The West Memphis 3 murders were chilling to those in the mid-south.  In 1993, three adorable young boys were found brutally murdered in a crime scene so gruesome, a community demanded the IMMEDIATE capture and prosecution of those responsible for the murders.

Damien Echols was a misfit who wore goth clothing and didn’t fit in at all in the redneck community. He was the alleged “ringleader” pinned for these grisly murders, and the motive was supposedly some satanic cult ritual.

Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin were also found guilty of the murders, after a shady trial that even those without law degrees could see the apparent bias.

The HBO documentary “Paradise Lost” captured this horrific story and brought it to light.  Ever since that documentary aired, stars such as Johnny Depp have publicly cried out for assistance for the convicted teens.

Just last year, at the eleventh hour, the three were released after a deal was made that allowed the three to plead guilty but maintain their innocence – a move which kept the Arkansas court system from costly lawsuits and further public embarassment.

Throughout it all, there’s been one person that’s been scrutinized but somehow overlooked – until now.  Terry Hobbs was the stepfather of one of the murdered boys.  He was prone to violence and was supposedly the last to see the three alive. New Evidence has just been brought out which implicates him in the murders.  The allegations are that Hobbs confessed to his brother that he killed the three boys.

If the evidence is true, then Hobbs went from taking 3 precious little boys from the world to robbing 6 young individuals of their youth. Sure, the West Memphis Three were released, but they spent the better part of their life behind bars.

At least three witnesses have come forward with the allegations that Hobbs confessed to the murders. All three have passed polygraph tests, according to Stephen Braga, attorney for Damien Echols.

We will follow this story and keep you posted of developments in the case.

It seems like forever ago that  Nashville was devastated by the spring rains of 2009.  The area has been hard pressed to recouperate, and many landmarks for Music City have been out of commission – and those that are now open were out of commission for some time.

However, Country Music still resonates in the city, and it’s not as if Nashville has become the new post-Katrina New Orleans.  Quite the contrary! Nashville is now getting a first-of-its kind water and snow park, which will open up in an area that was once devasted by flood waters.

Gaylord Company owns the Opryland Hotel, which is a luxury hotel within walking distance to the Grand Ole Opry. Sitting adjacent to the water park will be, as early as 2014, a new water and snow park.

The good news is that it will bring approximately 45o jobs to Nashville, and will cater to approximately 500,000 visitors in its inaugural year.  This will only add to Nashville’s robust tourism industry, and help the city weather tough economic times. 

Those who want to go visit Nashville with their family, but aren’t fans of snow and water can hit the OpryMills mall, an upscale outlet facility.  In addition, families can visit a variety of locations, and take in all this fine city has to offer.

Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain (photo taken by military personnel during official duties)

Only 20 days in to the new year, and already a multiple homicide.  Today, a young man shot and killed his girlfriend, her father, and wounded her mother.  The mother died later of complications from the shooting.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of this story is that when the young man turned himself in, he had the couple’s 4 year old daughter in tow. One can’t help but wonder if this precious toddler knew that her mommy was dead?

No motive has been released as of yet, and investigators aren’t releasing the names of the victims right now.  However, one can only imagine that this is another instance where, in the heat of the moment, things grew out of control and caused this young man to snap.

Perhaps the biggest crime is that the little girl will be without both her mommy and her daddy.  Although she probably won’t remember the day her father took her to the police station to turn himself in for murdering her mother that moment will breed a lot of pain and resentment for her in the future.

The victims are young – the young mom 23, and her parents in their mid 50s. There was a lot lost today in Memphis, a city that knows the chilling effects of multiple homicides all too well.

Photo Credit: MorgueFile.com/Free Photo

Memphis had more than one reason to celebrate on Martin Luther King Jr Day.  The Grizzlies were able to defeat visiting Chicago Bulls 102-86.

Some 20 years ago, when kids wanted to “Be Like Mike” the headline would have been huge. Sort of like the Grizzlies beating the Lakers in modern day.

