Obama's Speech, Who's the VP and Charlie's Swimming

Good Morning
As I write this I'm refreshing the blog page following Iowa's Charlie Wittmack's swim across the English Channel. More on that later but between that and Sen McCain's VP pick, we're hitting that refresh button a lot.
I wanted to add, thanks for the comments and the back and forth yesterday. This election is going to bring out some strong opinions. It seemed like there was at least a respectful, though argumentative, tone to the posts. Keep em coming.
So to the news:

Obama's Speech
Sen Obama did what he's done so often...deliver a good speech. It had a stronger more aggressive tone to it and was less flowery than we've heard in the past. The reviews are generally good. I thought he did what he had to do on questions of security, patriotism and experience where Sen McCain has attacked him successfully. He went right back at Sen McCain. The feel was, " I won't shrink from a fight."
One more observation: I saw video of Sen Obama and his wife after the speech standing on stage talking. They were looking at each other and talking like no one else was in the stadium. I'm not sure you can fake that...and I think this is what attracts a lot of people to Obama's personality. That was a real moment. You would have been able to see someone playing for the camera a mile away. Now, does that says ANYTHING about his qualities or qualifications as a presidential candidate? No way Now How...to borrow a phrase. It may say something about him as a husband and her as a wife...but more than anything it's just an observation. The problem is, some voters will mistake that likeable quality as qualification. Personality is certianly something we want in our leaders but charismatic does not always equal a good leader.

VP Pick
We're gooing to find out before most of you read this but Sen John McCain is going to announce his VP pick today. As of the writing of this blog, Romney is not the pick, Neither is Tim Pawlenty of MN. The Governor of Alaska was meantioned briefly, then the breathless headline came, "The Governor of Alaska... is still in Alaska.".
WHo's it going to be? My money's on Tom Ridge or another darkhorse we haven't heard of. You'd think, given the experience argument the mCcain campaign is trying to make, that they'd get someone with a good ammount of it. We'll let you know as soon as we do.

Cover Girl
I have to brag on my sister a little. She's a third grade teacher in the public schools in Wilmette Illinois. Yesterday, this week's edition of The Wilmetter Life (hometown paper) featured Katie on the cover getting ready for class. Here's the picture------------->
For a guy who reads the news on TV for a living, I can't think of someone who deserves more headlines than someone who is dedicating her life to teaching kids. I'm very proud of my big sister.

Charlie's Swim
I'm glues to the computer waiting for an update from Charlie Wittmack's swim across the English Channel. We got our second update during the show that said he was doing fine, had gone about five miles and had eaten twice. Nothing since. If you missed this one Charlie Wittmack is the firs Iowan to summit Mt Everest. This week he's trying to become the first American to complete what's called, "The Peak and the Pond". That's summit Everest and swim the Channel. The blog entries are great.

Cameras on the Road
Sonya just walked in and pulled up the ruling from the Iowa Supreme Court saying Davenport's traffic ordinance that uses traffic cameras to bust people is invalid. we'll have an update on the Noon show...lots to work on before then so I'm going to go get some food.

Have a good weekend,
PWD

Historic Night?, What's a Picture Worth? and From the Mailbag

Good Morning!

It's back to the gym tonight after a few days off. I've been running but haven't had a good workout in a while. I'm back to using a trainer. Dee seems intent on making sure I can't walk or lift my arms the day after her new workout plan. I'll type while I can.

Historic Night?

No matter what your party affiliation is, you have to acknowledge that last night's Democratic Convention session fits the description, "historic". For the first time one of the major political parties has nominated an African-American for it's Presidential Candidate.

That said, I felt like the national press was doing a little too much drooling over the Obama nomination. In the end there is a political race going on here and the words they use to describe each of the candidates does make a difference.

I read one report this morning off the AP wire that "Barack Obama stepped triumphantly into history"... Obama's nomination sealed a political ascent as astonishing as any other in recent memory..." I doubt reporters will use that kind of language to describe anything that happens at the Republican convention...

I point this out only to remind people that the words we read can have an impact on our opinions and outlook. It's nice writing but it doesn't say anything about what Sen Obama is going to do should he be elected.

Both of these men are qualified and competent. Both men love their country and both genuinely want what's best for the country. They simply have different perspectives on how the country should go about it's business over the next four years. You can demonize or elevate either one but what it should come down to for all of us in November is: which set of plans do we think will work better. Vote for the one you think will do the best job. Respect the other for putting themselves up for election.

What's a Picture Worth?

Did you see the picture of the Community College President holding a mini-keg of beer over a woman's mouth? It ran in the Register this weekend. We got word late this morning that Iowa Central's President Dr Bob Paxton resigned. Here's a link to the Fort Dodge Messenger article.

So is this picture enough to cost him his job?

I know since taking a job in TV 14 years ago, I've tried to make sure I'm not in that kind of a position. There are any number of people who might have their professional reputation damaged by a picture like this. I'm sure we all have pictures in a drawer somewhere we don't want splashed up on the Internet. Educators are certainly held to a higher standard and a lot of people say they should be. What do you think?

From the Mailbag

We ran the story again this morning saying Shawn Johnson is going to be leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democratic National Convention tonight before Sen. Obama accepts the party's nomination. Shawn stressed thorough her agent that this is NOT a political statement and that she'll do the same for Republicans if they'd like her to show up in Minneapolis. Still, We've had a couple of emails stating people's dismay at the decision.

One woman wrote to tell us she thinks the decision borders on abuse and manipulation by Shawn's parents. She also bemoaned Shawn's appearance on the Ellen Show, citing Ellen's recent marriage to another woman as evidence of Shawn's parent's political beliefs. She even threw a "shame on you" in there for good measure.

I don't know Shawn Johnson or her parents but I don't get any sense that these two are abusing their daughter. To the contrary, they're letting her experience the notoriety and fame that comes with the accomplishment she's worked all her life to achieve. They asked her to lead the Pledge of allegiance, not the debate over the party's platform!

These Olympic Athletes have about sixty seconds to reap the rewards of their accomplishments before we all forget about them.

Ask Phoebe Mills.

"Who?" you say.

Thanks for making my point.

I can't blame Shawn for taking the opportunity to be in the spotlight. An appearance on Ellen doesn't mean Shawn endorses Ellen or what she does in her private life. It means she wants to do some cool stuff with her new found fame! I say let her.

