Good morning Qcity! Today the weatherman is calling for sunshine and highs in the mid 50’s. Tonight expect a low around 31°.

Here’s what’s brewing in the news:

Recess Recession

Researchers have found that recess really is important for young children. Not only is it good for the physical health, but hit builds social skills by giving them a chance to exercise their free choice, free play and offers the opportunity to interact with other children. Yet, across the nation, recess is being cut more and more from the school day as more time is diverted to studying and preparing for tests. The problem is worse for some students for some students than others. According to the Department of Education and National Center for Education Statistics, children attending poor, urban or mostly minority schools, have on average 10 to 15 minutes less playground time per day than their affluent counterparts. In many cases, they have no recess at all. (Read more)
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Bank of America credit rating downgraded

The credit ratings of Charlotte’s big banks - Bank of America Corp and San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co. - received a credit downgrade from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services Tuesday. S&P released new ratings on 37 of the world’s largest financial institutions based on a sweeping overhaul of its methodology. Most top U.S. banks were downgraded. This marks the second credit downgrade for Charlotte’s big banks in recent months. Both Bank of America and Wells Fargo, along with Citigroup Inc., received a downgrade in September from Moody’s Investors Service. (Read more) ***

iPhone explodes on airplane

This season Apple’s iPhones are hot, but for one passenger aboard an Australian flight flying from Lismore to Sydney, the phone was literally too hot to handle. According to a statement from the airline as the plane was landing, the phone suddenly started “emitting a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow.” (Read more)
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Qcity goes bananas

Chiquita Brands International announced Tuesday afternoon that the banana company is moving its headquarters from Cincinnati to the Qcity. The move, which is scheduled to be complete by Spring 2012, is expected to bring 400 new jobs, but most of them are already filled. Chiquita Chairman and CEO Fernando Aguirre estimates that half of the 400 positions could be filled by people from the Charlotte area. He says exact numbers cannot be determined until there is a count on the number of current employees who are willing to relocate. The Charlotte Observer reports that the company was lured by more than $22 million in state and local government incentives and the promise of easier international travel from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, which has grown as the airport near Chiquita's current headquarters in Cincinnati has shrunk. Chiquita is currently negotiating to lease office space in the NASCAR Plaza office tower. (Read more)
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Is Herman Cain calling it quits?

During a conference call Tuesday morning that lasted about 5 minutes, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain told his senior staff that he's "reassessing" whether to stay in the race. Cain is expected to make his final decision in "the next few days." National Review reports. His decision to reassess his campaign came within hours of an Atlanta news station breaking a story of a woman who claims to have had a 13-year extramarital affair with Cain.

According to National Review, which reports being on the call, this is what Cain said:

“Obviously, you’re all aware of this recent firestorm that hit the news yesterday,” Cain began, his voice somber. “First thing I want to do is say to you what I have said publicly: I deny those charges, unequivocally. Secondly, I have known this lady for a number of years. And thirdly, I have been attempting to help her financially because she was out of work and destitute, desperate. So, thinking that she was a friend — and I have helped many friends — I now know that she wasn’t the friend that I thought she was. But it was a just a friendship relationship…. That being said, obviously, this is cause for reassessment.”

(Click here to read this rest of his comments.)

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