A leak in a fuel oil return line caused the engine-room fire that disabled the Carnival Triumph cruise ship at sea leaving 4,200 people without power or working toilets for five days, a Coast Guard official said Monday. Had the crew not reacted quickly and the fire suppression system not worked properly, the fire could have been more serious.
There's a chance the Blue Angels won't be flying in the Lynchburg Air Show this year. Organizers say the event will go on whether the BA's are there or not.
Lynchburg Dog Park is going to the dogs. The park, inside the Blackwater Creek Athletic Area, will close for the entire month of March so that crews can plant new grass. The large dog area should reopen April 1 and the small dog section will be ready in May.
Why is ridership dropping on the Roanoke Trolley's? During the weekday lunch rush (10-2 pm} it runs every eight minutes. Off hours it runs every 10-15 minutes. The cities dream is to add more trolleys, that would mean less wait time. Hop onboard.
Smokey Robinson turns 73
Jeff Daniels from Dumb and Dumber is 58
Seal is the big five-oh
Justine Bateman from Family Ties turns 47
Today is Chocolate Mint Day! Chocolate, by the way, actually protects your heart! Did you hear about this study?
This happens about every 15 seconds in America. What is it? ANSWER: Divorce There were about 1.2 million divorces in the U.S. in 2010 or 3 every minute of every day.
Michael Jackson’s eldest son - Prince Michael Jackson - has landed a job as a special correspondent for Entertainment Tonight. The 16 year old hopes to step behind the camera as a director one day. He's hoping this will get his foot in the door.
TONIGHT ON TV
ABC: The Taste, The Bachelor and Body of Proof are new
CBS: NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Vegas are all new
NBC: Betty White's Off Their Rockers, Go on, The New Normal, and Smash are new
FOX: Raising Hope, New Girl, and The Mindy Project are new
CW: Hart of Dixie is new followed by the premiere of Cult
NEW ON DVD _ Released Tuesday, February 19.
- Game of Thrones: The Complete Second Season
- Argo
- Monsters, Inc. (Ultimate Collector's Edition)
- Anna Karenina
- Sinister
- The Six Million Dollar Man: Season 3
Blake Shelton made a guest appearance at wife Miranda Lambert's concert Friday in Dayton, Ohio to promote his latest single "Sure Be Cool If You Did". Check out the YouTube video.
Road life isn't for everyone. Miranda Lambert's first dog Delilah, use to tour with her, but now the West Highland white terrier mix stays back home with her grandmother. She usually brings her little dogs Cher and Delta with her when touring now because they're little dogs. Miranda loves her "rescue dogs".
Kip Moore will be on Nashville next week playing himself. You know, I don't think his "Something 'Bout A Truck" will impress Juliette Barnes one bit.
This morning, Lady A performed "Golden" on Good Morning America. The GMA gang dedicated it to Robin Roberts return tomorrow. Lady A said they picked "Golden" because it reminded them of the golden moment when they first met. The album drops May 7.
According to a new lawsuit, Taylor Swift may be handing over a good chunk of change. She's being sued by the folks over at the Capital Hoedown in Ottawa, Canada because she supposedly never gave back her fee after canceling the August 2012 gig. Also, Taylor was said to be paid $2.5 million for the show, and the plaintiffs are seeking $1.8 million in lost ticket sales. Swift’s people claim that Taylor never signed a contract with the ticket company.
Dierks Bentley made a dream come true for Walmart checker and aspiring country singerKayla Slone. During the West Virginian's appearances on 'Anderson Live,' Bentley called in to gush about what a fan he is of her voice and to personally invite her to the ACMs in Las Vegas in April. Is she going? You didn't have to ask did you?
Keith Urban provides a guitar part for "Highway Don't Care" on Tim McGraw’s new album—and the two may sing together sometime. Tim calls Keith "one of the greatest."
If you're feeling a bit sluggish, just head over to Starbucks and get yourself a Quadriginoctuple Frap. It'll cost you $47.50.
Beau Chevassus created the drink at a Washington state Starbucks in an effort to set the world record for the most expensive coffee concoction
The record-breaking coffee included 48 shots in a venti mocha frappuccino with soy mocha drizzle, matcha powder, protein powder, caramel brûlée topping, strawberries, two bananas, caramel drizzle frappuccino chips and vanilla bean. (Yum?)
According to the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, the longer your commute,the greater your risk for back pain, high cholesterol and obesity. Not only that, all that drive-time can hurt your marriage. People with commutes of 45 minutes or longer are 40% more likely to divorce! That’s because they spend less time together.
