Tues, December 27, 2011

BILL HALL PASSES AWAY OVER HOLIDAYS
Bill Hall passed away over the holidays. He was a long-time Channel 4 weatherman, and a much loved Nashville television personality. He passed away on December 23rd. He'd been on the air at Channel 4 for 31 years, and retired in 2005, already dealing with diabetes, and saying he wanted to get back to more simple things.
WSMV anchor Demetria Kalodimos, who worked with him for years, said, "Bill was an authentic and genuine human being who loved his work and especially treasured the people he met and served along the way." He was 65. Funeral arrangements are pending. You can leave comments about him on the WSMV Facebook Page.

WET WEATHER TO CONTINUE TODAY, WARMING TREND
After showers and brief downpours overnight, expect the soggy, cloudy conditions to continue on Tuesday. Widespread rain showers will continue in the morning, becoming scattered by midday and isolated by late afternoon.  A few flurries are possible during the evening, especially along the Cumberland Plateau, but not enough to create any problems. Once the system passes, a warming trend will set in with temperatures in the high 50s by the end of the week.

GOOD SAMARITANS REPLACE FAMILY'S STOLEN CHRISTMAS GIFTS
Three days before Christmas, thieves broke into Bo and Donna Smith's home in Mt. Juliet and stole all their Christmas gifts, many of which were for the couple's three-year-old granddaughter. Once the news broke, local people started coming to the rescue... knocking on the family's door with bags of gifts or leaving packages on the doorstep. The Smith family says they'll never forget the generosity and the true spirit of Christmas... that made so much difference when they were in need.

SALVATION ARMY ANGEL TREE SUCCESSFUL
And although there were about 3 thousand Angels NOT adopted in the final week of the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program... donors kept coming through, and all 17-thousand children and elderly people on the Angel Trees this year were taken care of, with basic needs, and a few presents. The Salvation Army says, "Thank you!"

CONSUMERS SWARM POST-HOLIDAY SALES
Area retailers say the day after Christmas was one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Stores cut prices as much as 80% to entice people returning gifts ...to spend that money right then and there. And many did.

MUSIC CITY BOWL DRAWS THOUSANDS TO NASHVILLE
Local businesses are gearing up for tens of thousands of fans who'll be here for the Music City Bowl. Mississippi State and Wake Forest, both six-and-six, face off on LP Field Friday night. There'll be free events for the public, downtown, starting Thursday.

LOOTING DISTRACTS NASHVILLE FIRE INVESTIGATION
Nashville firefighters are investigating the cause of a fire that killed a woman on Christmas Eve... but they say they're dealing with some complications, because thieves have apparently rummaged through her belongings since the incident. Investigators say the cause of the fire may have been a kerosene heater.

JUST SAYING THANK YOU WHEN YOU SEE A SOLDIER MAY NOT BE ENOUGH
Here's a little reality check that yellow ribbons and care packages aren't enough to support our troops. A soldier on leave from Afghanistan walked into a Michigan Pawn shop last week to pawn his Purple Heart medal to help cover his Christmas bills. The pawn shop owner says he's gotten calls offering donations to buy the medal since then, but says we should give the money to organizations that support soldiers, such as the WarriorsFund.... he'll hold the Purple Heart medal for the soldier, till he gets back on his feet. (Stars and Stripes)

HEALTH: RELATIONSHIP WITH MOTHER LINKED TO OBESITY
A new study finds if you're obese, it could be linked to your relationship with your mom. Ohio State University research shows the better the relationship, the less chance the child will be overweight as a teen. Only 13-percent of young children with strong maternal bonds are late obese. They say there's also the other side of the coin, where mom is obese, and possibly in denial, and can't figure out why her child is.

WHERE CAN YOU RECYCLE YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE?
If you had a real Christmas tree this year, don't forget to recycle it instead of throwing it away. Davidson County has eleven recycling centers, and there are other locations throughout Middle Tennessee, including Brentwood, where trees can be dropped off beginning Monday from 6:30 a.m. until dusk at Crockett Park, Granny White Park and River Park through January 4. Tree recycling centers will be located at Jim Warren Park, Liberty Park and Fieldstone Park from dawn until dusk through February 1 in Franklin. Murfreesboro residents can also take their trees to the recycling area at Cannonsburgh Historic Village or to the Solid Waste mulching site through January 6, and in Smyrna, trees can be dropped off at Lee Victory Recreational Park. See News 2's complete list HERE.

WOMAN CHANGES NAME TO PINK SPARKLY AND ALL THINGS NICE
A British woman likes the color pink so much that she's changed her NAME to show it. Charlotte Price wears pink all the time, lives in a pink house and works in a pink salon. She's now legally changed her name to "Pink Sparkly And All Things Nice," though she says she usually shortens it to Pink Nice, though some of her friends keep forgetting and calling her Charlotte.

MISSING INDIANA GIRL FOUND, BABYSITTER ARRESTED
The search for a missing Indiana girl has come to a tragic end. Police found the remains of nine-year-old Aliahna Lemmon last night in Fort Wayne, and Sheriff's deputies have arrested a neighbor who is a friend of the family.

