Forecast
Today: Sunny skies. Highs 70 to 75. N winds 5 to 15 mphTonight: Clear and cool. Lows 43 to 49. Some upper 30's in the colder mountain valley's. Light wind.
Thursday: Mostly sunny skies. Highs 72 to 77.
Tonight: Clear and cool. Lows 43 to 49. Some upper 30's in the colder mountain valley's. Light wind.
Thursday: Mostly sunny skies. Highs 72 to 77.
COSTA RICA TRIP
05/29/13
By Jeff Peterson
Better late than never! I have been back from vacation for two months now, so I thought I would blog about where I went and what I did on my awesome trip to Costa Rica. So many people have asked about the vacation and specific things we did. Many folks have expressed interested in traveling there, so here is the Peterson trip to Costa Rica. The trip was for 11 days and 10 nights with no children. Can you say slice of heaven? We landed in San Jose and stayed at a Bed & Breakfast just outside of the city. The first thing we did was tour the Doka Estate Coffee Plantation. Beautiful and very interesting. The tour, which included lunch, took about 3 hours. Next it was off to Arenal volcano. It is 5,358 fee high and spectacular. We have awesome views from Arenal Lodge. We stayed for 3 nights. Our first day was a 5 hour hike in the Arenal rain forest. My wife and I had to pinch ourselves because we couldn't believe we were walking around in a rain forest. It's a rain forest, so it did rain off and on. It was a good thing we were prepared with rain jackets. I can mark this off my bucket list. I actually saw a monkey in the wild in the rain forest. Our second day at Arenal, we went for another hike on a trail on the Arenal Lodge property and walked through a beautiful butterfly garden. It was off to another adventure with the Arenal Swinging Bridges. It is a hiking trail with a series of suspension bridges sometimes hundreds of feet in the air. The hike brought us views of spectacular waterfalls and even a family of monkeys. Day 3 of our stay at Arenal started with a 3 hour horse back ride around the property with more views of the volcano and Lake Arenal. After lunch, it was time for relaxation at the Tabacon Grand Thermal Spa. Natural hot springs with waterfalls, rivers and pools of water. There are 3 springs that flow around the spa with the water getting as hot as 122 degrees in some areas. The view is breathtaking. Check out this online. Tabacon could be the Garden of Eden. After 3 nights in Arenal, it was off the Monteverde Cloud Forest. The trip took us on a 30 mile mountain dirt road up to the quaint town of Santa Elena. At 4,662 feet, we felt like we were on top of the world. We stayed for 2 nights. The first day included a trip to the biological preserve. We hiked on the trails for around 5 hours. More waterfalls, the view from the continental divide and plenty of humming birds and monkeys. The next day I went flying on the zip line. One of the zip lines was a mile across and hundreds of feet in the air. Well worth spending the money and half the day if you like something that is thrilling to say the least. Our next adventure took us to Tamarindo. It is a beach town on the west coast of Costa Rica. We stayed at a resort right on the beach. The next 4 days included lots of swimming, a boat tour of the estuary checking out crocs, howler monkeys, lots of birds and turtles and we found time to go for a couple or runs on the beach. Nice a relaxing. The trip was awesome and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a fun filled trip. It was a great combination of activities and relaxation. I like the fact that we rented a car and drove around the country to different areas. Do a Google search of some of the things I wrote about and see the beauty for yourself. How much fun did I have? I would go back in a heartbeat
05/29/13
By Jeff Peterson
Better late than never! I have been back from vacation for two months now, so I thought I would blog about where I went and what I did on my awesome trip to Costa Rica. So many people have asked about the vacation and specific things we did. Many folks have expressed interested in traveling there, so here is the Peterson trip to Costa Rica. The trip was for 11 days and 10 nights with no children. Can you say slice of heaven? We landed in San Jose and stayed at a Bed & Breakfast just outside of the city. The first thing we did was tour the Doka Estate Coffee Plantation. Beautiful and very interesting. The tour, which included lunch, took about 3 hours. Next it was off to Arenal volcano. It is 5,358 fee high and spectacular. We have awesome views from Arenal Lodge. We stayed for 3 nights. Our first day was a 5 hour hike in the Arenal rain forest. My wife and I had to pinch ourselves because we couldn't believe we were walking around in a rain forest. It's a rain forest, so it did rain off and on. It was a good thing we were prepared with rain jackets. I can mark this off my bucket list. I actually saw a monkey in the wild in the rain forest. Our second day at Arenal, we went for another hike on a trail on the Arenal Lodge property and walked through a beautiful butterfly garden. It was off to another adventure with the Arenal Swinging Bridges. It is a hiking trail with a series of suspension bridges sometimes hundreds of feet in the air. The hike brought us views of spectacular waterfalls and even a family of monkeys. Day 3 of our stay at Arenal started with a 3 hour horse back ride around the property with more views of the volcano and Lake Arenal. After lunch, it was time for relaxation at the Tabacon Grand Thermal Spa. Natural hot springs with waterfalls, rivers and pools of water. There are 3 springs that flow around the spa with the water getting as hot as 122 degrees in some areas. The view is breathtaking. Check out this online. Tabacon could be the Garden of Eden. After 3 nights in Arenal, it was off the Monteverde Cloud Forest. The trip took us on a 30 mile mountain dirt road up to the quaint town of Santa Elena. At 4,662 feet, we felt like we were on top of the world. We stayed for 2 nights. The first day included a trip to the biological preserve. We hiked on the trails for around 5 hours. More waterfalls, the view from the continental divide and plenty of humming birds and monkeys. The next day I went flying on the zip line. One of the zip lines was a mile across and hundreds of feet in the air. Well worth spending the money and half the day if you like something that is thrilling to say the least. Our next adventure took us to Tamarindo. It is a beach town on the west coast of Costa Rica. We stayed at a resort right on the beach. The next 4 days included lots of swimming, a boat tour of the estuary checking out crocs, howler monkeys, lots of birds and turtles and we found time to go for a couple or runs on the beach. Nice a relaxing. The trip was awesome and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a fun filled trip. It was a great combination of activities and relaxation. I like the fact that we rented a car and drove around the country to different areas. Do a Google search of some of the things I wrote about and see the beauty for yourself. How much fun did I have? I would go back in a heartbeat
THE ULTIMATE TEAM SPORT
02/25/13
By Jeff Peterson
I always get asked, "what does it take to put a show together on News 13?" So I decided to let all of you know in this edition of the Daybreak blog. Daybreak is on the air every weekday from 4:55am-7:00am. We also put together a show on FOX called Good Day Maine that airs from 7:00am-9:00am. It takes an army to get four hours of television on the air. What you see is a 2, two hour show,. What you don't see are the hours and hours of work it takes to put it on the air. We have a total of around 20 employees that help put together Daybreak. The Daybreak producer could have the worst hours in the history of employment. Aaron comes in at midnight at works until around 8:30am. His job is to stack the show on News 13. That means he decides what stories we are going to run and in what order. Our executive producer is Amanda. She is the captain of our ship. The E.P. is in charge of proof-reading the scripts, helping out with writing and making final decisions on just about everything in Daybreak and our show on FOX called Good Day Maine. Zack produces the FOX show. He works 1:30am-10:00am. Zack does the same thing as the Daybreak producer except for a different show on a difference channel. We have two editors. Bill and Tony are in charge of editing every piece of video that we air in the show. On average, the two guys probably edit at least 50 pieces of video for Daybreak and Good Day Maine. Dan runs our teleprompter and is in charge of Facebook material in the morning. Paula is our floor director. She is on the studio floor and let's know what camera to look at and when we are on the air, among other things. Paul is our engineer. He helps dial in our live shots from Maine and all across the country and is on hand just in case any equipment breaks. Bill runs what we call Master Control. That is basically the engine room of our ship. He makes sure the colors look good on camera and the commercials run. He also helps to dial in the live shots. Brian is our Daybreak photographer. He goes out with our Daybreak reporter Beth to report live from the top story of the day. Jim is out photographer for Good Day Maine. He runs the studio cameras during live performances on FOX and helps with guest that appear live the show. We have a total of 3 directors. Damon, Stephanie and Katie push all the buttons in the control room and call the shots on what shots to take live on the air. Then of course there are the anchors. Jennifer, Craig and yours truly all come in around 3:00am and prepare for the show. Jennifer and Craig then hang around and host the Good Day Maine show with FOX anchor Jon Chrisos. We are a team and we would not be able to put a show on the air without the help of everyone on the crew. Forget racing, this could be the ultimate team sport.
02/25/13
By Jeff Peterson
I always get asked, "what does it take to put a show together on News 13?" So I decided to let all of you know in this edition of the Daybreak blog. Daybreak is on the air every weekday from 4:55am-7:00am. We also put together a show on FOX called Good Day Maine that airs from 7:00am-9:00am. It takes an army to get four hours of television on the air. What you see is a 2, two hour show,. What you don't see are the hours and hours of work it takes to put it on the air. We have a total of around 20 employees that help put together Daybreak. The Daybreak producer could have the worst hours in the history of employment. Aaron comes in at midnight at works until around 8:30am. His job is to stack the show on News 13. That means he decides what stories we are going to run and in what order. Our executive producer is Amanda. She is the captain of our ship. The E.P. is in charge of proof-reading the scripts, helping out with writing and making final decisions on just about everything in Daybreak and our show on FOX called Good Day Maine. Zack produces the FOX show. He works 1:30am-10:00am. Zack does the same thing as the Daybreak producer except for a different show on a difference channel. We have two editors. Bill and Tony are in charge of editing every piece of video that we air in the show. On average, the two guys probably edit at least 50 pieces of video for Daybreak and Good Day Maine. Dan runs our teleprompter and is in charge of Facebook material in the morning. Paula is our floor director. She is on the studio floor and let's know what camera to look at and when we are on the air, among other things. Paul is our engineer. He helps dial in our live shots from Maine and all across the country and is on hand just in case any equipment breaks. Bill runs what we call Master Control. That is basically the engine room of our ship. He makes sure the colors look good on camera and the commercials run. He also helps to dial in the live shots. Brian is our Daybreak photographer. He goes out with our Daybreak reporter Beth to report live from the top story of the day. Jim is out photographer for Good Day Maine. He runs the studio cameras during live performances on FOX and helps with guest that appear live the show. We have a total of 3 directors. Damon, Stephanie and Katie push all the buttons in the control room and call the shots on what shots to take live on the air. Then of course there are the anchors. Jennifer, Craig and yours truly all come in around 3:00am and prepare for the show. Jennifer and Craig then hang around and host the Good Day Maine show with FOX anchor Jon Chrisos. We are a team and we would not be able to put a show on the air without the help of everyone on the crew. Forget racing, this could be the ultimate team sport.
"THAT SPLIT SHIFT"
01/30/13
One of the most frequent questions I get asked when I go out and about is how I like working the split shift, when do I sleep and what exactly do I do. That split shift is so unique, that the Portland Press Herald actually did an article on my hours in February of 2012. For all of you who don't know, for the past 3 1/2 years, I have anchored the Daybreak show, Live at Five and Live at Five Thirty. That's one show at 5:00am and then two more more at 5:00pm and 5:30pm. To be honest, it really works me. I like having the middle of the day off and I enjoy working the morning and evening shows because they are so different in format. As an extra bonus, I get the chance to work with three fabulous female anchors in Jennifer Lynch, Kim Block and Adrienne Stein.
Here is a timeline of how my day plays out working, "That Split Shift."
2:24am-The alarm goes off on my cell phone. After brushing my teeth, shaving and getting dressed, I head out to work.
3:00am-I get to work at CBS-13. It all starts by going through the Daybreak rundown of all the stories we plan to carry in the show. Then I go through several local website to see if they have anything we don't have. I check out our media partners like The Kennebec Journal, the Press Herald and Sun Journal.
3:15am-I produce and write 2 two minute news reports for radio station Mix 107.9 in the Augusta area. It includes 4 stories from Central Maine, sports and weather.
3:30am-I put together a one minute news report that airs during the CBS morning show between 7:00-9:00am. I find the three biggest local stories and make sure all three add up to one minute and ten seconds.
3:45am-Then it is off to social networking and email. I spend several minutes posting comments and pictures to my fan page on Facebook. Part of that includes vegan recipes, movie recommendations and I let viewers pick which tie I wear on Wednesday. I also post pictures to the WGME page. We are really putting a lot effort into building our audience on Twitter as well. I try to tweet a few times in the morning and let folks know what is coming up on Daybreak.
4:00-Then it is time for Sports in a Minute. I produce and write a one minute sportscast for the show. I start off by looking at what Dave Eid had at 11pm and how I can update that for the morning show. I also see if there are any national stories that our audience may be interested in. Sports on Daybreak is important especially if there are some late games out west for the Celtics, Bruins and Red Sox. I put around five stories in the show including three with video. The challenge is making sure the sportscast is close to a minute as possible.
4:15am-I look at as many scripts as possible for the show.
4:30am-It is off to get ready for the show. Time for the makeup room. I take ten minutes to make sure my tie is on and straight, my hair looks presentable and yes, I put makeup on. By the way, whether you want to know or not, I use something called Revlon Photo Ready. It is made specifically for HD. Even though I like to joke around that I wear makeup because it makes me look pretty, that is not why I put it on. We have to wear it because of the intense lighting on set. If we don't apply the powder or base, our faces on television would shine like the full moon at midnight.
4:40am-This is the time I have to be on the set to record the news report that airs during the CBS morning show.
4:45am-After recording the news report, I head to the weather office to use Craig's computer to record the two radio reports I do for Mix 107.9. I then email them to the radio station.
4:50am-Then it is show time. I return to the set with Jennifer Lynch to begin Daybreak. Before the red light comes on and we are live on the air, I look at more scripts for the show.
4:55AM-We are live on the air for just over two hours.
7:00am-The show ends and I come back into the newsroom to check out emails, Facebook and Twitter. I return any important messages and log out of my computer.
7:15am-I am headed out the door to my house for my real job as a husband and father of five.
Between shows is filled with going to the gym, taking kids to school, daycare a few days out of the week, running errands and hopefully an hour power nap, among other things.
2:00-3:00pm-Depending on what is going on, I return to CBS 13 anywhere between 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon. After logging back on to my computer, I talk with the producer to find out what he needs for me to write.
3:15pm-I write a few stories for Live at Five and Live at Five Thirty.
4:00pm-The it is time to go over my scripts for both shows. That usually takes about a half hour.
4:30pm-I return to Facebook and Twitter to engage viewers. This includes returning messages on Facebook. I also check out emails and reply to as many as possible. This is the time I may find a few minutes to write one or both of my two blogs. By the way, the other blog is called, "I Can't Believe I'm Vegan." I post a recipe every week. That same recipe appears in the Food & Dining section of the Press Herald every Wednesday.
4:40pm-Off to the makeup room again for a second time during the day. Just like Daybreak, I make sure I am ready to go on the air.
4:50pm-I have to be on the set ready to go. This is the time I can go over more scripts and our rundown.
5:00pm-I am live on the air with Kim Block.
5:30pm-Time for Live at Five Thirty with Adrienne Stein.
6:00pm-I am off the air. Time to go back to my desk and check out Facebook, Twitter and emails again.
6:15pm-Finally my day at works comes to an end. Time to head home for dinner with the family and all of the other excitement that comes with a family of seven.
9:30pm-That is my goal to get to bed so I get about five hours sleep. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. Whatever the case, I am always ready to go at 4:55 the next morning to bring you the news.
Thanks for watching News 13 and reading the Daybreak blog!
Jeff
01/30/13
One of the most frequent questions I get asked when I go out and about is how I like working the split shift, when do I sleep and what exactly do I do. That split shift is so unique, that the Portland Press Herald actually did an article on my hours in February of 2012. For all of you who don't know, for the past 3 1/2 years, I have anchored the Daybreak show, Live at Five and Live at Five Thirty. That's one show at 5:00am and then two more more at 5:00pm and 5:30pm. To be honest, it really works me. I like having the middle of the day off and I enjoy working the morning and evening shows because they are so different in format. As an extra bonus, I get the chance to work with three fabulous female anchors in Jennifer Lynch, Kim Block and Adrienne Stein.
Here is a timeline of how my day plays out working, "That Split Shift."
2:24am-The alarm goes off on my cell phone. After brushing my teeth, shaving and getting dressed, I head out to work.
3:00am-I get to work at CBS-13. It all starts by going through the Daybreak rundown of all the stories we plan to carry in the show. Then I go through several local website to see if they have anything we don't have. I check out our media partners like The Kennebec Journal, the Press Herald and Sun Journal.
3:15am-I produce and write 2 two minute news reports for radio station Mix 107.9 in the Augusta area. It includes 4 stories from Central Maine, sports and weather.
3:30am-I put together a one minute news report that airs during the CBS morning show between 7:00-9:00am. I find the three biggest local stories and make sure all three add up to one minute and ten seconds.
3:45am-Then it is off to social networking and email. I spend several minutes posting comments and pictures to my fan page on Facebook. Part of that includes vegan recipes, movie recommendations and I let viewers pick which tie I wear on Wednesday. I also post pictures to the WGME page. We are really putting a lot effort into building our audience on Twitter as well. I try to tweet a few times in the morning and let folks know what is coming up on Daybreak.
4:00-Then it is time for Sports in a Minute. I produce and write a one minute sportscast for the show. I start off by looking at what Dave Eid had at 11pm and how I can update that for the morning show. I also see if there are any national stories that our audience may be interested in. Sports on Daybreak is important especially if there are some late games out west for the Celtics, Bruins and Red Sox. I put around five stories in the show including three with video. The challenge is making sure the sportscast is close to a minute as possible.
4:15am-I look at as many scripts as possible for the show.
4:30am-It is off to get ready for the show. Time for the makeup room. I take ten minutes to make sure my tie is on and straight, my hair looks presentable and yes, I put makeup on. By the way, whether you want to know or not, I use something called Revlon Photo Ready. It is made specifically for HD. Even though I like to joke around that I wear makeup because it makes me look pretty, that is not why I put it on. We have to wear it because of the intense lighting on set. If we don't apply the powder or base, our faces on television would shine like the full moon at midnight.
4:40am-This is the time I have to be on the set to record the news report that airs during the CBS morning show.
4:45am-After recording the news report, I head to the weather office to use Craig's computer to record the two radio reports I do for Mix 107.9. I then email them to the radio station.
4:50am-Then it is show time. I return to the set with Jennifer Lynch to begin Daybreak. Before the red light comes on and we are live on the air, I look at more scripts for the show.
4:55AM-We are live on the air for just over two hours.
7:00am-The show ends and I come back into the newsroom to check out emails, Facebook and Twitter. I return any important messages and log out of my computer.
7:15am-I am headed out the door to my house for my real job as a husband and father of five.
Between shows is filled with going to the gym, taking kids to school, daycare a few days out of the week, running errands and hopefully an hour power nap, among other things.
2:00-3:00pm-Depending on what is going on, I return to CBS 13 anywhere between 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon. After logging back on to my computer, I talk with the producer to find out what he needs for me to write.
3:15pm-I write a few stories for Live at Five and Live at Five Thirty.
4:00pm-The it is time to go over my scripts for both shows. That usually takes about a half hour.
4:30pm-I return to Facebook and Twitter to engage viewers. This includes returning messages on Facebook. I also check out emails and reply to as many as possible. This is the time I may find a few minutes to write one or both of my two blogs. By the way, the other blog is called, "I Can't Believe I'm Vegan." I post a recipe every week. That same recipe appears in the Food & Dining section of the Press Herald every Wednesday.
4:40pm-Off to the makeup room again for a second time during the day. Just like Daybreak, I make sure I am ready to go on the air.
4:50pm-I have to be on the set ready to go. This is the time I can go over more scripts and our rundown.
5:00pm-I am live on the air with Kim Block.
5:30pm-Time for Live at Five Thirty with Adrienne Stein.
6:00pm-I am off the air. Time to go back to my desk and check out Facebook, Twitter and emails again.
6:15pm-Finally my day at works comes to an end. Time to head home for dinner with the family and all of the other excitement that comes with a family of seven.
9:30pm-That is my goal to get to bed so I get about five hours sleep. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. Whatever the case, I am always ready to go at 4:55 the next morning to bring you the news.
Thanks for watching News 13 and reading the Daybreak blog!
Jeff
THAT VEGAN THING
12/13/12
Are you getting bored with the same ole dishes for meals? Well, I am hear to help. Back in February, my wife and I decided to go vegan. That is not drinking or eating any animal products. For the last several months, I have been featuring vegan recipes on my fan page on Facebook. Well, now you can see the recipes in the Portland Press Herald as well. On Wednesday's I now have a column in the newspaper called, "THAT VEGAN THING." I will offer up a vegan recipe that I have tried with my family and let you know what we thought of it. I am not trying to convert anyone to veganism, I am just offering up recipes to add a little spice to your menus. Nothing like pushing the envelope or thinking outside the box in the kitchen. It is located in the Food & Dining section. Check out week one with the link and then either go out and buy a paper or check it out online in the weeks to come. http://www.pressherald.com/life/foodanddining/even-our-carnivorous-friends-like-this-mexican-dish_2012-12-12.html
Jeff Peterson
12/13/12
Are you getting bored with the same ole dishes for meals? Well, I am hear to help. Back in February, my wife and I decided to go vegan. That is not drinking or eating any animal products. For the last several months, I have been featuring vegan recipes on my fan page on Facebook. Well, now you can see the recipes in the Portland Press Herald as well. On Wednesday's I now have a column in the newspaper called, "THAT VEGAN THING." I will offer up a vegan recipe that I have tried with my family and let you know what we thought of it. I am not trying to convert anyone to veganism, I am just offering up recipes to add a little spice to your menus. Nothing like pushing the envelope or thinking outside the box in the kitchen. It is located in the Food & Dining section. Check out week one with the link and then either go out and buy a paper or check it out online in the weeks to come. http://www.pressherald.com/life/foodanddining/even-our-carnivorous-friends-like-this-mexican-dish_2012-12-12.html
Jeff Peterson
GETTING SOCIAL
10/05/12
Technology has changed in a big way in the news and we have been changing with it. Just broadcasting the news on the airwaves is just not enough for folks now. That's why we are all over Facebook and Twitter. About a month ago, I started a brand new Facebook fan page. On that page, I promote upcoming news stories, post pictures and a lot of the time have some fun. On Mondays, I post a vegan recipe, on Friday's a recommend a movie and starting next week, you can help me pick out my tie one day out of the week. Make sure and check out my life at News 13 on Facebook. Just like it at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-Peterson/105448502919202
I am also on Twitter now. You can follow me on Twitter @jeffwgme
I will tweet news stories, things going on in my life outside and inside News 13 and even give my opinion on certain things going on in our world. I have a lot of fun on Facebook and Twitter, so like me or following me and join me for the ride.
Jeff
10/05/12
Technology has changed in a big way in the news and we have been changing with it. Just broadcasting the news on the airwaves is just not enough for folks now. That's why we are all over Facebook and Twitter. About a month ago, I started a brand new Facebook fan page. On that page, I promote upcoming news stories, post pictures and a lot of the time have some fun. On Mondays, I post a vegan recipe, on Friday's a recommend a movie and starting next week, you can help me pick out my tie one day out of the week. Make sure and check out my life at News 13 on Facebook. Just like it at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-Peterson/105448502919202
I am also on Twitter now. You can follow me on Twitter @jeffwgme
I will tweet news stories, things going on in my life outside and inside News 13 and even give my opinion on certain things going on in our world. I have a lot of fun on Facebook and Twitter, so like me or following me and join me for the ride.
Jeff
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES
09/03/12
By Jeff Peterson
Shes comes in every morning ready to jump in the car with her photographer and go anywhere in Maine to report a story live on Daybreak. Beth Jones has been with News 13 for nearly a year now and has settled right into the morning routine. That means settling right into the early morning hours. For Beth, having the chance to live and work in Maine, is well worth the sacrifice of getting to the station at 4:00am. "It is a beautiful state," claimed Jones. There is no limit to anything you can do outdoors. Portland has awesome restaurants. I just love food, so it is important to me. I have lived in Connecticut, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York and this by far is the most beautiful state I have lived in and it's a lot of fun."
Beth knew early on that she wanted to get into T.V. news. It was a dream of hers since she was a little kid. "I remember watching the news when I was young," said Jones. "It felt like it was an important job and I wanted to do something important with my life." Beth has covered plenty of important stories during her career. Because she worked in upstate New York, Beth got the chance to cover the Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame Double-Day Father's Day Classic and induction ceremony. Beth also covered a story that she still gets a little emotional over.. "A 24-year-old sheriff deputy was killed in the line-of-duty," said Jones. "Everything was so intense that the deputy's wife went into labor with his second child. There was just an incredible showing of support by law enforcement and the community. Just being so young, putting his life on the line and now knowing the wife is raising the kids on her own just showed me what bravery is all about."
It is no surprise that Beth ended up on television. She has always been a performer and competitor. When she isn't out in the field or looking for her next story, Jones enjoys several sports and activities including rowing, boxing and dancing. Beth is actually a former national champion rower, ballet dancer and is working hard in the ring as well. "I box at the Portland Boxing Club," bragged Jones. "The thing I like about boxing is that it is all about strength and discipline. I started dancing when I was just five. I just love to dance. I can do ballroom dancing, ballet or hip hop, you name it. So anyone with a good studio, let me know."
Beth may dance around on stage or in the ring, but she doesn't dance around asking the tough questions when she is out in the field reporting. "Being a news reporter is exciting," claims Beth. "The nice thing about reporting is that you never know what your days is going to be like when you come into work. That's why I love it."
09/03/12
By Jeff Peterson
Shes comes in every morning ready to jump in the car with her photographer and go anywhere in Maine to report a story live on Daybreak. Beth Jones has been with News 13 for nearly a year now and has settled right into the morning routine. That means settling right into the early morning hours. For Beth, having the chance to live and work in Maine, is well worth the sacrifice of getting to the station at 4:00am. "It is a beautiful state," claimed Jones. There is no limit to anything you can do outdoors. Portland has awesome restaurants. I just love food, so it is important to me. I have lived in Connecticut, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York and this by far is the most beautiful state I have lived in and it's a lot of fun."
Beth knew early on that she wanted to get into T.V. news. It was a dream of hers since she was a little kid. "I remember watching the news when I was young," said Jones. "It felt like it was an important job and I wanted to do something important with my life." Beth has covered plenty of important stories during her career. Because she worked in upstate New York, Beth got the chance to cover the Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame Double-Day Father's Day Classic and induction ceremony. Beth also covered a story that she still gets a little emotional over.. "A 24-year-old sheriff deputy was killed in the line-of-duty," said Jones. "Everything was so intense that the deputy's wife went into labor with his second child. There was just an incredible showing of support by law enforcement and the community. Just being so young, putting his life on the line and now knowing the wife is raising the kids on her own just showed me what bravery is all about."
It is no surprise that Beth ended up on television. She has always been a performer and competitor. When she isn't out in the field or looking for her next story, Jones enjoys several sports and activities including rowing, boxing and dancing. Beth is actually a former national champion rower, ballet dancer and is working hard in the ring as well. "I box at the Portland Boxing Club," bragged Jones. "The thing I like about boxing is that it is all about strength and discipline. I started dancing when I was just five. I just love to dance. I can do ballroom dancing, ballet or hip hop, you name it. So anyone with a good studio, let me know."
Beth may dance around on stage or in the ring, but she doesn't dance around asking the tough questions when she is out in the field reporting. "Being a news reporter is exciting," claims Beth. "The nice thing about reporting is that you never know what your days is going to be like when you come into work. That's why I love it."
GO TAKE A HIKE!
08/15/12
I call it a diamond in the rough or a hidden treasure. However you describe it, Maine Huts & Trails is quite the adventure. My wife and I got the chance to experience backcountry hospitality at its best while I was on vacation. Maine Huts & Trails is a series of trails and lodging. There are currently three huts located in the western mountains of Maine with about 40 miles in trails. They are located near Sugarloaf. The huts are at Poplar Stream, Flagstaff Lake and Grand Falls. What you do is basically backpack or in the winter, cross country ski from hut to hut. Instead of pitching a tent though, you stay at a nice warm and dry hut. They have showers, beds, cook for you and much much more. If you like the outdoors in Maine, do yourself a favor, check out mainehuts.org and get away for a week or just a weekend. They have hikes for the experienced and rookies. It is the best of both worlds. You can backpack out in the wilderness, but not really rough it.
