Lighter Stuff

A few odds and ends to share ..

First, if you were watching our 6:30 p.m. newscast tonight, then I apologize for my laughing fit in the third segment. I got caught up on the line about how people who pass away can now take their pets with them to the afterlife. The picture in my head was slightly humorous .. and then I added in the thought that the next thing on the rundown was a pitch to Mark Nolan. I mean, how am I supposed to make a happy transition from dead pets to weather? At least Nolan knows how to have fun with it. Of course, the added insult was a story after weather in which a talking parrot lead to the death of a burglar. Again, not funny .. unless you're trying to read it on TV. Guess it just means I'm as human as the next guy .. so again, my apologies.

I got a surprising email today that the USO of Northern Ohio is going under. This is a total shock. Tim White forwarded the info to me today calling the announcement 'tragic." A letter from the group's president says the board of directors voted to dissolve the corporation. The USO has lead the charge to support our troops; hopefully other groups will step up. For the last few weeks, I've begun working with some folks on a new website to match people and organizations that wish to help military families with the families themselves. This loss of the USO highlights the need for the new website and other groups to fill the void. (UPDATE: See comments section for details, but a spokeswoman says the group will fall under a new USO header and will continue to service military members and their families in NE Ohio. This is great news!)

Speaking of the military, 28 gold star mothers will gather on Veterans day to read the names of Ohioans lost in Iraq. I'm still trying to get the location for the 3 p.m. event, but if you've ever wanted to thank a military family, you might never have a greater opportunity.

I had the greatest time "people watching" at the Browns game Sunday. I just love that we blue collar football fans never through anything away. I saw old "Sipe" and "Couch" jerseys. Even a few that said "Spielman" although Browns fans know he never actually played in a regular season game. The kid in front of me added a "D" to his "Frye" jersey. Again, why buy jerseys with the current players' names when the old jerseys still fit? :)

And congrats to a local student who didn't let a tough break keep her from succeeding. Back in June, I featured Kristyn Jackson in a story about North High teens who failed the Ohio Graduation Test and were the first local students to be denied a chance to walk across the stage. Kristyn's mom has been touching base with me throughout the summer and recently let me know that Kristyn accepted the chance to attend the Akron Alternative Academy and give it another shot ... and this time she's passed everything. She'll walk across the stage for real in January. I, for one, have wondered how many of the dozens of students who failed the OGT would actually stick with a plan to get their diplomas versus just saying "the heck with it." Glad to see Kristyn stayed dedicated to her goal to graduate.