Sunday, November 30, 2008

"Joseph" gets extended run at Weathervane

Nothing like being part of a "hit"!

The 16 scheduled shows of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at Weathervane Playhouse have all SOLD OUT so the theater is adding two additional shows.

Tickets for our newly-scheduled shows on Dec. 18 (7:30 p.m.) and Dec. 21 (7 p.m.) are now on sale at the Weathervane website or by calling 330-836-2626.

This is a talented group of young adults and teens .. so I'm not surprised at the rush to see these artists perform.

Can I just say I'm having the time of my life?

Friday, November 28, 2008

LeBron and the Barber Shop

As police continue to put together the info on Wednesday night's shooting at a West Akron barber shop, the media is starting to reference it as a LeBron James hangout. I was told that LeBron didn't really have a lot to do with the place, but now I'm seeing this video .. and you can see that LeBron did indeed find comfort in visiting the same shop where unfortunately, a deadly shooting took place.

I'm not sure if any of the people in the barber shop video are the same ones who were there Wednesday night. The alleged robber who fired the first shots has died, while three others are recovering from their wounds.


Black Friday -- I'm on it! Catching deals on the web

It's 5:55 a.m. and I'm on the web looking for deals. After all, while this is the biggest shopping day of the year, it's also the biggest shopping day on the Internet, at least according to an analyst on the Today Show.

5:59 .m. Ahhhh ... my first glitch ... many of the pages at walmart.com keeping sending me to a "scheduled maintenance" section. Hmmmmm .. has their system crashed already? or are they just now putting out the deals?

Yesterday .. I put a set of pajamas in my "cart" and then when I went to the "checkout", they were gone! So don't think people just steal from you in the aisles -- it's "game on" in cyberspace too.

6:18 a.m. Searching Target.com for kids' toys. How is it that when I click "boys gifts under $15" I get a bunch of shirts and ties? And a Steelers shirt. What kind of toys are those? Those won't fly under our tree as toys.

OK .. where are the deals? A lot of the main store sites look much like they did late yesterday, even though many promised better on-line deals when the cyber doors opened at 5 a.m.

Still searching ..

6:34 a.m. Target.com now wants me to take a pop up survey! Do they know what day it is? Why are they sending pop-ups when time is of the essence?

6:38 a.m. Samclub.com is running out of stock. Some of their good electronics deals -- digital picture frames and TVs -- are now showing "out of stock" instead of "available" as they were at 6 a.m. Guess I waited too long.

6:42 a.m. Quite a few websites pushing 42" HDTV sets for $699 so if you don't get one in the stores, don't fret. They're almost all the same size. K-mart had the best advertised deal with a 50" 1080i set for $799 but I'm guessing the "limited quantity" at the stores are not only gone, but already set up in someone's home .. hopefully tuned in to Channel 3.

6:44 a.m. Guitar Hero 3 for $74 is now showing "low stock" on samclub.com. First site that I've seen that has actually updated its items as they sell .. other than "unavailable."

6:45 a.m. Found a great deal on digital memory at Kmart.com. a 2GB memory card is going on-line for only $6.99. Clock here to get it.

6:47 a.m. My first big buy! Kmart.com has a 7-foot pool table for $249. The description says that it weighs 259 pounds .. so if this were a turkey, it's only 99 cents per pound!

6:54 a.m. Nevermind. The shipping is $219. When the shipping is nearly as much as the item, it's time to drive to the store.

6:59 a.m. JCPenny.com has "screenbusters" to counter all of the "doorbusters" out there. Clever. It has the best layout of all the sites I've visited so far, at least when it comes to navigating their deals.

7:04 a.m. KMart.com now offering 2-for-1 on jewlery. Getting two sets of earrings for my wife for under $10. Plus, if you spend at least $20 on jewlery, they give you a $20 card for coffee.

7:11 a.m. Been bouncing around .. not finding any can't-believe-it deals .. although a reporter at the Today Show just said that 42" HDTV sets are everywhere for $699. Wow, wonder where she read that? (see my blog post above)

7:21 a.m. Time to check out at K-Mart.com but I get free shipping if I buy $49 in merchandise, so I need to find at least one more item that i want to buy. Hmmmm

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Young veterans shouldn't be kept from wearing combat patches, regardless of cost

One of the benefits of being a retired military officer is the ability to speak my mind when it comes to the Army.

