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Maggie: Hey guys. It is Wednesday, August 19, and today we have got the controversy behind a common song that I guarantee you have heard before. Only this story might make you think twice before you start singing. I am Maggie Rulli and Channel One News starts right now.

 

Let's start off with headlines, and first up today, history is in the making for the first time ever. Two women have earned the elite Ranger tab in the Army Rangers, that's the highly trained Army unit that feeds U.S. Special Forces. 

It was two months of training, nonstop physical and mental stress, little food and even less sleep. Nineteen women started the Army’s Ranger school, and two made it out.

It was the first time women were admitted to the course. 

The Army has not released their names, in part to protect them from those who don't like the idea of a woman wearing the Ranger tab. Along with 94 men, the women mastered military mountaineering, parachute jumps and air assaults.   

Men and women both were held to the same standard. But unlike the men, the women will not be able to join the 75th Ranger Regiment, since the force still remains closed to women. 

Travis West: One of the key things that the students learn is that that limit they believe exists probably doesn't. And that they're capable of doing much more under very difficult circumstances.

Maggie: Accepting women into Ranger school was part of the Army's experiment to determine if women could withstand the grinding life of the infantry, carrying heavy packs and operating in harsh terrain day after day.

 

Next up, the White House announced a new initiative to combat the heroin drug epidemic. And it comes as heroin use and deaths spike in the U.S.

 

Over the past ten years, the number of heroin users has quadrupled. Heroin is a highly addictive illegal drug. To combat those numbers, the White House is putting forward $5 million.

Half of it will go to pairing public health experts with police. The priority is to get drug users treatment instead of punishment. Also, law enforcement agencies will work together to track down drug dealers.

Each year, the government spends over $25 billion to battle drug abuse in America.

Most of the rise in heroin abuse has been seen in New England with the state of Vermont hit the hardest.

According to the Centers for Disease Control almost half of heroin addicts are also addicted to pain killers. 

Ok and last up, a lot of you have probably played violent video games like “Grand Theft Auto.” But the question always asked is, does playing violent video games make kids and teens more violent?

Well, a recent study and its backlash leaves that question still up for debate.

The debate has been going on for over a decade. But this week, the American Psychological Association, or APA, linked playing violent games to aggression.

The report reviewed more than 100 studies from 2005 to 2013. And it concluded, playing video games can increase aggressive behavior and thoughts while lessening the experience of feelings of others around you.

That said, there is still not enough evidence to link the games to actual criminal acts of violence. But a day after the report, a group of more than 200 professionals, including media experts and psychologists, called out the report, saying some of the research was flawed. And that the APA was making too big of a connection.

Alright coming up, we head to Ferguson, Missouri to meet the community behind the headlines and see how they are preparing for a brighter future.

 

A year ago, Ferguson, Missouri was in chaos after riots over police brutality left the city broken and burning. 

Keith: That's right Maggie. But today, the community is trying to build a brighter future for young people by giving them opportunities they didn't have before. 

Adrian Shropshire: Dependability accountability and trustworthiness.

Michael Polk: He would be that back-up dad, [to] say, ‘hey this is what you got to get out here. You gotta put in dependability, accountability and trustworthy.’

Keith: Michael Polk's "back-up" dad is his teacher Adrian Shropshire. Shropshire has no formal experience teaching young people how to find and land a job. But after seeing his town torn apart in the wake of Michael Brown's death last year, the Ferguson resident and football coach decided he needed to help tackle the problems in his community.

So Shropshire launched Jobs and More, a training program that links underserved youth with employers.

Adrian Shropshire: They need education. I see they need mentorship in the hood. These guys are from the hood, from the city, from the heart of where the shooting is going on.

Keith: After two weeks in the program, Michael is learning construction and working part-time at a dollar store.

Michael: Everybody needs a mentor, especially at my age to keep you from doing the wrong things and put you on the right track of doing the things.

Keith: In Ferguson, black households earn 40 percent less than whites. And African-American men here face a staggering 23 percent unemployment rate. 

Shropshire: This is part of survival. Coming into Jobs and More and working with us.  We're like a first aid kit.

Keith: Fifteen young adults have joined the program since it launched in June. Four have found jobs. 

 

Keith: Shropshire isn't alone. Initiatives like Ferguson 1000, connect businesses and community leaders to job seekers. And YouthBuild, which connects young volunteers with mentors like Shropshire.

Shropshire: Everything goes together with proper training and education.

Keith: Helping to build a stronger community, one job at a time. 

And the Obama administration designated St. Louis County a promise zone, meaning that it is part of a decade long plan, moving the area to the front of the line for federal poverty aid. 

Maggie: Thanks Keith. Alright coming up next, it is likely the most performed song in the world. And now this tune, which I guarantee you know, is about to hit a U.S. courtroom.

Ok guys, next up today, we have a story about…

Group: Happy birthday to you…

Maggie: No guys! Stop! Stop! No, guys, we can't sing that! We could get into a lot of trouble, and even have to pay some big bucks. Not that that ever stops anyone though. Check this out and you will see what we mean.

 

From the famous, to the not so famous, the “Happy Birthday” song is everywhere. But get this. Because it is copyrighted, every time the song is performed in public, someone is supposed to pay the publisher, Warner-Chapel.

Which, by the way, is why waiters and waitresses sing their own version of the song.

A copyright gives artists and creators exclusive rights over their works, like songs or paintings. With a few exceptions, it means that the work can't be used by others without the creator’s permission.

Now, if you are at home singing it at a birthday party, you won't have to pay up because that's a private performance. But even the Girl Scouts said they were once warned they would have to pay a fee if campers sang it.

Jenn Nelson: I think it’s a joke because it’s the people's song.

Maggie: When filmmaker Jenn Nelson wanted to use the song in her documentary, the publisher said it would cost $1, 500 bucks. She sued instead, saying the song has been around so long that the copyright no longer applies and anyone could sing it for free.

One newspaper is even calling it the lawsuit of the ages.

Most creative works can only be copyrighted for a limited time. After that, it is considered free public domain, like the works of Shakespeare.

The “Happy Birthday” melody was written in 1893 by sisters Mildred and Patty hill as a song for kindergartners. The lyrics were originally "Good Morning to You" but eventually turned into "Happy Birthday to You."

Warner Music Group has owned the rights to the song since 1988, and collects at least $2 million in fees each year. The company insists the copyright is solid, until it expires in 2030.

Law professor Robert Brauneis is an expert on the song.

Robert Brauneis: The question of when, and where, and by whom the “Happy Birthday” lyrics were added is a question that's up in the air, which leads to all of these issues.

Maggie: Issues that might be decided in a few weeks when a federal judge could really give one side or the other something to sing about.

So for now instead of singing happy birthday, we will just say it.

 

Maggie: Ok, guy, so it is not really my birthday, but we got your attention, right? And let's be real, you never need an excuse for cake! Dig in!

Alright guys, that's a wrap for us. But we cannot wait to see you tomorrow. 

 

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