Jeff Peterson
08/15/12
I call it a diamond in the rough or a hidden treasure. However you describe it, Maine Huts & Trails is quite the adventure. My wife and I got the chance to experience backcountry hospitality at its best while I was on vacation. Maine Huts & Trails is a series of trails and lodging. There are currently three huts located in the western mountains of Maine with about 40 miles in trails. They are located near Sugarloaf. The huts are at Poplar Stream, Flagstaff Lake and Grand Falls. What you do is basically backpack or in the winter, cross country ski from hut to hut. Instead of pitching a tent though, you stay at a nice warm and dry hut. They have showers, beds, cook for you and much much more. If you like the outdoors in Maine, do yourself a favor, check out mainehuts.org and get away for a week or just a weekend. They have hikes for the experienced and rookies. It is the best of both worlds. You can backpack out in the wilderness, but not really rough it.
Jeff Peterson
GOING VEGAN
05/23/12
If you watch Daybreak on a consistent basis, then you probably know that I decided to become a vegan. It's a diet with no meat or dairy. My wife also decided to go vegan. I put together a four part series that aired on Daybreak in May that you can check out on wgme.com. Just go to the search mode in the top right hand corner and type in GOING VEGAN. You can see all four parts.
This is not a fad diet like Atkins or South Beach. This is a lifestyle change. My wife and I did a lot of research and decided it was best for us. Whenever you change your diet, the best thing to do is check with your doctor and then a dietician.
In a matter of sixty days the changes for me were dramatic to say the least. In the words of my doctor it was remarkable. My wife has been happy with her results as well losing weight and dropping a few sizes. Here are my numbers from pulse to cholesterol and how much they changed in 8 weeks.
DATES 2/27 4/27
PULSE 62 54
BLOOD PRESSURE 120/70 112/80
WEIGHT 219 197
HDL/GOOD CHOLESTEROL 28 26
LDL/BAD CHOLESTEROL 70 47
TRIGLYCERIDES 151 69
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL 128 87
I can't tell you how happy I was at the results. Eating healthier is only part of the equation though. I also exercise at least four days week. My workout consists of running 4.5 miles three days week. riding my bike one day a week and moderate weight lifting 3 days a week. Again, just like changing your diet, consult your doctor before you start exercising.
If you would like more info, here are a few websites from some of the people who helped me with the series:
www.vegan.com
www.modern-vegan.com
www.meg@megwolff.com
www.littlelads.com
05/23/12
If you watch Daybreak on a consistent basis, then you probably know that I decided to become a vegan. It's a diet with no meat or dairy. My wife also decided to go vegan. I put together a four part series that aired on Daybreak in May that you can check out on wgme.com. Just go to the search mode in the top right hand corner and type in GOING VEGAN. You can see all four parts.
This is not a fad diet like Atkins or South Beach. This is a lifestyle change. My wife and I did a lot of research and decided it was best for us. Whenever you change your diet, the best thing to do is check with your doctor and then a dietician.
In a matter of sixty days the changes for me were dramatic to say the least. In the words of my doctor it was remarkable. My wife has been happy with her results as well losing weight and dropping a few sizes. Here are my numbers from pulse to cholesterol and how much they changed in 8 weeks.
DATES 2/27 4/27
PULSE 62 54
BLOOD PRESSURE 120/70 112/80
WEIGHT 219 197
HDL/GOOD CHOLESTEROL 28 26
LDL/BAD CHOLESTEROL 70 47
TRIGLYCERIDES 151 69
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL 128 87
I can't tell you how happy I was at the results. Eating healthier is only part of the equation though. I also exercise at least four days week. My workout consists of running 4.5 miles three days week. riding my bike one day a week and moderate weight lifting 3 days a week. Again, just like changing your diet, consult your doctor before you start exercising.
If you would like more info, here are a few websites from some of the people who helped me with the series:
www.vegan.com
www.modern-vegan.com
www.meg@megwolff.com
www.littlelads.com
TIME TO SKI AND EAT
03/28/12
What a great weekend at Sunday River!
Over $270,000 was raised at the 22nd annual Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation Event.
On Saturday, it was time for a ski-a-thon, Then on Sunday, they had the firefighters race. Fifteen teams from fire departments from all over New England competing for the title. It is a crazy race where firefighters wear full gear, including helmets, holding fifty of hose, skiing down a Giant Slalom course with gates. The Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Fire Department took home the title with a time of 26.7. Jay came in second and Auburn ended up in third. At the bottom of the slope was the annual Eat the Heat Chili Cookoff. I got a chance to judge the best chili. Nine different teams, including several restaurants were judged on everything from aroma, flavor, presentation and heat. Rooster's Roadhouse in Bethel took top honors.
03/28/12
What a great weekend at Sunday River!
Over $270,000 was raised at the 22nd annual Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation Event.
On Saturday, it was time for a ski-a-thon, Then on Sunday, they had the firefighters race. Fifteen teams from fire departments from all over New England competing for the title. It is a crazy race where firefighters wear full gear, including helmets, holding fifty of hose, skiing down a Giant Slalom course with gates. The Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Fire Department took home the title with a time of 26.7. Jay came in second and Auburn ended up in third. At the bottom of the slope was the annual Eat the Heat Chili Cookoff. I got a chance to judge the best chili. Nine different teams, including several restaurants were judged on everything from aroma, flavor, presentation and heat. Rooster's Roadhouse in Bethel took top honors.
GOING VEGAN
04/30/12
Pink Slime, another outbreak of Mad Cow Disease and new studies out showing that processed meat can cut down on your life expectancy by 20%. Those are all reasons more and more people are going vegan. That means a lifestyle without meat or dairy. During Thursdays in May, I will be letting you know what going vegan is all about. On April 26th, I showed you why people go vegan. Many folks to do it for health reasons, but others do it because they think it is better for the environment and they want to cut back on the cruelty to animals. Coming up on May 3rd, I will let you know how to go vegan. We'll take you shopping for veggies and tofu, introduce you to a woman who will shop and cook for you for a price, let you know about vegan cooking classes and give you a tour of a local vegan restaurant. On May 10th, I'll show you a program at Parkview Hospital called Lifestyles. It is a two week course that shows you how to live a vegan lifestyle. I have decided to go vegan myself. Coming up on May 17th, I will let you know how a change in what I eat has changed my health. That is Going vegan on News 13's Daybreak.
04/30/12
Pink Slime, another outbreak of Mad Cow Disease and new studies out showing that processed meat can cut down on your life expectancy by 20%. Those are all reasons more and more people are going vegan. That means a lifestyle without meat or dairy. During Thursdays in May, I will be letting you know what going vegan is all about. On April 26th, I showed you why people go vegan. Many folks to do it for health reasons, but others do it because they think it is better for the environment and they want to cut back on the cruelty to animals. Coming up on May 3rd, I will let you know how to go vegan. We'll take you shopping for veggies and tofu, introduce you to a woman who will shop and cook for you for a price, let you know about vegan cooking classes and give you a tour of a local vegan restaurant. On May 10th, I'll show you a program at Parkview Hospital called Lifestyles. It is a two week course that shows you how to live a vegan lifestyle. I have decided to go vegan myself. Coming up on May 17th, I will let you know how a change in what I eat has changed my health. That is Going vegan on News 13's Daybreak.
LOBSTER DIPPING
01/03/12
On Sunday, I took part in the 11th Lobster Dip. Three hundred twenty one other people also took part. Taking part means diving into the ocean on New Year's Day. The water was 45 degrees this year and the air 43 degrees. That's right, the water was warmer than the air. This was the 24th annual Lobster Dip. It was held once again at The Brunswick in Old Orchard Beach. I want to thank all of the folks who jumped in the water and all the folks who came out and watched. I like to talk about how crazy we all are when it comes to this event. Of course, diving or jumping into the ocean on a cold winter day is crazy, but the most important thing from this day is the amount of money we raise for a great cause. We raised nearly $82,000 for Special Olympics. They are already making plans to make next year's Lobster Dip better than ever. It will be the 25th. Mark it on your calender and please join us crazy people to help raise a record amount of money for Special Olympics. A record amount would be over $107,000. So, see you Tuesday January 1st, 2013 in Old Orchard Beach.
01/03/12
On Sunday, I took part in the 11th Lobster Dip. Three hundred twenty one other people also took part. Taking part means diving into the ocean on New Year's Day. The water was 45 degrees this year and the air 43 degrees. That's right, the water was warmer than the air. This was the 24th annual Lobster Dip. It was held once again at The Brunswick in Old Orchard Beach. I want to thank all of the folks who jumped in the water and all the folks who came out and watched. I like to talk about how crazy we all are when it comes to this event. Of course, diving or jumping into the ocean on a cold winter day is crazy, but the most important thing from this day is the amount of money we raise for a great cause. We raised nearly $82,000 for Special Olympics. They are already making plans to make next year's Lobster Dip better than ever. It will be the 25th. Mark it on your calender and please join us crazy people to help raise a record amount of money for Special Olympics. A record amount would be over $107,000. So, see you Tuesday January 1st, 2013 in Old Orchard Beach.
KID CORRESPONDENT
11/15/11
The kids are taking over on Daybreak this month. Student reporters are helping us out on the show. They take us on special tours of their elementary schools to show what makes them so special. Twenty different schools are being showcased. We have been to Portland, Standish, Gorham, Falmouth, Augusta, Fryeburg, Whitefield, Leeds, Denmark, Windsor, Harrison, Auburn, Paris, Chelsea, Minot, South Portland, Lewiston and Freeport.
You can see the Kid Correspondent stories every weekday morning on Daybreak between 5:00-7:00. Then starting Wednesday November 23rd at 7:00am and going all the way until Monday November 28th at 4:00pm, you can go to wgme.com and vote for your favorite Kid Correspondent. The school that gets the most votes will get a special assembly. At that assembly, the winning school will receive trophies, a banner and a special grant from NextGen. Make sure and tune into Daybreak and then vote over Thanksgiving Day weekend. On Tuesday November 29th, we will announce the winner on Daybreak.
11/15/11
The kids are taking over on Daybreak this month. Student reporters are helping us out on the show. They take us on special tours of their elementary schools to show what makes them so special. Twenty different schools are being showcased. We have been to Portland, Standish, Gorham, Falmouth, Augusta, Fryeburg, Whitefield, Leeds, Denmark, Windsor, Harrison, Auburn, Paris, Chelsea, Minot, South Portland, Lewiston and Freeport.
You can see the Kid Correspondent stories every weekday morning on Daybreak between 5:00-7:00. Then starting Wednesday November 23rd at 7:00am and going all the way until Monday November 28th at 4:00pm, you can go to wgme.com and vote for your favorite Kid Correspondent. The school that gets the most votes will get a special assembly. At that assembly, the winning school will receive trophies, a banner and a special grant from NextGen. Make sure and tune into Daybreak and then vote over Thanksgiving Day weekend. On Tuesday November 29th, we will announce the winner on Daybreak.
READY TO REPORT
09/22/11
Jennifer Lynch is living and working in Maine and loving it. Jennifer just started as a reporter on Daybreak. She now wakes up every weekday at 2:15am. "Working the morning shift is an adventure," said Lynch. "It is tough to get out of bed early when that alarm goes off at 2:15am, but once I am up I am wide awake and ready to go. It is pretty crazy waking up and seeing nothing but stars."
This is Jennifer's third television station. She has worked as a news anchor and reporter in Rhinelander, Wisconsin and Springfield, Massachusetts until finally moving to Portland and. "I just love Maine," claimed Lynch. It is so beautiful. I had visited several times and always wanted to move here and hey, now I am here. Working at News 13 has been great as well."
Lynch has worked in television for 7 years. It was something the Sudbury, Massachusetts native always wanted to do. "I really enjoy working in television," exclaimed Lynch. Every day is different. I don't like sitting at a desk all day. I love meeting the people. That is why I got in the business. I love telling other people's stories."
During her 7 years in the news business, she has covered some exciting, interesting and even bizarre stories. "A few years ago I did a story on Bigfoot hunters," admitted Lynch. "They were very serious about it and really thought they were going to find him. They kept telling me, you are going to get the scoop, the exclusive when we take down Sasquatch. It was hard not to laugh at the guys. We never found a big hairy monster, but the story was a lot of fun."
Jennifer met her husband while on vacation in Costa Rica and they ended up getting married in Maine over the Summer. The couple is so happy to call Maine home, especially when you consider how much Jennifer enjoys the outdoors. "I love to kayak, swim and surf," said Lynch.
"I am a New England native. I don't want to live anywhere else. I love the changing of the seasons, even winter. There is nothing like the snow fall. But wait and ask me again after I have been covering five snow storms on Daybreak."
Jeff Peterson
09/22/11
Jennifer Lynch is living and working in Maine and loving it. Jennifer just started as a reporter on Daybreak. She now wakes up every weekday at 2:15am. "Working the morning shift is an adventure," said Lynch. "It is tough to get out of bed early when that alarm goes off at 2:15am, but once I am up I am wide awake and ready to go. It is pretty crazy waking up and seeing nothing but stars."
This is Jennifer's third television station. She has worked as a news anchor and reporter in Rhinelander, Wisconsin and Springfield, Massachusetts until finally moving to Portland and. "I just love Maine," claimed Lynch. It is so beautiful. I had visited several times and always wanted to move here and hey, now I am here. Working at News 13 has been great as well."
Lynch has worked in television for 7 years. It was something the Sudbury, Massachusetts native always wanted to do. "I really enjoy working in television," exclaimed Lynch. Every day is different. I don't like sitting at a desk all day. I love meeting the people. That is why I got in the business. I love telling other people's stories."
During her 7 years in the news business, she has covered some exciting, interesting and even bizarre stories. "A few years ago I did a story on Bigfoot hunters," admitted Lynch. "They were very serious about it and really thought they were going to find him. They kept telling me, you are going to get the scoop, the exclusive when we take down Sasquatch. It was hard not to laugh at the guys. We never found a big hairy monster, but the story was a lot of fun."
Jennifer met her husband while on vacation in Costa Rica and they ended up getting married in Maine over the Summer. The couple is so happy to call Maine home, especially when you consider how much Jennifer enjoys the outdoors. "I love to kayak, swim and surf," said Lynch.
"I am a New England native. I don't want to live anywhere else. I love the changing of the seasons, even winter. There is nothing like the snow fall. But wait and ask me again after I have been covering five snow storms on Daybreak."
Jeff Peterson
THE EYES OF DAYBREAK
08/17/11
08/17/11
THE EYES OF DAYBREAK
08/16/11
He is the eyes of Daybreak.
Every weekday morning photographer Brian Bechard wakes up at 3:15am ready to hit the road to who knows where. The 34-year-old Bechard has been working the Daybreak shift for about a year and a half now. "I love the hours," claimed Bechard. "It fits in with my family. I have a 2-year-old son, so it gives me the chance to spend more time with him when I get out of work after the noon news. My wife works a night shift, so it works for us when it comes to spending time with our son. Plus with this shift, I get to see some killer sunrises."
Just in case you didn't know, Brian is married to News 13 reporter Giovanna Bechard. They met in Bangor working at WVII-TV back in 2000. After getting married, they took their television act to Alaska for 3 years. "I loved it," said Bechard. "It was a beautiful place to shoot video and I met a lot of cool people. Outside work, I loved the fishing. I actually caught a 150 pound halibut. It was the one that didn't get a way."
In 2004, the Bechards moved to Virginia Beach where they worked at competing stations. "It was fun," joked Brian. "We would see who had the best show and joke about who got the breaking news first." The Bechards spent 3 years in Virginia. To say they loved the weather would be an understatement. "I can count the days it snowed," said Bechard. "I think it snowed 2 days. I like to golf, so it was perfect for me to hack away. Virginia is also where Brian and Giovanna fell in love with Maggie. That is their chocolate lab. "I love her more than Giovanna. Only kidding," joked Brian. "She is like our second child. Like the daughter we don't have yet. We go on walks around Portland all the time and I just love spending time with her."
Then in 2007, it was time to come home. Brian and Givanna had the opportunity to move back to Maine. "We always wanted to move to Maine. Brian is originally from Oakland. Giovanna is from New Jersey, but really considers Maine home. Come September, it will be 4 years working at News 13 for the Bechards. "I can't believe it has been 4 years," admitted Brian. "I still remember my first day on the job doing a live shot with Jeff Peterson on the Maine State Pier. "The live truck broke down that day. Yes, memories that will last a lifetime."
The Bechards love working at News 13 and living and Maine and hope to raise their family here for years to come. "We always wanted to return to Maine and we couldn't be happier, even if it means working strange hours and waking up at 3:15 in the morning. To make it even better, I get to work at the same place with the woman I met in Maine and ended up marrying."
08/16/11
He is the eyes of Daybreak.
Every weekday morning photographer Brian Bechard wakes up at 3:15am ready to hit the road to who knows where. The 34-year-old Bechard has been working the Daybreak shift for about a year and a half now. "I love the hours," claimed Bechard. "It fits in with my family. I have a 2-year-old son, so it gives me the chance to spend more time with him when I get out of work after the noon news. My wife works a night shift, so it works for us when it comes to spending time with our son. Plus with this shift, I get to see some killer sunrises."
Just in case you didn't know, Brian is married to News 13 reporter Giovanna Bechard. They met in Bangor working at WVII-TV back in 2000. After getting married, they took their television act to Alaska for 3 years. "I loved it," said Bechard. "It was a beautiful place to shoot video and I met a lot of cool people. Outside work, I loved the fishing. I actually caught a 150 pound halibut. It was the one that didn't get a way."
In 2004, the Bechards moved to Virginia Beach where they worked at competing stations. "It was fun," joked Brian. "We would see who had the best show and joke about who got the breaking news first." The Bechards spent 3 years in Virginia. To say they loved the weather would be an understatement. "I can count the days it snowed," said Bechard. "I think it snowed 2 days. I like to golf, so it was perfect for me to hack away. Virginia is also where Brian and Giovanna fell in love with Maggie. That is their chocolate lab. "I love her more than Giovanna. Only kidding," joked Brian. "She is like our second child. Like the daughter we don't have yet. We go on walks around Portland all the time and I just love spending time with her."
Then in 2007, it was time to come home. Brian and Givanna had the opportunity to move back to Maine. "We always wanted to move to Maine. Brian is originally from Oakland. Giovanna is from New Jersey, but really considers Maine home. Come September, it will be 4 years working at News 13 for the Bechards. "I can't believe it has been 4 years," admitted Brian. "I still remember my first day on the job doing a live shot with Jeff Peterson on the Maine State Pier. "The live truck broke down that day. Yes, memories that will last a lifetime."
The Bechards love working at News 13 and living and Maine and hope to raise their family here for years to come. "We always wanted to return to Maine and we couldn't be happier, even if it means working strange hours and waking up at 3:15 in the morning. To make it even better, I get to work at the same place with the woman I met in Maine and ended up marrying."
GOVERNOR'S TRAVELS
08/01/11
I recently had a chance to read a new book out and interview the author. The name of the book is "GOVERNOR'S TRAVELS: How I left Politics, Learned to Back Up a Bus, and Found America. The author is none other than former Maine governor Angus King.
It is 159 pages of pure entertainment. It chronicles the 5 1/2 month, 15,000 mile, 33 state tour of the United States in an RV with Governor King, his wife and two kids.
It was quite the epic journey with lots of speed bumps along the way. It all starts with a freak snowstorm in Virginia, then there is a flat tire on the first day of the trip, the governor damages a rear-view mirror and the heater in the RV goes out. That's just to start.
It also goes over just about every stop along the way from Virginia to New Orleans through Texas and California, up the west coast and back home to Maine.
After visiting all the interesting and beautiful places in our country, no ifs ands or buts about it, Governor King still thinks Maine is number one
The governor says if you have ever thought about going on a cross country trip in an RV, do it.
The book is filled with lots of pictures. Actually every pages has at least one picture from the trip. Make sure and check out the beard the former governor grew. He said his goal was one that made him look like Sean Connery, but he thought he ended up looking more like Willie Nelson.
I give the book two thumbs up, but the beard is another story.
Jeff Peterson
08/01/11
I recently had a chance to read a new book out and interview the author. The name of the book is "GOVERNOR'S TRAVELS: How I left Politics, Learned to Back Up a Bus, and Found America. The author is none other than former Maine governor Angus King.
It is 159 pages of pure entertainment. It chronicles the 5 1/2 month, 15,000 mile, 33 state tour of the United States in an RV with Governor King, his wife and two kids.
It was quite the epic journey with lots of speed bumps along the way. It all starts with a freak snowstorm in Virginia, then there is a flat tire on the first day of the trip, the governor damages a rear-view mirror and the heater in the RV goes out. That's just to start.
It also goes over just about every stop along the way from Virginia to New Orleans through Texas and California, up the west coast and back home to Maine.
After visiting all the interesting and beautiful places in our country, no ifs ands or buts about it, Governor King still thinks Maine is number one
The governor says if you have ever thought about going on a cross country trip in an RV, do it.
The book is filled with lots of pictures. Actually every pages has at least one picture from the trip. Make sure and check out the beard the former governor grew. He said his goal was one that made him look like Sean Connery, but he thought he ended up looking more like Willie Nelson.
I give the book two thumbs up, but the beard is another story.
Jeff Peterson
ELECTION WEEKEND
05/26/11
Are you ready to vote? Voting has begun for our latest Kid Correspondent. Over the last month, we have featured elementary schools from all over Southern and Central Maine. Student reporters talk about what makes their school so special. Now is your chance to pick which one you think is the best. While you are on our website, just go to the Kid Correspondent icon and pick you favorite school. The voting lasts until Tuesday at 4pm. The school with the most votes, will not only get their story on the air again, but they will also received trophies, a banner and a grant from our sponsor NextGen at a special assembly. This is all fun competition. It is all about the kids. Go on vote and may the best school win.
05/26/11
Are you ready to vote? Voting has begun for our latest Kid Correspondent. Over the last month, we have featured elementary schools from all over Southern and Central Maine. Student reporters talk about what makes their school so special. Now is your chance to pick which one you think is the best. While you are on our website, just go to the Kid Correspondent icon and pick you favorite school. The voting lasts until Tuesday at 4pm. The school with the most votes, will not only get their story on the air again, but they will also received trophies, a banner and a grant from our sponsor NextGen at a special assembly. This is all fun competition. It is all about the kids. Go on vote and may the best school win.
KID CORRESPONDENT SPRING 2011
04/19/11
They are back and ready to inform and entertain. I am talking about the student reporters on News13's Daybreak. That's right, it is nearly time for another edition of Kid Correspondent. Beginning on Thursday April 28th and going all the way until Thursday May 26th, we will be featuring schools from all over Southern and Central Maine. The student reporters will appear on our morning show and talk about what makes their school cool.
We drove nearly 800 miles from school to school and community to community to bring you an up close and personal look at some of the elementary schools here in Maine.
Here is a lineup of the schools we will be featuring this spring. A couple of the school we will be featuring will actually be closing in June. For some of you,. it will be your last chance to check out some of the old and historic schools in our area.
South School/Rockland
Warren Community School
Mount Vernon Elementary School/Mount Vernon
Ocean Avenue Elementary School/Portland
Andover Elementary School/Andover
Sylvio J Gilbert School/Augusta
Nobleboro Central School/Nobleboro
Hall-Dale Elementary School/Hallowell
Fred Morrill Elementary School/Parsonsfield
Williams Elementary School/Oakland
Great Salt Bay Community School/Damarsicotta
Line Elementary School/West Newfield
Readfield Elementary School/Readfield
Hebron Station School/Hebron
Cathedral School/Portland
Madison Elementary School/Madison
South Hiram Elementary School/Hiram
Guy Rowe Elementary School/Norway
Cape Cod Hill Elementary School/New Sharon
Vassalboro Community School/Vassalboro
04/19/11
They are back and ready to inform and entertain. I am talking about the student reporters on News13's Daybreak. That's right, it is nearly time for another edition of Kid Correspondent. Beginning on Thursday April 28th and going all the way until Thursday May 26th, we will be featuring schools from all over Southern and Central Maine. The student reporters will appear on our morning show and talk about what makes their school cool.
We drove nearly 800 miles from school to school and community to community to bring you an up close and personal look at some of the elementary schools here in Maine.
Here is a lineup of the schools we will be featuring this spring. A couple of the school we will be featuring will actually be closing in June. For some of you,. it will be your last chance to check out some of the old and historic schools in our area.
South School/Rockland
Warren Community School
Mount Vernon Elementary School/Mount Vernon
Ocean Avenue Elementary School/Portland
Andover Elementary School/Andover
Sylvio J Gilbert School/Augusta
Nobleboro Central School/Nobleboro
Hall-Dale Elementary School/Hallowell
Fred Morrill Elementary School/Parsonsfield
Williams Elementary School/Oakland
Great Salt Bay Community School/Damarsicotta
Line Elementary School/West Newfield
Readfield Elementary School/Readfield
Hebron Station School/Hebron
Cathedral School/Portland
Madison Elementary School/Madison
South Hiram Elementary School/Hiram
Guy Rowe Elementary School/Norway
Cape Cod Hill Elementary School/New Sharon
Vassalboro Community School/Vassalboro
MAC ATTACK
03/21/11
She is the one we send out when the weather gets bad. She is the one we send out when a fire breaks out. She is the one we send out when a criminal is due in court.
Anne McNamera is the reporter for Daybreak on News 13. She started at WGME-TV back on August 1st. Seven months later, she is still here going strong. " I love it here," said McNamara. "This is my first full-time job in television news and I have learned a lot."
Every weekday morning, Anne has two different alarm devices go off. One goes off 2:45am and the other one at 2:55am. "I need two alarms that early. It is tough to wake up and get to work sometimes," admitted McNamara. "It takes a lot of coffee with cream and sugar, actually a lot of sugar, to get me going. After all that caffeine, by the time I go on the air, I am more than ready to go."
Anne came to WGME-TV after attending Syracuse University and working part-time at WSYR-TV in Syracuse. She actually spent several months as a sportscaster at the Central New York television station. She is a huge sports fan as well. "I grew up a big Red Sox fan," said McNamara. "I am actually flying to Texas to see the Sox open the season against the Rangers on April 1st."
Anne loves baseball, but her favorite sport is basketball. "I love the Celtics, but I am more of a college basketball fan, "admitted McNamara. "Since I went to Syracuse, I bleed orange. I stayed up late and watched Syracuse lose to Marquette in the N.C.A.A. Tournament on Sunday night. There are only two Big East teams left after eleven made the tournament. As much as I hate UCONN, I will be rooting for the Huskies now to support the Big East."
Anne is from Lowell, Massachusetts, but used to vacation in Maine growing up. "I remember going to York for the summers," said McNamara. "I would go to York's Wild Kingdom and Sweet's Josie's candy shoppe. I am now living in a place I used to vacation in. I think that is awesome"
Anne is a reporter and fills in on the anchor desk as well. "I love going live in the morning," said McNamara. "The other thing I love is the social networking when it comes to news now. You can find me on Facebook and Twitter almost everyday."
It is safe to say she can tweet with the best of them. It is great to have Anne as a member of our team in the morning.
You can send Anne an e-mail at: asmcnamara@wgme.com
Daybreak blog by Jeff Peterson
03/21/11
She is the one we send out when the weather gets bad. She is the one we send out when a fire breaks out. She is the one we send out when a criminal is due in court.
Anne McNamera is the reporter for Daybreak on News 13. She started at WGME-TV back on August 1st. Seven months later, she is still here going strong. " I love it here," said McNamara. "This is my first full-time job in television news and I have learned a lot."
Every weekday morning, Anne has two different alarm devices go off. One goes off 2:45am and the other one at 2:55am. "I need two alarms that early. It is tough to wake up and get to work sometimes," admitted McNamara. "It takes a lot of coffee with cream and sugar, actually a lot of sugar, to get me going. After all that caffeine, by the time I go on the air, I am more than ready to go."
Anne came to WGME-TV after attending Syracuse University and working part-time at WSYR-TV in Syracuse. She actually spent several months as a sportscaster at the Central New York television station. She is a huge sports fan as well. "I grew up a big Red Sox fan," said McNamara. "I am actually flying to Texas to see the Sox open the season against the Rangers on April 1st."
