New Year’s Eve Eve

It’s the eve of New Year’s Eve… and we’re gathering all the stories for the newscast tonight.  Although the show will go on every night this week, I won’t be back until Friday.  In the meantime, as you prepare for whatever you planned for the 31st… here’s a look back at 2008.

A quick shout out– On January 1, 2009… keep your sets on the same channel right after our newscast for a look at the Life Of A Dictator.  It’s the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, and we’ve got an incredible look back at Fidel Castro’s revolution, how it shaped 50 years of Cuban politics, and changed the South Florida landscape forever.  Join us at 7:30pm, on 1-1-09.

Sing It With Me… Mi-a-mi Dol-phins, Mi-a-mi Dol-phins…

The week between Christmas and New Year’s always feels like a black hole to me.  You never know where your time went, but while you’re in it you have no sense of time whatsoever.  If you’re one of the ones who has to be at work today, then join the club.  It can be downright exhausting to go to work in between the food comas and trying to catch up with everyone that is in town for the holidays.

In the meantime, we’re here, collecting the news, and preparing to bring it to you tonight.  The biggest news across South Florida is the Miami Dolphins.  This time last year we were hanging our heads in shame, with the worst record in the league.  And this year, well, wow.  Just wow.   Even though I’m a bigger college football fan (Gators!!!) than NFL, it’s nice to finally cheer with the hometown crowd.  People lined up this morning to get playoff tickets… and fans everywhere are still in disbelief.

See ya at 7pm!

Adam’s Legacy

I spent my childhood in South Florida knowing who Adam Walsh was.

Adam’s name is forever linked with one of the most infamous missing child/murder cases in South Florida.  And even though it happened in our backyard, his case has had a national impact.  As you may remember, Adam was 6 yrs old when he disappeared from a shopping mall in Hollywood, and was later found dead.  His father, John Walsh, went on to be the host of “America’s Most Wanted”… and their family helped change the landscape of how police handle missing children’s cases.   Adam’s disappearace sent shockwaves through our community, and put parents everywhere on edge. 

Even though I was born a few years after his disappearance, I grew up with a different kind of awareness because of him.  My mom always gave me ‘the talk’ before going to the mall, or any public place.  It was a sort of scare tactic… “look what happened to Adam, please stay close”… and it was just always engrained in my head.  Even now as an adult, I think of Adam everytime I see the “Code Adam” stickers on local stores, or when I take my little brother out to the mall.

On Tuesday, the Walsh family joined the Hollywood Police Department for an announcement that will hopefully help them close a very painful chapter in their lives.  As I sat in the middle of the newsroom watching it, I couldn’t help but get choked up at the thought of everything that family has gone through.  It reminded me of the fear in my mom’s voice everytime we’d go out in public places, and of the one and only time I wandered away from her in a grocery store and began crying. 

The Walsh family has worked tirelessly to make sure Adam’s legacy lives on.  Make sure to watch the news conference, we’ve posted it in it’s entirety on our website.

Gas, Gators & Getting It On

We have a wide range of stories coming up tonight at 7pm… Here’s a preview…

Quest for Closure

Losing a family member is difficult enough, but when it’s an untimely, violent death it’s even an even more daunting grief period.  I attended two funerals last year for people close to my family who were killed by gun violence.  One was my age at the time he was killed, making it hit even closer to home.  It’s an indescribable experience, and I wasn’t even on the front lines on the grief.  Tonight, we’re going to hear from a family who unfortunately knows this feeling all too well.  Brad Timpf was shot and killed in the parking lot of a restaurant 2 years ago.  There have been no arrests, and no closure for the family.  Two years is a very, very long time to go without answers, and the holidayu season only highlights the pain they have been feeling.  Tisha Lewis sat down with the family in an exclusive interview.

Fill’er Up!

I filled my tank of gas for $20 this weekend.  I was so excited, I almost did a dance at the gas pump.  With the $4/gallon prices still fresh in everyone’s mind… it’s no surprise that there was a huge line of people waiting to fill up on $0.99/gallon.  But of course, this wasn’t a “Real” price… but a promotion by a local radio station.  Tonight you’ll hear from the people who waited, and waited, just to fill their tanks… and we’ll tell you why gas prices have gotten so low. (not that we’re complaining, really!)

Booty Callers

When you hear the phrase “Booty Caller” you don’t automatically think baby booties.  (in fact, if you are thinking babies, it’s probably as a result of that original ‘booty caller’- ha!)  Tonight we’re going to tell you about a booty caller that will tell you when you’re most fertile… so those baby booties DO appear!

We’ve got all those fun stories… plus Urban Meyer is in town.  (if you don’t know who he is, then please ask someone for a crash course on the Gator Nation!)  The Florida football coach is here ahead of the BCS Championship Game at Dolphin Stadium next month.

See ya at 7pm!

Keeping Warm & Warming Up To Girls

Lunch today was in the patio.  There was plenty of food, chatting, and for some reason music that sounded like the chipmunks, but that’s not important. (we found out later there was a malfunctioning ipod)  We got a chance to sit outside, enjoy the weather, and enjoy each other’s company.

Boots With The Fur (not really)

55 degrees in Miami means I wear my knee-high boots.  Go ahead and laugh.  My friends in D.C. and even Atlanta kindly informed me they woke up to ice on their cars this morning.  I just told them that ice in my gallon of milk is enough to freak me out!  After we “flirted with the forties” last night… “felt the forties”… whatever you want to call it… I just want to know when I can wear my flip flops again!

No Cell Phone Crossing

One of the most difficult stories I remember us covering was about a young boy killed in a crosswalk on the way to school by a woman who was speeding while on her cell phone.  The raw emotion is what keeps coming back to me as I think about the topic of school zone safety.  Now one South Florida county is doing something about cell phones behind the wheel. 

Getting The Girl

I’ve got a soft spot for kids, especially the cute ones.  We all know they say the ‘darndest things,’ but my favorite is how they manage to keep it simple and yet speak the truth.  My teenage sister told me the other day that “high school boys just suck.”  And my favorite cute kid of the week is Alec Greven, who says that “pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil.”  He wrote a book, “How To Talk To Girls,” for a 3rd grade project, and it’s catapulted into a book deal.  It’s simple observations from the playground, but they apply to girls of all ages.  Just wait until you hear what he says about ‘regular girls.’

Community Champion

And if I were to ever become an NBA wife (not likely, but just imagine it with me), I’d want to be like Tracy Mourning.  She’s a classy, gracious lady who is committed to our community.  She’s a champion of several causes, and she’s being called the “Citizen of the Year”… Sharon Lawson will bring us her story tonight.

We’ve got all those stories for you… plus a sprinkling of some other stuff… see you at 7pm!