First Slice 5-16-12: Americans are fat and refuse to die

1. The CDC has released its lengthy annual report (583 pages!) on health in the U.S. Teen pregnancy is down, obesity is up, and we’re slowly becoming immortal. (My professional, medical summary.)

2. Do you hear that clanging sound? That’s just Douglasville Mayor Harvey Persons and his gigantic, brass balls a’coming down the street. Persons vetoed a unanimous city council decision to let voters decide in November whether they want the ability to buy alcohol on Sundays. In a statement, Persons said: “I am opposed to this and I feel there already is sufficient time during the week when people can make purchases of packaged beer, wine and spirituous liquor.” MAYOR PERSONS HATH SPOKEN.

3. While responding to the shooting death of 28-year-old Matt Lenix at Starlight Drive-In on Monday night, DeKalb County Police hit and killed another man, 27-year-old Clifton Hightower, as he crossed the street toward a gas station. More on both incidents in a bit.

4. George Zimmerman’s family doctor says his patient, who’s accused of murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on February 26 in a Sanford, Fla. subdivision, had a broken nose, two black eyes, and cuts on his head when he came in for an exam the day after the incident. The Martin family’s attorney continues to point to the fact that the “ER personnel did not believe his injuries were significant enough for him to go to the hospital” the night of the incident.