NOVEMBER 16, 2011

Today Is Final Day For Regal Grand Opening Discount Pricing
Here's something fun for you: The Regal Opry Mills movie theaters reopened Monday, and through today (Wednesday) are offering special prices and special movies to celebrate: $2 movies, $2 popcorn and $2 sodas, with proceeds going to the 2nd Harvest Food Bank. Today’s "Movies Yule Love" at Regal, include: Fred Claus [PG], How The Grinch Stole Christmas [PG], Four Christmases [PG-13] and Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009). Other films are also showing, and you can see them online at regmovies.com. The theaters had been closed since the May 2010 flood. 
 
Mike McQueary Says He Did Call Police, Tried To Stop Assault
Penn State assistant football coach Mike McQueary is saying in an e-mail that he went to police after an alleged sexual assault of a boy by former coach Jerry Sandusky. McQueary also says that he helped stop the assault. The e-mail to a former classmate says he spoke with police and with the official at the university in charge of police. Read more.

Target Employee Tries To Stop Early 'Black Friday' Sales
A Target employee in Nebraska is trying to stop the retail chain from opening early for Black Friday shoppers. Anthony Hardwick already has nearly 90,000 signatures on an online petition. The petition is against Target employees having to clock in by 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving so the stores can open at midnight.

Brentwood Named TN's Smartest Mid-Sized City
Brentwood is the smartest mid-sized city in Tennessee, according to a new analysis of census data by Nashville Business Journal affiliate publication On Numbers. On Numbers used a five-part formula to rank the brainpower of communities, including high school graduation rates and the percentage of residents who achieved bachelor’s and graduate degrees. In Brentwood, 42 percent of adult residents (25 or older) have a bachelor’s degree, and 26 percent more have a graduate and/or professional degree. That put Brentwood on the list as the 102nd smartest mid-sized community in the country. (Germantown (No. 144 in the country), Farragut (244), Collierville (378), East Brainerd (473), Oak Ridge (665), Bartlett (845) and Spring Hill (963). Stanford, Calif., was ranked the country’s smartest mid-sized city: 90.7 percent of Stanford's adults (25 or older) hold bachelor's degrees, compared to the national average of 27.5 percent, and nearly two-thirds of those have also gone on to earn graduate or professional degrees.) Belle Meade was ranked Tennessee’s smartest small city.

Music City Center: Bookings Are Booming
The Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced that they have more than 500,000 hotel nights already booked for the new Music City Center. Mayor Karl Dean called it veryy impressive. The Music City Center's not even scheduled to be competed until 2013. It'll be 1.2 million square feet, and near the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Who Will Replace Regis?
The race to replace Regis is on. His last "Live with Regis and Kelly" is Friday, and the show has been trying out a series of potential replacement hosts to sit next to Kelly Ripa. Producers called it 'dating'. They'd let a guy come in, guest host the show, and check out the chemistry. But they'd like to have a final decision in time for either February or May sweeps. Regis was on daily morning television for 28-and-a-half years, about 25 of those on 'Live.' He's 80, and could easily retire, but he's just begun promoting his book, "How I Got This Way." Jerry Seinfeld will guest host Monday through Wednesday of next week.

Is There A 'Kindness Gene?'
Are you nice? Or, do nice people bug you? There may be a certain gene that's missing. Scientists have found that some people seem to have what they're calling "the kindness gene." These people are far more likely to be kind and caring than those who don't have it. Strangers are said to be able to sense it. The variation is linked to the body's receptor gene for oxytocin, sometimes called the "love hormone," which promotes bonding, empathy and other social behaviors.
 
Cheekwood Campaigns To Raise $27 Million
Cheekwood is planning a major campaign to try to raise at least $27-million for its endowment fund, the money that keeps Cheekwood running. The Nashville organization is also considering other options to finance its exhibits and 55-acre garden and museum site, like charging a parking fee and admission for children.

Universities Buying XXX Domains To Keep Their Brands Clean
More and more colleges and universities are buying their triple-X versions of their domain names in order to keep pornographers and cybersquatters from starting up a site and profiting from the schools' brand.

U.S. To Send Marines To Australia
The U.S. is set to deploy hundreds of Marines to Australia as part of an effort to strengthen military ties with the continent. President Obama says the U.S. will begin the deployment with 250 Marines sometime next year. The announcement today alongside Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard kicks off the President's Australian visit as part of his tour through the Asia-Pacific region.
 
Health Department Facing Drastic Cuts
Tennessee's health department budget could be impacted by the upcoming decisions of Washington's special deficit committee. Officials say drastic cuts could eliminate $242-million from the agency. The department is trying to avoid heavy losses by proposing to close a number of health centers for low-income residents.

Feds Unveil New Fuel Economy Rules
Federal officials are set to unveil new fuel economy rules today. The new regulations will require cars and light trucks to get 54.5 miles a gallon by 2025.

Pentagon Says It'll Fight Cyber Attackers
The Pentagon is reserving the right to use the U.S. military against cyber attackers. A new Pentagon report issued to Congress says the U.S. will use any means necessary including military to defend the nation against hostile attacks in cyberspace.
 
LEAD To Manage Another School
Another failing Metro school is getting taken over by a private institution. Officials say Nashville's LEAD Academy charter school will take over another middle school next year. The group currently heads a middle and high school, and is currently transforming Cameron Middle School into a charter. The move is part of a plan to bid the 13 lowest performing schools in the state to charters for management.

Power Plants Draining Water Sources
Power plants are straining Tennessee rivers and streams and other freshwater sources. A new scientific report involving a Vanderbilt researcher says coal fired and nuclear plants in the region stress watersheds by using vast amounts for cooling systems. They say population growth and drought will make the problem worse. No word on what the solution would be.