Blockbuster trade (not for Cleveland)

And we are off to the races!

I can feel it. The next three days are gonna be nail-biters, edge of our seats, more than likely NOT good outcomes for the Cleveland Indians.

Channel 3 has the best sports team in town.

Jim Donovan, in my humble opinion, is not only the most solid anchor in town, but the most knowledgeable, talented, humorous and will bring the viewers the story first on every occasion.

Today the Cleveland Indians traded away Cy Young Award Winner Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco to the Philadelphia Phillies for 4 'hot' prospects.

As expected, Sports Anchor Jim Donovan was on top of this trade blowing all other sports reports out of the water.

I marvel.

Donovan's in depth pieces at 6, 7, and 11pm were spot on, informative, and gave great insight into how we got to this point and where, unfortunately, we are headed.

This is just the tip of the iceberg people. We have less than 48 hours before the trading deadline and there will be another blockbuster trade, mark my words!

But, don't worry, Jim Donovan along with Dave Chudowsky, Al Pawlowsky and the entire STO team will bring you the most complete, comprehensive coverage bar none so STAY TUNED!

Busy week ahead

We may be in the midst of summer where kids are enjoying their last weeks of freedom and families may still be vacationing before life settles back in to a groove, but there is always news.

This is an extremely busy week.

Every day we will be doing preview pieces ushering in the 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer which kicks off Friday. Medical Anchor Monica Robins and the station are very involved with this issue.

Browns Camp kicks off this weekend as well. Jim Donovan and his entire team will be working Saturday and Sunday to bring you the beginning of what hopes to be an exciting football season for Cleveland fans.

Friday at 4pm is the MLB trade deadline. I hate to say it but rumor has it Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, as well as Victor Martinez are the big targets destined to leave Cleveland. You can be sure Jim Donovan and the Channel 3 Sports Department along with STO will bring you the latest FIRST!!!!!!!!!

Dick Russ was the first Cleveland reporter from the very beginning who embraced and worked side-by-side with U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott to bring the concept of the Fugitive Safe Surrender Program to the country. It began here and will be coming back this week to Akron Wednesday thru Saturday. Rumor has it the 20,000th Fugitive may turn themselves in and you can be sure that wkyc will be there to hear their story!


As you can see, these are just a few of the stories we will be embracing and bringing to our viewers all week long.


Stay with Channel 3 News and wkyc.com for the latest news, sports and the week long weather forecast for you and your family!

Become part of the Channel 3 web chat family

Hop on wkyc.com and engage in one of the many web chat forums we have throughout the week!

During bad weather, for those viewers who still have power, our weather folks take part in a web chat to keep our customers updated on tracking the latest storm movements as well as getting first hand information from chatters on what type of weather is happening in their neck of the woods.

The wkyc reporters initiate web chats on their specialized topics periodically from Eric Mansfield with Akron news to Tom Beres with the politics of the day or possibly Kim Wheeler with education breakthroughs.

The Channel 3 News Weekend Morning Edition runs their web chat each Saturday and Sunday morning from 9am until 10:30am.

And then Monday thru Friday, the 7pm news hosts their nightly web chat between 7pm and 7:30pm.

All you have to do is long on wkyc.com and click on the web chat page. Log on and tell us what is on your mind.

Each chat has their regulars and new visitors during each show.

At 7pm, for instance, some of our regulars who help move the chat along, offer informative details and bring some levity to the scene include 'westsideirish,' 'lazee,' 'tuff,' 'nan,' 'deb,' as well as the on air personalities and behind-the-scenes wkyc-ers who are involved with the live broadcast.

The chat consists of pretty much any topic--a specific story which aired, a live guest possibly, or the kind of day someone has had. When we do have live guests, our chatters can email questions which are asked live during the show. And, we often have 'guest chatters' who will take questions directly from our customers. We've had doctors, legal analysts, financial advisors, rock stars--you name it, we've included them in the web chat!

So, if you want to interact during a live show or have issues you would like addressed, hop onto wkyc.com and join us throughout the week on one of our wkyc live web chats!

We'd love to hear from you!

Weekly Feature: Hidden Gems

Today's Hidden Gem: Lake Erie Islands

The more I travel this great land (it sounds like I am about to bust into a scene from Yankee Doodle Dandy!!), I realize how lucky we have it here in Ohio. From the rich history to the diverse landscape, to all of the fun events to experience year round.

Don't get me wrong, I love traveling the globe and have been to some amazing places including Paris, Venezuela, Aruba...the list is endless!

But there is nothing like standing on Hidden Gem Beach at Catawba in the dark of night viewing shooting star after shooting star.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet up with some very dear friends over the weekend.

We met in Catawba and popped over to Put-in-Bay on Sunday.

I believe I've stated this before and re-stated it for my friends: I could not live somewhere not attached to a body of water.

All of the Islands have their own special charm: Kelleys Island, Middle Bass, South Bass, Put-in-Bay...there are other smaller islands not quite developed that carry the same ambiance.

This weekend was the annual 'Christmas in July' on Put-in-Bay. The entire experience was a hoot. That's not the reason we went over there but an added bonus!

We boarded the Ferry at Catawba Point. Before we left, we saw a snake just minding his own business. Once on board, you can stay downstairs and take the chance you will get drenched by the waves in motion or go upstairs to enjoy the sun, the breeze, and the view (as well as the humor factor of watching the travelers below get pounded with water).

As we were approaching the island, a plane flew directly over us. What a vision.

Once on Put-in-Bay, the options endless. You can visit the caves, winery, monuments, fishery, multitude of stores and restaurants, beach, marina, miniature golf, go-karts, etc....and the 'way' to visit all of these places is just as exciting --via golf cart, bike, moped, trolley, car, boat or on foot.

