Overnight Chase, Earthpark and Happy Dance

Good Morning,

If you missed it, Brad decided to grant Jeriann's wish and make us all do the "Friday Happy Dance". Brooke, Brad and I have refused so far, but he figured out a way to get us in on the dance without humiliating ourselves.

Elfyourself.com is a site that allows you to put put pictures of anyone on the heads of elves. The elves then do a little dance. So our floating melons ushered in Friday for you. Here's the link...we hope you enjoyed.

Overnight Chase

This one lasted about ten minutes and went through the neighborhoods just east and north of Drake. At the writing of this blog, we're still not sure why the guy was running. He ended up driving at officers and when that happens, and an officer fears for his/her life, the officer can fire on the suspect. That happened this morning but no one was hurt. The chase continued until police finally got the suspects car to crash around eighth and Forest.

EarthPark

I for one, would like to see this story come to some sort of resolution...

Someone give Earthpark a check...get building the thing, or lets close up shop and forget about it. Today, the developers of Earthpark needed to have their proof of matching funds for a $50 million federal grant Sen Chuck Grassley helped earmark in 2003. They've been talking about the rainforest for a lot longer than that.

I don't disagree it's well past time to move forward on this, but there is one thing that bothers me about the kind of discussion we have about Earthpark. A lot of people see it as a joke. It's been the butt of jokes nationally. What bothers me is that sometimes Iowans don't believe project like this CAN happen in Iowa. I hear a lot of people say,"What would anyone want to build something like this here?...more to the point, why would someone want to visit an attraction like this from another state?" Just once I'd like to see Iowans get behind a project and say...I know it's ambitious, I know it sounds a little crazy, but we're going to make this work.

Maybe Earthpark doesn't qualify for that kind of leap of faith but I hope the leaders of this community will continue to challenge Iowans to think bigger than we tend to.

To that I would add that developers in Iowa are banking on people coming based on the popularity of a similar attraction in England. The Eden Project was built about 6 years ago in Cornwall, England which is a very rural area of the country. Developers of that project say it's been so popular that it has already put about a billion dollars dollars into the economy and 1.8 million people visited the project the first year it opened despite the fact that it is not close to some of England's heavily populated areas like London. The Eden Project shows us that it could work.

BB

Economy

This keeps getting harder and harder to figure out. Yesterday I left the building to news that the Commerce Department had revised the 3rd quarter gross domestic product numbers to show the economy grew at a faster pace in the third quarter than it has in five years. The Federal Reserve Chairman came out yesterday and indicated there might be another rate cut coming. Cyber-Monday sales were up 21% from last year. All seem like good signs that the economy is still chugging along in a lot of ways. But again foreclosures for October jumped significantly when compared to last year. Clearly there are people struggling to pay the bills. I think I've written this here before. I'm not sure we're looking at the right numbers as indicators of how TODAY's economy is working. These may have been good benchmarks in the past but I get the feeling they don't really provide good indicators in context. more like snapshots. I am no economist. I'd bounce my own checkbook if I had to keep it. I'm just making an observation. Maybe it's our fault in the Media. When we put one of these numbers out, maybe we don't give people enough credit. If we gave everyone the more complicated, nuanced and, some would say, boring explanation...maybe people wouldn't think the world is going you know where in a hand basket.

Weekend

I hope you all have a safe weekend. Please watch the forecast if you have any plans. We'd like to see you all back here Monday.

I will be holed up watching the Missouri Oklahoma Game Saturday. It's the Big 12 Championship. Now, we have an invitation to some friends house for a party at the same time. I am not sure, however, that we're going to go. I'm not usually fit for company when I'm watching a game like this.

Prediction: Missouri 38 Oklahoma 28

(What...like I was going to pick them to lose?)

Go Tigers!

Have a good day.

PWD

Raucus Republicans,Boxing and Books, and Weekend Snow

Good Morning,
The talk on the set this morning seemed to be over Jeriann's forecast. For those of you who will never get a chance to be here with us in the morning...she's just as intense when the camera is off as she is when it's on.
This morning that takes the form of hand wringing and gnashing of teeth over the storm that's headed our way. She was really concerned with communicating just the right combination of concern over possible weather conditions with caution that the system could change track and change the kind of precipitation we see.
This is why I'll take Jeriann as my morning meteorologist any day of the week. She's over in the weather center constantly moving around from computer to computer, checking models, new temperature information, looking for ways to communicate some big themes of the morning's forecast.
Jeriann put the target from 6am Saturday to 6pm Sunday. Because we're in that transition time of year where we could see rain or snow or ice...this one is going to be a tough call. It looks like the freezing line is cutting right across Iowa. As she always tells us: this could change significantly if that weather system shifts even 20-30 miles north or south. Bottom line: stay tuned!

Republicans Sparring:
What a debate last night in Florida. I only saw the highlights this morning but what a set of highlights! We watched the commentary by Tim Russert this morning as the Today show started. He agrees, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is going to be a force in the last five weeks before caucuses. Huckabee had another good performance last night.

Silver Star
They don't just hand these out to anybody. An Iowan is one of the latest recipients. I will look forward to hearing more of the story in the commendation. It is another reminder of why Iowans are some of the people the Army really likes to have on the front lines. Words like duty, loyalty and sacrifice are just embedded in the genetic code around here. It's one more thing Iowans can be proud of.


NFL Network
Find a friend with a dish today. the NFL network is staring to carry the Thursday night game and if you live here in Central Iowa and have cable...you can't get it. I feel like I've heard this story before. ....Sorry Packer and Cowboy fans. It's only one of the best games of the years so far. I'm sure no one will notice.


Fight Night

We had some fun with the fights out at Prairie Meadows tonight. When we announced the names of the fighters, Ronald "The Motor City Cobra" vs James Buggs...our quick trigger audio operator turned on the ring announcer voice effect. Loved it. I think that ring announcer or arena announcer would be a fun job. I told the girls they need to come up with their Boxer names. I am cringing as I suggest this but...any suggestions from the blogosphere? Be nice! By the way the fights start at seven.



Book Worms

Some local authors have taken on the challenge of writing 25-thousand words in the month of November. Writers have apparently been meeting in small groups for inspiration. For those of you keeping score at home 25,000 words comes out to about 125 pages. I've always wanted to write a book. I lean toward history. I'm really finding that I'm enjoying these historical fiction writers. If you've never read one it takes characters and places them into real historical situations. The story is not all accurate history but it's sometimes a more interesting way to think about it. We just finished an audio book by a guy named Max Allen Collins called The Pearl Harbor Murders. Great book! It details the two days before Dec 7th and why a Japanese American girl was murdered. We've read some of his other stuff...The Titanic Murders, and The Hindenburg Murders. Sensing a theme here?

By the way, Max Allen Collins is from Muscatine. He also wrote Road to Perdition which was later turned into a movie starring Tom Hanks. Nice guy. He was promoting the movie Road to Perdition at the Fluer several years ago when I was reporting on the weekends. He told me back then that he was begining to produce films at his studio in Muscatine. Another great author with and Iowa connection whose books I think some of you might enjoy is Jane Smiley. She wrote A Thousand Acres. It won the Pulitzer Prize. She taught at Iowa State University in the '80's and '90's.

BB

Had to show off my nephew, Max and Evan. My sister just gave me these pictures and I have to say, she is an amazing photographer.

Fliers, battle of the Endorsing Superstars, and "Just look Natural"

Good Morning.

