Tuesday October 23, 2012

FINAL PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DEBATE
President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have had their third and final debate before the presidential election. This one was about foreign policy and the U.S. economy.
 
GAS PRICES COULD DROP 50 CENTS A GALLON OVER NEXT 2 WEEKS
If you don't have to fill up just yet... wait a day or so...experts are saying gas prices could drop 50 cents over the next two weeks. We're already down 14 cents a gallon in the past month. (We're paying 20 cents more a gallon than a year ago.)

HOW MUCH SNOW THIS WINTER IN TN?
I know it's probably not on your radar just yet, but our News 2 Meteorologist Justin Bruce says he thinks we're going to get more than 10 inches of snow this winter. Don't say nobody told ya.

WILL YOU WEAR A HALLOWEEN COSTUME TO WORK?
Since Halloween will be on a workday, will you be wearing a costume to work? Some people will. The National Retail Federation says half of adults say they plan to dress up,a nd that Americans will spend nearly $8 billion this year on halloween decorations, costumes-- for themselves, their kids and their pets -- and for candy. Much of it will never be given away, just eaten later, at the office.

STALKER USES HIDDEN SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ON VICTIM
Murfreesboro Police are looking for a stalker after a woman found a hidden camera secretly watching her home. Gine Wiser says for months someone has been making harassing phone calls and following her from a distance. This past weekend she saw a box attached to the light pole outside her home. She called police. It had a camera inside. Police say that gives them a new lead on the stalker, since they may be able to track down the person who bought such a high-tech camera. 

HEALTH: FDA WARNS OF POSSIBLE DRUG SHORTAGES DUE TO AMERIDOSE CLOSURE 
We could have drug shortages at some local hospitals because of the closure of the company that made the tainted steroids.20 hospitals in Middle Tennessee get meds from the New England compounding center. So far more than 20 people have died and there've been nearly 300 cases of fungal meningitis from tainted medicine.

WATCH ALL THE CUTE PUPPY AND KITTEN VIDEOS YOU WANT!
When you get tempted to watch a video of a cute puppy or kitten at work, go ahead! A new study finds that seeing those adorable little puppies and kitties actually makes you better at your job, happier and more productive.

F.D.A. RECEIVES DEATH REPORTS CITING POPULAR ENERGY DRINK
Do you even KNOW if your kids are drinking energy drinks? A LOT of them do! But now there have been five reports to the Food and Drug administration.... from people who say their family members have died after drinking Monster Energy. The reports don't PROVE the energy drink is linked with the teenagers' deaths, and the company says Monster Energy drinks are safe.

POLICE: COUPLE, ADULT DAUGHTER KILLED IN NASHVILLE
Metro Nashville police are investigating a quadruple homicide. They found the bodies of 3 family members in a home, another body nearby... all they're saying is that the victims had extensive trauma, and they do have a person of interest in the case.

HEALTH: MEDICAL GROUP SAYS CHEERLEADING SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A SPORT
The American Academy of Pediatrics says cheerleading should be recognized by schools as a sport, so the kids would have to do as other athletes, and have physicals before the season starts, rules for cheering and an emergency plan.
 
HALLOWEEN COSTUME GETS CHILD SHOT 
A nine-year-old Pennsylvania girl is recovering today after she was shot by a family member over the weekend. She was wearing her Halloween costume and her relative says he thought the little girl was a skunk and shot her.

HEALTH: SUBSTANCE ABUSE INCREASING IN U-S
New research indicates the number of drug and alcohol problems diagnosed by doctors in the U.S. is on the upswing.  The number shot up by 70-percent between 2001 and 2009.  It's believed the rise is possibly driven by a surge in painkiller abuse.  The study's lead author, Dr. Joseph Frank of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston says that increases in prescription drug use is a big part of what happening nationally.  He adds that he thinks the study shows effective treatment is a big part of it as well and likely drawing people into care.

HEALTH: BEANS, BEANS, REALLY ARE GOOD FOR YOUR HEART
If you have Type 2 diabetes -- and more people than ever before do -- there's a tool you may be missing out on to improve your health. Beans. A new study finds eating beans or lentils every day lowers risk of heart disease, and regulates your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol. (The study is in the "Archives of Internal Medicine.")

REPORT: WOMEN MAKE 77% OF WHAT MEN MAKE FOR SIMILAR WORK
How are Tennessee women doing with equal pay for the same job as men? We seem to have hit the wall. Or ceiling. As of the 2010 Census - the latest official figures we have - women earned 77 cents on the dollar for what a man earns. Nashville is a little better: a woman earn 87 cents for every dollar a man takes home. 

WHAT STAYS, WHAT'S GOING, ON TV
What's staying and what's going away on TV?  Well, "X Factor" and "Homeland" have been renewed for a third season, "Arrow" gets a full season pickup on The CW. "Private Practice," the "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off, will end after this season, and NBC is expanding "The Voice" to three nights during election week. 

WEIRD AL YANKOVICH BIRTHDAY TUES
Weird Al Yankovic hits 53 today. He's had quite a career. And it all started with "My Bologna."