Lou, the Tennessee mule, has become an internet success

McMINNVILLE, Tenn. -

A McMinnville woman lost everything when her home caught fire on New Year's Day.

But Jolene Solomon is lucky to be alive.

She escaped the blaze after hearing a fire alarm unlike any other.

"I lost it all. Everything," she said.

During the interview, she refused to look at the damage because the wounds are too fresh.
So is the nightmare.

"Scared me to death, umm hmm. I never been so scared in all my life," she said.

Had it not been for a friend, Solomon may have lost her life.

"And I seen Lou come from the barn running," she said.

Her pet mule named Lou sounded an alarm.

"And she came up and I seen her shaking her head and going on," she said, mimicking the animal's cry.

She said Lou was "throwing her head back and everything."

Solomon ran outside to see what was wrong.

When she stepped out the door, "You know when I looked around the side of the house that's where the smoke was coming from. And a fire blazing out just like it was wide open."

She called 911. As she waited for firefighters, the only home she has ever lived in burned to the ground.

If Lou wasn't looking out for her, Solomon wonders if she'd be around to share her story.
"I'm lucky," she said.

Lucky for a friendship that may have saved her life.

"I don't know what I'd do without Lou. I been blessed," she said.

Her father bought Lou and her sister Blue years ago to help work on the family farm. Blue passed away six years ago.

Solomon said it took Lou months to get over the loss of her sister. For now, Jolene Solomon is staying with family. She plans to rebuild her home, but she's not sure when construction will start.

This news is from News channel 5 in Nashville, Tn.

Mario's Ristorante burns again!

See some video on the video bar on the left side of this blog.
~Corey

Crews responded to a two-alarm fire at a fine Italian restaurant in Nashville.

According firefighters, Mario's, located at 2005 Broadway, caught fire around 12:45 p.m. Officers shut down 21st Avenue as crews worked to completely put out the flames, which could be seen shooting through the roof.

The inferno quickly gained an audience, and witnesses said that Mario's looked like a complete loss.

Mario's has been vacant since 2006, and no one was in the restaurant Tuesday at the time of the fire.

Stay updated on this news at Newschannel5, Nashville.

Chappy's Jambalaya from Talk of the Town

2 sticks butter
2 green peppers, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 c cooked rice
2 c chicken stock
1 8-10 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 c smoked ham, chopped
2 c smoked sausage, chopped
2 c cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 c boiled shrimp
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t garlic powder
2 t creole seasoning
2 t paprika
1 c all-purpose flour
hot pepper sauce to taste

Saute peppers, onions and celery in butter. When vegetables are tender, turn heat up to high, add the flour and stir constantly until the mixture is golden brown. Reduce heat, slowly add chicken stock, mixing well, loosening all the vegetables stuck to the pot. Add ham, chicken, sausage and shrimp. Add spices and rice. Mix well and pour into a casserole dish to serve. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Add pepper sauce to taste.

Serves 8-10.



Find more recipes at Talk of the Town.

2008 Stellar Awards

They call it the "Grammy's of Gospel." This is only Nashville's third time to host the Stellar Awards, a 23-year tradition. Atlanta and Houston are the show's original homes.

Country and Christian are co-existing in Music City. The "Stellar Awards" show, now 23 years running, feels right at home in Nashville.



Twenty-eight trophies were handed out Saturday night to some of gospel music's heaviest hitters.

Read more at News Channel 5.

Inspection Scores Don't Tell All

When you go into a restaurant, how often do you look at the inspection score on the wall? A lot of people like to know how clean a restaurant is before they eat there. But a NewsChannel 5 investigation found that posted score may not tell you everything you should know. Consumer Investigator Jennifer Kraus discovered why.

Restaurant inspection scores may seem like a good way to judge how clean a restaurant is and a good indicator of where to eat and where not to eat.

Here's how that can make a difference: If a restaurant fails an inspection, the state gives it a second chance. The restaurant knows the inspectors are coming back; therefore, usually will get a higher score, and that's the score that the restaurant gets to leave up for the next six months.

Ronnie Hart, the head of the Tennessee Restaurant Association, said, "We thought that was only fair." Hart goes on to say, "We can have a bad day."

Restaurant owners said the low scores should come down when they correct the problems.

Visit NewsChannel5 to read the entire article.

Space Shuttle Lands at Fort Campbell

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) -- A jumbo jet carrying the space shuttle Atlantis landed Monday at Fort Campbell on its way to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Army spokeswoman Kelly Tyler said the modified Boeing 747 with the shuttle mounted on its back touched down at the post on the Kentucky-Tennessee border around 9:30 Central time after leaving Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

The refueling stop at Fort Campbell will last until weather clears in Florida.

Get the rest of the story from News channel 5