Here's my beef:

On Veterans Day, I was honored to be a guest speaker for the University of Akron's annual flag pole ceremony on campus. The ROTC cadets were sharp as always, and the service was great.

Later in the day, I interviewed a few of the cadets who had already served overseas in combat zones in an enlisted status before returning to college to join ROTC.

I wondered why these cadets -- new veterans entitled to the proper recognition -- weren't wearing the combat patch they earned on the right shoulder of their dress uniforms?

One of the cadets told me that regulations prohibited this.

That set me off. How could our troops who risked their lives at such a young age be prevented from wearing the badge that our government bestowed upon them?

I checked with Tim White, who earned his commission in the Air Force through ROTC, to see if he knew of such a regulation. Tim is a retired Brigadier General and veteran, but he too was stumped.

This just doesn't seem right. Heck with right, this just isn't fair!

I checked with the cadre at the University of Akron to see if they could help me understand the issue, and they clarified it.

Basically, if the cadet where's their own Class A uniform, they can wear the combat patch. If they accept a Class A uniform from the University of Akron, they cannot wear it. The reason is that the university's uniforms already have an ROTC patch on the right sleeve, so to add the combat patch would require an additional sewing cost to the university when that Class A uniform is turned back in.

OK .. so at least there's a reason behind it .. and it's not a discriminatory one.

Still .. I'll be there's a VFW or another group that would cover the cost for these new veterans so that they could wear that right shoulder patch. In fact, I wonder if there's not a local group that would just buy the Class A uniforms for these new veterans so that it's completely covered. There's really only a few that it affects.

ROTC is such a great program, and the University of Akron's program is top notch. I just wonder if this little tweak couldn't be made so some of these new veterans who have risked so much .. and who ask for so little .. and who are taking their experience to the next level by becoming officers.

See .. isn't it great to be retired so I can speak my mind?

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Wild day ... cops unsure of robber's story .. while city hall gets even more proactive with foreclosures.

In a span of five hours today, I:
  • sang like Elvis in front of 250 people
  • responded to a robbery-in-progress that may have included a kidnapped child
  • spoke with a local teen recovering slowly after being nearly killed by a suspected drunk driver
  • got exclusive details to break a story that Akron is requesting millions in new monies as part of a pilot program to save families in foreclosure

Now that I write all of that out .. it's no wonder I feel spent.

The first show at Weathervane went great. The cast was fired up to have a real audience, and I think we all brought that excitement to the stage. Channel 3 sent a camera so I'll link the video shortly once it's on-line.



I actually forgot a key piece of my Elvis costume because I was rushing to the stage after one of the teen girls in the program fell and hit her head during intermission. While I was tending to her, I ran out of time and forgot. Oh well .. no one corrects a "king" after all.

Just moments after getting myself out of this morning's production and on my way to work, I got the call of a robbery in progress in Bath Township. Seems a bad guy held up the credit union on Cleveland Massillon Road and may have a kidnapped a child. Racing to the scene, I chatted with Bath Police Chief Michael McNeely who told me that the bad guy handed the teller a note. The letter claimed that his child was being held captive by someone at the VA hospital in Brecksville and that someone was "watching" him .. as if he was being forced to rob the credit union.

It was a wild story ... and I could tell that McNeely and others were skeptical .. but after the pizza delivery saga in Erie, PA from a few years ago, no wild story can ever be discounted. As of this writing, there's still no sign of the guy .. nor any indication that there was actually a kidnapped child.

The robbery made me late for a scheduled interview with Mindy Cooper -- a 17-year-old junior from Southeast High School who was nearly killed after being struck by a suspected drunk driver on Halloween.

Considering Cooper suffered serious brain injury and a broken back just three-plus weeks ago, I was amazed at how far she has progressed. She's learning to walk again, and while she doesn't remember the accident, she can speak softly and recognizes her family and friends. I can't imagine how tough this must be for Mindy and her family, but her struggle really touched me. Her brother, Jon, tells me that classmates have been in to visit Mindy every day, and that the support she's receiving has been fabulous. I really wish we had more time to visit the other "Mindys" in our community, for I know there are others struggling to come back.

Stories like this just make me speechless to find the words when it comes to drunk drivers.

