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I answered calls tonight from a couple angry viewers, upset with our snow coverage today. I usually know within the first three seconds of those calls if the person on the other end really wants to know why we’re doing what we’re doing - or, if they just want to complain and hang up. I wish more of them would have stayed on the line and listened to my answer tonight - because I proudly stand by our coverage.

First off, know this: sometimes TV stations overdo it. We can acknowledge that. This, however, is not one of those times. By 11:30 this morning, we knew this was more than just another snowstorm. The roads were terrible - I-90 was closed near Geiger because of a nine car, two semi pile-up. I-90 was also closed in Coeur d’Alene because of a massive pile-up there. Everywhere in between, roads were being shut down and people were slamming into each other as the snow piled up on the streets. Now, many hours later, the snow is still falling. This is what you’d call a big storm. We decided to go wall-to-wall with our coverage just before four o’clock this afternoon. We don’t make that decision lightly. But, when we couldn’t keep up with the accidents and the afternoon commute was starting to look extremely hairy, we knew we didn’t have a choice. I was confident we made the right decision all along, but had that affirmed a couple hours later when we got a press release from Spokane Police saying chains were required for drivers on the South Hill. That’s a big storm, folks - and, a public safety emergency.

I’m not a snow wuss. I grew up in Montana and spent four winters in Wisconsin before moving to Washington, where I’ve spent 10 winters. Our news director is from Michigan - he’s not afraid of snow, either. But, there’s snow and there’s snow. When we get as much as we did today, we have an obligation to our viewers to share the latest information with them.

I know many of you don’t like to miss the national news. I get that. But, when it’s taking people an hour and a half to get across the Maple Street Bridge, we need to report on that. When they shut down all but two of the roads heading north and south, we need to report on that. When we’re nowhere near the end of this thing, we need to report on that.

     Took part in my first Spokane area Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl on the South Hill this morning.  Had tons of fun.  Kris Crocker was kind enough to work the camera for us.  Enjoy!  Happy Thanksgiving.

Yes its true. It’s snowing on the South Hill this Thanksgiving Day. Here’s raw footage Kjerstin Ramsing shot with her Flip Video Camera earlier this morning.

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

Thanksgiving Bike Ride - Bike around the South Hill before you gorge on a home-cooked turkey. Begins at 9 a.m. South Hill Residence, 3608 E. 35th. (509) 448-6271

Thanksgiving In The Reading Room - Celebrate Thanksgiving with a service at 10 a.m. First Church of Christ, Scientist, 310 E. 14th Avenue (509) 624-1637

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

 Creative Gift Making - Free Drop-In Knitting Class

WHEN: Today (Also meets 12/30, 1/27, 2/24).

TIME: 3:30-5:30 p.m.  

WHERE: South Hill Public Library, 3324 South Perry, Spokane.

DESCRIPTION: Open to knitters and crocheters. Bring your own project or needles and yarn for this afternoon knitting group which meets the 4th Tuesday of every month. Also meets 12/30, 1/27, 2/24.

Minimal instruction/advice (knitting only) is available. Ages 10 and up are welcome.  Also needed are donations of yarn and supplies for knitters who don’t have their own.

More details contact Monica Smith:  444-5385
 

We got some sad news today about a woman whose story we’ve been following for four years. Over the weekend, Belle Ensminger passed away. She was a beautiful woman with one of the most loving husbands I’ve ever seen. I can’t imagine how much Clay’s heart is aching tonight.

We first introduced you to Belle in 2004, under some pretty tough circumstances. She and Clay were outside their South Hill home, getting into their car. A couple thugs pulled up and stole Belle’s purse. In the process, they knocked the 89-year old to the ground. She suffered a life-changing injury. She could no longer live at home, upsetting the delicate balance of her life. She and Clay each had medical challenges, but were able to live in their home because they took care of each other. The injury sent Belle to a nursing home. Clay soon followed. I remember interviewing Clay at his home soon after the men who attacked Belle were arrested. I was so touched by how willing he was to share his emotions. He shared with a room full of strange reporters his fears about the future - and, his love for Belle. I remember wishing at that moment that in 55 years, my husband would talk about me that way.

For years after that, I wondered what happened to the Ensmingers. I thought of them as I drove by their house near Manito Park. I never knew what happened to them - or if Belle was still alive. In May, I got my answer. We were invited to a North Spokane retirement home to celebrate Belle and Clay’s 58th wedding anniversary. Here’s the story. Again, I was touched by the love they still had for each other. Belle couldn’t speak - but, I could tell by looking at her that she still loved Clay. Clay couldn’t stop talking about her.