Anne loves baseball, but her favorite sport is basketball. "I love the Celtics, but I am more of a college basketball fan, "admitted McNamara. "Since I went to Syracuse, I bleed orange. I stayed up late and watched Syracuse lose to Marquette in the N.C.A.A. Tournament on Sunday night. There are only two Big East teams left after eleven made the tournament. As much as I hate UCONN, I will be rooting for the Huskies now to support the Big East."
Anne is from Lowell, Massachusetts, but used to vacation in Maine growing up. "I remember going to York for the summers," said McNamara. "I would go to York's Wild Kingdom and Sweet's Josie's candy shoppe. I am now living in a place I used to vacation in. I think that is awesome"
Anne is a reporter and fills in on the anchor desk as well. "I love going live in the morning," said McNamara. "The other thing I love is the social networking when it comes to news now. You can find me on Facebook and Twitter almost everyday."
It is safe to say she can tweet with the best of them. It is great to have Anne as a member of our team in the morning.
You can send Anne an e-mail at: asmcnamara@wgme.com
Daybreak blog by Jeff Peterson
McDAYBREAK
03/21/11
She is the one we send out when the weather gets bad.bad. She is the one we send out when a fire breaks out. She is the one we send out when a criminal is due in court.
Anne McNamera is the reporter for Daybreak on News 13. She started at WGME-TV back on August 1st. Seven months later, she is still here going strong. " I love it here," said McNamara. "This is my first full-time job in television news and I have learned a lot.
Every weekday morning, Anne has two different alarm devices go off. One goes off 2:45am and the other one at 2:55am. "It is tough to wake up that early and get to work," admitted McNamara. "It takes a lot of coffee with cream and sugar, actually a lot of sugar to get me going. After all that caffeine, by the time I go on the air, I am more than ready to go."
Anne came to WGME-TV after attending Syracuse University and working part-time at WSYR-TV in Syracuse. She actually spent several months as a sportscaster at the Central New York television station. She is a huge fan as well.
"I grew up a big Red Sox fan," said McNamara. "I am actually flying to Texas to see the Sox open the season against the Rangers on April 1st."
Anne loves baseball, but her favorite sport is basketball. "I love the Celtics, but I am more of a college basketball fan, "admitted McNamara. "Since I went to Syracuse, I bleed orange. I stayed up late and watched Syracuse lose to Marquette in the N.C.A.A. Tournament on Sunday night. There are only two Big East teams left after eleven made the tournament. As much as I hate UCONN, I will be rooting for the Huskies now."
Anne is from Lowell, Massachusetts, but used to vacation in Maine growing up. " I remember going to York for the summers," said McNamara. "I remember going to York's Wild Kingdom and Sweet's Josie's candy shoppe. It is now living in a place I used to vacation in."
Anne is a reporter and fills in on the anchor desk as well. "I love going live in the morning," said McNamara. "The other thing I love is the social networking when it comes to news now. You can find me on Facebook and Twitter almost everyday."
It is safe to say she can tweet with the best of them. It is great to have Anne as a member of our team in the morning.
By Daybreak blog by Jeff peterson
You can send Anne an e-mail at: asmcnamara@wgme.com
03/21/11
She is the one we send out when the weather gets bad.bad. She is the one we send out when a fire breaks out. She is the one we send out when a criminal is due in court.
Anne McNamera is the reporter for Daybreak on News 13. She started at WGME-TV back on August 1st. Seven months later, she is still here going strong. " I love it here," said McNamara. "This is my first full-time job in television news and I have learned a lot.
Every weekday morning, Anne has two different alarm devices go off. One goes off 2:45am and the other one at 2:55am. "It is tough to wake up that early and get to work," admitted McNamara. "It takes a lot of coffee with cream and sugar, actually a lot of sugar to get me going. After all that caffeine, by the time I go on the air, I am more than ready to go."
Anne came to WGME-TV after attending Syracuse University and working part-time at WSYR-TV in Syracuse. She actually spent several months as a sportscaster at the Central New York television station. She is a huge fan as well.
"I grew up a big Red Sox fan," said McNamara. "I am actually flying to Texas to see the Sox open the season against the Rangers on April 1st."
Anne loves baseball, but her favorite sport is basketball. "I love the Celtics, but I am more of a college basketball fan, "admitted McNamara. "Since I went to Syracuse, I bleed orange. I stayed up late and watched Syracuse lose to Marquette in the N.C.A.A. Tournament on Sunday night. There are only two Big East teams left after eleven made the tournament. As much as I hate UCONN, I will be rooting for the Huskies now."
Anne is from Lowell, Massachusetts, but used to vacation in Maine growing up. " I remember going to York for the summers," said McNamara. "I remember going to York's Wild Kingdom and Sweet's Josie's candy shoppe. It is now living in a place I used to vacation in."
Anne is a reporter and fills in on the anchor desk as well. "I love going live in the morning," said McNamara. "The other thing I love is the social networking when it comes to news now. You can find me on Facebook and Twitter almost everyday."
It is safe to say she can tweet with the best of them. It is great to have Anne as a member of our team in the morning.
By Daybreak blog by Jeff peterson
You can send Anne an e-mail at: asmcnamara@wgme.com
ARE YOU READY TO VOTE?
03/02/11
It is election day. Actually election week.
For the last month, we have featured twenty schools in twenty days. It is all part of our Kid Correspondent program. We went to elementary schools throughout Southern and Central Maine and let two students from each school take us on tours. Their mission was to show why their school is so cool. By the way, all the students did an outstanding job.
We have been doing Kid Correspondent for the last two years and to say it has been popular would be an understatement. It is great way to show something positive about our schools, teachers and students. After the all the pieces air, we do a special online poll. In the past year and a half, there have been over a half a million votes cast.
Now the winter edition for 2011 is in the books and it is time to vote again. It is simple. Just go to the Kid Correspondent icon on our website. Click on and scroll down to vote for your favorite school. You can vote as many times as you want. The voting will last until Sunday March 6th at midnight. The school and the kid correspondents with the most votes will not only have their piece air again on March 7th. They will also be part of a special championship assembly at their school. They will be given trophies, a banner and even a special gift from our sponsor Nextgen.
Exercise your right as a News 13 viewer and vote!
03/02/11
It is election day. Actually election week.
For the last month, we have featured twenty schools in twenty days. It is all part of our Kid Correspondent program. We went to elementary schools throughout Southern and Central Maine and let two students from each school take us on tours. Their mission was to show why their school is so cool. By the way, all the students did an outstanding job.
We have been doing Kid Correspondent for the last two years and to say it has been popular would be an understatement. It is great way to show something positive about our schools, teachers and students. After the all the pieces air, we do a special online poll. In the past year and a half, there have been over a half a million votes cast.
Now the winter edition for 2011 is in the books and it is time to vote again. It is simple. Just go to the Kid Correspondent icon on our website. Click on and scroll down to vote for your favorite school. You can vote as many times as you want. The voting will last until Sunday March 6th at midnight. The school and the kid correspondents with the most votes will not only have their piece air again on March 7th. They will also be part of a special championship assembly at their school. They will be given trophies, a banner and even a special gift from our sponsor Nextgen.
Exercise your right as a News 13 viewer and vote!
Diana Dynamite
02/09/11
By Jeff Peterson
She is back!
After a couple of weeks back on the day shift, Diana Ichton is back by my side. Diana is anchoring Daybreak and Good Day Maine on Fox again. "It is nice to be back in the chair in the morning and helping people wake up in the morning, " claimed Ichton. "I am also living out my dream in the news business. Ever since I was 16 years old, I've always wanted to be a news anchor."
That is exactly what she is doing now. For the last few years, Diana has reported for News 13 and helped out viewers in our consumer segment called 13 On Your Side. "It is nice to show my personality for a change," said Ichton. "That is the good thing about the Daybreak show and the show on FOX. I do a lot of hard news stories as a reporter, so it is nice to have a little fun every now and then."
When you anchor Daybreak though, you have to get up before daybreak. For Diana, that means the alarm going off every weekday at 3:15am. "I would call myself a morning person," claimed Ichton. "However, the hours I wake up at now are pretty extreme. I come in with a smile on my face though, knowing I get to sit next to Jeff Peterson, ha ha ha."
If you read Diana's bio on the personality page and included below, you will see that she has worked all over New England. Ten years working as a reporter and in sales at stations in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and now Maine. Don't expect Diana to move out of the are anytime soon. "I always thought I wanted to go to bigger television markets, but Portland really feels like home," said Ichton. "I love it here and I've really made some good friends."
After Diana anchors Daybreak, she then changes sets and hosts Good Day Maine. That means she is on the air four hours straight. "It's a new challenge," admits Diana. "I've been a reporter for a long time so it is a good change of pace."
It's a pace she hopes to continue for years to come at News 13.
02/09/11
By Jeff Peterson
She is back!
After a couple of weeks back on the day shift, Diana Ichton is back by my side. Diana is anchoring Daybreak and Good Day Maine on Fox again. "It is nice to be back in the chair in the morning and helping people wake up in the morning, " claimed Ichton. "I am also living out my dream in the news business. Ever since I was 16 years old, I've always wanted to be a news anchor."
That is exactly what she is doing now. For the last few years, Diana has reported for News 13 and helped out viewers in our consumer segment called 13 On Your Side. "It is nice to show my personality for a change," said Ichton. "That is the good thing about the Daybreak show and the show on FOX. I do a lot of hard news stories as a reporter, so it is nice to have a little fun every now and then."
When you anchor Daybreak though, you have to get up before daybreak. For Diana, that means the alarm going off every weekday at 3:15am. "I would call myself a morning person," claimed Ichton. "However, the hours I wake up at now are pretty extreme. I come in with a smile on my face though, knowing I get to sit next to Jeff Peterson, ha ha ha."
If you read Diana's bio on the personality page and included below, you will see that she has worked all over New England. Ten years working as a reporter and in sales at stations in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and now Maine. Don't expect Diana to move out of the are anytime soon. "I always thought I wanted to go to bigger television markets, but Portland really feels like home," said Ichton. "I love it here and I've really made some good friends."
After Diana anchors Daybreak, she then changes sets and hosts Good Day Maine. That means she is on the air four hours straight. "It's a new challenge," admits Diana. "I've been a reporter for a long time so it is a good change of pace."
It's a pace she hopes to continue for years to come at News 13.
Reporter Diana Ichton jokes she's on a tour of duty throughout New England. The Bay State native has reported on stories in Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York. Diana is thrilled to add Maine to her list!
Most recently, she worked as a one-man-band reporter for WPTZ/WNNE in White River Junction, VT. Prior to that, Diana was radio anchor for WSAR, a sales rep for The Boston Herald, and a Sales Assistant at WMUR-TV.
"With each new job, I have gained insight and experience. With it, I hope to bring honest, integral and meaningful stories to viewers in Maine."
Diana earned her degree in Mass Communication from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
When Diana is not working, you'll find her on the running trails, in the yoga studio, or in the batting cage. The avid Sox fan also loves spending time with her family.
Send Diana an e-mail at: dichton@wgme.com
Parrotta Power
02/02/11
02/02/11
She is back to waking up early in the morning again. At least for the last couple of weeks. Catherine Parrotta has been filling in as my co-anchor lately. "I love it," exclaimed Parrotta." I actually like the hours for Daybreak and I really enjoy doing the interviews for our Good Day Maine show on FOX."
Working the early shift is nothing new to her. Catherine was the Daybreak reporter for about a year between 2008 and 2009. For the past year and a half, she has been anchoring the weekends at News 13. "On the weekends I solo," said Parrotta. "It is so nice to be next to a warm body, if you want to call Jeff warm. Only kidding."
I'm not the only warm body she gets to be around. Catherine also gets to hang out with Sarah Long. "She is awesome," claimed Parrotta. "She is a lot of fun as long as she cuts down on all the snowy forecasts. The thing I like most about Sarah is that she gets so excited about the forecast and the weather. The perfect example, she can't wait to get to the top of Mount Washington next week to do her forecasts. She is crazy."
Catherine's hours have been crazy lately. She works a late shift anchoring on the weekends and then a day shift three days a week reporting. Now it is all about the morning shift. "I get up at 2:30am. I did it as a reporter, so I am kind of used to it," said Parrotta. "I don't drink coffee, but if I really need a shot early in the morning to get me going and I am really desperate, I go for Mountain Dew."
During the weekend shows Catherine anchors with Meteorologist Craig Miller and sportscaster Evans Boston. "I like working with those guys, but it is so nice doing the morning show, because it is about a lot more than just anchoring," claimed Parrotta. "On Daybreak I get to show some personality because it is so interactive."
Catherine gets a few more days filling in on Daybreak until going back to her regular shift. She will be back for more in about a month though. Catherine will be sitting next to me on the Daybreak desk March 14th through the 18th. "Nothing against the guys on the weekend, but I am very excited to appear on Daybreak again. I have actually become a morning person now, so I can't wait."
In the meantime, Diana Ichton will return to the Daybreak Desk next week.
HERE COME THE KIDS AGAIN
01/18/11
Coming up in a couple of weeks, the kids are back. On Thursday February 2nd, we start another edition of Kid Correspondent. Just what is Kid Correspondent? We go to elementary schools all over Southern and Central Maine and have student reporters talk about what makes their school so special. This month we are going to be everywhere from Kennebec County to York County and points in between. By the way, if you want your school to be featured, just send me an email at jpeterson@wgme.com..
Here is a list of schools we will be featuring between 2/2 and 3/2.
WEST BATH
ST. JAMES/BIDDEFORD
COFFIN/BRUNSWICK
WEST HARPSWELL
PHIPPSBURG
HARTFORD/SUMNER
GREENE CENTRAL
MCMAHON/LEWISTON
FAIRVIEW/AUBURN
ACTON
LEBANNON
ALFRED
MILDRED DAY/ARUNDEL
BREAKWATER/PORTLAND
KENNBUNKPORT CONSOLIDATED
EMERSON/SANFORD
BELGRADE CENTRAL
MANCHESTER
ST. MICHAEL/AUGUSTA
PRESUMSCOT/PORTLAND
01/18/11
Coming up in a couple of weeks, the kids are back. On Thursday February 2nd, we start another edition of Kid Correspondent. Just what is Kid Correspondent? We go to elementary schools all over Southern and Central Maine and have student reporters talk about what makes their school so special. This month we are going to be everywhere from Kennebec County to York County and points in between. By the way, if you want your school to be featured, just send me an email at jpeterson@wgme.com..
Here is a list of schools we will be featuring between 2/2 and 3/2.
WEST BATH
ST. JAMES/BIDDEFORD
COFFIN/BRUNSWICK
WEST HARPSWELL
PHIPPSBURG
HARTFORD/SUMNER
GREENE CENTRAL
MCMAHON/LEWISTON
FAIRVIEW/AUBURN
ACTON
LEBANNON
ALFRED
MILDRED DAY/ARUNDEL
BREAKWATER/PORTLAND
KENNBUNKPORT CONSOLIDATED
EMERSON/SANFORD
BELGRADE CENTRAL
MANCHESTER
ST. MICHAEL/AUGUSTA
PRESUMSCOT/PORTLAND
2011 LOBSTER DIP
01/04/11
For the 9th straight year, I decided to take a dive into the ocean on New Year's Day and host the event. It was all part of the 23rd annual Lobster Dip in Old Orchard Beach at The Brunswick Hotel. For all the folks who took part, thank you so much for your dedication and for raising so much money for charity.
This year a record 371 dippers raised a record $101,171.60 for Special Olympics. The old record was 278 dippers and over $78,000. See it that the economy is still not fully recovered, this is a monumental achievement.
To all the people who cam out and watched, thanks for watching, but next year why not take the plunge? According to OOB police, around 2,000 spectators watched us dive in.
Thanks again, it was great meeting all of you and I can't wait to see all of you next year for the 24th annual dip. Let's make it another record.
Jeff Peterson
01/04/11
For the 9th straight year, I decided to take a dive into the ocean on New Year's Day and host the event. It was all part of the 23rd annual Lobster Dip in Old Orchard Beach at The Brunswick Hotel. For all the folks who took part, thank you so much for your dedication and for raising so much money for charity.
This year a record 371 dippers raised a record $101,171.60 for Special Olympics. The old record was 278 dippers and over $78,000. See it that the economy is still not fully recovered, this is a monumental achievement.
To all the people who cam out and watched, thanks for watching, but next year why not take the plunge? According to OOB police, around 2,000 spectators watched us dive in.
Thanks again, it was great meeting all of you and I can't wait to see all of you next year for the 24th annual dip. Let's make it another record.
Jeff Peterson
THEY ARE THE CHAMPIONS
12/13/10
By Jeff Peterson
After twenty days of Kid Correspondents on Daybreak and then five days of furious voting, we have a champ for the fall of 2010. Hussey Primary School from Berwick took home the title just edging Shapleigh. I will be attending a special assembly in Berwick today. The school will receive a trophy and a banner. Our two student reporters will also receive trophies. Congrats to Hussey and I will see you at 9:30am with the hardware.
12/13/10
By Jeff Peterson
After twenty days of Kid Correspondents on Daybreak and then five days of furious voting, we have a champ for the fall of 2010. Hussey Primary School from Berwick took home the title just edging Shapleigh. I will be attending a special assembly in Berwick today. The school will receive a trophy and a banner. Our two student reporters will also receive trophies. Congrats to Hussey and I will see you at 9:30am with the hardware.
WE HAVE A CHAMPION!
11/29/10
By Jeff Peterson
We have a champ! Hussey Primary School of Berwick has won the fall 2010 Kid Correspondent online competition. After nearly 125,000 votes, Hussey edged out Shapleigh to take home the title. Hussey received around 38 percent of the vote, Shapleigh received around 33 percent, while third place Livermore Elementary School came in third with just over ten percent of the vote.
Thanks again to all of the schools for taking part. We featured 20 schools in 20 days with our student reporters and all of the kids rocked to say the least. We will be setting up a date now with school officials at Hussey to hold a special assembly. At that assembly, we will hand out trophies to both of the student reporters, a trophy and banner to the school. Nextgen our sponsor, will also be on hand to hand out an award.
The 2011 winter edition of Kid Correspondent begins in just over two months. If you would like your school to be featured, just send me an email at jpeterson@wgme.com.
We already have had at least 4 schools email about the next Kid Correspondent.
11/29/10
By Jeff Peterson
We have a champ! Hussey Primary School of Berwick has won the fall 2010 Kid Correspondent online competition. After nearly 125,000 votes, Hussey edged out Shapleigh to take home the title. Hussey received around 38 percent of the vote, Shapleigh received around 33 percent, while third place Livermore Elementary School came in third with just over ten percent of the vote.
Thanks again to all of the schools for taking part. We featured 20 schools in 20 days with our student reporters and all of the kids rocked to say the least. We will be setting up a date now with school officials at Hussey to hold a special assembly. At that assembly, we will hand out trophies to both of the student reporters, a trophy and banner to the school. Nextgen our sponsor, will also be on hand to hand out an award.
The 2011 winter edition of Kid Correspondent begins in just over two months. If you would like your school to be featured, just send me an email at jpeterson@wgme.com.
We already have had at least 4 schools email about the next Kid Correspondent.
IT IS NEARLY ELECTION DAY
11/16/10
By Jeff Peterson
Wednesday November 24th at 7:00am. Mark that on your calender and blackberry. That is when the voting will begin for our Kid Correspondents. Since late October, we have been featuring student reporters from elementary schools all over southern and central Maine. They have been on Daybreak talking about what makes their school so cool.
Here is how the voting will work. By the 24th, that's the day before Thanksgiving, all twenty Kid Correspondents will have aired. If you haven't had a chance to see all of them, just go to our website, wgme.com and check them out. Whichever one you like the best, vote for them. You can vote as many times as you want until November 28th at midnight. After that, the votes will be counted and we will find out who the Fall 2010 Kid Correspondent champs are.
The winners will have their story on the air again on the 29th. Then we will schedule a special assembly. At the event, the school will receive a trophy,a banner and a grant and the kids will each receive a trophy.
Exercise your right as a viewer of Daybreak and a fan of Kid Correspondent and vote.
Good luck to all of the schools!
Jeff Peterson
11/16/10
By Jeff Peterson
Wednesday November 24th at 7:00am. Mark that on your calender and blackberry. That is when the voting will begin for our Kid Correspondents. Since late October, we have been featuring student reporters from elementary schools all over southern and central Maine. They have been on Daybreak talking about what makes their school so cool.
Here is how the voting will work. By the 24th, that's the day before Thanksgiving, all twenty Kid Correspondents will have aired. If you haven't had a chance to see all of them, just go to our website, wgme.com and check them out. Whichever one you like the best, vote for them. You can vote as many times as you want until November 28th at midnight. After that, the votes will be counted and we will find out who the Fall 2010 Kid Correspondent champs are.
The winners will have their story on the air again on the 29th. Then we will schedule a special assembly. At the event, the school will receive a trophy,a banner and a grant and the kids will each receive a trophy.
Exercise your right as a viewer of Daybreak and a fan of Kid Correspondent and vote.
Good luck to all of the schools!
Jeff Peterson
Twenty Schools in Twenty Days
10/27/10
10/27/10
By Jeff Peterson
Are you ready for the kids? It is time once again for Kid Correspondent on News 13's Daybreak. Over the last three weeks, I have traveled all over Southern and Central Maine to find the best and brightest students. Those students go on the air as reporters and talk about what makes their school so cool. Make sure and tune in October 28th through November 24th. Kid Correspondent will air once during our 5:00am hour and then once during the 6:00am hour as well.
After we feature the schools, then make sure and take part in our online poll. Over Thanksgiving weekend, you can log onto wgme.com and vote for your favorite Kid Correspondent school. The winners will receive a special visit by us at News 13 for an assembly. We will honor the winners with trophies and a banner. We will also broadcast their Kid Correspondent piece again on November 29th.
Some of the communities we visited include Portland, Lewiston, Auburn, Buxton, Hollis, Saco, Augusta, Winslow, Waterville, Gardiner, Farmington, Livermore, Jay, Monmouth, Shapleigh, Sanford, South Portland, Pownal, Berwick and Durham.
Twenty Schools in Twenty Days. Tune in, kick back and enjoy another edition of Kid Correspondent, only on News 13.
FOR THE SOLDIERS AND THE DOGS
10/07/10
By Jeff Peterson
On Saturday October 2nd, I got the chance to help raise money for two great charities.
Early in the day was the 5th annual Planet Dog Woofminster Dog Show in Scarborough. I was one of six judges asked to decide who the top dog would be. Dogs competed in several categories. They included best beggar, happiest dog, best trick and best in show. Jake from Wells won best in show. The dog gets a chance to have a professional photographer take pictures and then appear on the cover of the Planet Dog Catalog. Over a hundred dogs competed and Planet Dog raised around $5,000 for its charities.
Then on Saturday night at the Portland Sports Complex next to Jokers, I helped raise money for an organization called Operation Homefront. They help veterans and their families. The event, called October Music Fest, had five bands. Money was raised through ticket sales, concessions and we also auctioned off several items including a weekend at The Regency in Portland and a racing party for twelve.
Thanks for the support from the public and to everyone I met at both events, hey, it was nice meeting you and thanks for watching News 13.
By the way, if you have an ideas of what you want to read about in the Daybreak blog, just email me at jpeterson@wgme.com or go to our Facebook page.
10/07/10
By Jeff Peterson
On Saturday October 2nd, I got the chance to help raise money for two great charities.
Early in the day was the 5th annual Planet Dog Woofminster Dog Show in Scarborough. I was one of six judges asked to decide who the top dog would be. Dogs competed in several categories. They included best beggar, happiest dog, best trick and best in show. Jake from Wells won best in show. The dog gets a chance to have a professional photographer take pictures and then appear on the cover of the Planet Dog Catalog. Over a hundred dogs competed and Planet Dog raised around $5,000 for its charities.
Then on Saturday night at the Portland Sports Complex next to Jokers, I helped raise money for an organization called Operation Homefront. They help veterans and their families. The event, called October Music Fest, had five bands. Money was raised through ticket sales, concessions and we also auctioned off several items including a weekend at The Regency in Portland and a racing party for twelve.
Thanks for the support from the public and to everyone I met at both events, hey, it was nice meeting you and thanks for watching News 13.
By the way, if you have an ideas of what you want to read about in the Daybreak blog, just email me at jpeterson@wgme.com or go to our Facebook page.
Off the set , and helping out
10/01/10
By Jeff Peterson
I have been in television news for nearly 25 years now and besides delivering the news and sometimes the sports on the air, I love helping out the many charities in the community.
Thursday September 30th, I hosted an auction, along with Kim Block, for "The Susan Curtis Foundation." It is a camp for kids who really can't afford to go to camp. Nearly 150 people showed up at Binga's near the Cumberland County Civic Center and helped us raise thousands of dollars for this wonderful organization. Thanks to all the folks who bid on items like Red Sox tickets, a day at the spa, a night with Survivor Bob, a day of lobstering, an autographed New York Giants football, quilts made by campers and much more.
It was the 30th annual event and it has been a night to look forward for me for 4 years now.
For ten years, I have helped raise money for Special Olympics in Boothbay Harbor. During the weekend of September 24th and 25th, I took part in the Boothbay Charity Golf Classic. Every year the community along the Midcoast gets together and raises lots of money for Special Olympics. There is a sports auction on the Friday night and then a golf tournament the following day. I get the chance to host the sports auction and then take part as a celebrity in the golf tournament. I get to rub shoulders with the likes of former N.F.L. stars Otis Sistrunk, Ben Davidson, Ted Hendricks and Earl Morrill. But the best part is meeting the dozens of volunteers who help out and the couple hundred people who attend the auction and tournament.
Thanks to everyone for helping to make it an awesome weekend year in and year out.
This year we raised $35,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remember, no matter how tough the economy gets, these charities need your help.
10/01/10
By Jeff Peterson
I have been in television news for nearly 25 years now and besides delivering the news and sometimes the sports on the air, I love helping out the many charities in the community.
Thursday September 30th, I hosted an auction, along with Kim Block, for "The Susan Curtis Foundation." It is a camp for kids who really can't afford to go to camp. Nearly 150 people showed up at Binga's near the Cumberland County Civic Center and helped us raise thousands of dollars for this wonderful organization. Thanks to all the folks who bid on items like Red Sox tickets, a day at the spa, a night with Survivor Bob, a day of lobstering, an autographed New York Giants football, quilts made by campers and much more.
It was the 30th annual event and it has been a night to look forward for me for 4 years now.
For ten years, I have helped raise money for Special Olympics in Boothbay Harbor. During the weekend of September 24th and 25th, I took part in the Boothbay Charity Golf Classic. Every year the community along the Midcoast gets together and raises lots of money for Special Olympics. There is a sports auction on the Friday night and then a golf tournament the following day. I get the chance to host the sports auction and then take part as a celebrity in the golf tournament. I get to rub shoulders with the likes of former N.F.L. stars Otis Sistrunk, Ben Davidson, Ted Hendricks and Earl Morrill. But the best part is meeting the dozens of volunteers who help out and the couple hundred people who attend the auction and tournament.
Thanks to everyone for helping to make it an awesome weekend year in and year out.
This year we raised $35,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remember, no matter how tough the economy gets, these charities need your help.
FOOTBALL SEASON AND A LOT MORE
09/08/10
By Jeff Peterson
Are you ready for some football? High school football is off and running. The season opened on September 3rd all over Maine. Deering beat Portland and South Portland upset defending state champ Windham. There were many other exciting games with big crowds.
As we celebrate fall and football season, let's not forget about the other high school fall sports.
Soccer, field hockey, cross country and golf are in full swing as well. Though not as popular as football when it comes to crowds and media coverage, they are still just as important.
These activities are great for our youth when it comes to exercise, self-confidence and team-bulding. Open up a local paper or watch a sportscast on WGME-TV and find out where a game or match or competition or meet is taking place and support our youth.
Have a great fall and enjoy some of the outstanding talent out there on the football field and other fields as well.
Make sure and email or call our sports department to get your score on our ticker so we can keep track of your team.
I ran cross country and track and played basketball as well in high school. Keep supporting athletics and encourage your children to participate. I know first hand how important they are in our lives.
09/08/10
By Jeff Peterson
Are you ready for some football? High school football is off and running. The season opened on September 3rd all over Maine. Deering beat Portland and South Portland upset defending state champ Windham. There were many other exciting games with big crowds.
As we celebrate fall and football season, let's not forget about the other high school fall sports.
Soccer, field hockey, cross country and golf are in full swing as well. Though not as popular as football when it comes to crowds and media coverage, they are still just as important.
