"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?

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

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?

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.

"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?