Round Two Weather, Rebound for the Markets? and Insurance Woes

Good morning!

When you hear people at the office making fun of the weather people for missing the forecast, you can:
A: Hold your tongue and make fun of them when the ice and snow hits,.
or
B:Tell them that you listened to Jeriann this morning who told us all to avoid falling into some false sense of security as this first part of the storm passes. She says it's going to get worse. Rain today and tomorrow changing over to snow tomorrow.

It's not Armageddon, but ask someone who's been without power for a few days and I think they'd tell you this is a serious situation. JR says not as much Ice and Snow form this system in the metro, but all you Dallas County bloggers and anyone to the north or west of Des Moines...you're going to bear the brunt of the storm. Jeriann looked a little nervous this morning and for good reason. She says we are very much on the borderline of the rain/freeze line. Any fluctuation over the next 24-48 hours can mean a difference in the forecast. She's not hedging...she's just telling it like it is.

Trish set up a great phone interview this morning with the Emergency Management Coordinator in Marshall County who told us they're still worried about rural residents there. We had a good conversation behind the scenes this morning about just how bad the situation is here. It sure doesn't feel all that bad to those of us who have power...I lost mine for just a few hours and was mildly inconvenienced. I can't imagine what it's like for people who've been managing without it for days. They're learning how to cope and have some good lessons for the rest of us just in case.



I thought she had some really good advice on being prepared "just in case!" They're telling people to charge up their cell phones, have batteries on hand for flashlights and radios, and enough food, water and medications for at least 4 days. I think I'm going to bring in some firewood from outside too so we have some dry wood - just in case we need to rely on the fireplace for heat! TS



Hotel Prices
Jon Cahill did a good story last night about prices going up for Hotels in the counties declared disaster areas. So what do you think? Is a price difference of about 15-30 bucks a night enough to call it price gouging? The AG's office is watching stuff like this closely and according to his office they're getting calls about everything from battery prices to hotel room rates going up because of the storm. I can almost wrap my brain around the idea that some of the rooms rates go up because of demand...the thing is...you have to make those your rates all the time. I'd hate to think that someone is actually taking advantage of a situation like this but it happens every time. What makes a person like that tick? How do you look at yourself in a mirror every morning? I can't imagine thinking...these people don't have heat...let's make some money off of that.

Market Woes
I have a friend who just got into doing a little trading on his own in the US stock market...whoops! I haven't called him yet today but I'm guessing there will be a string of rather unpleasant words coming from the phone when I do.
The US market had it's worst day since 9/11 on Tuesday. Sparked by an even worse day in China (investors worried the steamroller economy in Asia will slow down), and a simple observation by former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan(This guy says he's having a pain in his right thigh and the markets would move); The Down Jones Industrial Average took a dive. The question is how will markets rebound this morning. We're about a half hour away from knowing.

Insurance Woes
I am one of the lucky people who have Health Insurance to take care of my medical needs. I go to the doctor, give em my co-pay and I'm out the door. It's not that easy for millions of people and this week I am getting a taste of that.
I have had a run-in with my insurance company over a coverage issue. Nothing big, and I'm not sick thank goodness, but I wanted to relate a conversation I had with someone at the insurance company. I claimed a benefit was included in my coverage...they disagreed. The woman on the phone explained it this way: If I went to the doctor and everything turns out OK (nothing wrong with me)...they'll pay for it. If, however, I go to the doctor and he finds something...I have to pay for it...including the initial visit they told me they'd pay for. So basically the insurance is only good if I don't need it.
If any of you doubt the claims that the health care system and the way we all pay for it is broken, my experience this week tells me it is. The arguments and nuance that goes into this debate are too broad to get into here. I understand this problem is so much larger than my situation, but it was a little taste of what I am sure people with minimal or no insurance deal with. The rules don't make a lot of sense and sometimes it feels like they want to make them just hard enough that you'll give up.


I agree - some of the worst bureaucratic nonsense and runaround I've ever had to deal with had to do with health insurance. Just trying to get answers was almost impossible, and I felt like they couldn't care less whether I was satisfied with the customer service. What could I do - switch plans? No! If you get your insurance thru your employer, you have very few economically feasible options for recourse if you're getting hosed. The Iowa Insurance Division is your best bet for complaints if you're getting nowhere with your insurance company.


Along these lines, I read a story on msnbc this morning that made me almost sick - a little boy who died of a tooth infection, more or less because he didnt' have dental insurance. It baffles me that here in America we can't come up with a better way to make sure people don't fall through the cracks. TS


Please stay safe out there...and take some time to be prepared.
PWD





It's Trisha now.


Does anyone out there have good weather stories to share? Cute photos of sledding, snowmen, etc? Email them to one of us or send them to photo link!

Here's a shot of my parka-clad baby at the sledding hill yesterday. She was excited because she loves to wear her "boops" (boots). Calvin even took her down the hill on his lap in the sled a few times. No camera shots of that. I was too nervous watching the two of them fly down the hill without me!

GIVE US A SHOUT
I noticed we haven't had many of you writing in comments lately - I'm guessing because we no longer allow anonymous posts. It'd still be nice to know you're out there reading - give us a shout, will you, and let us know we're not writing into a black hole!



HE CAN FLY!

Peter Pan has been flying through my house a lot lately. It's Calvin's latest obsession. He puts on his green pj's, a brown belt, and this ridiculous "hat" I tried to rig up with an old green t-shirt, a piece of foam, and a cardboard "feather." (It's really sad-looking, I know, kind of like a bike helmet and a green Smurf hat combined - but he's not complaining) He loves to get all dressed up and make Daddy fly him around the house.

Of course my doting parents heard about Cal's fascination. They're coming to visit this weekend. So I get this email from my Dad this morning:
Trisha: We could not resist. Went to Disney and got Cal a Peter Pan outfit. It has the hat the shoes the feather and the belt. I think he will be a cute peter pan. Also got Clara a little outfit too. Can't wait until Friday to see you guys. Love DAD

I shared the email with Pat, who asked me, "Isn't there a 12-step program for grandparents?"
It's true - they can not stop themselves from indulging the little ones. It's pathological. But pretty sweet too!
TS

Assasination Attempt, Winter Wx Round 2, and Are you are Narcisist?

Good morning...