These activities are great for our youth when it comes to exercise, self-confidence and team-bulding. Open up a local paper or watch a sportscast on WGME-TV and find out where a game or match or competition or meet is taking place and support our youth.
Have a great fall and enjoy some of the outstanding talent out there on the football field and other fields as well.
Make sure and email or call our sports department to get your score on our ticker so we can keep track of your team.
I ran cross country and track and played basketball as well in high school. Keep supporting athletics and encourage your children to participate. I know first hand how important they are in our lives.
IMILLER TIME!
08/02/10
By Jeff Peterson
When Sarah Long is off, it is, "Miller Time!"
Craig Miller has been at WGME-TV for about 3 1/2 years. Usually you see Craig Miller forecasting the weather on the weekends. He also covers the weather on News 13 at Noon Thursdays and Fridays.
Doing Daybreak is all about waking up. "My alarm goes off at 2:00am, so I can get in by 3:00am," said Miller. "My two pug dogs love it. That means Maxine and Linda have the opportunity to wake up and eat again. The chow down with me every morning when I fill in on Daybreak."
The hours are not fun, but for Miller the show certainly is. "I like the show. You get to show your personality and it beats working weekends. The hours are tough, but it gives me an appreciation for those who work the hours on a daily basis."
Craig has lived in New England his entire life. Growing up in New Hampshire he knew he wanted to get involved in broadcast meteorology. He received his Meteorology degree from Plymouth State College in New Hampshire. After college he went on to work for the FOX affiliate in Portland, Maine as the weekend meteorologist. Then after a few years out of the business, he decided to talk about big ridges of high pressure again at WGME-13.
When he's not working, Craig enjoys boating during the summer. He says he owns a boat. I'm still not sure if he does since I've never seen it or been on it (hint hint.)
The thing I like about Craig is that he truly enjoys forecasting the weather no matter what time he has to get up. He's also great to work with and to top it all off, he could be the only meteorologist to wear sandals with his suit on the air.
08/02/10
By Jeff Peterson
When Sarah Long is off, it is, "Miller Time!"
Craig Miller has been at WGME-TV for about 3 1/2 years. Usually you see Craig Miller forecasting the weather on the weekends. He also covers the weather on News 13 at Noon Thursdays and Fridays.
Doing Daybreak is all about waking up. "My alarm goes off at 2:00am, so I can get in by 3:00am," said Miller. "My two pug dogs love it. That means Maxine and Linda have the opportunity to wake up and eat again. The chow down with me every morning when I fill in on Daybreak."
The hours are not fun, but for Miller the show certainly is. "I like the show. You get to show your personality and it beats working weekends. The hours are tough, but it gives me an appreciation for those who work the hours on a daily basis."
Craig has lived in New England his entire life. Growing up in New Hampshire he knew he wanted to get involved in broadcast meteorology. He received his Meteorology degree from Plymouth State College in New Hampshire. After college he went on to work for the FOX affiliate in Portland, Maine as the weekend meteorologist. Then after a few years out of the business, he decided to talk about big ridges of high pressure again at WGME-13.
When he's not working, Craig enjoys boating during the summer. He says he owns a boat. I'm still not sure if he does since I've never seen it or been on it (hint hint.)
The thing I like about Craig is that he truly enjoys forecasting the weather no matter what time he has to get up. He's also great to work with and to top it all off, he could be the only meteorologist to wear sandals with his suit on the air.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
07/26/10
By Jeff Peterson
Let me start by saying I have been in the television news for 23 years. When I first got into the business, as reporters, we made phone calls, read newspapers and called local law enforcement to try and find news stories. Then we went out on a story, interviewed the key people involved, wrote the story, it was edited, it ran on the air and we were done for the day.
Fast forward to 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Welcome to the world of "Social Networking!"
We now have to use Facebook and Twitter just to name a couple to inform people and get story ideas.
According to Google, there are now 188 social networking websites from Advogato to Zooppa.
If you are not a user, you are out of touch, just not hip and just plain old.
Because I have lived all across the country and grew up in California, I use Facebook to get in touch and stay in touch with friends and family I don't get to see on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis.
Let's not forget the old fashion way of communicating and networking though. There is nothing better than a phone call or better yet, a face to face conversation.with someone.
In the meantime, you can check out the latest from Facebook or Twitter by going to our website wgme.com or you can always call our newsroom at 797-9099
07/26/10
By Jeff Peterson
Let me start by saying I have been in the television news for 23 years. When I first got into the business, as reporters, we made phone calls, read newspapers and called local law enforcement to try and find news stories. Then we went out on a story, interviewed the key people involved, wrote the story, it was edited, it ran on the air and we were done for the day.
Fast forward to 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Welcome to the world of "Social Networking!"
We now have to use Facebook and Twitter just to name a couple to inform people and get story ideas.
According to Google, there are now 188 social networking websites from Advogato to Zooppa.
If you are not a user, you are out of touch, just not hip and just plain old.
Because I have lived all across the country and grew up in California, I use Facebook to get in touch and stay in touch with friends and family I don't get to see on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis.
Let's not forget the old fashion way of communicating and networking though. There is nothing better than a phone call or better yet, a face to face conversation.with someone.
In the meantime, you can check out the latest from Facebook or Twitter by going to our website wgme.com or you can always call our newsroom at 797-9099
LET'S GET SOCIAL!!!!
unset
By Jeff Peterson
When I got into the television news business as a reporter back in 1987, all I did was go to a scene, interview a few people, do a little research, write a story, maybe a little editing and then my story was live on the air. Except for some networking outside of work for future stories, that was it. Networking in this case was meeting and greeting people.
Fast forward twenty three years later to 2010. Besides all of the above, now add the computer and a different kind of networking. Of course, I am talking about social networking.
Social networking is defined as.....a social structure made up of individuals or organizations which are tied by one or more specific type of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interests, financial exchange, dislikes and beliefs.
According to Wikipedia, there are currently 188 social networking websites. They range from Advogato to Zooppa.
The ones most of us work with are Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.
Folks want news when they want it. That means, we need to constantly update the latest news, weather and sports on the social networking sites constantly. That means even when we are on the news desk, we update stories as they come in.
Throw in of course updating our website and checking emails and sometimes it is system overload. That's what you have to do in this ever changing world now.
By the way, check us out on the web on Facebook or Twitter just by going to our website wgme.com
unset
By Jeff Peterson
When I got into the television news business as a reporter back in 1987, all I did was go to a scene, interview a few people, do a little research, write a story, maybe a little editing and then my story was live on the air. Except for some networking outside of work for future stories, that was it. Networking in this case was meeting and greeting people.
Fast forward twenty three years later to 2010. Besides all of the above, now add the computer and a different kind of networking. Of course, I am talking about social networking.
Social networking is defined as.....a social structure made up of individuals or organizations which are tied by one or more specific type of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interests, financial exchange, dislikes and beliefs.
According to Wikipedia, there are currently 188 social networking websites. They range from Advogato to Zooppa.
The ones most of us work with are Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.
Folks want news when they want it. That means, we need to constantly update the latest news, weather and sports on the social networking sites constantly. That means even when we are on the news desk, we update stories as they come in.
Throw in of course updating our website and checking emails and sometimes it is system overload. That's what you have to do in this ever changing world now.
By the way, check us out on the web on Facebook or Twitter just by going to our website wgme.com
ALL IN A DAY'S/MORNING'S WORK
07/14/10
So what in the heck does an anchor on Daybreak actually do before the show starts?
It's 2:30am and that alarm just went off on my cell phone. Are you kidding me... is it already time to get up? After a shave, brushing my teeth and picking out a decent shirt and tie, sometimes in the dark, then it is off to WGME-TV. Since I live close the station, I like to ride my bike into work as much as possible. Around 8-10 minutes later I arrive at the Northport Business Plaza with hair sticking up and tired eyes.
It is 3:00am. After a check of emails, it is off to preparing for the show.... or at WGME-TV, that means shows. I start off by writing around a dozen stories for our new show that airs on FOX.
About forty five minutes later, it is time to turn into radio-man. I produce and deliver newscasts for a station in the Augusta area. After checking our stories in Daybreak and surfing the web, I put together two newscasts. They want stories from Central Maine, so I have to find four to five stories in that area for the listeners. The beauty of it, all I do is record it on the computer and email it tot he morning D.J.'s.
Then, around 4:15 or so, I go through the dozens of scripts for the Daybreak show. Fifteen minutes before show time it is time to actually attempt to look decent to deliver the news. That means actually styling my hair, putting my suit on and warming up my voice.
Then at 4:55a.m. it is showtime.
Before you feel bad for me having to get up at 2:30am, our producers for Daybreak and the FOX shows, Alex and Jackie, have to be at work by midnight. OUCH.
07/14/10
So what in the heck does an anchor on Daybreak actually do before the show starts?
It's 2:30am and that alarm just went off on my cell phone. Are you kidding me... is it already time to get up? After a shave, brushing my teeth and picking out a decent shirt and tie, sometimes in the dark, then it is off to WGME-TV. Since I live close the station, I like to ride my bike into work as much as possible. Around 8-10 minutes later I arrive at the Northport Business Plaza with hair sticking up and tired eyes.
It is 3:00am. After a check of emails, it is off to preparing for the show.... or at WGME-TV, that means shows. I start off by writing around a dozen stories for our new show that airs on FOX.
About forty five minutes later, it is time to turn into radio-man. I produce and deliver newscasts for a station in the Augusta area. After checking our stories in Daybreak and surfing the web, I put together two newscasts. They want stories from Central Maine, so I have to find four to five stories in that area for the listeners. The beauty of it, all I do is record it on the computer and email it tot he morning D.J.'s.
Then, around 4:15 or so, I go through the dozens of scripts for the Daybreak show. Fifteen minutes before show time it is time to actually attempt to look decent to deliver the news. That means actually styling my hair, putting my suit on and warming up my voice.
Then at 4:55a.m. it is showtime.
Before you feel bad for me having to get up at 2:30am, our producers for Daybreak and the FOX shows, Alex and Jackie, have to be at work by midnight. OUCH.
WE'RE BACK... ALMOST
07/05/10
By Jeff Peterson
June 18th!
That's the last time Erin, Sarah and yours truly have been together on Daybreak.
That's 18 days.
Sarah took a little vacation to celebrate her birthday, Erin took a little time off to, well, be Erin.
I took a few days off to move into a new house.
July 6th, the team was back at it, together again.
I hope you all had a fun-filled 4th of July.
Jeff
07/05/10
By Jeff Peterson
June 18th!
That's the last time Erin, Sarah and yours truly have been together on Daybreak.
That's 18 days.
Sarah took a little vacation to celebrate her birthday, Erin took a little time off to, well, be Erin.
I took a few days off to move into a new house.
July 6th, the team was back at it, together again.
I hope you all had a fun-filled 4th of July.
Jeff
MY FIRST BLOG
06/30/10
By Jeff Peterson
Welcome to my first blog. It's taken me a while to become web savvy. Actually, let me think about that again. I am the furthest thing from savvy when it comes to the web. How about my attempt at being web savvy.
Just in case you didn't know, here is the definition of a blog. It has taken me years to figure out what a blog is. Hey, now I get to write one.
I will be off 6/28-7/2. I am in the process of moving. Let me make myself perfectly clear.... moving is not fun. Actually getting settled in your new home is fun, but moving is "NOT" fun. If I never have to see another cardboard box again, I would be the luckiest man on the face of the earth. Just in case you needed another definition... here is fun.
Moving is not in the definition of fun. Anchoring Daybreak is fun and the fun will continue on this blog the week of July 5th after I get done with my move.
Thanks for helping to make my savvy, have a safe and happy 4th and of course, as always, thanks for watching Daybreak!
Jeff
06/30/10
By Jeff Peterson
Welcome to my first blog. It's taken me a while to become web savvy. Actually, let me think about that again. I am the furthest thing from savvy when it comes to the web. How about my attempt at being web savvy.
Just in case you didn't know, here is the definition of a blog. It has taken me years to figure out what a blog is. Hey, now I get to write one.
- read, write, or edit a shared on-line journal
- web log: a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies; "postings on a blog are usually in chronological order"
I will be off 6/28-7/2. I am in the process of moving. Let me make myself perfectly clear.... moving is not fun. Actually getting settled in your new home is fun, but moving is "NOT" fun. If I never have to see another cardboard box again, I would be the luckiest man on the face of the earth. Just in case you needed another definition... here is fun.
- activities that are enjoyable or amusing; "I do it for the fun of it"; "he is fun to have around"
- verbal wit or mockery (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously); "he became a figure of fun"; "he said it in sport"
- violent and excited activity; "she asked for money and then the fun began"; "they began to fight like fun"
- playfulness: a disposition to find (or make) causes for amusement; "her playfulness surprised me"; "he was fun to be with"
Moving is not in the definition of fun. Anchoring Daybreak is fun and the fun will continue on this blog the week of July 5th after I get done with my move.
Thanks for helping to make my savvy, have a safe and happy 4th and of course, as always, thanks for watching Daybreak!
Jeff
60 Day Challenge - Taking it to the "Hill"
02/12/10
Erin and I are heading to see our trainers today and get our assignment, our workout that we need to do while we're on the summit of Mt. Washington next week. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that motivation has been tough to come by, but now Erin and I both agree we're starting to feel and see the difference in our bodies and that helps with motivation. Matt and Justin at Bear Essentials Fitness are great at being able to tell if we're stressed, grumpy, tired when we show up to work out and without fail they make sure we leave smiling and often laughing (we are planning a bloopers tape to show after 60 days).
The "Lovely Ladies of Lafayette" also checked in this week. Dorothy wrote...
"Well our team has lost 2% of our weight. We have been complimenting each other because we are starting to show the weight loss. Most havestarted some sort of exercise program, I still have to get moving more.
We liked sharing the healthy snacks so much that we decided to keep itgoing. It's funny I have tried to lose weight 3 or 4 times this yearbut it just wasn't working. I owe my success this time to the teamspirit."
I think I'm seeing a theme here, having a workout buddy helps to keep you on track. Whether you and your workout buddy are looking for new ideas or you're ready to start getting healthier on your own, give the trainers at Bear Essentials Fitness a call and they'll give you a free training session to help put you on the right track, give you some good ideas and send you home with things you can do on your own.
Have a great weekend, a wonderful Valentine's Day and remember dark chocolate has been proven to help reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and help with emotional stress. Dip a fresh strawberry in some dark chocolate, even better!
Erin and I will send an update from above 6,000 feet next week!
Cheers,
Sarah
02/12/10
Erin and I are heading to see our trainers today and get our assignment, our workout that we need to do while we're on the summit of Mt. Washington next week. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that motivation has been tough to come by, but now Erin and I both agree we're starting to feel and see the difference in our bodies and that helps with motivation. Matt and Justin at Bear Essentials Fitness are great at being able to tell if we're stressed, grumpy, tired when we show up to work out and without fail they make sure we leave smiling and often laughing (we are planning a bloopers tape to show after 60 days).
The "Lovely Ladies of Lafayette" also checked in this week. Dorothy wrote...
"Well our team has lost 2% of our weight. We have been complimenting each other because we are starting to show the weight loss. Most havestarted some sort of exercise program, I still have to get moving more.
We liked sharing the healthy snacks so much that we decided to keep itgoing. It's funny I have tried to lose weight 3 or 4 times this yearbut it just wasn't working. I owe my success this time to the teamspirit."
I think I'm seeing a theme here, having a workout buddy helps to keep you on track. Whether you and your workout buddy are looking for new ideas or you're ready to start getting healthier on your own, give the trainers at Bear Essentials Fitness a call and they'll give you a free training session to help put you on the right track, give you some good ideas and send you home with things you can do on your own.
Have a great weekend, a wonderful Valentine's Day and remember dark chocolate has been proven to help reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and help with emotional stress. Dip a fresh strawberry in some dark chocolate, even better!
Erin and I will send an update from above 6,000 feet next week!
Cheers,
Sarah
60 Day Challenge - Taking it the "Hill"
unset
Erin and I are heading to Bear Essentials Fitness this morning to work out and to get our assignment for our workouts while we're away on Mt. Washington next week. If you haven't been following along on our 60 Day Challenge or if you want to hear some of the recommendations from our trainers, Matt and Justin, you can head to their website and watch the challenge stories we've done so far. I've talked a little bit about losing some of the motivation the past few weeks but now Erin and I are both starting to feel and see the changes in our bodies and each time to go to work out with Matt and Justin they are able to tell if we're stressed, tired, grumpy and always make us laugh and make sure we leave in a better mood.
How about those "Lovely Ladies of Lafayette?" Here's the latest from Dorothy about how their challenge is going...
"Well our team has lost 2% of our weight. We have been complimenting each other because we are starting to show the weight loss. Most havestarted some sort of exercise program, I still have to get moving more.
We liked sharing the healthy snacks so much that we decided to keep itgoing. It's funny I have tried to lose weight 3 or 4 times this yearbut it just wasn't working. I owe my success this time to the teamspirit."
I've got to agree with Dorothy all the way here - having a workout buddy keeps me going. Don't have someone to work out with? Find a personal trainer that fits your budget - I want to remind folks that Matt, Justin and the other trainers at Bear Essentails in Saco are offering a first free training session, just give them a ring to set it up. In just one visit they'll help to put you on the right track and even give you some suggestions of what you can do at home to get on or stay on the right track.
Have a great weekend and Happy Valentine's Day, we'll make sure to give you an update from above 6 thousand feet next week! And remember, dark chocolate has been found to ease emotional tension, help reduce risk of heart attack and stroke. Eat a strawberry dipped in dark chocolate, even better!
Cheers,
Sarah
unset
Erin and I are heading to Bear Essentials Fitness this morning to work out and to get our assignment for our workouts while we're away on Mt. Washington next week. If you haven't been following along on our 60 Day Challenge or if you want to hear some of the recommendations from our trainers, Matt and Justin, you can head to their website and watch the challenge stories we've done so far. I've talked a little bit about losing some of the motivation the past few weeks but now Erin and I are both starting to feel and see the changes in our bodies and each time to go to work out with Matt and Justin they are able to tell if we're stressed, tired, grumpy and always make us laugh and make sure we leave in a better mood.
How about those "Lovely Ladies of Lafayette?" Here's the latest from Dorothy about how their challenge is going...
"Well our team has lost 2% of our weight. We have been complimenting each other because we are starting to show the weight loss. Most havestarted some sort of exercise program, I still have to get moving more.
We liked sharing the healthy snacks so much that we decided to keep itgoing. It's funny I have tried to lose weight 3 or 4 times this yearbut it just wasn't working. I owe my success this time to the teamspirit."
I've got to agree with Dorothy all the way here - having a workout buddy keeps me going. Don't have someone to work out with? Find a personal trainer that fits your budget - I want to remind folks that Matt, Justin and the other trainers at Bear Essentails in Saco are offering a first free training session, just give them a ring to set it up. In just one visit they'll help to put you on the right track and even give you some suggestions of what you can do at home to get on or stay on the right track.
Have a great weekend and Happy Valentine's Day, we'll make sure to give you an update from above 6 thousand feet next week! And remember, dark chocolate has been found to ease emotional tension, help reduce risk of heart attack and stroke. Eat a strawberry dipped in dark chocolate, even better!
Cheers,
Sarah
Almost halfway through!
02/08/10
Hi All,
Erin here - Sarah and I are halfway through our 60 day challenge! I think we can both say that it's been awesome, we feel much better, but it certainly has not always been easy. It's not only a physical challenge but a mental one as well. We are very lucky to have awesome trainers and each other for accountability and support.
Last week we worked together doing a lot of the exercises. It was fun and helpful to have one another. We also devoted one day to strictly cardio - not easy - very challenging - but awesome. Here's a peak at what we did.
After the warm-up:
Phase 1-
Wall-Ball 3x12-10-8 @ 6-10-14# Medicine Ball
Up/Downs 3x2 minutes-90 seconds-60 seconds
Rest up to 2 minutes
Phase 2-
Squat to High Pull 3x12-10-8 @ 2x10# Dumbbells
Mountain Climber 3x30 seconds-45 seconds-60 seconds
Rest up to 2 minutes
Phase 3-
Ring Uni-Lateral Recline Pull-Up 2x6@
Rope "Whip Smash" 2x12
Bench Dips 2x12
Rest 1 minute
Cool Down
02/08/10
Hi All,
Erin here - Sarah and I are halfway through our 60 day challenge! I think we can both say that it's been awesome, we feel much better, but it certainly has not always been easy. It's not only a physical challenge but a mental one as well. We are very lucky to have awesome trainers and each other for accountability and support.
Last week we worked together doing a lot of the exercises. It was fun and helpful to have one another. We also devoted one day to strictly cardio - not easy - very challenging - but awesome. Here's a peak at what we did.
After the warm-up:
Phase 1-
Wall-Ball 3x12-10-8 @ 6-10-14# Medicine Ball
Up/Downs 3x2 minutes-90 seconds-60 seconds
Rest up to 2 minutes
Phase 2-
Squat to High Pull 3x12-10-8 @ 2x10# Dumbbells
Mountain Climber 3x30 seconds-45 seconds-60 seconds
Rest up to 2 minutes
Phase 3-
Ring Uni-Lateral Recline Pull-Up 2x6@
Rope "Whip Smash" 2x12
Bench Dips 2x12
Rest 1 minute
Cool Down
60 Day Challenge - Motivation
01/27/10
This week more than the past couple has been tough to motivate, Erin and I have both talked about postponing or canceling the training session, but we're both too wimpy to call and tell Matt and Justin that we won't be making it. This is perhaps the best reason to have a trainer, at least for me and anyone else that let's the rest of life get in the way of taking care of yourself.
My trainer, Justin, has said all along that he has friends and clients who say they're too tired to work out, and every single time they leave after a workout feeling way more energetic than when they walk in....I'll be counting on that this afternoon.
I was reading through some of the emails that you guys have sent in as well, talk about motivational! I told you all before that I'd blog about "The Lovely Ladies of Lafayette" or the Triple L - suitable as they all work at Lafayette Elementary School in Sanford. The Triple L had their weigh in late last week and were waiting to hear if they were the "biggest losers" in the bunch. Dorothy, one of the Ls, wrote to me "I won't say if I lost or gained since this is a team effort. I will say I am feeling pretty good, more energy and just all around good."
Then there's Jim, who wrote to say that he's been on his own fitness journey for about 7 months now and that this has become the kind of lifestyle change that the fitness and health experts have always talked about. Jim has lost over 50 pounds already, is in the best shape in 20 years and is training with his wife Mary for the Dempsey Challenge .
Jim has his own blog with tips that I enjoyed reading through, check it out here.
So, with that inspiration, I'm off to workout this afternoon. Catch you in the morning!
Cheers,
Sarah
01/27/10
This week more than the past couple has been tough to motivate, Erin and I have both talked about postponing or canceling the training session, but we're both too wimpy to call and tell Matt and Justin that we won't be making it. This is perhaps the best reason to have a trainer, at least for me and anyone else that let's the rest of life get in the way of taking care of yourself.
My trainer, Justin, has said all along that he has friends and clients who say they're too tired to work out, and every single time they leave after a workout feeling way more energetic than when they walk in....I'll be counting on that this afternoon.
I was reading through some of the emails that you guys have sent in as well, talk about motivational! I told you all before that I'd blog about "The Lovely Ladies of Lafayette" or the Triple L - suitable as they all work at Lafayette Elementary School in Sanford. The Triple L had their weigh in late last week and were waiting to hear if they were the "biggest losers" in the bunch. Dorothy, one of the Ls, wrote to me "I won't say if I lost or gained since this is a team effort. I will say I am feeling pretty good, more energy and just all around good."
Then there's Jim, who wrote to say that he's been on his own fitness journey for about 7 months now and that this has become the kind of lifestyle change that the fitness and health experts have always talked about. Jim has lost over 50 pounds already, is in the best shape in 20 years and is training with his wife Mary for the Dempsey Challenge .
Jim has his own blog with tips that I enjoyed reading through, check it out here.
So, with that inspiration, I'm off to workout this afternoon. Catch you in the morning!
Cheers,
Sarah
60 Day Challenge - Haagen Daz
01/22/10
We're at the end of week two of our challenge, both Erin and I are feeling better, good enough that we're encouraged to stick with it. I commented to her on Wednesday that if I didn't have my trainer waiting for me to work out that afternoon I absolutely would have been at home watching DVR of American Idol or something else on TV that afternoon. After our workout though I felt so much better...and could watch A.I. with a clear conscience.
I'm pretty good about sticking to eating healthy during the week, I have a strict schedule and planning food to bring to work and when to have dinner is easy. But come the weekend my schedule changes (because, really, who wants to wake up at 2AM on Saturday and Sunday to keep a consistent schedule) and I seem to go haywire. Our trainers, Matt and Justin, have given us some different eating guidelines. Erin blogged earlier about some of Matt's recommendations, here are some of Justin's recommendations for me - they're loosely based off of the zone diet but designed to be less strict so that they're easier to stick with long term:
Carbohydrates
Try to get most of your carbs from fruits and vegetables. Stay away from bready and cakey type foods! That is what makes us fat! Pasta, rice, bread etc. is okay but limit your intake and eat more veggies and fruits! We pull most of our vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies and that is what helps keep our bodies in homeostasis (balance). Try to eat mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. If you can't get fresh, frozen is fine. You can eat canned but try to make it the last option. Also, don't eat or drink too much dried fruit and fruit juice.
Protein
Eat high quality protein: fish, chicken, eggs, lean red meat, dairy (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese). Don't add calories when cooking by breading or frying! Using a whey protein is okay but try to get most of your protein from a whole food source. If you are a vegetarian, eat tofu and beans for your protein.
Fats
Fat doesn't make you fat! Fat is our bodies' most efficient source of energy. There are 3 main types of fat (saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated). Try to limit saturated fat intake. We want to eat both poly and mono unsaturated fats throughout the day. Good sources are salmon, most nuts, and extra virgin olive oil.
Tips
If you are eating whole foods there really isn't a bad food, there is just bad timing. So be conscious of your calorie timing. Probably shouldn't eat pasta before bed.
Read ingredients labels. I don't care if Haagen Daz has a lot of fat and calories. The ingredients list consists of 4 things and it's all natural. Other ice creams with way less fat and calories have ingredients listings that go on for ever, probably not a good sign! Sweeten your food and beverages with honey and sugar in the raw. Avoid splenda and other artificial sweeteners. Drink lots of water and green tea. If it comes from a box or can, try to limit your intake. If it has no expiration date, throw it away now! Diets don't work. It needs to be a lifestyle change. If you don't stick with it what happens when you stop? It stops working! That is why diets aren't good. I could go on for days about this stuff but I'm going to end it here. If you have any questions or want any more info, let me know.
I have a sweet tooth, so you can imagine my excitment when I read that whole foods are OK foods - even ice cream. Now of course I won't be having a bowl of ice cream every day, but it's good to know that once in a while I don't have to feel guilty about wanting something sweet and giving in to my craving.
Next week we're going to blog some more about the "Lovely Ladies of Lafayette" and their secrets to getting healthier this year...
Have a great weekend!
Sarah
01/22/10
We're at the end of week two of our challenge, both Erin and I are feeling better, good enough that we're encouraged to stick with it. I commented to her on Wednesday that if I didn't have my trainer waiting for me to work out that afternoon I absolutely would have been at home watching DVR of American Idol or something else on TV that afternoon. After our workout though I felt so much better...and could watch A.I. with a clear conscience.
I'm pretty good about sticking to eating healthy during the week, I have a strict schedule and planning food to bring to work and when to have dinner is easy. But come the weekend my schedule changes (because, really, who wants to wake up at 2AM on Saturday and Sunday to keep a consistent schedule) and I seem to go haywire. Our trainers, Matt and Justin, have given us some different eating guidelines. Erin blogged earlier about some of Matt's recommendations, here are some of Justin's recommendations for me - they're loosely based off of the zone diet but designed to be less strict so that they're easier to stick with long term:
Carbohydrates
Try to get most of your carbs from fruits and vegetables. Stay away from bready and cakey type foods! That is what makes us fat! Pasta, rice, bread etc. is okay but limit your intake and eat more veggies and fruits! We pull most of our vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies and that is what helps keep our bodies in homeostasis (balance). Try to eat mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. If you can't get fresh, frozen is fine. You can eat canned but try to make it the last option. Also, don't eat or drink too much dried fruit and fruit juice.
