Fallon Serenades Supporters, Rice Sale, and No Beggars for Pat

Good morning and I hope you stayed warm out there last night for trick or treats...
(Not really! How about that wicked cold front that moved in earlier than it was supposed to - and that awful howling wind?! I saw lots of shivering beggars last night! More on that below...TS)

Don't Write Me In
No trick, Ed Fallon says he does not want his supporters to vote for him next Tuesday. He's even written a song about it. Fallon is worried his supporters will take votes away from Democrat Chet Culver.
No matter what you think of his politics, you have to give Ed Fallon some credit. He IS NOT your average Iowa politician.
Yes - he gets points for humor and creativity!
Here's a link to his website where you can hear the song for yourself.
TS

Beaverdale Battle

The hot debate over developing a soccer field that used to house a school could get settled tonight. The DM school board will hold a hearing and plans to vote on developing the former Rice School site. (It's in Beaverdale at the corner of Beaver and Adams - across from Holy Trinity church) Basically the decision to sell the land for development has already been made, the question now is WHO to sell it to - and again, the superintendent and a committee have made a clear recommendation. Take a look at the plans here - they include townhouses, retail space, and some park space.

I can absolutely sympathize with a neighborhood that wants as much green space as possible. On the other hand, it's green space worth $650,000 for the schools - and there are two nice-sized public parks within about a mile of the Rice site. (Beaverdale Park and Ashby Park) It's a good debate over how best to use public land. TS

Election Push from First Couple
The president and First Lady will both be back here in Iowa this week to campaign for Republicans. Someone explain something to me. There are a lot of VIP's coming to town. Are these races closer than everyone thinks? Polling hasn't really shown close races. I wonder if the polls are wrong. Remember the first time Gov Vilsack was elected? I believe that was a surprise to a lot of people who thought the Gov didn't have a chance.

Beggars Behaved!
No reports of any incidents on Beggar's Night in Des Moines or any of the surrounding suburbs. Hopefully the winds will calm down for places like Adel and Ames who will be out trick or treating tonight.

Some other Halloween thoughts. We didn't have ANY trick or treaters last night. I mean it...none. I'm not sure where the kids were last night. I know they live around us, and we had so many lights on I expected a 737 to try and land in our living room. Sally's theory was that it was just too cold and windy. It made me feel better until I found out Jeriann and Trish both ran out of candy.
More candy for Sally and I. I thought about bringing some for the newsroom this morning but three in the morning isn't the time of the day I am most mentally sharp. maybe I'll bring some in tomorrow morning. (You'd better, Pat, or Jeriann and I will have to come to your house and steal it! TS)

I'm going to get a quick cat nap in. I'm filling in on the Noon news again as we gear up for our election coverage.
PWD

Wicked Mom
It's Trisha now. I feel more than a little guilty posting this picture, but let me explain.
Clara didn't seem to mind wearing her Tinkerbell costume the first couple times we put it on her. But for some reason last night, she lost her mind when I put it on! I think the scratchiness bothered her. Still, the little green dress was so darned cute, I just wanted one last chance to get a photo of her in the costume with her big brother.


So... after some soul-searching, I decided to bribe her with just the teeniest piece of chocolate to get her to stop crying and have this picture taken with Calvin.
I know, I know, I probably just created the beginnings of some awful eating disorder (I'll sign her up for therapy and food-addiction group meetings today.) Do you think it's worth it, though?

Now look how much happier she was when I changed her into this fleece Minnie Mouse sweatsuit! (a hand-me-down from my friend Mary's girls - the pants have a tail too!) It was much warmer for trick-or-treating anyway. And I guess I should be glad if Clara more of a Minnie than a Tinkerbell. Tink is a cute little pixie, but she also had a nasty jealous streak as I recall. Minnie on the other hand is just pure, innocent sweetness - like my little girl.

Unlike Pat, we were over-run with trick-or-treaters! We only lasted about 15 minutes out in the cold, and thank goodness, Cal was content to hang out at home and pass out candy. (he tended to give two or three pieces at a time, which is part of the reason we ran out by 7:30!)

My favorite moment of the night was watching him race down the sidewalk in that Spidey suit, giggling like a madman and shouting.... "We're going TRICK OR TREAT!!!"

Have I mentioned how much I love being a mom? (most of the time!)

One more thing...

I have to give credit to my co-workers. I woke up in a really cranky mood today - not enough sleep, and as always, it's tough to get up so early. But when I got here, everyone was so upbeat, my mood did a 180. The newscast felt fun today - everyone really helped lift me up out of the dumps! I'm so lucky to work with such great people. So thanks, Pat, Jeriann, Brad, Jodi, Lisa, and everyone else involved in the newscast!

Happy Halloween! Thanks for listening to me rattle on about kid stuff!

Trisha

Unhappy milestone in Iraq, Fox rallies for Culver, Beggars hit the streets

Good morning!!!
It's Trisha kicking off a few news items for you...Hopefully Pat will fill in some of the blanks when he's back from his assignment this morning!
I'm back from an assignment....
It will run later in the week. As we run up to election day, I will be doing a preview of both the Fourth Congressional race and the Secretary of State race. I did my first interview for the fourth district race today....More on that in a moment.

Unhappy milestone
A marines death in Baghdad brings the October death toll for U.S. troops to 100 in Iraq, making it the deadliest month in a year.

Fox Rallies for Culver
Fresh off national media appearances fending off criticism from Rush Limbaugh, Michael J. Fox appears at Drake today at a rally for Iowa Gubernatorial Candidate Chet Culver. (2:45, Olmsted Center) The embryonic stem-cell issue is bound to come up. How big of an issue is this to Iowa voters, I wonder?
Pat again, As I said I was doing an interview with Dr Seldon Spencer. He's the Democrat running for the fourth district.

Now before I say this...Let me be clear. I am not advocating anyone's candidacy.

