the first time ever.

WOMAN FINDS SET OF LUNGS IN SOUTH L.A.
Officials in Southern California are investigating a weird discovery, a set of lungs on a sidewalk. Coroners and crime lab specialists are trying to figure out whether it's human or animal, and a homicide unit is ready to take the case if it's human.  

LINDSAY LOHAN CAUGHT IN LIE ABOUT CAR CRASH
New reports suggest Lindsay Lohan may not have told the truth about who was behind the wheel when her Porsche slammed into an 18-wheeler last Friday.  According to TMZ.com, the actress reportedly told police that it was her male companion who was driving the car.  But he apparently told police that Lindsay was the one driving. 

AUBURN SHOOTER FOUND?
Police surrounded a home in Alabama last night where they believed the person wanted for last weekend's fatal shootings near Auburn University may be holed up.  Authorities said a man hiding in an attic of the home in Montgomery could be Desmonte Leonard.  A tactical team on the scene lobbed tear gas into the home but was apparently unable to flush anyone out.

SANDUSKY TRIAL IN DAY TWO
More graphic testimony is expected in today's second day of the child sex abuse trial of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.  The first witness yesterday testified that Sandusky pressured him to perform sex acts during years of abuse.  Sandusky is being tried on more than 50 criminal counts of sexual abuse involving ten boys over a 15-year period.

FLORIDA'S 'STAND YOUR GROUND' LAW BEING REVIEWED
The special task force tasked with reviewing Florida's Stand Your Ground law opens a series of statewide public hearings today.  The day-long hearing will feature input from the public this afternoon.  The review was ordered in response to February's shooting death of Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman.  

STORMS KNOCK OUT POWER FOR ALABAMA
A powerful storm pounded Birmingham, Alabama last night, downing trees and causing widespread power outages.  Alabama Power reported 110-thousand outages statewide, including more than 69-thousand in the Birmingham area.  The Shelby County Airport is also reporting some storm-related damage this morning.

IT'S NOW LEGAL TO TEXT POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
It's now legal to send political contributions by text.  The Federal Elections Commission approved the new rule last night.  Donations will be tracked to make sure that no more than 50 dollars a month goes to a candidate from a single cellphone number.  Election rules limit anonymous donations to 50 dollars a month.  

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT ON THE RISE IN NASHVILLE
Aggravated assaults are on the rise in Nashville.  According to "The Tennessean," there is a 24-point-three percent increase in reported assaults compared to last year.  Officials say a 2011 law that made strangulation an aggravated assault is likely one of the reasons behind the surge.

BODY FOUND MONDAY IDENTIFIED AS MISSING NASHBORO VILLAGE MAN
The body found Monday near the shoreline of a pond near Nashboro Village has been identified as Marcus Scruggs.  The 43-year-old was reported missing by his wife Sunday afternoon after he left their home upset.  Witnesses say they saw Scruggs go into the pond, but did not see him come back up.

VANDERBILT ADDS NEW LIFEFLIGHT HELICOPTER TO FLEET
 Vanderbilt University Medical Center has a new LifeFlight helicopter in its fleet. It was purchased as a back-up helicopter for when one of the other five is out of service.  The black and white chopper features a state of the art navigation system and gives paramedics 360-degee patient accessibility.