Tonight I did a story about the police crackdown on drinking and driving on new years eve….and how the selfishness of one drunk driver stole a loving husband from a kind and sweet 30 year old woman named Danielle in Hyde Park.
But rather than talk about that (really what else is there to say….drunk driving is STUPID!!!) I think I will take a little time to talk about my Dad. His name is Douglas Flack, and he’s an 82 year old WWII vet. A day after Christmas, he got extremely ill while visiting my sister in Phoenix and had to be hospitalized. For about 24 hours things were touch and go.
After flying out there to be by his side I realized how quickly life can change. You realize the people you thought were going to be there forever…won’t. I was so proud to see my Dad fight his way out of that hospital. And I was reminded how strong the bond between parent and child can be.
I tell you all of this because I think those of us with loving families should remind ourselves how lucky we are. Just before he was killed by that drunk driver, Danielle’s husband called and told her “thanks for taking care of me.” We all might want to pass on that message.
My Dad
Gutless Grinches
It’s been a while since I checked in on the big blog…had a couple weeks of vacation to recharge my batteries, and I’m back to talk about the latest case of a vandal who targeted a local Christmas display.
This time, a thief walked up to a nativity scene on the lawn of a family in Mason and stole the baby Jesus right out from under the manger. Didn’t touch anything else….just took baby Jesus.
As it turns out, this baby Jesus was a very special one. It had been in the family for 40 years.
My question is this: What kind of yahoo steals baby Jesus? The family said they found beer cans on the lawn the day after baby Jesus went missing, and I have no doubt alcohol played a role in the theft. But seriously….couldn’t the thieves have found a better drinking game? And don’t people who trash Christmas displays realize the heart and soul people put into them?
Whoever stole baby Jesus from the Ball family in Mason needs to man up and return it. Drop it off in the middle of the night if you have too. The family has promised not to press charges.
But there is no way that little plastic doll means more to you than it does to its rightful owners.
Officer Down
The injuries suffered by Sgt. Bryce Bezdek during a high speed chase last weekend has caused much heartbreak and second guessing within the law enforcement community. While Bezdek is a member of the Cincinnati Police Department, it was the Hamilton County Sheriffs Department who initiated the high speed chase that resulted in his injuries. The deputies were chasing three people in an S-U-V who were spotted doing heroin in a parking lot.
A number of Cincinnati Police officers have quietly questioned…both to each other and to me….whether the chase was worth it. The president of the FOP came out more publicly today, saying that Cincinnati Police would never have started a chase over three people doing drugs. In fact, Kathy Harrell said open ended pursuit and use of force guidelines used by the sheriffs department are part of the reason she opposes sheriffs patrols in the city.
I accept it is somewhat unfair for a reporter to second guess law enforcement, especially after an incident in which an officer suffers life threatening injuries. But I also think that in this case, Sheriffs could have realized that this pursuit, one in which speeds reached 90 miles and hour on a busy expressway in the middle of the day, created a bigger danger than letting the suspects go. And that is the exact opposite result that the deputies were looking for.
Nuxie
There are stories, moments in time, you will never forget. The day I found myself on the streets of New York watching the World Trade Center fall…The day I reported live from Hurricane Floyd….add the death of Joe Nuxhall to that list.
It’s not as if I am a lifelong Reds fan. I knew of Nuxie before I moved to town earlier this year….but never did I even come close to imagining what he meant to this team, this city, this community. Now I know.
The crowds of genuinely touched fans and friends has blown me away, and from what I’ve heard its blown away his family too. One local sports guy compared it to the day Babe Ruth died, and after what I’ve seen over the past couple days, first at Nuxie’s statue, then at his visitation, that analogy is not far off.
The Gun Show Loophole
First I want to thank all the people, both pro gun and pro gun control, that spoke with me for this story. I know my friend Tim Inman, member of the Buckeye Firearms Association, believes statistics provided by the Brady Group are biased and in some cases, flat out wrong. I tend to believe that each group has it’s own agenda, and that numbers from both sides need to be taken with a grain of salt.
That said, it floors me that there are ways to get high powered firearms in this country without going through a background check. Even if the number of criminals who get their guns from gun shows is small, any action that might make it harder for the bad guys to pick up guns is worthwhile in my book. My friend Tim said he doesn’t buy the argument that “one life saved” makes something worth it. With all due respect, I disagree. While I support the rights of those who wish to bear arms, I fight for the rights of those who want to take every step to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them.