Dr Spencer had an interesting way of framing this debate however. He told me the way he looks at this is the same way he looks at offering a family of a patient options after death. (Following HIS argument here)If you will agree that life begins at conception, then that life has value just as the body of someone who has died. He thinks families should be given the option of donating that body to science, or as an organ donor. If the family believes that it will help someone else and it is within their religious/moral framework...They should be able to donate the embryo to science. It's a way of framing the argument I've never heard. I'd be interest to hear comments. Please keep them civil.




Most dangerous city
They may have the claim to the World Series title this year, but St. Louis residents also have to deal with being named the most dangerous city in the US! This surprised me - I've been there, and it seems like a pretty nice place - anyone want to weigh in with some perspective on why it's apparently such a rough city?
St Louis is actually re-vamping it's downtown in the same way Des Moines is trying to. The new stadium is really nice and there's new housing popping up all around it with retail and restaurants coming with the increase in people. St Louis can be rough but I don't think anymore than any other city.


Great forecast for beggars!
I'm not sure if I can remember trick or treating in 60+ degree weather! The forecast looks great for tonight, when most metro suburbs have beggars' night from 6-8pm. (Anyone else making a last-second mad dash for candy today? We ate most of ours already and need to re-stock the supply!) Too bad for cities like Ames that have their trick-or-treating tomorrow - Jeriann says the temp's going to drop about 30 degrees overnight!
The Dix family has it's candy ready. We need some jokes though. I can't wait to hear them...So get em ready!


WHO's dressing up
Did you see Fales and Murph dressed up on Soundoff last night? Andy definitely built up some karma being such a good sport as "My Name is Earl" - and who knew Keith was hiding those John Basetow guns under his suit? I'm told later today you'll be able to look at them here on the website in case you missed the show!

As promised, here's a photo from the Halloween party over the weekend - I wasn't really that green, it's just funky lighting. It was really fun being wicked, and the black wig made it hard for some of my co-workers to recognize me! That's my friend Alissa with me - as a schoolteacher. (I tried to talk her into being Glinda the Good Witch, but the costume just wasn't coming together, so she found a backuup plan!) What you can't see in this photo is that I had on striped stockings, witchy boots, and long black fingernails (which were really painful to take off by the way!)

I wish I could show you more photos of other WHO'ers, but it was very dark in there, and my camera's flash is messed up! The only way we got even this shot to come out was by having someone shine a flashlight on us! The party was really fun - lots of creative costumes, and many a little too creative (ahem) to tell you about here!

Spiderman 'round the clock

Here are a few other highlights from the Shepherd weekend - Cal turned 4 years old yesterday! He got the Spiderman suit for his birthday, and he wants to eat, sleep, and play in it. We took Spidey to Living History Farms with his friend Shay (a snow princess!) They had a great time running down the trail and collecting treats. It was PACKED with people Saturday!

My parents were also in town to help spoil him properly - there's Grandpa helping Spidey learn how to ride his big bike with training wheels!
(I feel a little guilty I haven't gotten him a helmet yet - that is on the agenda! We never had such things when I was learning how to ride! Luckily the only spills he took over the weekend were into the grass.)


And yes, he is wanting to wear the costume 24/7 - something I'm sure lots of other parents are dealing with. Here's him napping in the spidey suit the other day. (Only my mom can get him to take a nap. I have no idea how she does it. He hasn't napped for me in well over a year!)
My dad also got some great shots of Cal posing in front of the mirror showing off his superhero"muscles" - little boys are soooooo hilarious!

I hope Spidey doesn't freak out that he can't wear the costume to school today - we'll put it on again for trick or treating tonight! I think Clara will be okay in her Tinkerbell dress as long as she has a turtleneck and tights since the forecast looks so nice.
Aahhh, Halloween. Don't you sometimes wish you could be a kid again?

Just a couple of other things from the weekend. Sally and I were happy to have our friends Sarah and Matt Elbert in from Minneapolis. Sarah's family is from Iowa (Spirit Lake I think), but this is the first time we've been able to get her and Matt down here because they've been living in New York. We're glad to have good friends closer to us.

Highlights:

Saturday was my first visit to the Des Moines Arts Center. I'm ashamed and sad for myself. It was great. I don't understand some of it...I would even go so far as to say I don't consider it art...But that's the great thing about an art center. We can have that debate. We also saw the Aisle Five exhibit we talked about last week. It was cool. Again, not sure if everyone will think it's art, but it sure is creative. I liked it.

Saturday night...More shame, more sadness for me...

I've never been to Trostel's Dish in Clive. I will be back. We had a great meal, and I wasn't so full afterwards that I was rolling away from the table. Get the Short ribs...Spare ribs...whatever. My first experience with Shrimp Tempura was great...

Overall...Great food, great wine, good friends...It was a good night. We were sorry to miss the Halloween party.

Have fun tonight! Be safe!

Trish and Pat

Everyone Makes Mistakes...And Other Random Thoughts

Good morning, blog lurkers!(are we really calling them lurkers now Trish? Maybe we should come up with some sort of designation like Van and Bonnie do for their 4:59ers.-pwd)
It's Trisha kicking it off early today...

WHO'S DAVE LAMBERTI?
Since Pat was anchoring the noon news when this happened live yesterday, I'll let him talk about the Bush blunder from yesterday's appearance at the fairgrounds supporting Jeff Lamberti. A reliable source tells us Keith Olberman on MSNBC used the clip of the President blowing his name as his #1 Soundbyte of the day on Countdown. Did anyone see it?
I did...and it just makes you cringe. You know the President isn't doing it on purpose, you know he really does want to get this guy elected, but he just slipped up. As JB said coming in the door yesterday...Bush was talking about Dave Vaught (State Auditor) and just got the names mixed in his head. I understand...But it was hard to watch...There are signs all over the room that say, "JEFF LAMBERTI FOR CONGRESS". If you missed it...Some lady yelled at him from the front row, "It's JEFF!". That lady has some chutzpah!
A side note, we received an email from a woman who asked why we covered the President so heavily during the Noon news. She was upset and asked if we were going to give Congressman Boswell the same kind of coverage. Equal time is on our mind a lot these days and it is particularly difficult when the President comes to town. No matter how you slice it, when Air Force One comes to town...It's news. When President Clinton was in office I remember several times when we covered his arrival live and continued through his events. It happens. It's hard to make the argument that Bush coming to town isn't news...It's even harder to ignore it when it comes while your newscast is on. The White House knows this and plans these events accordingly.


