THE SHOW: 01/21/2010 - TROOPS HEADED TO HAITI / BEYONCE' JOINS JAY / TO BE OR NOT TO BE / CONFLICT RESOLUTION / RACE REALATIONS IN 2010??

Local Buzz:
"Jury Finds Man Guilty In 1982 Murder"

*jury found Randy Ray McFarlin guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. The verdict closes the 1982 cold case killing of Gene Stump.
A break in the case came courtesy of McFarlin's ex wife, Donna Burroughs. She testified that McFarlin admitted to her that he was Stump's killer.
McFarlin murdered and decapitated Stump, and then dumped his body near Percy Priest Lake.

"5 Teens Charged In Robbery, Shooting"

*NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Five teens were arrested and accused of robbing and shooting an off-duty prison guard as he arrived home. Investigators said it all happened in the parking lot of Lincoya Bay apartments off Bell Road Wednesday morning. Police later arrested 18-year old Keith Boone and his twin brother Kevin Boone, along with 19-year-old Keith Potter and his 17-year-old brother Cortez and 18-year-old Michael McKissack. According to Metro police, Cortez Potter is being held in Juvenile Detention pending a hearing. Bond for the other four was set at $100,000 each. Police are withholding the teens' photos pending line-ups in another case. The 27-year-old victim is at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is expected to be okay.

"Racial Comments Behind Suit Against La Vergne"

*LA VERGNE, Tenn. - Racial comments led to an intense investigation inside La Vergne City Hall. On Wednesday, the La Vergne Board of Mayor and Alderman voted to discipline city administrator Mark Moshea for his handling of the situation. Former La Vergne codes inspector Gary Dooley, who is African American, filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against the city. Dooley alleged a coworker made racial comments toward him.
The board of alderman voted to approve an undisclosed settlement which will conclude the case. "We want to do the right thing, and that's the main thing," said La Vergne Mayor Ronnie Erwin. Mayor Erwin said the employee who made the racial comments has been fired. City administrator Mark Moshea was placed on unpaid leave for four weeks because of the way he dealt with the issue. "He took action. I and the board feel like it should have been stronger action," said Mayor Erwin. Alderman Senna Mosley went one step further. Mosley suggested the city administrator be fired. "I think they [taxpayers] should expect more from this board," said Mosley. La Vergne's Mayor said city officials will likely hire independent consultants. The contract workers will be asked to restructure the city's human resources department in an attempt to prevent future lawsuits.

Top Stories:
"US Troops to Be Re-Deployed to Haiti "

*U.S. military officials say an amphibious force of 4,000 sailors and Marines will be diverted from scheduled deployments elsewhere and sent to Haiti to assist in earthquake relief efforts. A similar unit began to deploy onshore west of the devastated capital, Port-au-Prince Tuesday. The new deployment will bring the number of U.S. forces being sent to Haiti to about 14,000. U.S. President Barack Obama told the ABC television Wednesday the United States cannot afford to ignore the trouble in Haiti. He also said the U.S. does not want its relief efforts to appear as if it is taking over the Caribbean country. Mr. Obama said he wants to make sure that when America projects its power around the world, it is not seen only when it is at war.

"GM to Close Belgian Plant"
*PARIS — General Motors announced Thursday its first plant closure in Europe since embarking on a restructuring in the wake of the global economic crisis, singling out its Opel plant in Belgium. The Antwerp facility, with 2,606 employees, makes up about 5 percent of the Opel/Vauxhall European workforce, G.M. said. Last year, workers there built nearly 89,000 Opel Astra cars. G.M. said that considering the overcapacity at its Opel and Vauxhall plants in other countries, chiefly Germany and Britain, "winding down the Antwerp plant would be the most logical approach for the company.”
"If confirmed, production would conclude in the next few months,” it said. It did not immediately provide details on the extent of capacity reductions and job cuts, saying it would announce those data "in due time.” A union official in Antwerp told Reuters that the closure was planned for as early as June and would result in 2,600 job cuts. Nick Reilly, the Opel chief executive, said in a statement that the decision "was not taken lightly; instead, it is the unfortunate result of the current business reality.” The company predicts the Western European car market will shrink by 1.5 million vehicles this year from 2009 and nearly 4 million from the 2007 peak. It has been seeking to cut capacity in Europe by 20 percent.

Celeb News:
"Williams Sisters Relax, While Federer's Rivals Eye No. 1"

*MELBOURNE, Australia — Venus Williams caught the play, "Jersey Boys,” earlier this week, and was photographed holding a guitar with the cast doing her best Pete Townsend. She has played a little tennis here, too, but she really didn’t have much to say about her performance. Yes, she beat Sybille Bammer of Austria, 6-2, 7-5. There was a tense moment when she trailed 2-0 in the second set before smashing forehands helped pull her to 3-3. After trading breaks, Williams broke Bammer’s serve in the final game of the match. She’s not sure if she played well or not — nor does she care. "I don’t necessarily like put a lot of importance on if I played well one day or not,” she said. "It's really about obviously winning the match and then improving for the next day. So if I have a good day or not as good a day, I just put that behind me and get ready for the next match.” While her sister, Serena, was easily putting away Czech Petra Kvitova, 6-2 6-1, however, Williams was becoming animated as she told reporters of her night at the theater and mental approach to tennis. "I’m a really relaxed person, so I have no problem when I’m done with my match for my mind to be off of tennis,” Venus Williams explained. "I don’t really focus on the next match and have nerves beforehand. That’s just a personality thing. I like to do things off the court.

"As Sheen's world turns: More drama in actor's case"

*Charlie Sheen's criminal saga is beginning to look more like a soap opera.
The star's wife, Brooke Mueller, was taken to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Los Angeles, setting off a flurry of legal activity Wednesday at the Pitkin County Courthouse. Sheen's attorney, Richard Cummins of Aspen, first filed an emergency motion to modify the permanent protective order that Judge James Boyd put in place after the highest paid actor on TV allegedly threatened his wife's life, wielding a knife. A couple hours later, Cummins filed a joint request to vacate this Friday's hearing, which was scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed on Tuesday when Mueller fell ill. Cummins told court officials Mueller has pneumonia-like symptoms. "It's very serious, Cummins said at the courthouse. "She has been hospitalized. His emergency motion explained that Sheen, who is being prosecuted under his legal name, Carlos Estevez, had rushed to his wife's aid at the hospital in Los Angeles. Cummins wrote he was advised the "defendant is at the hospital but has not contacted Ms. Sheen but is concerned and feels the necessity to assist and care for his wife. As he has for weeks, Mueller's attorney, Yale Galanter of Florida, has said Mueller would like to see her husband, despite her report to police on Christmas Day in Aspen that he grabbed her by the neck, put a knife to her throat and threatened her life. Just before the courthouse closed yesterday at 5 p.m., Judge Boyd issued an emergency order to modify the protection order between Sheen and his wife. "Defendant may be in Ms. Sheen's presence in the hospital and may communicate with her in the hospital where she has been admitted for so long as she remains in the hospital and admitted to the hospital for medical reasons, Boyd's order reads. "Defendant shall terminate any contact immediately upon the request of Ms. Sheen or any of her health care providers. No communication shall violate the "no harassment terms of the protection order. All of the remaining terms of the protection order remain in full force and effect. This modification shall terminate immediately upon Ms. Sheen's discharge from the hospital or upon her leaving the hospital should she leave without being discharged,the judge declared.

"Beyonce Joins MTV's 'Hope For Haiti' Telethon Lineup "

*Beyoncé has been added to the bill for the "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief" telethon, airing Friday at 8 p.m. ET/PT, upping the star wattage for the already massive event. The singer will join husband Jay-Z, Rihanna and U2's Bono and The Edge in London to help raise funds for Haiti in the wake of last week's devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake. Justin Timberlake, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Mary J. Blige and more artists will also perform during the two-hour telecast.

Good News:
"Solar Plant Could Be Coming to Tennessee"

*NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Gov. Phil Bredesen and other state officials said they will make a big announcement Thursday concerning solar energy.
Details of the announcement will be unveiled later on Thursday morning, but several media outlets have been reporting that Confluence Solar of Missouri has selected a site in East Tennessee to build a new plant. Confluence Solar manufactures components used in solar energy.
The talk of the new plant comes as work continues in Clarksville on the new Hemlock Semiconductor Plant, and on the Wacker Chemie plant near Chattanooga. The new plant is expected to be built in Clinton, just outside Knoxville.

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Today in Black History:
"Twelve Black congressman boycotted Richard Nixon's"

*January 21, 1971~Twelve Black congressman boycotted Richard Nixon's State of the Union message because of his "consistent refusal" to respond to the petitions of Black Americans.

Mess of the Day:
"Not To Be"

*Are you just going to blatantly steal Shakespeare’s hat and wear it like it's no big deal? Honestly, have some pride and get yourself a shirt with ruffles.~Texas

Thought for the day:

" Sometimes life takes everything from us and we start wondering WHY ONLY ME? At these times we must just relax and think that if life has a challenge for us, then we must also fulfill that and win that challenge. Everything depends on our thoughts; the way we think and the way we take things."Pooja Yadav --- India