Odds and ends to end an odd 2008

Finding blog time is becoming more challenging, but I'm working on it as I get used to my new schedule and responsibilities in Cleveland.



A few things to pass along as I close my notebook on 2008

• Akron dispatchers say it was a year of the wild and wacky on the other end of 911 calls. One caller screamed for help because her dog was drowning in the family swimming pool. When the woman finally calmed down, the dispatcher asked her how deep the water was. She replied "three feet." "Three feet? Your pool is three feet deep?" "Yes" "Ma'am, you're going to have go in and get the dog yourself then." The caller was very upset that she would have to get wet in order to save her dog, but the dispatcher stood firm that emergency crews weren't coming to get a dog when the owner could save it herself.


• Another scholar called 9-1-1 from a real burning house and instead of relaying the location of the fire, he sang all of the info. Yep, just belted it out like Elvis. I don't remember if he was singing "Fire" by Bruce Springsteen or altered some other rock hit, but the call taker sure had a real laugh even with a real emergency (no one was hurt) on the other end of the line.


• I find it odd that the Beacon Journal deemed the birth of the Akron-Canton News as the top entertainment story of 2001, yet the newscast's end didn't warrant mention in the paper's top 10 list for 2008.


• As part of my new assignment in the Cleveland, I'm learning where everyone sits within the newsroom. I made it a point to stop and chat with Romona by her desk, and I noticed that she has not one, not two, but three baseball bats next to her desk. I'm not sure why she keeps em there, but let's just say that I made sure I wasn't too loud while walking by her desk :)