ONLINE DATING SITE LINKED TO FOUR DEATHS
Police in Detroit are linking the discovery of four women's bodies ... to the online dating service called Packages.com. They warn you NOT to meet someone you've met online in a secluded area no matter how well you think you've gotten to know him.

MOST EMPLOYEES DO NOT TAKE ALL THEIR VACATION DAYS, BUT SHOULD
Did you take all your vacation time this year? As many as 70 percent of employees did NOT. Workforce consulting firm Right Management says many employees are anxious about their jobs, and just keep working. But research shows vacation is fundamental to a healthy, productive workforce, and NOT using vacation could lead to unnecessary turnover, absenteeism and health or safety claims.

PRINCE PHILIP HOSPITALIZED FOR CHEST PAINS
Britain's Prince Philip is going home from the hospital this morning. The 90-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth went in on Friday for chest pains.

KWANZAA-- DAY 2: SELF-DETERMINATION
Today is the second day of Kwanzaa, the spiritual holiday honoring African-American heritage and culture. Throughout the seven-day celebration Kwanzaa participants observe seven principles focusing on unity and understanding. The Kwanzaa principle for today is SELF-DETERMINATION, asking the community to define, name, create, and speak for itself. (Kujichagulia (koo-jee-cha-goo-LEE-ah) or self-determination)

BIDS BEING TAKEN TO NAME CREEK IN IOWA, AFTER FIRST WINNER THROWN OUT
Residents of Kalona, Iowa are still looking for a new name for their creek. They'd sold the name to the highest bidder, until they realized the winning name "Baniku Kinshi Creek" means, "horse meat prohbited." They're taking new bids. Right now it's called the "West Drainage Ditch".

UTAH WOMAN USES FACEBOOK TO ESCAPE KIDNAPPER
A Utah woman used Facebook to seek help after she and her 17-month-old son were held hostage at a residence for nearly five days. Police Sgt. Jon Arnold said the woman hid in a closet with a laptop to post her plea for help on the social networking website, saying she and her son would be "dead by morning" if they were not rescued. The post prompted someone to call police, who went to the home to check on the woman's welfare. Police arrested Troy Reed Critchfield, 33, and booked him into jail Saturday for investigation of aggravated kidnapping, forcible sodomy, aggravated assault, domestic violence, child abuse, animal cruelty and other charges. Critchfield remained in jail on Monday. Utah State Court records show that in December 2010 Critchfield pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault and obstruction of justice charges in connection with a domestic violence incident. A judge sentenced Critchfield to a prison term of five years, but suspended the punishment for a 120-day jail term and three years of probation.

MOST-WATCHED NEW MOVIES THIS WEEKEND
Franchise films took the first three spots at the holiday weekend box office. The Tom Cruise thriller "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" came through the weekend well ahead of "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows." The kid-flick "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" was third.

EARHART PLANS TO RECREATE AMELIA'S FLIGHT
A Denver pilot named after Amelia Earhart is set to recreate the 1937 trans-continental flight made by the famous aviatrix. Amelia Rose Earhart plans to start her trip in Oakland, California today, then finish Thursday with hops to New Orleans and Miami.

70-YEAR-OLD FRUITCAKE SELLS FOR 500 DOLLARS
Anyone with leftover fruitcake this holiday season might want to think twice before throwing it away. Dayton's WHIO-TV reports a 70-year-old fruitcake was auctioned off last week for 525-dollars. The dessert was reportedly originally sold by a Cincinatti-area Kroger store in 1941. It wound up back at Kroger in 1971 with a note from the owner saying it was one of six he had been carting around for decades. The manager of the store held on to the fruitcake until recently when he gave it to Elite Estate Group owner Larry Chaney. They decided to hold an auction for charity, and an anonymous man in Arizona snatched it up. The money is now set to go to a church outreach program that provides food and other items for the homeless.

DREW BREES BREAKS MARINO'S RECORD FOR MOST PASSING YARDS
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's record for most passing yards in a single season Monday night. Brees entered the Saints' home game against the Atlanta Falcons needing 305 yards to break Marino's single-season record of 5,084 yards. Brees eclipsed the record on a nine-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles in the fourth quarter of the Saints' 45-16 win.

DEADLY HELICOPTER CRASH DURING HEART PICKUP IN FLA
Federal officials are investigating a deadly helicopter crash in Florida Monday morning. Three people died on a medical mission helicopter flight from Jacksonville to Gainesville. The medical team was retrieving a heart meant for a patient at the Mayo Clinic.

FIREPLACE EMBERS MAY HAVE STARTED DEADLY FIRE IN CONNECTICUT
There is word that embers burning in a fireplace might have started the house fire in Stamford, Connecticut that killed three children and their grandparents on Christmas morning. Several reports say a spark might have come from a log still smoldering from Christmas Eve. Manhattan advertising executive Madonna Badger made it out of the large upscale house but her three daughters and her parents died in the fire.

BANKS FINALLY LENDING AGAIN
Lending is on the rise at the nation's banks. New statistics from the Federal Reserve show banks significantly increasing their lending for the first time since the depth of the recession in 2008. The Fed says the biggest increase comes in business loans.