Protein
Eat high quality protein: fish, chicken, eggs, lean red meat, dairy (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese). Don't add calories when cooking by breading or frying! Using a whey protein is okay but try to get most of your protein from a whole food source. If you are a vegetarian, eat tofu and beans for your protein.
Fats
Fat doesn't make you fat! Fat is our bodies' most efficient source of energy. There are 3 main types of fat (saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated). Try to limit saturated fat intake. We want to eat both poly and mono unsaturated fats throughout the day. Good sources are salmon, most nuts, and extra virgin olive oil.
Tips
If you are eating whole foods there really isn't a bad food, there is just bad timing. So be conscious of your calorie timing. Probably shouldn't eat pasta before bed.
Read ingredients labels. I don't care if Haagen Daz has a lot of fat and calories. The ingredients list consists of 4 things and it's all natural. Other ice creams with way less fat and calories have ingredients listings that go on for ever, probably not a good sign! Sweeten your food and beverages with honey and sugar in the raw. Avoid splenda and other artificial sweeteners. Drink lots of water and green tea. If it comes from a box or can, try to limit your intake. If it has no expiration date, throw it away now! Diets don't work. It needs to be a lifestyle change. If you don't stick with it what happens when you stop? It stops working! That is why diets aren't good. I could go on for days about this stuff but I'm going to end it here. If you have any questions or want any more info, let me know.
I have a sweet tooth, so you can imagine my excitment when I read that whole foods are OK foods - even ice cream. Now of course I won't be having a bowl of ice cream every day, but it's good to know that once in a while I don't have to feel guilty about wanting something sweet and giving in to my craving.
Next week we're going to blog some more about the "Lovely Ladies of Lafayette" and their secrets to getting healthier this year...
Have a great weekend!
Sarah
Snow vs. Fitness
01/19/10
We're in week 2 of our fitness challenge, and it's off to a pretty snowy start. Erin and I were scheduled to head to Saco for our workout Monday afternoon, but the snow gets in the way sometimes. Stormy days are the busiest and longest days here in the weather office, so everything else usually falls to the side. I'm sure if you regularly work out there are things that get in your way once in a while.
One of the reasons I wanted to try this challenge with a trainer is because I know that if I have someone I'm scheduled to meet I'll make it (with a snowy exception of course). Whether it's meeting a trainer 3 times a week like we're doing at Bear Essentials with our trainer, once a week or once a month - having someone to keep tabs on progress can be a great motivator.
Did you catch the 60 Day Fitness Challenge story that aired Monday morning? (the comment about me working to have a better butt than Erin was NOT supposed to make it to air - a great reminder that if you have a camera on you don't say anything you don't want everyone to hear...but it would be nice...) My trainer, Justin, talked about working our core. He said the list of muscles that make up the "core" are arbitrary, different experts include different muscles. In general the muscles of the core run the length of the trunk and torso and stabilize the spine, pelvis and along the shoulders - Justin also works the hip muscles and hamstring group to help to stabilize. I asked him for suggestions on what we can do at home to help work out this core, he said that by far the best move is the squat. For a correct squat you want to try to keep your posture good, not hunched over and to get going it's best to start by holding on to the back of the couch or something else to keep you stable so you can get into a deeper squat.
So this week, once the snow stops, we hope to get some more info to you guys on the warm up that we do before each session - Erin and I both agree that the warm up is our favorite part...
Have a great day, shoveling counts as exercise - with the right form I think it could even pass as working on our core!
01/19/10
We're in week 2 of our fitness challenge, and it's off to a pretty snowy start. Erin and I were scheduled to head to Saco for our workout Monday afternoon, but the snow gets in the way sometimes. Stormy days are the busiest and longest days here in the weather office, so everything else usually falls to the side. I'm sure if you regularly work out there are things that get in your way once in a while.
One of the reasons I wanted to try this challenge with a trainer is because I know that if I have someone I'm scheduled to meet I'll make it (with a snowy exception of course). Whether it's meeting a trainer 3 times a week like we're doing at Bear Essentials with our trainer, once a week or once a month - having someone to keep tabs on progress can be a great motivator.
Did you catch the 60 Day Fitness Challenge story that aired Monday morning? (the comment about me working to have a better butt than Erin was NOT supposed to make it to air - a great reminder that if you have a camera on you don't say anything you don't want everyone to hear...but it would be nice...) My trainer, Justin, talked about working our core. He said the list of muscles that make up the "core" are arbitrary, different experts include different muscles. In general the muscles of the core run the length of the trunk and torso and stabilize the spine, pelvis and along the shoulders - Justin also works the hip muscles and hamstring group to help to stabilize. I asked him for suggestions on what we can do at home to help work out this core, he said that by far the best move is the squat. For a correct squat you want to try to keep your posture good, not hunched over and to get going it's best to start by holding on to the back of the couch or something else to keep you stable so you can get into a deeper squat.
So this week, once the snow stops, we hope to get some more info to you guys on the warm up that we do before each session - Erin and I both agree that the warm up is our favorite part...
Have a great day, shoveling counts as exercise - with the right form I think it could even pass as working on our core!
60 Day Challenge - Workout Day 2
01/13/10
Erin has been keeping the blog up to date with our 60 Day Fitness Challenge - today I think everything but her typing fingers are sore from our Monday workout session, I thought she should still give them a rest. I'm a bit sore as well, this usually happens when I start a new workout but the difference this time is that it's an even sore all over, and not as severe as other times. It helps to hit the point home that my trainer, Justin, is helping me strengthen and gain flexibility all over. I have to confess that straight cardio is my LEAST favorite thing to do, we got our hearts pumping by practicing some boxing moves instead - it was so much fun.
We've heard from a few folks who have started off their own 60 day fintess challenges with us. One of them is Dorothy who works in the Sanford School System and she has teamed up with other folks at work - switching it up each day a team member brings in a healthy snack for everyone, and beyond an exercise routine she is making sure she takes the stairs at work more.
Let us know if you're taking part in your own fitness challenge, whether with a trainer and/or a friend to keep you going. If you're looking for a way to get started, our trainers, Matt Thorne and Justin Warren at Bear Essentials Fitness, are offering a free training session to viewers. (You can call them at 776-9035 or head to BearEssentialsFitness.com) Maybe you prefer to work out at home but have questions for a trainer - let us know and we'll ask Matt & Justin for you. Email us at slong@wgme.sbgnet.com and eovalle@wgme.sbgnet.com
Erin and I are off to our second session this afternoon - you can be sure we'll be asking Matt & Justin about the news story we ran this morning saying that some extra weight on the thighs can be a good thing.
Have a good one (and yes, shivering burns calories)!
01/13/10
Erin has been keeping the blog up to date with our 60 Day Fitness Challenge - today I think everything but her typing fingers are sore from our Monday workout session, I thought she should still give them a rest. I'm a bit sore as well, this usually happens when I start a new workout but the difference this time is that it's an even sore all over, and not as severe as other times. It helps to hit the point home that my trainer, Justin, is helping me strengthen and gain flexibility all over. I have to confess that straight cardio is my LEAST favorite thing to do, we got our hearts pumping by practicing some boxing moves instead - it was so much fun.
We've heard from a few folks who have started off their own 60 day fintess challenges with us. One of them is Dorothy who works in the Sanford School System and she has teamed up with other folks at work - switching it up each day a team member brings in a healthy snack for everyone, and beyond an exercise routine she is making sure she takes the stairs at work more.
Let us know if you're taking part in your own fitness challenge, whether with a trainer and/or a friend to keep you going. If you're looking for a way to get started, our trainers, Matt Thorne and Justin Warren at Bear Essentials Fitness, are offering a free training session to viewers. (You can call them at 776-9035 or head to BearEssentialsFitness.com) Maybe you prefer to work out at home but have questions for a trainer - let us know and we'll ask Matt & Justin for you. Email us at slong@wgme.sbgnet.com and eovalle@wgme.sbgnet.com
Erin and I are off to our second session this afternoon - you can be sure we'll be asking Matt & Justin about the news story we ran this morning saying that some extra weight on the thighs can be a good thing.
Have a good one (and yes, shivering burns calories)!
Diet Alternatives
01/13/10
Here are some more ideas for your diet ... given by our trainer Matt from Bear Essentials Fitness in Saco.
I have outlined a few more snacks below that will give more of a
variety for you through the next few weeks:
Option 1:
P:2 oz of low-fat cheese* (1 oz looks like 2 9 volt batteries)
C: 1 orange
F:
Option 2:
P: 2-3 oz of deli style turkey or chicken (1 oz about the size of your palm)
C: 1 cup of grapes
F:2 tbsp Guacamole
(roll Guacamole up in the meat)
Option 3:
P: 2 hard boiled eggs
C: 1 apple
F: 6 whole almonds
Dinner:
To make dinners more readily accessible for you, we're going to start
implementing the "eye-ball" method. To simplify:
Protein: 2-3 oz of meat (beef, chicken/turkey, or fish) is about the
size of a deck of cards
Carbohydrate: Aside from grains, pastas and other starches, we want to
see a large portion of your plate dominated by vegetables. If you do
eat pasta, try to only consume about a 1/2 a cup (cooked) at a meal.
Small amounts of rice, or a slice of bread will satisfy your
carbohydrate requirement too. I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather
eat large portions of vegetables than 1/2 a cup of pasta.
Fat: If going out to eat, most restaurants add enough excess fat to
satisfy your requirements. However, if cooking for yourself, add an
additinal tsp of olive oil, or about a tbsp of slivered almonds to
your vegetables to balance out the meal.
01/13/10
Here are some more ideas for your diet ... given by our trainer Matt from Bear Essentials Fitness in Saco.
I have outlined a few more snacks below that will give more of a
variety for you through the next few weeks:
Option 1:
P:2 oz of low-fat cheese* (1 oz looks like 2 9 volt batteries)
C: 1 orange
F:
Option 2:
P: 2-3 oz of deli style turkey or chicken (1 oz about the size of your palm)
C: 1 cup of grapes
F:2 tbsp Guacamole
(roll Guacamole up in the meat)
Option 3:
P: 2 hard boiled eggs
C: 1 apple
F: 6 whole almonds
Dinner:
To make dinners more readily accessible for you, we're going to start
implementing the "eye-ball" method. To simplify:
Protein: 2-3 oz of meat (beef, chicken/turkey, or fish) is about the
size of a deck of cards
Carbohydrate: Aside from grains, pastas and other starches, we want to
see a large portion of your plate dominated by vegetables. If you do
eat pasta, try to only consume about a 1/2 a cup (cooked) at a meal.
Small amounts of rice, or a slice of bread will satisfy your
carbohydrate requirement too. I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather
eat large portions of vegetables than 1/2 a cup of pasta.
Fat: If going out to eat, most restaurants add enough excess fat to
satisfy your requirements. However, if cooking for yourself, add an
additinal tsp of olive oil, or about a tbsp of slivered almonds to
your vegetables to balance out the meal.
60 day challenge!
01/12/10
Hi Everyone!
As some of you know Sarah and I started our 60 day challenge with Bear Essentials Fitness in Saco. We had our first training session yesterday, we're pretty sore, but feeling good! We both have different goals and want to see different results. We both have a membership to a gym and never go. Sound familiar? This was a great way we thought we could be held accountable, it's more fun than running on a treadmill, and the trainers are experienced, professional, and invested. We will be posting our progress and hope you joins us in getting healthy. Here's a look at my new diet for the next two months ... (I told my trainer I will try my best :)
Protein, Carbs, Fat
Breakfast:
P: 1 whole egg, 2 egg whites
C: 1/3 banana, cup dry oatmeal (slow cookedyields about 2/3 cup cooked)
F: 1 tsp Olive Oil (add to oatmeal after cooking)
Snack:
P: 1 Zone Bar (you can find these at Hannafords in the natural section)
C:
F:
Lunch:
P: 3 ounces of cooked chicken breast (shredded)
C: cup chopped celery, cup grapes, Lettuce leaves, 3 slices
tomato, 1 mini pita pocket
F: 1 tbsp light mayo
Snack:
P: cup low-fat cottage cheese
C: 1 apple
F: 6 whole almonds
Dinner:
P: 4 ounces lean ground meat (beef) + Sprinkling of shredded nonfat cheese
C: Minced onions, chopped mushrooms, and chopped green bell pepper to
taste, chili powder, oregano, and pepper to taste, cup canned kidney
beans (drained and rinsed), 1 cup tomatoes, crushed,
F: 1 tsp olive oil
Brown meat in the olive oil with onions, mushrooms, green pepper, and
spices, stirring often. Add kidney beans and tomatoes. Let simmer
until mixture is heated through. Top with shredded cheese.
01/12/10
Hi Everyone!
As some of you know Sarah and I started our 60 day challenge with Bear Essentials Fitness in Saco. We had our first training session yesterday, we're pretty sore, but feeling good! We both have different goals and want to see different results. We both have a membership to a gym and never go. Sound familiar? This was a great way we thought we could be held accountable, it's more fun than running on a treadmill, and the trainers are experienced, professional, and invested. We will be posting our progress and hope you joins us in getting healthy. Here's a look at my new diet for the next two months ... (I told my trainer I will try my best :)
Protein, Carbs, Fat
Breakfast:
P: 1 whole egg, 2 egg whites
C: 1/3 banana, cup dry oatmeal (slow cookedyields about 2/3 cup cooked)
F: 1 tsp Olive Oil (add to oatmeal after cooking)
Snack:
P: 1 Zone Bar (you can find these at Hannafords in the natural section)
C:
F:
Lunch:
P: 3 ounces of cooked chicken breast (shredded)
C: cup chopped celery, cup grapes, Lettuce leaves, 3 slices
tomato, 1 mini pita pocket
F: 1 tbsp light mayo
Snack:
P: cup low-fat cottage cheese
C: 1 apple
F: 6 whole almonds
Dinner:
P: 4 ounces lean ground meat (beef) + Sprinkling of shredded nonfat cheese
C: Minced onions, chopped mushrooms, and chopped green bell pepper to
taste, chili powder, oregano, and pepper to taste, cup canned kidney
beans (drained and rinsed), 1 cup tomatoes, crushed,
F: 1 tsp olive oil
Brown meat in the olive oil with onions, mushrooms, green pepper, and
spices, stirring often. Add kidney beans and tomatoes. Let simmer
until mixture is heated through. Top with shredded cheese.
60 day challenge!
unset
Hi everyone!
Sarah and I are excited to tell you that our new years resolution is to get healthy! We are teaming up with trainers at Bear Essentials Fitness is Saco. They are helping us, not just lose a few extra pounds, but build strength, eat healthier and feel overall better. This shift can be challenging especially when it comes to our diet. We wake up so early, we're usually always pretty tired, and crave the craziest foods at the craziest hours. It's not unusual to crave a meatball sub at 7 a.m. when I get off the air! Needless to say those cravings have caused both of us to get out of a routine.
There's not one mirror in the studio which we really like. It's not so much about how we look but how we feel everyday. Please join us in this challenge. Eat better and get exercise! Our trainers are also there for you! Go to a class or get a free training session and let us know if you're meeting your goals! Stay tuned and wish us luck!
unset
Hi everyone!
Sarah and I are excited to tell you that our new years resolution is to get healthy! We are teaming up with trainers at Bear Essentials Fitness is Saco. They are helping us, not just lose a few extra pounds, but build strength, eat healthier and feel overall better. This shift can be challenging especially when it comes to our diet. We wake up so early, we're usually always pretty tired, and crave the craziest foods at the craziest hours. It's not unusual to crave a meatball sub at 7 a.m. when I get off the air! Needless to say those cravings have caused both of us to get out of a routine.
There's not one mirror in the studio which we really like. It's not so much about how we look but how we feel everyday. Please join us in this challenge. Eat better and get exercise! Our trainers are also there for you! Go to a class or get a free training session and let us know if you're meeting your goals! Stay tuned and wish us luck!
Happy Holidays!
12/31/09
Hi Everyone! What a busy season this has been. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are gearing up for a wonderful, health, and happy New Year. I've been on vacation the last few weeks so I'm sorry I've been a bad blogger. Sarah has been on vacation this week and should be back on Monday morning, so we will have the whole crew back together again :)
The week before Christmas I went to see my future in-laws in Northern Michigan. My fiance, Eric, has three siblings so it's always fun and interesting to visit. I love his big family as I grew up an only child for many years. We got back Christmas Eve and I spent much of the time with my mom who came up from Florida. She is such a special person in my life and I'm so thankful to have her. We had a wonderful trip - I hope she moves back to New England soon - but after hearing about this Nor'easter brewing I'm not sure she will :)
On daybreak we were talking about what your favorite toy was when you were a kid. I thought it was funny to hear the different responses and also remember my favorites. I can remember wanting an easy bake oven, and a super soaker water gun. I also REALLY wanted an American Girl Doll when they first came out. I think there were only four dolls at that time, now there are about fifty!
That was my Christmas fun, lots of time with family, something you can never get to much of! I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year and you all set good practical resolutions for yourself. I'm writing mine down tonight! See you in 2010!
12/31/09
Hi Everyone! What a busy season this has been. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are gearing up for a wonderful, health, and happy New Year. I've been on vacation the last few weeks so I'm sorry I've been a bad blogger. Sarah has been on vacation this week and should be back on Monday morning, so we will have the whole crew back together again :)
The week before Christmas I went to see my future in-laws in Northern Michigan. My fiance, Eric, has three siblings so it's always fun and interesting to visit. I love his big family as I grew up an only child for many years. We got back Christmas Eve and I spent much of the time with my mom who came up from Florida. She is such a special person in my life and I'm so thankful to have her. We had a wonderful trip - I hope she moves back to New England soon - but after hearing about this Nor'easter brewing I'm not sure she will :)
On daybreak we were talking about what your favorite toy was when you were a kid. I thought it was funny to hear the different responses and also remember my favorites. I can remember wanting an easy bake oven, and a super soaker water gun. I also REALLY wanted an American Girl Doll when they first came out. I think there were only four dolls at that time, now there are about fifty!
That was my Christmas fun, lots of time with family, something you can never get to much of! I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year and you all set good practical resolutions for yourself. I'm writing mine down tonight! See you in 2010!
Drying Off!
12/10/09
Happy Thursday Everyone,
How much snow did you get? I was in Kennebunk pretty much all morning into the afternoon yesterday reporting live. I actually had a great time until it started raining! I love the powdery fluffy snow - this was hard hitting, wet, heavy, and slushy! Makes for some bad driving conditions. Thankfully it didn't hit on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving when everyone was traveling.
I always love storm team at the station. Everyone is here early with us, getting food, and running around. I was with Brian (one of our photographers) in the live truck for almost nine hours yesterday. I call our live trucks mini newsrooms on wheels. Lucky for us we were parked near the interstate at the rest stop so we had access to bathrooms and most importantly coffee! Sometimes, depending on the story and where it's taking place - we are out in the live truck for ten hours with no food or bathrooms. Can be tricky :)
Are you all getting excited for Christmas? I have the week before Christmas off to catch up with family and friends! I'm back to anchor the morning show on Christmas morning - which isn't to bad because I get to at least spend the afternoon with my loved ones. It's the first time in years that I'll be home in New England for the holidays. I'm hoping for a White Christmas!
I worked this past Sunday, so I have tomorrow off! I get to sleep in, woohooo! See you next week.
12/10/09
Happy Thursday Everyone,
How much snow did you get? I was in Kennebunk pretty much all morning into the afternoon yesterday reporting live. I actually had a great time until it started raining! I love the powdery fluffy snow - this was hard hitting, wet, heavy, and slushy! Makes for some bad driving conditions. Thankfully it didn't hit on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving when everyone was traveling.
I always love storm team at the station. Everyone is here early with us, getting food, and running around. I was with Brian (one of our photographers) in the live truck for almost nine hours yesterday. I call our live trucks mini newsrooms on wheels. Lucky for us we were parked near the interstate at the rest stop so we had access to bathrooms and most importantly coffee! Sometimes, depending on the story and where it's taking place - we are out in the live truck for ten hours with no food or bathrooms. Can be tricky :)
Are you all getting excited for Christmas? I have the week before Christmas off to catch up with family and friends! I'm back to anchor the morning show on Christmas morning - which isn't to bad because I get to at least spend the afternoon with my loved ones. It's the first time in years that I'll be home in New England for the holidays. I'm hoping for a White Christmas!
I worked this past Sunday, so I have tomorrow off! I get to sleep in, woohooo! See you next week.
The Red Claws Home Opener
12/07/09
Happy Monday Everyone!
How did you like the snow Saturday? Some people can't wait to hit the slopes while others I talk with wish they could move south! I like snow for the most part, it changes up our pace in the newsroom and makes everything feel so much more Christmasy. Now, I will say I wish it would end A LOT earlier, maybe by the end of February.
On Friday, Jeff and I were live at the expo (which looks amazing) for the Red Claws Home Opener. I didn't really know what to expect, but will say I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun I had. Jeff and I played a little one on one and he (accidentally) hit me in the face with the ball LIVE on the air. I think he was intimidated by my basketball skills :). We had a great time meeting the coaches, owners, and dance team. I was able to buy tickets for the game that night and had an even better time! They played excellent and the crowd was awesome. What an asset to our community. Danny Ainge was there cheering on his son, head coach Austin. There's not a bad seat in the house - I would highly recommend a night out to cheer on our newest team!
12/07/09
Happy Monday Everyone!
How did you like the snow Saturday? Some people can't wait to hit the slopes while others I talk with wish they could move south! I like snow for the most part, it changes up our pace in the newsroom and makes everything feel so much more Christmasy. Now, I will say I wish it would end A LOT earlier, maybe by the end of February.
On Friday, Jeff and I were live at the expo (which looks amazing) for the Red Claws Home Opener. I didn't really know what to expect, but will say I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun I had. Jeff and I played a little one on one and he (accidentally) hit me in the face with the ball LIVE on the air. I think he was intimidated by my basketball skills :). We had a great time meeting the coaches, owners, and dance team. I was able to buy tickets for the game that night and had an even better time! They played excellent and the crowd was awesome. What an asset to our community. Danny Ainge was there cheering on his son, head coach Austin. There's not a bad seat in the house - I would highly recommend a night out to cheer on our newest team!
First Day of December!
12/01/09
Happy December Everyone!
Hope you all had a great holiday and are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas season. After work on Thanksgiving we were able to have dinner with family in Mass. It's rare but always so nice to get together with loved ones all at once. We didn't stay to long as I had to work Friday morning. I was live at the Maine mall for Black Friday - and no, I didn't buy anything! Can you believe it! What a beautiful day on Sunday we had. We got our Christmas tree and rented Elf to truly get in the spirit. It seems that everyone at work is always in such a joyful mood this month. People bringing in baked goods, wearing festive clothes, attending Christmas plays, etc. Our news director Robb Atkinson is a big family guy and has always been so understanding when it comes to taking time off this month. We will still have a newscast but you may be seeing a little less of us over the next few weeks. Let the holiday parties begin! My first one is this Saturday and I'm very excited. I hope everyone is enjoying this time of year as much as I am! Now - let it snow - let it snow - let it snow!
12/01/09
Happy December Everyone!
Hope you all had a great holiday and are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas season. After work on Thanksgiving we were able to have dinner with family in Mass. It's rare but always so nice to get together with loved ones all at once. We didn't stay to long as I had to work Friday morning. I was live at the Maine mall for Black Friday - and no, I didn't buy anything! Can you believe it! What a beautiful day on Sunday we had. We got our Christmas tree and rented Elf to truly get in the spirit. It seems that everyone at work is always in such a joyful mood this month. People bringing in baked goods, wearing festive clothes, attending Christmas plays, etc. Our news director Robb Atkinson is a big family guy and has always been so understanding when it comes to taking time off this month. We will still have a newscast but you may be seeing a little less of us over the next few weeks. Let the holiday parties begin! My first one is this Saturday and I'm very excited. I hope everyone is enjoying this time of year as much as I am! Now - let it snow - let it snow - let it snow!
What I am thankful for
11/26/09
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone - Tomorrow will mark my one year anniversary in Maine! My goodness how time flies. I was thinking this morning on how my life has drastically changed in just twelve months. My position here at WGME has changed three times, I've moved twice, lost one of my parents to cancer, got engaged, made new friends, started volunteering, got a new car (used but new to me!), and so many things in between. It's been a year of transition and soul searching. It's been extremely tough at times but happy and exciting as well. I'm learning that life can be so unpredictable and even when you think you have it figured out - you're thrown another curve ball. Sometimes good and other times challenging. I look forward to the holiday season and upcoming new year to see what's in store for me.
I will forever be grateful to the family in Michigan who took me in for Thanksgiving dinner five years ago. I don't remember their names but I do remember how nice they were. It was my first Thanksgiving working as a reporter, and my first holiday away from my family. I was sent to cover a fire Thanksgiving morning and the neighbors invited me into their warm home and out of the freezing cold blizzard to eat with them. A nice memory of some nice genuine people.
Hope everyone is enjoying their family and friends today. Happy Thanksgiving.
11/26/09
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone - Tomorrow will mark my one year anniversary in Maine! My goodness how time flies. I was thinking this morning on how my life has drastically changed in just twelve months. My position here at WGME has changed three times, I've moved twice, lost one of my parents to cancer, got engaged, made new friends, started volunteering, got a new car (used but new to me!), and so many things in between. It's been a year of transition and soul searching. It's been extremely tough at times but happy and exciting as well. I'm learning that life can be so unpredictable and even when you think you have it figured out - you're thrown another curve ball. Sometimes good and other times challenging. I look forward to the holiday season and upcoming new year to see what's in store for me.
I will forever be grateful to the family in Michigan who took me in for Thanksgiving dinner five years ago. I don't remember their names but I do remember how nice they were. It was my first Thanksgiving working as a reporter, and my first holiday away from my family. I was sent to cover a fire Thanksgiving morning and the neighbors invited me into their warm home and out of the freezing cold blizzard to eat with them. A nice memory of some nice genuine people.
Hope everyone is enjoying their family and friends today. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Week
11/23/09
Happy Thanksgiving Week!
The next month is my favorite time of year! I've been trying to get a Christmas tree for the past few days but everybody is making me wait until the day after Thanksgiving. I've been a bad blogger lately because I've been working on several special projects for daybreak. So, I'm sorry for not filling you in on what's going on. If you head to my facebook page you can usually find out what shenanigans Sarah, Jeff and I have been up to. In most of our pictures we find a way to incorporate food/chocolate. Sarah and I especially have a bit of a weakness that has taken over! We've made a deal to cut back on all the sweets so we can still fit into our holiday best. I've started a new segment called Portland's Greatest Chefs. There are some yummy recipes you can check out. They are all sooooo good, affordable, and pretty easy to make. I must say over the past year I've changed my ways. I use to love going out to dinner several nights a week - and while I do still love trying new restaurants, cooking at home has become a new hobby. I must say I'm still intimidated by some recipes but at least I try them now! I was asked to bake a holiday dish for an upcoming party and I think my friends will be pleasantly surprised. I feel like all I do is talk about food in my blogs! Can you tell that I usually write them at 7 a.m. after I've already been up for four hours!
On another note - last week on our facebook page there was a huge debate on whether to call Portland's tree a "Holiday Tree" or a "Christmas Tree". With an overwhelming response we will now call it a Christmas Tree. I usually don't give my opinion on air but on this issue I had to. I've been calling it a Christmas Tree since I could first talk and will forever call it that!
Get your appetites ready for Thursday! What are you thankful for this year? I'll be posting my thoughts in the next blog.
11/23/09
Happy Thanksgiving Week!
The next month is my favorite time of year! I've been trying to get a Christmas tree for the past few days but everybody is making me wait until the day after Thanksgiving. I've been a bad blogger lately because I've been working on several special projects for daybreak. So, I'm sorry for not filling you in on what's going on. If you head to my facebook page you can usually find out what shenanigans Sarah, Jeff and I have been up to. In most of our pictures we find a way to incorporate food/chocolate. Sarah and I especially have a bit of a weakness that has taken over! We've made a deal to cut back on all the sweets so we can still fit into our holiday best. I've started a new segment called Portland's Greatest Chefs. There are some yummy recipes you can check out. They are all sooooo good, affordable, and pretty easy to make. I must say over the past year I've changed my ways. I use to love going out to dinner several nights a week - and while I do still love trying new restaurants, cooking at home has become a new hobby. I must say I'm still intimidated by some recipes but at least I try them now! I was asked to bake a holiday dish for an upcoming party and I think my friends will be pleasantly surprised. I feel like all I do is talk about food in my blogs! Can you tell that I usually write them at 7 a.m. after I've already been up for four hours!