Of course, nothing is surprising in the wake of the lockout.  Kris Humphries, who last season was basically unheard of, has suddenly landed an $8m contract after his popularity exploded in the wake of his whirlwind marriage to Kim Kardashian.  It doesn’t hurt that the guy actually has talent, either.

Let’s get back to the issue at hand, and that’s the Memphis Grizzlies vs Chicago Bulls game.  What is it that caused the team to rally to their victory? Many, particularly those on the Chicago side, think that it’s not the talent in Memphis – rather the Bulls missing one of their key players, Derrick Rose.

Rose’s absense made the Bullos offense weak, which lead to a 20 point lead for Memphis by halftime.  The team from north of the  Mason-Dixson never recovered, and the Grizzlies ended up winning the game.

Many Memphians were downtown at the Civil Rights Museum celebrating the MLK holiday. What a sweet victory for all in the Bluff City.

When Tiger exited the woods on the first extra hole of the Accenture Match Play Tournament on Wednesday, he knew the nexthole he’d be playing would be in the opening round of next week’s Honda Classic.

Woods lengthened his battle with Thomas Bjorn by sinking a clutch birdie putt on 18. But his 3 wood on the 19^th hole of the day went awry, and the steady Bjorn took the deciding hole.

“It’s easy to put the ball in the fairway, and I couldn’t even do that,” Woods said.

No, he couldn’t. And it seemed to disturb the world’s most-famous golfer more than usual.

Woods, whose 5-year reign as the world’s top golfer ended last Halloween, has struggled since his return to the game. After spending time trying to put his highly publicized trysts and subsequent divorce behind him, Woods has mostly struggled on the course. Last year was the first since he turned pro that he hadn’t won a tournament. In three events this year, he hasn’t cracked the top 20. But Woods, now ranked third on the PGA Tour, believes he simply needs more repetitions to regain his form.

But his problems could very easily be mental. Besides the embarrassing revelation of his numerous affairs two Thanksgivings ago, Woods has lost most of his endorsement deals. Add to that a staggering divorce settlement, and you have a player whose mind might understandably be on other things.

Among other notable players, Lee Westwood, the current world No. 1, won his match-up with Henrik Stenson, 3-2. Phil Mickelson won his battle with Brendan Jones, 6-5. The event is being held in Marana, Ariz.

President Obama and the left have heated up controversy again, calling the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.  Thismeans that the Administration would like to re-write the constitution essentially to include a “non-discrimination clause” dealing with sexual orientation.

Maggie Gallagher, an opponent of gay rights says that the move by Obama is “We’re seeing a pattern to how Democrats respond to election losses: do an end-run around democracy. You can’t block a union bill? Flee the chambers. You can’t repeal DOMA? Declare orientation a protected class all on your own. This tactic may backfire, however: It opens up the pathway for the House to intervene to defend the law.”

The DOMA classifies marriage as an institution between one man and one woman. This piece of legislation was used in several campaigns against gay marriage.

Same-sex marriage is only recognized in a few states. However, if DOMA is deemed unconstitutional, it could pave the way for broader gay marriage rights.

Anything dealing with gay marriage, abortion, and immigration are heated topics in politics today.  We will see lots of issues surrounding these topics during the 2012 election.  Will traditional “American Values” prevail, or will gay marriage become commonplace and legal?

As we probably suspected, the fairy tale ending that many little girls have dreamed of has changed. Instead of waiting for a knight in shining armor to ride up on a white horse, they are taking their futures into their OWN hands.

Take for instance, the little girl below. She’s going on and on about how she won’t get married until she has a job.  This is perhaps the most widely viewed/shared YouTube video of the day.

Do you think that this girl’s views will become more and more common? I’m hoping so!

Amazon Prime members have enjoyed 2 day shipping for an astounding flat fee of $79 per year, and now they are getting anamazing additional benefit – 5,000 free streaming TV shows and movies.  Amazon is making this move in effort to compete neck and neck with Netflix.