I hope you all have a great day!

PWD

Dems Unite, Shawn's Homecoming and Charlie Waits

Good Morning...
Trying to get back on track this morning so lets get right to it!

Dems Unite!
So who believed Sen Hillary Clinton last night? Are any of you Clinton supporters who will now take up the Obama cause? Will some of you sit this one out?
Some of the polling numbers have to be scaring Democrats. I've heard as many as 50 percent of people who identify themselves as Clinton supporters may support McCain rather than Obama. Sen Biden speaks tonight along with Former President Bill Clinton. Then it's on to Investco Field where Sen Obama will accept the party's nomination for President.

Shawn's Homecoming
Would you believe we got complaints about putting that on TV? We did. Now nothing we get in an email will surprise me. This was a fun event...thrown together. No one spent months planning the program or compiling a lit of people to speak or appear. She won the gold about a week ago and they took the last week to put something together. This is a quintessential Iowa event...just a bunch of neighbors getting together to say congratulations. If you wanted a made-for-TV event...I think that might have taken away some of the genuine feeling of this Homecoming Celebration.
I thought Shawn did well but the girls commented on the set that she looked tired. Who wouldn't be. Still, she continues to represent herself, this community and the state of Iowa in a way that's hard not to admire.

Charlie Waits
Charlie Wittmack was the first Iowan to Summit Mt Everest in 2003. He is trying to become the first American to both Summit Everest and Swim the English Channel. It's called the Peak and the Pond. The problem? The pond isn't cooperating. We expected him to be in the water today...no such luck. If you want to follow along with Charlie...here's the link.

Fantasy Football Run Amok
I may have crossed a line this fall. I joined a second Fantasy Football League. This one is with guys from all over the country. I got sucked in by a friend. The problem is, all of these guys have busy schedules. So we're drafting at all hours of the day and night online. It's a distraction...But I'm going to enjoy NFL football a lot more this year. Do any of the Wives who read this participate in a FFL? Any thoughts on the explosion of FFLeagues? I'm just looking for your perspective. Sal's pretty cool about the whole thing. I took time when her parents were in town to go draft one of my teams. It's got to be hard if you don't like football though.

Anyway...blog about these or any other topics you like.
PWD

Tuesday

You know with a title like that it's not going to be the best blog post I've ever put up here.
Tuesday got away from me a bit for personal reasons...Nothing bad just one of those days.
Anyway...I hope some of you will get down tot he Wells Fargo Arena for Shawn Johnson's homecoming tonight at six. We should have a lot to talk about tomorrow with Sen Clinton's speech tonight at the Dems Convention in Denver...
We'll take up those topics and whatever else comes up tomorrow morning
PS-Thanks for the response to the response yesterday. It's true we are picking up the Fox news at Nine broadcast. Lynn Melling will be anchoring the show. So she left the weekends but she's not leaving us. Dave Price will be your new Weekend Anchor.

Dems in Denver, Bye Bye Beijing and Weekend Update

Good Morning...
Hope you all had as enjoyable a weekend as I did.
Friday night we were at the Science Center's Annual Auction and helped raise nearly 60-thousand dollars in the live auction. We didn't get a total from the silent auction but it was a fun night. Sally surprised me by bidding on, and winning a painting by our neighbor Jim Navarro. He's an incredibly talented artist and she's always wanted one of his paintings.
It was a quiet weekend otherwise...the boys from WHOTV had the annual Fantasy Football draft this weekend. Can't say I'm going to win anything but it usually makes it more fun to watch the games if you've got some sort of a dog in the fight.
Kudos to the staff over at Felix and Oscars for making us feel so welcome.
We grilled Saturday night for my family and Sally's family (in town for the SCI event) under what can only be described as PERFECT weather. After a quick goodbye Sunday morning Sally and I went out and enjoyed the sunshine on the driving range before calling it a night. Hope you had a good weekend too.

Dems in Denver
Is it foreshadowing that a tornado blew through Denver the day before the Democrat's convention starts? I can joke cause no one was hurt and nothing was damaged...but seriously. Does anyone else get the feeling something off-script is going to happen this week. I I were on Sen Obama's campaign I'd be worried all the way up to the point that Sen Clinton releases her delegates to vote for him.
Two Iowans of note will be at the convention this week. Rep Jim Leach will be speaking tonight. If some of you are doing a double take reading that...you're right. Leach is a Republican...or was...or is...not sure. Anyway He represented eastern Iowa and has long been considered a moderate at best. If you listen to the hard core republicans in the state...they just consider him a Democrat.
Shawn Johnson will also be at the convention leading the delegates in the pledge of allegiance before Sen Obama is introduced as the nominee. That will cap off a whirlwind week for Shawn.
This seems the appropriate time to put in a plug for the Tuesday night 6pm welcome home hosted by WHO-TV Sports Director Keith Murphy. It's at Wells Fargo Arena.

Speaking of Keith, congrats to the Soundoff crew on its 600th episode!
Hope you all have a great start to the week. As always any questions comments or concerns...bring em!
PWD

Olympic Investigation, VP Search/Homes and Goodbye Heather

Good Morning!
Our Heads are hanging, we're in the dumps, our future is uncertain and we're not sure how we'll go on....
OK maybe that's a little over dramatic but our highly competent Today in Iowa Producer Heather Lewis is leaving us. People often ask how much writing we do and how we pick the stories for the show. The answer is, Heather does a lot of the writing and picks the rundown for our show every morning. She has come in at 10:30 pm and worked overnight for the last two years, making this show the best it can be every morning. To say we appreciate her effort isn't saying enough. She will be missed.

To the news:

Investigation
OK so when you went to bed the IOC was going to step in and investigate the age of the Chinese gymnasts. If this gave you some small hope that justice would be done and the US team might eventually get the gold...too bad.
It seems it took all of 12 hours for the IOC to decide there was no was to prove the age of the gymnasts from China so...too bad.
I can't imagine this turning out any other way right now. We may, some day, have a different answer, but for now the IOC can't insult it's host country. Can you imagine the public outcry in China if it was stripped of the Gold? I bet the government would allow a few protesters out on the streets then wouldn't they?
I'm also gripping the keyboard as tightly as I can this morning worried I might drop it. I became afraid of dropping things after watching the menus and women's 4x100 meter relay teams last night. I've run that race before and so I know it's hard to make a pass going full speed, but I also agree with NBC's commentators last night. Of all of the US "teams" the track and field has become anything but a team. Every athlete has his or her own agenda, and there's no cohesiveness. Not that anyone follows track and field outside a 12 month period surrounding the Olympics but this should be fixed. It's like when we started losing in basketball...
But look at it this way...at least we'll have another "redeem team" next Olympics.