GET REGISTERED!
Tomorrow is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 7th election. To check if you're already registered or not click here. And check here to see where your polling place is. No more excuses - go out and vote!

HALLOWEEN FOR GROWN-UPS
Here's the scoop on the Court Avenue Halloween Pub Crawl -they're expecting up to 5-thousand people! $5 cover gets you into 9 bars/restaurants.

In our live report this morning, we looked into the revival happening in the Court Ave. District.
Do you readers think the momentum is building there? Or do you long for the 'good old days' before the flood of '93 wiped out so many businesses?

SOUNDOFF COSTUME VOTE!

Have you voted yet for Keith and Andy's costumes? Check out Murph's blog to find out more... and cast your vote by 5pm tonight.





Could Murph pull off a John Basedow costume? That's the option in the lead right now! Please people for the love of all things good and holy! Don't make Murph go shirtless...

(I'd rather see him in the Fat Elvis costume, which is one of the options, but that shouldn't surprise you! TS)




Andy... As Earl?
I think that's too easy.
(ditto)










NOT-SO-ANGRY INTERN
While poking through the sports section of our website, I noticed on the sports page there's a video feature on the so-called "Angry Intern", Mike Zavacki!! A little-known fact about him... He's no longer an intern - he's a part of our AM show studio crew! Mike's the kind of guy who brightens up the room, and makes you glad to be at work. He's also smarter than most of us... ( as I write, he's coaching Jeriann on a grammar mistake she keeps making!)
ANYWAY - if you want to see why we're Mike's biggest fans, click this link and look for the Angry Intern video! You won't be sorry.

TYPO'S AND BLOOPERS
It always cracks me up when typos make it into our scripts. Most of the time we catch them before we read them. A good one today:"Valley Junction will learn if it's been CHOSED as one of Iowa's Great Places." It reminds me of Calvin grammar. (As in, 'Mommy, we goed to the li-berry at school' or 'Clara eated the banana')
Cute. But not on the news.

I also have to fess up, I CANNOT for the life of me spit out the word "statistics." If I ever see it coming, I usually change it and just say "numbers." I'm sure if you listen closely you'll hear me blow that again and again, as I did this morning.

As the new exclusive supplier of typos and mistakes on the morning show, there would be too many "usual mistakes" for me to name. I have a standing apology in with Trish. Sometimes she has to read the stuff I write.

BUSY WEEKEND AHEAD

We Shepherds are ready for a big weekend! Cal's 4th birthday, grandparents in town, and we're planning to take the little ones to Family Halloween at Living History Farms. (It's such a cute event - I totally recommend it for families with young kids!)
Calvin wants a GREEN birthday cake, so I'll have to get busy. He's also changed his mind about 100 times about what he wants to be for Halloween. Now he's gone from Animal, to Superman, to Spiderman. I'm shopping for his birthday gifts today or tomorrow - looks like the Spidey suit might be the safest bet.
(happy Birthday Cal!)

I'm also planning to go to the big WHO HALLOWEEN PARTY hosted by one of our photojournalists! It should be a blast - check back Monday for costume pics! I still have a few finishing touches to pick up - but I hope to be barely-recognizable in my getup.
The Dix family will not be making it to the annual Halloween bash but I am anxious to see all of the pictures. We've got friends in town from Minneapolis.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the awesome weather Jeriann is promising!
Trish

Bush to Iowa, Wal-Mart Drugs and Fat = More Gas

Good Morning, blog-readers!

$4 DRUG DEAL COMES TO IOWA

Thanks to the slick talking assignment desk in the Channel 13 newsroom, we were able to break some news for you this morning. I know, I know...Wal-mart's announcment about it's $4 prescription program was in the paper, but they didn't have someone from Wal-mart to actually confirm the announcment and talk about whe whys and wherefores of it. Good job guys!
Here's the list of the drugs included in the $4 deal.

(Sorry the link wasn't working at first - hopefully this is better!) (My bad-pat)


PRESIDENTIAL VISIT
There's a lot of politics to talk about today. Can you tell it's getting close to election day?

The President comes to town today. He's campaigning for Republican congressional candidate Jeff Lamberti. Absent from the event will be Republican nominee for Governor Jim Nussle. He says he was already committed to speaking at the Rotary Club. Opponents speculate he doesn't want to be seen with the President because of his low approval ratings. His running mate, Bob Vander Plaats will be there.

It's Trisha taking over from here on out - Pat just got tapped to fill in and anchor the noon newscast today, so he's skipping out to catch a little break this morning.

A few more of our big stories:
KING LOVES THE BORDER FENCE
Congressman Steve King also joined us live this morning during the show (it was a busy news day!) to talk about his support for the border fence bill, which the president is signing this morning before hopping the plane to Iowa. The bill authorizes 700 miles of new fence on the Mexico-US border. King is very much in favor of fencing off our border with Mexico to keep illegal immigrants out - he told us he wishes the President would make a bigger deal out of the signing announcement.

ALEX P. KEATON HE ISN'T

Actor Michael J. Fox is coming to Iowa Monday. Unlike his ultra-conservative character on Family Ties, he's stumping for Democrats. His Drake University appearance will be a rally for gubernatorial candidate Chet Culver.

After all the flap about Rush Limbaugh criticising him for "exploiting" his Parkinson's disease for political reasons, I'm curious to know what you all think.