On another note - last week on our facebook page there was a huge debate on whether to call Portland's tree a "Holiday Tree" or a "Christmas Tree". With an overwhelming response we will now call it a Christmas Tree. I usually don't give my opinion on air but on this issue I had to. I've been calling it a Christmas Tree since I could first talk and will forever call it that!
Get your appetites ready for Thursday! What are you thankful for this year? I'll be posting my thoughts in the next blog.
66 Degrees and Ida
11/10/09
Happy Tuesday and 66 degrees! I know you skiers are probably disappointed ( and I do love to ski) but let us enjoy these warmer temps! Especially after the rainy, damp, summer we had. Many people have been taking the time to rake piles and piles of leaves. We really can't complain considering our sister station in Pensacola Florida are just now dealing with a Tropical Storm. Thankfully Ida lost power when she hit land so people don't have to worry to much about their businesses and homes.
Living in Pensacola for several years and reporting on several tropical storm/hurricanes, it's scary for a northerner who's never been a part of it. I thought nor'easters were bad! It does make for exciting news though. This morning we had a live phone interview with my former colleague Dan Thomas with WEAR, he said the weather wasn't as bad as people had anticipated - and the good news - it was a reason to have a Hurricane party. Our warmer than normal temps won't last long here in Maine, so get out and enjoy! I'm thinking a picnic at Portland Head Light.
And a Happy Birthday to my fiance Eric! My half birthday is on Thursday!
11/10/09
Happy Tuesday and 66 degrees! I know you skiers are probably disappointed ( and I do love to ski) but let us enjoy these warmer temps! Especially after the rainy, damp, summer we had. Many people have been taking the time to rake piles and piles of leaves. We really can't complain considering our sister station in Pensacola Florida are just now dealing with a Tropical Storm. Thankfully Ida lost power when she hit land so people don't have to worry to much about their businesses and homes.
Living in Pensacola for several years and reporting on several tropical storm/hurricanes, it's scary for a northerner who's never been a part of it. I thought nor'easters were bad! It does make for exciting news though. This morning we had a live phone interview with my former colleague Dan Thomas with WEAR, he said the weather wasn't as bad as people had anticipated - and the good news - it was a reason to have a Hurricane party. Our warmer than normal temps won't last long here in Maine, so get out and enjoy! I'm thinking a picnic at Portland Head Light.
And a Happy Birthday to my fiance Eric! My half birthday is on Thursday!
Chocolate and Giggles
11/06/09
Chocolate and giggles is our typical topic on daybreak during commercials on daybreak. The Halloween season has been the best and worst for Sarah and I. We have been enjoying all of the left over chocolate going around the newsroom. Our wonderful Chief Engineer Craig Clark usually brings us a little treat now and then and we fight over who gets more! When you wake up at 3 a.m. everyday during the week, by the time Friday's come you're so tired you need a candy fix! Although it's tough to wake up that early, we do have a blast in the mornings, except for Mondays. We were just thinking of ways to make Monday mornings a little more vibrant and alive so we'll be much more awake! We have a few tricks up our sleeves - so tune in and let us know if you can tell!! Sarah says 60's this weekend, get out enjoy because you know it may be our last one until March!!!
11/06/09
Chocolate and giggles is our typical topic on daybreak during commercials on daybreak. The Halloween season has been the best and worst for Sarah and I. We have been enjoying all of the left over chocolate going around the newsroom. Our wonderful Chief Engineer Craig Clark usually brings us a little treat now and then and we fight over who gets more! When you wake up at 3 a.m. everyday during the week, by the time Friday's come you're so tired you need a candy fix! Although it's tough to wake up that early, we do have a blast in the mornings, except for Mondays. We were just thinking of ways to make Monday mornings a little more vibrant and alive so we'll be much more awake! We have a few tricks up our sleeves - so tune in and let us know if you can tell!! Sarah says 60's this weekend, get out enjoy because you know it may be our last one until March!!!
Election Results
11/04/09
Good Morning Everyone - It's been a crazy 24 hours for us here in the newsroom. Election day coverage is always exciting but exhausting. We had a handful of reporters out covering the different questions,and producers taking calls and updating our website and facebook pages. Some of our crew came in yesterday at 9 a.m. and didn't leave until 2 am! Voter turnout was extremely high for an off election year which is always a wonderful thing to see.
The "No On One" Campaign conceded around 11:00 a.m. Wednesday morning and said their fight is far from over. Question one received national attention after the Governor signed the bill into law this past May. Maine would have been the sixth state in the country to allow same sex marriage. It's always interesting to work in the media during these election times. I have a feeling we will be covering this issue for a long time.
11/04/09
Good Morning Everyone - It's been a crazy 24 hours for us here in the newsroom. Election day coverage is always exciting but exhausting. We had a handful of reporters out covering the different questions,and producers taking calls and updating our website and facebook pages. Some of our crew came in yesterday at 9 a.m. and didn't leave until 2 am! Voter turnout was extremely high for an off election year which is always a wonderful thing to see.
The "No On One" Campaign conceded around 11:00 a.m. Wednesday morning and said their fight is far from over. Question one received national attention after the Governor signed the bill into law this past May. Maine would have been the sixth state in the country to allow same sex marriage. It's always interesting to work in the media during these election times. I have a feeling we will be covering this issue for a long time.
Election Time and Much More!
11/02/09
Good Morning Everyone and Happy November -
Last week was so hectic around here and it looks like this week will be the same. Election time is always an exciting and very busy time in the newsroom. There are some very controversial questions on the ballot and we look forward to the outcome. Aside from election coverage all of the reporters have been working on special projects that will be airing all month. All this week is Chef week on daybreak. I interviewed five top chefs from the Portland area who have all received national attention for the expertise. We wanted to showcase their talents as well as bring you a delicious and affordable meal to try at home. Stay tuned both on daybreak and on our website for the recipe.
Don't forget to get out and vote tomorrow!
11/02/09
Good Morning Everyone and Happy November -
Last week was so hectic around here and it looks like this week will be the same. Election time is always an exciting and very busy time in the newsroom. There are some very controversial questions on the ballot and we look forward to the outcome. Aside from election coverage all of the reporters have been working on special projects that will be airing all month. All this week is Chef week on daybreak. I interviewed five top chefs from the Portland area who have all received national attention for the expertise. We wanted to showcase their talents as well as bring you a delicious and affordable meal to try at home. Stay tuned both on daybreak and on our website for the recipe.
Don't forget to get out and vote tomorrow!
Typical Monday Madness
10/26/09
Happy Monday Everyone!
My Mondays are either painfully slow or crazy busy. Today was a busy one. I think I was still enjoying yesterday's amazing weather! I wish everyday could be like that. I'm savoring every second of it because that fluffy white stuff can hit at any moment!
The next week or so is going to be a busy one! We are preparing for the November 3rd elections as well as some really interesting and fun special reports from all of the reporters and anchors. This week I'm finishing up my "Chef Week" series. I interviewed five top chefs in Portland who have been nationally recognized for their tasty talent. We will be featuring a new "rich" in flavor recipe each day - all that is affordable and family friendly. This was by far one of my favorite special segments to be a part of ... but that's probably because I LOVE food. They say people lose weight in the summer and gain in the winter ... I think I'm just the opposite - anyone else with me?
Harold is our asst. chief engineer comes in around 8:30 every morning and often times brings in donuts for the early morning crews. I love it - but hate it - it's going to be nearly impossible to go wedding dress shopping!! Everyone who works the morning shift will tell you that by the time 9:00 am rolls around you've been up for six hours and are craving a steak dinner! We eat lunch/dinner for breakfast often. Our producer Candy and I count down the minutes until we can both enjoy a three cheese ziti lean cuisine!
10/26/09
Happy Monday Everyone!
My Mondays are either painfully slow or crazy busy. Today was a busy one. I think I was still enjoying yesterday's amazing weather! I wish everyday could be like that. I'm savoring every second of it because that fluffy white stuff can hit at any moment!
The next week or so is going to be a busy one! We are preparing for the November 3rd elections as well as some really interesting and fun special reports from all of the reporters and anchors. This week I'm finishing up my "Chef Week" series. I interviewed five top chefs in Portland who have been nationally recognized for their tasty talent. We will be featuring a new "rich" in flavor recipe each day - all that is affordable and family friendly. This was by far one of my favorite special segments to be a part of ... but that's probably because I LOVE food. They say people lose weight in the summer and gain in the winter ... I think I'm just the opposite - anyone else with me?
Harold is our asst. chief engineer comes in around 8:30 every morning and often times brings in donuts for the early morning crews. I love it - but hate it - it's going to be nearly impossible to go wedding dress shopping!! Everyone who works the morning shift will tell you that by the time 9:00 am rolls around you've been up for six hours and are craving a steak dinner! We eat lunch/dinner for breakfast often. Our producer Candy and I count down the minutes until we can both enjoy a three cheese ziti lean cuisine!
Cares For Kids Telethon
unset
What a morning! I had the chance to take part in this mornings Care for Kids Telethon at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. What an amazing experience. I have never done a telethon before so I was quite nervous. Last week I was given a tour of the hospital and told some of the life saving stories. I met a child who lost his hair because he was going through chemotherapy. I saw a baby in the NICU who weighed two pounds. I held a blood pressure cuff for a premature baby that fit around my index finger. I was given a "treatment" doll to talk about on the air. The doll had removable hair - a way to easily explain to children with cancer what will happen to them through their treatment process. Five children today will have chemo treatments at the hospital. Twelve children will have some type of surgery. This experience changed my life.
It's difficult enough to get the news that an adult is sick or has cancer - but to see a child, who just began their life, go through chemo and miss out on play dates and pre-school is heartbreaking. But on the positive side of things - because of these telethons,your generous donations, and the dedication of these wonderful nurses and doctors, we are saving little lives everyday.
unset
What a morning! I had the chance to take part in this mornings Care for Kids Telethon at the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. What an amazing experience. I have never done a telethon before so I was quite nervous. Last week I was given a tour of the hospital and told some of the life saving stories. I met a child who lost his hair because he was going through chemotherapy. I saw a baby in the NICU who weighed two pounds. I held a blood pressure cuff for a premature baby that fit around my index finger. I was given a "treatment" doll to talk about on the air. The doll had removable hair - a way to easily explain to children with cancer what will happen to them through their treatment process. Five children today will have chemo treatments at the hospital. Twelve children will have some type of surgery. This experience changed my life.
It's difficult enough to get the news that an adult is sick or has cancer - but to see a child, who just began their life, go through chemo and miss out on play dates and pre-school is heartbreaking. But on the positive side of things - because of these telethons,your generous donations, and the dedication of these wonderful nurses and doctors, we are saving little lives everyday.
Weather Kid Wednesday!
10/21/09
Good Wednesday to everyone!
Today on daybreak we kicked off our weather kid Wednesday series. We had nine year old Tucker from Central Elementary School from South Berwick. It was such a fun experience for us to have him on the show. I think this is a great way for Sarah to teach kids hands on how the weather works! If you have a student in mind that you would like to nominate for the segment you can find more info on the weather kid Wednesday part of our website. Thank you Tucker for joining us we had a great time! Also check out our facebook page to comment on how Tucker did! He and Sarah say it's suppose to be in the high fifties today - enjoy the warmer temps because chilly rainy weather is on its way.
Don't forget our Children's Miracle Network Telethon is tomorrow. I will be at The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital all tomorrow morning - this is a great opportunity to give back if you can!
10/21/09
Good Wednesday to everyone!
Today on daybreak we kicked off our weather kid Wednesday series. We had nine year old Tucker from Central Elementary School from South Berwick. It was such a fun experience for us to have him on the show. I think this is a great way for Sarah to teach kids hands on how the weather works! If you have a student in mind that you would like to nominate for the segment you can find more info on the weather kid Wednesday part of our website. Thank you Tucker for joining us we had a great time! Also check out our facebook page to comment on how Tucker did! He and Sarah say it's suppose to be in the high fifties today - enjoy the warmer temps because chilly rainy weather is on its way.
Don't forget our Children's Miracle Network Telethon is tomorrow. I will be at The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital all tomorrow morning - this is a great opportunity to give back if you can!
Tuesday feeling like Friday!
10/20/09
Hey everyone - you know those days that seem to never end? And then those days, like Fridays where things are going great and you sometimes find yourself laughing or smiling at everything around you? Well, today was one of those days for Sarah, Jeff and I. Tuesdays are usually a tough one - still coming off the weekend, getting back into the early morning wake-up routine. Often times when I'm out and about people will ask me what Jeff and Sarah are really like in "real life". It's nice to say - "how they are on television is exactly how they are in person". Although we come in at 4:00 am sometimes half asleep, today like Thursdays and Fridays we were awake and having blast. I feel so blessed to work with such happy and friendly people every morning. Not to mention everyone in production who greet us with warm smiles. Today Jeff was singing Bon Jovi songs during the commercial breaks (we had a story on daybreak about his charity) and you can always count on Sarah for some witty jokes. Start to follow our facebook page in the mornings - I'm trying to let our viewers in on what's going on behind the scenes. Have any news questions you've always wanted to ask? Send them our way!
Until next time ...
10/20/09
Hey everyone - you know those days that seem to never end? And then those days, like Fridays where things are going great and you sometimes find yourself laughing or smiling at everything around you? Well, today was one of those days for Sarah, Jeff and I. Tuesdays are usually a tough one - still coming off the weekend, getting back into the early morning wake-up routine. Often times when I'm out and about people will ask me what Jeff and Sarah are really like in "real life". It's nice to say - "how they are on television is exactly how they are in person". Although we come in at 4:00 am sometimes half asleep, today like Thursdays and Fridays we were awake and having blast. I feel so blessed to work with such happy and friendly people every morning. Not to mention everyone in production who greet us with warm smiles. Today Jeff was singing Bon Jovi songs during the commercial breaks (we had a story on daybreak about his charity) and you can always count on Sarah for some witty jokes. Start to follow our facebook page in the mornings - I'm trying to let our viewers in on what's going on behind the scenes. Have any news questions you've always wanted to ask? Send them our way!
Until next time ...
Weekly Update
10/19/09
Good Monday Morning!
How was everyone's weekend?! How about those snow flakes last night?! I think I would much rather see pretty snow flakes out my window than rain all day. It was a good Sunday - homemade chili ( not bad for a horrible cook!) Patriots blowout and some snow! I'm slowly getting into winter mode - bringing out warmer clothes and dusting off my skis! Sarah Long says we have a bit of a warm up this week so don't get to excited :)
So this week we have the Children's Miracle Network Telethon at the Barbara Bush Children's hospital. This is my first time doing it, and I'm really excited to be part of such an amazing cause. I was able to tour the hospital and while it's sad to see kids suffering, it's so comforting to know the technology, medicine and care these families are receiving. Stay tuned Thursday morning and help out if you can!
On a personal note - my fiance and I (still feels surreal to say "fiance"or write it) checked out our first reception venue! When does the food tasting start?! haha!
Enjoy your Monday!
10/19/09
Good Monday Morning!
How was everyone's weekend?! How about those snow flakes last night?! I think I would much rather see pretty snow flakes out my window than rain all day. It was a good Sunday - homemade chili ( not bad for a horrible cook!) Patriots blowout and some snow! I'm slowly getting into winter mode - bringing out warmer clothes and dusting off my skis! Sarah Long says we have a bit of a warm up this week so don't get to excited :)
So this week we have the Children's Miracle Network Telethon at the Barbara Bush Children's hospital. This is my first time doing it, and I'm really excited to be part of such an amazing cause. I was able to tour the hospital and while it's sad to see kids suffering, it's so comforting to know the technology, medicine and care these families are receiving. Stay tuned Thursday morning and help out if you can!
On a personal note - my fiance and I (still feels surreal to say "fiance"or write it) checked out our first reception venue! When does the food tasting start?! haha!
Enjoy your Monday!
Birth Control and Barbie!
10/15/09
Everyday on daybreak we always have lively discussions both on air and during commercial breaks. Sometimes we agree and sometimes we don't. But today was one of those days where everyone was on the same page when it came to the headline "Barbie has cankles"! This is coming from a well known shoe designer named Christian Louboutin. According to an article online he says he's "giving Barbie a makeover" in honor of her 50th anniversary. As if Barbie isn't skinny enough - and giving girls an unrealistic sense of body image?
Another talker this morning was the proposal to give contraceptives to students at Noble High School. This could include birth control and the morning after pill without parental consent. The school board could vote on it as early as today. There are a lot of differing opinions on this topic as well. Check out our latest conversation on our facebook page - WGME CBS 13. While you're there you can "befriend" me!
Bundle up - and enjoy your day!
10/15/09
Everyday on daybreak we always have lively discussions both on air and during commercial breaks. Sometimes we agree and sometimes we don't. But today was one of those days where everyone was on the same page when it came to the headline "Barbie has cankles"! This is coming from a well known shoe designer named Christian Louboutin. According to an article online he says he's "giving Barbie a makeover" in honor of her 50th anniversary. As if Barbie isn't skinny enough - and giving girls an unrealistic sense of body image?
Another talker this morning was the proposal to give contraceptives to students at Noble High School. This could include birth control and the morning after pill without parental consent. The school board could vote on it as early as today. There are a lot of differing opinions on this topic as well. Check out our latest conversation on our facebook page - WGME CBS 13. While you're there you can "befriend" me!
Bundle up - and enjoy your day!
Engaged!
10/12/09
Happy Monday Everyone,
If you got to watch daybreak this morning you would see that I was engaged on Friday and the entire news staff was in on it! My news director sent me on a "fake" news story in downtown Portland and when I got there, my boyfriend Eric (now fiance) was waiting there with the ring! Our photographer Brian Bechard was also in on it and got the whole thing on tape. I was VERY surprised and obviously said yes!
Eric and I have been dating for three years. We met in Michigan where I landed my first job as a reporter. He's been patient as I've pursued my dream to get back to New England - and now that I'm here - he decided it was time to pop the question. We are very excited to start the planning process. I have no idea where to begin so if you have ANY suggestions, especially on a venue, send them my way! You can find the proposal on the daybreak part of our website.
10/12/09
Happy Monday Everyone,
If you got to watch daybreak this morning you would see that I was engaged on Friday and the entire news staff was in on it! My news director sent me on a "fake" news story in downtown Portland and when I got there, my boyfriend Eric (now fiance) was waiting there with the ring! Our photographer Brian Bechard was also in on it and got the whole thing on tape. I was VERY surprised and obviously said yes!
Eric and I have been dating for three years. We met in Michigan where I landed my first job as a reporter. He's been patient as I've pursued my dream to get back to New England - and now that I'm here - he decided it was time to pop the question. We are very excited to start the planning process. I have no idea where to begin so if you have ANY suggestions, especially on a venue, send them my way! You can find the proposal on the daybreak part of our website.
The War Takes Another Mainer
10/06/09
Hi Everyone,
As many of you have heard we reported that one of eight soldiers killed in the deadliest attacks on Afghanistan in more than a year was from Maine. Army Sergeant Joshua Kirk of South Portland was killed in the attack on outposts in the Nuristan Province. It's always so heartbreaking to report such news. The past few mornings on daybreak we've been chatting about what President Obama will decide to do. Will he send more troops to Afghanistan? How will it help? Is there an end in sight? We will certainly be talking more about this as we learn more about Sgt. Kirk. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family.
On a happier note ... Sarah says rain is likely on Wednesday, but that means a clear, cool and sunny weekend. I hope many of you can enjoy this long weekend outdoors and appreciating the foliage. One of my favorite times of year! I did go apple and pumpkin picking and baked my first apple crisp last night. I burnt my arm and it came out a little dry but all in all not bad. Send some pointers and/or recipes my way and I will try them out for Jeff and Sarah on daybreak!
10/06/09
Hi Everyone,
As many of you have heard we reported that one of eight soldiers killed in the deadliest attacks on Afghanistan in more than a year was from Maine. Army Sergeant Joshua Kirk of South Portland was killed in the attack on outposts in the Nuristan Province. It's always so heartbreaking to report such news. The past few mornings on daybreak we've been chatting about what President Obama will decide to do. Will he send more troops to Afghanistan? How will it help? Is there an end in sight? We will certainly be talking more about this as we learn more about Sgt. Kirk. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family.
On a happier note ... Sarah says rain is likely on Wednesday, but that means a clear, cool and sunny weekend. I hope many of you can enjoy this long weekend outdoors and appreciating the foliage. One of my favorite times of year! I did go apple and pumpkin picking and baked my first apple crisp last night. I burnt my arm and it came out a little dry but all in all not bad. Send some pointers and/or recipes my way and I will try them out for Jeff and Sarah on daybreak!
Where's Erin?
09/30/09
Hi Everyone!
Those faithful watchers on daybreak would have noticed that I've been out for a few days this week. No, not on vacation but rather a little under the weather. My wisdom teeth are acting up and it has been hard to talk ... one of my favorite things to do. I will be back at it tomorrow morning bright and early.
The newsroom has been crazy but fun lately. All of the reporters, anchors, producers, management and promotion teams have been working on some really interesting, fun, investigative stories to air in the coming weeks. On top of our day to day duties we always have something new and exciting in the works. I'll be excited to talk more about it in the weeks to come.
Is everyone loving this fall like weather? The leaves are already starting to change, pumpkins are everywhere, apple cider is on the shelves ... I love it! This weekend I will be apple picking and then baking something ... so I will let you know how it turns out! (I've become quite the chef over the past few months).
Go Sox and Pats!
09/30/09
Hi Everyone!
Those faithful watchers on daybreak would have noticed that I've been out for a few days this week. No, not on vacation but rather a little under the weather. My wisdom teeth are acting up and it has been hard to talk ... one of my favorite things to do. I will be back at it tomorrow morning bright and early.
The newsroom has been crazy but fun lately. All of the reporters, anchors, producers, management and promotion teams have been working on some really interesting, fun, investigative stories to air in the coming weeks. On top of our day to day duties we always have something new and exciting in the works. I'll be excited to talk more about it in the weeks to come.
Is everyone loving this fall like weather? The leaves are already starting to change, pumpkins are everywhere, apple cider is on the shelves ... I love it! This weekend I will be apple picking and then baking something ... so I will let you know how it turns out! (I've become quite the chef over the past few months).
Go Sox and Pats!
Happy Fall!
09/22/09
Happy Fall Everyone!
Thank goodness mother nature is keeping her temps feeling like summer, seeing as our summer felt like a rainy damp spring! It was a beautiful weekend so hopefully you all had a chance to be outside. I had girlfriends I went to high school with visiting me and we chartered a sailboat here in Portland. Again, what an amazing place we live. Every time I have visitors they are always so impressed with Maine.
So today, we chatted with Ken and Mike over at WGAN about President Obama's appearances on t.v. Did you all get to see him on Letterman last night? That's the one downfall of daybreak ... have to go to bed early and miss the good shows! If I record it, our newscast will give it away! So what do you think? Is Obama on t.v. to much? It's always interesting to hear others take on issues making headlines.
Anyways ... Talking Autumn! It is my favorite season! I haven't been in New England for a fall in four years so I'm sooooo psyched to be back. Anyone with good apple, blueberry crisp or pie recipes send them my way. I'm trying out cooking this year ... so far so good!
Have a great Tuesday!
09/22/09
Happy Fall Everyone!
Thank goodness mother nature is keeping her temps feeling like summer, seeing as our summer felt like a rainy damp spring! It was a beautiful weekend so hopefully you all had a chance to be outside. I had girlfriends I went to high school with visiting me and we chartered a sailboat here in Portland. Again, what an amazing place we live. Every time I have visitors they are always so impressed with Maine.
So today, we chatted with Ken and Mike over at WGAN about President Obama's appearances on t.v. Did you all get to see him on Letterman last night? That's the one downfall of daybreak ... have to go to bed early and miss the good shows! If I record it, our newscast will give it away! So what do you think? Is Obama on t.v. to much? It's always interesting to hear others take on issues making headlines.
Anyways ... Talking Autumn! It is my favorite season! I haven't been in New England for a fall in four years so I'm sooooo psyched to be back. Anyone with good apple, blueberry crisp or pie recipes send them my way. I'm trying out cooking this year ... so far so good!
Have a great Tuesday!
Happy Monday!
09/14/09
Hello everyone and happy Monday! A pretty nice day to start our week, wouldn't you say?! Saturday was kind of a movie day, and Sunday was an outdoor day. I went to peaks Island for the first time and enjoyed an amazing bike ride around the island. I can't get over how many pretty spots Maine has to offer. I feel like every time I go to do something new it's better than the last trip. I had a friend from Florida visit this weekend who feel in love with Maine. It's so enjoyable to show off where you live and have people love it!
So who's excited for tonight! Patriots season opener, woohooo! I can't believe it's already football season. It's to bad that our summer was cut short by so much rain, but autumn is my favorite season so I'm pretty excited about it.
Top Story this morning ... The CDC confirmed another case of EEE in a horse owned by a person in Gorham. As I'm blogging the information is just coming into the newsroom, so you can always go to our website, wgme.com for the latest on any developing story.
Have a good day everyone! Enjoy the sun, frost is on its way!
09/14/09
Hello everyone and happy Monday! A pretty nice day to start our week, wouldn't you say?! Saturday was kind of a movie day, and Sunday was an outdoor day. I went to peaks Island for the first time and enjoyed an amazing bike ride around the island. I can't get over how many pretty spots Maine has to offer. I feel like every time I go to do something new it's better than the last trip. I had a friend from Florida visit this weekend who feel in love with Maine. It's so enjoyable to show off where you live and have people love it!
So who's excited for tonight! Patriots season opener, woohooo! I can't believe it's already football season. It's to bad that our summer was cut short by so much rain, but autumn is my favorite season so I'm pretty excited about it.
Top Story this morning ... The CDC confirmed another case of EEE in a horse owned by a person in Gorham. As I'm blogging the information is just coming into the newsroom, so you can always go to our website, wgme.com for the latest on any developing story.
Have a good day everyone! Enjoy the sun, frost is on its way!
Rain, Obama, Schools ...
09/09/09
Hello everyone,
Hope everybody had a great labor day weekend! It was sooo very pleasant outside ... hope you enjoyed it because rain is on its way. Sarah Long has been reporting a damp Friday and Saturday so make your outdoor plans for Sunday. I'm so disappointed ... my friend is visiting from Florida and I've been trying to get her to move up here and wanted so badly for a sunny weekend to show her all Maine has to offer!
So it has been a pretty controversial week in the news with President Obama addressing students on education. Tonight he will address the nation on health care reform. What are your thoughts on both issues? Anytime you have an opinion on the hot topic of the day or week send me emails. O.k. well it's Wednesday everyone ... we're almost there! Enjoy
09/09/09
Hello everyone,
Hope everybody had a great labor day weekend! It was sooo very pleasant outside ... hope you enjoyed it because rain is on its way. Sarah Long has been reporting a damp Friday and Saturday so make your outdoor plans for Sunday. I'm so disappointed ... my friend is visiting from Florida and I've been trying to get her to move up here and wanted so badly for a sunny weekend to show her all Maine has to offer!
So it has been a pretty controversial week in the news with President Obama addressing students on education. Tonight he will address the nation on health care reform. What are your thoughts on both issues? Anytime you have an opinion on the hot topic of the day or week send me emails. O.k. well it's Wednesday everyone ... we're almost there! Enjoy
Stuff The Bus!!!
09/04/09
Thank you to everyone who helped in our first annual stuff the bus school supply drive. It was late planning on our part but we saw a need and jumped on the train to help. We are excited to report that we've helped nearly 300 kids in just two weeks. A BIG THANKS to O'Connor, EMS Portland Store, The Department of Health and Human Services, Schooldude.com, and the American Legion Stewart P. Morrill Auxillery Unit 35 in South Portland. We are already working on next year and having exciting stuff in the works.
Enjoy your holiday weekend, have fun, drive safe! I have a college bbq reunion that I'm looking forward to! All of my friends are all grown up with families now, crazy how quickly time goes by.
