Local Buzz:
"State Warns Residents Of Possible Haiti Relief Scams"
*NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Members of Brent Gambrell Ministries have been busy since a devastating earthquake hit Haiti on Tuesday. The group has set up a drop point for people who want to make donations.
"100 percent of every dime that come into this ministry, of ever donation of any kind that comes in will go to Haiti," said Missy Wilson from Brent Gambrell Ministries.
The mission group has worked to support Haiti since 2003 and is spearheading its largest relief effort to date for the people of that country.
"This is something we've been doing for 8 years, since we're in Haiti 10 to 12 times a year," said ministry member Kelly Mills.
The pictures of destruction coming out of Haiti have donations pouring into the ministry.
"It really tugs at your heart strings and you want to do something," said Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett at the Capitol on Thursday.
Hargett warned residents that natural disasters also brings out the scam artists.
"Somebody can set up a web site like that and look very real and be taking credit card numbers and doing something with that money," said Hargett.
Hargett recommends residents research any solicitation for donations. He said if a company has a problem providing information to you, that should send up a red flag.
The Secretary of State also said you should be leery of door to door solicitations for money to help in the relief effort.
The state does have a web site that outlines different steps you can take to safeguard yourself from scam artists. TN Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming
"Woman Robs Bellevue CVS"
*BELLEVUE, Tenn. - Police have been searching for a woman who held up a Bellevue pharmacy.
A woman wearing a hoodie walked into the CVS pharmacy on Highway 70 South and showed a semi-automatic handgun.
Police said she demanded that the clerk give a bag of oxycontin. After she got the bag of pills, she took off.
Anyone who has any information on the woman's identity should call police.
"Police Arrest Suspect In Franklin Street Burglaries"
*NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A man accused of a string of burglaries was behind bars Friday morning.
Police charged Jason Dominguez with vehicle burglary and theft.
Investigators said Dominguez committed a number of burglaries in the Franklin Street area and stole at least one car.
In all, authorities said they think Dominguez stole more than $11,000 worth of goods.
Friday morning, the suspect was being held on a $65,000 bond
Top Stories:
"THINGS GETTING EVEN WORSE IN HAITI"
*The situation in Haiti has gotten desperate enough that people are now blocking roads with the corpses of their loved ones. According to a photographer from Time magazine, at least two intersections around the devastated capital of Port-au-Prince were clogged with dead bodies. Shaul Schwarz told Reuters "They are starting to block the roads with bodies; it's getting ugly out there. People are fed up with getting no help." Organizations such as rapper Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation are raising cash, but there's no indication as to how quickly it might arrive in the earthquake-ravaged country.
"Man admits he plotted in 2008 to kill Obama"
*JACKSON, Tenn. An Arkansas man pleaded guilty Thursday to charges he plotted to kill then-Sen. Barack Obama and dozens of other black people in 2008.
Paul Schlesselman, 19, of Helena-West Helena, Ark., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy, one count of threatening to kill and harm a presidential candidate and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
He faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in April.
A co-defendant, Daniel Cowart, 21, of Bells, Tenn., remains in custody.
Authorities have described the two as white supremacist skinheads who hatched a plot for a cross-country robbery and killing spree that was to culminate with an attack on Obama, then a candidate for president.
They were arrested in October 2008 and have been held without bail since.
"Accused Teacher Seeks New Trial"
*PORTLAND, Tenn. - Attorneys asked that the former Portland High School teacher convicted of having sex with one of her students be granted a new trial.
The grounds? Insufficient evidence and the exclusion of an expert witness for the defense.
In September, 37-year-old Sandy Binkley was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison on two counts of statutory rape by an authority figure. The incidents happened in March 2008 with a 17-year-old student. Binkley later claimed she was raped.
The motion has been scheduled to be heard in court in February. If it's denied, attorneys said they will move forward with an appeal.
"Marine's Widow, Baby Return To Japan"
*NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A local marine's widow who has been fighting immigration laws to remain in the United States to raise their 1-year-old child has returned to Japan with no clear resolution in sight.
Sgt. Michael Ferschke, from Maryville, married Hotaru Nakama by phone in 2008 while he was stationed in Iraq and she was in Japan. He died in combat a month later, but a 1950s immigration rule said the couple's marriage was not consummated though she was already pregnant with their child.