Here's my take: To me, it seems like a cause Fox is legitimately passionate about. However you feel about stem cell research, I'm not sure it's fair to criticize someone just for using their personal story of medical problems to push for changes that they believe could save other people from the same type of suffering. I didn't notice many raised eyebrows when people like Christopher Reeve, Lance Armstrong, or Rob Borsellino campaigned for cures for their medical problems. If anything, it seems brave and generous, not exploitative, to share something that personal with the public. That's just my 2 cents' - I'm sure many of you see it differently and I'd love to hear your opinions!

We did a story yesterday that you can see on the web. It's about these ads using these diseases and stem cell research as a campaign issue. I was interested to find out that all three of the groups that advocate to cure the diseases meantioned in the ads say it's misleading at best. Do we really think one side or the other is standing there saying...nope, I think I'd rather have people suffer through cancer, parkinsons, alzheimers, or Juvenile Diabetes? This is a very personal question and a very emotional issue for the people who are dealing with the diseases. The other thing all three groups told us is that stem cell research either isn't effective, hasn't been successful or hasn't shown promise in a lot fo the research. As I understand it, there are two types of research, one uses stem cells(like blank slates that can turn into any kind of cell) to replace defective cells or cells that have been killed throught he effects of the disease. That has shown some promise in diseases like Juvenile Diabetes. From what I read scientists do not think it would be effective for things like Alzheimers. The doctor we interviewed told us the current stem cell research using stem cells for parkinsons has failed.

Let me be clear, all three groups think continued research using stem cells is a good idea. That's the second way stem cells might be effective. Scientists think we might gleen information observing or working with stem cells that will lead us to advancments and help find cures. It's a fishing expedition, but then again, a lot of great research is. This of how long it would have taken us to discover a lot of the useful things in our everyday lives if we didn't go to the moon. Inovation and discovery often comes through mistakes and what seems like failure.

Anyway, the docs and the advocates think this is an issue that should not help decide a campaign.

Lose weight, save on gas!
Call it another incentive to get in shape - new research from the University of Illinois says America's obesity epidemic may be to blame for driving up demand for gas, and in turn, prices. How? It takes more gas to pull more weight, and the average American weighs 25 pounds more than our counterparts in 1960.
This startled me more - in 2002 the average American man weighed 191 lbs, the average woman, 164 pounds. That's AVERAGE, as in, counting all the skinny people too. I had to double check those numbers to make sure it wasn't a mistake - I always thought a woman's average weight was in the 140's somewhere..150's tops.

On a personal note, I'm patting myself on the back for re-starting my workout routine this week! I re-joined Curves (for you guys who don't know it's a circuit-training workout franchise designed for women) after taking a summer hiatus when my facility got rid of its child care room. It's not easy for me to find times when I can go without the kids now, but I really missed the benefits of the workout enough to try it again. It's simple, it's thorough, and it just works for me. PLUS - and it's a big plus - I now have a friend who works out there, so I'm looking forward to having someone to chat with while I work out, and motivate me to show up!

I too am trying my best to stay with a workout and lose some weight. Always a struggle for me, but I'm trying. I'm the guy who needs someone standing over me, telling me what to do. We invested in some training session at Fitness World West. It was pricey, but so is the cost of taking care of yourself when your overweight. I'd rather be healthy.

HALLOWEEN - NOT JUST FOR KIDS

I'm working on some material for tomorrow morning's newscast on the adult side of the holiday - people really seem to love an excuse to show off their wild side! Tune in for that report tomorrow.

Do any of you readers have big plans?? I'm still putting the finishing touches on my costume, and psyching myself up for a late night with friends both Friday AND Saturday! (I really cannot remember the last time I went out on the town two nights in a row... I'm out of practice!)

PAT'S ON ROOSTER BOOSTER'S AGAIN!

Look out - Pat just walked back in with his wake-up concoction. All I know is it involves lots of Red Bull. He says he'll add some thoughts later this morning as he gets ready for the noon newscast. It should be a good one, with the presidential visit happening right at news time!

Thanks Trish- The secret is out. It's called Rooster Booster and they sell it at the quick trip. It's like Red Bull with a kick....Anyway, I was feeling a little tired this morning...I think it's my trainer's fault...hard workout on no sleep...Thank's Sean.

Have a good Thursday!

Trish and Pat

Still missing, Flu shots safe for babies, Elvis de-throned?

Happy Tuesday!
It's Trisha getting things started today. Pat will fill in some of the blanks.
First, a question for you all:

I'm curious, readers - what are your favorite online news sources? What do you do first in the morning?
A. Flip on the TV,
B. Check the newspaper
or C. Check online?

I think on a non-work day, my list would go paper - TV - internet. But I'm a news junkie! Maybe more of you just use one source for news in the mornings. We'll be interested to read your comments!
(Pat here):I'm an internet guy

Topping our news today:

STILL MISSING FROM GRINNELL
It's been exactly one month since Paul Shuman-Moore went missing. His family is holding a vigil at his church in Chicago today. They say his so-called "suicide note" could also be read as a message that he just wanted to disappear for a while. They are holding out hope that he's still out there alive. Call Grinnell PD at 641-236-2650 if you have any tips.

...AND STILL MISSING IN IRAQ
No luck yet finding the Army interpreter missing in Baghdad. I read that he didn't have permission to leave and visit family members, which is what he was doing when he vanished.

FLU SHOTS SAFE FOR BABIES
Good news! The biggest test ever on flu shot side-effects for children found babies and toddlers (age 6-23 months) don't have a high risk of nasty side effects from the vaccine!
I always dread any vaccine for the kids just because of the potential side effects...Not to mention the wailing after the needle-stick! So awful to go through, but worth it if it keeps your kid healthy. This reminded me I must make my kids appointments to get a flu shot! There's just so much to keep track of, I keep forgetting!