09/04/09
Thank you to everyone who helped in our first annual stuff the bus school supply drive. It was late planning on our part but we saw a need and jumped on the train to help. We are excited to report that we've helped nearly 300 kids in just two weeks. A BIG THANKS to O'Connor, EMS Portland Store, The Department of Health and Human Services, Schooldude.com, and the American Legion Stewart P. Morrill Auxillery Unit 35 in South Portland. We are already working on next year and having exciting stuff in the works.
Enjoy your holiday weekend, have fun, drive safe! I have a college bbq reunion that I'm looking forward to! All of my friends are all grown up with families now, crazy how quickly time goes by.
Busy Week - Back To School - Stuff the Bus
09/03/09
Hello everyone and A Welcome back to school to all of those students who already started. What a nice week you get to enjoy! Finally we have warmer weather ... hopefully everyone is able to be outside a bit this holiday weekend.
We have one more day to complete our stuff the bus school supply drive. We have already collected so many wonderful and generous donations from people in our community but there are still many more kids in need here in Maine. You can come by and drop off anything that's on our list, just go to wgme.com and click on stuff the bus! Tomorrow on news 13 we are having a big finale to tell you how many kids we touched. Thanks for everyone's support! Enjoy the sunshine
09/03/09
Hello everyone and A Welcome back to school to all of those students who already started. What a nice week you get to enjoy! Finally we have warmer weather ... hopefully everyone is able to be outside a bit this holiday weekend.
We have one more day to complete our stuff the bus school supply drive. We have already collected so many wonderful and generous donations from people in our community but there are still many more kids in need here in Maine. You can come by and drop off anything that's on our list, just go to wgme.com and click on stuff the bus! Tomorrow on news 13 we are having a big finale to tell you how many kids we touched. Thanks for everyone's support! Enjoy the sunshine
Happy Friday!
08/28/09
Happy Friday Everyone!
It feels like fall is already here?! At least the sun is out ... according to Sarah Long it does not look like it's going to be the nicest weekend. Tropical Storm Danny is on his way up Maine's coast so make sure to bring all of your lawn furniture in so it doesn't blow away! I can't believe this has been the wettest summer on record. Those poor brides! We have received several emails from frantic brides worried about the rainy forecast. You think mother nature would want to cooperate a little more with us :) No camping for me this weekend. I was so excited to go and now don't think it's such a good idea. I love to camp but haven't had the chance to go in a few years. I lived in Florida for two years and it was way toooo HOT! Oh well, hopefully another weekend will be nice and will work.
Back to school is right around the corner. Don't forget about our Stuff The Bus Campaign. We are asking people to donate school supplies and clothes to our studios through September fourth for those kids in Maine who are less fortunate. I'm really excited about this new charity especially because this year I've found such a need. We all remember the nerves the first day of school brings. Well, stay dry and try to enjoy your weekend!!
08/28/09
Happy Friday Everyone!
It feels like fall is already here?! At least the sun is out ... according to Sarah Long it does not look like it's going to be the nicest weekend. Tropical Storm Danny is on his way up Maine's coast so make sure to bring all of your lawn furniture in so it doesn't blow away! I can't believe this has been the wettest summer on record. Those poor brides! We have received several emails from frantic brides worried about the rainy forecast. You think mother nature would want to cooperate a little more with us :) No camping for me this weekend. I was so excited to go and now don't think it's such a good idea. I love to camp but haven't had the chance to go in a few years. I lived in Florida for two years and it was way toooo HOT! Oh well, hopefully another weekend will be nice and will work.
Back to school is right around the corner. Don't forget about our Stuff The Bus Campaign. We are asking people to donate school supplies and clothes to our studios through September fourth for those kids in Maine who are less fortunate. I'm really excited about this new charity especially because this year I've found such a need. We all remember the nerves the first day of school brings. Well, stay dry and try to enjoy your weekend!!
Busy and Sad Day In The News
08/26/09
The morning crew arrived at work just before 4 a.m today only to find that Senator Ted Kennedy had passed away. As many of you know he battled brain cancer for a year and lived longer than many people usually do after being diagnosed. A sad day, but for me, a time to look back on some major milestones in this country's history.
My assignment today was to take a look back on his visits to Maine. What I found most interesting is that his mother and father Joseph and Rose met at Old Orchard Beach when they were just 6 and 8 years old. So if it wasn't for that fateful day ... the Kennedy dynasty may have never been.
On another more upbeat note ... We are still asking for donations to help our Stuff the Bus campaign. We are asking our communities to help buy school supplies and clothes for our children who are less fortunate. We are getting more people who need help than we are getting supplies so it's important that we really come together and try to help! A little donation goes a long way :) You can check out the list of supplies needed on our homepage. We are very excited about this new campaign and are already looking forward to planning next year. We have a handful of non profits that are looking to team up with us! Thanks for all of your help.
08/26/09
The morning crew arrived at work just before 4 a.m today only to find that Senator Ted Kennedy had passed away. As many of you know he battled brain cancer for a year and lived longer than many people usually do after being diagnosed. A sad day, but for me, a time to look back on some major milestones in this country's history.
My assignment today was to take a look back on his visits to Maine. What I found most interesting is that his mother and father Joseph and Rose met at Old Orchard Beach when they were just 6 and 8 years old. So if it wasn't for that fateful day ... the Kennedy dynasty may have never been.
On another more upbeat note ... We are still asking for donations to help our Stuff the Bus campaign. We are asking our communities to help buy school supplies and clothes for our children who are less fortunate. We are getting more people who need help than we are getting supplies so it's important that we really come together and try to help! A little donation goes a long way :) You can check out the list of supplies needed on our homepage. We are very excited about this new campaign and are already looking forward to planning next year. We have a handful of non profits that are looking to team up with us! Thanks for all of your help.
Bad Blogger!
08/19/09
Hello everyone, Happy Wednesday
I'm sorry I've been a bad blogger lately. I think I now have my morning duties down and a routine in place. Jeff is on vacation this entire week .... lucky him! The hottest week of summer and of course he gets it :) We are just about to have a seminar in the newsroom to brush up on our writing skills. It's great that we are fortunate enough to have these opportunities to learn more about the business and grow in our jobs. Also, I am trying to get an exciting new charity campaign starting up next week and can't wait to talk about it! So far we have received great response from the community and businesses willing to support us in our cause. More about it hopefully by Friday!!
08/19/09
Hello everyone, Happy Wednesday
I'm sorry I've been a bad blogger lately. I think I now have my morning duties down and a routine in place. Jeff is on vacation this entire week .... lucky him! The hottest week of summer and of course he gets it :) We are just about to have a seminar in the newsroom to brush up on our writing skills. It's great that we are fortunate enough to have these opportunities to learn more about the business and grow in our jobs. Also, I am trying to get an exciting new charity campaign starting up next week and can't wait to talk about it! So far we have received great response from the community and businesses willing to support us in our cause. More about it hopefully by Friday!!
Preparing for the President
08/10/09
Happy Monday Everyone!
Hope you all had a great weekend, we deserved the nice weather! I attended my second BBQ of the summer on Saturday! A bunch of college friends got together which was great. It's crazy how quickly time goes by. It was a gorgeous afternoon so we soaked up the sun. June and July just were sad and dreary months, we are all trying to make up for lost summer fun in August!
So it's been crazy around the newsroom. We are all very excited for President Obama to visit Portsmouth, NH tomorrow to push his health care reform plan. We have a handful of crews going down early in the morning to cover all different sides. Portsmouth police are teaming up with secret service to make sure things don't get out of hand. As many of you have seen some of these health care town hall meetings have become quite rowdy. It's a passionate topic and we expect a huge turnout tomorrow. Jeff is live in Portsmouth early in the morning so we hope to see you then! Enjoy the sun, Sarah says showers tomorrow!
08/10/09
Happy Monday Everyone!
Hope you all had a great weekend, we deserved the nice weather! I attended my second BBQ of the summer on Saturday! A bunch of college friends got together which was great. It's crazy how quickly time goes by. It was a gorgeous afternoon so we soaked up the sun. June and July just were sad and dreary months, we are all trying to make up for lost summer fun in August!
So it's been crazy around the newsroom. We are all very excited for President Obama to visit Portsmouth, NH tomorrow to push his health care reform plan. We have a handful of crews going down early in the morning to cover all different sides. Portsmouth police are teaming up with secret service to make sure things don't get out of hand. As many of you have seen some of these health care town hall meetings have become quite rowdy. It's a passionate topic and we expect a huge turnout tomorrow. Jeff is live in Portsmouth early in the morning so we hope to see you then! Enjoy the sun, Sarah says showers tomorrow!
The weekend is right around the corner!
08/05/09
Happy Wednesday everyone! Craig Miller is saying the weekend is going to be gorgeous so keep that in mind for today through Friday to help get you through! I'm particularly tired today as I was in Rumford all day yesterday for the double homicide. As of right now police are still looking for the killer and are asking the community for help. I spoke with the family of Victor Sheldon, one of the victims who was killed and they also believe they know who pulled the trigger. It's a tragic story to cover especially knowing Victor is leaving behind two little boys and one on the way.
On a brighter note, for all of those Sea Dogs fans out there ... they are back in town and the weather looks great. I think I'm going to try and catch tomorrows game after work because the weather is suppose to be perfect. I've only been to one game so far and I had a blast. I'm still hoping to go down to Boston one of these days to catch a Sox game. A day in the city is always a fun trip, especially when you can eat a Fenway frank and watch some of the best baseball all in one place! Yum! I hope everyone is enjoying this sun! Anyone have any suggestions on where some good places are to go camping and kayaking that's not to far away? I'm trying to take advantage of August ... Storm Team Coverage is right around the corner, aaaaaaah! Have a good day!!!
08/05/09
Happy Wednesday everyone! Craig Miller is saying the weekend is going to be gorgeous so keep that in mind for today through Friday to help get you through! I'm particularly tired today as I was in Rumford all day yesterday for the double homicide. As of right now police are still looking for the killer and are asking the community for help. I spoke with the family of Victor Sheldon, one of the victims who was killed and they also believe they know who pulled the trigger. It's a tragic story to cover especially knowing Victor is leaving behind two little boys and one on the way.
On a brighter note, for all of those Sea Dogs fans out there ... they are back in town and the weather looks great. I think I'm going to try and catch tomorrows game after work because the weather is suppose to be perfect. I've only been to one game so far and I had a blast. I'm still hoping to go down to Boston one of these days to catch a Sox game. A day in the city is always a fun trip, especially when you can eat a Fenway frank and watch some of the best baseball all in one place! Yum! I hope everyone is enjoying this sun! Anyone have any suggestions on where some good places are to go camping and kayaking that's not to far away? I'm trying to take advantage of August ... Storm Team Coverage is right around the corner, aaaaaaah! Have a good day!!!
Finally Feels Like Summer!
07/30/09
Hey Everyone! Despite some showers here and there it finally feels like summer! Don't you love it?! I came back to New England at the end of fall just in time for winter ... so I am welcoming this warmth. Sarah says it's looking like a good weekend for all of those Beach to Beacon runners, good luck! A few people at the station will be running ... Don't know how you all do it. I like to exercise but am not the best at running. Jeff and I played tennis the other day and after an hour I was feeling the burn! Him more so than me, of course, because he was back and fourth trying to return my great serves (haha)!
On a more serious note today we talked about the 12 year old boy who is in critical condition after being hit by a pick up truck right before he was going to jump off a bridge into the saco river in york county. Scary stuff! It's something kids have been doing for ever it seems like but when it hits close to home like that, it is certainly a wake up call for them and their parents.
Also discussed today was same sex marriage and where that stands as of today. Last night a bunch of people gathered at the new Portland headquarters for Maine Freedom To Marry, supporting the new law. Meanwhile opponents say they have enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot and will turn them in tomorrow. What do you all think will or should happen? Should be an interesting next few months. Either way I think it's good that Mainers on both sides of the issue are passionate about their beliefs and are trying to get their voices heard. The beauty of America!
Jeff is off tomorrow again to spend time with the fam! See you bright and early. Happy Thursday, enjoy the warmer temps!
07/30/09
Hey Everyone! Despite some showers here and there it finally feels like summer! Don't you love it?! I came back to New England at the end of fall just in time for winter ... so I am welcoming this warmth. Sarah says it's looking like a good weekend for all of those Beach to Beacon runners, good luck! A few people at the station will be running ... Don't know how you all do it. I like to exercise but am not the best at running. Jeff and I played tennis the other day and after an hour I was feeling the burn! Him more so than me, of course, because he was back and fourth trying to return my great serves (haha)!
On a more serious note today we talked about the 12 year old boy who is in critical condition after being hit by a pick up truck right before he was going to jump off a bridge into the saco river in york county. Scary stuff! It's something kids have been doing for ever it seems like but when it hits close to home like that, it is certainly a wake up call for them and their parents.
Also discussed today was same sex marriage and where that stands as of today. Last night a bunch of people gathered at the new Portland headquarters for Maine Freedom To Marry, supporting the new law. Meanwhile opponents say they have enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot and will turn them in tomorrow. What do you all think will or should happen? Should be an interesting next few months. Either way I think it's good that Mainers on both sides of the issue are passionate about their beliefs and are trying to get their voices heard. The beauty of America!
Jeff is off tomorrow again to spend time with the fam! See you bright and early. Happy Thursday, enjoy the warmer temps!
Hello!
07/27/09
Hi everyone and thank you so much for welcoming me to daybreak. Today was my official first day waking up at 2:30 a.m. pressing my snooze button only once. Before Kate left she was kind enough to take me through her sleep cycle to help me adjust. With a big smile she told me today that she stayed up until eleven o'clock Sunday night for the first time in a long time. Even though it's an early start to my day I'm very thankful and excited to have the opportunity to begin my daybreak shift. I not only enjoy the show's content but the people as well.
As I begin my exciting new opportunity I thought I would begin my blogging by telling you a little more about me. So here it goes! I was born in Boston and spent my childhood in Winthrop MA until I was twelve. I moved to Hudson NH where I graduated high school. After that I began my college career at George Mason University where I enjoyed living right near our nation's capital. Although I had a great time there, I missed my New England roots. I transferred to Gordon College where I played tennis and began my broadcasting career interning at WMUR the ABC affiliate in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The day after I graduated, I moved to Charleston IL, where I interned at WEIU and learned hands on how to anchor, report, and produce. After a few months I crossed borders and worked as a reporter in Traverse City, MI. What an experience that was! I was a "one person band" which meant I shot all of my video, wrote my stories, and came back to edit them. After two winters of that, my co-worker and good friend took a job in Sunny Pensacola FL at WEAR ABC 3. Florida was amazing! The water was warm and emerald in color, I tried hush puppies and craw fish, I was introuced to the madness of Florida and Alabama football, and got to fly with the Blue Angels in an F/A 18 two-seater jet. (Craziness!!) But most importantly I grew in my career. After spending almost two years there I saw an opening at WGME also owned by Sinclair Broadcasting. My dream was always to come back to New England so when I got the job I was thrilled.
My move here has been a blessing both personally and professionally. My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer this winter and I was able to spend the last few months with him and my family. Although I was new at the station, everyone was so supportive and kind. My boss and co-workers were more than supportive and immediately became like family. I absolutely love living in Maine and working for a station with such fun, honest, and real people passionate about their jobs. I look forward to working with Sarah and Jeff, meeting new people and exploring more of the many quaint towns all over the state.
So I feel like I just wrote an autobiography but hopefully this will give you a little more insight on who I am. Please email me with any story idea or just to say hi!
07/27/09
Hi everyone and thank you so much for welcoming me to daybreak. Today was my official first day waking up at 2:30 a.m. pressing my snooze button only once. Before Kate left she was kind enough to take me through her sleep cycle to help me adjust. With a big smile she told me today that she stayed up until eleven o'clock Sunday night for the first time in a long time. Even though it's an early start to my day I'm very thankful and excited to have the opportunity to begin my daybreak shift. I not only enjoy the show's content but the people as well.
As I begin my exciting new opportunity I thought I would begin my blogging by telling you a little more about me. So here it goes! I was born in Boston and spent my childhood in Winthrop MA until I was twelve. I moved to Hudson NH where I graduated high school. After that I began my college career at George Mason University where I enjoyed living right near our nation's capital. Although I had a great time there, I missed my New England roots. I transferred to Gordon College where I played tennis and began my broadcasting career interning at WMUR the ABC affiliate in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The day after I graduated, I moved to Charleston IL, where I interned at WEIU and learned hands on how to anchor, report, and produce. After a few months I crossed borders and worked as a reporter in Traverse City, MI. What an experience that was! I was a "one person band" which meant I shot all of my video, wrote my stories, and came back to edit them. After two winters of that, my co-worker and good friend took a job in Sunny Pensacola FL at WEAR ABC 3. Florida was amazing! The water was warm and emerald in color, I tried hush puppies and craw fish, I was introuced to the madness of Florida and Alabama football, and got to fly with the Blue Angels in an F/A 18 two-seater jet. (Craziness!!) But most importantly I grew in my career. After spending almost two years there I saw an opening at WGME also owned by Sinclair Broadcasting. My dream was always to come back to New England so when I got the job I was thrilled.
My move here has been a blessing both personally and professionally. My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer this winter and I was able to spend the last few months with him and my family. Although I was new at the station, everyone was so supportive and kind. My boss and co-workers were more than supportive and immediately became like family. I absolutely love living in Maine and working for a station with such fun, honest, and real people passionate about their jobs. I look forward to working with Sarah and Jeff, meeting new people and exploring more of the many quaint towns all over the state.
So I feel like I just wrote an autobiography but hopefully this will give you a little more insight on who I am. Please email me with any story idea or just to say hi!
Goodbye
07/24/09
Today was my last morning on Daybreak. I tried to hold it together on the set at the end of the show, but as soon as I made eye contact with Sarah.... I started to tear up a bit. I leave the show with mixed emotions. I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to sleep in past 2:30 in the morning, stay up past 7:00 at night, and actually get to spend some time with my husband. That said... I have made the most amazing friends on the early morning shift. The crew here is the best of the best. They were so kind to me when I started reporting on the show back in 2006. When I started anchoring, they welcomed me to the anchor desk with open arms -- the support the Daybreak crew gave me during that transition time was just incredible. The "on the air" crew plus the producers, directors, editors, master control operators, audio crew, camera crew, photographers, and operations techs... they have all become dear friends of mine... thank you. I think what I will miss most is the 3 AM phone conversations with Sarah Long. We talk every morning on the ride to work. She is an incredible person, an incredible friend, and an incredible meteorologist. As I say goodbye to the show.. and goodbye to the blog.. we say hello to Erin Ovalle. She is taking over on Daybreak and the blog - and you will just love her! She is a great addition to the WGME team. Tune in to watch Erin on Monday morning! Goodbye for now....
07/24/09
Today was my last morning on Daybreak. I tried to hold it together on the set at the end of the show, but as soon as I made eye contact with Sarah.... I started to tear up a bit. I leave the show with mixed emotions. I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to sleep in past 2:30 in the morning, stay up past 7:00 at night, and actually get to spend some time with my husband. That said... I have made the most amazing friends on the early morning shift. The crew here is the best of the best. They were so kind to me when I started reporting on the show back in 2006. When I started anchoring, they welcomed me to the anchor desk with open arms -- the support the Daybreak crew gave me during that transition time was just incredible. The "on the air" crew plus the producers, directors, editors, master control operators, audio crew, camera crew, photographers, and operations techs... they have all become dear friends of mine... thank you. I think what I will miss most is the 3 AM phone conversations with Sarah Long. We talk every morning on the ride to work. She is an incredible person, an incredible friend, and an incredible meteorologist. As I say goodbye to the show.. and goodbye to the blog.. we say hello to Erin Ovalle. She is taking over on Daybreak and the blog - and you will just love her! She is a great addition to the WGME team. Tune in to watch Erin on Monday morning! Goodbye for now....
Changes
07/16/09
07/16/09
We made an announcement on Daybreak this morning. We had been saying on the show for a few days that an announcement was coming, and I received a number of emails from viewers asking if I was pregnant! No :-) The announcement does have to do with family though.
As many of you know... as you grow older.. your priorities start to change.. and you start thinking about starting a family. You start thinking about what type of schedule will work best for your future family. My husband's schedule will be changing soon.. I can't stand the thought of never seeing him.. and to be honest.. I am a wimp. and the 2:30 a.m. wake up call is just not as much fun as it used to be. I know I should not complain - I know many of you have jobs that are much more difficult with hours that are much, much worse. My husband, my parents, my sister, and my friends have been the best listeners over the past couple of months... as I have weighed my options.. and they have helped me decide where and what I want to do next. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such an incredible support system.
So a few weeks ago... I went to my boss and told him that I was looking for a change -- and he was kind enough not to throw me out the door :-) WGME is allowing me to work a "normal" schedule for the summer. I'll be reporting Monday through Friday for the 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. newscasts. I don't have to be to work until 9:30 in the morning -- hooray! I will be giving up the anchoring, but I am excited about the change.
My parents always told me this business would be hard at times, the hours would be strange, and I'd have to move all across the country to advance my career. They were right - they always are - but they supported me 100% and provided me with the best education and opportunities so I could fulfill my dream of anchoring in my hometown. I am very lucky.
I have worked on Daybreak for almost three years now and I have made some wonderful friends -- both on the air and behind the scenes -- that I will have for life. I just needed a change... I needed more sleep. That said.. there are some exciting things happening on Daybreak starting next week!!
Erin Ovalle will join the three of us on the anchor desk next week - as a transition period - and it will be a lot of fun. The following week.. she'll be on Daybreak for good. Erin is great and we have become fast friends - she started at WGME in December. You'll love her and I think she'll really love the show. Poor Jeff and Sarah -- they just can't escape the blondes!!!
In other news... tomorrow morning... Sarah and I will be broadcasting live from the Yarmouth Clam Festival. We can't wait. Also - Doug Rafferty and I will be in the Clam Shucking contest at 11:00 on Saturday morning - we'll be next to the library on Main Street so we'd love to have you come visit.
Have a great weekend everyone! Kate.
July 1st
07/01/09
07/01/09
Another rainy day. It is always nice to receive emails from viewers - and this week it seems everyone is writing in about the rain. Sarah Long returns from vacation tomorrow morning. It is always terrible to have bad weather when you are on vacation, but at least Sarah did not have to be here forecasting the bad weather. I can't wait to see her tomorrow - it will be great to catch up. Poor Craig & Charlie - I don't think they can step outside of the weather office without being asked about the sun. Speaking of Charlie.. my husband and I spent some time with the Lopresti family last week.. which was just terrific. You all know Charlie is the nicest guy around.. well the rest of his family is just as nice.. just a great bunch of people.
On the show this morning... Catherine was live in Biddeford. There was a double murder in downtown yesterday morning. Two brothers were killed. Friends and family have started a memorial vigil there. The suspect in the murders was in court today. He did not enter a plea.. he'll be back in court in the coming weeks to do that. Catherine will have the latest on the case at noon.
Rain Rain Go Away
06/29/09
06/29/09
My mom always used to sing me a song on rainy days when I was little... rain rain go away come again another day... I don't think Mother Nature has been listening. What a miserable month of weather. I imagine the bad weather will be a hot topic of conversation at our morning meeting today. We have a staff meeting every day at 9:30. We all (reporters, producers, photographers, assignment desk editors, management) meet in the middle of the newsroom and discuss story ideas, what events should be covered that day, what our staffing levels for the day will be, etc. Meteorologist Craig Miller will take center stage at the meeting today... as we all bug him with the same question... when will the sun make a return? Hopefully in time for July 4th.
Are you tired of the Michael Jackson news coverage or do you want to see more? We have received a lot of feedback on this question. Some viewers are asking for more Michael Jackson coverage... others say the media is spending too much time covering his death. To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I watched a lot of coverage on Thursday, the night he died. Michael Jackson - just like everyone who grew up in the 1980s - was a huge part of my childhood. I remember standing in front of the tv and trying (and failing) to dance like he danced in the Thriller video. He was an incredible talent.. no doubt about it.. but does his life deserve this media attention? We'd love to hear from you on this... you can email me about this or anything... at kabarker@wgme.com - have a good day everyone.
Opening Day
04/08/09
04/08/09
Opening Day for the Red Sox was yesterday. Opening Day for the Daybreak Unscripted blog is today. I can't promise it will be as entertaining as a Red Sox game - I am a rookie blogger - but I am looking forward to giving it a try. More on the Red Sox in a moment...
Our lead story this morning on Daybreak was the flooding. Several roads remained closed across the state because of the high water. Sarah was monitoring the situation from the weather office and we had Catherine reporting live in Augusta. Cat (as we call her) and her photographer Kerri had some terrific live reports this morning... several inches of water had flooded city parking lots near the Kennebec River. Cat reports that no one was hurt, no cars were damaged, but it is causing a mess up there. Sarah says the waters are starting to recede and things should look a lot better by tonight.
Can I blog about Sarah Long for a minute? What people may or may not realize is that we are great friends in "real life" and not just here at work. If you watch her, you know she is one of the best darn meteorologists out there. She worked on top of Mount Washington for years before she started her broadcast career. She lives and breathes weather. We had lunch a few days ago and she interrupted our conversation because she noticed some clouds rolling in. I poke fun at her at times like that...but seriously...when severe weather happens - like the flooding we had this week - I feel very lucky to work with people like Sarah, Charlie, and Craig. I have some stories about Craig and Charlie that I will share someday soon as well. Charlie and I worked at the same television station in Bangor years ago... and we caused lots of trouble together up there :-)
Spring in Maine means the possibility of flooding. Spring in Maine also means potholes. I love Maine. I was born and raised here... and I truly believe it is the way life should be - with the exception of its potholes. They are terrible. We are bringing back the Pothole Patrol segment to Daybreak. We have received a number of responses from viewers about the worst potholes in the state. We are going to take your suggestions, visit them, and contact local communities about the problem areas to try and get them fixed for you. Keep the suggestions coming - you can email me at kabarker@wgme.com with your Pothole Patrol ideas. Heck, you can email me about anything! We are always looking for feedback on the show.
We turn back to the Red Sox now. Opening Day is one of my favorite days of the entire year - it beats my birthday. My mom always tells me the story of my dad watching the Sox on television while she was in labor - and she swore I'd be born a Red Sox fan. I was. My dad is blessed with all sisters, all daughters, and all granddaughters. Even our cat was a girl. I was a tomboy growing up. I couldn't stand dresses and nothing made me happier than a trip to Fenway Park as a kid - and that made my dad happy. What a game yesterday! Beckett looked terrific. Did anyone watch the coverage before the game? Did anyone else think the player introductions were strange? The players looked awkward walking through the stands. There was something that made me nervous about all of them walking in spikes down the concrete stairs at Fenway. They looked uncomfortable. I felt uncomfortable watching it. I could picture Mike Lowell tripping, falling down the stairs, tearing his ACL, and being out for the whole season. Although it must have been pretty neat for the fans at the park to be able to reach out and touch Big Papi, etc. It was nice to hear the crowd give Jason Varitek such a warm welcome yesterday. It is nice to have him back.
Thursday morning on Daybreak we will be reporting live from Hadlock Field - and we are giving away tickets to the Sea Dogs opener tomorrow night. Ok, that wraps up the first inning of this blogging adventure. I have been on vacation the past few days and I just noticed Giovanna walking into the newsroom. I am anxious to see how she is feeling today.
I hope to see you all in the morning...
Sea Dog Biscuits
04/09/09
04/09/09
The Sea Dogs open up the season at home tonight - first pitch is at 6:00. I am still trying to figure out how Jeff and Sarah managed to score the Hadlock Field assignment this morning. They reported live from Hadlock all morning. I was jealous. I'll admit it. One thing I am not jealous of....Jeff's dance moves. Did you see him out there? I didn't think anyone could screw up the YMCA. He did. He started twirling on one foot while trying to make the letters...and it just didn't work out that well. Producer Stephanie says she will offer him dance lessons - for FREE. His dancing aside... Jeff and Sarah were great out there this morning... and they brought back "Sea Dog Biscuits" to share so that made all of us happy. If you have never had a biscuit, you are missing out... chocolate chip cookies with ice cream in the middle... there is one sitting comfortably in the station freezer right now waiting for me. Sarah marked it with a K.B. I hope that Kiley Bennett doesn't steal it...ooo...or Kim Block! Lots of KBs around here. I guess I should share. The calories don't count when you only eat part of the dessert. Does anyone else live by that rule? I do. I shouldn't. I don't mean to pick on Jeff today, but I should also note that Jeff locked our dear photographer Kerri Nelson out of the live truck this morning. Catherine Parrotta came to her rescue though... bringing Kerri the spare set of keys. I hope Kerri got a biscuit. That's all for today... off to do a story... see you in the morning!