VP
Everyone's cell phone charged? The VP announcement is coming out in the next day or so from the Obama Campaign. Any predictions? Quick...it could be out sooner rather than later.
Also the argument over McCain and how many houses he has...now we're getting into silly season. I understand McCain's lack of knowledge of how many homes he owns passes understanding for most of us. Still, it's not like Obama lives in a two bedroom ranch in Beaverdale. the guy is hardly middle class. So lets not throw stones from our houses...(glass or otherwise) and maybe get back to debating the actual issues this country is facing.

Again, If you'd like to hang out...please come down to the Science Center of Iowa tonight for the annual fundraising event. My folks and Sally's parents are coming to town, as is my sister. I've got a full schedule leading up to the event tonight but I'm going to try to squeeze in some sleep so I don't pass out during the auction. Brooke, Brad and I will all be around so if you're there, please don't hesitate to stop any of us and say hello!

Have a good weekend!
PWD

Maybe the Start of an Olympic Hangover

Good Morning!

I'm not sure what it is, but I just don't seem to have much to say today(mark the date and time).
We are winding down Olympic coverage, though there's no shortage of excitement left in the games. We move right into the Democratic National Convention Monday so there shouldn't be a shortage of news. It was just so much fun to watch Shawn and Lolo compete..as Sinatra sang...I'll only miss her when I think of her...

Before we get too sentimental...The News

Microsoft
The announcement comes today from the steps of the State Capitol. I know the Gov wants to Highlight the State's involvement in getting a company like Microsoft to locate it's server farm here but it seems, again, like this is more about the Gov than it is about the actual announcement. It's West Des Moines' news...wouldn't it make sense to hold the news conference in West Des Moines?

School Starting
It's the first day of classes for The Des Moines School District (among others around the state)...
I noticed the kids at Roosevelt decorated the pedestrian bridge over 235 with signs and then Roger Riley found the Roosevelt neighborhood strewn with TP. Cute. I'm not sure where this tradition started but it's dumb.
The kids in Urbandale got it right this year. Do something like dressing up as a Senior Class, or donate your time and effort for something you'd be remembered for. I think Des Moines Christian has a system where the kids work their prank out with the Principal before they do it. He allows them to have some fun and they don't go overboard. The kids then have to spend the rest of the day together going to breakfast, bowling...fun stuff that would only work with a smaller school like that, but you get the idea. Roosevelt's seniors could be a force in the community instead they just decided to be kids.

Olympics
Good articles today in several publications about Shawn Johnson's future and her marketability. Here's the short version: She's got a girl-next-door personality with a knock-you-out smile...start adding up the endorsements.
Shawn's coming home Monday. She's marching in Closing Ceremonies Sunday.
The International Olympic Committee President voiced his displeasure with Usaine Bolt's post race celebration for both the 100 and 200 meter dash. He's an amazing athlete, but I agree, he should have been more gracious.

Random
Day three of operation clean-up in the Man Room and though it doesn't appear any cleaner...I threw away two trash bags full of paperwork and junk...reorganized the file cabinet (no small task), and sold off some old VHS tapes (we don't have a VCR anymore).

I need to go home and do some dishes. I made the mistake of leaving them overnight. It seemed like a good idea at the time, because I was tired. Now I'm regretting not getting them done when I had the time last night.

Thanks for the comments about our Olympic spoiler warnings. We did our best. I just don't see how you can get through the day turning on a TV Radio or the Internet, and not have something like that come up.

Have a good day!
PWD

P.S.-Brooke and I will be at the Science Center of Iowa's annual fundraiser Friday Night. I'm emcee for the auction again this year and a member of the event's organizing committee.
You can still get tickets by calling the Science Center (274-6868) or at the door that night. It's always a great party and people under 30 get a discount on tix.

Overnight Fire, Why I Love Lolo Jones and From the Mailbag

Good Morning!
Apologies for this morning's reading of the news. Some days are just like that. It seemed my brain wasn't connected to my mouth. Oh well. Also, on our crime beat, if anyone's seen Brad Ehrlich's suit jacket, please call Crimestoppers. He usually puts it in the Men's bathroom but this morning it was missing. I know the feeling. I actually keep all my jackets here at the station. I can't trust myself to remember the right jacket every morning when I walk out the door. It amazes me sometimes that I can remember breakfast. I don't need to add to the list.

To the News:

Overnight Fire
We walked in to the heartbreaking news that a toddler died in an overnight fire in Dallas County last night. Our producer Heather told us that the firefighters tried frantically to find the child but couldn't. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Shawn and Lolo
How lucky are we? Not only are Iowa athletes some of the biggest headliners of the games but they're also some of the classiest people in Beijing this week. If I had children that played sports I'd be sitting them down and making them watch these two women. They are at the top of their respective sports, they both had great victories and crushing defeats this week...and both of them showed great character in their reaction to it all.
I just saw both women on the Today show. Lolo Jones is the rare athlete that doesn't have the pre-packaged soundbyte. She acknowledges her disappointment and resolves to find a way to improve. Show me a better example for young athletes. I don't think there is one.

From the Mailbag
As long as we're talking about the Olympics I thought I'd share my favorite overnight email.
A viewer wrote:
I am very disappointed that you chose to reveal Shawn Johnson's gold medal feat, before it aired in prime time coverage, and without a spoiler alert. Our TV has been pretty much permanently set on NBC / WHOTV during the Olympics, but with this major flub i'm switching to (Brand X).
OK I'm not sure what newscast he was watching, but we're warning people, we're putting up a graphic warning people, then we're pausing before we reveal the result. I'm not sure how much more time we can give people. We're trying to cover all our bases here. We can't go through our evening newscasts and simply ignore the results that came in almost 12 hours earlier.
Second, it wasn't a flub... we intended to give people the news. This was one of the occasions where the actual competition preceded the TV coverage by almost 15 hours. If you really wanted to wait to find out about the results...why turn the TV on to news coverage?
On a personal note, I think finding out didn't diminish the result in my head at all. I think it was still exciting, and in my case, I almost anticipated the event more knowing Shawn won!
That's just my opinion.
Hope you all have a good day!
PWD

Two Chances for Gold, NASCAR and Newton, and Mindset List

Good Morning!