Long Time Reporter, First Time Giver
Seems like every holiday season I do a story on charities in need of donations. This year’s story: the economy is so bad, virtually ALL charities are in need of help.
I, like most of Cincinnatians, have been hit hard by higher gas, grocery and electric bills this year. It’s the reason people aren’t donating as much as they have in the past.
Now in all my years encouraging others to give though journalism, I have never taken my own advice. It always seemed as though there was some reason for me NOT to give. “Gotta help my family before someone else’s” I told myself.
But this year, despite the fact my financial situation is more delicate than ever with a 16 month old at home and another on the way, I have finally decided it’s time to help someone else. So my family has adopted a needy family from St. Vincent De Paul to provide gifts and food for Christmas.
The truth is, there’s really never enough money for a family to have EVERYTHING it wants. But speaking with all these charities that are turning away truly needy people because they don’t have enough food and clothing supplies to go around, I realized just how lucky my family is. The least we could do is let another family share in the good fortune we have had…even if from time to time we think we deserve more.
So below is a list of charities that could use your help. Give what you can…and remember, even a small donation is an important one.
St. Vincent De Paul
www.svdpcincinnati.org
1125 Bank Street
Cincinnati, OH 45212
513-562-8841
Salvation Army
www.thesalvationarmycincinnati.org
Divisional Headquarters
114 East Central Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-762-5600
golfTec
www.golftec.com
(free swing analysis with canned good donation)
600 Vine Street
Suite 100
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-381-4653
Freestore Foodbank
www.freestorefoodbank.org
1250 Tennessee Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45229
513-482-4500
Too Young for Plastic Surgery
How young is too young for plastic surgery? As I found out that’s a hard question to answer. Hundreds of thousands of kids are getting plastic surgery every year. From breast implants to nose jobs and chin implants, kids who haven’t even graduated from high school are buying new looks with the help of their parents pocketbooks. Often, the plastic surgery is a birthday gift or a Christmas present.
A lot of doctors worry about the trend. Plastic surgeons themselves told me some of these kids are too young to go under the knife. But other teens have good reason for wanting plastic surgery. Often they have features that have caused years of painful teasing and embarrassment.
The question I wrestle with is where do you draw the line? What is an acceptable problem for a teenager to have corrected? Should a teen be able to “tweak” their look like an adult would? Or should teenage plastic surgery be reserved for only the most severe problems?
In the end, that is a question only parents can decide.
Meter Mess
Who thought paying the parking meter could GET you a ticket? It can in Hyde Park, where parking is so scarce along the square parking enforcement is handing out fines for a little known law that prohibits re-feeding a meter to extend your time.
The crackdown came after a tennis racquet shop owner got fed up watching other buisnesses employees monopolize parking spaces meant for customers. He told me he used to sit in his front window and watch waiters from local restaurants come out and re-feed meters for entire 8 hour shifts….leaving his customers to walk blocks in the rain to get to his store. So I understand his frustration.
The problem I see is that the meters have a one hour max. What good is that for a shopping district? For people at restaurants, salons, even those just walking from shop to shop, an hour just isn’t enough time.
Tonya’s Salon is really getting hurt….as her customers often demand she pay the tickets they get while in her business. She’s paid a half dozen tickets since the crackdown started earlier this year. Doesn’t seem fair, but if she refuses, she looses a customer.
I think the city needs to find a solution here. At the very least the city should make the meters longer than an hour. Cincinnati needs to do all it can to help its businesses districts, not handcuff them.
The Waiting Game
Life as a reporter can be fun and exciting. Not today.
I am sitting at the Sharonville Sheraton waiting for Kroger and its worker’s union to hammer out a new contract before midnight tonight. The possibility of a strike looms overhead.
This is life or death stuff to both sides. Kroger stands to loose millions if the workers strike. And the majority of people who work at Kroger really can’t afford to be walking a picket line and not picking up a paycheck. So I have 100 percent respect for both sides negotiating for hours on end trying to get the best deal. But….
From a reporters standpoint this is BOOOORING. No one will talk to me because things are ultra secret. I have no idea whether we’re going to be here for an hour or a day. And I can’t even write a story yet because everything could change at any moment.
So I sit, and wait, and wonder….now that my blogging is done, what will I do to pass the time?