Today, we heard Belle passed away. I talked to Clay this afternoon and he was gracious and, as always, loving when talking about Belle. He said she was doing well, but recently stopped eating and drinking. She passed away early Saturday morning. Near the end of my call with Clay, I heard a familiar change in his voice. I knew Clay was crying. It broke my heart again to think of Clay all alone. Though, I’m sure the years he spent with Belle will carry him through. I feel fortunate the Ensmingers let us into their lives. I just wish those thugs would not have robbed them of their golden years together.

Dear President-elect Obama,

I have some student loans but I make regular payments on them. I have a mortgage locked in at a great APR with a bank that has proven to be quite stable recently all things considered. I have the usual run of monthly bills to Qwest, Avista, Comcast, City of Spokane, that sort of thing and when it comes down to it the only thing about my personal finances that sucks eggs right now is my 401k.

My family is weathering this economic crisis reasonably well all things considered, but I’d like to free up some income to put into savings so I’d like to ask you if I could have a bailout too.

I think that if the Fat Cats on Wall Street or up in Motown can get a bailout then maybe I could get one. I don’t have Michigan’s governor campaigning for my bailout, but I could ask my wife to maybe throw in a good word … she’s from Alabama which hopefully you won’t hold against her since Alabama was solidly in McCain country on November 4th.

There’s all this talk about helping Wall Street and Main Street and I wanted to say that I don’t live on Main Street but I live pretty close to Ray, which is one of the main north-south arterials on the South Hill. So that’s sort of a Main Street. Does that qualify me for help?

Oh yeah … I’m a pretty hard worker, I pay my taxes, I vote, I served in the military, I don’t break laws, I support the cattle industry by eating red meat and up until five months I was a supporter of Big Tobacco like you. In other words I’ve done a lot of things to support our country those Fat Cat CEOs aren’t willing to do so maybe I’m worth the credit risk.

If you give me the money I promise that ABC’s Brian Ross won’t catch me in Scottsdale, Arizona enjoying a lavish week-long getaway. I might go to Sun City West, but only because that’s where my in-laws live.

And here’s the kicker: I’m not going to cost you $700 Billion. I won’t even cost you a million dollars. Heck at this point I’d settle for lunch.

Anyway … I just figured I’d get in line since everyone seems to be asking you for money.

Thanks for your consideration Mr. President-elect. Good luck with the dog search.

~Rob

Marissa Ferraro snapped this Pic of the Night from Spokane’s South Hill off of Jamieson Rd. this morning.  This is the fog season in the Inland Northwest.  Spokane averages 9 days of heavy fog (1/4 mile of less) in November.  November ties January for the second foggiest month.  December is the foggiest month, with an average of 12 days of heavy fog.  On average, Spokane has more days of heavy fog than Portland or Seattle.  Thanks for the great picture Marissa!

       I’ve been admiring this house since I moved to Spokane in 2005. I’ve often gone out of my way just to drive by and admire it. That’s what I was doing yesterday when to my surprise… I noticed the thing was for sale. Exciting! I hopped out and grabbed the flier listing all of its wonderful attributes and listing it’s price… $500,000! Half a Mill! 5-hundred g’s! You know what though, that’s not a lot of money for this house.

As I’m writing this, I’m listening to the closing arguments in the Kevin Coe civil commitment case. It has been a bizarre few weeks for a lot of people in this community - and, I’m sure a lot of people will be happy when this is all over and they won’t have to hear Coe’s name spoken in this community again. Still, watching this case play out has been fascinating, especially in light of its history.

I was not here when the South Hill rape cases were in the headlines. In fact, when the attacks first started, I don’t believe I was even born! But, I remember hearing about the “South Hill Rapist” long before I moved here. I’m generally fascinated by serial criminals; specifically, how they’re able to pull off these crimes for years and years, while most often living “regular” lives. I never thought I would actually cover any aspect of this on-going case. Then, two years ago, we heard Coe was going to be released and the state would try to have him sent to the Special Commitment Center at McNeil Island. We made a trip over, learned all about the process and toured the facility on McNeil Island. While I’ve learned a lot covering the fringe aspects of this case, I’ve felt a lot closer to it just driving to work every day.

