May 16

The Metro School system asked for 44 million more for their budget and the mayor suggested they get 26 million.  If that all stays the same employee raises may be reduced and salary steps frozen.  Director Jesse Register doesn’t think teachers will lose their jobs, but 500 open teaching positions may not be filled.

The IRS is still under fire for targeting conservative groups for audits.  While some of those conservative groups were waiting for their application for non-profit status to be approved, groups with names including words like “progressive” or “progress” were approved quickly.

How would you like to be one of the first to get a peek inside the new Music City Center?  Sunday at 1:30 bring the kids and join Mayor Dean for a stroll from Walk of Fame Park to the center and then enjoy free family friendly activities and tour the Music City Center between 2 and 6.  Get more details http://www.visitmusiccity.com/visitors/events/mccgrandopening

Metro Police will keep on eye on things when first lady Michelle Obama visits  Nashville on Saturday, but not officially.  The Secret Service had requested a lights and sirens motorcade which the department was unwilling to sanction.

Williamson County parents, upset over a book used in an AP Human Geography class they say contains “anti-Semitic” content have gone one step further.  Filing an official complaint.   The parents want the textbook removed and say they will continue to take action.  The School District says a committee is reviewing the book.

If you can’t beat ‘em, well, you know the rest and that appears what Research In Motion is kind of doing.  The makers of BlackBerry will offer their messenger service on i-phones and devices running Google’s android software.  They also plan to sell a lower cost BlackBerry.

More trouble for Pilot Flying J.  A fifth trucking company has filed suit following a federal investigation into charges that the chain cheated truckers out of promised rebates.  Pilot CEO James Haslam say he will and has already reimbursing trucking firms.

The food industry is voluntarily working on reducing salt in the foods you eat.  The average in packaged foods has gone down only 3.5 percent since 2005.  A number of items that were tested in the food you get at restaurants had a 2.6% increase in sodium.

Baby crying more than usual, it could be acid reflux.  Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic say almost all babies, from newborn to 4 months old, experience some.  Changing feeding amounts and changing the baby’s position during feeding often takes care of it.

Hoping to cut down on highway deaths, the NTSB is recommending that all states lower the blood alcohol limit for DUI cases to point zero five percent.  Right now in all 50 states its point zero eight percent. 

In Wilson County this evening there will be a School Safety Summit.  The free event gets underway at 7 at Lebanon High School.  It’s open to parents and guardians of students enrolled in Wilson County Schools and you are asked to NOT bring children younger than 16 with you.

The airlines are still collecting those fees, and it’s paying off, for them.  Between the ones they charge for baggage and changing a reservation, the 15 largest carriers picked up more than 6 billion dollars last year.  That doesn’t even count the fees for early boarding and picking a prime seat. 

Spring Hill Little League will host the first state and Southeastern regional U.S. tournaments in July at the General Motors campus.  We know well how avid we are about our little league games and with all the visitors coming in for both events that run through July 26^th, that will be a nice shot in the arm for the local economy.

New wave of cyber attacks are hitting American companies.  These are more sabotage attacks aimed at energy companies.   It’s similar to an attack last summer that affected 30,000 computers at a Saudi oil producer.

Want to improve the relationship, consider a road trip.  90% of all couples that took one together say theirs improved.  Mainly due to the quality time you get to spend with each other, and nearly all in the survey said their best conversations happen on the road.

Nearly half of teens say even though it’s against the law they have texted while driving.  The Journal Pediatrics says that parental supervision may be the most effective prevention tool available.

Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam is meeting with some school kids today at Buena Vista Enhanced Option School.  She will be there teaching kids about healthy eating, exercise and reading.  She will be getting some help from Grover from Sesame Street.

The loyalty and unconditional love we get from our pets helps us in many ways.  They help reduce stress, depression and loneliness.  New study from the American Heart Association says pets, especially dogs, decrease a person’s risk of heart disease and also helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Chrysler is recalling nearly half a million SUV’s due to a transmission problem that could allow the vehicle to shift into neutral once it’s started.  Jeep Commanders and Grand Cherokees manufactured between 2006 and 2010 are being recalled.

We’re overscheduled and overstressed.  72% of women say they take on more than they can handle.  Lightening the load will boost your immune system and give you time for activities YOU love, or just time to do nothing.  It is okay to just say no.

A report from a federal oversight group says a new federal courthouse for Nashville is not necessary.  U.S. District Judge William Haynes Jr. says an increasing caseload and security concerns are the reason a new courthouse is needed.  Fed standards call for courthouses to be short by 2 or more courtrooms before a new one is needed and the report says there is no such shortage here.

Scientists say carbon dioxide levels are the highest they’ve ever been.  The burning of coal, oil and natural gas causing the rapid rise.  The green house gas traps heat, changes weather patterns and raises sea levels.

Even with 217 million phone numbers registered for the do-not-call list, those spam calls continue.  Last year, there were a million and a half more complaints than the previous year.  Still exempt from the do-not-call list are charities, phone surveyors and political organizations.

Education officials in the state are offering a new package of incentives to get the best teachers in the state’s worst schools.  A 7 thousand dollar signing bonus will go to every new top-rated teacher that agrees to teach for at least two years in some of the worst-performing schools in the state.

The April showers not only brought us the May flowers but also a number of sinkholes to Middle Tennessee.   Since we have a lot of rock under the surface we should not get any of those huge holes other parts of the country have experienced.

Most parents say it’s okay if their adult children move back home while they figure out what their future holds.  Though it may strain the family budget, mom’s and dad’s say they’ve been able to develop a stronger emotional bond with those adult children, and another plus is that most end up helping around the house.

A group in Murfreesboro is trying to get 1000 signatures on a petition to eliminate those red light cameras.  Meanwhile, police want to expand the effort to make intersections safer.   Since the first cameras went up, 75,000 citations have been issued.

A win for our team.   A judge in Texas ruled that a group of high school cheerleaders near Houston can display banners with Bible verses on them at football games. 

Engineering students at Vanderbilt have designed a car seat that will help prevent children from being left alone in hot cars.  The “Kid Sense Car Seat” comes with lights and alarms that alert parents when a child may in danger.