It was a slow start this morning and I was late getting in. Doesn't the entire day then seem a little rushed? I'm not sure why, but we're such creatures of habit. That's the other part of my morning's this week that haven't been going as planned. We missed going to the grocery store this week because we were in Chicago for the weekend. We've been scrounging things up for dinner but the stuff I usually buy at the store for my morning routine isn't in the fridge. We're out of OJ. I don't have anymore Snickers marathon bars and I usually bring a little thing of 2% milk to put in my coffee(I hate the powdered creamer).

So I've had to make a stop every morning for some extras. It's amazing how much that can throw you off.

I think we are all off-kilter this week. There has been a lot of change because our producer Heather had her baby on Saturday. She wasn't due for 4 weeks so it came as a bit of a surprise and we didn't have a producer lined up in her place for another 3 weeks. So, the two producers who help Heather had to come in and do the show. They do great work but it's just a change for everyone. For some reason, this threw me off a little because each producer has his or her own writing and leadership that takes some getting used to.

To the news:

We didn't have a great lead story this morning so we went with something happening today...OJ Simpson is back in court. Not the biggest headline in the world but I just don't want all of you thinking that we consider this a big deal.

Fliers in Ames

For the next four or five weeks we're going to see some stuff like this and it's just sad. One of the reasons free speech works though, is that it exposes people for what they are. Free flow of ideas means you really get to hear what people think. In this case. Racist and sexist.

Endorsements

Barbara Streisand says she will endorse Hillary Clinton for President. That's not a huge surprise. The singer is pretty well known for her involvement in left-leaning politics. Anytime anyone from Hollywood does lend their name to a campaign it is usually to a candidate who is a Democrat. For once, I want to see someone famous endorse a Republican. Just once. It would make things interesting. Not that those endorsements really do anything. Or at least that is what most political experts say.

UNI

Is UNI having a good month in sports or what? They're the only team still playing football and last night they beat ISU in basketball...again.

Grain Bin

If you missed Mark Tauscheck's story about the family buried in the grain bin accident...it was pretty powerful stuff. The Mom who had to tell her daughter she might die? That's someplace I hope I never find myself. If you missed it get on the homepage and watch!

Drive for Airfare Savings

We took up the subject after hearing about this report from the Iowa Department of Transportation studying how many people leave Central Iowa for other regional airports. The numbers were higher than I thought they would be. The debate over prices at the airport and why they aren't lower has been going on for a long time. In some cases the ticket prices really are higher here. In a lot of cases they're not. Des Moines fliers have a lot more options than they used to...20 different non-stops. Does that number surprise anyone? The bottom line from the airport was, if you use DSM, then airlines will add service and start to compete for your business. If you go somewhere else...they'll compete for your business there. I'd be glad to answer questions about some of the things that we found during our research and reporting.

Look Natural!

We had our promotions writer/photographer Jack of all trades Melissa overt to our house to shoot our part of the holiday promotion. We're going to get a little more of a look inside our lives this year, but it's hard to do. I still wonder why anyone would want to know what my home looks like or why they'd want to know what we do at Christmas. As some of you have pointed out, I'm a little more close to the vest about personal stuff. It's not because I'm a private person, I just can't believe anyone else would care.

Melissa got shots of my family as well. It's for the holiday promotion that will start running soon. She got a shot of Eric setting up the camera for a family photo. We put our two Boston Terriers in Christmas outfits which are absolutely hysterical. Yes, we are "those kind of people." We got them sort of as a joke and now you will all be able to laugh at us when the promotion airs.

Also, it was getting close to bedtime so I think I'm probably going to look like a zombie. Anyway I hope it works out and that it's a fun way to say Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all of our viewers.

Hope you have a good day!

Mideast Peace?, Taylor Update, and Serge

Good Morning!
I woke up to a not so unpleasant mistake this morning. The lady who cleans our house replaced Sally's perfume and My cologne as she always does. The only problem....she put Sally's on my side of the sink and mine on Sally's side. We both use the same brand...the bottles look similar but obviously one is cologne and one is perfume. I got the perfume. Now, I'm not complaining cause at least I smelled like my OWN wife and not like someone else's. I tried to cover up with the right bottle . It's a disturbing start to the day.

I wondered what was going on... I thought Pat smelled way too sweet. (And we all know he is anything but sweet). But I know Pat is confident enough in his masculinity that it didn't really matter if he was wearing eau de toilette. Right, Pat?

Meanwhile... as Pat worries about smelling too nice, I am worried about smelling badly. And it has nothing to do with skipping my morning shower. Here's the funny story.. Sunday night my husband started a fire in our fireplace. Evan just went down for the night and we thought we'd have a relaxing evening together. Shortly after the logs started burning, smoke started seeping out and quickly spread through the entire house before we even knew what was happening. Eric put out the logs with water and that caused even more smoke. Come to find out, there was something blocking the chimney. The smoke alarms started going off and Evan woke up. And, the paranoid new parent that I am, I didn't think it was probably good for Evan to be in a smoke-filled house. We left and Eric tried to clear out the smoke by opening all the windows despite the fact that it was about 20 degrees outside. When I returned, tired baby in tow, the house was at least livable, but it still SMELLS like we had a bonfire in the living room. Any advice on how to get rid of the smell?

BB

To the news:

Mideast Peace
As I understand it this is basically a meeting to get the meetings started again. I'm not sure I understand the peace process in the Middle East but that's no surprise. If anyone tells you they DO understand it they better have a PhD or be living in Jerusalem. Anyway, the meeting is about coming to terms on a peaceful existence between a Palestinian State and Israel. As the President said yesterday, it will be about both sides letting go of some long held terms and compromising. The thing that makes this meeting different is that there are representatives of 40 other nations or national organizations at the conference. The Arab League signed off on the conference and that means some of the hardliner Arab states could attend. The Saudi representative said he wouldn't shake the Israeli representatives hand, but the fact that they'll be in the same room together is a start.

Taylor
We learned during the newscast that Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died early this morning. Taylor was shot yesterday in his Miami home. He stopped someone who broke into the house. Police are looking for that person.

Iowa Energy
Wow, I didn't expect that for opening night but the Energy pulled it off. more than nine thousand people showed up? It was a good game and Iowa won. Murph says this all the time. Success on the court will be the key to any team's success here in Iowa. If a team is entertaining to watch, they'll get a following.
This also brought up the obscure reference of the Morning when I did my best Bronson Pinchot imitation.
The Energy's mascot is "Surge". I went straight to the Beverly Hills Cop character of the same name. It's one of the funniest things in that movie.
"Do you want it with a lemon twist?"
"I don't want to be any trouble."
"Don't be stupid"

Oprah stumping for Obama
Oprah Winfrey already said on her show that she is supporting Barack Obama. Now she'll be campaigning for him in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids next month. As you know, Oprah can turn any book or product into an overnight selling success and now we'll see if her endorsement can really bring in votes for Obama. This also brings up the question of whether a person like Oprah SHOULD be endorsing a candidate. Is this the ethical thing to do for someone with her power? Plus, she is in some ways a journalist on her show and journalists should never publicly take a side. What do you think? And, do you think her endorsement will make a difference?

BB

Light em Up
The State Christmas Tree is going to be lit tonight at the Capitol. The Gov does the honors at 5pm.

