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Toyota Suspends Sales; Obama's 1st State of the Union Tonight; Lawmakers Propose Banning Racial Profiling; Venus Williams In Australia: I See London, I See France? (PHOTOS)
Toyota halts sales of some of its most popular models; President Obama looks to reset his "Yes we can" agenda his first State of the Union tonight; Georgia state senators introduce a bill to ban racial profiling by police. Details are on today's KISS News Now!
- Toyota is suspending sales of eight of its most popular models while it works to find a fix for faulty gas pedals which could make the cars speed up without warning. The suspension includes: the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2009-2010 Matrix hatchback, the 2005-2010 Avalon large sedan, the 2010 Highlander crossover, the 2007-2010 Tundra pickup and the 2008-2010 Sequoia large SUV. The sticky accelerators have already prompted a recall of 2.3 million vehicles. Toyota says it knows of no accidents or injuries because of the sticky gas pedals, but can't rule them out for sure.
- Some state lawmakers are hoping this will be the year they ban racial profiling by police in Georgia. Senator Donzella James says her son was detained after eating at a McDonald's in Union City: "They put him on the ground. They patted him down. They wanted to know why was he in a luxury car, and why was he dressed up. He was in his family car!" Senator Gloria Butler of Stone Mountain is proposing SB325, a bill that would ban the practice, require annual police training and mandate documention of the race, ethnicity, age and gender of anyone cops pull over.
- President Obama's first State of the Union address tonight comes against the backdrop of a divided Congress and a dissatisfied nation. The president will unveil a jobs-heavy agenda and speak about foreign policy and terrorism, too. But the speech could be measured largely by how well he reconnects with the public. Aides say Mr. Obama will accept responsibility--not blame--for the missteps of the past year. President Obama's heckler from last year's address to the Congress, South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson, promises no more outbursts this year.
- They're calling it the Louisiana Watergate: four young conservative activists are accused of trying to tamper with the phones at Senator Mary Landrieu's office in New Orleans. They showed up dressed as utility workers, saying they were there to fix the phone system. One is the man who made the undercover ACORN video; another is the son of a federal prosecutor.
- Home Depot is cutting 1,000 jobs nationwide, including 150 at its Atlanta headquarters and all the workers at a pilot clearance outlet in Austell. The laid-off workers will get severence pay, and some will be put into other jobs with the company. Home Depot Chairman Frank Blake told employees that this was a difficult decision, because of the hardship it would cause, but he said the layoffs are the right thing to do for the business and shareholders.
- Make no mistake: Cobb County is against drinking in strip clubs. In case anyone was uncertain about that, the county is adding new language to the ordinance banning alcohol sales at adult entertainment clubs: it would prohibit any person from performing with exposed genitals anywhere liquor is served.
- One of the biggest problems following Haiti's devastating earthquake is growing concern for the surviving children living in makeshift camps with nobody to care for them. Still, a metro Atlanta ministry, Plumbline, completed a second flight to the country Tuesday without being able to bring home any orphans. Dan Lynch says they did drop off badly-needed medical supplies, and will make a third trip to Haiti with adoptive parents next week.
- DeKalb County Police are trying to determine if a serial rapist is behind an attack of a 59-year-old woman last week. Police say the man kicked in her door at her home on Hambrick and Rockbridge Roads, hit over the head with a gun, and fondled her. DNA has linked a man to three rapes and he is a suspect in three more.
- Today, Apple unveils its next big thing--the first new product since the iPhone. It's rumored to be a tablet computer called the iSlate.
- Venus Williams got a little cheeky at the Australian Open this week. Seems the neon-yellow tennis outfit she put on for a weekend match looked a little risqué. The shorts that go with it are flesh-colored, so from a distance it looked as if the 29-year-old tennis champion was going commando. Some fans went off, basically asking her to be more modest and asking if she'd lost her mind. Williams explained: "My dress for the Australian Open has been one of my best designs ever! It's all about the slits and V-neck. I am wearing undershorts the same color as my skin, so it gives the slits in my dress the full effect! ... This is completely my design. I just sketched it out. The whole idea is just about the illusion that I'm wearing a deep V-neck. Then the idea was to wear shorts that were like the same color as my skin. It works very well, apparently." Click here for a slideshow: A Cheeky Venus Williams: Slideshow Venus suffered an upset in the quarterfinals by China's Li Na: 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5. Serena Williams has advanced to the semifinals.
- The KISS 104.1 weather forecast: a sunny, chilly Wednesday with a high of 51, lows tonight of 28-34. Thursday, sunshine in the morning, and clouds moving in in the afternoon, with a high near 58.
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Current conditions for Atlanta
Last Updated on Jul 31 2010, 11:52 am EDT
Humidity: 53%
Wind: W 5.8
Pressure: 29.91
5-day forecast
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