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October 2008
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Shelly Farnham was tired of graffiti taggers defacing her garage door. I put together a story today that is bound to raise some animal treatment issues. People tell me all the time that they don't trust government. They don't trust politicians. And they don't trust political campaigns. Mike Patrick and Keith Jackson are two guys who really didn't want to sit in the media spotlight. Both said they agreed to interviews with KING 5 as a last resort, when they were convinced the Washington National Guard wasn't going to right the wrongs against them. In doing this story, I gained a whole new understanding of why patients need to be actively involved in their own medical care. This week, I produced a rather light piece on the perils of a small community dealing with a large elk herd. I did so to highlight the personalities and issues that are so unique to small towns. (Click here to watch) But the problem does have a serious side and many residents are facing an emotional dilemma. Being a Metro bus driver takes skill, focus, and patience. Lots of it. And they aren't doing anything wrong, or breaking any rules by putting in the tough hours, and making overtime; in some cases doubling their salaries.
Let me state up front that I am a regular partaker of the Seattle club and concert scene. What I am not, is a big ... Before I did this story, I'd heard of the "Don't Snitch" code, but I didn't realize how widespread it's become. Seattle Gang Expert Gabe Morales tells me that "snitch" used to refer primarily to prison inmates who give police information, sometimes false information, in order to get some sort of preferential treatment. But through heavy marketing--via internet websites, music videos and even clothing--"snitch" has come to mean anyone who tal... Owners of condo conversions aren't going to like this, but there are signs that the problems we profiled in our investigation are just the tip of a large iceberg. The conversion craze peaked in the Puget Sound region in 2006, according to apartment analyst Dupre and Scott, with 6000 units converted from apartments into condos that year. The experts who inspect converted condos say it often takes 3 or 4 years for the signs of damage ... Because of TV time constraints I often feel like people in our stories get boiled down to oversimplified characterizations. Take Justine Booth. In stories we've done about her she is described like this: Justine Booth, a 33-year-old developmentally disabled woman with seizure disorders, who drowned in a bathtub while under state care. Long lines snake around gas stations, grocery stores, any place that is open with supplies of Ice, food, building materials or fuel. The downtown area is teaming with squads of cleanup workers taking care of the broken glass and debris. On Galveston Island there's been an explosion of the mosquitio population. One person was medvaced out after reportedly receiving over 1000 bites (somebody counted?). 11 people have been arrested in Galveston f... Not quite the end of a long day. It's amazing to think that the storm was blowing through here just this morning - as so much has happened since. You may have seen the heavy damage, especially in the coastal areas. Very high winds & a big surge. The storm left many wicked tentacles of problems in it's wake & almost none are spared. Just a couple hours ago, the backup generator here at the station blew a coolant line and stopped. We went dark j... Ike is still battering southeast Texas the Greater Houston area even though the eye passed by us here a couple hours ago Locals are calling this a worse hit than Alicia. Extensive downtown damage. 2 million customers without power. The Buffalo bayou next to our station here KHOU is now over it's banks and flooding the streets and area around us- we'd be next in line. 1000's of trees are down. Galveston and areas along Galveston Bay are devast... Power is now out on all of Galveston Island, a tornado watch has just been posted for most of the counties in southeast Texas. The eye of the storm is tightening up offshore which will increase wind speeds. The storm may come ashore as a Cat 3, higher winds to go with the big storm surge. Crews trying to keep out of flooding report plenty of flying debris making it unsafe to setup in many areas. A fire on Galveston Island is now jumping from h... It's 5pm here. Ike is moving ashore. Galveston Island, areas around Galveston Bay and the Bolivar Pennisula have been flooded from the storm surge for hours. The surge rose so quickly in places some that had tried to evacuate had to be rescued. As the winds and danger increase we "hide' satellite trucks and crews - sheltering them from the increasing winds. They've already been moved out of the way of high water - that storm surge. ...It's 1:30 am. Just landed in Houston, home of KING's sister-station KHOU. The city and, in particular, Galveston Island to the south are in the bullseye for Hurricane Ike. KHOU is now in continuous storm coverage and we've arrived to help the staff here as they deal with covering the storm and worrying about their families. From the people I talked to at the airport to those at the local hamburger joint you can tell the anxiety and uncertaint... It's old, cold and enormous and now it's floating free in the Arctic Ocean.
Yet, Alison, who now works at Seattle-area based "World Concern," relates feeling compelle... When The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation (NOAA) commissioned its new ship this week, it launched the grandest exploration effort this nation has seen since Lewis and Clark. As the first Native American astronaut in space, John Herrington learned that with the right inspiration and education, dreams can literally come true. He spent 330 hours in orbit back in 2002, but now is planning for a much longer expedition -- a three month bicycle ride from Cape Flattery, WA to Cape Canaveral, FL. I've always considered myself a "live and let live" kinda guy. Even when a smoker's cigarette burns my eyes I figure -- who am I to keep this guy from slowly killing himself? For many in the Northwest, hunting is a family sport. Kids and grandkids join their fathers and grandfathers for trips into the wild searching for game. Six human feet have washed ashore in Northwest waters since last August -- the latest confirmed just today (Monday). And while for many the mystery conjures images of sadistic hack saw weilding psychopaths, the reality is likely far different. Forensic pathologists will tell you that hands, feet and other extremeties are the first things to detach from a body after it has been submerged in water and starts to decompose. Feet are sometimes the... Rules are rules. |