Friday, September 28, 2012

TSU HOMECOMING SAT, POSSIBLE 100 THOUSAND EXPECTED AT PARADE 
Tennessee State University celebrates 100th anniversary tomorrow with what will be the school's biggest homecoming event ever! They're expecting 100-thousand people in for the ceremony and the parade. And they're changing the parade route, this year only. It'll start at 9am, and instead of traveling down Jefferson, it'l stay on the perimeter of the campus. TSU then plays Austin Peay at LP Field tomorrow afternoon.

VANDERBILT STUDENT HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS AWARD
And how about this, a local girl receiving what's considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for child advocates. Vanderbilt University senior Dallas Jessup, just 20 years old, wins the World of Children Award, and 75 thousand dollars, for her safety video for girls. It's called "Just Yell Fire," and teaches girls to fight back against sexual predators and attacks. You'll want to play it for the girls in your life. Dallas Jessup says she'll use the cash to continue her work.  WAY TO GO, GIRL!http://www.justyellfire.com or http://www.dallasjessup.com

SUICIDE NOW KILLS MORE AMERICANS THAN CAR CRASHES
This is such a sad sign of the times: more people die from suicide now, than any other injury-related cause in America. Car crashes are next, then unintentional poisonings, which include drug overdoses. That's INJURY-related deaths. Heart disease is still the leading cause of death, overall, for men and women, and obesity is the number one reason for heart disease.

PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE BACK DAY
Make a note to yourself today to clean out all those old drugs you're not taking anymore, and turn them in tomorrow. It's "Drug Take Back Day." If you throw them away or flush them they end up in our drinking water. Prescription drug abuse is still huge among young people, who often get those drugs from a relative's home. Nashville dropoff locations include the WalGreens at 3902 Hillsboro Pike, the TBI headquarters on Gass Blvd, and the Walgreens on Donelson Pike. CLICK HERE to see drop-off locations near you.

UPDATE ON JOHN AND SCHOEP 

And do you remember that picture of John and Schoep? It was EVERYWHERE. The guy who took his dog into the lake when the waters were warm, because it took the weight off his arthritic bones and the dog would lay his head on John's chest, and go to sleep... well that picture touched so many people's hearts... that they started sending money. So MUCH money, John has been able to afford special laser treatments for Schoep, and he's doing much better. And now, John has started the Schoep Legacy Foundation, to help low-income families with aging pets. An AWESOME end to a wonderful story.

INDIANA HOSPITAL HOMELAND SECURITY SCARE
There was a scare at an Indianapolis hospital yesterday, after a woman who came to visit someone, got sick and passed out. Then when workers went to check her purse for ID, they got sick. The hospital was locked down, they called Homeland Security and the National Guard's Weapons of Mass Destruction Unit, but couldn't find what caused the illnesses. They can't question the woman who got sick first, because she's in critical condition. The Indianapolis hospital reopened the Emergency Room, but the investigation is still underway. So far, no one else has gotten sick. 

NEW HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA (HCA) HEADQUARTERS IN NASHVILLE
There's new money coming into Nashville, and it's going to be spent on an area that really needs a facelift. A ridiculed office site that has sat undeveloped, collecting rain water as a gaping hole in the ground at 16th Avenue and West End, is about to get new life, and potentially 2,000 jobs for Davidson County by 2017 thanks to hospital company HCA.
Hospital Corporation of America says it's investing 200-million dollars to build two new towers at the location. HCA plans to lease more than half of the overall 900,000 square feet of office space planned for the towers at 1600 West End Ave. dubbed West End Summit. Construction should begin early next year, with the buildings expected to be ready by the first quarter of 2015.

REESE WITHERSPOON WELCOMES 3RD BABY, TENNESSEE JAMES
Reese Witherspoon has given birth to her third child, naming him after a place close to her heart.
Meredith O'Sullivan Wasson, Witherspoon's publicist, said Thursday that "Witherspoon and husband Jim Toth welcomed Tennessee James into their family today. Both mom and baby are healthy and the entire family is thrilled."  
The 36-year-old "Legally Blonde" and "Walk the Line" star lived in Tennessee when she was young.
Witherspoon is already a mom to Ava, 13, and Deacon, 8, from her prior marriage to Ryan Phillippe. Toth is an agent for Creative Artists Agency.

MAN ARRESTED FOR KNOCKING DOWN ELDERLY WOMAN, STEALING PURSE 
Police caught that guy who pushed down an 84 year-old woman in Nashville recently and stole her purse. 46 year-old Todd Drewes. He's been arrested before for theft and posession of drug paraphernalia.

CALIFORNIA MAN BEHIND ANTI-ISLAM FILM ARRESTED
The California man who made the anti-Islamic video that OUTRAGED people in the Middle East has been arrested for violating his probation. 55 year old Nakoula Basseley Nakoula wasn't supposed to be ont he computer after his bank fraud conviction, and he went online to make his video, and start trouble.( He's an Egyptian Coptic Christian. An ancient form of Christianity that has its own language and rituals, traces its founding back to Saint Mark, and split from the rest of the Orthodox churches in the mid-5th century. His 14-minute trailer for "Innocence of Muslims," depicts the prophet Muhammad as a womanizer, religious fraud and child molester.)
 
MAN BREWS BEER FROM BEARD YEAST
Be careful if you're eating right now, I don't wanna make you choke, but this is too WEIRD to not tell you about.
A beer brewery in Newport, Oregon is making a new beer using yeast cells from the brewer's BEARD. They say it tastes spicy! The company is known for weird beer though, they sell brands like Yellow Snow and Dead Guy Ale.

AMERICA'S BEST BURGERS, FRIES, MORE
A new Zagat poll ranks Subway and Wendy's the best food restaurants, according to most popular, top food and best decor, McDonalds is at number three, then Taco Bell in fourth place. The so-called "Quick-Refreshment" chains -- those with a specialty .. but not necessarily a full menu, are Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts then Ben & Jerry's.

MAN ARRESTED FOR FAKE TERRORIST ATTACK
A 39 year-old Arizona man is in hot water for allegedly filming a fake terrorist stunt to see how quickly officials would respond. Michael David Turley shot the video in July that included a teen covered in a blue bed sheet and wearing a black ski mask, pointing a fake grenade launcher at cars as they drove through an intersection. He's facing a slew of charges.