Will Ferrell's New Movie Trailer: Semi-Pro

KU played like crap

Boo.

OUCH!

I'm wearing 3 bandaids on my arms because I had to get three shots today. Three!! And I'm taking the typhoid vaccine orally...which also isn't that fun either. The side effects are awesome.

YOU ARE A MANDATED REPORTER

Even though there has been no evidence that Rowan Ford endured abuse, now is as good a time as any to remind people that they are mandated reporters.

We know that teachers, doctors, daycare workers, etc. are mandated reporters. Duh. But, when I went to the Department of Social Services in Jefferson City for a child abuse case a couple of years ago, workers there wanted to emphasize that ANYONE WHO HAS A CHILD IN THEIR PRESENCE is a mandated reporter.

That means if you are driving a minivan full of children, and you notice something odd, you're supposed to report it. Babysitters, carpoolers, room mothers are ALL mandated reporters. The same goes for Sunday school teachers.

Now, I suppose that's really hard to enforce, but it's probably DSS's way of covering themselves and driving the point home. Nonetheless, I think it could be an extra nudge someone might need to "get involved".

KSPR found out there's a decent chance Rowan Ford has a file at the Department of Social Services. Her school confirmed someone from there had hotlined her. I'm very surprised that no one else has reported this yet because (honestly) there are enough signs that might lead one to ask questions concerning abuse. Notice I didn't say there were signs of abuse, though. Anyway, I made the request, and hopefully we'll hear something before 3 days...I'll keep you posted.

But remember, get involved. Don't be afraid to get in someone's business. When it comes to kids, it only hurts when people don't.

Child Abuse and Neglect Hotlines:
The toll-free number is 1-800-392-3738. (ONLY WORKS IF CALLING FROM MISSOURI)
Persons calling from outside Missouri should dial 573-751-3448.
Text telephone number: 1-800-669-8689.

Update on Former Springfield Anchor

From NewsBlues and Collective Talent: Rachel Aram, a morning reporter at CBS-owned WFOR-4, was injured in a car accident in a station vehicle yesterday and had to be cut free by rescuers. Aram, who is pregnant, was in a Ford Explorer with photographer Brian Shannahan when they were sideswiped by another car on Sunrise Blvd in Fort Lauderdale. The WFOR vehicle then hit a cement pole. Aram was briefly trapped in the passenger side, and rescuers used the jaws of life to extricate her. Both were taken to Broward General Medical Center. Shannahan had minor injuries and was released. Aram underwent surgery on her ankle, was kept in ICU overnight, and has now moved to a private room. Her unborn baby was uninjured. The WFOR website made no mention of the crash or injuries. Ironically, Aram is scheduled to leave the station at the end of the November book and move to San Francisco, home to her fiance.

(Rachel used to work at KOLR/FOX. I ran into her just a few times out in the field, but I thought I'd post it if anyone was interested.)

Rowan Ford is Dead, Charges are Filed

Rowan Ford, dead at 9 years old

Please keep Rowan Ford's family in your thoughts and prayers.

As many people in the Ozarks already know, she was a 9-year-old girl who was raped and murdered by her stepfather and his friend last Saturday.

This is the most horrible crime against a child I can imagine.

It terrifies me to think that there are people out there who could carry out such a brutal act.

Even though it's nothing compared to those who knew and loved Rowan,

I have to say that it's pretty disturbing to cover...

I did not have to go out to any of the crime scenes, but it is pretty difficult and disturbing to read the things that allegedly happened to her...

It has been weighing heavily on my mind.

At the same time, it's exhausting.

We've all been working endless hours trying to get the latest information on the case, and work through our station's challenges. Believe it or not, KSPR was the first to go online with the arrest Friday night and we cut in on air earlier than anyone else. We were also the first to put the charges online... I know this because I did it from home Saturday morning, and I looked... (Thanks to Randy at The Turner Report for appearing to notice...I couldn't upload the PC statement, so I typed it out.)

However, being a new station has its challenges of growing an audience, and I understand that people have their own viewing habits.

Plus, I can truly say that there was some outstanding coverage by several media outlets.

Anyway, that's not the point.

I'm just saying this because it's horrible to cover, and at the same time we have a job to do that requires us to de-sensitize ourselves and work to be as fast and indepth as possible.

My personal thought is that news organizations should be required to bring in counselors for their staff when things like this happen. Law enforcement agencies do it for their officers because they see so much. Journalists are in many ways in the thick of it, too.

Anway, please do not forget Rowan.

She trusted someone, and he violated it in the worst way.

Her story cannot be something that's covered one week and forgotten the next.

And remember these men:

Christopher Collings (DOB: 02-04-1975)

David Spears (DOB: 11-04-1982)

Remember that they admitted to the crimes...

If they are telling the truth, remember these men in hopes that Rowan and her family will get justice. Right now they face first degree murder charges, forcible rape, and first degree statutory rape charges.

Authorities are also looking for other people of interest--basically David's friends.

Rowan's funeral will be on Wednesday in Neosho.

No time to blog!

God, are the days getting shorter?