Have a good day.
PWD and BB

Ferentz Buzz, TPI and Football Weekend

Good Monday Morning...and it is a good one.
The only thing I could muster up for black and gold this morning was a yellow tie and my black blazer. For the fist time in most Tiger fans' lives, Missouri is ranked number one...and #1 in the BCS. There are still A LOT of people out there who think they don't deserve it. We'll see Saturday when they play Oklahoma. In any case it's fun to watch the school you attended play for a national championship. A nod to UNI fans as they continue top play for their own. Great finish to the game Saturday! In a state where it's Hawkeyes v Cyclones much of the time...Pather fans have scoreboard right now, and any football fan in Iowa should be cheering for them.

To some other football news...or is it news?
Ferentz on the Blog:
The question of why we broadcast the story of Kirk Ferenz "being offered the Michigan Job" is one I'll gladly take up. Blogs are not simply rumor mills. Unlike this fine attempt at a blog, there are some blogs out there that deal strictly with news.
It's not traditional...and you may not think it's credible, but I tend to agree with the people who say it's the future. Think of it this way. There used to be five newspapers in every town. They all had different sources and were, to varying degrees, credible. TV came along and was frowned on for a while. It's not newspaper Journalism. When the Internet came along, people said the same thing. They'll keep saying it until we sort out who's got some credibility and who doesn't. The National inquirer is rumor and gossip. That doesn't mean the Sunday Register is. You can't lump an entire format into one category.
I'd challenge our bloggers to come up with a reason why they're certain this blog has it wrong. Do we know this bloggers sources? Do we know how well he's connected inside the program? The Internet has opened an entirely new level of journalism to the world. Some of it is good and some of it is bad, but I wouldn't discount it as rumor until we know more.
This blog entry may not end up being true. We may never know if it is true, unless(as Murph pointed out last night), Coach Ferentz takes the job. Keith does not take these things lightly and does not put information on the air unless he sees credibility with it. I trust his judgment.
Bottom line, Iowa's coach is the subject of speculation in one of the highest profile jobs in College football. It's News.

TPI
It should be the first of many good days for Newton. If TPI goes ahead with plans to put a wind turbine manufacturing plant in town, it will bring some life back to a town that could have given up a couple years ago. Instead they've found a way to be just as good, if not better in the years to come. I'm excited to watch where Newton goes.

CIETC
We'll see if Des Moines gets a front row seat to the CIETC trial or if it will move out of town.

Increasing Debt
Do Iowans really have more debt right now than they have in the past? A new study says yes. We're at about $13,000 on average if you don't count mortgage. So car loans, credit cards...stuff like that. How do you compare here? If I had to do it on my own, I know I would be much higher than this. One of the reasons I am lucky (and there are others) to be married to Sally is that she does the books. We're not broke and they haven't come to take the house away. She keeps us on track...and more importantly, she keeps me in line financially.

Energy First Game
I've said this her before...if you want entertainment like this in Des Moines...you have to go support the teams. Go see an Energy game. The tickets seem reasonable and the quality of basketball seems really good.

Hope everyone had a safe holiday weekend. I'd welcome any other recap of your holiday weekend including travel and shopping. How was it out there. Sally and I traveled to Chicago to see her parents and brother. We had a great time watching the MIZZOU game Saturday night. We made about sixteen gallons of Brunswick Stew that we distributed to Sally's family. We put a lot of it in Tupperware and brought it back to Des Moines. We'll have a good comfort food type meal all winter whenever we want it.

PWD

Black Friday Blog

Good Morning...and happy shopping.

We're all walking around a little dazed this morning. I'm not sure if it's the turkey or the lack of sleep.


Black Friday
We came in to the news that about 20,000 people went through the doors at Jordan Creek this morning at midnight. That's not a typo. I am amazed every year at the number of people who are out and about so early. This year I'm speechless. Midnight? really? I've talked to people before who say they save thousands of dollars. If you have kids I'm sure you see some savings. I'd like to hear what some of you saved this morning.

Megan Ruether was out at Target in Ankeny this morning and she said people were there to buy 200 High Definition TVs with built-in DVD Players for $200. I guess I can see why people would want to wait in line for that kind of bargain. I think mostly people just want to be a part of the excitement. Not for me, but I get it.

Zach and Golf
Not a lot of other news to tell you about this morning. Zach Johnson is playing the skins game this weekend, Donations to Food Banks are down and that means supplies are low. This time of year especially they need any help you might be inclined to give.

Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving dinner was a success as usual. Sally does such a great job of coordinating a lot of food in a SMALL kitchen. We had a great time with my family putting up the tree yesterday afternoon and then a lovely meal last night. It meant I didn't really get to bed until about 9:45 last night though. We're headed to Chicago to see Sally's family this weekend. I'll also get to see my sister, who was in Tennessee this year for Thanksgiving. She's headed back to Chicago Saturday just in time. I say just in time because my sister went to the University of Kansas. Did I mention that Missouri plays Kansas in Arrowhead Stadium Saturday night/ I hope I get to see my sister and have some fun watching a great rivalry.

My Thanksgiving Dinner was fun. My husband's father is in town and we all went to Eric's brother's for the day. Last night, Eric's brother's family made a Thanksgiving dinner at their church for anyone who was spending the day alone. Very nice gesture and some great food. We tagged along for the feast. Evan was great yesterday even as he was passed around from person to person. I often think he must go to bed feeling a little sore from getting picked up so often. He is starting to babble a lot now and makes these chirping sounds that make me think a squirrel is in the house. Tomorrow we head to south Iowa to see my side of the family.

Hope you all have a great weekend! See you Monday.
BB and PD

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good Morning and I hope those of you who were up with us this morning enjoyed the light hearted show we had this morning.

People ask all the time...Do you have to work Thanksgiving? Yup. As my Father-in-Law is fond of saying...It's not Thanksgiving...it's Thursday.

With that in mind there are a few headlines we can tell you about:


Winter Weather
Jeriann felt horrible about the larger than expected snowfall. We get emails sometimes when the forecast changes like it did yesterday complaining...why didn't Jeriann know this was going to happen? Here's the deal. The target for the snow moved about 50 miles. Jeriann made a call based on the information she had....

I have another friend who's a meteorologist and he tells me snow totals are one of the hardest things to forecast because small changes in moisture make a HUGE difference in snowfall totals.
Jeriann wanted me to point out...when she gets a forecast wrong like that...next time she's extra right. My point is...at least you have someone who can explain what happened. She knows her science and, I think is right on most of the time.

Please be careful wherever you are headed today.


Cedar Rapids on Slow Boil
There's a boil order in Cedar Rapids today so if that's where you're headed for Thanksgiving, bring some bottled water instead of a bottle of wine. Your host may thank you.



Holiday Vandals
The City of Des Moines reported several cases of vandalism downtown. Most of it involved destroying holiday decorations.
I always wonder...who the #*%! would do something like this? It's Christmas. Who's against Christmas?



The Caucus Calender is Set
In part it's because New Hampshire set it's primary for January 8th. This means Iowa can stay Jan 3rd and we don't have to Caucus in December.

Some of the Candidates are spending the Holiday in Iowa. I know some people will say this is a calculated move by the campaigns. Maybe. I also think about the families of these men and women and what they have to give up, or at least change in their lives so their husband/wife can chase this dream. You really have to be on the same page as your spouse, and I would bet you really have to roll with the punches. Maybe we can get one of the candidates spouses to guest blog with us one morning to talk about that.