I"m 34 now so you'd think a dark house by myself wouldn't be a problem. Not so. I'm not cowering around every dark corner or turning on every light, but I have to say...I heard a few crazy noises and got a little freaked out this morning. Thank goodness Sally's back home at the end of the week.

Shawn and Lolo

Both women go for the gold today. This is Shawn's final shot and Lolo's only shot at gold. I hope our warning's were enough for those of you who want to see this play out live. We gave the results from this morning's beam competition as soon as they were official. Click on the link in the last sentence if you want to see who won.

Lolo Jones runs at about 9:30...again watch for those spoiler alerts to make sure we don't ruin the surprise if you want to see the competition unfold yourself.

NASCAR

I think I'm going to go out to Newton for the announcement of next year's Nationwide Series race

at the Iowa Speedway. The announcement comes at ten am, though our sources first confirmedd the race was coming to Newton for our evening newscasts last night.

I ham not a NASCAR fan and I don't follow auto racing but I'm not sure you can overstate the importance of this race to Newton and to the track. A lot of people thought this track would never get an Indycar Race...then people thought, well, we MIGHT get a Craftsman Truck race...but Never a nationwide race. I think it's time to throw out all expectations about this track and the people running it. They're clearly doing something right and that's attracting positive attention.

Mindset List

Beloit College put it's list of cultural benchmarks that the class of 2012 has known through it's life. These will either make you laugh or make you feel old. The one I found very funny. The professor asked one of his students about Watergate and they asked..."That's where Monica Lewinsky lived right?".

Have a great day!

PWD

Shawn"s Silver, Fair Record and Man Room Clean-up

Good Morning...

I'd like to know if any of you find yourself watching sports you've never had any interest in before. I am. I had the women's field hockey game between the Netherlands and Spain up this morning on the computer while we were doing the show. Brooke said she watched an entire badminton match between two Chinese ladies. I got really into the women's 8's rowing finals and saw the US win a great water polo match this morning.. Just amazing...when you throw a flag on someone's jersey what a difference it makes.

To the news:

Olympics

Shawn Johnson came away from the weekend with a third silver medal. She performed a spectacular floor exercise and said she couldn't do any better. I believe it.

See Murph's Blog for more comment on the scoring of these events. I agree with him. Something stinks.

Nancy Stockdale joined us on the phone this morning from Beijing again. She wrote this morning about Shawn Johnson's Coach Chow and his reaction to the scoring. She told us the look on his face was one of frustration. She also told us the tape delayed uneven bars competition tonight is going to be a good one. Get ready for another judging controversy! Good Stuff again Nancy!

Lolo Jones also ran in her Semifinal race today. I won't spoil it for those of you who want to watch later today but here's a link to the story for those of you who want the information now.

Fair Record

Is it any surprise to anyone that the Fair had record numbers this year? Shouldn't be. With weather like we had last week, the fair is sure to be the beneficiary.

Man Room Clean-up

Sally is out of town for the week. For some men like me who don't have kids this could mean a lot more golf. It still might for me, but I also have a bunch of things to do around the house. It's not a honey-do list. It's projects I've wanted to do for a long time and haven't . One of them will be cleaning out "The Man Room". If you remember this is the room I can keep just about anything in...and Sally can't complain about it. Piles, old books, broken down boxes from old electronics, pictures we've never hung up on walls. It makes her skin crawl to go in there. For me it's a little slice of heaven. But it's getting a little to disorganized...even for me. So I'm going to go through old records, make sure all of our CD's are downloaded on to iTunes, shred old documents we don't need. Move some documents we do need to the safety deposit box, and throw A LOT of stuff away. I'll try to post some pictures and give you progress reports. This will not be a one day project.

Hope you have a good day.

PWD

Silver Lining, Losing a Legend, and Playing Lesson

Good Morning!
I couldn't do it. I started watching our Olympic coverage and noticed the Indoor Arena behind Bob Costas was empty. Since that's where they held the gymnastics last night I knew I wasn't going to stay up to see it all unfold.

To the news:
Silver Lining
What a range of emotions! I'm sure a lot of people will have a lot to say about Shawn Johnson and her performance at these Olympic games. Have the conversation; but remember a couple things. First, she's still got two events to compete in. Four medals would put her up there with the most decorated Olympic Gymnasts in US history.
I hope people can end up with this conclusion: She's an Olympic silver medalist and part of the first one two sweep of the women's all around competition. Shawn handled herself with a lot of grace and class after what, I can only imagine, was a disappointing finish. She's a class act and a great representative of the kind of people who live here.

Losing a Legend
The more startling headlines when I got up this morning was the death of Marvin Pomerantz. You have only to read the list of his life's accomplishments to know Iowa lost one of it's most valuable assets yesterday.

Playing Lesson
Quickly, my Mother-in-law gave me a golf "playing lesson" for my birthday recently. I would recommend anyone who really wants to make some progress on their golf game should do this. So often you go to a driving range and talk to a pro and they fix whatever is wrong with your swing on a flat surface under non-playing conditions. I think a teacher can learn a lot more about his or her student by observing how they react and perform under actual game conditions. I got a lot out of it and would recommend it to other golfers out there.

It's Friday...enjoy the weekend.
PWD

Shawn's All-Around, Breaking News and Lock-up

Good Morning!
We're following some developing news on the North side of Des Monies that kept everyone busy this morning so lets get right to it.

Shooting
Two people are dead and police have a house surrounded as I write this at 8am. As far as we know there's one man inside holding two kids and an adult hostage. They aren't sure if the two shootings are connected with the hostage situation yest but I think everyone would agree it would be a huge coincidence if they weren't. Translators are being called in because no one in the house speaks English.
We have these situations from time to time where live coverage of a developing events might actually effect what's going on on the scene. We were really careful this morning NOT to show any of the tactical team members as chopper was overhead. We backed up the chopper to make sure police didn't have a distraction or problems hearing. Situations like this can change so quickly...we don't want to add to an already dangerous situation for police.
Situation resolved by 8:25. Police got the kids out safely. At least one adult came out on a stretcher. Our crews are getting details.