The way we obtain our entertainment has changed shape over the past several years.  In strip malls across America, there are vacancies where Blockbuster Video stores used to be.  Blockbuster had to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year after streaming sites like Hulu and Netflix, as well as various other instant ways to obtain movies ate away the customer base.

The best thing about the Amazon Prime deal is that if you are already an Amazon Prime member, there are no additional monthly payments to be made.

According to the press release, “Millions of Amazon Prime members already enjoy the convenience of free Two-Day Shipping,” said Robbie Schwietzer, vice president of Amazon Prime. “Adding unlimited instant access to thousands of movies and TV shows at no additional cost is a great way to give members even more value for their $79 annual Amazon Prime membership.”

Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi was clinging to power Monday as demonstrations against his 42-year rule grew larger and more intense.

Perhaps as many as 100,000 protesters took to the streets of Tripoli on Monday, with many brandishing firearms. Libyan jet fighters reportedly fired on the unruly crowd in the Libyan capital. Demonstrators had set the parliament building on fire and seemed willing to confront Gadhafi’s forces on the streets.

Libya’s ambassador to the United Nations called for Gadhafi to step down Monday, as it appeared that his hold on the country was tenuous. Gadhafi’s son, Seif al-Islam, said government forces were prepared to fight ‘to the last bullet.’  If the unrest continues, he warned, civil war would result. Libya is comprised of many different factions, or tribes, that have co-existed to some extent under Gadhafi’s iron rule.

Gadhafi reportedly called on the armed forces to destroy armories before protesters could ransack them. It apparently wasn’t put into effect fast enough in Benghazi, where demonstrators gained access to small arms. More than 250 people have been killed since rallies began last week, most of those were in Benghazi.

Gadhafi made a brief appearance on TV to quell rumors that he had fled to Venezuela. But even as he maintained his hold on power, other developments betrayed a regime in disarray. Gadhafi’s justice minster quit Monday, calling for broad government reforms. And two pilots who were ordered to fire on crowds flew to Malta, where they sought asylum.

Gadhafi, a former military officer who led a coup against Libya’s king in 1969, has been one of the world’s most eccentric tyrants. He is known for creating garish uniforms and having an all-women security detail. In the early 1980s, his government engineered the bombing of a German nightclub that killed two U.S. servicemen. The U.S. responded by bombing Libya, killing 60 people. Gadhafi’s government was long-believed to have had a role in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.

But despite his longstanding animosity with the West, Gadhafi recently has reinvented himself. After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, he denounced terrorism as the enemy of all, and relations between the United States and Libya thawed. But the Obama administration has shown no sign of stepping in to aid the longtime nemesis of America.

Traders were spooked by escalating violence in Libya on Tuesday, and those fears sent all major averages down sharply.

As Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi took to the airwaves, anti-government protesters clashed with loyalist troops in the worst violence since the uprising began more than a week ago. The situation in Tripoli affected the mindset of traders, who feared an interruption in oil shipments from the volatile region.

The political volatility in north Africa and across the Middle East sent U.S. stocks lower across the board Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 178.46 points to a close of 12,212.79. Blue chips were down as much as 200 points in intraday trading. It was the Dow’s worst day since August. The broader S&P 500 was down 27.57 to 1,315.44, a 2 percent drop. The NASDAQ was hit hardest. It lost 77.5, or 2.74 percent, to end the day at 2,756.42.

The unrest also sent oil futures soaring. Light, sweet crude had traded at more than $98 early Tuesday, but it pulled back to $93.57. Still, it was an 8.6 percent rise from Friday’s level. Some experts think the rise in crude prices has little connection to the unrest in Libya, at least for American consumers. The United States doesn’t import oil from Libya. And gasoline inventories in the U.S. are at a 21-year high. So the spike in oil might be short-lived.

Gold and silver followed suit. Both were up sharply, with gold trading at more than $1,400 an ounce. Silver had reached record high in recent days. It’s currently at $32.86 an ounce.