So back in the newsroom .. trying to put all of these stories together .. I finally break through on something I was bird dogging last week. The City of Akron is putting together a plan to use $8 million in HUD money to improve inner-city housing, but the additional piece is a request for another $23 million in federal bucks for a pilot program to help families nearly foreclosure.

I got my hands on the request letter that city leaders sent to Washington last week, and I reached Mayor Plusquellic who tells me that he'll discuss details of the proposal tomorrow.

In a nutshell, the city will now get directly involved with lenders that are moving forward to foreclose, and where possible, the city will help renegotiate the terms to help keep families in their homes instead of having to help them after they're out on the street. With Akron coping with 1,400 foreclosures in 2007 and another 1,200 so far this year, many will hope that this program is not only successful but also a model for other cities facing crisis.

I haven't had a bit of time to return phone calls or emails today .. and I have to shoot a story tomorrow morning to hold for the holidays .. plus turn a story Wednesday afternoon on the new foreclosure prevention initiative.

Of course, those are the knowns for Wednesday. As today proved, its the unknowns that make this job such a joy and a challenge.

Monday, November 24, 2008

"The King" and I

Well .. it's almost show time ... as I make my debut as "Pharaoh" in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Weathervane Playhouse.

If you're familiar with the show, you know that it's the Old Testament story of Joseph and his brothers .. and eventually Joseph is taken to Egypt where he becomes an advisor to Pharoah.

With constantly-changing musical genres, Joseph finds Pharaoh to be Elvis ... hence my get-up.

I can't tell you how much fun it's been to perform along side my son Jacob, 11, who plays "Benjamin," the youngest of the brothers. I hope he's cool with his dad dancing around in a white jump suit.

Anyway ... you only live once, right? So I'm hitting the stage for 16 performances (half are sold out already, yikes!) and a lot of fun. We open this week. You can get tickets on line or call 330-836-2626.
Would love to have you come visit .. and let me know if my alter ego lives up to the billing.
Either way, these talented young actors will definitely have you smiling .. it's a great show and you'll have a great time.
And no .. they don't let me take the costume home .... nor will WKYC let me wear it on air ... although, sweeps is approaching :)

Ellet seceding from Akron? Are we fighting separatists?

Actual post a few minutes ago on the Associated Press wires:


ELLET, Ohio (AP) -- Some postal workers in the Akron area will have their usual special delivery for people with no friends or family to join for Thanksgiving. Continuing a tradition that began 15 years ago, employees from the Ellet (EHL'-eht) post office will serve up a free turkey-day dinner for anyone in need of a place to go for the holiday. Thursday's meal will be offered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ellet Amateur Athletic Association building. The postal workers first provided a free Thanksgiving dinner in 1993 after they won a $250 on-the-job safety award. About 125 people showed up.
In recent years, more than 500 meals have been served.
Ellet is 5 miles east of Akron.


Now .. correct me if I'm wrong .. but when did Ellet secede from Akron? Did the Orangemen & Orangewomen go free agent and not tell us?

Somewhere ... someone at City Hall is laughing on the inside.

Somewhere else .. someone in Southeast Akron is not.

Your thoughts?

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Death, violence, and deep voices .. that pretty much sums it up ..

Some days the news business brings joy .. and other days it's all about the crime.

Want my job? Consider this:

In just one hour's time .. I interviewed a local minister about a program to get guns off the streets of Akron, got video and interviews surrounding two masked gunmen who got busted by a motivated drive-thru patron, and then saw the body of a local man in the snow of a Triplett Boulevard backyard.

Meanwhile, I was monitoring police scanner traffic of two separate-yet-violent school attacks. A teacher apparently got hit in the face by a student at one Akron High School, while across town, students were in a melee at another Akron High School to the point of being pepper-sprayed. That was followed by the officer asking dispatch to "please send a supervisor out here to the school." That's usually a sign that things have gotten out of hand.

Was there a full moon today or something?

While we froze to get the video, the body didn't make the cut tonight at 6 because there's too much uncertainty surrounding the circumstances of the death. Also, with heavy snow up north and Brady Quinn's finger, we're running out of room on the newscasts.

