Nightmare In NY, UK2K & More

Hi everyone.

Wondering if you saw the story we ran this morning about the emergency medical workers in New York City who are accused of not helping a pregnant woman because they were too busy eating bagels. Are you kidding me? If this is news to you please check out this story from the Associated Press:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j-nk2m6C0apw1BSyeyslbjxJ6ZbwD9CO07M01

A lot happening in the news today (which is a bit surprising since the week before Christmas is usually fairly quite). In Florence, distinguished airman Anthony Campbell is being laid to rest. He was killed last week in Afghanistan.

Also, we were there as Bengals players boarded buses this morning on their way to catch a charter flight to New Orleans for the funeral of teammate Chris Henry. Be sure to join us at noon and/or later today at 5 for full coverage of the events surrounding Henry’s visitation and funeral. Sad times, indeed.

But good things are happening, too. The Freestore Foodbank is giving out Christmas food boxes again today. The Freestore is expected to help feed approx. 18,000 tri-state families. Wow.

On the home front, my son is having a blast playing with low-hanging ornaments on our Christmas tree. Jesse’s doing her best to convince him to keep his hands off, but he’s so dang busy and rarely wants to slow down (like a chip off the old block!)..

Had a nice time last night watching UK win its 2,000th basketball game – the first program to achieve that accomplishment. While it’s kind of an arbitrary thing, it’s still pretty impressive when you take a second and think about it. Winning 2,000 games means Kentuckians have been shooting hoops for a long time and winning a bunch of the games they’ve played. Cool stuff. And the celebration in Rupp was fun to watch on ESPNU.

Not sure what to make of the health care bill that’s making it way toward President Obama’s desk. The political process behind the bill definitely highlights how corrosive the atmosphere is in Washington. As someone who strives for decency I just can’t comprehend how things can get so ugly. Disagree all you want but at least try to be civil. Is that too much to ask?

That’s about all I know for now. Have a great rest of your Tuesday.

Adios.

Wilmington’s Christmas Woes

Good morning. Time’s vanishing on me this morning, so I’ll just mention a couple things that are clanging around in my brain.

Did you happen to see “60 Minutes” last night? One of the stories featured hard hit Wilmington. Talk about a tough, tough story. Per the show’s website, “Scott Pelley returns to Wilmington, Ohio, to see how residents are coping a year after thousands of them lost their jobs when the town’s largest employer shut down.”

Another fascinating story centered on the Patriarch Bartholomew. He’s the leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians, but the church’s headquarters are smack-dab in the middle of largely Muslim Turkey. A challenging dynamic. But to see some of Christendom’s original churches is pretty breathtaking (at least to me).

You can find both of those stories via this link: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

Also..

My UK Wildcats are going for win #2,000 tonight in a game on ESPNU against Drexler. While it’s just a number, it’s always fun to be first, especially when North Carolina is right behind you.

Had a “d’oh” moment just a little while ago.. I’ve watched “Survivor” from day one this season (like all previous “Survivor” seasons), and I look forward to watching the finally on my DVR later today. I was doing great about not finding out the winner until I scrolled down on a google news page and saw the outcome. Oh well.. It’ll still be fun to watch, but I really was doing my dangdest to not find out what happened.

Oh yeah.. Took our son to the Bass Pro Shop next to Cincinnati Mall on Sunday. He had fun looking at all the store’s “stuff” but his free photo with Santa? Not so much fun. Jesse and I are now the proud owners of a classic Christmas photo. I have a feeling Thomas will laugh about it when he’s old enough to appreciate that kind of thing!

On that note I’m out.. Thanks as always for stopping by.

Snow & A Blockbuster.. It’s A December Wknd.

Good Friday morning. A reasonably quiet start to the day, especially after what happened yesterday with the tragic death of Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry. Not much new to report on that front. Here’s a slight update I mentioned during a radio news report:

     WHILE THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEATH OF BENGALS WIDE RECEIVER CHRIS HENRY CONTINUES IN NORTH CAROLINA.. FANS, TEAMMATES AND FORMER COACHES ARE EXPRESSING THEIR CONDOLENCES..

     THAT INCLUDES HIS COACH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST VIRGINIA.. RICH RODRIGUEZ – WHO ONCE CALLED HENRY AN EMBARRASSMENT..

     ON THURSDAY, RODRIGUEZ, NOW COACHING AT MICHIGAN, SAID HE’S DEEPLY SADDENED TO HEAR ABOUT HENRY’S DEATH.. SAYING CHRIS WILL BE MISSED BY MANY, AND HE WILL “ALWAYS HAVE A PLACE IN MY HEART.”