It's not every day you get up and hear the headline..."Vice President Dick Chaney was the target of a suicide bomber..."
That apparently was the case this morning though. The VP made a visit to Afghanistan and one of the US Airbases there. He was getting ready to leave for Kabul where we was to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai when a man approached the gates of the base and blew himself up. One US soldier and at least one American Contractor were killed. The Taliban is taking responsibility for the bombing but we had a discussion around the newsroom this morning; Was this just a poorly planned and even more poorly executed attack, or is this the Taliban trying to claim it was targeting the VP so it can build it's reputation as a legitimate threat?

Lights Out Day 3:
We're still following the more than 90-thousand customers without power around the state. I thought it was interesting that Alliant Energy said Monday that it's crews are finding more customers in more isolated pockets of the state. By the way we should point out that all of the major power companies are not trying to sugar coat this. Their PR people are being honest about the assessment of the situation and they are very forthright about how tedious the process of getting the lights back on is. The Gov is telling people to swallow their pride and get to a warming center. Good advice. This may last a while, especially with a second round of winter weather coming.

Narcissism
There's a new study showing College students are more self-centered than ever. Really? I didn't notice.
But, as my body morphs into the shape of the proverbial Pot calling the kettle Black, I wouldn't get too worried about this one.
Isn't that the time you're supposed to be worried about yourself? Your getting kicked out of the nest...you're going to have to pay your own bills, get a job etc...
I would think that would lead to a little selfish behavior.
Trisha and I were talking about it a little and I chimed in with a theory. I think a lot of people our age weren't coddled by their parents...in fact they might have been ignored.
We of the latch-key generation might feel a little neglected.
I think this might have produced a bunch of parents who say..."I'm going to do it differently than my parents did". Maybe this produced to a generation of kids who actually believe they are the axis around which the universe rotates.
IN any case, I'm not sure this isn't a truism...I know I was pretty self-absorbed when I was getting out of school. Maybe I shouldn't say..was.
I took an online test this morning...try it for yourself. Apparently I am a narcissist.
but enough about me...Let's talk about how you feel about me being a narcissist.

Gotta go...Trish will add.
PWD

If a narcissist is someone who likes to talk, I guess Pat qualifies. But the important thing - he can also LISTEN. Empathy is pretty important.
And apparently - yep - I guess I qualify as a "narcissist" too according to the quiz. I don't think of myself as "self-absorbed" - but it asked a lot of things about being confident speaking in front of people, or in social situations. With this kind of job, you'd better be! But I never want to be the kind of person who talks endlessly about herself instead of listening to everyone else. GROSS!

I hope my kids don't grow up thinking they're the center of the universe! I love the way Calvin's preschool (Montessori philosophy) puts so much emphasis on respect. You get the sense that every kid is important as an individual, but no more important than the kid next to them.
Yep - you're special. So is he, and so is she, and so am I , and so on.
Learning how to co-exist peacefully and RESPECT each other is really everything in his classroom. I wish it were that way everywhere!
TS

When Winter Attacks, Gotta-see-it Explosion shot, Oscar review?

Good morning!
Pat's putting on the snow boots to go out and cover the winter storm aftermath, so I'm manning (womaning?) the blog for now (in between live updates during the Today show! Always multi tasking!)
(Pat):Ok so we've had a change of plans...The Gov is headed back from Washington this morning and will brief the press at the Stark Armory command center. I'm Headed up there in a few minutes...(take boots off...put dress shoes/pants back on)

As you'd imagine, the snow/ice storm dominated our news this morning.

Here are the headlines:
POWER OUTAGES

This was the biggest problem the storm created. Ice weighed down lines and caused them to "gallop" and snap in the wind. Tons of tree branches also fell under the weight of the ice and snow and took power lines down with them. As of this morning there were about 140,000 Iowans with no power - Newton and Marshalltown took big hits. Most of the metro is back on, but about 32-hundred Des Moines area folks were still in the dark as of this morning. Waukee and Windsor Heights had some outages. (Our own Ed Wilson and Pat lost power for a while)
Which wouldn't have been so bad except for the dinner party for ten we'd planned Saturday. We went out and stocked up on food and other adult beverages Friday night and were all ready to get started cleaning the house and making dinner at about 9:30 in the morning when...zap...the power went off.
So we went to the gym, got a cup of coffee and when we came back...the power was on...Great!
We get started making dinner and ZAP! Power goes out again.
This time we realized we needed to punt. Thankfully we have very understanding friends who didn't mind it when we invited ourselves over to host our party at THEIR house. I guess that's how you know you have good friends. The evening was a great success so no harm...no foul.
The funny part about the evening was that we got a call back from Mid-American saying our power was back on about midway through dinner. So we went home thinking we'd have a warm house for the night...we pulled up to the house...and I'm not kidding...the power went out as we pulled into the driveway.
I trudged around the front of the house...broke in, and had to disengage the garage door opener to let Sally in. The heat came back on midway through the night...we got the furnace working and didn't have problems again...
Thankfully Sunday was already scheduled as a "pajamas only" day at the Dix household. I only went out for an hour or so to snowblow the driveway.
I also spent some time (looking stupid I'm sure) trying to knock the snow/ice off of the Satellite dish. Some of our channels work...some don't. I spent about twenty minutes testing my aim trying to hit the dish with a snowball. Can you tell I didn't play baseball?

TRAFFIC?
I'm watching the morning commute start to build right now. We were relieved to see that I-235 is fairly clear today, but the side streets are still packed with snow, and some of the ramps are bad. We've heard plenty of reports of people slipping and falling too - a good day to set vanity aside and wear your boots with good traction.
(an 8am update - things are getting worse - lots of small crashes are causing backups!)


CARS STUCK
Check out the hat-head on our photojournalist Brad Argo!! He was out in the snow on a live shot with Jannay Towne this morning, where he helped push not one but TWO cars out of the snow! He gets the good Samaritan award for going above and beyond the call of duty!
How many of you have had stuck car issues before? What a pain.




GOTTA SEE THIS!
One of our crews caught an amazing shot of power lines snapping in the background, as they interviewed an Urbandale firefighter! It's scary to watch, but no one got hurt.