If you really want a good read, you should check out some of the blogs from my coworkers. I just realized we are like the blogger station. Watch out interweb!!

First of all, there's Ron Davis and his Chatter blog. Need I say more? Ron is a pioneer in so many ways, and he always manages to find the most obscure facts about things. Plus, it doesn't hurt that he makes me laugh.

Next, there's Doc Larry. Larry will laugh at me when I say this, but it actually took me a couple of weeks to figure out who he was. I mean, I had read his blog, but I didn't know it was him...and here he was, the 1o pm producer. Ha! Good stuff...

Then there's Emily Rittman...she is a reporter and a person, too! That's the premise of her blog...she's so funny, and I really enjoy sitting by her. Most days she's chasing down criminals in the Ozarks, and I think you'll really see great things from her!

OMG! "It's Sweeps Week!"

If you've seen the movie Bruce Almighty, then you've heard "sweeps week" before!!! Of course, it's really like a month, and we won't be sending people to Niagara Falls...

But, it is the beginning of the rating period. November is a big month...I am working on sweeps stories, too, and hopefully, they won't go something like this:

Here are some sweeps-type news slugs--
"Teen Prostitutes"
"Dirty Doctors"
"Prison Sex"

And, hey, you've probably heard these lines before--
"It's 10 o'clock, do you know where your kids are?"
"Did you know your cereal can kill you?
"A KXYZ exclusive investigation tonight, take a look at this "shocking" video"

But here's something out of the box...look at how KCTV 5 in Kansas City is promoting its sweeps story...http://thedoctorisready.com/ (I really like it...)

So, here's your challenge...come up with more exciting sweeps headlines or story slugs...

A Naked Lady and Sushi

My friend Leah took this picture!

I just got back from a heck of a trip--from SGF to KC to Wichita to STL to SGF. Today was really the first day I had a breather...

But let me tell you what I did the other night!! I ate sushi off a naked lady.

What, you ask?

Jim semed very interested when I told him this.

I went to this place called Nara (in Kansas City) with Lucy since it was her last weekend before moving to D.C. Apparently, it was the restaurant's one year anniversary, and they were celebrating. The place kind of reminded me of Kai in downtown, only with a bigger bar feel.

Anyway, I was seated when I turned around and saw a boob. It was a lady getting undressed to lay on a table. She had a robe on, but it just popped out. Then this guy put some banana leaves all over her to cover her up...

Long story short, I ate the sushi. What can I say? It was there...but does anyone else see this as kind of weird? I mean, the last thing I want to do is go to a place to eat raw fish and see a naked boob. Brings a whole new outlook to ordering tuna. Yes, I said it.

Another Livin' 'Neath the Law with Jack McBrayer!!

Another webisode...I love this guy!

Another Hanguk Shikdong!!!

Springfield has another Korean Restaurant...I am so excited!! Unfortunately, I can't remember the name..."Golden - something"...it's sort of on the corner of Fort and Sunshine.

Another unfortunate thing...the location. Honestly, it's a little skanky on the outside...but you should never judge a book by its cover, right? Forget that it's right by an adult shop. Whatever.

I dragged Jim to it, and he had some reservations about it's outward appearance...however, when you walk inside, it's clean and spacious...and most importantly, the food is good.

We had bulgoki and japchae...I always get popular Korean dishes to gauge how good it is. I was very pleased. I will definitely go back. The prices were more than reasonable...and I want to go back for lunch--they have great specials, and they also have a couple of Chinese dishes for those less interested in eating Korean food. (Cashew chicken and rice $3.99)

And another good sign, there were quite a few customers inside...and Korean ones at that. That sounds silly, but my thoughts are always this: if you go to a Korean restaurant and find Korean people eating the food, it's usually worthy. Yes, that was a deep thought.

My Dash

I just bought a new phone and have no idea how to use it. I feel much like my mother in this way, since I had to have a one-on-one with her about how to text people...and she still won't do it.

But anyway, this is the T-Mobile Dash. It is very cool, and it is Windows based. When I figure it out, I bet it will be very awesome. The saleswoman told me that I could essentially write my stories on a word document with my phone and then email it back to myself by the time I get to the station. Kick ace. I doubt I ever need to do that, but if I did, it would be totally cool.

Here's my one complaint--why can't phones just be phones anymore? Am I that outdated? The only reason I bought a new phone was because my stupid Razr crapped out on me. I only wanted to spend like $50...and all the phones cost much more than that since my contract wasn't up...When did this start happening? BS.

NO NEWS

New Referral: Claire Addison My Prevo!

The Prevo family has now been able to send some pictures of their baby Claire! Claire was born on the 13th of July in Vietnam...she was a premature, but you can see she's grown quickly and is doing well!

The Prevo's hope to have Miss Claire home by Christmas!

Isn't she gorgeous?!

Stripper Terror!

OMG, this is so funny because it reminds me of my college days. My friend was turning 20 or 21, and we thought it would be funny to get her a stripper. It was a total surprise...there were about 30 of us all in this cramped apartment in Lawrence.

