Bobby Cutts 10 days .. and mailbag

So much going on today in the newsroom ... a hodge podge of stuff to mention.

Prosecutors say the case against Bobby Cutts should be going forward in the next 10 days. Prosecutors expect to have a press conference following the grand jury's decision, but at least the case is finally getting to the next step.

My email and phone messages have gone crazy in the last 48 hours. After our two-part investigation into the Fairlawn BMV that aired Monday, viewers are contacting me with tips on scams and alleged wrongdoings. I've had one call about a tow truck company that snatches people's cars with no warnings and another call about city workers goofing off. I've had emails about people stealing child support $$ and about an area cult that's kidnapping local college girls. Needless to say I can't get to all of them, but I'm trying.

I also had an email from a nice lady at the U of A telling me about a leaky hydrant that's been leaking water for three weeks. She fears the street will give way to a cave-in. She's tried repeated calls to the city with no resolution. It's not enough water to warrant a news story, but I did pass on the info to Mark Williamson at city hall who passed it on to the water gurus. They say it's on the list to get fixed before classes resume. Funny how so many stories in this town come back to water.

Jeff Begue wrote to show me the youtube video of his 4-year-old son lifting weight at the gym. Not sure if I can get the producers to see it as a story for the evening news, but it was nice to get an email from someone who doesn't want me to investigate their landlord, boss, or former lover.

We've been hard charging after some breaking news this afternoon of an abduction at Belden Village mall. After giving up other news to run two news crews to the area, we've since learned that it was a domestic situation and everyone is accounted for. So it's good news that no one is missing, but it'll make tonight's newscasts a bit thinner for the news we gave up chasing that story.

I got email from a Canton Police officer whose been called up for active duty with the Army Reserve. His unit is preparing to deploy to Iraq and heard about the "Mitts for Military" program I led last year to supply sports equipment to the troops (trust me folks, you have no idea how much it means to just play catch when you're off duty in the big sandbox over there). I still have a giant set of equipment for his company so we'll hook up in a week or so when he's on leave from his training post. If you donated to the program, please know that your donations provide equipment to more than 2,000 troops from all branches of the military, and we still have a few more sets that need homes with deploying companies.

I also received this email from out west: "Your Blog has enabled me to stay up on Local news and sports Thank You!"

It's from Kelly Albertoni in Hollywood, CA. I mentioned Kelly a few weeks back ere in the blog. She's an actress from Uniontown whose made regular appearances on "ER" and many other network shows. You'll recognize her by her red hair. She also hopes to possibly make the switch into broadcasting, and I'm sure she'd be great. Just remember the name folks.

More later .. Eric