We’re still waiting to find out what police in Charlotte, NC, think happened. I hope you’ll stick with News 5 throughout the day for the latest information.

Looks like some snow is headed our way. I’d like to think we didn’t go overboard with our coverage of the snow headed our way. While I’m no meteorologist it appears the areas that will get the hardest are in eastern Kentucky (and southeastern Ohio).

The following just came across the Associated Press in reference to the snow expected in eastern KY: “Difficult travel conditions are expected with possible power outages due to heavy, wet snow.”

Could get a little interesting in the Queen City since we expect to see an inch or two of snow. If you have to run around to pick up any last minute Christmas gifts tomorrow please be careful.

What else? Wondering who the heck has the gall to steal the sign marking the entrance to the horrific Nazi death camp Auschwitz in Germany? Here’s a link to a story on the Times online to find out more:

 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6961672.ece

Finally.. Any plans to see “Avatar” this weekend? I’m pretty pumped to see it. I recall the buzz surrounding James Cameron’s “Titanic” kind of turned me off on that film, but I begrudgingly went to see it. And I remember leaving the theater having been overwhelmed by an amazing story. I have a gut feeling that Mr. Cameron is on the same path this go-round. Here’s a detailed review by Manohla Dargis on the NYTimes website:

http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/movies/18avatar.html?hpw

Another movie I look forward to seeing is “Crazy Heart” starring Jeff Bridges. It looks (and sounds) like the kind of movie that makes me want to learn how to play an acoustic guitar very, very badly – and I’m actually trying (but when is there ever time?)!

So that’s it for this Friday morning. Hope you have a great weekend. I’ll see you back here on Monday morning.

Super Talented Henry Dead at 26

Wow. What a stunner (and how terribly sad) about the Bengals’ Chris Henry. In case you’re linking to this blog post from outside Cincinnati and haven’t been following the news, Henry died this morning in a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 26-year-old wide receiver had been fighting for life since yesterday afternoon when he was involved in a domestic dispute with his fiancee. Police say henry jumped into the bed of a pickup truck driven by his fiancee and then somehow fell out. News 5’s Eric Flack is in Charlotte and will have updates throughout the day, so you’ll want to stay with us for his reports. Also, check out our homepage for the latest information on Henry and the tragic circumstances of his death.

With that I have to run. We’re going to be covering a live news conference by Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. That’s coming up in just a few minutes.

Talk to you soon.

Brian’s Out, Butch Is In

Good Wednesday morning. Back at it after a couple days off. Didn’t do a whole lot save for helping my Mom deal with a water main break near her house, but that’s a tale of frustration, aggravation and, finally, some hope – all for another day.

It’s a cold, cold return to work! Looks like we’ll be stuck in the 20 and below range (at least for low temperatures) for the next week or so. Starting to feel a lot like Christmas and then some!

So one of this morning’s big stories is news that UC has tapped football coach Butch Jones of Central Michigan University to take over for Brian Kelly who left the Bearcats last week to take over at Notre Dame. I’m not a huge college football follower, so I can’t make any kind of informed judgement about the likely hire. But I do think UC’s Athletic Director, Mike Thomas, has a pretty good track record of late when it comes to hiring football coaches. That says something to me.

Question for you.. Are you part of text-mad America? It’s hard to believe but teenagers, on average, send and/or receive 2,000 text messages a month. Seriously? That’s what a new report from the Census Bureau says. I mentioned during this morning’s Digital Hub segment at 6. Here’s the link:

http://www.wlwt.com/money/21973279/detail.html

I find it staggering to imagine how much teens text. I send maybe a half-dozen to a dozen texts a month. That’s it. Do I feel left out? Heck no!!

Weird news from Springfield Township. That’s where a couple of daycare workers are accused of slipping some melatonin, an over-the-counter dietary supplement, into candy to help children sleep at naptime. Ugh.. As a parent that kind of news just floors me. We’ll see where the investigation leads. In case you haven’t seen our coverage click on this link to find out more:

http://www.wlwt.com/news/21973687/detail.html

That’s about all I know for now. I’d best turn my attention to Today Show cut-ins and radio headlines, etc.

Adios and thanks for stopping by.

Bummer About Brian But Amazing About Mitch!