GOV'T OK'S SINGLE-SEX CLASSROOMS
No boys allowed?

Starting today, a new government policy takes effect allowing public schools to separate students by gender, if they think it will help academic performance. Some advocates say test scores improve, and girls especially excel in science and technology areas when you keep the sexes separated. Women's rights groups (including NOW) vehemently oppose this idea, saying segregation is a step backwards, and girls and boys need to learn how to interact with the opposite sex in order to be successful in the real world.

I'm wrestling with my own opinion on this. I guess I'd prefer my kids to be in blended classrooms that are sensitive to gender issues, learning styles, etc. But it wouldn't bother me if parents were allowed to chose a same-sex classroom for their kids.

Here are a few links with more on this controversial issue:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-10-24-single-sex-education_x.htm

NOW's statement in 2004 :

The National Assoc. For Single Sex Public Education

(Pat again): I guess I feel like anything that shoves two diverse groups of learners like girls and boys off into their own category isn't a wide idea. I understand there are differences in the way boys and girls learn. What I don't understand is...What do you do with the overacheiving boy or the underachieving girl? Wouldn't a system like this simply exaggerate those differences within the group? Recognizing differences in the way we all learn is a good idea. But what's next? Should we put all the visual learners in one class, then move all the people who learn well by memorizing into another? Maybe a class for auditory learners? One of the other things we LEARN in a diverse group, is how to develop other learning skills. The smartest girl in the class my be the only person who can explain a concept effectively to an underacheiving boy. As someone who is mildly learning disabled (Yes, I was one of the kids taken out of class to go to special ed), I always appreciated someone trying to stretch my ability to internalize a concept in different ways. I needed the smartest kids in the class. I think they needed me too.

GET YOUR PASSPORTS!
Liz was live at the airport with this story today - I'm glad she didn't hop onto a plane to go somewhere warmer!

Starting in January you need a passport to travel by airplane ANYWHERE outside the US - including Mexico and Canada. Passport officials say get it done now if you have holiday travel plans...It takes 6 weeks to get your passport. If you're DRIVING across our northern or southern border, you have another year before you'll need a passport.
Ian and I drive to Ontario, Canada at least a couple times a year to see his family. (Oh yah, I have Canadian in-laws, eh?) We got passports for the kids last spring, figuring pretty soon we'd need them to cross the border. The process is a bit of a pain, and expensive, but that's the price of Homeland Security, I guess.

AAA in West Des Moines on 30th street is offering free passport photos tonight from 5pm-7pm. That'll save you about $10 per photo.

http://http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

WHERE TO GET ONE...
http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/


PLUMBING ART
A cool tidbit of info we shared this morning - there's a 25-foot sculpture being dedicated today at the Plumbers' and Steamfitters union hall on Bell Ave. In Des Moines. It looks cool - a giant wrench with hands pulling it.

Jeriann confided in me that she was afraid to mention this on the air for fear of offending any hard-working plumbers, but all she kept picturing was a huge sculpture of "plumber's crack." (I'm sure plumbers are used to being the butt of that kind of joke. Sorry, ahem.) Jeriann's mind works in really strange and hilarious ways. I guess mine does too sometimes. Speaking of that...

ELVIS DE-THRONED?!
As the resident Elvis nut, this really hit me where it hurts today. Elvis is no longer the biggest dead-celebrity earner. Forbes.com Says Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain outearned Elvis in the past year with $50 mil.
I say Elvis shouldn't have been on the list in the first place, since he might still be alive and well - hiding out somewhere, maybe working in a convenience store, or better yet - entering Elvis karaoke contests!


HUNGRY HARRY THE ZOMBIE
I'll repeat the plea I put in a comment yesterday - if anyone can find a link to a website where I can see animated pictures of Calvin's crazy zombie, who apparently is marketed as "Hungry Harry" - let me know! My dad found one, and says he emailed it yesterday, but it didn't come through for some reason, so Dad, if you check this today, send it again, okay? Calvin is desperate to see Harry grunt, shake, and say.."Hungry, hungry...braaaaiiinsss."
I did show him the "Thriller" video yesterday, now he's asking again and again to watch "the-rilla" (kind of like gorilla).

Gotta head out "on assignment" now - have a good Wednesday and thanks for reading!
Trish

New News out of Iraq, Why is Brad Dancing, and Why We're all Going to Have a Drink After Work!

Good Morning,

Iraq: Kidnapping and Developing a Timeline for Peace:

This monring we started with a US soldier believed kidnapped in Iraq. He's supposedly a translator of Iraqi dissent. US and Iraqi forces are going door to door searching.

About halfway through the show we heard about a news conference this morning where Iraqi officials are announcing a date specific timetable for reducing violence and dissolving militia. Look for more online about this through your workday. I would guess this will lead most of the national news broadcasts tonight.

No Longer Staying the Course:
The President decided he's not going to use the phrase "Stay the Course" anymore when referring to his Iraq strategy. This is a phrase Democrats have picked up on and used against Republicans in the mid-term elections.

Trisha here - From a PR standpoint, I think it's a smart move to abandon that phrase. The administration needs to reassure people that it won't stick to a failing tactic out of stubbornness, and that it's adjusting its strategy as events change. The power of words is amazing, isn't it?

A new Washington Post poll shows why it's an effective tool. A lot of voters say Iraq is their #1 issue going to the polls. Bad news for Republicans, Undecided and independent voters are saying they'll vote against the GOP. Not FOR a Democrat...AGAINST the GOP.

Ads Ads and more Ads:
It must be two weeks to Election day. Our Audio Operator relayed to us at 5:15am that the next few commercial breaks were all political ads. It was something like 28 spots in a row. We're not complaining because it pays the bills. At least there are some new ads on.

Controversial Activist to Speak at Iowa:
Cindy Sheehan will be at University of Iowa tonight. For those of you who don't know, She's the mom who lost her son Casey in the war and has since become a political activist.





