blogs.kxly.com

Many of the Cool Clicks on Good Morning Northwest focus on the task of saving you money or websites that will arm you with the knowledge to be a smart consumer because, after all, ‘knowledge is power!’ (Remember that diddy?)

The quote ‘knowledge is power’ was actually coined by Sir Francis Bacon, but is most notibly exclaimed by a small cartoon kid on Schoolhouse Rock.

But I digress…

Financial help websites are predominantly consumer-driven - people like you who go online to share secrets and tips, but a new site I found is quite different.

It comes from the staff of U.S. Senator Patty Murray. The website is touted as the ‘One-Stop Economic Resource Center’ and I’ll tell ya… the list is very complete.

I know from personal experience that it can be frustrating to find the definitive source of information on the web. You’ll run into a lot of dummy websites or wiki’s on a topic, but those sources aren’t the ‘official’ voice and you can’t always trust what you read on the internet.

If Murray’s staff has done their homework you should find the links on this website informative and useful. It looks as if they’ve covered their bases because you’ll find information about housing, jobs, families, small business and personal finances.
I surfed through some of the links and found the personal debt section especially helpful - I’m making a New Year’s resolution to pay off my credit card! So check it out if you have any questions about the economy or your own finances.

If you didn’t catch the link above - click here to check out Murray’s website.

P.S. What’s your New Year’s resolution, if you’re making one?

Welcome to my little slice of blog. I’ve been waiting for months now to start this thing and the time is finally here – just in time for the new year!

Coming to KXLY in August was a major transition in my life. I was moving from my birthplace of Seattle to Spokane (okay, admittedly not that drastic of a move) and I was shifting my focus from News Radio to Television and Web.

You’ll no doubt hear about my transition to TV through blog posts – because some of it can be quite comical and I wouldn’t deprive you of my bloopers, but what’s important to point out is the web aspect of my job.

After Good Morning Northwest I plop myself down in front of the web desk and create content for KXLY.com. This one aspect of my job has a bigger picture; the jobs of today’s journalists are changing.

You can’t be just a TV reporter or just a radio reporter or just a newspaper reporter anymore – journalists are now expected to make the transition to web and if you’re still resisting it… buh-bye! Why? You’re driving the reasons why – you want your news now and only the news you want to read… that’s why you go online.

I’ve been a blogger for a while now and I find the medium refreshing. It’s less formal, more personal and it opens up the possibility for conversation with you. You want a slice of the news world and rightly so! So bring it! Teach me something and I’ll teach you something.

Point, Click, Learn is where I’ll bring you Cool Clicks, which is a segment I do on Good Morning Northwest. Cool Clicks are websites that teach you something, make you laugh, save you money, entertain you, etc… I’m bursting at the seams with Cool Clicks so you’ll get your fill.

Gadget Guy, Johnny 5 will also make appearances on this blog – hopefully every Friday. I’ll also pass along tech information… not the kind only a computer science major would understand, but the kind of information that will help protect you.

Who knows, maybe I’ll throw in a few restaurant reviews, too.

You can find many of my Cool Clicks archived on our YouTube channel and I’ll start you off with one of them: DealAlerter.com. Maybe your New Year’s resolution is to stop spending so much money or just save your money. Well, the coolest thing about shopping online is that you’ll never pay full price again.

Deal Alerter lets you set your price and then sends you an email when an online retailer is selling it at your price.

Hi All - I’ve been trying to get a picture uploaded here for the last couple days but, due mostly to the fact my son does not yet know day from night, my brain has been mush. More pictures to come later, but here’s one of our little angel.

     Using my Flip Video camera at the Spokane Arena on Saturday night.  Chiefs win 4-2! The Chiefs were 5 players short, lost temporarily to the Junior World Championships.  They’ll be back.

FLASHBACK. Chiefs return home after winning the Memorial Cup! I was there in the Arena when the boys returned and still have my shirt.

I was also lucky to have my picture taken with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Highlights from the Chiefs victory vs. Kitchener for the cup.

      Since Lexy is my only family in Spokane during the holidays, I decided to bring her to work tonight.  She’s such a good dog.  I even brought her favorite rug.

Dani, Sophie and Gabby wish you a Merry Christmas.

I have so much to blog about, my head is about to explode.  Now, if it would only stop snowing long enough for me to share all of these weather related thoughts that are piling up my head.  How ironic that when the weather is the MOST interesting, I have the LEAST amount of time to blog about it.   I do have time to say “Merry Christmas“.    Thank you for watching, and thank you for the THOUSANDS of e-mails with snow pictures, and snow reports, and well wishes (and a few understandable complaints : )).  Keep ‘em coming: krisc@kxly.com.  My personal response rate has dropped to an all-time low, but know that I am sending you good vibes.  Enjoy the snow. 

      Friday morning the KXLY4  parking lot looked much like your driveway except we have a few more vehicles. So, as a news team, we started digging out. Here’s a look at what we had to do before heading out to report on the aftermath. Enjoy. 

The Free Life – Helping you stress less, live better and enjoy life.

 Free CPR Classes

The Spokane Fire Department offers free CPR classes throughout the year at various City of Spokane fire stations. Class size is limited to 20 participants so pre-registration is required.

The class offered is the American Heart Associations CPR for Family and Friends. Learn how to give CPR to an adult and if requested, a child or infant.

Classes start at 7:00 pm and are generally finished by 10:00 p.m. Usually offered on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. For more information call (509) 625-7061 or visit: http://www.spokanefire.org/training/cpr_classes/
 

      My thanks to Amanda for taking both photos and thank you viewers for watching our coverage.   What a difference a day makes.  

