Wednesday, October 31, 2012

FIRST FREEZE WARNING OF THE SEASON
We've already had our first freeze warning and it's just Halloween! This morning you may have walked out into below freezing temperatures. We will get some warmer weather later this week, however, with temps back around 70 by the weekend.

WHAT WAS THAT BIG GREEN THING IN THE TN. SKY?


On the ride in yesterday, Mix 92.9 listeners were all abuzz over a large, flaming green object streaking through the sky. Well, we've heard from our friends at the Sudekum Planetarium at the Adventure Science Center, and they say it was apparently a meteorite that hit and flamed at 6:22 yesterday morning. Photo below: courtesy of Mark Manner, at Spot Observatory.


Most meteorites don't ever hit the earth, they just burn up as they re-enter the earth's atmosphere.

MENINGITIS DEATH TOLL IN TENNESSEE INCREASES
Eleven people have now died in Tennessee from the fungal meningitis linked to contaminated steroid shots. Seventy-four people statewide have gotten sick. 

RED CROSS IN NEED OF PLATELET DONATIONS BECAUSE OF STORM
www.redcross.org
The American Red Cross says it needs blood and platelet donors. They're having to ship blood to the east coast, because their centers there are closed. It takes a couple of hours to give platelets, and you can do it at the Nashville Red Cross at 22nd and Charlotte.

STORM-RELATED DEATH TOLL STANDS AT 50
Meanwhile, the death toll from Hurricane Sandy is up to at least 50, with most of those deaths caused by falling tree limbs, and nearly half of all the victims from New York.  Storm Sandy has moved out of the area, but millions of people are still without power, some still trapped in their homes. 

UPS HIRING, TO COMPENSATE FOR BIG INCREASE IN HOLIDAY SHIPPING
When holiday SHOPPING goes up, so does Holiday SHIPPING. UPS is hiring more than 50 thousand people to take care of the holiday rush. (They expect online shipments to increase by 10% this year.)

NEW JERSEY AFTER SANDY
New Jersey was flooded, blasted by wind, now they have fires. There were more than 20 burning just this morning. The National Guard is helping people still trapped in their homes. Millions of people are still without power all along the east coast and they could be in the cold and the dark for more than a week. West Virginia, and parts of Ohio and Maryland are struggling under blizzard-like conditions, power failures and up to three feet of snow from the storm. 

U.S. CAR COMPANIES FALL BEHIND IN 'CONSUMER REPORT' SURVEY
If you're thinking of buying a car, you may want to check out Consumer Reports first. Every year they rank the most reliable vehicles: this year, it's a Toyota. In fact the top seven cars on the list are from Japanese companies, including Mazda, Fuji, Subaru, and Honda.  Nissan and Kia are also in the top ten. See the list of MOST RELIABLE CARS  

IT’S HALLOWEEN! WHAT ARE THE STATS?
And just how big has Halloween gotten? We're expected to spend $8 billion dollars on it altogether, about 80 dollars per person, more than 7 in 10 people in America will celebrate in some way, most of us will bring home 90 pieces of candy, and  pet owners will spend 370 MILLION dollars on pet costumes. (I wonder how many of those are hot dog bun costumes? ha ha!)

 DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS THIS WEEKEND
Daylight Saving time ends this weekend. That means you'll set your clocks BACK an hour before bed Saturday night.

EARLY VOTING ENDS TOMORROW (Thursday)
http://www.nashville.gov/vote/early.asp
Tomorrow's the last day to vote early, so if you haven't and you want to, make plans.
If you vote early, you can vote at ANY early voting location. If you vote on election day, you'll have to vote at a specific location, and wait in whatever line is there.

EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS
See the early voting locations, and hours HERE.
Locations: Belle Meade City Hall, 4705 Harding Pike;
Bellevue Community Center, 656 Colice Jeanne Road; Bordeaux Library, 4000 Clarksville Pike; 
Coleman Park Community Center, 384 Thompson Lane; Crossings Event Center, 5380 Hickory Hollow Parkway; Davidson County Election Commission, 800 2nd Avenue South, 1st Floor;
Edmondson Pike Library, 5501 Edmondson Pike; Friendship Baptist Church, 1109 32nd Avenue North; Goodlettsville City Hall, 105 South Main Street; Green Hills Library, 3701 Benham Avenue;
Hermitage Library, 3700 James Kay Lane; Madison Library, 610 Gallatin Pike South.

GOOD GRIEF! ARE CHARLIE BROWN AND THE PEANUTS GANG TOO MEAN FOR TODAY'S KIDS?
It's become a tradition for a lot of people: watching the Charlie Brown Halloween Special. But there's a new push from parents who say, after 46 years, it's time to retire the Great Pumpkin. The parents say it's filled with bullying, name calling, including, "stupid," "blockhead" and "dumb," and that it's mean, with scenes like the one in which Charlie Brown is excited to get an invitation to a party, and Lucy shoots him down, telling him it has to be a mistake. And, they say adults were in on the bullying, giving Charlie Brown rocks. Buzz Bishop, author of DadCamp, says other than a sense of nostalgia for parents, the Charlie Brown Halloween Special has nothing of value to offer today's kids. 

KIDS' COSTUMES CREATIVE, ADULTS DON'T TRY AS HARD
People are sure getting creative with kids' costumes this year. More than 7 in 10 of us in America are celebrating Halloween in some way, many of us dressing up our pets as well. Did you see those little kids' photos online in wheelchairs? One wheelchair was decorated like an ice cream truck, the other wheelchair was turned into a backhoe. So great.
Adults, however, are not going to quite as much trouble for their own costumes. The favorite for grownups this year seems to be a Zombie, and one in ten adults who dress up, wil go as a witch. Just be safe, and remember that after dark, when the kids go home the adults, and the adult beverages, come out.

CHEERS STAR HOSPITALIZED
Former "Cheers" star George Wendt is hospitalized and receiving treatment after complaining of chest pains over the weekend.  Wendt, who played "Cheers" barfly Norm Peterson the 1980s sitcom, checked into a Chicago-area hospital Sunday.  Wendt was to play Oscar Madison in a local production of "The Odd Couple," but has to drop out for health reasons. His spokesperson, though, says Wendt is expected to make a full recovery. 

108-YEAR-OLD VOTES FOR THE FIRST TIME
A 108-year-old South Carolina woman has finally decided to participate in a presidential election.  According to "The Island Packet," Joanna Jenkins had resisted registering to vote until this election season, when her cousin Arinethia Ferguson explains she "just got kind of carried away with wanting to vote."  Joanna had already made it through Jim Crow laws, the Civil Rights struggle and other barriers that have kept her from casting a ballot, but her family and friends thought she might still have problems because she doesn't read or write and has no state-issued ID card.  Nevertheless, Joanna was able to register for an absentee ballot, which Ferguson helped her fill out.

DANCING WITH THE STARS CASTOFF
on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."  Sabrina Bryan, who was cut in week six the last time she was on the show, is leaving the "all-stars" competition in week six.

WWW.GOOGLE.COM IS A DOODLE TODAY
If you Google anything today, you'll notice the image above the search bar is Halloween-themed. You can click on different parts of the haunted house to see what's behind the doors, make the cat move and more. Google has a tradition of making interactive pictures -- or Google Doodles --for special occasions.  See MORE GOOGLE DOODLES (Many are still active and you can play, make music, and let your brain rest for a few minutes.) 

THURSDAY IS DOLLAR DAY AT THE FRIST
www.fristcenter.org
Thursday, November 1 is DOLLAR DAY at the Frist. Admission is only $1.00 all day.
This is a great chance to see the work of Carrie Mae Weems,Brian Alfred and the German Expressionists, including Kandinsky, Hals, Beckmann, Kirchner and others. They're also giving
$5.00 off any new/renewing memberships purchased on site November 1.