Off to Celebrate
My folks made it in safely last night and we had a great dinner at Trostell's Dish. It's good to have them here and I am Thankful today for the effort they make to get to Iowa. I've got to work every year and I can't imagine spending the holiday away from your own bed and your own home is the most fun they've ever had...but if my family taught me one thing...it's that your holiday is where your family is. To that end we're picking up my brother Joe at the airport this afternoon. I think I've mentioned he's the director of a morning TV news program in Chicago. He has to work today too. They're airing the Chicago version of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning and he has to help with that before he gets on a plane to come see us.

We're looking forward to a great meal tonight.



Speaking of eating we all brought in the dish that really says THANKSGIVING to us. I brought my Great-Great Grandmother's stuffing and was a little nervous about the girls liking it. They say they did. Stuffing is one of those personal things though. Each family recipe is a little different so I would never knock someone for liking their traditional stuffing and turning their nose up at someone else's.

It's pretty easy to make (mostly because my Mom makes some every year and whether we're with them or not...she gets it to me so I can have some Thanksgiving Thursday). A big Thank you to my parents for delivering again this year.

The recipe is simple. It's browned sausage, chopped celery, onions and bread. I'm not sure about the spices but I will ask when I get back to the house.

A scoop of that along with a bite of turkey is the taste of Thanksgiving to me.



Jeriann brought Sweet potatoes. I have to say I don't like sweet potatoes much but I really liked this. Her recipe is much better:

Jeriann’s Sweet Potatoes

3 CUPS(Around 5) Sweet Potatoes Beaten until fluffy
½ Cup of Sugar
½ Cup of Melted Butter
2 Eggs
1/3 Cup of Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
Stir Mashed Sweet Potatoes & these 5 ingredients together
Add ½ Cup of Coconut
Topping: ½ cup Brown Sugar
½ cup of chopped pecans
2 TBS of Melted Butter
¼ Cup of Flour
Mix together and sprinkle on top.
Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes

Brooke can add her corn casserole recipe which was also GREAT! No one on the Today in Iowa staff is going hungry this morning.

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)

1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

Have a great day and take some time to think about what you're thankful for.

PWD and BB

Let it Snow!, Traveling, and Thanks But I'll Do My Own Giving

I thought a lot about the first post from yesterday's blog. Well, that's a lie, I had one thought and then didn't think about it again.
This is my bottom line. No one should be guilted into giving. Each of us that can contribute to his or her own community in their own way. I may make different contributions than someone else, but I would never try to guilt someone into giving. This year in particular, I sleep pretty well knowing what I've contributed. I'll have a Happy Thanksgiving enjoying the things I've earned.
Excess in celebration isn't always bad, waste is. I assure you, no turkeys will be wasted at the Dix household tomorrow.
Instead, small, healthy portions will be consumed in a responsible way over the next few months so we do not encourage overeating, over-use of sodium, or in any way discriminate against the beef or pork industry. I hope that will calm the giving Police.


As a side note, is anyone doing some volunteering on Thanksgiving? Even more important does anyone know of some good volunteering opportunities that can continue past Thanksgiving? Post them here.

I'm also looking to find out what you're doing with your family while they're in town for the holiday. Des Moines has a lot more to offer these days than it used to. Where will you go to eat? Will you show off the new parts of town or will you just hunker down and stay home?

This morning I am thankful for Jeriann. She was great about explaining the forecast, about saying she'd called the snow a little light and about telling people where and when they'd see snow in a clear way. It's fun to work with people who love their jobs.

As if we didn't have enough to worry about today witth travel...one in 109 cars on Iowa roads is going to run into a Deer? The good news is travel at the airport was good if you got out early. I actually had a chance to get down there this morning and one of the TSA guys told me, there's really light passenger traffic down there today.

We put the tree in the stand last night. It's a good one and the house smells like Christmas. The snow helps make me feel like I'm not jumping the gun.

A package was sitting on my desk this morning from Brad Hook. He sent us his auction catalogue for his "No Bull" Bred Female Sale (remember... he's a cattle farmer). He used pictures from his adventures on Today in Iowa and the Today show in the program. Fun stuff, Thanks Brad.

Hope you all have a safe trip wherever your travels take you. We'll be on tomorrow morning with some of our Thanksgiving favorites and we'll put the recipes up on the blog after the show.

Later,
PWD

Early Buzz: Baby Seat Recall

GRACO ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT IT IS RECALLING MORE THAN 300-THOUSAND OF ITS STAND ALONE "SNUGRIDE" SEATS BECAUSE THEY COULD POSE A CHOKING HAZARD.

THE BACKING OF THE SEAT PAD CAN PULL AWAY FROM THE SEAMS, EXPOSING THE PAD FILLING. THE SEATS WERE MADE BETWEEN AUGUST 2006 AND JUNE OF 2007.

THEY WERE SOLD NATIONWIDE UNTIL LAST WEEK. YOU CAN GET A REPLACEMENT SEAT PAD BY CALLING GRACO AT 1-800-345-4109. GRACO SAYS THE SEATS WILL STILL PROTECT CHILDREN.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE RECALL GO TO http://www.gracobaby.com/.

YOU CAN ALSO FIND SPECIFIC MODEL NUMBERS THAT ARE PART OF THE RECALL. THE RECALL DOES NOT AFFECT SNUGRIDE MODELS SOLD AS A TRAVEL SYSTEM OR THOSE MADE BEFORE AUGUST 2006.

Advice for the Holidays, Foggy Start...and Christmas Comes a Little Early

Good Morning,

A good vibe in the studio this morning. Not sure why but it was a good show. It helps to have something going on and the fog provided.

The weather transition was something Jeriann really tried hard to communicate this morning. It's the southeast quadrant of the state that has to look at some accumulating snow. No one is going to be buried in snow but this is the first one of the year and it comes on a busy holiday weekend. So here's that question again...are we over-hyping or are we giving you information you need? I think you'll have split opinion. Here's where I fall on stuff like this. If you got the message to be careful and we get through the weekend without a significant number of accidents or (we hope) fatalities; we talked about it enough.

News:

Holiday Travel
We had fog this morning but no big delays so far at the airport. That's not the case for a lot of other airports this morning. If we see backups continue.

Holiday Toys
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is releasing it's recommendations for finding safe toys today. Some of this stuff is common sense but I thought they made a good point on one thing. If a toy is recommended for a kid over the age of three, it means that toy is not safe for kids under three. Some people might assume that means kids under three just might not be interested.

Cooking Tips
I gave Megan a hard time this morning because she said she's not cooking a turkey. She gave us some good tips on making sure you don't give your entire family salmonella on Thanksgiving. One of them I hadn't heard...cook the turkey from it's frozen state. Does anyone do this? I'd be interested to know if you think it turns out a great. We've got a 26lb bird to cook Thursday. There's only five of us but we love the leftovers and, in fact, have a specific recipe that we like to use it in. I'll share Friday.

Winter WX on our Minds
This blog is coming a little late this morning because we were all a little busy shooting our new winter weather promotions. We've actually got some new told to use this winter that I think some of you parents are going to like. That new news ticker on the bottom of the screen will actually interrupt itself when we get a new school closing or delay in and highlight that delay or closing. In other words you find out about new closings as soon as they're in the system. Another feature, you Metro schools won't have to wait through the entire list on big snow days. We'll have a line on the ticker just for Metro schools. We all agreed we're looking forward to snow days. It makes the show fun and a little more free-wheeling.

