Tuesday, August 7, 2012

SUV REAR-ENDS SCHOOL BUS IN DONELSON
We're JUST back to school, and already we've had school-related traffic accidents, and kids hit. A Metro school bus was rear-ended in Donelson Monday morning. There were kids on board, but there's no word of any injuries except the driver who smashed into them.

14-YEAR-OLD BOY HIT BY CAR WALKING TO SCHOOL
And a 14-year-old boy was clipped with the mirror of a car as he was walking to school on Annex Avenue in west Nashville. The boy's arm was injured (possibly broken), but he's recovering. The driver may face charges.

CHILD DROWNS IN FAMILY'S POOL, ACCIDENT CAUGHT ON VIDEO
There’s been another child drowning. This time in Montgomery County. While the grandparents of a 2-year-old were sleeping, the toddler unlocked a door, climbed a fence and fell into the pool. A surveillance video at the home captured the incident. (Law enforcement officials say the boy apparently wanted to let the family's puppies swim in the pool and fell in while holding 1 of the puppies.)

STATE POLICE TICKETING UNSAFE DRIVERS IN SCHOOL ZONES
The Tennessee Highway Patrol says Troopers are ready to write you up... if they catch you speeding in a school zone or passing a stopped bus. They remind you that also means stopping if you're approaching a bus from the opposite direction... and it's stopped with the signs out. (Last year nearly 4000 tickets were written in Tennessee school zones.  )

'NASHVILLE' FILMING THRILLS ONLOOKERS IN MUSIC CITY
There was some excitement at the Music Row Roundabout yesterday as actors and dancers filmed a scene for the new TV drama "Nashville." Actress Hayden Panettiere (Pan-eh--tee-AIR), dressed in white, climbed the leg of a Musica statue dancer and then strutted across the grass as speakers blared a song from the upcoming show. Crews are filming around town... and the first episode airs October 10th.

I-24 BRIDGE REHABILITATION PROJECT NEARLY FINISHED  
You'll be happy to hear the construction project that's been causing the traffic nightmare on --- and near-- I-24 in Nashville each weekend is nearly finished. It'll be done by August  31st.

STUDY: FEW PARENTS FOLLOW CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY GUIDELINES
A new study finds that a majority of parents FAIL to follow Child Passenger Safety guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2011. Those guidelines call for children younger than two, to be in rear-facing carseats, then forward-facing seats till they outgrow them... in a BOOSTER seat till they're 57 inches tall, and only in the back seat till they're 13. (The study appears in the "American Journal of Preventive Medicine.")

STILL NO WORD ON WHEN SUMNER COUNTY SCHOOLS START
Still no word on when students and teachers in Sumner County go back to school. In an emergency meeting last night, the Sumner County Commission agreed to reallocate $2.2 million for textbooks and basic necessities... but that's still more than 5 million short of the budget the school board says it needs. School board members say they're postponing the start of school until a budget is in place.. so they don't have to fire people later.

MEMPHIS 10-YEAR-OLD BOY WINS TRIP TO WHITE HOUSE
A Tennessee boy is going to the White House. Our nation's First Lady, Michelle Obama, challenged kids across the country to come up with recipes using the new federal nutrition standards. Our state winner, 10-year-old Logan Guleff of Memphis. He came up with the Tuna Schooner, and at the end of the month he and his family go to Washington, D.C. for sight-seeing and a lunch with First Lady Michelle Obama. (nutrition.gov)

HEALTH: AGE-APPROPRIATE TV IMPROVES PRESCHOOLERS' SLEEP
If you have preschoolers who don't sleep well, or sleep through the night... you may want to look at what you're letting them watch on TV. A study in the journal "Pediatrics" finds preschoolers who watch only age-appropriate TV and movies sleep more soundly through the night and have fewer nightmares. Programs aimed at older children, like "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Bugs Bunny," can be overwhelming and too violent for kids under five. (The study appears in the journal "Pediatrics.")

HEALTH: PERSONALIZING OTC PAIN MEDS
Your doctor's exam in future might include a look at your lifestyle and genetics. An international team of researchers is starting a ten-year project to see whether pain relievers can be made safer and more effective by tailoring treatments to YOUR specific genetics. (The University of Pennsylvania has been given 8-million dollars for the first five years of the study.)

GIBSON GUITAR REACHES A DEAL TO AVOID FEDERAL CHARGES
Nashville-based Gibson Guitar Corporation, accused of illegally obtaining wood from Madagascar and India, has agreed to settle, rather than face Federal charges. The company will pay a 300-thousand-dollar fine, contribute 50 grand to conserve protected tree species, and surrender the rare wood in question. 

TANNING MOM POSES AFTER A MONTH OF NOT TANNING!
Remember that mom who was burnt to a crisp from tanning beds, and in trouble for taking her 5 year-old in with her? She has laid off the tanning for a month for a photo shoot with In Touch Magazine. She thinks she looks pale, her family says she looks great. You can decide.

FDA BEING ASKED TO LIMIT LASER POINTERS
None of us wants to go down in a plane crash, caused by some kid with a laser pointer. At least one U.S. Senator is asking the Food and Drug Administration to overhaul the regulations governing sales and strength of laser pointers. Right now some are so strong they can be shined from the ground, into airplane cockpits .. where they can blind the pilots.
 
MOVIE ABOUT FORMER NASHVILLE COACH IN THE WORKS
A movie about a former Nashville coach is in the works. Moonglow Films is reportedly scouting locations for a movie about former Lipscomb University coach Don Meyer.... one of the winningest coaches in NCAA basketball history.

LOCAL COLLEGE STUDENT PLEADS GUILTY TO THREATENING TEACHER 
A student at Daymar Institute in south Nashville is charged with threatening to shoot a teacher who gave him a failing grade. Mason Child has been sentened to a year of probation, get a mental evaluation, and told to stay away from the school.

THERE'S A BUZZ OVER THE "HOT MOHAWK GUY"
Mission Control Mohawk Guy: Making Mars Landing Look Good
Have you heard who's emerged as a new face of NASA... the so-called "Hot Mohawk Guy" ... one of the members of Nasa Mission control who helped land the Mars Rover.