All-Around Shawn
The Women's individual all around final is tonight. Based on her performance so far, I would expect really good things from her. I can't decide if I want to stay up and watch the entire thing tonight. It would be a REALLY late night for me. Jerianne and Brooke are talking about sleeping today and staying up tonight. Maybe.

From the too Little too Late File:
University of Iowa President Sally Mason is requiring all University personnel to take sexual harassment training. A university professor is now charged with bribing students, telling women they'll get better grades if they give him sexual favors. What in the heck is going on over in Iowa City?

Lock-up
Sonya and Erin will be "locked up" at Splash Seafood Bar & Grill today as a fundraiser for the MDA. Set aside the fact that being locked-up at Splash is like punishing a kid by giving him a boost in his allowance...but it's for a good cause. The goal is for them to raise more than sixteen hundred dollars each. They'll be calling friends and asking for $. I think you can either stop by or make a pledge online. Of course all of the money goes to MDA.

Hope you all have a good day. Questions or comments? Leave em here and we'll try to answer!
PWD

Silver Medals, Baby Goats and a One Man Band

Good Morning!

We had it all this morning thanks to the efforts of Jeriann at the Fair. We'll get to that in a minute...

First, The News

Silver Lining

How can you not be proud of the way the US Women's Gymnastics team handled itself last night and this morning? The team was the favorite to win gold in the team competition but injuries and some mistakes meant the Chinese get the gold. Nancy Stockdale from the Register got on the phone with us this morning. She talked about how gracious Shawn was after the Medal Ceremony. She also talked about the delay Alecia Sacramone had before he beam routine. Anyone who watched...what do you think? Was the delay deliberate?

And how about those Chinese Gymnasts? Are they 16 like the Chinese say? We may never know. The sad part is that is they cheated, no one cares in China. It's about getting the Gold medals and enhancing national pride. Good enough, but I think the US team can hold it's head high this morning. We'll be watching to see how Shawn does in the All-Around Thursday.

Baby Goats and One Man Bands

Only at the Iowa State Fair. That's a good way to sum up Jeriann's time out at the Fairgrounds this morning. She had some great interviews. I loved the baby goat from the Animal Husbandry Building at the fair. It's a new feature this year just northeast of the Grand Concourse. The one man band should be roaming around near the Ag building.

And from the "Really?" file. This one came to me via email from my wife. Funny stuff.

Have a good day

PWD

Shawn's in the Finals, No Caucuses? and Saving Small

Good Morning!

Sorry about the blog yesterday, I guess I just pushed the wrong button. I wrote the blog before eight yesterday morning and didn't think about it again. I got on the phone with my parents about 5 last night and my Dad asked, "Where was the blog today?". I went home and realized I hadn't hit the right button. So yesterday's blog is posted now...here's this morning's thoughts:

Shawn

The finals of the Women's Gymnastics Team competition is tonight. Nancy Stockdale's article in this morning's Register points out, without two of the major mistakes they made Monday, the team would have qualified first ahead of China. So hopefully the other gymnasts on the team can settle down and just do what they do...clean routines. I would say I'm looking forward to Shawn's performance but I have this horrible feeling I'm going to need to be asleep before she competes.

Speedy Speedo

The US success in the poll over in Beijing is, at least in part, due tot he hard work of an Iowa State Professor.

Dr Rick Sharp was part of the R&D team that helped Speedo put the suit together. He says it tucks certain parts of the body in so the swimmer has less drag in the water. Have you seen some of these swimmers? Not much to tuck.

No Caucuses?

We reported this completely predictable move from Clinton Supporters in the Democratic Party this morning. They want to cut the Caucus process. Good Luck.

This is like the Patriots lobbying the NFL to restrict passing plays on the last two minutes of the Super Bowl. Didn't something like 240-thousand people show up to caucus for the Democrats? If the state of Iowa wants to change it's Caucus to a primary, that should be up to the people of Iowa. Now I read this morning that a Clinton advisor is now blaming John Edwards for Clinton's loss. If Edwards had been honest about his infidelity and just dropped out Clinton would have won.

I have to confess, I might also be to blame for Hillary Clinton's Caucus loss. I woke up on the right side of my bed January 4th. I just wanted to give them another excuse.

I have to say my impression of the Clinton team in Iowa is an arrogant group that had preordained it's candidate the Nominee. Maybe if they'd come in and embraced the Iowa process and the people of Iowa a little more Sen Clinton might have won.

But, what do I know...I'm just a dumb Iowa voter.

Moving Day

Did you see the house they were trying to move up MLK this morning. Obviously this was supposed to be out of the way before the rush hour and for the most part that happened...but it was funny watching the thing try to get past the lights along MLK.

Saving Small

I'll let Brooke Talk about her Gen X Mom's report when she adds to the Blog.

Have a good day...

PWD

Shawn's Debut, Record Relay and Cast Your Kernel

Good Morning!

We're three days into the Olympics and I'm hooked! We watched Opening Ceremonies(almost too much to believe), a great Women's Volleyball game in HD, swimming Saturday night, and of course, Gymnastics.

And this morning the Olympics are the News:



Shawn's Debut

The announcers were near panic last night as the US team took the floor for its first preliminary event last night. down one gymnast, the Americans looked rattled...all of them except Shawn Johnson. You get the feeling she didn't out her best out there, I expect we'll see it for the team finals Tuesday and again for the all-around individual finals Thursday. That's appointment TV.



Lolo

We got an update from our Des Moines Register partner reporter Bryce Miller this morning. As he's done already, Bryce looked ahead to his coverage of the track. He gave us a great reminder that there are other Iowa Olympians and they'll be on the track later this week. Bryce also previewed his story about Lolo for us. If you aren't familiar with her family history, read Bryce's story when it comes out.



Record Relay

Isn't this why we watch the Olympics? Some second rate swimming country talks smack about the US team and the boys go out and hang a come from behind heart breaker on the Frenchies. Those guys looked like they had motors on their legs!