Every day on my way to work, I pass “landmarks” in the Coe case. I pass the parking lot/field area at Ferris, where Coe used to jog. I pass the intersection of 29th and Freya, right near Coe’s house and where Julie Harmia was attacked. I pass the laundromat where Coe met his girlfriend. And, depending on which way I go, I sometimes pass Coe’s childhood home on 29th. I learned about all these landmarks by reading the book, Son. Because I read that book, it has been so strange and interesting to see the parade of witnesses in this trial. It’s amazing to see these people now, decades later. I had pictures of them all in my mind when I read that book, so to see them now and hear their voices is amazing. It’s like watching a movie that has flash-forwards. I can’t imagine most people involved ever imagined they would be in a Spokane County court again, reliving these horrific memories.

While this whole thing has been strange and bizarre for me, I can’t imagine what it’s like for most of you; for those of you who lived here and lived this nightmare. To see it all played out again must be surreal. But, no matter what happens and what the jury decides, you likely won’t hear much about Coe ever again. He says if he’s released he’s moving to Nevada and has no desire to stay in the state of Washington. If he’s sent to McNeil Island, his sentence is indefinite - and, it’s very likely he will never be released.

This just in … an e-mail just came in from the Western Division of The Home Depot in Orange, California which, in a nutshell, says that the company has decided not to build a new store on the South Hill.

Here’s the statement from Home Depot on their decision:

“We reevaluated this deal and found it no longer works for us. We made this decision based on a number of factors. As you know, deals like this are always changing, our plans change, the business landscape changes; no one factor is to blame.

As announced earlier this year, we have reduced our store openings as we focus on investments in our existing stores and operations. By continuing our investment in our existing stores, we will be in a very strong position once the current business climate recovers. We continue to look for new opportunities to bring our business to different areas of Spokane. Our stores in Spokane, Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake will continue to serve the community.”

Last week I passed over the 10-year mark covering the news online in Spokane.

It was back in September of 1998 that two friends of mine – Gonzaga Associate Professor Dan Garrity and Gonzaga Adjunct Professor Tamara McGregor – offered me a job working at “a Spokane-area TV station on the South Hill.”

The job was nightside assignment desk, which meant not having to use an alarm clock in the morning and it also meant getting a foot in the door to television news, something that had a much faster pace than print journalism (As a former Marine I’ve always been a wee bit of an adrenaline junkie).

Getting that job also opened up another opportunity when Tamara asked if I knew anything about the Internet.

I’d been involved a little bit with the web when our university newspaper launched its first news website, and I’d helped build The Star newspaper’s first website in Grand Coulee, so I knew just about enough to be dangerous. At the time the “Spokane-area TV station on the South Hill” didn’t have anyone posting stuff to the website so I gave it a shot.

Pretty soon it became a regular thing as the idea of posting content to the website became a secondary platform for content distribution. Back then online news was a lark, added value that was updated only after our newscasts had aired, so as to not give away information to the competition.

But things started to change around the turn of the millennium. The first major change was was getting offered a full-time position to do nothing but write copy for the web. I took that as a sign the web was no longer a lark.

The second major change came with the arrest of Spokane Serial Killer Robert Yates. One day after his arrest Tamara asked me, “Can we put these court documents online?”

The documents are irrelevant; what’s relevant is the thought process … that’s the key that unlocked a whole new door. That was the moment that in my mind things changed for Spokane news as about that time online news began to take precedence.

More and more frequently you could find news stories being broken on all of the media websites in Spokane. Local TV stations were no longer waiting until 5 p.m. to get the news out; websites were being used to advance the story hours ahead of the newscasts.

The era of the “Exclusive” has given way to “As we first reported online”. The “Just the facts” Journalist (With a Capital J) is giving way to the multi-platform content developer who anchors or reports the news and then blogs about everything they couldn’t add in their on-air story. We now break news online and provide context to the story on-air.

Looking back now there’s only two things that really haven’t changed in 10 years of online journalism here in Spokane.

First, after 10 years people still call it New Media.

Second, a lot of people both inside and outside of the industry continue to treat it like a fad.

As of 5 p.m. we are reporting on:

A half dozen brush fires and wildfires from Tonasket to Spokane Valley
A fully-mobilized Spokane Fire Department battling a three-alarm blaze at Ugly Duck Liquidators
Thousands without power on the South Hill

… and this just in … the city of Sprague is completely without water. They have a problem with an electrical panel at the water pump. It was trickling out earlier today but as of 3 p.m. it went completely dry. They have no idea when power will be restored and have notified other area fire departments they may need help as the town’s wells are now bone dry.

Busy day. Time to take a timeout with Billy Joel: