THE SHOW:01/13/2010 - HAITI RE-BUILDING / COLDER WEATHER HIGHER BILLS / TIGER IN REHAB / PALIN SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Local Buzz:
"Record Temperatures Guarantee Higher Heating Bills"

*NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Middle Tennesseans have bundled up over the last few weeks as temperatures have dropped, meaning more will dig deeper into their pockets to pay heating bills. We definitely know to expect higher bills, and if you just take a look at your thermostat, you can begin to calculate how much money you'll spend to keep your heat pumping. Like most others, Samantha Knjoi is not looking forward to next month's electric bill. "I've had to crank up the heat, especially all night," said Knjoi, who just moved into a townhome. "It is cold, frigid cold downstairs." Officials with Nashville Electric Service said December's temperatures were 33 percent higher than the same time last year, and with January already off to a frigid start, they said its almost guaranteed customers will have a higher bill. The key to saving is in your thermostat. "Even if you can bump it down two or three degrees from where you normally set it, that's going to help," said NES spokeswoman Laurie Parker. "Each degree, we're estimating you're saving about a percent on your bill." The Tennessee Valley Authority is at the end of what they predict to be its highest demand week this winter. The morning of January 6 proved to be one of the coldest, as TVA pumped out more than 31,300 megawatts. Their record demand day was August 6, 2007, when they sent out 33,482 megawatts of power on a 102 degree day. NES suggested taking advantage of sunny days to warm rooms, and keeping curtains closed at night to retain heat. Parker also pointed out the efficiency of running a full dishwasher and washing machine, using cold water. While the demand for energy assistance is always great, NES hopes a forgiving summer helps residents deal with the higher bills of this frigid winter. "This year I think we've had a little bit of relief because it was a really mild summer, so people were sort of able to catch back up on their monthly bills, but we're always seeing a need and there's always more need than funds available," said Parker.

Big Brother and Metro Action aid customers in paying their electric bills.
"Locals Wait For Word From Haiti After 7.0 Quake"

*NASHVILLE, Tenn. – One Nashville family has watched the reports of damage and injuries after a powerful 7.0 earthquake rattled the impoverished nation of Haiti. Mike and Missy Wilson were in Haiti last Thursday. On Tuesday, a 7.0 earthquake destroyed much of the country. "When we heard that our hearts kind of stopped," said Mike. Mike and his wife were signing papers to adopt a 5-year-old Haitian girl named Tia. "I'll do whatever I have to do to get her home," said Missy. The Wilsons became familiar with Haiti after many trips to that country with members of the Brent Gambrell Ministry in South Nashville. Tuesday night the Wilsons and ministry members tried calling all of their contacts in and around Port-au-Prince, but the lines of communication were cut from Haiti to the outside world. Mike and Brent Gambrell were planning to fly to Miami on Wednesday. Once in Miami they will try and find a way into Haiti. "It's just like any of our kids. We want to go down there and get them," said Mike. The Wilson's said they have faith in God regardless of what happens.

"Man Pleads To 10-Counts Of Identity Theft"

*NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Investigators said a Nashville man used his access to government records to steal the identities of several people.
Steven K. Gilmore, 29, of Nashville, agreed to a federal sentence of 42 months, or three-and-one-half years, in prison for lifting sensitive, personal information and attempting to sell it. Gilmore was employed by Policy Studies, INC., who placed Gilmore at Child Support Services of Tennessee, where he is presumed to have gotten access to personal information. "Stealing social security numbers, names and addresses from data bases where he worked," said Edward Yarbrough, US Attorney for the middle Tennessee district. "At one time, he actually worked in a district attorney's office in Middle Tennessee and may have taken some of these names and addresses from the child support records." Yarbrough commended agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Tuesday afternoon for keeping the sale covert and contained. Investigators said Gilmore did not realize he was actually selling to undercover agents. In short, thousands of people's personal information that could have fallen into sinister hands never did. Federal authorities said on three different occasions Gilmore offered for sale the names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of 35 people; then, 1,604 stolen bank account numbers; and eventually, 1,143 stolen social security numbers. Gilmore's asking price? $2,800 in cash. "That, as you say, people who come into a public office expect that their identity information will be carefully protected. In fact, in this case, because of Mr. Gilmore, it was being sold," said Yarbrough. As part of his plea agreement to a 10-count indictment on charges of identity theft, aggravated identity theft and access device fraud, Gilmore faces 42 months in prison. Policy Studies, INC., is also notifying the thousands of citizens whose personal information might have been compromised, and offering them free credit monitoring. That good faith gesture is not free; it carries a price tag of $47,500 – restitution Gilmore has been ordered to pay, as part of his federal sentencing.

"Lane Kiffin Leaving Tennessee For USC"

*KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Lane Kiffin is returning to Southern California as the Trojans' coach after just one season at Tennessee.
Kiffin was chosen Tuesday to replace Pete Carroll, his mentor and employer for six seasons. Kiffin was the Trojans' offensive coordinator before his brief stints with the Oakland Raiders and the Volunteers. His father, respected defensive coach Monte Kiffin, and longtime USC assistant Ed Orgeron also will leave Tennessee to join him, the school said in a statement. ESPN.com first reported the surprising move by Kiffin and the Trojans, who needed just one day to fill one of the most desirable jobs in college football. Carroll formally took over the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday after winning 97 games over the past nine years.

Top Stories:
"Palin: McCain aides 'gossipy' and told lies about her"

*Sarah Palin made her debut as a Fox News contributor memorable tonight, telling veteran Fox host Bill O'Reilly that new attacks on her 2008 vice presidential bid are "a bunch of B.S." Palin applied the epithet to criticisms by former John McCain campaign aides in a new book and a recent 60 Minutes interview; among other things, they said the former Alaska governor didn't know why North and South Korea are separate nations.
"Yes, that surprised me," Palin said. "I hadn't seen the 60 Minutes thing. I had been warned, you know, don't watch. It's a bunch of B.S. from [Steve] Schmidt and from some of those." As for the Korea claim, she said: "That is a lie." Her personal reference is to former McCain strategist Steve Schmidt, who told 60 Minutes on Sunday that Palin had a habit of saying things "that were provably, demonstrably untrue." "You know, it [was] the equivalent of saying down is up and up is down," Schmidt said. The 60 Minutes report concerned the new book Game Change, a chronicle of the 2008 campaign. Authors John Heilemann and Mark Halperin said several people connected with McCain's campaign questioned Palin's fitness for office and even her mental stability.

"Yemen al-Qaeda link to Guantanamo Bay prison"

*Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a young Nigerian who allegedly came within an ace of killing almost 300 passengers and crew with a bomb hidden in his underwear, said he had been trained and sent by its leaders. US President Barack Obama's embarrassment and anger at the potentially catastrophic failure of intelligence which allowed Mr Abdulmutallab to board the plane has been compounded by the revelation that two of AQAP's founders, Said al-Shihri and Mohammed al-Awfi, were both former Guantanamo detainees. Several AQAP foot soldiers are also former Guantanamo prisoners.
This only confirms the fears of critics vehemently opposed to Mr Obama's promise to close the prison camp by the end of this month.
Deviant ideology In total, 111 Saudi detainees have been repatriated from Guantanamo. Mr Obama's dilemma is dramatically illustrated by a BBC investigation into what happened to the 14 detainees of Batch 10, who were flown home to Saudi Arabia 18 months ago. The Saudi government's aim was to put them, like all the other returnees, through its controversial de-radicalisation or Care programme, with a view to rehabilitating its "beneficiaries" in society. The government claims a 90% success rate and says that only 10 of the 111 former Guantanamo detainees absconded, crossing the border into Yemen. But Batch 10 certainly does not fit this picture. When the Saudi 747 jet carrying them landed in Riyadh, its passengers were greeted by the authorities not as heroes but as "victims" who had been brainwashed and misled by a deviant ideology. All went through the Care programme, but five later escaped to Yemen.

Celeb News:
"Conan Won't Follow Jay"

*CONAN DOESN'T WANT TO MOVE TONIGHT SHOW TO 12:05
Conan O'Brien says he's against bumping the Tonight Show to 12:05 to make room for Jay Leno -- and that the move would destroy the venerable talk show.
In a statement released yesterday, Conan said he was not given a chance to build a lasting audience as he's been host for only seven months.
N-B-C wants to move the Jay Leno Show to 11:35, and move back the Tonight Show and The Late Show by a half-hour. Conan said, "I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting." He added, "I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction."
Conan said he'd like to resolve the issue with N-B-C and continue as host of the Tonight Show. He raised the possibility of moving to another network, but said he doesn't currently have an offer.

"TIGER WOODS IN SEX REHAB?"

*Where in the world is Tiger Woods?
People magazine says the serial cheater is in sex rehab. A sex-therapy expert who claims to have inside knowledge of the situation says Tiger checked into The Meadows, a clinic in Wickenburg, Arizona, around New Year's and will most likely stay for four to five weeks of treatment.

"SNOOKI'S ATTACKER LOSES JOB"

*The man who socked Jersey Shore's Snooki in the face has been fired from his job as a high school gym teacher in New York.
The termination came after Brad Ferro was found guilty of simple assault for the August 19th, 2009 incident. He was fined 500-dollars and given a six-month suspended jail sentence.

Black History:

January 13, 1979-A commemorative stamp of Martin Luther King, Jr. is issued by the U.S. Postal Service as part of its Black Heritage USA commemorative series. The stamp of the slain civil rights leader is the second in the series.

Good News:
"Bredesen Urges Quick Approval Of Education Plans"

*NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Governor Phil Bredesen has urged Tennessee lawmakers to quickly approve his education proposals in a special session.
In a speech to lawmakers on Tuesday, the Democratic governor noted that out of every 100 ninth-graders, only 19 go on to earn a college degree. In Bredesen's words, "We've got to do better." Bredesen was making his case for changes in K-12 education that he said are needed to strengthen the state's application for $485 million in federal "Race to the Top" money. The application is due on January 19.
One area of contention is Bredesen's proposal to make student testing data a major factor in evaluating teachers and making tenure decisions.
"I... recognize that this issue causes some anxiety among many teachers, and a great deal of anxiety with their union: the Tennessee Education Association," Bredesen said. Bredesen has also proposed a series of changes in higher education, including changing the state's funding formula to emphasize graduation rates instead of enrollment. "What we have to guard against this week in this bold proposal, that he put forth, we can't let it be watered down," said Republican Jason Mumpower. Many would expect Democrats to support their Governor – but Republicans were even getting behind the plan. No matter what party, there's a universal call for education reform. "Think about it like this, we have children who are victims of their own geography. Where they live is putting them in an environment where they may not be achieving what they need to be doing," said Democrat Jim Kyle.
Lawmakers have yet to work out final details of the legislation, which could create conflict. They get to work on the Governor's proposals Wednesday morning.

Relationship:
"4 THINGS NOT TO JOKE ABOUT WITH HIM"
*Sure, he loves your sense if humor ... but there are a few topics that are off-limits.
1. His Future Hair Loss. Lots of guys stress about losing their hair. And if there's even a hint of thinning -- it's a sore subject.
2. His Paltry Paycheck. When a guy's salary doesn't stack up, his ego can suffer. Is that thinking a little 1950s? Sure, but that doesn't make it any less true. Don't turn down that raise or anything, but don't make your man feel like he isn't earning enough.
3. His Mom. Know how you can mock your own family, but would deck anyone else who tries? Moms (and sisters, frankly) are off limits.
4. His Member. Keep jokes about his unit to yourself -- there's NOTHING he'll find funny about it.

A health note:

"STUDY: Watching TV Causes Death"
*Beware, couch potatoes. According to a new Australian study, watching television can be deadly.
Researchers found that those who watched TV for more than four hours a day were 46 percent more likely to die of any cause -- and 80% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those who spent less than two hours a day.
Lead researcher David Dunstan said it didn't even matter if the television junkies exercised regularly.
"It's not the sweaty type of exercise we're losing," explained Dunstan. "It's the incidental moving around, walking around, standing up and utilizing muscles that doesn't happen when we're plunked on a couch in front of a television."

Mess of the Day:
"Fang Banger?"

*We see Lil' Jon has incorporated the vampire trend into his grills. Kudos to Jon to keeping up with what's hot, but it's not 2005 anymore -- isn't it time he gave up the grills?

Verse for the day:

*Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.~Ephesians 5:1 (NASB)