Thurs, January 12, 2012

SNOW PREDICTED IN CENTRAL TENNESSEE
You'll want to put away your lawn furniture or anything that might blow away, because as the cold front hits today bringing the chance of snow, it's also bringing winds up to 35 miles an hour. Tennessee Department of Transportation road crews are getting the brine mix ready to deal with icy spots on the roads later today and tonight, as temperatures drop down below freezing. Forecasters are predicting possibly an inch of snow accumulation.

NORTH CAROLINA RECOVERING FROM STORMS
People in parts of North Carolina are recovering today after a line of severe storms and possible tornadoes rolled through yesterday, injuring nearly a dozen people, damaging homes, and knocking out electricity for a couple thousand.

RUSSIAN CHILD FINDS NEW HOME AFTER ADOPTION CONTROVERSY
That 9-year-old boy who was adopted from Russia by a Shelbyville woman and later sent back home alone on a plane... has been adopted... again. He's living in a tiny Russian village... with a woman who's part of a special adoption program and also has 16 other kids. Two years ago, Shelbyville resident Torrey Hansen put the boy on a flight back to Moscow, saying he had mental problems and she feared for her family's safety. An adoption agency sued her, claiming abandonment, though no trial date has yet been set.

MATTEL URGED TO CREATE "BEAUTIFUL AND BALD" BARBIE

Toymaker Mattel is being asked to add a new Barbie doll to its ranks, a bald Barbie to raise awareness about childhood cancer. There's a Facebook page titled "Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let's see if we can get it made." No word yet from Mattel on whether they'll take up the challenge.

MORE STORES OPENING IN OPRY MILLS MALL
We're getting closer to the grand reopening of Opry Mills. More stores have gotten their building permits so they can get things finished-up in time for March 29th. And, some of the stores are reportedly hiring. The mall's Facebook page says that Charlotte Russe, Levi's, The Cookie Store and Not Your Daughter's Jeans are all taking applications. And Opry Mills is looking for a guest services manager. You can get contact information on the Opry Mills Facebook Page.

FDA HALTS IMPORTS OF ORANGE JUICE
Shipments of orange juice into the U.S. are being halted as the Food and Drug Administration investigates why low levels of an illegal fungicide.. used to control mold... was found in the juice. The FDA says the levels of the fungicide they found are not dangerous, but it's not supposed to be in the juice at all.
An FDA spokeswoman says the agency is also screening juice that's being sold in the U.S. Brands including Tropicana and Minute Maid sometimes sell a blend of juices from Brazil and the U.S. Brazil is the world's largest orange juice exporter. A spokesman for Brazil's citrus growers' association questions the FDA's action. He points out that the fungicide is widely accepted for use on other crops such as apples. The news about the fungicide sent orange juice futures to an all-time high yesterday.

WHAT'S IN THAT OJ? TROPICANA IS SUED
And a California woman is suing Tropicana claiming it's deceiving customers with its claims that the best-selling U.S. orange juice is "100% pure and natural." The lawsuit claims they actually put the juice through extensive processing, adding aromas and flavors and giving it a longer shelf life. The lawsuit alleges the company is violating United States consumer fraud laws, and asks Tropicana to stop the ads, and award damages. (Suit asks for class-action status, meaning all purchasers of the juice would be considered the plaintiffs... and could get compensatory, punitive and damages. Tropicana's website says Pure Premium has 16 fresh-picked oranges squeezed into each 59-ounce container.)

HEALTH: BEEF TIED TO STROKE RISK
People who eat a lot of red meat every day appear to suffer a higher risk of stroke. Meanwhile, eating lots of poultry appears to lower the risk. Those are the findings of a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Researchers followed thousands of men and women for about 20 years from middle age into their senior years. They found men who ate more than two servings of red meat a day were 28-percent more likely to suffer a stroke. Women who ate two servings were 19-percent more likely to have a stroke. Meanwhile, participants who ate the most chicken or turkey in the study were 13-percent less likely to have a stroke, compared to those who hardly ate any poultry. The study appears in the journal "Stroke."

HEALTH: RESVERATROL RESEARCHER ACCUSED OF FABRICATION
A scientist studying the anti-aging benefits of a compound found in red wine is being accused of making up and falsifying data for many of his studies. Officials at the University of Connecticut say they've begun proceedings to fire Dipak K. Das. His studies didn't change the fact that resveratrol, found in wine, has health benefits, but it did bring him a lot of grant money including 890-thousand dollars in two new grants, that the University of Connecticut says it's giving back to the federal government.