Meanwhile, I also needed to get some man-on-the-street (MOS) interviews for Tom Beres as part of his weekly "Between The Lines" political show that airs on Sundays on Channel 3. He wanted to include Akron viewers weighing in on a former Akron Councilman who is trying to recall Mayor Plusquellic. Wouldn't you know it .. we got two interviews (one for and one against) and then the camera died in the cold weather outside the post office.

Back at the office it seems my phone was a magnet for my sources. Seems everyone who tips me off to things was calling me at once today.

Thanks for all the tips guys .. but I can't be in 12 places at once.

Oh . .and my email stopped working two hours ago so I don't know how many "reasons to vote against Issue 8" emails will still trickle in ... seems a great many of you like to forward them around town.

Ahhhh the joys of being a news reporter ... guns, bodies, violence and deep throat tips ... and snow of course. Always lots of snow.

Alive and Kicking

OK ... so it seems I've fallen off the Internet -- at least blog-wise.

My thanks to those of you who've been stopping by over the last six days, even though I haven't printed any new content.

The newsroom has been hopping, which is part of the issue. The other is how I've been spending my free hours.

Let's just say that the "King" and I have been getting quite close. Read here for more.

I promise that I'll post more about the show, including ticket info, and I'll put up a picture so you can see that I really am playing Elvis on stage. Although tiring, it's been a great experience, and an invaluable one as far as being part of something with my son, Jacob.

I've also got some new tidbits on fake veteran Ben Terril to pass along .. and some insight into what I'm hearing about the efforts to recall Mayor Plusquellic .. as well as other changes coming in city government.

And .. when I get caught up ... I've got a real bone to pick with the U.S. government for something that I learned about on Veterans Day. I'm guessing you will be upset too.

Plus .. I'm gearing up for some new stories .. including gaining special access to a secret military asset that is made in Akron and already being used in the war zones of Iraq.

Oh .. and lots of economy stories ... and Thanksgiving stuff .. anyone know a local family that has endured tough times and might let my camera crew and I show a bit of their holiday gathering on the evening news?

So much to catch up on .. so little time ... more to come ... and in the words of my alter ego, "Thank you much."

Friday, November 14, 2008

"Everything you always wanted to know about Akron women but were afraid to ask"

It's a topic I've long since wanted to banter around on NewsNight Akron -- women.

Between Hillary and Sarah, the role of women in America has been a topic for discussion like never before .. but how well are women succeeding in our area?

Tonight, I offer an entire panel of women -- something that's not been done in NNA's 10+ years on the air.

Do we have enough women as business leaders? Are we doing enough to educate and motivate young women to succeed? With women holding key political seats -- including more than half of our local judges -- have we already broken the glass ceiling? Are the local colleges preparing women enough for the key future obstacles?

And .. if we're falling short .. where are we doing so?

Jody Miller, M.L. Schultze, and Judge Alison McCarty will be my guests as we talk about "everything you ever wanted to know about Akron women but were afraid to ask."

Got a question for the panel? email me at ericmansfield@wkyc.com or post it here for all to see.

See ya at 9 p.m.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Akron school deficit is serious business

I can't remember the last time I used the phrase "$150 million" in a story, especially a local story.

But in tonight's story, I focused on the Akron Schools looking ahead to a financial forecast that just gets worse with every page. $37 million in debt by 2011. $89 million by 2012. $153 million by 2013.

That's serious money. That's real dollars.

Superintendent David James told me that while the money coming in is relative stable (or "flat") it's the expenditures that are driving up the deficit.



I know that closing a school here and there can be absorbed, but will the Akron Schools ever really be able to get the enrollment going up again? Will families move back to the city?

I had a chance to talk with former Akron Schools Deputy Superintendent Donna Loomis tonight, and she told me something very profound:

"Akron needs to stop beating itself up when it comes to education."

What she told me was that while families are scattering to the Akron suburbs, they're doing the same thing in all of the urban areas of Ohio. Sooooooooo ... Akron residents need to stop blaming the school board or district leaders when they hear about big deficits like this.

It's not the district's fault that so many families moved out of town ... or moved their kids to a charter school. Instead, she says, school leaders are left to pick up the pieces .. but sometimes get a bad rap when the budget info comes rolling out in stories like mine.

I think most in town will be supportive of David James having the foresight to look out at that projected deficit and say "we can't wait until it gets that bad; we have to fix this now."