A cute, young cop stopped some of us in the parking lot, and one of my friends started saying stuff like, "I'm sorry we've been so bad officer!"...things like that...problem was that it ended up being a real cop who wanted someone to move their car. Embarassing...

But then, a fireman showed up at our door...and yes, his hose was out of control. Gross.

First of all, he only had one move. Secondly, he didn't wear any padding in the cre-otch, so everything was visible. Thirdly, he told us (while dancing) that he was a used sales car salesman during the day and stripping was his side job because it was SO fun.

It was horrible. I wish I could tell you more, but for the sake of decency, I won't. All I can say is the girls were running away from him and covering their faces. It was traumatic, and by the end of the hour, I wanted my money back.

Funny thing is, I'd do just about anything to have all my girlfriends together again, even though that was pretty tragic! This brings back memories!!

WHAT IS NEWS?!

Uh oh, it's late, and I've been thinking...call it a Jerry Maguire diatribe.

But I've been reading a lot of what people are writing in the local blogosphere about news, and I'm here to write something that's been weighing heavily on my mind.

We've all been subjected to some pretty bad news during our lifetime, but it doesn't have to always be that way.

One blogger questioned why my station did a story on speeding in neighborhoods when there were "fires/murders/suicides" going on. Huh?

First of all, in most cases fires/murders/suicides have little to do with the masses. That being said, there are always exceptions. But, for the most part, they have little to do with a wide audience. A jealous husband who murders his wife in Polk County has little to do with how you're going to live your life on the south side of Springfield. An abandoned warehouse fire in downtown Springfield has little to do with you if you live in Dallas County...and a suicide has little to do with you unless you know the person who died.

Again, all of these cases can be argued. And I promise you, no matter what, they will be covered by news organizations...STILL, is it really NEWS?

Let me tell you how most academics and journalists define news.

News can be summarized in 3 words: relevance, usefulness, and interest. The role of journalism is supposed to maintain civilization and democracy.

Within the broad standards of relevance, usefulness, and interest are more specific elements to determining what makes news. Most journalists will agree, they are as follows:

1. impact (how many people are affected)
2. conflict (recurring theme of storytelling, struggles between people, nations, or natural forces)
3. novelty (newsworthy just because it's bizarre--Springfield house sells on ebay for $1025)
4. prominence (names make news, period)
5. proximity (people concerned with what happens where they live)
6. timeliness (news is supposed to be new)

So, long story short: speeding in neighborhoods is more newsworthy than most fires/murders/suicides. Think about all the kids you've seen in the news who were hit and killed by speeding cars. Shouldn't someone try to protect our children?

And as far as the eBay story (that's the story of a Springfield house selling on eBay for $1025)...it's a novelty story. And, in the follow up, we did a story on the legalities of eBay--which also has a lot of impact with people in the Ozarks...more so than most fires/murders/suicides.

That being said, I'll have to cover a fire/murder/suicide in the future...and sooner than later.

By the way, if anyone has any suggestions on how to cure insomnia, that would be great.

A New Referral!!

The Prevo Family has announced some exciting news!

They just got their referral for Claire Addison My Prevo.
She was born July 13th in Vietnam.

She was premature and weighed about 4 1/2 pounds, but she is completely healthy.

Now, she weighs about 6 1/2 pounds and is great.

The Prevo's have officially accepted her referral today,

so hopefully Miss Claire will be in the Ozarks by Christmas!!

Yea!!

I'll try to have a picture on here soon...

if you want to send the couple warm wishes, you may do so here!

Livin' 'Neath the Law with Jack McBrayer

If you watch 30 Rock, you'll enjoy this clip from "Kenneth": Note, he may drop and F-Bomb.

Emmy Nominations are in!

The Emmy nominations were released on-line at 10pm Thursday night. Most of the nominations went to journalists working in St. Louis or Kansas City, but there were a few nods locally. They are as follows:

Newscast evenings, Markets 50+
Cara Connelly, Michelle Sherwood, Jeff Benscoter, Brian Vandenberg, KY3

General Assignment Within a 24-Hour Period
Dave Catanese, KY3
Ice Storm

Education/Schools
Angie Weidinger, KOLR
Tommie's Story

News Excellence
KY3

Congratulations and Good Luck!

A First in Korea: Domestic Adoptions Beat International

For the first time in Korean history, domestic adoptions have surpassed international adoptions.

Nearly 60 percent of all adoptions during the first half of this year were domestic, meaning that the children were placed in homes within Korea. The breakdown is 729 out of 1,223 Korean babies, to be exact. (That's far higher than the average 41 to 42 percent the country's seen in the last five years.)

Experts say the increase is largely attributed to a new law that encourages domestic adoptions over international. Korean society has been exposed to more adoption campaigns (the government has been making efforts to shake off the country's reputation as a "baby exporting' nation.) Korean couples living there are also getting tax incentives to adopt.

Overall, the Overseas Korean Foundation estimates nearly 157,145 children have been placed internationally during the last 50 years. Citizens of the U.S., France, Sweden, and Denmark have adopted the most Korean children.