Good Morning! Finally, we have some relief from the three-digit-heat wave. Today, the weatherman forecasts we'll see a high of 89° with partly to mostly cloudy skies and isolated thunderstorms developing this afternoon and throughout the evening.

Did you know that on this day in 1943 the first national park honoring an African American was dedicated in Joplin, Mo. to a well known scientist also known as the “plant doctor.” The monument, founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt was also the first to be dedicated to a non-president. Can you guess who the monument was dedicated to? Click here for the answer. 

Here’s what’s brewing in the news this morning:

Are parents with obese children unfit to raise them?

Doctors say obesity is the number one health crisis facing Americans and is putting millions of children’s lives at risk. There are an estimated 2 million extremely obese children in the United States, some weighing hundreds of pounds at an early age.

The rate of childhood obesity tripled over three decades, and some are saying enough is enough and calling for the government to intervene. Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity expert at Children's Hospital Boston, believes that in some cases, parents should lose custody of their children for failing to control their weight gain. According to him, state intervention may be the only “realistic way to control harmful behaviors.”

An opinion piece co-written by Ludwig and Lindsey Murtagh, a lawyer and researcher at Harvard's School of Public Health, which ran Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association reads:

"In severe instances of childhood obesity, removal from the home may be justifiable, from a legal standpoint because of imminent health risks and the parents' chronic failure to address medical problems."

Why is it the government’s business? For starters, it’s a public safety issue. Obese children are more likely to die prematurely. The quality of their lives is impacted by a host of health conditions related to their obesity such as diabetes, cholesterol problems, liver problems, high blood pressure and sleep apnea to name a few.

Some also argue that it’s the government’s business because, they say, skyrocketing health care costs, many of which are attributed to obesity, are threatening to bankrupt the country.

Still, many people agree that removing children from their homes is not the answer. ABC News’ Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser is among them. He told ABC World News anchor Diane Sawyer: “The solution is not to demonize parents. I think foster care would be a disaster.”

Instead, Besser suggests not allowing children to drink sugary sodas, which he believes are the number one contributor to the problem. He also suggests getting involved in the schools and ensuring that cafeterias serve only healthy meals and that students get plenty of exercise during gym class.

Besser said it is up to communities to work together. “If you live in a neighborhood that doesn’t have access to healthy fruits and vegetables, band together,” he said. “Take turns, have a designated buyer who goes to another neighborhood and buys those foods and bring them back.”

QUESTION: What do you think the government’s role should be in addressing the childhood obesity epidemic? Should they have the power to remove children from their homes or regulate what parents feed their children?
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Adult obesity on the rise

Apparently, children aren’t the only ones fighting a battle with the bulge. Last year, 16 states saw and increase in adult obesity rates, and none saw a decline according to an annual report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. According to the report, “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future,” twenty years ago, no state had an obesity rate of more than 15 percent. Now, only one, Colorado, has a rate of less than 20 percent. (Read more here)
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Do as I say, not as I…

Speaking of obesity, one of the nation’s most outspoken advocates for restaurant menu reform and healthy eating to lower obesity, particularly in children has come under fire. When First Lady Michelle Obama was spotted at a new diner in Washington, D.C. downing an estimated 1,700 calories, eating a burger, fries and a chocolate milk shake, it sparked a media frenzy. Many people expressed outrage and lambasted Mrs. O for “pigging out,” but some experts suggest that it’s all part of a healthy diet. (Read more here)

*** This is your chance to speak out. Do you have something to say? Share what’s brewing on your mind in the comments section below.

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