MAKING LEMONADE OUT OF LEMONS

If you have kids, maybe you were like the Shepherds and decided to use the snow as free entertainment! We brought the inflatable sled into the front yard, where there's just enough of a slope to the driveway for the kids to think it counts as "sledding."


Unfortunately that fun came to an abrupt end when Ian gave it a try. Here's the shot - caught on camera - as our dog Charlie Parker (Bernese Mountain Dog) BIT the sled. The sled bit the dust. My son was not happy - thank goodness our next door neighbor donated a sled to save the day!

A CLARA FIRST

As you see here Clara was in an old snowsuit that Calvin used to wear - it's so puffy she couldn't stand herself back up when she fell - or really brace herself from a fall. She kept going face first down in the snow.


Still, she must have been having a good time because at age 1 and a half, Clara threw her first official tantrum when it was time to come in. Kicking, screaming, red in the face, on the floor, snot and tears everywhere hysterical.
She could not be comforted so I did what any good parent would. I started snapping pictures.
Eventually I walked over to the piano and started playing, figuring that might distract her eventually. (it did - after a while) It seems like the "terrible 2's" might be about to start a little early with the "angel." We're in trouble.

Oscar reviews...


Departed got best picture and director (Scorsese), Forrest Whittaker took home Best Actor for "The Last King of Scotland," and Helen Mirren won Best Actress for "The Queen" - doesn't she look glamorous(If I were writing this...replace glamorous with just plain hot)?
I can't say I've seen many movies this year, so I'll stick to fashion review.. here were my favorites..

I loved Nicole Kidman's fire-engine red. Pat wasn't sold on it. The Bow looked like a Lexus in one of those ads at Christmas time...
Gossipers are saying Naomi Watts (next to Kidman) looks pregnant(again replace preganat with Hot!). I'm not sure why you'd choose that dress if you weren't.

Kate Winslet looked beautiful in pale green - such an unusual color.(Ditto)

I agree with Pat that Cate Blanchett looked amazing. Silver and off the shoulder is very flattering! (I'm not sure what she's look bad in)


But I couldn't say the same for Penelope Cruz's outfit. It looks like she's dragging around a flesh-colored bear rug.
I've never been a fan...she's such a beautiful woman...why would you want to wear anything that would have people looking at your feet all night?

I'll let Pat comment on the men - I really don't get men's fashion. To me, a tux is a tux most of the time.
It is and that's why I won't be commenting on any of the men's fashion except to reiterate my objection to the long tie with the tux. It's a bow tie fellas...there's no great mystery here. And last time I checked there's a clip-on version.

Two more things.
1: I've given the AM team a little homework. Each will be putting together the sings they have on their iPod when they run/workout. If you are at all like me, I get a little sick of the music on my iPod after a while and like to mix it up. If you need an update of some new music we can help!
I'll be putting playlists for each of us online at iTunes over the next few days. We'll do this periodically when we get good ideas for play lists.
I also think music is an interesting way to tell a little more about someone's personality. Maybe this will give you a little insight into the people you see on air every day.

2: I tried to post this last week and the wires just got tangled up...I found the funniest skit ever produced by Saturday Night Live on YouTube last week. It's Martin Short, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Jim Belushi. Jackie Rogers Junior's $100,000 Jackpot Wad is the funniest skit I've ever seen. Judge for yourself.

Have a good one!

PWD

Breaking news - Vilsack's Out! Bad Storm coming and Pat's survival stash

Morning, everyone!

It's Trisha today. I think Pat tried to post something but I can't find it so I'm starting from scratch - sorry P Dub!
I'll keep this quick because we're handling some breaking news this morning.

Former Gov. Vilsack is dropping out of the '08 presidential race.
The official announcement will be at 11am but Dave Price confirmed the news. We don't know the reason why he decided to bow out now, but he's been an underdog from the beginning. The next question is - who will he endorse? And how much pull will that have in the caucuses? Could he be picked up as a running mate? Dave will be all over the story today. Our studio crew and producers just did a nice hussle making sure we got this info on the air quickly (in our 9:56 news update during the Today Show.)

Awful Weather's coming

Rain changing to snow is not usually a good thing. Especially when the snow could be pretty heavy (6 inches perhaps in the metro.) Jeriann says it'll be much worse in Northern Iowa. Terrible timing with all the wrestlers and fans trying to leave town after Saturday night's championship matches. Stay off the roads if you can!
Update from Iraq

I thought this was kind of cool - Jeriann's dad who's deployed in Iraq sometimes gets to send her email updates on what's going on through this military newsletter. That's him, she says, in the photo, although it may be too small for you to really see! I know she really appreciates all the people who are keeping him in their thoughts.

Today Show Anchor for a Day
Iowa cattle rancher Brad Hook is still in the contest - vote today to keep him in! (I'm guessing later today this vote will be happening on www.today.msnbc.com. I just checked and it's not open yet)
Monday he'll find out if he's in the top two. He told us on the phone during the show today that he's having a blast in New York! We're inviting him to be an anchor for a day on our LOCAL show too, since he's a lifelong Channel 13 fan! We'll be sure to let you know when that will happen - could be fun!

Check out Pat's stash!

I'm amazed with how much stuff my colleague squirrels away in his desk drawer. If we ever get stranded in this building we can probably survive a few weeks just with his stuff.
Check it out - snacks, tea bags, bandaids, notebooks, makeup removal pads, STARBUCKS coffee of course, and - this one surprised me - nail files. I guess guys don't like having snagged nails either!

Me time

Taking the advice of some of the moms in my recent GEN X Moms report, I decided to take a tiny bit of "me time" yesterday. Since I get none at all in an average day (I'm either working, sleeping, or entertaining kids!) I had a sitter come so I could meet a friend for a happy hour drink and snack. It's an expense, and takes some planning, but I was in a MUCH better mood because I'd had a chance for girl talk, and I had something to look forward to all day. The hardest part for me is getting organized and planning stuff like this. Most of my good friends are also busy moms without much "free" time, so it's double the coordination to make this stuff happen. But WAY worth it.

US time
I'm looking forward to a weekend at home with the fam. We're talking about taking the kids bowling with some friends of ours who get a kick out of Cal and Clara even though they have no kids of their own - and maybe having some friends over tonight after the kids are in bed. I LOVE low-key weekends. Good time to kind of hibernate with this storm coming.