Good Friday morning. Another bruisingly (not sure that’s an actual word, but I like the sound of it!) start to the day. My ears about froze off when I was walking my hounds overnight. Not good times. Not good times.

How about Brian Kelly, the University of Cincinnati’s soon-to-be ex-football coach? I’m not shocked at all that he’s leaving to become Notre Dame’s new head coach, but I am very surprised at how poorly the timing of the announcement is/was and how strangely Kelly seems to have handled the situation. He’s always struck me as a very smooth, in-control kind of guy, but the last week has tarnished that image, at least in my mind. I hate that what should have been a joyous night for UC’s incredible team (the post-season banquet) turned into a somber affair loaded with questions about Kelly’s future. Too bad on that one.

But even though the news about Kelly has a lot of UC fans feeling pretty glum there is one particular story that should boost your spirit – no matter what. It’s the story about a 12-year-old boy, Mitch Stone, who has been battling cancer. He was adopted by the Bearcats with the players wearing wristbands this season to remind them of what Mitch has been going through. Well, guess what? Last night we learned Mitch is now cancer-free! Isn’t that fantastic? Here’s a link to our story if you’d like to read and see more:

http://www.wlwt.com/news/21926070/detail.html

Watched one of Tiger Woods’ alleged mistresses on “The Today Show” this morning. Jamie Jungers described the affair she claims she had with Tiger. If you missed it you can find out more on The Today  Show’s website.. Or you can read this article on the New York Post’s website (warning: it’s a bit racy): http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/panty_gal_he_earned_the_grief_v2TezSr6V8fAFud6CIQOUJ

So there you go.. 

A final thought (lot of sports stuff in my brain this morning)..

Can’t believe the Steelers lost to the Browns last night. Wow. Is the steel curtain crumbling? Maybe Pittsburgh’s coach Mike Tomlin should lose the cool shades and act a little nervous for a change.

Adios for now. Go Wildcats – beat the Hoosiers tomorrow! I have a couple days off next week, so I’ll see you back here in a few days.

Queen City Cold & A Good Night At The Garden

Good Thursday morning. Hope you bundled up. Maybe triple layers this morning b/c it’s so dang cold. Unfortunately, a lot of people in the tri-state will have to take a time-out today to clean up damage from yesterday’s incredibly powerful winds. It’s no fun to mess around the yard when it’s below freezing, but the good work must go on.

We were pretty lucky. Lost some Christmas lights, but that’s about it. Fortunately the lights stayed on, too. A shout-out to Duke Energy for working hard to restore power to houses that went without it during a portion of Wednesday evening. Hopefully none of you had to spend a sub-freezing night without any heat.

To that end it’s nice to know that Cincinnati has opened an emergency shelter in Over-The-Rhine. It might be a last refuge for some in Cincinnati who are in dire straits.

Interesting to watch President Obama accepting the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. I tend to believe that it’s too soon for such lofty praise, but I think the President has handled the controversy surrounding his selection with admirable grace.

Lots of people have been commenting on the President’s appearance this morning in Oslo on the New York Times’ website. Here’s a link to the comments section:

http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/world/europe/11prexy.html

Now back to New York.. That’s where my UK Wildcats managed to escape Madison Square Gardens last night with a win over another top-ranked team, the UConn Huskies. The final score, 64-61. I didn’t get to see the game live (will watch it at home later), but from what I’ve read freshman John Wall was – and is – the man! What a kid and what a team. After some long-suffering years, at least by UK’s standards, it certainly is nice to be relevant again.

Oh yeah, just saw someone in the crowd at Rockefeller Center holding a big blue UK flag. How funny. It was during an ice skating segment leading up to the 9 o’clock hour.

If you have a second (and since I’m such a UK basketball fanatic) here’s a link to a pretty entertaining article written by Jay Mariotti, someone I occasionally enjoy watching on ESPN’s “Around The Horn.”

The headline? “Wall Meets the Garden, Leaves a Memory”:

http://jay-mariotti.fanhouse.com/2009/12/10/wall-meets-the-garden-leaves-a-memory/

With that I’m out. Try to stay warm. See you back here tomorrow.

Way Too Windy For My Taste

Good Wednesday morning. Looks like we’re in a for a wild and windy ride today. Meteorologist Randi Rico says winds could gust up to 60 miles per hour today. Don’t know about you, but ever since the wind storm of 2008 (triggered by Hurricane Ike) I get a little wigged out by strong winds. All the power outages and debris that was flying around.  At least last time the weather wasn’t freezing like it will be later tonight. With a baby boy at home it makes me nervous, to say the least.