Wednesday Nights, Dec. 17th

Tuesday Night, Dec. 16th

One of the things that makes my heart swell, as a mom.. is seeing my children succeed and happy.  This week I had a healthy dose of that.. and it was thanks to Ponderosa Elementary’s 2nd and 3rd grade Christmas program.

Speaking parts for the programs are assigned when a child’s name is picked from a box.  Music teacher, Heather Brown (an amazing teacher) picked my son’s name, Nicholas, for one of the lead roles.  He was “Scoop”.. a part-time newspaper reporter who moonlights as a shepherd.

The newspaper was looking for the big story that would save the paper from going under.  After trials and tribulations, Scoop stumbles on THE story.. angels, 3 wise men, and a baby king (and, yes, this was in a public school!). 

Nicholas had lots of lines.. a whole lot to remember.  He did great.  He spoke clearly and had good timing.. really all the kids did.  It was a great show!

I was so proud…
Watch out Brad Pitt!!!

    My friends on Twitter have been asking me why I keep going live  from the KXLY4 Skydeck during the 5 pm newscast.  First of all, don’t blame the producer, I volunteered.  Second, how can I report to you with authority on the cold weather we’re experiencing if I don’t experience it first hand.  Third, it’s kinda fun.

     Follow me on Twitter, CLICK HERE, my name is SpokaneDave.

Sad developments today - but, the end of a long chapter for the family of six-year old Adam Walsh. He is the son of America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh and was murdered 27 years ago in Florida. The details of his kidnapping and murder are particularly gruesome. Today, investigators announced they have finally solved the case - and, with the announcement of Adam’s killer, I am even more sad for what that little boy went through.

Shortly after Joseph Duncan’s arrest, I started getting emails from people wondering how many other child deaths Duncan could be responsible for. A few of those speculators thought Duncan could be responsible for Adam’s death. However, I checked through piles and piles of Duncan’s court and prison records and determined Duncan could not have been responsible for Adam’s death. Today, investigators announced another monster is responsible for Adam’s death. He’s an admitted serial killer named Ottis Toole who died in prison in 1996. He apparently confessed to Adam’s murder twice, but later recanted the confession. As of this writing, they have not released any information about why they now think Toole is the man responsible. But, if you read this background info on Toole and his life and crimes, you may shudder - as I did - thinking about the end of Adam’s life.

I’m thankful the Walsh’s have closure on this, though I doubt this revelation will bring them any peace.

        If you know McKay Allen, you know he’s a very nice well mannered young man. But if you really know him, you know he has a wild streak, a wild streak that will land turkey legs in your desk drawer if you’re not careful. Mmm Hmm. Yes, this is the face of the man that left that molding turkey leg in my desk drawer. I was astonished at the news, especially considering I had outright said that McKay would never do such a thing earlier in the week, little did I know.

Like many of you, I’m a creature of habit. There are things I do every day the exact same way - and, if I don’t, things feel a little off. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not OCD about this. But, some things are just easier if I follow a routine. That goes, too, for the websites I visit every day. I thought I’d share the sites I visit every day - and, see if you have any to suggest. And, though I probably should be embarrassed by some of my choices, I won’t be. The first step to recovery is admitting it.

kxly.com and other news sites: These are the sites I visit often (multiple times a day). I check our website to make sure we’re staying on top of coverage, to see stories that I may have missed on TV and to check for things like grammatical errors or things that don’t look quite right. I check our competitors’ websites even more frequently to make sure we’re not missing something we should be covering (I don’t feel bad about saying that, because I know our competitors are doing it, too). I also check the regional news sites, including the Seattle TV stations and newspapers. To stay competitive, you have to know what your competition is doing - and, sometimes, stories that are done in Seattle/Portland/San Francisco, etc. can be relevant here. Those are the sites on which I spend the most time (whether I’m at work or not). I also check NPR.org a couple times a day, just to see the headlines from a different perspective. And, I check Greatfallstribune.com a couple times a week to see what’s happening in my hometown.

Facebook.com: My husband used to tell me I was too old to go on Facebook (and, Myspace); until he realized all his friends were on it, too (and even some of their parents). I’ve reconnected with so many people from throughout my life through these social networking sites - and, it’s a really nice diversion. I don’t accept any friend requests from people I don’t know, though, so maybe I should be expanding my horizons.

PerezHilton.com: I’m a gossip junkie. It’s a sickness, but I can’t help myself. And, nobody does it like Perez.

TeamSugar.com: I discovered this site about a year ago and am still discovering new elements. It’s considered a social network site for women - and, is made up of a series of blogs about everything from fashion to home improvement to shopping and beyond. I used to be a daily visitor to fabsugar.com (the fashion site), but since I’ve been pregnant, I visit lilsugar.com every day. It’s a little something for everyone in one easy-to-navigate site.

Gomarquette.com: I am proud to have a degree from a well-respected Jesuit institution like Marquette University. But, when it comes to my free time, I don’t go to Marquette’s academic site - I go to check out what’s up with the basketball team. And, since I’m convinced they’re going to win a national championship this year, I’m sure I won’t be the only one checking it out!

Thedailybeast.com: A news clearinghouse run by former Vanity Fair and New Yorker editor Tina Brown. It includes original content and newslinks in an easy to digest format. It has a sarcastic edge to it - that’s why I like it.

Those are the sites I check every day - though, I spend a good portion of my day online, so I check a lot more than just this. I hope you’ll share some of your go-to sites - I’m always ready to add to my list. 

       Last week at this time, I was basking in the Hawaiian sun.  Today, I’m wearing snowboots and  long johns.  So, in an effort to warm up…. I’m reminicing about our sunny trip to Hawaii by sharing these pics.

Me and my rugrat. 

Waves?  Any waves?

Finally, a mini wave

But beside the sun and warmth, the main reason I’ll miss Hawaii the most: spending time with my family

My mom and kid

My cousins

My sister and Leialoha