Christmas Comes Early
Sally and I decided to go out and get our Christmas Tree. We were a little late getting out and actually had to bypass some of the stores we went to first. We found some help finally and a great tree. Frazier Fur. Cadillac of Christmas Trees.

The Noon News is almost done so I've got to go. We're hosting my family starting tomorrow which means I've got a lot of work to do this afternoon.

PWD

Holiday Spending, Holiday Travel, and Angry Bloggers

Good Morning,
I say that in the hopes of easing the angry bloggers into the week.
Seriously, if we've ruined your day that much...turn the TV off!
I can't say this concerns me all that much because the blog responses we got late last week are clearly from someone who used to work in TV around here.... Note to angry blogger: It kind of loses it's credibility when you rip on Keith. If you're complaining about Keith Murphy, you've got a bigger axe to grind. Stick with criticizing me.
The best part about this is the perception that any of these people take themselves that seriously. None of them do.... That's the best part of working here. No one is curing Cancer...and we know it. We're doing our best to bring you the news. We take it seriously. If you disagree with the way it's done or the personalities who do it. You're entitled to that opinion. Sometimes we disagree with the way it gets on the air...I just have to laugh at the really angry responses to the blog, and remain thankful for the thoughtful people who write in real and legitimate criticism of our product. We welcome both.

To the News:

Holiday Spending
We did our Thanksgiving shopping Sunday and the annual bit of stress begins over the bills. I don't think we're going to go into debt over our turkey or anything but It's also guess a lot of you know what I'm talking about.
It just seems like there's a lot of money going out in big chunks this time of year.
Anyway government analysts are going to tell everyone what consumers are expecting to spend and whether some of the doom and gloom news over the economy is effecting those choices.
I wonder if it is, and if the headlines make the slowing of the economy a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Iowa
The latest news from the weekend is a letter from the Board of Regents asking the University administration how it handled the accusation of sexual misconduct by football players. The Regents want to know if University policy was followed and if the current policy is sufficient.
We continue to NOT name the players who are supposedly involved. If the accusations prove false or of the wrong people are named, I would hate to be the person making the decision to connect their names with this investigation publicly.

Campaigning Hits High Gear
If you think it's been bad up until now...fasten your seat belts. I was watching Meet the Press this weekend and they were taking about how the gloves are going to come off in the Race for the Democrat's nomination. This is what they were calling the , "Speak now or forever hold your peace" phase of the campaign. Expect old charges, rumors, innuendo and enough finger pointing to make you think you're in a kindergarten class. Meanwhile, there are also more opportunities to go meet the candidates in the next few weeks. Go take advantage of them. Iowa is unlike any other state in this regard. You will likely meet the next President of the United States! Why not look these candidates in the eye before you decide who to support?

Saturday Football
I went over to the Mall with Sally Saturday to get some of our errands done. One of the many reasons I love my wife is that she doesn't get all that worked up if I want to watch a game here and there. So she dropped me off at Champs so I could watch the end of the MIZZOU game. With the losses at the top of the polls this weekend, college football will be the focus in our house, post-thanksgiving. Saturday the border war game between Missouri and Kansas will be played in Kansas City. My sister and brother both went to KU...as you know I went to Mizzou. I'm not sure any of us have ever had a conversation about a Missouri/Kansas game much less had interest in watching one. This year it could be for a spot in the National Title game. Go Tigers!

Enjoy the weather today, Jeriann says it's turning colder by the end of the week. She was emphasizing this morning that most of the snow looks like it's going to hit southeast Iowa and that it really isn't going to be a huge amount. The storm track can obviously move between now and then, but right now that's how it looks.

One more thing, thanks for the playlist Anne! I listened to the songs...very Sarah McLachlan.
If you want us to feature your playlist on My Music Monday, just submit five songs for us by the end of the week. Remember to include your name and hometown.
Hope you have a good day!
PWD

Debate, Friday Fun and Keep Those Playlists Coming

Good Morning (it's actually almost Noon)

For whatever reason this is coming really late so I'll keep it brief.

Jeriann's Fun Forecast was another big hit this morning. It's amazing what a Red Umbrella can do for motivation.

She's talking about upping the ante a little next week. We'll explain so stay tuned.

In the News:

The Democrats Debate

Last night was one of the most unruly to date. I thought Wolf Blitzer from CNN lost control at several times during the night. That said...you try talking over these guys. They've got their message and they're well trained in getting it out there.

I thought Sen Clinton did a better job of defending herself. Say what you want but she still seems composed most of the time.

I thought Sen Obama look like he really hated the format and wanted more time to answer the questions. I think this guy's pretty smart and it has to be hard to stand up there and dumb down your answers into 20 second soundbites. I don't get the feeling he thinks any of these questions can be answered that easily.

I thought Sen Edwards doesn't sound like the candidate we got to know in 2004 anymore.

Bary Bonds

Is anyone surprised. I think this is what they call Karma. Lost in the headlines was A-Rod's reconciliation with the Yankees for a mere 27 million a year. Great PR move on his part.

Hawks

The investigations continues and I haven't heard anyone saying the University handles this well. What do you think?

I appreciate the comments from yesterday on this. The Media deserves some of the beating it gets for sensationalizing the news. In this case I defer to Murph for an explanation of the process they went through. I would stake my life it's something we can be proud of. No one does it better then Keith and the boys in our Sports Department.

Ankeny

Good luck to the Hawks. Does anyone else feel like the dominance in High School athletics is shifting in the metro? It used to be Valley and Dowling won everything when I got here. Now it seems like Ankeny is willing something every time I turn around.

Hope you all have a good weekend. I'm going to have to rake some leaves.

Hawkeye Trouble, Prescription Sign-up, and What do You do When You Get Hickups on the Set?

Good Morning
About halfway through the show Brooke got hiccups. I can't remember a time when this has ever happened to me, but it's hard to talk when you do have hiccups. The zenmaster that she is... Brooke simply calmed herself and they went away, but it took a few minutes...

To the News:

Hawkeye Trouble
(Brooke now):Our Sports Department has a great source in Iowa City that gave us a heads up about this story. Police are investigating a sexual assault that allegedly involved three Hawkeye Football players inside one of the dorms on campus. Police say the woman claiming she was assaulted reported it earlier this month but that it may have happened in October. We don't know much more than that because no charges have been filled. It's been a year of trouble off the field for football players. We're headed back to Iowa City today so expect more on this later on the evening shows and tomorrow morning.


Prescription Sign-Up
It's that time of year when people using Medicare can sign up for or change their prescription drug plans. Pat talked to Sue Whitmack with Senior Health Insurance Information Program. I'll let him talk more about this.
We get a lot of calls all the time about the Part D prescription drug program. I feel badly for people who don't have the patience or the tenacity to wade through some of these programs. at times, I know it can take both. The resources are out there though. Part of it is not taking no for an answer and making sure you don't assume the worst in people. There are people like Sue willing to help answer questions and try to decipher the jargon for you. I hope you will thank them for their efforts if you need their help. I hope you will find the best prescription drug program for you.
One more thing on this topic. If we have people who can help answer your questions about stuff like this, is it helpful to have them answer questions on the blog? Would you like us to give you a heads up when we're going to try that again. We had Sue sit through the last hour of the show and one blogger did have a question, but I'm not sure it was worth it. What I'm after here are some ideas and some suggestions on how to use the blog more and how to get more interaction with you during the news.