Remember to check in with our newscast Monday morning - we'll be all over the weather and traffic situation since the roads may still be pretty ugly by then.
Take care, everyone!
Trisha

Iraq Overnight, Wrestling Day 2, and Anchor Still Alive.

Good Morning,

It was... "a little like Animal House out there" That was Anchor For a Day candidate Brad Hook's assessment of the Today Show Staff and crew. Brad's on to the Semifinals of the Anchor Today competition after winning the online vote. This guy is funny and he'll say whatever's on his mind. Brad's back on the Today show Friday. We're going to try to hook (no pun intended) up with him at some point today or tomorrow morning.

Some days we just don't have a lot of "new" news to tell you about and this morning was an example. The news out of Iraq is significant but it's news we knew last night. The effort to crack down on insurgents continues this morning with some arrests and some kills reported by US troops, but the larger concern is this tactic change by insurgents. They blew up a truck filled with chlorine tanks yesterday and made about 100 people sick from breathing the fumes.

If he big story in the UK yesterday was the pullback of British forces, this morning the breaking story is the call-up of Prince Harry's unit to Iraq. The question remains, will the man third in line for the throne be called into action or will he be stationed in "safer" places so he doesn't endanger the lives of other British soldiers with his mere presence?

You can see more from Illinois Senator Barack Obama tonight on the Channel 13 news at 10pm. Dave Price sits down with the Democratic Party's hot candidate right now. Obama chose to skip a forum for candidates in Nevada for his appearance here.

Is anyone else worried this is going to get old fast? Do we need to start this early to vet out the weaker candidates? No one is complaining around here. As a friend of mine pointed out yesterday, maybe it's time to invest in some media companies. The advertising candidates are going to pump into local news over the next year could pay the bills for a while.

The State Wrestling Tournament continues today with some of the larger schools wrestling today. Even if you aren't a wrestling "fan" this is an electric atmosphere. What I like best about the tournament, and for that matter all of the High School Tournaments, are the stories that inevitably come out of the matches/games. Sean Terrell did a nice story last night about a kid who wrestles that's deaf...it was an interesting difference for him as a competitor, but it wasn't the most interesting part of his story. Watch Sean's story for the rest.

On the home front I'm happy to report we have a new kitchen faucet. This project, however was not as easy as advertised.

You might remember from an earlier post that our faucet was functional but the handle was broken. After three years of urging from my in-laws, Sally and I decided it was time to fix it. So, I spent 30 dollars on a wrench and the better part of an hour last weekend cramped up in the under-sink cabinet trying to get a bolt holding the faucet in place to budge.

Unsuccessful, I called a professional...who was unsuccessful on his first try...and his second. Now, I'd left this guy alone in my kitchen...no need to stand over his shoulder while he worked; but I had to go take a peek when I heard a saw digging into something! Yes..an electric saw.

I leered around the corner to find the guy dissecting the faucet piece by piece with the blade...I couldn't;'t watch anymore. Thankfully he knew what he's doing and presumably had been through some sort of apprenticeship program, training, whatever to do this kind of delicate surgery. Bottom line, we had a new faucet. I'll post the picture of the shards of my old faucet when I get home.

My father-in-law says he wants a hook on the back of the guest bathroom door to hang his robe. I hope I don't have to take off the door to make it happen.

It's reading day with Everybody Wins. I encourage any of you looking for a volunteering opportunity to try it out. Afterwards I'm having lunch at the Cub Club. If you've never eaten over there...you really should give it a try. Not only is the food good, it's sort of a who's who of business and government. Their service is good, the food is hot and you get to look out over the field and think about spring and the hours you'll spend in the stands.

Have a good one...

PWD

Trisha's turn!
Pat - good call getting the pro's to help with the sink. I don't want you calling in sick because you've wrenched your neck trying to fix the unfixable!



I feel a great weight off my shoulders now that my new baby - the Gen X Moms report -has been launched. Many thanks to the moms involved, to my wonderful photojournalist colleagues Mike Borland and Dave Olson who helped me put the pieces together, and for the viewers who've given me feedback!
I realize it is a different type of "news," but I think it'll be a venue for us to tell stories about the issues that affect the every day ins and outs of life for so many people. As the only news reporter here at WHO who's raising young kids right now, I'm happy to be the voice for parenting issues!
You can watch last night's reports on this website if you'd like, and under "As Seen On 13" there's a blog where you can write in with suggestions for future topics.


Did anyone hear Jeriann lecturing me this morning?! She actually shook her finger and told me "No, no, no!" about my plans to hit the road to visit my family in Chicago this weekend. She's worried about the bad forecast Sunday. I told her I guess I don't need to go see my mom - I have Jeriann to tell me what to do!
Actually, I'm lucky my mom isn't the bossy, overbearing type at all. Jeriann on the other hand.... (wink)

FRY DADDY RECOVERS
My little bro seems to be doing okay with his burned up hand after his cooking fire the other day. Brian tells me he expected it to hurt a lot worse. He says looking at it is the worst part! Cal talked to "Uncle Bri" on the phone yesterday to get the whole scoop about the firefighters in person. His three questions:
WHY DID YOU HURT YOUR HAND? WERE YOU COOKING FRENCH FRIES? WHY DID YOU CALL THE FIREFIGHTERS?
Whenever we talk about the incident now it the french fries seem to be as fascinating to Calvin as the ambulance and firetruck bit.
Thanks to this blog, my Auntie Corky found out about Brian's injury and called to check on him right away! Family communication 21st century style. ALL THE TIME I mention to my parents on the phone some little event like Calvin's latest craze, or the fact that I was sick. They'll say, "I know. I read it on the blog." Love it!


HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW
Here's Ian's new 'do - Clara was scared of him for a little while because it's such a big change! He's had long hair since she was born, so I think she was quite confused about this guy who looked like Daddy, but didn't have the hair. Ian says it feels like when you get your braces off - something's missing!

Have a good Thursday - see ya'll tomorrow!

British Withdrawal, Obama and Wrestling come to town

Good Morning!
Pat's on assignment so it's Trisha starting off.

Today feels more like a Friday than a Weds, anyone agree?

Here are a few of our big stories today:
British PM Tony Blair announced (during our newscast) that Britain is pulling some of its troops out of Iraq in the coming months. The White House says it's a sign that security in the British-patrolled southern region is getting better.