Here's an idea of how fast these guys were swimming. Five teams broke the previous world record and only three of them won a medal! Michael Phelps swam an American record of 47.51 seconds in his leg. That stood for about a minute, until Jason Lezak went up and back in 46.06! I'm glad I didn't stay up for this one...The entire neighborhood would have been awake by the time it was done.



Cast Your Kernel

I spent about three hours out at the Cast Your Kernel Booth Sunday. I was supposed to be there Saturday and got a call from Erin Keirnan asking, "Are you on your way to the Fair?" Should I be?

I thought I was supposed to work the second weekend. Our Promotions Department was nice enough to reschedule me to Sunday.

Anyway, I found the responses to the Cast your Kernel very interesting. A woman walked up and insisted we put a jar out for the Green Party. I tried to explain that wasn't the poll we were taking, but she wasn't going to listen. She grabbed a jar, took a pen out of her pocket, and wrote "Green Party" on the side of the jar. After she dropped her kernel into he jar and left, we took the jar down.

I get the point people, we don't have all the choices that will be on the ballot for president. As I tried to explain, we're simply asking which of the two major party candidates you prefer. It's not a comprehensive poll, it's just an informal poll.

Other observations

• Iowans are honest. More than one person came by the booth twice, but when we asked, "have you voted?" the answer seemed to come out automatically..."Yes"


• People take this choice seriously. I can't tell you the number of people who stood there and agonized over their choice. Ease up on yourselves. I promise we won't hold anyone to their choice if they want to change sides.


• The number of Democrats voting for MCain surprised me. I kept hearing over and over..."I just can't trust Obama". Looks like Hillary Clinton really did a number on Sen Obama.


• You can't judge a book by its cover. I would look at someone approaching the booth and think...there's a McCain supporter. Sure enough, they'd drop a kernel for Obama.

Hope to see some of you out at the Fair this week. Thanks for all of the responses to the blog last Friday. We don't have anymore breaking personal news to report, but I hope you'll comment anyway.

PWD

I would have sworn I'd posted this earlier...thank goodness for Dads. Mine told me there was no blog when we were on the phone tonight...thanks Dad

Olympics, Art Sale and Jeriann's Mailbag

Good Morning!
One of the more debated tidbits of the show came this morning when Jeriann answered a viewer email as she often does....on the air. She called it Breaking Weather News:
Jeriann here...I’ve been receiving e-mails asking questions like this a lot lately….
“I was wondering if you were trying to hide the fact that you are pregnant?”
Yes, I have been gaining weight… but it is for a good reason. My husband and I are expecting our first child in February. We are very excited! But, I’m having a hard time finding cute maternity clothes so I keep squeezing into my suites. If you have any suggestions on where to shop… I would appreciate some help.

This email in particular was similar to others she's been getting lately. Our viewers don't like to beat around the bush. We can take suggestions later on how one might phrase that question a little more delicately, but Jeriann was happy to answer...
We couldn't be happier. If you've been reading Erin Keirnan's blog you got wind of this a week or so ago, but we haven't said anything on air.
We probably won't talk about it much but she just wanted to point out what's becoming obvious. And for the record, we all think she looks great!

Olympics
Did anyone hear about something happening in China for the next 2 weeks? If you're watching your TV and thinking...what the heck is going on, I'll try to explain the Today Show's slight of hand here. Today must have taped its show this morning. They talked to Bob Costas and Matt slipped and called it "tomorrow nighty's" Opening Ceremony. The Actually Opening Ceremony started just after our show got off the air. Thus, the Today show people are all inside and can't do a show. I think they're planning live shows otherwise. Matt talked about working nights while they're over in Beijing. Our coverage of the games starts with the delayed broadcast of the opening ceremonies tonight.
Thanks to Bryce Miller for another great report over the phone from China this morning. He's going to cover the Road Cycling team today with includes Iowan Jason McCartney.

Fair and Olympics
You won't miss any of the Olympics if you're out at the Fair over the next ten days. We've set up an Olympic Pavilion so you can take a load off and watch some of the coverage eon a 16 foot high HD screen. It's over by the big yellow slide.
Cast your Kernel 08 will be right where you left in during Caucus season. Our informal, unscientific poll is back and on day one alone we had more then three thousand kernels cast. Sen John McCain is seven kernels ahead of Sen Barack Obama after day one. I think this is why they call Iowa a battleground state.
Sen McCain visits the fair at 10:30 this morning.

Art Sale?
Anyone think selling that Jackson Pollack painting at the U of I to offset the cost of The University's flood recovery is a good idea? At the very least it shows Regent Michael Gartner is thinking about the cost and not waiting around to see how someone else is going to pay for it. What do you think?

I'm going to go catch a quick nap before the Nooner. I really want to stay awake for Opening Ceremonies Tonight.
PWD

First Day Fair, Favre, and Countdown to Beijing

Good morning!

I hope that we said hi to at least a few of you who read this blog a on a regular basis when we were riding down Grand Ave last night for the State Fair Parade.

That's a picture of the judges stand on the left where Andy Fales and Jeriann judged the floats. For the record: they didn't pick our entry as a winner, of anything!

I went to bed with the soundtrack to "State Fair" in my head after riding behind a dance troupe using the score for its routine along the parade route. We also got to see Brad do a Hopscotch line someone had drawn up a long Grand Ave. I guess you have to do something to stay busy while more than 200 floats roll by.

It is a Great State Fair.

To the News:

Fair Weather

How about Day one of the State Fair? The first headline is that it's not 95 and humid. You couldn't ask for a better forecast for day one.

Headline 2 Is the throng of people who went down to the fairgrounds this morning to be part of the world record cord dog chomp with Van and Bonnie from WHO radio.

You know I like to share phone calls into the newsroom on this blog, here's one:

I just got off the phone with a very nice woman who was wondering if we were going to share the Van and Bonnie video with CNN or Fox news. I told her we're not affiliated with either of those networks but I thought maybe NBC might pick it up and pass it along to other affiliates. I doubt Nightly News will pick up. They're a little busy with a small athletic competition you may have heard of in China these days. Well, this very nice woman was not understanding. Why can't we just give the video to Fox News or CNN? That's not the way it works, I say...she wasn't having any of it.