Hiccups in the News
I couldn't stop my hiccups this morning during the show. I swear I'm not putting a little something "extra" in my coffee that caused this. They started during a commercial break and I had a hard time getting through one of the news story teases. Luckily they stopped right before we went into the news block. I have heard that the only way to get rid of hiccups is to relax because hiccups are caused by tightened vocal muscles. Does anyone know if this is true? And, do you have an surefire ways of stopping them?

Gearing up for Thanksgiving
We are getting ready for our Thanksgiving show and the day after. We are all working that day and it should be a lot of fun. We're planning to bring our favorite Thanksgiving dish and share the recipe during the show.

Ours is going to be a hectic Thanksgiving. Unfortunately my in-laws are not going to be able to join everyone here in Des Moines so we're going to do a split weekend. We'll spend the Thursday here with my folks. They're coming to town to see both Sally and I and to see their grandsons. My oldest brother Joe will be here too. I wish we could be in two places at once but circumstances dictate that we split our time. We're luck to have family who understands that I have to be here for Thanksgiving (We work every Thanksgiving). Having family on both sides that have been or are in TV really helps.

How low you can go?
The Polk County Sheriff's office has surveillance video of two men who steal one of those donation canisters from a Casey's Store. It's one of those containers you drop your change into when you pay for gas. I am sure you've seen them. Anyway, the money in it was supposed to go to an 18 year old girl getting treated for cancer. Police are looking for the men. I have a feeling it won't take long for someone to turn them in. This is despicable.
I think these guys just bought a one way ticket to a place where they don't have to keep the seats warm for em.

Court Avenue
On a personal note, last night my husband and I had dinner at Dos Rios. It's the new restaurant on Court Avenue. What an amazing place. It's "real" Mexican food and everything we had was delicious. I think it is our new favorite place. The chips and salsa are homemade and the best I have ever had. You pay for good food. This place isn't inexpensive, but everything is fresh so it's worth the cost.

Have a great day everyone!
BB and PWD

Early Buzz: Medicare Rx Sign-up Questions

Good morning!
Sue Whitmack with the Senior Health Insurance Information Program will answer your questions if you post them here on the blog.

I also wanted to post some information on some of the events the state is putting on to help people choose the right program for them.
to get a Part D "Check-Up" call 1-800-351-4664
or to schedule a personal comparison you can go to one of these events:

DMACC Urban Campus Monday, November 19th

North Senior Center Park fair Mall Tuesday, November 27th

Northwest Senior Center 5110 Franklin Thursday, November 29th

Des Moines University Monday, December 3rd

DMACC Ankeny Thursday, December 6th

Upper Iowa University Monday, December 10th

Brooks Community Center Wednesday, December 12th

Hope you find the plan that's right for you!

We'll post more later.
PWD

New Pharmacy Rules, McCoy Hearing, and The Voice of the Iowa Energy

Good Morning and thanks for responding to the Blog yesterday. It always helps to hear what you are thinking about some of the stories we bring you on the morning News.



In this morning's Headlines:



Over the Counter

The rules for what kinds of drugs you can get over the counter could change. The FDA is considering expanding the list of drugs you don't need a doctor's approval to get. The list could include things like birth control pills and migraine medicine.

I'm not opposed to a form of this but I would think an initial prescription would still be appropriate. Then it could be up to the doctor and patient to monitor the use of the drug.



Iowa Poll

The Dems are still knotted up at the top. Edwards, Clinton and Obama are all still within the margin of error in the latest New York Times Poll. On the Republican side, look out! Here comes former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. He's just six points behind Mitt Romney in this latest poll.



Kids Gyms

Megan Reuther walked us around a "kids only" gym. It looks a lot like a play area and may seem like a little bit of a gimmick for those of us who grew up just playing. I don't have kids and I don't know this to be true, but I would think kids today need more formalized activity. When you're competing with video games and the things that can keep a kid inside, making play a little more formalized and fun could be a way to reinforce activity as a way of life. What do you parents think?



Jeriann's Trivia Question

At first Jeriann had her trivia for this week's fun forecast as: The only Iowa Native to win the Heisman Trophy Grew up in the town she's going to visit...Who's the winner? We had to amend that to: Who was the only Heisman winner to play in and grow up in Iowa?

I was on Wikipedia...and found out that the first ever Heisman winner was from Dubuque. I didn't know that.

Voice of the Energy

They held tryouts for the PA announcer at Iowa Energy games yesterday. It was really interesting to see some of the people who showed up. Good voices. It would be a fun job if you love basketball. I have to admit, I've always wanted to be the PA announcer for a sports team.

Brooke had a busy morning so

PWD

Another Great Day, How Do You Smoke? and The Secret Blog?

Good Morning!

Ok I'll bite...What's this "new blog"? Anyone want to let the rest of us in on it? I don't care if you guys want to chatter in another place but c'mon...let us all read it...

It's about 5:30am and I figured I start this a little early. I usually forget a few things that happen during the show because my brain has already moved on by the time 7am rolls around.

We all seemed a little groggy this morning...nothing a little coffee can't cure. I think it's kicking in.

The only problem...when you're out of it, you can get a little punchy. Jeriann almost broke her neck trying to get off the set to go do her weather forecast. There are cords running all over the studio. Usually it's something you kind of avoid without thinking about it...but as she stepped down from the set, she stepped right on one of the cords. Thankfully she's fine, and a side benefit...she was defiantly awake by the time she started the forecast!

To the News:

What a Drag

The Senate Commerce Committee is taking up the question of how people smoke. The question is over light or ultra light cigarettes and how people take a drag off of them. Apparently the tobacco companies knew that people who smoked light cigarettes in the 70's took longer drags and therefore put more tar into their lungs. Congressional leaders are now out for a warning on cigarette labels saying the light cigarettes do not constitute healthier cigarettes. OK, someone correct me here, but if you smoke, don't you already know it's just plain bad for you? You can do it if you want but I'm not sure anyone can say..."oh I thought I was smoking the healthy cigarettes."

Drunk Driving x 7

We brought you a disturbing story last night about a guy who allegedly got into a van with seven kids in it when he had three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system. One of the kids in the car recognized the driver was drunk and jumped out of the car before it gout out of the parking lot. If the kids in the back know enough to get out of the car...you should never be in the driver seat.

I just don't get it. Drunk driving is one of the things I try to be really careful about. I have no frame of reference for what it feels like to reach the point of being legally drunk. I'm sure I've been there, but I am pretty sure I've never been behind the wheel when I've reached that point. Why would you put yourself in danger like that. Why would you risk the lives of kids? If you're driving...you just don't drink to excess. It's pretty simple.

Newton

They're getting together to talk about giving some tax breaks and incentives to TPI industries. This is the company that's considering putting a wind turbine factory in Newton. I'm not on the City council or county board , but I would think this would be a short meeting. They want to bring a lot of jobs and potentially the start of an entirely new manufacturing industry to town...ok...let's do it.

Gore

Al Gore is still not running for President

Soldier Mailing Deadline

If you have a soldier overseas today is the first mailing deadline to get a package to him/her by Christmas.

Caucus and Coronas

If you are thinking about caucusing but haven't before go on down to Court Avenue tonight for the final Caucuses and Coronas Event. Erin Keirnan will be one of the Celebrity guests that you can vote for in the mock caucus.