Ag Job Fair:
The largest Ag Job fair happens at Iowa State today. The Job Fair isn't just for Ag majors. The public is invited. Here's a link to the companies looking for employees.
With the number of "Life Science" companies expanding there could be a lot of opportunities for soon to be grads and just plain job seekers.

Q at the Big O:
Quincy Jones will be among the planners/consultants for the opening ceremonies for the Olympic games next summer in Beijing. This is likely of little interest to a lot of you.

For us, It points out some personality differences.
Trish: She was reminiscing about her obsession with the "Thriller" video (Jones produced it). She remembers pulling a record player out on a friends lawn and acting out the video.
(Trisha now - my friends, brothers and I LOOOOOVED the video! We had practically the whole neighborhood in on our makeshift Thriller production in the yard! I looked up the Thriller video this morning, and decided I need to show it to Calvin, since he's so fascinated with zombies!)

Jeriann: Our Moon Walking Morning meteorologist talked about owning a white glove ala The King of Pop.
Brad:captain Traffic talked about the same phenomenon. He was in kindergarten when the video came out and told us this morning that he actually owned one of those red jackets Michael Jackson was wearing in the Thriller video. Wow. A pint sized Ehrlich doing the Thriller dance was enough to make me smile.

(Did you see Brad demonstrate the zombie dance during the news today? Priceless! TS)

Pat: All I could think was...
"Man I really love that Frank Sinatra album that Quincy Jones produced."
It really is one of my favorites. It's called LA is My Lady. I never got into Michael Jackson all that much.

If that doesn't tell you a little bit about each of us...I'm not sure what will.
(Pat, stop, you're making me miss my grandpa. I think you were born in the wrong generation!-TS)


Happy Hour:
New research confirms what my doctor told me at my last annual physical. Drink More! A new study out shows having a couple of drinks every day will actually help you produce some of the good cholesterol your body needs. This study was, however, looking at men. Sorry ladies. We'll raise a toast to you tonight.
I think I'll just assume that we women get at least some benefit, as I sip a little glass of red wine tonight! TS

Cheers,
PWD

ZOMBIE SAGA CONTINUES
I just wanted to add this tidbit - I should probably stop boring you with Zombie stories, since Calvin talks us into taking him to visit the weird creature at the mall nearly every day now. It's probably getting old. Sorry.

Yep - that's him admiring the creatures again yesterday. The broken Zombie on the left, "Dray-clur" on the right. (Don't even try to tell him it's pronounced Drac-u-la - it's pointless.) Clara has started howling and pointing excitedly at the things too now when we visit. I think Calvin has recruited another follower.

But today - I get an email from my poor dad - he's really worried about disappointing Cal, who is CONVINCED that Grandpa can fix the Zombie when he comes to visit this weekend.
Dad wrote... "Trisha, how am I going to explain to my little helper that Grandpa can't fix the zombie because we don't own it? I wish we could buy the broken Zombie and fix it but those silly things cost hundreds of dollars. I guess I will have to make sure Cal has an extra special weekend without fixing the zombie. "
I've reassured my dad that I've been explaining to Cal how only "the man" in the store is allowed to fix the zombie, and grandpas aren't supposed to try to fix them. Somehow quoting "the man" or "lady" in charge seems to hold some power over him - as in, 'Nope, Cal, you can't take your seatbelt off - "the man" says we have to wear them on the plane!'

Hope you all have a good Tuesday -
Trisha

Ames Accident, Fueling the News, and Vegas Baby!

Good morning,
I'm Back from a great weekend in Vegas, and there's a lot to tell you about...But first the news:

Crash Victim Calls Parents:
A 25 and 27 year-old are in the hospital after an overnight accident near Ames. The car apparently flipped a couple of times before landing backwards. One of the two people inside the car actually called their PARENTS first...The parents call authorities...

Fueling the Future:
The Des Moines City Council should vote tonight to move forward on building the city's first Ethanol Plant. It's the same company that runs a plant in Nevada, Iowa. A Little extra...here's what the city staff had to say about the proposal this company is bringing to town.
Also on the fuels front, Des Moines was knocked off the "cheapest gas in the nation"

Gov's Debate:
You've got to get over to Dave Price's blog for a better explanation about this but the basic idea is the Republican Jim Nussle says there's a "secret plan" to bring touchplay back. Read more.

Thinking About it:
Illinois Senator Barak Obama says he's thinking about a run at the White House in 2008. He's done his best to avoid this, but as usual, NBC's Tim Russert has a way of getting people to say things they don't want to.

Sit on It:
In Knoxville, The debate over what to do with the high school's historic football stadium goes to a vote tonight. If you haven't seen the stadium, it's really unique. The school District has to decide what it will do with the stone bleachers. 2 options, metal bleachers or renovate the stone.


Lead Testing Link:
Sorry I didn't put this up in the first post...guy who got amnesia, and got his photo on national TV so he could figure out who he was. Sounds like something from Days of our Lives. His fiance came forward and claimed him. Apparently he had some weird form of amnesia called "dissociative fugue" ... read more about it here - sounds bizarro.

SORRY, CARDS
No wakeup call from my hubby overnight to gloat about the Cardinals score. Why? They lost to Detroit 3-1 in Game 2 of the World Series. (Sorry, Ian!) Game 3 is tomorrow in St. Louis - today's a travel day.

Vegas Baby:
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. For sure. I do want to give you some quick impressions from a great that I hope are useful down the road for some of you.
We made the trek out west for Sally's Birthday.
I got her Jimmy Buffet tickets.
I gave "us" the weekend trip for our anniversary.

First, THE TRIP: I am quickly becoming a loyal Allegiant Airlines customer. These guys do it right. No frills, good attitude, and a safe, convenient flight. Saving the time it would take to connect through Denver or Salt Lake is worth more for a ticket...The kicker is: they charge you less!