We'll we'll pass along video of a quintessential Iowa morning to anyone at NBC who wants to use it. I hope everyone has fun out at the Fair. Only Van and Bonnie could pull that many people to one place, that early in the morning.

Favre

So I guess Bret Favre isn't going to Vikings. Good I say. Bears fans rejoice! Our chances of winning the NFC North just went up exponentially.

Beijing

We got our first live report this morning from the Register's Bryce Miller. He'd just come from the US Women's Gymnastics team workout and news conference. He told us Shawn Johnson looked like she was a lot more comfortable in the gym than she was running the gauntlet of reporters after getting out of customs. It looked like something off of entertainment tonight.

Anyway, Bryce did a great job and will be giving us live reports through the Olympics. His blog entries on the Register Website are also really good and give a little more flavor of what he's doing over there.

10:30am...As a measure of just how out of it I am this morning... I forgot. The PGA Championship starts this morning at Oakland Hills Golf Course in Michigan. Someone feel my forehead.

Hope you have a great day!

PWD

Maytag, Fair Food, and Vacation

Good Morning!...
Back from three days in southern Missouri and a lot of relaxing on a trout stream. It can make you feel like a new person...for about ten minutes...then it's back to work.
We had a great time fishing. I told Brad it's hard to explain to people why I enjoy this place so much. It's just very comfortable and it's a long way from the way we live our lives. There's only one pay phone on the property, there's no TV and They just added Internet to the lodge this year (a fact my father in-law isn't all that happy about).
I can spend an entire day on the stream shooting the breeze with three guys I enjoy, and catching A LOT of fish. The family who owns the place is always around and does everything it can to make you feel at home. The staff is the same way. One of the waitresses in the restaurant remembers every year that Rick likes home grown tomatoes...she gave him some from her garden again this year...
I ended up bringing back enough fish for friends
I ended the weekend winning our evening poker games and I got some much needed rest.
Pictures are hopefully coming. I have to find the cord that connects the camera to the computer.

To the News
Maytag
I think there's an argument to be made that workers at places like Maytag got gold plated benefits packages for a lot of years. You could also argue that it was those packages that caused problems for US labor and led to jobs moving overseas.
That said, I think if Maytag made a deal with these workers, the company that bought them out owes it to these men and women to keep their agreement. It is, in my opinion, the lowest form of corporate greed to go back on a deal to save a few bucks. This all stems from both sides, labor and management, not dealing with the spiraling cost of health care before it was too late.

Des Moines Golf Courses
The buzz around town is that this has been talked about for years. A lot of people are excited about the possibilities for Waveland Golf Course if it's turned over to private management. I would agree. I think there are some improvements that could be made tot he course that would make it competitive with some of the best in the Metro if not in the state.


New Fair food
It's got to be hard to come up with new food that actually tastes good at the Fair. This year, deep fried pineapple sounds good to me. The "fine dining" option is creative and if you really think about it , a bottle of wine and a prime rib dinner for 75 bucks isn't bad. I'll got back for my favorites: a Gizmo, a Gyro on the main concourse, and a strawberry smoothie.
What are your Fair Favorites?
and while we're on the subject of the Fair...Brook Brad and I will be manning the WHO entry to the parade, while Jeriann is the judge.

Speaking of Fair Food...
Here is the recipes we have been promising. It is the 2007 Blue Ribbon winner in the Sticky Bun Competition. These are good... and now I know why. Look at all the butter! Enjoy.

Country Caramel Rolls
(1st Place Overall Winner, Best Cinnamon Roll Contest, Iowa State Fair)
Dianna Sheehy of Audubon

Prep time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Rise time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Bake time: 25 to 30 minutes Makes 24 rolls

Rolls: 2 envelopes Fleischmann's® Active Dry Yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115°F)
3/4 cup warm mashed potatoes
3/4 cup potato water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon Tone's® Pure Vanilla Extract
7-1/2 to 8 cups bread flour

Filling:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour1 tablespoon Tone's® Ground Cinnamon

Caramel Glaze:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Karo® Light Corn Syrup
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon cream
2 cups roughly chopped pecans, toasted

Combine yeast, sugar and warm water in a small bowl; stir to combine. Combine warm potatoes, potato water, sugar, butter and salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add eggs, cold water, buttermilk, vanilla, 1 cup flour and yeast mixture. Add flour 1 cup at a time until mixture forms a soft dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic (adding additional flour as needed), about 4 to 6 minutes. OR knead with electric mixer using dough hook. Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place about 1 hour, until doubled.

For Filling: Beat filling ingredients together in a small bowl until well mixed. Set aside.For Caramel Glaze:Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, honey and cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and bubbles form around the edge. Grease two 13x9-inch pans. Place half the pecans in each pan. Divide caramel glaze between pans and spread evenly. Punch dough down; divide in half. Roll one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface to a 15x10-inch rectangle. Spread with half of the filling. Roll up tightly, sealing edges. Cut into 12 slices; place atop caramel glaze. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover rolls and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.Bake at 350ºF for 25 to 30 minutes until rolls are lightly browned. Immediately invert on cooling rack.

Hope to see you out at the Fair Parade!

Heat relief, Nashville Star, Edouard and Starbucks

Jeriann has promised some nice weather today. At least by August standards. Anything will feel better than yesterday. It was the kind of day that causes you to break out in a sweat just walking from your car into work. Today will still be in the mid-eighties but it won't be as humid.

Pat is still on vacation but is supposed to be back tomorrow.

Nashville Star
Did you watch the finale last night? I didn't get into the show this year so I didn't watch last night but we had highlights of it this morning and sadly our Iowa contestant did not win. Shawn Mayer of May City got third place on the country music reality show.

Edouard hits land
It's not a hurricane yet and it probably won't be at this point, but this latest tropical storm is bringing with it a lot of heavy rain to Texas and Louisiana.

Starbucks
Are you one of those hard core Starbucks addicts that has to make two trips in one day? If so, you might be getting a break on the price of your favorite drink. If you bring in a receipt from your morning coffee stop, you'll get one of their frozen coffee drinks for 2 dollars instead of $4.