The idea here is to vote for your favorite celebrity...but they're going to do it Caucus style so people know how to do this. 5:30pm at the State Historical Building.

Have a Great Day

PWD

What a Monday!, Veterans Day and Carlisle Fire

Good Monday morning.

I hope any of you who know a Vet take the time to thank them for their service today. If you have the day off, maybe go on down to one of the memorial services that start at ten around the state capitol.

To the News:

JJ Dinner and Planting Questions

The Jefferson Jackson dinner took over downtown Des Moines over the weekend and by the way...took a REALLY long time. It didn't end until after 11:30. Our Political reporter D Price has a lot of good insight on iowavotes2008.com take a look at all of the info. We're in the hope stretch for the Caucuses now and the pundits think Sen Barak Obama helped his chances of winning Iowa with this speech. No one bombed, but Obama apparently stood out. That's saying something if you ask me because he went last. If people's brains weren't numb by the time he took the stage I'd be really surprised. If they thought his speech was the best, I'm impressed.

The other piece of news that came out was about Sen Hillary Clinton's campaign planting questions at an event. I doubt she's the only one doing it...and by the way semantics don't work for me here. If a Presidential candidate's campaign "screens" the questions first...that's the same thing in my mind as "planting" the question. It's just not the same as the candidate picking someone at random to ask a question.

Smoke Signals

Some of you on the South side of the metro might have seen the smoke rising from a fire at a Mid-American Sub Station this morning. It's actually left over from a fire last night that's still burning. Oil inside the sub-station caught fire and the fire department decided to let it burn itself out because no one was at any risk and no one lost power. Anyway, that's what that long plume of smoke was if you were wondering.

Meet the Press

It was a busy weekend here at Channel 13. Tim Russert and the Crew of Meet the Press were in town to do their show live. I watched the interview with Sen Obama and thought he did well. "Earnest" was the word some of my friends and family used to describe his effort. I also heard the criticism though that he seemed less personable than some people expected. He answered the questions well, but it seemed clinical...not personal. Anyway I'm sure Dave has some thoughts on how the weekend went and his are much more interesting than anything I'd say. He was actually in the building.

Take the Tags off Dummy!

That's what my wife and at least one of our viewers was yelling at the TV this morning.

It's not that I'm dumb, I got a new sport coat this weekend and wanted to see how it looked on air before I took the tags off. I wasn't sure if the pattern was going to make the camera go crazy.

Don't tell me you haven't done this before...I have friends who are notorious for buying something...wearing it...then returning it.

In any case, apparently the jacket was fine. I'm keeping it I think.

Veterans Day

I agree with Pat, we should say thank you to all of the veterans we know. It's hard to imagine what they experienced and we should all be grateful for the sacrifices they made while they served in war times. On a related note, Marine Moms of Iowa has been putting together care packages but didn't have enough money to send the packages. We covered the story last week and after it aired donations starting coming in. In fact, the group got more money than it needed. The extra cash will be split among families of the 224th Marine Reserve Unit.
BB

My MIZZOU Tigers are #5 in the nation. I'm pulling for Iowa State to beat KU this weekend. That would make my week. M-I-Z.......

Thanks everyone for all the Gen-X Moms story ideas. We will start up the series again this Thursday morning. The blog will be updated as well. I'll start contributing to it on a weekly basis and some of the other mothers in the newsroom may contribute.

Have a great week.

PWD

Jefferson Jackson DInner, The Sierra Closes and Jeriann is in Webster City

Happy Friday everyone! Jeriann was in Webster City today for her "Where in Iowa is Jeriann" Fun Forecast. I thought she and Megan did a nice job highlighting the town and all its unique history. For example, did you know that Webster City has two Pulitzer Prize Winners? Anyway, the people of Webster City were very gracious and welcomed us with open arms. There is nothing I love more than small-town Iowa hospitality.
(It's Pat now):I'm sitting at my house on break right now. I just woke up from a quick catnap and I ate some of the goodies Jeriann brought back for us from W City. The Cookies were great, the Caesar Wrap was excellent and that strawberry soup? Jeriann was right on in her description.
Thank You Whoops-ti doos!

Jefferson Jackson Dinner
This is the State Democratic Party's biggest fundraiser. This year 6 of the Presidential candidates will be there. And Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will host the event. Meet the Press will broadcast live from our studios on Sunday Morning. The candidates are really gearing up for the Caucuses, so you will probably see more of them going into the final stretch. I guess that means they will practically live here until January.

The Sierra Closes
We had a small mention of this in the news this morning. The Sierra 3 opened in 1973 and frankly I am surprised it lasted this long. The managers said they couldn't compete with the Jordan Creek Century Theatres. Kind of sad that it couldn't survive. The smaller theatres that don't have all the bells and whistles are having a hard time keeping up.

Toy Recall
This story surprised me. Basically, a toy retail expert says the recalls from China will NOT have an impact on what kind of toys parents buy for their children. The story says the recalls have an emotional impact on parents, but it comes right down to it, parents will still buy for their children what they want, no matter where the toys are made.

Just a couple more things. I went down to the Des Moines AM Rotary this morning right after the show. I'm thinking about joining. My brother did and it would be a good chance to see him every week. The only problem is that it's right after the show. the speakers start at 7:15 and I am going to have a hard time getting there. We'll see. The speaker was great. The second in command at the Iowa Air National Guard talked about Veterans Day. One of the questions from the audience was, " does it bother you that the Media only report the negative stories out of Iraq?" I don't mind questions like this but I will say this. I feel like NBC news and WHO-TV have done a good job keeping people informed of the news as it comes out of Iraq. If you missed it, I thought NBC sis a really good job on the third anniversary of the war. Richard Engle has done very fair stories outside of Bagdhad that I thought showed a better picture of what is really going on, on the ground. There is, however, still a war going on. It's not nice to hear about and I'm sure people feel like that's, "all they hear about". On balance though, I think there has been some really good reporting going on.

Locally, we do good stories whenever we hear about them. I'm not saying we pander to supporting the war, but I think Iowans have shown their support or distaste fr the war in very civil ways. It has made it easier to do relevant and responsible stories on each side.

I know this is short...
Hope you have a great weekend!
BB+PWD

Date Rape Drug in a Toy?, Hy-Vee Hall Expansion and Winter Weather Awareness,

Good Morning.

First of all kudos bloggers for your responses yesterday.

I loved hearing what all of you had to say yesterday regarding the environment. I think a lot of people share your same opinions. It was fun to read your responses.

Also... just wanted to let all of you know that we are starting up Gen-X Moms again. The first story will air on Thursday and I will do a new one every week. I am told the blog will be up in a few days again and I will be contributing to it as much as possible. So, watch for that. Thanks for being patient on this. I know a lot of you want it back. With that said, please send me story ideas for the GEN-X series. I want to know what young moms are concerned about these days. As a new mom, I am thinking about a limited number of topics like sleeping through the night and when to start rice cereal. My focus is pretty limited so I need help being steered toward issue that effect moms.

If you tuned in around 5:30 I'm afraid I set Brooke off a little this morning. I have the tendency to get off my script a little and adlib. sometimes it works...sometimes I add in something that doesn't make a lot of sense. If you watched at 5:30, I was guilty of the later.

We recovered and moved on...but I think ti was just what everyone needed. We were all dragging a little this morning. I got to the set and realized I hadn't combed my hair when I went to the bathroom to get ready. I'm not sure why. My only excuse is that I was sleepwalking a little this morning and the coffee wasn't all that good.