Wrestling Invasion

The state wrestling torney kicks off at 1pm at Wells Fargo Arena downtown DM. Check out the Chopper 13 guided birdseye tour of the best routes to take to get there! (under as seen on 13) Thanks to Chopper pilot Fred and photojournalist Roger Riley for another great idea to help our viewers!
About 90-thousand fans and wrestlers are expected in town over the next few days and weekend. ALTER YOUR DRIVING AND DINING PLANS ACCORDINGLY!

Obama's Back
Tonight he'll be in DM instead of Ames (where he drew a crowd of 5,000 earlier this month. Doors open at the Polk County Convention Complex at 6:45pm. Tickets are available at Wells Fargo Arena, Mars Cafe, Baratta's, Zanzibars, and IBEW(electrical union).
Dave Price scored a one on one intervie opp with the "rock star" senator. Watch that tomorrow night at 10. We're hoping to get a little bit of his interview into our morning newscast tomorrow.


Gen X Moms

Finally! Tonight at 10 we're debuting my newest project! After much thought I decided not to go with the suggested title "June Cleaver's Dead." We're calling this project "Gen X Moms" instead. But June will make a cameo tonight!
Here's the scoop - I recruited 4 metro moms to help me explore tha challenges of finding "balance" for this generation of parents. I've spent lots of time following these women, picking their brains for problems and solutions (or at least suggestions!) We're planning to make this a monthly series - but tonight, topic #1 is finding "me-time."

I really had to laugh while trying to put this piece together. I ran into parenting obstacles like you wouldn't believe as I tried to get everything coordinated and written - from sick kids, to a babysitter bail-out... the idea of putting my feet up seems totally laughable sometimes. But I've picked up a lot of good strategies from the moms who've volunteered for this piece, and I hope some of you will too. They've talked me into including some tidbits of my own personal sotry too, so from time to time, when it fits in, I'll divulge some of my own biggest hurdles as a Gen X mom. Some of the future topics I'm working on - finding the right balance between work and kids, how DADS fit in, and why the heck does mundane HOUSEWORK stress us out so much? (why can't I let go of that idea of a "pottery-barn perfect" house when my own has dust bunnies and milk stains?)

YES - we like each other


I finally got these photos from our big AM team night out last month. Wish we could find time more often - what a great mix of characters we and our significant others make!

Bye-Bye long-haired Daddy!
My hubby says he's getting his locks chopped off today! He used to wear it in a buzz cut before growing it long. I know better than to tell him what I think - he'll do the exact opposite! I think he's lucky to be in a profession where he can do whatever he wants with his hair - wish I could say the same!

My bro the Fry Daddy

Keep my youngest bro Brian in your thoughts - he burned his hand pretty badly yesterday trying to put out a fire on his stove! (he's always had a weakness for fries, and the oil got a little out of control I guess) I got worried when I heard he had to go by ambulance to a burn unit at Loyola downtown Chicago... (he's a college student at Northern Illinois in DeKalb) My folks tell me he's supposed to be okay and not need surgery, but the hand isn't in good shape. I know between working, going to school, and taking care of a baby he'll have his one good hand very very full. I'm hoping to find a way to help him out this weekend.
The moral of this story is - MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND KNOW WHERE IT IS! Brian had one, but had forgotten where it was stashed in the "heat" of the moment so it did him no good! The fire dept. had to come get it put out. I'm so glad it wasn't worse. Calvin had a lot of questions for Grandma on the phone last night when we got the update. Did Uncle Brian cry? What was he cooking? What did the firefighters say? A good teaching moment I guess. I'll be reassured when I talk to my brother and hear that he's alright.

I've gotta go get a few more Today Show updates done (I'm blogging from up on the news desk right now in between updates!) AND put some finishing touches on my special report for tonight!
Happy Wednesday!
Trisha

Gas Prices, Special Votes and Anchor for a Day

Good morning,

I am going to make my contribution to this pretty quick. I have to go attend to some personal business.

Judge's 2nd Job
Patty Judge has a second set of responsibilities for the Culver administration. Along with being Lieutenant Governor...Judge will now run the Homeland Security Department. She should know a lot about the threats against Iowa. She spent the last few years as Iowa's Ag Secretary. Food and farming is where the major threats are here in Iowa.

Gas Prices
They're up again. I'm thinking it wasn't such a good idea to get that big car now.

Conversations and Votes
Voters in Urbandale go tot he polls to talk about a bond issue that would pay for a new water park and community Rec center. This is a little bit of keeping up with the Jonses. Other Suburbs have water parks and better community centers. Urbandale is feeling like it needs to be able to offer the amenities that can draw younger families to it's homes. The only problem here is that taxes would go up to pay for this. I heard one Urbandale voter say, "If people want to go to a gym they should buy a membership".
Meanwhile in Ankeny they're going to continue the conversation about a school bonding issue. The problem here is that there are going to be too many kids to put into the HS in a few years. The plan would be to build a new one. Just one question. Wasn't this what the one cent sales tax was for?

Anchor for the Day
The Southern Iowa farmer trying out to be the Today Show's anchor for the day is hilarious. Here's a guy who doesn't take himself too seriously and would be a good Representative of Iowa. Get online and vote for him at the Today show's website.

Gotta go. Have a good day.

PWD

Hi everyone, it's Trish!
I had trouble getting into this blog earlier so sorry I'm adding stuff so late!
Pat mentioned on the air this morning that I should share my Fat Tuesday "anniversary" story on the blog, so here it goes.

Eight years ago right now, a co-worker of mine and I stopped by a Mardi Gras party at a New Orleans' themed restaurant in Champaign, Illinois. I wasn't really in the mood to go out, but talked myself into it - just for one drink!
It's a good thing I showed up.
In the big crowd, I spotted my theatre friend, Mindy, sitting next to a tall and good-looking guy (wearing some kind of strange clothes!) She introduced me to her very close friend, Ian, a drummer who was getting ready to play with the band (an 80's rock cover band!) later that night.
I remember thinking he was really intriguing (I've always been drawn to artsy people! He says he remembers checking my hand and noticing I had no ring on. Mindy, who has a flair for the dramatic to say the least, insists "the crowd parted and sparks flew." It took a few months of persistence on her part to make the "match" happen - but 8 years later I'm so thankful to the friend who introduced me to my husband! I'm sure by the end of the night she'll call us, as she does every year, to re-tell the story, all teary-eyed and sentimental

So - Happy Fat Tuesday! I'm actually heading out with the kids to watch Ian play with an R&B band at a Fat Tuesday party downtown!
See you all early!
Trish

Campaigning 24/7, Close at the Daytona Finish and I am NOT Handy

Good morning,
I'll get to the weekend in a minute but first we'll do a brief go round for those of you who missed the news.

Prez's Day:
Remember things like mail service aren't happening today, banks are closed, and financial markets don't open. The President will give a speech at Mt Vernon (Virginia home of George Washington). School is on here in the Metro for the most part. Just a heads up to check before you use most government offices.

Overnight...
Late last night we got word of a train bombing in India. It became clear overnight this was going to get worse. As of the writing of this blog more than 60 people are dead. Government ministers in India says it's an effort by extremists to derail progress toward peace between India and Pakistan.
In Iraq violence continues. This is a daily occurrence, but late last week there started to be some whispers about how daily violence was going down. Not this morning. More than 60 people died this morning in attacks all over the country.

Campaigning
Tom Vilsack, Christopher Dodd, Mitt Romney and Tommy Thomson are all in Iowa today after a weekend full of campaigning stops from John McCain and John Edwards. My sister was in town this weekend with her boyfriend and it was interesting to hear their perspective on the race so far. They're much more removed from it and didn't know a lot about a lot of the candidates, and I think they probably have heard a little more than most people around the country because they're in Illinois.

Mt Hood Rescue
They're trying to pull three climbers off of Mt Hood in Oregon again. Two women and a man were stranded after falling off a cliff at 8000 ft. I may be missing something here but isn't it still winter. Does it seem like a bad idea to anyone else to go up there?

Weekend
As I said my sister Katie and her boyfriend Mark were here this weekend. It was great to see them. I'm lucky to have such a great sister but I'm doubly lucky because Katie and Sally are such good friends. They actually lived together for a while when Sal was in College. The friendship stuck.
Katie and mark were trying to help us with a few projects around the house including fixing our sink. It's been broken for five years now. When I say broken, what I mean is functional but annoying for visitors. We don't care, but apparently our guests do, so we tried to fix it. The only problem is that some of the hardware was installed during the Lincoln Administration and won't budge. I spent about 40 minutes crunched under the sink trying to get enough leverage to try and loosen the fixture...didn't work. If anyone wants the thirty dollar wrench we bought specifically for this project...you can have it...it didn't work.
To top that we were walking around the house saying, "it's cold in here" on Saturday morning...Good think Sally noticed the Thermostat was at 59. Mark and I went down to the basement and saw the pilot light on the furnace was out. I stared at the furnace and wisely muttered..."Huhhh?" While Mark wiggled a few wires. His effort was more effective than mine and the thing lit up again. We had heat all weekend but the more disturbing part of the story is that I called the heating place I have a service contract with for "emergency" service. Apparently my definition of an emergency doesn't fit theirs. They never called back. At last we've got heat now. I'll call the heating service back today.

The weekend got much better when we went out for dinner at 801 Steakhouse on Saturday night. I'll never out a bad restaurant experience, but I'd always point out a good one and you really can't miss at 801. Our service was the best we've had in a long time and the food is hard to beat. It's a treat because it's a bit on the pricey side, but worth it. Sally and I are celebrating eight years in Des Moines this week. Can't believe it's gone this fast.


Hope you all had a good weekend.
PWD

Hey it's Trisha now!
How cool is this - I'm blogging from my home laptop again while shooting part of a special report on parenting! I know it sounds strange but it will all make sense Wednesday night!

I have a few new photos to share and I'll get to that a little later (hopefully!)

I'm finally starting to feel much better and so is most of the family - being sick is such a BUMMER!

LOVE this weather though! (who doesn't?)
It's putting me in a much sunnier mood -

Thanks for checking in - more later!
Trisha

Hey all!
Pat's been sipping tea instead of coffee today - that's never a good sign.
He checked out early with sniffles and sore throat, so it's my turn to get the blog going.

Big news today:

The long-awaited House of Reps vote on the resolution criticizing the President's troop surge plan is expected to happen today. Yep - it's only symbolic and carries no weight. Yep - it's still big news.
Meanwhile the Pentagon is still talking up Iran's links to bombs in Iraq, although they can't confirm that TOP Iranian government officials are behind the plot. And President Bush is upping troop levels in Afghanistan by extending some deployments, and redirecting some troops that were originally headed toward Iraq.

Vilsack on Leno
Our former gov. got a few laughs early in the opening of the show! They did a skit where the security guard was hassling Vilsack, accusing him of trying to sneak in, until Leno bailed him out. The guard says, "Oh yeah, aren't you that guy that made a movie about global warming?"
From the looks of it, Vilsack really held his own, getting in some serious political points and some of his interesting back-story, but also making a few funnies - even getting some laughs out of Jim Carrey who kept calling him "Mr. President." Leno said no to being a running-mate.

CIETC Polk Co. Investigation
Good work by Sonya and our evening news crew - they found out work records of some Polk County employees have been subpoenaed in relation to the CIETC scandal. 4 out of the 5 county supervisors (everyone but John Mauro) got questioned 2 weeks ago too. This could get more interesting.

More snow -
Jeriann has bad news - another system should be hitting this afternoon and during the evening commute. Not a ton of snowfall but with the winds, it could be enough to make driving a bummer.

Winter survival
After surviving hell week with ALL of us but Ian very very sick, I'm bracing for yet another cold weekend entertaining 2 kids who are now recovered and bouncing off the walls.
Calvin has a new fascination - he wants to have "eyes pop out." (glasses with the eyeballs on springs like these.)



Couldn't find them online at any major stores. I called Nobbies and they say they stopped carrying them because the goofy things were deemed "dangerous" (is that a sign I should have stopped searching?)
But Cal was so insistent that he wanted some, that the night I was up all night with him in the throes of his flu, I broke down and found some on a website from a totally random junk store in Washington state and ordered them online for $3.95! Now he's dying to know when the "eyes pop out" are coming in the mail! I tried to make a pair out of cut out paper and old sunglasses, but they're way un-cool. I'll be sure to get some pictures when they finally come.