McDonalds -- Where's the Cheese?
The fast food chain is thinking of bringing some cost-cutting measure to its menu and hoping you won't notice. The double cheese burger on the Dollar Menu may soon come with just one piece of cheese instead of two or in some places with no cheese at all. Apparently this is due to a spike in cheese prices. Last week we ran a story that the company is thinking of raising prices on its Dollar Menu, which means it will need to find a new name, I guess. Does it feel like everyday there is a story about companies trying to cut corners to continue to make money? It does to me. And usually we are on the losing end.


Cinnamon Roll Recipe
It's coming... I promise. We accidentally deleted the e-mail with the recipe but the state fair is resending it. We have had some anxious bakers wanting it. I will get it up as soon as I can. The recipe uses instant mashed potatoes. How crazy is that?

Have a good day!

Hot weather, hot buns (the cinnamon kind) and Gateway Market

Good morning. Although it is hard to really be in a good mood on a Monday when it already feels like 85 degrees at 5 a.m. It's not that we don't expect this kind of weather in August living in Iowa, but it still makes everyone a little crabby. Jeriann says temperatures will reach 95 degrees but it will feel like 105. Brace yourselves and try to take cover! I am always amazed when I see people out running on their lunch break when it is this hot. In a story we aired this morning, one of the nurses at the Mercy ER said she treated a very well-conditioned athlete for heat exhaustion yesterday which goes to show you that anyone can become a target of the hot weather...even people who are in good shape and know how to take care of themselves.

I was thinking about Pat this morning and I have a feeling he is having a time with this weather down in Missouri where it might be even hotter. He's fly fishing with his father-in-law. Have you ever seen the clothes you have to wear when you do this? The trousers with the boots attached? Pat breaks a sweat in our studio when it is 65 degrees... so I am laughing thinking about how he is handling this humidity. Come back alive, Pat!

ok... on to the news.

Random Killing
This is one of those stories that leaves you with a sick feeling in your stomach because it is hard to imagine there are people who can go through with such violent acts without any reason. Dean Davis was killed just a few steps from his Des Moines home last weekend. Police knew it was a homicide but they didn't have any leads in the case because the family couldn't think of anyone who would want to hurt this normal family-man. Come to find out, his death may have been part of violent game in which four guys were engaged. According to a police source interviewed by one of our reporters, Davis was killed by four men who were playing a game called "victim." It involves hurting a random stranger... and the guys took it too far. It's hard to believe these things happen in Des Moines or really anywhere for that matter.

State Fair Food
It's all about the food... and this year you'll have more options at the Iowa State Fair. We are told deep fat fried pineapple and salad-on-a-stick are two new additions. And this morning on our show we had last year's winner of the cinnamon roll contest. Of course she brought her prize winning rolls with her and I can assure you these were very blue ribbon worthy. We were supposed to post her recipes but I forgot to grab it from our producer this morning before she left. I will try to get it on tomorrow because these were out of this world.... I am willing to make them again even if they really do take 4 hours.

Gateway Market
I know this place gets enough free advertising as it is... but I was there this weekend and I can't stop talking about their food. My husband is addicted to the famous egg sandwich that was featured recently in Gourmet Magazine as one of the best sandwiches in the country. Eric says it truly lives up to its title. I usually try to get something different every time we go (which is usually about once a week... it's the only place where we can take Evan these days because it is so casual) and this past trip I had the shrimp salad. I think the best thing on the menu is actually either the Po boy sandwich or the ramen soup. And it is not even close to the version of ramen soup that sells for 10 cents at Hy-Vee. Anyway, if you go during Happy Hour between 4 and 6 you can try the free appetizer they make and get a glass of wine for 2 bucks. Not bad.

My weekend went very well and on Friday afternoon I wasn't sure if it would. I planned a surprise birthday party for my husband for his 40th birthday. When I called the eating establishment to confirm the large reservation... they had us down for a different time. Actually, it was an hour later than everyone was scheduled to show up. This threw a huge wrench in my plans so I had to scramble and call everyone and ask them to show up later. Talk about stressed. And then there is the stress of getting Eric there at just the right time and not letting on that something was going on . It was a modern day miracle that it went off without a hitch and Eric had a blast. No more surprise parties!

have a great day everyone...

bb

Arrest, Eclipse, and Gone Fishin'

Good Morning!

I have the best Co-Anchor on the planet! Brooke agreed to cover the Noon show for me this afternoon so I can get on the road for a long drive. I'm headed down to Missouri for my annual fishing trip with my Father-in-law, my best friend and his Dad. It's become a great end of summer relaxation and I'm looking forward to the time to myself in the car and to the time with a great group of guys.

I'll be gone Monday and Tuesday and I leave you in Brooke and Jeriann's capable hands.

To the news

Arrests

It was a case Police said they probably wouldn't solve but this morning they made four arrests in the murder of Dean Davis. No explanation on motive but authorities confirmed to us that four young men are in custody and will be charged with the murder. I hope this brings some comfort to his family.

Anthrax

So all those attacks post 9/11 were apparently the work of a government scientist? Media outlets are reporting this morning that a 63 year-old government scientist killed himself by overdosing on pain medication. They also revealed he was about to be implicated in the mailing of anthrax to government buildings and several media outlets including NBC. This guy was one of the government scientists asked to analyze the samples taken from some of the letters.

Eclipse

From China this morning we watched live pictures of a total eclipse of the sun. A NASA scientist came on to talk about what they'd be watching for and why this was a unique opportunity. I hope you caught the interview. I'm always impressed with how plain spoken the NASA scientists are the the agency puts in front of the camera. We always try to take it when we get the chance to interview one of them.

I should take this chance to throw in that Iowa native Peggy Whitson will be at the Science Center of Iowa next week doing a series of talks that are open to the public. If you have the chance..get over there and hear her speak! She's the first female commander of the International Space Station. If you can't make it to SCI, go ahead and watch our Noon show that day.

Finally we were happy to welcome Bret McIntyre to our show this morning filling in for Jeriann. I know some of you have written in inquiring about Justin and where he went. Justin's moved on to another job and we wish him the best. It's always nice to replace one qualified person with another...and I can't say enough about Bret and his abilities as a meteorologist. He's still getting his feet wet so be kind, but this Iowa native and Iowa State grad is going to fit right in at channel 13. Welcome Bret!

Have a great weekend and stay cool out there in the heat!

PWD