VIDEO ALLEGEDLY SHOWS U.S. MARINES URINATING ON AFGHANI CORPSES
Officials at the Pentagon say they're working to verify the authenticity of a video that allegedly shows U.S. Marines urinating on corpses in Afghanistan. The video which surfaced on the Internet shows at least four Marines exposing themselves before desecrating the bodies. Officials say they're trying to identify the Marines involved. A caption with the video reads, "scout sniper team 4 with 3rd battalion 2nd marines out of Camp Lejeune peeing on dead talibans."

CASEY ANTHONY PSYCHOLOGIST INTERVIEWS RELEASED
Casey Anthony's interviews with psychologists are now unsealed and they contain a series of stunning claims. The Florida woman acquitted last year in the death of her two-year-old daughter told the doctors she blames her father George for Caylee's death and said she was uncomfortable leaving him alone with the toddler because her father molested her when she was young. Anthony also said she doesn't know who Caylee's father is because she was drinking the night the child was conceived and she may have been date raped.

UNITED STATES GETS AVERAGE MARKS FOR SCHOOL QUALITY
The United States gets only average marks for the quality of its schools. The newly-released annual report card from Education Weekly gives the nation a C. The yearly report looks at a variety of factors, including K-through-12 achievement, chance for success and school finance.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD WINNERS
The People's Choice Awards were handed out last night. KATY PERRY was the big winner, receiving 5 awards, the latest Harry Potter movie won 4, Ellen DeGeneres won for Favorite Daytime TV Host, Demi Lovato dedicated her award for Favorite Pop Artist to her fans, Adam Sandler won for Favorite Comedic Movie Actor, Maroon 5 won Favorite Band, and Bridesmaids won Favorite Comedy Movie. You can see the complete winner's list, photos, clips and more.

DECEMBER HOME SALES UP
Nashville home sales were up in December for the first time in six years. Area Realtors say the rate climbed just more than 18-percent from the same time the year before, the sixth straight month of sales better than last year's same month.

NASHVILLE HOSTS ONLINE PIRACY DEBATE
Representatives from the entertainment industry and tech companies are taking part in a debate on Music Row over online piracy of music and videos. Songwriters and other owners of copyrighted content blame unregulated file distributing for their falling revenue, but companies such as Google say legislation that's proposed would give the government the power to police the Web using techniques like those used in China.

OVER A HUNDRED POUNDS OF COCAINE FOUND AT PHILLY AIRPORT
Did you forget something at the airport? At Philadelphia International Airport Security Agents found three duffel bags full of cocaine: 130 pounds of the drug,  unclaimed from a flight from the Dominican Republic.

ABOUT $400,000 IN COINS FORGOTTEN AT TSA CHECKPOINTS IN 2010
When you go through airport security, you have to empty your pockets and put the contents: change, jewelry, glasses, in plastic tubs to go through X-ray, and Transportation Security says we're often in a hurry, and leave the coins there. Nationwide, that's $400,000 a year in coins, left behind.

CLARKSON SINGS ANTHEM AT SUPERBOWL NEXT MONTH
Kelly Clarkson says she's going to sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl 46 next mont.

NATIONAL ANTHEM SINGING TRYOUTS FOR SOUNDS GAMES: MAR 24th
And if you'd like to sing the National Anthem before a Sounds home game this season... they've set the audition date for this year. Saturday, March 24th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Greer Stadium.

JOHN FOGERTY WRITES THEME FOR TV SHOW "THE FINDER"
John Fogerty says fans will likely find his theme for the new Fox series "The Finder" rather familiar. He tells Billboard.com it "sounds very much" like him, and features his "swampy sort of sound." The rocker also admits he thinks it's "cool" that his signature style is now part of the TV landscape, and he's glad it's providing something different from "the usual sort of spacey, techno stuff you always hear." In addition to crafting the theme to the show, Fogerty is also making a special guest appearance on the pilot episode. While he's playing a character -- not portraying himself -- the role was inspired by his life and written specifically for him. John -- in character -- will also perform "Fortunate Son" on the show. Fox is launching "The Finder" tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Viewers who like Fogerty's new version of the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit will get the chance to download the song. He says he'll make his "Fortunate Son" performance available on his website for free for a week following the broadcast.