Hope you all have a good weekend - see you Monday!
Trish

Stem Cell Bill, Vilsack on Leno, A Blogging First

Good morning and...I'm Sorry. I whole-heartily apologize for not getting to the blog yesterday. I'm sure you were all so disappointed it was hard to go on with your day. I'll get to why I didn't blog in a few minutes...but first today:

Stem Cell Debate:

I'm not dumb enough to get in the middle of this one and give you an opinion on what I think. Needless to say there will be a lot of people talking about whether we should be conducting embryonic stem cell research in Iowa as the Iowa House debates a bill to allow it.

I will however clear up a few things we've heard in stories about this issue.

The first one, that bothers me to no end is this: The top neurologists in Iowa and a number of doctors nationally have told us that embryonic stem cell research hold no hope of curing Alzheimer's disease.

A lot of politicians get away with this one when they give a speech and try to fire people up about the issue. There is no current research and there has never been any research that holds any hope of finding a cure to Alzheimer's. The Alzheimer's association called the ads making these claims disingenuous at best and false hope at the worst.

But Pat, you say, I'm reading the National Institute of Health website and it lists Alzheimer's as one of the diseases stem cell research might help. That's because many people believe stem cell research holds hope of understanding more, how the human brain works. In doing so, the argument goes, we will find another way of attacking, treating or eliminating the disease.

I think if you looked at it honestly you'd have to acknowledge that this is a possibility.

We learn all kind of things when we explore. The race to the moon pushed technology in this country at a lot faster pace than the marketplace or consumer demand would have in the 50's and 60's. That led to all sorts of unintended results that make peoples lives better.

So this is the debate. Are we willing to do something that much of the country feels is morally wrong, to find cures for diseases that cut lives short, put unimaginable stress and grief on families and cost millions of dollars to treat every year. Remember please, no wrong answers.

Vilsack On Leno

Dave Price got the assignment of the month with a trip to Los Angeles and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This is the kind of appearance that can make or break a candidate. I don't mean it WILL...I mean it CAN.

Remember Clinton and the Sax playing on Arsinio...John Kerry riding a Harley on to The Tonight Show set...or Elizabeth Dole spoofing Kerry's appearance...riding a Harley on to Jay's set(in leather no less!). Dave will bring us some of the day's preparations tonight at ten, but you'll want to tune in tomorrow morning to see most of the highlights.

Right to Work

This might actually be the issue that's getting more buzz inside the statehouse. If you aren't in a union and don't know anyone in a union, this probably isn't even on your radar screen. Both sides of the debate would argue it should be. I'm not sure about that. But here's a question. Unions are organizations you choose to join right? It's a choice. I'm a dormant member of AFTRA, the union that represents TV news personalities in a lot of media markets...But I chose to work in a shop that was union, and paid for the benefits of being in a union.

My problem with the proposal is that it asks people to pay for a service they never asked for. Maybe the unions shouldn't have to represent them if they have a grievance. That seems a more common sense solution.

Maybe my history is off here, but at the creation of the Federal Law that established this rule, wasn't it the unions lobbying to represent all of the workers? I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong here, that unions fought for the right to represent all of the workers. Now they're complaining about it. I don't understand.

Just amend the law so people who aren't in Unions don't get the benefits or representation of the union stewards or lawyers in a dispute.

The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day.

Sorry I didn't blog yesterday. Like the character from one of my favorite stories from when I was a kid...I had a terrible day. I won't bore you with the details but it seemed everything that could go wrong...did.

On that note, I apologize to all of the sources I used to try and gather a story yesterday. It never made our air for a number of reasons all of them out of our control. It's the kind of thing that must make people think we're just nincompoops around here. We were experiencing technical difficulties.

That first well with my Last but not least this morning, it was good to have Trish back.

I hope you have a good day.

PWD

It's Trisha now! I'll spare you the details of my plague-leave over the last few days - I'll just say that three out of the four of us had three DIFFERENT and very awful illnesses! Unbelievable. I'm slowly crawling back to life. Thank goodness I always know when I have to be gone from work the A Team is there to handle everything without missing a beat!

Right now I'm attempting to add a tiny blog entry from home! I'm afraid I'm not too good at this computer stuff from home yet - it's my goal to join the 21st century soon! In fact, my master PLAN today was to take this new laptop we got and get some work done at the coffee shop - how hip! But the sitter bailed out on me, so instead I'm at the dining room table listening to "Baby DaVinci," breaking up squabbles and wiping up spilled milk in between trying to type up ideas for a special report I'm working on! Being a working mom is so sexy...
I'd post a photo but I'm not sure how to do it from here, I'll have to save that for tomorrow!

By the way I'M SO JEALOUS OF DAVE PRICE! I talked to him this morning on the phone from LA. I started to gag when he mentioned palm trees and 75 degrees. Anyone have ideas on how I can scam an assignment to a warm destination?

TS

Snow...Snow...and more Snow

By the way...did you all know it's snowing?

I'm sure that's the way it must seem to some of you when we do these morning shows with a big weather story. It feels that way to us sometimes too.
That said, I'm not sure what else is "newsworthy this morning" if you're in Central Iowa. On a morning like this I can't imagine any one thinking about anything but how long it takes to get to work (how are the roads?), what am I going to need to wear today (how cold is it?) and is my kid's school delayed or closed?
We did our best to try to answer those questions continuously this morning. If it seems like overkill, remember we're trying to make sure if you join us "in progress" that we get you the information you need as soon as we can. We also try to be sensitive to the fact that we may not be the center of your attention in the morning. If you miss the information once....we try to repeat a little to emphasis.

So it will still be 3-5 inches of snow. Those totals fluctuate lower if you are north and west of the metro and higher is you are south and east of the metro. Kudos to the WX department for nailing this one again. Timing and totals were right again.

Here are some brief news highlights that we didn't get to very much this morning.

In New Orleans it looks like a tornado hit overnight.

In North Korea the six nation talks aimed at getting the North to stop it's nuclear program apparently produced a tentative agreement.

In Salt Lake City it looks like a teenager opened fire into a crowd at the Mall there. No motive, no explanation. Six people are dead including the gunman.