Family
04/10/09
04/10/09
We have a new member of our WGME family. Reporter Giovanna Bechard had a healthy baby boy on Thursday! We are so excited for Gio and her husband, Brian. Brian is a photojournalist here at WGME. We saw pictures of baby John.. and he is just beautiful.. we all can't wait to meet him in person. Congratulations Bechard family! To all of you at home... I hope you and your family have a wonderful Easter weekend. See you Monday.
Middle School
04/14/09
04/14/09
I spent much of the day today at the Frank Harrison Middle School in Yarmouth. The school held a career fair for the students and invited me to take part in the event. I headed to the school after Daybreak was over - and spent the day talking with 5th and 6th graders. I grew up in Yarmouth so it is always neat to go back and see some of my former teachers, see how the school has changed, etc. I was thrilled the school invited me. I met with the kids in groups of 10 or 12.. showed them some of my stories.. and talked to them about what it is like to be a news reporter in my hometown. Watching the video of the stories brought back some great memories....
Remember the Patriots' Day Nor'easter? I spent several days at Camp Ellis and Ferry Beach. The storm ripped apart Shore Road and several homes were destroyed that week. I remember meeting some of the kindest people in the whole world that week... their homes were being swept away by the ocean yet they were still offering me and my photojournalist food, water, and blankets. It has been two years since that storm.. hard to believe.
I also showed the kids the story from when Jacoby Ellsbury was at a Dunkin Donuts in Westbrook last year. I am a huge Red Sox fan so I was thrilled to cover the story. The place was packed-hundreds of people showed up to see him. Ellsbury was behind the counter serving hash browns for some sort of Dunkin Donuts promotion -- and I remember jumping behind the counter to try and get him to answer some of my questions. So as I jumped behind the counter, photojournalist Jim Linsky jumped on a chair to try and get a good shoot over the crowd, and sure enough - Jacoby took time out to answer my questions. People often ask - do you still get nervous when you go on television? I have not been nervous in a long time to go on the air, but when I met Jacoby Ellsbury in person -- I was a nervous wreck. The kids today seemed to enjoy watching the nervous smile I had on my face throughout my entire interview with Ellsbury.
What an awesome group of kids today! They were smart, they were great listeners, and they asked great questions. I am sure their parents and teachers are proud of this bunch - they all seemed like really good kids. I will share some of their questions with you later in the blog.
Until then...one more WGME family note. Congratulations to Charlie and Star Lopresti. They had a beautiful baby girl on Easter Sunday, Catherine Louise Lopresti. My husband and I have been friends with Charlie and Star for years...we met in 2002 when Charlie and I worked at the same television station in Bangor..and I can honestly say that Charlie and Star are two of the nicest people in the entire world. They are great friends and they will be great parents. Congrats!
See you in the morning!
Outlets and Mall
04/16/09
04/16/09
News on the Maine Mall broke this morning. The owner of the mall has just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. General Growth Properties says it was forced to file after failing to convince its debt holders to give the company more time to refinance. The company says its shopping centers -- including the mall -- have filed for bankruptcy as well. Shoppers.. the company says the mall should operate as normal during the bankruptcy process. This news does not come as a huge shock.. we have reported several stories in the past about General Growth being in financial trouble. Americans are losing their jobs, losing money in the stock market, and they are spending less at shopping malls all across the country. It is good to hear that the mall will be operating as normal... that is good news for employees there.
But interesting to note.. that as news of the mall filing for bankruptcy broke.. we learned there is a job fair happening in Freeport today. Turns out.. several of the outlets in Freeport have job openings. Not just part-time seasonal work, but there are full-time positions and management positions available as well. It is happening at the Freeport Community Library. It starts at 10:00 this morning (Thursday) and runs until 3:00 this afternoon. I know the outlet malls always do better during the summer tourism season, but I also wonder if more locals are headed to Freeport and Kittery to do their shopping these days... if people are spending... they are likely spending on items that are discounted. With the unemployment rate in Maine at eight percent, I am sure the job fair will be packed with people today.
Ok, have to cut this one short. It is 7:53..I am off to do a live news break during the CBS Early Show..but I'll update the blog again shortly.
Questions
04/20/09
04/20/09
I mentioned in my blog last week that I went to speak with students at Frank Harrison Middle School in Yarmouth. Today... some students from Monmouth and Augusta came in for a visit and a tour of the News 13 studios. Both groups of kids had some great questions (and some funny ones as well!) so I thought I would use the blog today to share some of them with you. So here they are.. questions from local children about television news...
What time do you get up in the morning? My alarm goes off at 2:40 a.m. The key to working the Daybreak shift is putting your alarm clock in another room - that way you have to wake up, stand up, and walk a few steps to shut off the alarm. Call me crazy...but the schedule is great. You have most of your afternoon off from work...which is especially nice in the summer. I try to get to bed by 8:00 p.m.
Does someone do your hair and makeup in the morning? HA! Have you seen what I look like some mornings :-) We do our own hair and makeup before the show...but we are lucky enough to have Cherry Pie Salon in downtown Portland give us haircuts and colors...which is great. My real hair color is not as blonde as it looks on tv! I usually come to work without makeup (scary thought I know!) and in a sweatshirt-and then I get ready after all of the stories are finished being written.
Does it get cold when you are reporting in the snow? Absolutely! However.. when we are reporting live during the morning show.. we usually only have to stand outside for a short period of time. Between our "live shots" we get to jump back into the live truck and get warm. A hot cup of coffee helps as well! We do not have it bad compared to many other people who have to work outside in bad weather.
Do you get nervous to be live on television? I don't get nervous anymore, but I definitely used to get nervous when I started reporting on television seven years ago. I remember my first live shot ever... I was working in Bangor, it was Christmas Eve, and I was reporting in a terrible snowstorm. I was a nervous wreck. To make matters worse.. the anchor at the station at the time was my future husband! That made me even more nervous! I am glad those nervous days are over! The last time I got nervous.. was when I met Jacoby Ellsbury on a story last year.
Do you ever screw up on the air? You bet! Sometimes you screw up a word.. other times you have to sneeze.. sometimes we get the hiccups.. you name it, it has happened. My grandmother (we call her Mammie) taught me a very important lesson in life -- never take yourself too seriously. I try to live by that rule each day--at work and outside of work. Mammie leads by example..she is always smiling, always has a good attitude, and never takes herself too seriously. I try my best to live like that---I think people need to be able to laugh at themselves when they make a silly mistake. She says no one is perfect--and laughter is the best medicine. I think that is pretty good rule.
Do reporters get a teleprompter? Nope-no teleprompter for reporters. When you see one of us reporting "in the field" or on the scene of a story... there is no teleprompter. When we are anchoring, we do have teleprompter most of the time. When don't anchors have teleprompter? Often when there is breaking news there is no teleprompter. We also don't use it when we are talking to each other -- for example, when Jeff and I are talking with Sarah in the morning or when we are having conversations with Ken & Mike at WGAN -- that is all "ad-libbed."
Do you get to meet famous people? Sure. I have met Barack Obama, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, members of the Red Sox, and many more. I am a huge political junkie--so I really enjoy covering politics. It is neat to report in Portland because we often get to cover the NH primary and all of the campaign stops leading up to the primary. To be honest though... some of the most interesting people I have ever met are just regular people.. regular Mainers.. with regular stories. The best part about this job-by far-is traveling all across the state and getting to meet the people who live in each community. So many Mainers have a great story to tell!
Ok, that is all for now.. I am headed home for the day.. see you tomorrow!
When the news is bad news
04/22/09
04/22/09
Someone asked me the other day -- do you get sick and tired of reporting bad or sad news? Of course I do. I don't think I'd be human if reporting on sad stories didn't affect me. I do feel it is important to keep people informed about the recession, the wars, a political scandal, or a crime that has happened in their neighborhood. People have a right to know what is happening in the world around them...even if the news is not good news. However--we try our best on the morning show--to mix in some good news with the bad. Whether it is about a new restaurant opening in town despite the bad economy or if there is new technology coming to a local doctor's office that could help save lives or if we are joking about the latest edition of American Idol -- it is very important to report the good and the bad. When it comes to sad news, I find I have the most difficult time reporting on stories that involve children. Yes, I have to stay professional when telling the story---but I think we all need to be human beings first and reporters second. I think that makes me a better reporter--and also a better person.
Today our lead story is news that some people think is great news and others think is terrible news. Should same-sex marriage be legal in Maine? There is a public hearing in Augusta today to discuss the issue. Many Mainers think same-sex marriage is a great thing. Other Mainers think it is a terrible thing. Good or bad---it will be debated at the Augusta Civic Center today.
Pontiac & Birthday Cake
04/27/09
04/27/09
General Motors announced this morning that it will stop making Pontiacs by the end of 2010-this comes as General Motors faces that June 1st deadline to restructure. I am far from an expert on this subject, but I think every American knows that GM needs to do something significant to survive this crisis--but I have to admit that I am sad to see the Pontiacs go.
I have fond memories of Pontiacs--that's because my very first car was a 1986 Pontiac Grand Am. It was white with blue interior. It had 100,000 miles on it when I bought it - and it also had started to rust - but I just loved it.
I put Red Sox bumper stickers all over it (Tom Brunansky was my favorite player). The bumper sticker collection grew the day that I was accepted into college. I was so excited that I immediately put a "College of the Holy Cross" sticker on the car - I proudly displayed it on the back window.
I worked as a "bus girl" at the Muddy Rudder in Yarmouth and I saved up all of my summer earnings so that I could pay for the car. I didn't have quite enough money by the end of the summer so my parents were kind enough to pay the remaining amount and then let me pay them back. I babysat during the school year to help pay off the rest. My parents made me what we called a "coupon book" - each coupon had a specific dollar amount marked on it. I would tear off a coupon and hand it, along with the money, to my parents every month until the car was paid off.
I don't think that type of payment plan will help General Motors pull out of their financial mess, but it sure did help this kid learn a lesson or two about money.
In other news...what a weekend! It felt like summer-and Sarah says we will reach the 80s again on Tuesday. Sarah, Kiley, and I had a fun lunch date on Friday. It is always great to see Kiley--our schedules are opposite at work so we try to make lunch dates often so that we can catch up in person! Sarah promised a gorgeous weekend of weather and she delivered! My husband and I did a lot of yard work - and we also ate a lot of birthday cake. My sister, Amy, had a birthday on Saturday. My Godson, Jake, had a birthday on Sunday--he turned one! You should have seen him attack the cake-it was priceless. Amy is several years older than Jake (we won't say how old) but I love her to pieces-even though she is MUCH older than me too :-)
See you tomorrow!
Coffee & Flu
05/04/09
05/04/09
There is a man named Bill who works on the morning shift with us -- he is an editor here at WGME -- and every Monday morning when I walk in the door he greets me with a big smile and without fail he says "Happy Monday to you!" Bill seems genuinely excited that it is Monday morning. I just wanted Bill to know that we appreciate his enthusiam - especially on Monday mornings - and especially today. You see... today was a grumpy Monday morning for many of us here on the Daybreak shift. I won't name names... but there is a particular breakfast spot that many of us stop at every morning to get our coffee. Our choices are few and far between because not many places are open in the middle of the night when we arrive at work. So every morning there is a line of WGME employees at this coffee spot. So this morning... I am driving to work... and go to turn in to the place with the coffee... and the driveway is blocked ! AH! The place is closed! It is 3:30 a.m. and we are all coffee-less. The place is dark - no bagels on the shelves, no employees behind the counter, no donuts, and the doors are locked. Ugh. Many of us came to work without our caffeine.. we were grumpy and distracted for much of the morning :-) Producer Frank decided he would return to the coffee shop to do some investigating. He found a sign on the drive-thru window that read they are going through renovations and will re-open next week. Phew - glad they are not closed for good. I will have to remember to make coffee at home tomorrow morning - which is just fine because it actually saves a signficant amount of money. Are you a regular coffee drinker who buys coffee? Have you ever added up how much you spend every week / month / year ? It is frightening. It is awful how addicted I am to caffeine. It is also awful that I am complaining about coffee. If this is the worst of my problems.. I should feel pretty darn lucky.
I also feel lucky that I do not have the swine flu. Tune into News 13 Live at Five tonight - we will have some of the top health experts in the state in our studios answering your questions about the illness. The phone lines will be open from 5:00 until 6:30 tonight. I spent much of the week last week covering stories on the swine flu, but today I am headed down to Saco to start shooting a series of stories that will air next week. All next week on Daybreak we will be sharing stories on ways to keep your kids safe - from tips on making sure your teenager knows what to do if his or her car breaks down to how to propertly install carseats to a new piece of technology that helps track missing children. The stories will include information for parents with kids of all ages... they start airing on May 11th.
Ok, I am off... see you in the morning!
Manny Being Manny
05/08/09
05/08/09
We spent a lot of time on the show this morning talking about Manny Ramirez. Call me naive, but I was surprised when the news broke yesterday about Manny failing a drug test and Major League Baseball suspending him for 50 games. Manny's numbers have always been consistent which always led me to believe that maybe he was one of the few not on steroids. Maybe that just means he was on steroids the entire time? Who knows. Innoncent until proven guilty... but I"ll be honest... I am having a hard time believing his story.
I love the game of baseball and I remember the game before the steroid scandal - and there were so many role models to choose from on the baseball field when I was a kid. Good players on the field and good men off the field. Lets hope we can return to those days soon. Baseball was such a huge part of my childhood: trips to Fenway Park, playing baseball in my backyard, dreaming of playing for the Red Sox, watching the Sox on tv, bringing a radio into my bedroom at night and listening the Sox before bed. I just hope children of this generation who love baseball will have heroes to look up on the baseball field like I did.
My husband and I always said when we got a dog one day we would name it Manny. I guess we'll have to come up with a new name... hmmm....
Keeping Kids Safe
05/11/09
05/11/09
I am excited to tell you about a series of stories that I am working on for Daybreak and Live at 5:00 this week. The series is called "Keeping Kids Safe" and each story is designed to teach parents important lessons and share ways to "keep kids safe" in what can be a dangerous world. I don't have any children yet... but I absolutely adore my two nieces who are ages 6 and 3. They are just the best ! I love them to pieces and would do anything to protect them... and so I learned some valuable lessons myself from working on this series of stories.
You can watch the stories every day this week on Daybreak (from 5:00-7:00 a.m.) and Live at 5:00 (5:00-5:30 p.m.)
Here is a preview:
MONDAY - We will talk to the founder of the non-profit group "Keeping Kids Safe" and we will take a look at new technology that helps track children who are missing or have been abducted. Police will discuss why seconds matter when it comes to finding an abducted child. We'll let parents know where they can get this new technology for FREE.
TUESDAY - We will demonstate how seatbelts can save lives thanks to my trip in a car crash simulator. We will also talk to police about the proper way to install car seats. An alarming number of parents do not install car seats properly --- so we are having a FREE car seat check at our studios on Tuesday from 2:30-6:30 p.m. I'll be there with local police officers who are trained to install car seats the right way.. so come visit.. and bring your car and car seat for officers to check.
WEDNESDAY - We will talk to local chiropractors about why heavy backpacks can be dangerous for your child's health. We will show you which backpacks are the best - and how kids should be carrying them.
THURSDAY - Does your child know what to do if your house catches fire? We'll talk to local firefighters about why every family needs to have a fire safety plan. Plus, I'll show you the inside of a "burning" building....
FRIDAY - We'll show you how the community is coming together for a HUGE child safety event that is happening Saturday May 16th in Saco. We'll have details that you don't want to miss.
Ok...that is all for now! Have a great day!
Bad Blogger
05/19/09
05/19/09
I apologize for being a bad blogger. Last week was hectic - but fun - as we worked on our Keeping Kids Safe series. We hope to do something similar again soon. Our car seat safety check was a huge success. Police had been telling us that nine out of ten parents do not have their carseats installed correctly...and sure enough...when parents arrived at our studios last week with their carseats...only one out of dozens of people had the seats installed right. The carseat technicians taught the parents the right way and everyone left with their carseats in their vehicles correctly. If you want to get your carseat checked... you can contact your local police or fire department. Many communities have certified carseat technicians - if not, they can point you in the right direction.
Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner...and that means the unofficial start to summer. We have a number of summer interns and job shadows working at the station this year. They seem like a great bunch of people-so eager to learn about the news business. Katie is interning on the morning shift with us... she is from Brunswick and will be a senior at James Madison University in Virginia this fall. We have put her to work already ! She has been a huge help to us -- whether it is making phone calls to police or watching the directors as they make the show happen or bringing story ideas to the table -- you name it ! Internships, I think, are such an important part of landing your first job in this business so it is great to see a "kid" like Katie going after what she wants. Internships were such a huge help to me-I hope we can be a big help to Katie and the others interning with us this summer.
Speaking of Katie's...I must mention our assignment editor Kate DeGroot. Our assignment desk editors watch over all of us here at News 13. They monitor breaking news, make calls to police, schedule our reporters and photographers during the day, and pretty much keep a pulse on everything that is happening in southern and central Maine. Kate not only does fabulous work on the assignment desk... but she has this dry sense of humor that just can't be beat. Sense of humor must be a prerequisite for working on the assignment desk-it is probably the only way they stay sane dealing with all of us reporters! I'll have to blog about our assignment manager, Jay, someday soon as well. Kate loves Patrick Dempsey, loves soap operas, loves chocolate covered raisins, but the best thing about Kate is that she loves her children... she is a terrific mom and has the two cutest kids you could imagine. Now I'm hoping after saying all these nice things about her she'll finally share her chocolate covered raisins :-) Kidding, of course, but I must say I look forward to when Kate gets in every morning at 8:00. Work doesn't feel like work when you are surrounded by fun people.
Ok, it is 8:23 and we have a live local news cut-in at 8:25...so I am off...don't want to leave Sarah out in the studio alone! See you in the morning.
This could bore you
05/20/09
05/20/09
I was struggling to find a blog topic this morning... so I decided I would take a recent email I received and use that for my blog today. It is one of those mass emails that gets sent between friends.. asking questions.. it also reminds me of that "note" that was going around Facebook a couple of months back.. asking you to share 25 random things about you. Anyhoo.. here are the answers to the questions that I was asked in the mass email this morning. Warning-this may bore you!
1. Favorite color? Pink.
2. Favorite food? Ice cream.
3. How many states have you live in? Three. Maine, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.
4. Your first job? Bussing tables at the Muddy Rudder in Yarmouth.
5. Wine - red or white? Red.
6. Favorite sport? To play-golf. To watch-baseball.
7. Best friend? My husband.
8. Favorite outfit? Sweatpants and a sweatshirt
10. Favorite vegetable? Broccoli.
11. Favorite kind of pizza? Cheese and pineapple.
12. Favorite vacation spot? Palm Beach, FL & Hilton Head, SC
13. Coffee or tea? Coffee. Iced coffee.
14. Favortite sports team? Red Sox
15. Pets? Cat, Alice -- but considering getting a dog.
Holiday Weekends
05/22/09
I think, like many of you, all of us here on the Daybreak crew are ready for the weekend. Most of the crew is working on Monday, but I think the nice weather has everyone especially happy that today is Friday. Doesn't it always seem people are in a better mood when the weather is nice? News happens on the holidays so WGME is one of the places that are "open for business" on the holidays. Since Jeff Peterson and I co-anchor the morning show, we are lucky enough to be able to usually split the holidays. I'll take one.. he'll take another.. it works out great and we feel lucky to be able to share at least a few of the holidays with our families. It is my turn for a holiday so I am taking Monday off... hooray. I think my husband and I will try to sneak in some golf. I haven't played yet this year and the first outing is always disastrous so wish me luck! Have a safe and happy weekend everyone. See you next week.
05/22/09
I think, like many of you, all of us here on the Daybreak crew are ready for the weekend. Most of the crew is working on Monday, but I think the nice weather has everyone especially happy that today is Friday. Doesn't it always seem people are in a better mood when the weather is nice? News happens on the holidays so WGME is one of the places that are "open for business" on the holidays. Since Jeff Peterson and I co-anchor the morning show, we are lucky enough to be able to usually split the holidays. I'll take one.. he'll take another.. it works out great and we feel lucky to be able to share at least a few of the holidays with our families. It is my turn for a holiday so I am taking Monday off... hooray. I think my husband and I will try to sneak in some golf. I haven't played yet this year and the first outing is always disastrous so wish me luck! Have a safe and happy weekend everyone. See you next week.
Early sunrise
06/01/09
06/01/09
Hi there. Happy June 1st. It was nice to have the three of us back together again on the set this morning. We all had some time off, but this morning the three of us were back at it - Jeff, Sarah, and I. Plus, Catherine was live from inside the studio this morning - which rarely happens. Poor Catherine, it figures that she was inside on a nice, sunny morning. We all commented that it was so nice to drive into work this morning and be able to see the sunlight. For eleven months out of the year, we drive to work in darkness... but for the next four weeks or so we can look forward to a little bit of sunshine on our morning commute - what a treat !
We talked about it on the show this morning, but a huge congratulations goes out to Kim Block and Jason Nelson - two News 13 employees who just won an Emmy Award for their story, The China Journey. Of course you all know Kim Block... who is as kind, caring, and inspiring off the air as she is on the set. She is a true role model for all of us in the broadcast industry - Kim is a true class act. But you may not know Jason Nelson, the photojournalist who worked with Kim in China. He is the best in the business... an incredible talent. I would put his work up against any other photojournalist in the country - he is truly the best. Congrats to them both - they deserve this great achievement.
Switching Gears
06/03/09
06/03/09
The topless coffee shop in Vassalboro made national news when it opened earlier this year.. and it will likely make national news again.. as the building was destroyed by fire overnight. I am writing this entry just after 8:00 this morning... and at this hour... the investigation continues into how the fire may have started. We sent a crew to the scene during the overnight hours.. and I imagine we'll be sending a second crew up there shortly for team coverage throughout the day. I am sure folks all across the state will be talking about this story at the office or around the dinner table tonight... and no matter what you think about having people serving you coffee topless (men and women by the way).. we should note that the owner and his family did live in the same complex as the shop... so they are without a place to live this morning...
Switching gears.. actually I take that back... let me stop there... I really dislike that term switching gears.. we use it too often in news to transition between stories... ugh, one of my pet peeves.. but I am guilty of using it on the air as well. It is something we call a "crutch" in news. Something anchors say often.. what we say to fill space or time... I think I use the words "folks" and "boy" too much... I also say "that is true" or "certainly true" a lot as well.. I'll work on that. Anything else you can think of that drives you nuts that we say too much on the air? Email me...would love to hear from you...the good and the bad :-)
Ok... off to do a live news break.. need to print my scripts before we go on the air.. have a great day.
Learning lessons on the way to camp
06/09/09
06/09/09
There are reports this morning that the Good Will-Hinckley School in Fairfield is shutting down most of its programs... meaning more than 100 people will be out of work and dozens of students who live on campus will have to find a new school, a new home. The school provides a place for troubled teens to live, to be educated, and to receive counseling. A sad story, a sad time for that community. If you have lived in Maine for a long time, chances are you have driven by Good Will-Hinckley. It is located on Route 201 in Fairfield and the campus is just gorgeous... beautiful brick buildings. My family has a camp near Bingham, Maine and so as a kid we would travel Route 201. We would pass Good Will-Hinckley and I remember asking my parents about the school on the ride to camp - I was about ten years old at the time. They told me it was a place where kids who are having a hard time can go to get a good education. My parents both worked in public education for decades so a good education was always something very important in our family... and I remember many conversations on the ride to camp about the importance of places like Good Will-Hinkley... about how all children deserve a good education. Perhaps appropriate it is raining today.. as I am sure it fits the mood with students and staff there today. Good Will-Hinckley.. another sad story in a bad economy. My best to all involved in that community, especially those kids.
Station of the Year
06/10/09
06/10/09
Exciting news just crossed our "news wire" - we just found out that WGME is the Maine Associated Press Station of the Year! We are excited. The staff here works so hard. Here is a complete list of our first place awards this year.
Station of the Year
Best Weathercast
Spot News: Portland Arson Spree
Sports Feature: Football Amputee
Public Affairs: Hannaford Credit Card Breach
Feature: Raelyn's Baby
Medical Reporting: The China Journey
Continuous Coverage: Veilleux Oil
Looking back on our Spot News win... the morning of the arson fires in Portland. It was April 2008. I arrived at work at 4 am and the overnight producer told me that a fire had just broken out a few minutes ago at a building on Sherman Street in downtown. Just as the photographer (Jim Bowne) and I were headed out the door to go to the scene... we heard on the scanners that there was also a fire near an apartment building on Cumberland Avenue. I remember thinking how busy the firefighters must be battling both fires... if only I knew what the rest of the morning would be like for those firefighters.
We arrived at the Sherman Street apartment fire first.. the place was still burning.. and several people were standing on the street watching the firefighters battle the smoke and flames. We realized there was too much happening at this scene to leave to go cover the other fire on Cumberland Avenue so we called and woke up another photographer who lived in downtown Portland at the time, Jason Nelson. Jason was on the scene of the Cumberland Avenue fire within minutes. Jim Bowne and I were still at the Sherman Street fire.. talking with the families who had escaped the flames with just the clothes on their back.. most were wearing pajamas, including young children. Thank God no one was seriously hurt. Jim Bowne captured the video and then rushed to set up our live truck so we could be live during Daybreak.
A few minutes after 5:00.. we were about to go live.. and I noticed a number of firefighters leaving the scene.. strange, I thought, because photographer Jason Nelson had just called to tell us the Cumberland Avenue fire was fairly small and firefighters had put it out within minutes. Jason Nelson was headed back in our direction to bring us the video of the small Cumberland Avenue fire.. he parked his car near the live van.. but then we heard the scanners go crazy.. dispatchers talking about a third fire in Portland - and at this point I realized that is why the firefighters were leaving the Sherman Street scene.
Jason Nelson followed the firefighters to fire number three... but while he was there... he spotted smoke coming from a nearby car... he turned the corner.. and there was fire number four... and this pattern continued - fire after fire after fire. He captured the video before firefighters had even arrived on scene - he was running around the city of Portland with his camera on his shoulder.. filming these fires just minutes after they started. Jason called me. We realized an arsonist was on the run in the city.
Jim Bowne and I were live near Sherman Street... and we spotted police officers stopping people who were walking to work. Portland Police stopped every person they saw walking the streets of downtown that day. I noticed a police lieutenant parked down the road from us.. we were live on the air when I spotted his car.. we were live and we went running down the road to track this detective down.. we asked him live on the air if we could interview him.. he agreed.. and confirmed that there was an arsonist on the run and there had been no arrests. Within a couple hours.. the fires had stopped.. but thousands of dollars in damage had been done. At noon.. we were live on the air again.. and I got a phone call from someone on the police department. I picked up the phone call while we were live on the air.. sure enough.. they had made an arrest. We broke the arrest. Jason Nelson and Jim Bowne worked so hard that morning. A pleasure and an honor to work with them both.
Most important - kudos to the police officers and firefighters that morning... those men and women are incredible. The Portland Fire Department is top notch - brave men and women who risked their lives not only that morning, but every day. We may have won an award for our coverage, but it is the police officer and firefighters who deserve the real praise for that morning.
Movies and Monday
06/15/09
06/15/09
Happy Monday. A gray day... sort of fits the mood for a Monday. I only have a few minutes because I am headed out on a story, but I thought I'd write and say a quick hello. There was a vandalism spree in Portland's West End overnight so when the next photographer arrives.. we'll head down to the Danforth Street area and see what we can find out. I hope everyone had a good weekend. My husband, my sister, and I saw The Hangover last night. If you liked Old School, you will love The Hangover. Bradley Cooper (from Wedding Crashers) is hysterical in it. If you don't enjoy stupid humor, you won't like this. If you are looking for an Oscar winner, you won't like this either. I would definitely not bring your children to it, but it you are looking for a good adult laugh.. I'd check it out. Mom and Dad, if you are reading this blog.. Amy (my sister) and I decided you two wouldn't like it. Have a good work week everyone.. I'm off to a story..
PS: We are all hoping Kim Block is feeling better.. and we're hoping she will make a return to work this week. We have received a number of phone calls and emails from viewers wishing her well... and if you have a message for her.. please feel free to email us tvmail@wgme.com...
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