Bank on the weekends. FBI statistics show that weekends are the least popular time for bank robberies. The most popular day? Avoid the bank on a Friday. When people are cashing their paychecks, that’s when gun-toting robbers are the most likely to show up.
How can you stay safe on a plane? For a short flight, choose a window seat. More than 10-thousand passengers are injured every year from luggage falling out of overhead bins – usually people seated on the aisle. However, if it’s a long flight – 4 hours or more – take that aisle seat risk. Because those passengers are the most likely to get up and move about the cabin, which can help you avoid a deadly blood clot.
Drink your coffee. A daily cup of coffee can ward off skin cancer, prostate cancer, Parkinson’s and endometriosis, thanks to those antioxidants. People who drink that daily coffee have an 11% lower risk of heart failure.
The Healthy Thing To Do
20,000 cancer death a year in the U.S. are caused by alcohol consumption. 60% of the deaths were attributed to heavy drinkers - we're talking three or more drinks a day. That means 40% of the alcohol related cancer deaths were from light to moderate drinkers.
“Alcohol is a big preventable cancer risk factor that has been hiding in plain sight.” -from a researcher at Boston University.
Before you re-cork the Mondavi, know this: 3.5% of total cancer deaths a year are alcohol related. Enough to scare you? Didn't think so.
It's Never Too Late
Think you've been smoking too long to give it up? Clara Cowell, of Britain, finally quit the a habit at age 102. Cowell, who had been lighting up for more than 80 years, gave up cigarettes at the urging of her family.
Steps To A Happier Marriage
According to The Myths of Happiness, it doesn't matter how happy your partner makes you, apparently as B B King use to sing "The Thrill Is Gone".
Psychologists call this “hedonistic adaptation.” In other words, things that excited us at one time, stopped exciting us when we do them on a daily basis.
The same thing goes for spouses – the more you get use to them, the more you take them for granted. According to the experts, without variety in relationships, couples becom bored and dissatisfied.
You might consider working the following into your daily routine, to give it a boost.
Shake up your routine. Don’t go to the same restaurants every week. Visit new places together. And instead of hanging out with the same friends every Friday night, make an effort to meet new friends. Simply make an effort to NOT do the same thing each week.
Plan more surprises. Psychologists say that with time, partners tend to get to know each other too well. But you can usually counteract that problem by planning a surprise – like a dance lesson, for example, even if both of you have no clue how to tango. Try a spur-of-the-moment getaway or simply taking your sweetheart to dinner or a movie...just to switch things up.
Increase the amount of non-sexual physical contact in your relationship. When was the last time you held hands or hugged? Hugs can make you healthier, plus it reduces the risk of heart disease and relieves stress.
By adding more surprise and spontaneity to your relationship, you and your partner can keep your relationship fresh, meaningful and positive for many many years to come.
Today's Lesson Worth Learning
The Guardian is reporting that a woman named "Sally Donaldson" (not her real name) ended up transferring her monthly paycheck into someone else's bank account by accident. The British hairdresser, and mother of two, thought she was transferring her paycheck into the joint account she shares with her hubby, but she was one number off on the account, and in total transferred $40-grand over two years....and never noticed!
What can the bank do? Nothing. The lucky recipient won't give the money back, and he/she doesn't have to.
Experts say this is a good lesson. We've developed a blind trust in computers, and we need to double check everything we do. Here are tips to avoid a similar mistake:
Communcate: Many couples don't communicate about finances. A simple, "hey, did you get that money I transferred" would've taken care of the problem.
Read in reverse: When you double check a number you typed in, read it again but this time backwards. Reading from right to left avoids scanning on autopilot.
Keep a paper trail: Keep your paper statements. You need physical proof of all your transactions.
Here's something you won't see at the MDA Car Show in March. Do NOT Try This At Home
One More Thing...
Think spring.
Good News Story 
A 13-year old boy, travelling along the east coast with his dad and cousins decided to write mom a post card and share what a great time he was having.
He mailed it from the Old Country Store Museum in Hereford, Pennsylvania.
Mom received this past Friday -- 46-years later. Yep it was mailed in 1967.
Thankfully the boy addressed it to his family's business, which is still around today. Yes, mom is still around, and she isn't surprised her son had written her a postcard, but she is a little surprised that it took so long to arrive.
Lar's Thought of the Day 
A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway. Jerome Cummings