Same story in Philadelphia, where a gunman shot and killed people at a Board meeting of some sort. Police also found two men bound with duct tape but unharmed.

Anything else going on in the world can wait till we get the shoveling done.

I hope all of you had a safe commute. At the writing of this blog, it seemed like we had about sixteen accidents working around the area. Two big ones (one near Ames and one near Colfax) really messed up the commute for people who already have to go a long way.

By the way, for those of you wondering Trisha was out sick today. There's a bug running around her house. We're hoping everyone is better soon.

I'm headed out to do a story this morning. It looks like we've actually got a good news day shaping up along with the weather.

I tell you that so you don't think the evening shows will be a repeat of a lot of the morning's weather issues. We'll do some of that, but there are some other stories I think are going to break today.

PWD

On the Verge of a Freeze, Officer Down and Obama

Good Monday morning...I hope none of you slipped and, as one of our viewers emailed us this morning: "almost busted my rump on a very thin layer of ice on my sidewalk". Depending on where you are and what the temperature was...you probably saw some slick spots...something to scrape off the car windshield etc.

It's going to be worse tomorrow morning. Snow should come late tonight and into tomorrow's commute. Make arrangements for everything to take longer in your morning routine tomorrow.

To the news:

Obama Back and Forth

Literally and figuratively the Junior Senator from Illinois is in the race. He crossed into Iowa this weekend for a visit and the crowds show there's a lot of initial interest on the Democratic side. A side note to the Senator's visit came when he talked about getting US troops out of Iraq by 2008. Australian Prime Minister John Howard shot back that Obama is simply giving the terrorists in Iraq a timetable so they can lay low. Here's the difference. Most politicos would respond to the Australian PM by backing off a bit or saying they support the troops or in some way softening the position. Not Obama. This guy went right back after Howard saying if the PM had problems with the timetable he could send over a few thousand more Aussie troops to take the Americans' place.

Now I'm not endorsing Obama's position, but I do think it's at least refreshing to hear someone stick to their position and not try to make everyone think he's got a little piece of everyone's opinion, and therefore can make everyone happy. If you believe in something, I can respect that. I may disagree but it will be a respectful disagreement. The ones I can't stand are the ones who say...I was for the war on terror, now I'm not for the war on terror, but I really support the people who are in the war on terror. What's your position and if you truly believe that, why didn't you take that standpoint from the start?

Gas Prices up again:

I'm not surprised. but if you didn't fill up this weekend, it's going to cost you about four cents more a gallon. Can you believe it was down in the $1.89/gallong range just a few weeks ago?

Weekend:

Friday afternoon the AM crew got together and had a little bowl-a-thon. We had a really good time, downed a few pops and found out how bad we really are at bowling.

Thought we'd share a few pics.

Here's our fearless director JoeD with the bowling form and follow through we all should emulate.

Here's a picture of our newest producer Kelly(left) and one of our jack-of-all-trades floor crew Tracey.

Here's are the boys who run the show...Nate Bill and JoeD (right to left)

And Trisha was nice enough to let Clara come out and play. We were all thoroughly entertained.

Clara really likes Uncle Pat! He's goofy and knows how to make her smile!





Thanks, Pat, for not pointing out that I was the Biggest Loser! Most people were excited to break 100. I cheered when I broke my bra size. Pretty sad - but still a fun get together!

Here's Clara trying to figure out why she couldn't pick up all the pretty "balls." They look so much like her bouncy balls at home! TS

Sally put her Mom on a plane to go back to Chicago this morning. She was nice enough to come out here and spend a relatively boring weekend with us here in DSM but we appreciated the help.

Interesting observations: Sal's Mom loves going to the grocery store with us. No joke. Her co-workers kid her about it because she comes back to Chicago and raves about the grocery shopping trip. No exception here. She was fascinated by all the products she sees here and can't get anywhere in Chi town. We must be a test market for some of these products. Not so bad living in Iowa is it?

She also helped us out with our Bridge lessons. Liz (my mother-in-law) is a very good bridge player so she walked Sally and I through some of the finer points of the game. It really helped.

Last but not least we planned a great vacation with her for later in the year. Liz is having a birthday that ends in a zero and wants to spend it with her family. We are happy to celebrate with her and now we've all got something to look forward to.

Fire up those snow blowers! You're going to need them.

CAR SEATS ARE A PAIN

There's no getting around that. But they're pretty darned important, so here's the info on where to get a free car-seat check up. Police all over the place are out talking up car seat safety because this is National Child Passenger Safety Week. We had an Urbandale officer in this morning to do a live interview, and we used my car seat to demonstrate!

I wish someone would design them so that the little buckles aren't so hard to do and un-do - but then again, they have to be kid-proof, which means they're at least partially parent-proof.

GRAMMY NIGHT!

Our friends Jamie and Jenny came over last night for Mexican food, margaritas, and the Grammy's! (the beginning, anyway) Clara toddled right up to Jenny with a book, crawled up in her lap, and got her bedtime story. I love that she's so lovey with people other than just Mom and Dad!

As many news outlets are saying, it was the Dixie Chicks' night, with Song of the Year and Album of the Year. Even though their song "I'm Not Ready to Make Nice" was boycotted by most country radio stations, the grammy voters took notice. I say, whatever you think of their political opinions, they are incredible musicians and have a great sound. I tend to have respect for anyone who's willing to stick their neck out and be true to their beliefs, even when that belief will earn them criticism and hurt their financial profits.

Seeing the Police together was awesome! They've always been one of my favorite bands, and Ian's VERY favorite from that time, so he was glued to the screen, telling Calvin he should pay attention because this is a GREAT band!

While we're on the topic - Cal's girlfriend Lily came over this weekend, and he gave her a drum lesson. No kidding - he was standing right over her shoulder coaching her on how to play! He also showed her how to strum the guitar with a pick - I think they're well on their way to forming a band.

Cal's down and out with what appears to be the flu right now (the chills, fever, the whole works) and Clara's still not all the way better from last week! Looks like Ian and I will have our hands full today talking to the doc and trying to figure out how to get these kids better.

Wish me luck - I know tomorrow will be a big day with all the snow, and I hope to get at least a couple hours of sleep in between taking care of sleepless sickies!

Trish