At least we’re not dealing with the alleged 15-foot snow drifts piling up in parts of Iowa and Wisconsin. 15-feet? Seriously? That’s 2-and-a-half of me!! Wow.

With the weather acting in such a wacky way you can bet that our team of meteorologist will be on the case all day long. If you don’t have a chance to tune to our broadcast channel be sure to check out the weather department’s interactive radar (accessible from our homepage).

What else? Things are kind of quiet on the home front. My son, Thomas, was a wee bit on the cranky side last night, so Jess and I had a rough go of it. He’s quickly closing in on 2, and it’s pretty fascinating to watch him figure out how to throw a tantrum or to scream. He’s definitely putting one and one together and coming up with something resembling 2! One cool thing we’ve stumbled into is that he tends to calm down when we sing the ABC song to him. I suppose it’s because he’s seen plenty of episodes of “Sesame Street.” Whatever the reason it works pretty well. In fact, he’ll often clap when we’re done – just seconds after he was going ballistic. Kids, kids, kids!!

Not much else to report. I’ve spent the last few days trying to polish a speech I’ll be giving tomorrow to the Rotary Club of Cincinnati. I’m excited to have a chance to share my thoughts on the local media universe (and Channel 5 in particular). Hopefully I won’t bore everyone to death!

Oh yeah, one more weather-related post.. During this morning’s 5 a.m. digital hub segment on News 5 Today I showed video from a web story about giant waves off the coast of Hawaii. It’s pretty amazing stuff. Here’s the link (if you have time): http://www.wlwt.com/video/21896619

With that I’ll say stay safe and adios for now.

We’ve Moved.. For The Moment

Good morning. If you joined Lisa, Randi, Brandon and me this morning and wondered what the heck was going on.. Well, we’ve moved, temporarily. For the next few days our newscast will be based in the our newsroom (with weather and traffic staying in the studio). Our ace engineering team is doing some minor cleanup/detail work in our studio, so Lisa and I have had to relocate! I think we’ll be back at the news desk in the studio on Friday or Monday morning.

Another weird turn of events overnight involving Tiger Woods. The latest, as I type this post, is that the woman who was rushed to the hospital (from Wodds’ Orlando, FL, home) is Tiger’s mother-in-law. Earlier, I thought she may have been released, but now it appears she’s recoevering in a private hospital room. Just when you think this story can’t get any stranger…

On the local front, it was a busy morning for news. From a house fire in Bellevue (sadly, some dogs reportedly died) to shootings in South Fairmount and Evanston, police had a lot on their plate. We also got into the latest on H1-N1 and the fact that the vaccine is slowly being made available to the general public (see our homepage for a link to lots of helpful info. about H1-N1).

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the swirl surrounding UC football coach Brian Kelly. Will he leave UC for Notre Dame? I’d hate to see it happen, but who could blame the guy? He’s apparently said in the past that it’s his dream job. I hate it for UC fans that Charlie Weis stunk it up so bad in South Bend that ND had to let him go, but it is what it is. Isn’t it?

Obviously, the waiting game continues.. Be sure to watch for our sports team throughout the day. They’re chasing down all leads and covering all the angles of this very big sports story.

That’ll have to do for now. Adios.

What A Messy Monday

Good Monday morning. Wow. What a messy start to the day for thousands of drivers. We didn’t see a lot of snow this morning (maybe a 1/4″), but it hit during the morning rush – the worst possible time. Hopefully you weren’t in an accident or stuck in traffic for a half-hour or more.. Not a fun way to start the new work week.

Much better news over the weekend involving the UC Bearcats football team, my UK Wildcats basketball and the Bengals. All won.. UC and UK did it in thrilling fashion while the Bengals started to cruise in the second half of yesterday’s game. It was a great weekend to kick back and watch sports.

Jesse and I did take our son to get his picture taken with Santa. While last year’s photo was amazing (our then 8-month-old baby smiled from ear-to-ear) this go-round was not so good. Thomas didn’t cry, but he was not happy at all.. His smile has been replaced by a look of “I ain’t happy and want to get off this strange person’s lap!” Oh well.. memories, right?!

A final thought.. Watched “The Reader” this Saturday (the movie Kate Winslett won an Academy Award for). Really powerful story and a unique perspective on the atrocities of WWII. It’s a little racy but worth watching b/c it will make you think.

With that I want to salute all WWII veterans on this, the 68th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

Peace.