THE SHOW: 01/20/2010 - CUTTING BACK / CONVENTION CENTER A GO / HOLDING ON TILL THE END / VIOLENCE IN VA / KIM KARDASHIAN DENIES BET

Local Buzz:
"Father Shoots Son, Son In Critical Condition"

*MACON COUNTY, Tenn. - A 10-year-old boy was still fighting for his life Wednesday morning after being shot, and police said the boy's father is to blame.
The Macon County sheriff said Kevin King has been charged with several felony counts, including aggravated child endangerment and felony possession of a firearm. Investigators believe King was under the influence when he shot his 10-year-old son at a home on Carthage Road.
The young boy was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he's listed in critical but stable condition. Two other children inside the home were not harmed. More charges were pending Wednesday morning.

"Crook Aids In Cows Escape"

*COLUMBIA, Tenn. – Detectives said an act of vandalism had 22 cows on the loose and put people's lives in danger.
Farmer Melvin Potts knew it was no accident when his cows escaped from a Maury County farm.
A few hundred yards of Potts' wire fence was destroyed on January 2. The culprit cut each link on each section.
Potts was able to round up his cows without incident, but he is surprised no motorists driving on Theta Pike hit any of the animals.
"That was my concern. You know, with somebody hitting them on the side of the road and getting hurt," said Potts.
Maury County Sheriff's Detective Jerry Williams is investigating the case. Williams said the crook had an agenda.
"They had to be angry at Mr. Potts for some reason," said Williams. "It's a crime of passion. This was personal to cut this fence that many times."
There have been no arrests in the case. Williams said it likely took a few hours to damage the fence.
If anyone has information that may help investigators you are asked to contact the Maury County Sheriff's Department.

"Metro Council Approves New Convention Center"

*NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Metro City Council voted to approve a financing plan for the publicly funded $585 million convention center Tuesday night in a 29-9 vote. Before the council meeting started supporters and opponents of the project filled Public Square, outside the courthouse, with their opinions.
But the only debate about the convention center that counted happened in Metro Council Chambers.
"This is a bright future for us all. Yes, oh I understand the opposition side. Oh yes, I was on the opposition side," said Metro Council member Sam Coleman.
"I am not convinced this convention center is, with this financial plan - in this most difficult economic time, right for Nashville," said Metro Council member Randy Foster. A packed house listened to the back and forth over the proposed $585 million convention center.
"Of course there is risk in a project of this size and this nature," said Metro Council member Erik Cole.
"I feel the exposure is too great to the taxpayers of Davidson County," said Metro Council member Robert Duvall.
After months of meetings and more than an hour of debate Tuesday the motion passed 29-9 with 1 abstention.

Top Stories:
"Analysis: GOP sees Mass. win as stop sign for Dems"

*WASHINGTON -- Reeling from the loss of a long-held Massachusetts Senate seat, Democrats are rethinking the lessons of Barack Obama's 2008 election, with the GOP cheerfully suggesting they scale back their ambitions and agenda.
Republican Scott Brown's win in a liberal state will do more than vastly complicate Obama's bid to overhaul the U.S. health care system. It will send his party into a painful re-examination of voters' anger and desires ahead of the November elections for Congress, governorships and state legislatures.
Questions will include whether Americans really want more government help in matters such as obtaining health insurance, even though Obama campaigned on that very issue. Most immediately, Brown's win Tuesday over Martha Coakley to replace the late Edward M. Kennedy will deprive Democrats of a filibuster-proof Senate majority. That could kill the Democrats' effort to revamp health care unless House Democrats reluctantly embrace a previously passed Senate version that many of them dislike. It would require no new Senate action, although liberal groups might be furious.

"Eight dead in Virginia shooting"

*WASHINGTON — Police in Virginia said they had surrounded a 39-year-old suspect in woods after a lone gunman killed eight people and shot at a police helicopter forcing it to make an emergency landing.
A massive manhunt was launched early Wednesday after they discovered seven bodies at a rural home and another victim nearby.
The suspect had been tracked down to woods west of the historic town of Appomattox.
"State and local law enforcement continue their search efforts Tuesday night in Appomattox County for a gunman responsible for killing eight people earlier in the day," Virginia State Police said in a statement.
"More than 100 deputies, officers and state troopers will continue working through the night to locate and apprehend the armed subject."
The suspect, named as Christopher Speight, was thought to be alive, but snared in a police cordon as night fell.
"The perimeter has been established and we believe the suspect is within the quarantined area," Sergeant Thomas Molnar, a spokesman for the Virginia State Police earlier told AFP. The suspect earlier shot at a helicopter called in to help with the search. At least four shots hit the craft forcing it to make an emergency landing, officials said. A nearby residence was evacuated as the manhunt grew ever tenser.
The incident unfolded around noon on Tuesday when a deputy from the Appomattox sheriff's office responded to an emergency call about an injured man lying on a country road. "When the deputy arrived on scene, the deputy heard several gun shots," Molnar said.
"The male subject was transported by Med-Flight State Police helicopter to Lynchburg General Hospital, where the man later died," police said.
Officers who stayed at the scene found four bodies outside a nearby home and "three bodies inside the residence."
The victims were male and female, according to police, who did not give a motive for the attack, although local media reported the wife and the son of the suspect were among the dead. Police issued a call for information about two cars owned by the suspect, a tan 1997 Ford Escort and a green 1996 Ford F-150 pickup truck. The office of recently-elected Virginia governor Robert McDonnell described the shootings as a "horrific tragedy," according to a statement reproduced by the Washington Post. "The Governor's thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. He is closely monitoring the situation." Senior state officials were also dispatched to the scene.

"Fewer Americans think Obama has advanced race relations, poll shows"

*Soaring expectations about the effect of the first black president on U.S. race relations have collided with a more mundane reality, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. On the eve of President Obama's inauguration a year ago, nearly six in 10 Americans said his presidency would advance cross-racial ties. Now, about four in 10 say it has done so. The falloff has been highest among African Americans. Last January, three-quarters of blacks said they expected Obama's presidency to help. In the new poll, 51 percent of African Americans say he has helped, a wider gap between expectations and performance than among whites. Although most of all those polled view Obama's election as a mark of progress for all African Americans, three in 10 say it is not indicative of broader change. About two-thirds see Obama's election as a sign of progress for all blacks in the United States, a figure unchanged from last year, but about half say his time in office has not made much difference in race relations. One in eight say it has hurt relations. The new poll showed little change in the views of African Americans' current standing in society. About seven in 10 say blacks have already reached or will soon attain racial equality, about on par with the share saying so last January and during the 2008 presidential campaign. About two in 10 say equality will not happen in their lifetimes, and about one in 10 believe it will never happen.

Celeb News:
"ALLEGED LETTERMAN EXTORTIONIST WILL STAND TRIAL"

*David Letterman's accused blackmailer will stand trial after a judge refused to dismiss the grand larceny charges filed against him.
C-B-S news producer Robert "Joe" Halderman -- who allegedly threatened to go public with Letterman's affairs with staffers if he didn't receive two-million dollars -- pled not guilty to the charges. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

"DENNIS HOPPER DOESN'T WANT TO DIE BEFORE HE'S DIVORCED"

*Terminally ill Dennis Hopper is hoping not to die until his divorce is final.
The New York Post says Hopper is angry with his wife Victoria Duffy because she is "trying to bleed him of every last nickel," and that he's "desperately" trying to hang on until the divorce is finalized. In a statement, the 73-year-old Easy Rider star says, "I wish Victoria the best, but [I] only want to spend these difficult days surrounded by my children and close friends." Hopper, who has prostate cancer, is in an L-A area hospital.

"AVATAR TOO POPULAR FOR CHINESE"

*Avatar has been pulled from more than 16-hundred 2-D screens in China, because -- according to the L-A Times -- propaganda officials are concerned that the blockbuster is taking too much market share from Chinese films and drawing unwanted attention to the issue of forced evictions. The movie was replaced with a biography of Confucius. Avatar, which is on its way to being the highest grossing movie of all time, will remain on nearly 900 3-D screens in the communist country.

"HEIDI ISN'T ADDICTED TO PLASTIC SURGERY"

*Heidi Montag now says she's not addicted to plastic surgery.
The reality star sparked criticism after saying she was "totally obsessed" with surgical enhancements. But yesterday on Good Morning America, she backpedaled, saying, "I would say that none of those people know me at all, and that's just a judgment. I'm not addicted. If I were addicted, I would have had 10 plastic surgeries." But she did have 10 surgeries -- all on the same day, in fact... Heidi said so herself in People magazine.