But while the entire state waits for Governor Strickland's new education plan to save the day, districts like Akron need to make real decision on real money.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Happy Veterans Day to all who served

It was great to take part in today's Veterans Day ceremony at the University of Akron. There's no better feeling than to be surrounded by those who know what it means to sacrifice for our great country.

The University of Akron's ROTC program looks very sharp, as did the ROTC cadets from East High School.

If you have a veteran in your family or neighborhood .. make sure to say hello to them today .. and tell them "thanks" for their service.
I was honored to feature two University of Akron cadets on tonight's news. One already completed three tours in Iraq while the other completed tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Both of these guys are just 24. My guess is that most of their peers at the U of A can't fathom what these guys have endured.


Thursday, November 6, 2008

NewsNight Akron one-hour post-election special

Just when you thought you'd heard it all on the elections, we're expanding Friday night's NewsNight Akron broadcast to a full hour.

Just too much to cover in our regularly-scheduled 30 minutes.

Jody Miller, Steve Hoffman, and Ed Esposito will be along for the ride ... but we'll also hear from local political bloggers Ben Keeler and Kyle Kutuchief as well as Steve Brooks of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.

So it will be my job to keep this expanded panel under control (wish me luck) .. and I'd love your help.

Got a question on Issue 8? An unresolved personal thought on gambling in Ohio? Wondering why a certain group of Ohioans voted a certain way?

Tell me what you'd like to know from this panel, and I'll ask as many as I can during the broadcast.

You can post your thought/question here .. or email me at ericmansfield@wkyc.com. While I allow anonymous posts here on my blog, please include a first name and a city on your idea so that I can reference it accordingly.
See ya at 9 p.m. Friday night on Western Reserve Public Media (Channels 45/49).

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Plusquellic says there's a "special place reserved in hell" for those who misled Akron voters on Issue 8

Well, I can't say that I'm surprised by what I heard a short time ago at the Issue 8 gathering at a downtown restaurant.

Mayor Don Plusquellic taking aim at the people he felt sunk the Sewers-For-Scholarships deal tonight by a 60-40 vote.



Plusquellic told the downtown crowd that there's a "special place reserved in hell" for those who misled Akron voters about the issue.

Seeing DP upset tonight reminded me of a few years ago when he championed an issue to create a county-wide sale tax that would have generated a pile of money for each of the county's school districts to use for improvements.

Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Robart, among others, didn't back the proposal and it ultimately failed.

Plusquellic didn't blame Robart or anyone individually (at least publicly) for that issue failing because it was simply a disagreement over school funding. I remember DP telling the crowd that night that "we were right" to put the issue out there. It was a sensitive moment, but not a personal one.

Tonight though .. this was very much indeed personal.

I'll be interested to talk to those who soundly defeated the issue. I'd like to find out whether folks were voting against it because of fears about the sewer system lease or whether it was the uncertainty of the educational part. I'm sure many will say it was both.

Still .. after talking to an elderly woman today who planned to vote against the issue while not even knowing that it involved an educational aspect for kids to go to college ... makes me believe that not everyone who voted on this issue truly understood its pros and cons.

I expect we'll have some good banter on this topic and the Mayor's response Friday night on NewsNight Akron.

Are we creating drama? or is it really there?

9:07 p.m.

Obama is starting to pull away .. at least by the numbers we're seeing on-line .. with leads in Ohio and Florida, even though the networks aren't calling either state yet. If he wins both, this looks to be a landslide night in electoral votes ... probably among the likes of Reagan over Mondale in 1984.

So are we (the media) creating a drama tonight that just isn't there? Some of the network folks sound more like cheerleaders for Obama than analysts.

Just thinking out loud .. but as a viewer, it's pretty amazing to watch the vote finally coming in.

More in a bit .. Eric

Not too many surprises in the early results

8:41 p.m.

A quick glance at the early results of the Summit County races and there's not much of a surprise in the absentee numbers, at least in regards to the Summit County races.

I see that Elinore Marsh Stormer (DEM) is leading Bill Spicer (REP) 37,755 (57%) to 28,391 (43%) in the race for Probate Court Judge. That one jumps out at me because the incumbent is losing. Both are well-respected on the bench.

Now I see that the lead is widening for the anti-Issue 8 movement .. almost 60-40 now ... it's going down with a quarter of the precincts in. Meanwhile, Issue 9 (City Charter change to force votes when a utility is up for grabs) is passing easily.