THE HOTEL: We stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton. If you've never been there, it's a great alternative to a strip hotel. It's on the Vegas tram so a ride to the strip hotels is really easy. The benefit of the Hilton is that it's away from a lot of the crazy crowds. The best part about this place is that the pool is not crowded. A lot of conventioneers stay there so in the afternoon guys in suits come out for a little sun, but Sally and I had the place to ourselves for the most part.
A side note: We took this picture in front of the hotel where they have a statue of Elvis. He played to a gazillion sold out shows in a row on the Hilton's main stage.
In part it was for Trish cause I thought she'd get a kick out of it...In part, we need a Christmas card picture. What do you think? "Don't have a Blue Christmas Love, Pat and Sally"
Stop, Pat... you're making me jealous! TS




THE FOOD:
This was a little bit of a disappointment. We had good and bad. First, it's always hard to swallow the fact that a bagel, a Danish and two cups of coffee will be 16 bucks. That's Vegas.
For dinner, We tried an in Italian place in the Venetian recommended by the Hilton staff. Zeffirino is a beautiful place with the perfect atmosphere. The staff was always there when we needed them and they were gracious about our anniversary (free desert, and they took this picture for us).
I am sad to say the food wasn't over the top. For what we paid, it should have been better. We both had a seafood pasta dish. The presentation was awesome, but when I go all out like this for a night out to dinner, I want to leave feeling like it was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. It wasn't.
I'd give it another try. The kitchen could have had an off night and to tell you the truth...I really wanted this place to be good.

Saturday night: Nine Fine Irishmen at New Your New York was a much better pick. We had a good time, sat outside on a quiet little patio (quiet for Vegas), and each enjoyed a much less pricy and much more tasty meal.
(Wow - don't they look great together? Nice photo! -T)

THE CONCERT(S):We went to see Jimmy Buffett. More on that in a minute.

I say concertS because, a few days before we left, we realized Tony Bennett was playing at the Hilton. It was over margaritas, chips and salsa in our 1st 20 minutes in the hotel that we decided to go for it and see the show. The tickets were a little steep, but the show was worth it.
We loved it. This guy is 80 and he sang for 90 minutes straight! I wanna be around, Steppin Out, Fly Me to the Moon, and of course, I Left my Heart in San Francisco.
Sally and I had our Honeymoon in San Fran and the song is a reminder of one of our best weeks together. Now we've got another Tony Bennett memory.
His voice falters a little these days, but the long, strong, electric notes he belts out at the end of a song are still worth the price of admission. The rest of us only hope we look that good and sound that good at 50, much less 80 !



JIMMY BUFFETT:
I was at best a casual fan. Now, I'd like to grow up to be a ParrotHead some day.

These people are crazy! On the way into the concert we met an elementary school principal from Vegas. He wasn't wearing a shirt, had a coconut bra on, a grass skirt, sunglasses and a stogie hanging out of his mouth. The thing is...WE were the ones out of place.
We saw someone dressed as the "lost shaker of salt", full body parrot suits, and then there were the little kids! Parents brought their kids in full buffet garb! The people we sat with were awesome! Great seats that gave us a full view of the party on the floor in front of the stage. Oh yeah...And then there was the music. Jimmy Buffett was phenomenal! How can you listen to this guy's music and not feel better? He came back for three encores after a three hour show. The best part was watching the crowd during "Fins".

You know..."FINS TO THE LEFT....FINS TO THE RIGHT! If you are having a hard time imagining me doing this...I did, and it was great. We sat next to a couple from Omaha. They promised to send pictures. We were in front of another couple from North Dakota that inducted Sally and I into our first Buffett concert by giving us some beads.

I learned a few new songs, met a lot of nice people and became a much bigger fan of Buffett.


Sunday was an early wake-up call, but it was a fun weekend. Don't even ask about gambling. The house always wins.

It's Trisha now - again - I'm jealous! Sounds like Pat and Sally had a really crazy, fun time! Our weekend in Des Moines was much tamer! Hanging out at home, watching the Cardinals win (and lose!), eating big breakfasts with the kids, and barbecuing for the ISU Drumline guys. AND - of course - a couple repeat trips back to the mall because of....

OBSESSION... BY CALVIN SHEPHERD
The zombie fixation continues to dominate my son's every waking moment!
We took Calvin back to the mall to visit his beloved zombie creature this weekend... And... horrors!...Not only is he still broken, the store clerk TOOK HIS HEAD OFF right in front of us! For a second I thought Cal was going to have a heart attack. Thank goodness, he decided it was funny.
Now he keeps talking about how Grandpa needs to come and "fix" the zombie, since he is so good at fixing stuff in general. No pressure, Dad!

SPEAKING OF OBSESSIONS...

For a while I was concerned about how obsessed Calvin gets about certain things - they always seem to come in very intense phases, then he'll move onto the next fixation. Then I realized, I do the exact same thing. When something catches my interest, I become a total nerd and obsess over it until I'm thoroughly sick of it.
Right now the subject of my interest (obsession, or whatever you want to call it) is the musical "Wicked." I just got the soundtrack and can't get enough of it. (I'm a self-confessed theatre geek - wouldn't the
Witch be the ultimate role for a female singer? I drool at the thought!)
I listen to the music all the time, I started reading the book, I'm digging online for background info - I've even decided on an "Oz" theme for Halloween this year! (I won't give away the costumes yet - but wait till you see the pictures after this weekend!)

Tired Choirgirl!
Monday mornings are always a bit tough - I have choir rehearsal Sunday nights until 9pm! I've been singing with the Des Moines Choral Society for a few years now, and I love it! We're working on some beautiful music for our Christmas concert. It's great to have a singing outlet - even though I don't have time for any theatre right now, it does feel good to sing at least once a week.

THANK YOU BLOG READERS!
I loved reading your responses from Friday! Did you know the "hits" to WHO blogs have more than doubled in the past month or so? Thanks for reading and writing - keep spreading the word!