What an exhilarating day. The weather perfect! Could not have asked for better weather to take in the sights, spend quality time with friends and enjoy a nice meal on the island.

Every store or restaurant decorated accordingly with the "Christmas in July" theme though it was in the 80's! There was a boat parade and a land parade. The land parade featured a whole slew of old, historic vehicles leading the way to the guest of honor, Santa Claus & his entourage

Kimberly's Carousel all decked out for the holiday as well as piping out everyone's favorite Christmas tunes the little children could sing along to as they circled around and around.

At nightfall, the sky totally different from the city sky, which is usually clogged with pollution and lights galore.

On the contrary, the Catawba sky pitch black. We were able to locate the big dipper, the little dipper and witnessed shooting star after shooting star. Make a wish!

Whether or not you are the 'outdoorsy type' or not, there is quite a lot to do and enjoy on the Lake Erie Islands. If you have not had the Island experience yet, I strongly suggest you make the trip. Take the Ferry to the Island of your choice and, you too, will experience first hand why the Lake Erie Islands are this week's Hidden Gem!

Medicinal Mistakes - Thursday at 11pm

If you take prescribed medicine, or more importantly, have a parent or older relative who has a number of prescriptions to take each day to survive, you won't want to miss The Investigator Tom Meyer's eye-opening report Thursday at 11pm on WKYC.

Trembling

There was no where to park in the parking garage when I arrived into work, except that 'fateful spot' which brings back so many awful memories from March 25, 2009.

I was trembling as I entered the building and started my day. I could not help it.

I'm sure there are some people who do not want to me recount those memories or remember the events of that day, but unfortunately, it is part of my history now. Heck, there are certain folks to this day who have not even said, "Are you ok, honey? I'm so sorry that happened to you."

I'm ok with that and am long over it. In life, you have to roll with the punches and move on from adversity and tragedy. Everything happens for a reason and the more resilient we are, the stronger we become.

I won't lie or deny the simple fact that it was a bad event. A violation of my property & my safety and security. I will never get that peace of mind back. And unfortunately, it has put me years and years back into debt.

However, I'm glad today happened. I was over just about everything. But having to park in that same spot was just what the doctor ordered.

It's like, if you are thrown off a horse, you have to get back on. If you fall on the ski slope, you have to get back up and tackle a higher slope. If you fall off your bike, get right back on and keep peddling.


Onward and upward, my friends!

Newscasters today should emulate & thank Mr. Walter Cronkite

The passing of legendary Newsman Walter Cronkite, though expected, still quite a blow for America, the world, and broadcasters everywhere.

There is a surefire reason Cronkite was known as the 'most trusted man in America' and no one will ever take that title away from him.

I'm not quite sure why television news today does not take a microscopic look at his style and try to emulate as much as possible.

I grew up watching David Brinkley and Walter Cronkite and the whole '60 Minutes' crew. Now that was news and a perfect era to be reporting the groundbreaking happenings taking place in the 50's, 60's and 70's...

Cronkite handled every story with accuracy, compassion, and clarity for his viewers.

He entered many areas that had never been visited before and aced them all.

He WAS the perfect man for the job.

He never made HIMSELF the focal point (as many broadcasters do), he reported the story and how it affected his audience.

I hope you all had the opportunity to see Sunday night's '60 Minutes' special presentation on Mr. Walter Cronkite. It was absolutely one of the best shows I have ever seen--the caliber production fit for Mr. Cronkite.

I can not do justice in this blog entry but would love to mention some of the top of mind stories that Mr. Cronkite covered, nailed, and reported that truly proved he was the best newsman and the 'most trusted man in America.'

He actually discovered the Beatles first. He aired a piece on their mania in his show causing Ed Sullivan to call Cronkite and inquire who these blokes were!?!?! I chuckled when Cronkite took his daughter Kathy to meet them. He said she never had much interest in her dad's job until she got to meet The Beatles!!!

The most memorable image none will ever forget is Cronkite reporting on the death of President Kennedy. He removed his glasses, spoke directly to the audience, and paused as he regained his composure and then trudged on with his report.

Cronkite proved in those seconds that it is ok for a newsman to be human, to show he is human and still keep his integrity.

Oh, the Cronkite Special was tremendous touching on Cronkite's reporting and candidness pertaining to Vietnam, Frank Sinatra's possible mob ties, the Alabama Church bombing, Woodstock (and his daughter's attendance!), and becoming a Grateful Dead fan.

It seems one of his greatest passions was following the NASA Space Program. Every time he reported on anything pertaining to NASA and the Space Program, you could see how proud he was not only to be an American but to be able to report about this groundbreaking story to his viewers. He was not afraid to show his emotion, which made him human and totally believable.

Even his closing statement, "And that's the way it is." He wanted a statement that made true sense following any story that ended his newscast, not just a 'catch phrase' people would remember him by.

In my opinion, Brian Williams captured one of the motivations that made Cronkite the best. Again, I'm not sure why more broadcasters do not take heed to this way of thinking. Williams said Cronkite believed to do your job the best you can, you've got to 'play' in equal amounts. Someone who works 24 hours a day does not do justice to his craft. Mr. Cronkite DID 'play' in equal amounts by sailing on his boats, spending quality time with his family, attending concerts and knowing he needed to step away every once in a while to rejuvenate.

Thank you for not only being a wonderful mentor to all broadcasters but for being an exemplary human being and one of the proudest Americans to ever walk this earth.

May you rest in peace on your yacht in the heavens, Sir.

Walter Cronkite
(1916-2009)