More in a bit .. still scanning numbers ..

Issue 8 flushing fast .. at least by absentees

8:25 p.m.

Some local early results are in .. and judging by the absentees, the Sewers-for-scholarships proposals is swirling at best.

Absentees:

AGAINST: 19,003 57%
FOR: 14,331 43%

Again, that's only absentees .. a long way to go .. and how great is it to see 33,000 absentees for Akron residents alone!?!??!

I'll be heading to the Issue 8 gathering downtown in a bit to get reaction, but I'm waiting a bit longer to see some more solid results.

Kudos to AkronNewsNow.com which is on top of a lot tonight. Reporters there were all over the power outages at polling places in Ellet and the need for flashlights until the power was restored. Keep it up guys.

Missing the Akron-Canton News ... but still busy on election night

7:05 p.m. Well, election night is off and running. This is usually the time when I'm watching local results and preparing the 10 p.m. report for the Akron-Canton area. Feels empty for the community not to have it tonight, although it's going to be such a heavy night with national results, that the loss may not be noticed by that many. I appreciate those of you who have taken the time to mention today how much you miss the ACN.

That said ..

I'll be going live outside the Akron newsroom in about 15 minutes with a look at how local college students are voting on this election day. I originally set up to go live at the Summit County Board of Elections, but as fate would have it, we had technical difficulties .. and after 45 minutes of standing in front of a camera with no one able to see me, we called "time of death" on our liveshot and returned to our studios at Main and Market.

A few stories I've heard today ..

Supporters and proponents of Issue 8 (Akron's Sewers for Scholarships program) have been doing nose-to-nose battle. I'm told that each had a vehicle out in the neighborhoods today blaring recorded messages to people on their front porches. At a polling place along Copley Road, some folks with the Save Our Sewers (S.O.S.) group had words with some folks who were handing out literature in favor of the issue.

I met a University of Akron student who showed up at the local poll with her absentee ballot -- from Lake County. She had forgotten to mail it back and wondered if she could drop it off locally. Nope. Not sure if she drove it north or not.

Didn't find any really big lines, but some folks tell me they stood for up to an hour, but most got in and out in just minutes.

OK ... gotta get in front of the camera .. more in a bit.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Early voting moms need help; polls could use some toys

A friend of mine who volunteers by offering rides to those who don't have a way to the polls told me quite a tale today.

We're all hearing about the long lines at Summit County's early voting center (at the Job Center on Tallmadge Avenue in North Hill) and the dedication of folks standing in line for up to two hours.

My friend tells me that she saw several moms in line who had no choice but to bring their young children with them. As you can imagine, standing in line for 30, 60, or 90 minutes is not something a toddler enjoys.

My friend says that some moms eventually gave up because their kids were melting down and they just couldn't stay any longer.

So my friend did something about it .. at least for one mom. She went to the front of the line and explained the situation to other voters, who allowed the mom and her kids to move to the front. My friend that also tried to help occupy the kids long enough for the mom -- once she was inside the Job Center -- to run the gauntlet and cast a ballot.

Still, other moms with kids in tow gave it their best shots .. but still had to give up.

My friend recommends that in the future, what harm would there be in setting up a small toddler, daycare zone with a few toys and some screened volunteers to staff it?

I don't pretend to know the legal issue surrounding setting up a temporary daycare, but with early voting on Tallmadge Avenue expected to top the 50,000 mark, you can bet there were quite a few parents with young kids who braved the lines .. and probably a great many others who stayed away knowing that their kids probably couldn't handle the wait.

I also know that parents have the option to request an absentee ballot by mail, so that's probably the best alternative for all involved.

Still .. what would it hurt to ask for daycare volunteers along with the poll workers?

Thoughts? Other ways to help this?

Channel 3 News Election Special tonight at 5 p.m.

I love election week. It's the most exciting week of the year when it comes to news.

So much going on. So much changing by the minute. So many people affected.

Oh yeah, I love it.

Channel 3 has added an hour at 5 p.m. for both tonight and tomorrow (Tuesday) to better dissect this year's election field. My assignment for tonight's special is to take another hard look at Issue 8 (Sewers for Scholarships) and the race for the 16th Congressional seat between Kirk Schuring and John Boccieri.

See ya at 5!