Hotaru and her now 1-year-old boy, Mikey, have been staying temporarily with her in-laws in Tennessee for the past year after her permanent visa application was denied.
Robin Ferschke, Michael's mother, said Monday that Hotaru and Mikey left the United States on Jan. 4.
Jim Jeffries, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, said a private bill that would allow her to stay is still pending in Congress.
Celeb News:
"Conan Flying the Coop Next Week"
*CONAN LEAVING TONIGHT SHOW NEXT WEEK
Looks like Conan O'Brien's last night as host of the Tonight Show will be next Friday.
A source tells People magazine, "Conan does not currently plan on doing any more new shows after next week." N-B-C says the show has been scheduled for months to go on hiatus starting on January 25th. A rep for Conan says reports of the host leaving next week are "not true." But T-M-Z says Jay Leno has just made a deal with N-B-C giving him the Tonight Show from 11:35 to 12:35.
You might want to TiVo next Friday's Tonight Show, because you may not see Conan on T-V for a long time. N-B-C Universal head honcho Jeff Zucker has reportedly threatened to keep the comedian off the tube for three-and-a-half years if he didn't accept the Tonight Show's move to 12:05.
"CLOONEY TO THE RESCUE"
*George Clooney will host a bi-coastal telethon to raise money for Haiti in the wake of the earthquake that has devastated the country.
The telethon is set to air next Friday on all M-T-V Networks channels. All proceeds will go toward relief efforts. The lineup of celebrities and performers will be announced in the next few days.
"TIGER WOODS DONATING TO EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS"
*Tiger Woods, who hasn't been seen in public since his sex scandal broke, is planning to send aid to Haiti. At least that's what Russell Simmons says. The hip-hop mogul tells the New York Daily News, "Tiger Woods is working on sending a mobile hospital with 50 E-M-Ts to go set up a triage." The donation would amount to three-million dollars.
Black History:
"Martin Luther King Jr. Born"
*January 15, 1929-Martin Luther King Jr. born in Atlanta. He was first given the name of Michael Luther King Jr. The name was formally changed to Martin at a later date.
Good News:
*The Gospel Music Association (G-M-A) is preparing for the 41st annual G-M-A Dove Awards, April 21st at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Natalie Grant and Mercy Me frontman Bart Milliard will host this year's festivities, set to include performances from Donald Lawrence, Jason Crabb and Grant. The show airs April 24th on the Gospel Music Channel.
Relationship:
"RELATIONSHIPS: Quick Break-Ups Are Best"
*We're already a couple weeks into the New Year, so there are no excuses to hold onto that loser boyfriend you vowed to get rid of. It's time to start the year with a clean slate, but when, exactly, is the most convenient time to break up?
There's really no perfect time to dump your boyfriend, so don't wait for one.
Instead, plan for a civilized, uninterrupted meeting as soon as possible and get it over with.
Breakups should be just like Band-Aids -- rip it off quickly and painfully. This sounds cruel, but it's much more sympathetic than dragging things out, giving your guy hope, only to waste everyone's time.
A health note:
"MENTAL HEALTH: Make The Most of Every Minute"
*We all know that when something becomes scarce, its value goes up. This idea does not just apply to material goods. Researchers have found that time can also be an extremely valuable commodity, especially when it's in short supply.
According to a study, thinking that we have a limited amount of time remaining to participate in an activity makes us appreciate the activity that much more and motivates us to make the most of it.
Psychologist Jaime L. Kurtz from Pomona College investigated how our attitude toward an activity changes when time is short. She had college students writing about their college experiences -- and compared the notes of those who were graduating soon and those who still had a long time until graduation.
The students who were graduating soon were more motivated to take advantage of the time they had left in school and participate in as many events as possible.
Mess of the Day:
"Does Pregnancy Mean Anything?"
*If this is how mom gets down while she's pregnant, there's no telling what kind of upbringing the kid will have once he arrives.
Thought for the day:
" It doesn't matter to me; either life has ups or downs. But it does matter to me how I disciplined the right principles to reach my goal!" --- Written in 2010 by Prabhakara Rao Eluru --- Kentucky
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