I think I'll go belt some more Wicked stuff in the car on the way home. It's much better when I'm alone in the car. Calvin tends to get irritated and tell me to "be quiet, mom, I can't hear."
Happy Monday!
Trisha

Two Teenagers' Funerals, Game 7 Nail-Biter, Ladies in Red

Good morning, blog-readers!
Thanks for checking in and Happy Friday.
Pat is off, so Elizabeth, Jeriann, Brad and I held down the fort -

One thing before I get started.
I'm wondering who YOU all are?

So -would some of you loyal blog readers (or blog "lurkers" as someone wrote - I like that!) mind sharing a few details about who you are, what you do, and why you watch and read our WHO material? I'm curious (read: nosy) and would love to know!

Here are some of the big stories of the day:

Two Iowa teenagers laid to rest

Funeral services are today at 1:30 for 19-year old Joshua Wohlman from Oskaloosa. Police arrested two men for his murder, they're appearing in court today. They say he was trying to break up a fight at a party when they shot him.

Visitation is today for 17-year-old Jonathan Baugh, a Valley HS student who recently transferred from Waukee. He was hit in killed in that terrible crash on Hwy 30 in Ames earlier in the week. Police suspect the driver who hit him head on going the wrong way down the highway.. was drunk.
Baugh apparently played baseball, and loved the sport - read more about him on this myspace site set up to memorialize him. The family asks for prayers.

Walmart bomb threat
Who knows why, but someone called in a bomb threat to the Windsor Heights store last night. The store was evacuated. Nothing blew up. Police are looking for tips as to whodunnit.



Dirty bomb threat part of a writing contest?!
In more lame bomb-threat attempt news... That dirty bomb NFL stadium threat was much ado about nothing. Apparently, it was some Milwaukee guy's effort at creating the creepiest story in a sort of a writing duel with a friend. The FBI is deciding whether to charge him. I sometimes wish there were such a thing as charging someone with pure stupidity.

ADD DRUGS FOR PRESCHOOLERS
A really interesting debate over whether these powerful drugs with risky side effects are ever a good idea for very young children. Some doctors say - yes - in EXTREME cases, where the child is so severely affected that they put themselves at risk by doing things like hanging from ceiling fans or setting fires.
I mentioned on the air, probably every kid (my son included) at least sometimes exhibits hyperactive or attention-deficit-type behavior!
Here's some info that might help you determine if your child falls into a normal range, or may need treatment.
Another helpful symptoms list, although it doesn't apply specifically to preschool aged kids. If you have any suspicions, it seems best to check with your doc.


DON'T PANIC AT KINNICK
IN A CASE OF REALLY UNFORTUMATE TIMING... Kinnick stadium has planned a large-scale disaster drill. Today. They say don't worry if you see ambulances, sirens, and commotion around the stadium today - IT'S JUST A DRILL. I wonder how many people will miss that message and think something's really going down.



GO TIGERS
Sorry, the Cub-fan in me just won a little morality battle in my head. I couldn't resist a little jab at the Cardinals. If you missed it, yes, the Cards ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES. Game one against the Detroit Tigers is tomorrow night.

Game 7 of the NLCS last night really was incredible, from what I've seen - a great, classic baseball game even if you're not a fan of either team involved. Cards 3, Mets 1.

I was actually really excited to get to write and read the highlights this morning.
My husband, Ian, gave me a good warm-up before work. He was just getting home from his drumming gig at 3am, as I was getting ready to leave for work. As an avid, rabid Cardinals fan, he was positively GLOWING as he kept dragging me back to the TV to watch each and every highlight ESPN was showing. I'm sure he wanted to make sure I wouldn't blow anything - or leave out the two critical plays... in our newscast this morning. Thanks for the coaching, hon!

Now remember, he was supposed to be working during the game. (Playing drums at Blues on Grand.) This photo is actually an old one of one of his drum sets - I found it online on one of his former band's websites! (Note the Animal doll... I almost forgot how he used to travel everywhere with Ian. I'll have to show Calvin!)
Anyway, luckily, Thursdays are open jam nights at Blues on Grand, where musicians show up in the crowd and get up to sit in for different members of the band. It just so happened that another drummer got up and took Ian's spot during the 9th inning! I wonder how much Ian paid him off for that incredible timing...??

LADIES IN RED
Check out the outfits we showed up in this morning!! Liz, Jeriann and I looked like the Andrews sisters getting ready to sing. Since we knew this kind of wardrobe malfunction was a possibility with 3 women on the desk, Liz and I both came with "backup outfits," and she ended up wearing beige (which matched perfectly with Brad by coincidence!)
Jeriann and I were REALLY twins today... flared skirts, black top under the jacket, necklace, and even the strappy black heels! Great minds think alike, I guess.
(You won't believe this, but Jeriann JUST stopped by my desk to say, "Why don't you write 'great minds think alike' in the blog?" I'm not kidding. Weird weird.)

I think Pat will be bummed to find out what he's been missing. We had a good time around here today! But I expect him to come back with lots of fun stories to make us jealous Monday.

NEW NEPHEW UPDATE
I just got new photos of my new nephew, Jackson, this morning. He's so precious! I'm in awe of how FAMILIAR he looks - it's uncanny. He's such a perfect combination of how my brother Brian (Jackson's dad) looked as a baby, and how my kids looked. I can't wait to get to hold the little guy again! I cannot resist babies... I'm glad for a chance to get my fix, now that my littlest baby is getting so big! I'm really hoping we can go visit them in Illinois within the next month, before Jackson is walking, talking, and learning to drive (you know how fast they change!)

Here's a shot of my mom loving on the little guy. This photo is making me homesick! Mom, if you read this today, I'm glad you and dad are coming to visit for Cal's birthday next weekend. We all need some time with "Gramma and Grandpa Whitkanack!" We miss you.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone - see you Monday!
Trish