Recall

This may be the most bizarre recall we've seen yet. A bead set from a Canadian company actually turns into the Date rape Drug GHB when ingested. You guessed it...it was made in China and apparently the chemicals can cause dizziness and can cause children to go into a coma or even die if they ingest too much of the chemical. This is scary. We have more information about this product and the recall on a separate blog we created this morning.

Hy Vee Hall

Polk County Sups are considering the expansion of Hy-Vee Hall. This isn't new news but it looks like they're closer to making a decision. They may just extend out the financing for the construction of the building. That would give em more money...they'd still use gaming money to pay the debt off.

Presidential Polls

There is a new poll out by the Wall Street Journal that says Hillary is smoking her competition -- at least at a national level. 47% of likely voters want her to be President. Barack Obama trails with 25% and John Edwards with 11%. But here in Iowa we know the gap isn't as wide. Most polls show it is a tighter race. The Republican side is interesting. Rudy Guiliani leads the Wall Street Journal Poll with 33% followed by John McCain with 16% and Fred Thompson with 15%. Mitt Romney, who leads polls here in Iowa isn't even on that poll. This is why I love the Iowa Caucus Season. You never know what is going to happen!

By the way, Tim Russert will be hosting "Meet the Press" live from our studios Sunday morning. Should be an exciting morning around here for everyone who works what is usually a pretty laid back shift. Mike, one of the guys who works in our control room on Sunday morning said everyone has to be in at 2:00 to make sure everything is in place. Today the studio is being cleaned from top to bottom. Tim Russert is a big deal around here!

Have a great day. See you tomorrow.

BB

Early Buzz: Another Toy Recall

The latest toy recall isn't for led paint or choking hazard...this one is being recalled because if you swallow the small beads that come with the toy, they interact with your body like the Date Rape Drug GHB.
Here's the recall information if you have the toy:
CONSUMERS CAN CONTACT SPIN MASTER AT (800) 622-8339 OR THROUGH THE COMPANY'S WEB SITE AT: WWW.AQUADOTSRECALL.COM

Gas Prices, Shuttle Sighting and Set Talk

Good Morning!

I work with really smart, really opinionated people. I won't go into the particulars but we had several really interesting conversations while we were in commercial. Fred Thomson's New commercial, the possibility of another Clinton as President, NBC's Going Green Week and Oprah all came up during breaks. No particulars but we covered all sides of these topics and as I say, I consider myself lucky to work with some smart people.

To the News:

Gas Prices

The price of a gallon of gas is more than three dollars a gallon this morning....even for the ethanol blend. That price was a debate this morning because our producer Heather saw the price up at $3.02/gallon in Ankeny even when she came in late last night. I saw $2.89/gallong in Des Moines still early this morning. So I guess the moral of the story is, if you see it for cheaper than 3 bucks...fill er up. The price of a barrel of crude oil is expected to hit the $100 mark today. That milestone means we haven't seen the end of the climb in our gas prices. Just be glad you don't live in California. They're talking about four dollars a gallon by the end of the week.

Shuttle Sighting

How many of you stepped outside and saw the Shuttle Discovery as it flew over in low orbit this morning. The Shuttle crew is going to be home today just after Noon our time. Look for live coverage of the return at Noon.

NASA said you would be able to see Discovery at exactly 5:36 and they were right... down to the minute. Amazing to me. Photojournalist Roger Riley caught it on video. It looked like a bright star.

Cemetery Murder

How Chilling was the taped confession of Robert Meyers? He was one of the people accused of killing Matthew Stegman in Woodland Cemetery last year. He will get a plea deal that a Judge still has to approve. It will still put him in jail for most of the rest of his life, but not his entire life.

Elections and Results

We saw no change in the City of Des Moines' Government. Mayor Cownie is back for a second term and Chris Coleman is back for another term as an at-large City Council member. Out in West Des Moines I think they're hoping to put The Brad Olsen issue behind them with the election of a new second ward Council member. Meanwhile a lot of you were probably interested in the results from Iowa City's vote about raising the age to get into a bar to 21. The measure failed, though I heard initially it was reported out of Johnson County that the measure had passed. Anyway, sorry for the confusion.

Cheney Impeachment?

You didn't hear it wrong this morning...the Democrats BLOCKED an effort to debate the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney. The resolution came forward from Presidential Long Shot Dennis Kucinich, and has been talked about but you might say Republicans called the bluff. They supported debate of the measure on the floor of the House. As the New York Times put it:

It is hard to know which effort has longer odds, the bid by Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, to become president of the United States, or his bid to unseat Vice President Dick Cheney by impeaching him.
Both efforts got a brief burst of publicity on Tuesday when Mr. Kucinich brought his bill to impeach Mr. Cheney to the House floor and, with the surprise help of Republicans aiming to embarrass Democratic Congressional leaders, nearly succeeded in securing an hour of debate.
After a motion to table Mr. Kucinich’s bill failed, the majority leader, Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, stepped in with a motion to refer the bill back to the House Judiciary Committee. That motion succeeded, by a near-party-line vote of 218 to 194, and spared the Democrats a potentially embarrassing distraction.
House Republicans initially opposed the effort to debate Mr. Kucinich’s impeachment measure, and briefly there were 290 votes in favor of tabling it.
But then the Republicans sensed an opportunity to irritate the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, who has said the Democrats have no interest in impeaching Mr. Cheney or President Bush over the Iraq war. The Republicans began changing their votes, and by the end, the tally was 251 to 162 not to table it, with 165 Republicans voting no.

There are a lot of people screaming a lot of ridiculous things at the top of their lungs on both sides of the aisle. They do it for headlines without ever intending to follow through...it makes a good sound byte. I'm glad someone finally got called out on it. I guess Democrats don't actually think the Vice President or President broke the law when making the decision to lead the country into the Iraq war. If you don't really mean it...don't say it on national TV.

Going Green

If you missed Megan's story this morning you missed a good one. As many of you know NBC is making an effort to Go Green this week. We found a good tie in to that effort. The Southeast Polk School District is now only using cleaning products that are "certified green". Bottom line: The District reports fewer sick days for staff and students, and says the green cleaning products are saving the District money. I can get behind both of those causes.

On the larger issue of going Green, Sally and I had a long discussion about this last night. My lesson learned is that I am in way over my head talking to someone who's got two degrees in Environmental Science and Policy. But as we talked I think my bottom line is this: I'm sick of this debate being so back and white. I don't believe I fall into the either category of "environmentalist", or "Earth killer". I'm somewhere in between. The only problem is, I find everyone's mad at me. If I back an environmentally friendly idea, there's someone waiting to tell me I'm on board with the wackos. If I show any scepticism toward a theory of climate change or long term effect of human consumption...I'm just a wacko in denial!

I get that some of this stuff is a no brainer. Recycling is good. If we can reuse something...make me an argument why we shouldn't be doing it! But in the same way someone is going to have to admit that we aren't near the point where we can make solid conclusions about where the earth is going to be 100 years from now. Study, discussion, conservation of limited resources and finding innovative ways to make all of this cost effective are all good in my opinion...just stop hating on me cause I'm not drinking your particular flavor of the environmental Kool-Aid.

Have a Good Day.

PWD

P.S. The whole font color thing is just so you can tell who's saying what. I can't imagine it's that hard to figure it out...and besides...don't tie me down to one color man!