"KIM KARDASHIAN DENIES BET TO GET ENGAGEMENT RING"

*Kim Kardashian says she never made a bet with Reggie Bush to buy her an engagement if her beau won the Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints.
Kim says the story was blown out of proportion after she appeared on a Dallas radio show. The interviewer asked about her dreams for 2010, suggesting a little "bling-bling on the finger" might be one of them. "I said, yes, a Super Bowl ring for Reggie. Then they said that if he gets a Super Bowl ring, I get an engagement ring, and I said, 'O-K deal!'" Then the rumors began to swirl.

Good News:
"Job Fair At LP Field - January 27"

*A Sign of Recovery? Nashville Area Companies Are Hiring
NASHVILLE, TN – As reported by the Conference Board, "online job demand was up 255,000 in December indicating a positive end to 2009".This news along with the December 28th Bloomberg report, predicting that the U.S. economy in 2010 will turn in its best performance since 2004 as spending perks up and companies increase investment and hiring, suggests that the US economy is indeed in recovery mode. There are signs that the Nashville economy is improving as well. Some major area employers such as Kroger, Complete ChoiceCare, and Kelly Services have stepped up their hiring and will be interviewing at the JobNewsNashville.com Job Fair on January 27 from 10am to 2pm at LP Field on the East Stadium Club Level. Admission and parking are free. Job seekers can speak one-on-one with company recruiters who have immediate hiring needs. Opportunities range from entry-level to management and are in a wide variety of industries, including sales, finance, education, administration, and more. Attendees are encouraged to dress professionally, bring plenty of resumes, and be ready to interview on-the-spot. For more information, including a list of participating employers, log on to http://www.jobnewsnashville.com/or call 615-361-8843.

Relationship:
"WHY MEN CHEAT"

*Men sometimes get a bad rap. Well, OK, some men deserve it. But when it comes to cheating, guys are often seen as the ones most likely to stray. But men cheat for many reasons, just like women. Author and counselor M. Gary Neuman went to the source -- 200 married guys (both those who had cheated and those who were faithful) to get a handle on the real reasons men cheat ...
-48% were emotionally dissatisfied. About half of the men who cheated said emotional dissatisfaction was the primary reason for their infidelity; only 8 percent cited sexual dissatisfaction as the reason. Men might not express their feelings much, but they have so have them. Be sure your relationship tends to the emotional needs of both partners.
-66% felt guilty. About two-thirds of cheating guys felt guilty about their affair, which means that not just "unfeeling jerks" are prone to cheat. Neuman found that 68 percent of cheaters never dreamed they'd be unfaithful, and almost all of them wished they hadn't done it.
-77% know someone who cheated. Many cheating guys had buddies who'd cheated. Having friends who stray makes it seem more normal and OK. You can't ban your man from specific friends, but you could suggest they hang out at mostly not-so-tempting times and places.
-40% met the other woman at work. Men often meet a woman at work who shows him praise or looks up to him. It's time to set some boundaries if one particular colleague comes up a lot in conversation. How would he feel if you were spending as much time with a male co-worker? At home, be sure to show your guy you value him, so that he doesn't have to look elsewhere for that feeling.
-Only 12% found a hottie. Yep, only 12 percent of cheaters were sleeping with a woman better looking than their spouse. "In most cases, he's cheating to fill an emotional void," Neuman reminds us. He feels a connection and sex happens to come into play.
-Only 6% "took her home on the first date." Cheating men rarely had sex with women they met that day or night. Actually, 73 percent got to know her for more than a month. That means you might see the potential for cheating before he does. Keep an open eye for warning signs: he's spending more time away from home, stops asking for sex, picks fights or avoids your calls. Be sure not to pick a fight yourself (by confronting him when there's nothing to confess!), but instead try to take your marriage back to a better place.

A health note:
"Tips to live by when you eat out if you are trying to cut back"

*Eat Out Your Way -Restaurant meals are notoriously fattening, so consider these special orders that keep portions under control:
-Split an entrée with a friend.
-Order an appetizer as a meal.
-Choose the child's plate.
-Get half the meal in a doggie bag before it's brought to the table.
-Complement a smaller entrée with extra salad for the right balance: half the plate filled with veggies.

Today in Black History:

Ronald McNair-January 20, 1986~On January 20, 1986, Ronald McNair (1950-86) was the first black astronaut killed during a space mission, when the space shuttle "Challenger" met with disaster. McNair, a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was assigned to the shuttle "Challenger" which blew up shortly after take-off.

Mess of the Day:
"All Shook Up"

*I’m hoping that sometime in the very near future, horrible Elvis impersonators will all finally leave the building for good.~North Carolina

Verse for the day:

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."~1 Chronicles 16:34 (NIV)