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| March 2007 »
Don't let those daffodils fool you. Winter is not over yet. Snow is falling hard in the coast range . Enough so drivers are chaining up. Buses and trucks slid off the road on Skyline this morning and we may see a repeat tonight and Wednesday morning.
Matt was kind enough to talk with my daughter Ali's class this morning and I'm sure the possibility of snow was a big topic with the kids.We'll have Matt's forecast at five...as well as team coverage. That means cold reporters bringing us live reports from snowy locations!
The search continues for a missing Wilsonville grandmother. We just can't figure out why someone who crossed paths with her didn't offer to take her home or call her family. Everyone is still holding out hope but the marine patrol was looking along the rivers today.
And in Woodland police are trying to figure out why in the world a 12 year old was driving an SUV before it crashed.
Vince Patton has been up at Bonneville Dam watching the latest hazing efforts for the hungry sealions. And I'm sure you heard about the stockmarket. Brutal day. The worst since 9-11. Business reporter Joe Smith has been talking with local stockbrokers and economists and he'll offer some insights tonight at 6:30.
Try to stay dry and as always thanks for watching.
Tracy Barry
Our community really has heart. I witnessed that first hand recently at the Heart of The Community awards.
The event is sponsored by "Hands on Greater Portland" and the "Portland Trail Blazers".
It recognizes volunteering excellence and serves to inspire us all to volunteer. I was honored to be the event's Emcee for the fifth year.
(below Laural and "Hands on Greater Portland" Excecutive Director, Andy Nelson)
The greater Portland area is a community of many volunteers who are committed to making our region a better place to live.
This year alone, "Hands on Greater Portland" will connect 14,000 volunteers with opportunities in partnership with 300 different organizations.
If you're interested in finding out more about them and looking for a volunteer opportunity...check out their website at:
www.handsonportland.org
This year's awards went to:
Volunteer Innovation Award
Store to Door
Corporate Volunteer Award
Wells Fargo
Individual Volunteer Award
Carlos Perez
Nathan Sibell Youth Leadership Award
Tucker Walker
Heart of the Community Award
Dan Wieden
(Tucker Walker accepts his award)
I tried my hand at taking pictures for this blog, but professional photgrapher, Andie Petkus, had much better pictures. My thanks to her for sharing these for this blog.
(Laural taking a picture of award winner, "Store to Door")
Congratulations to this year's Heart of The Community award winners.
Thanks to Hands on Greater Portland, and to the Portland Trail Blazers for supporting this uplifting event.
Most of all thanks to all of you who volunteer, for you truly are the heart of our community.
Laural
Ready for the big announcement? Your TV is about to go blank. It won't work anymore. I can even tell you the date. February 17, 2009.
Before you panic, there are several things you need to know. First - this involves ANALOG television sets. Chances are, you have at least one of them - because they are in some 90% of homes in this country. Analog sets, are the more 'square' shaped televisions - compared to the newer DIGITAL sets, which are more rectangular.
Here's why they won't work. Right now, television stations like KGW broadcast an ANALOG signal. If you have an analog TV, all you need is an antenna (even the old rabbit ears) and you can get the signal FREE.
But on February 17, 2009, the government has ordered broadcasters to abandon the ANALOG spectrum -- and broadcast a DIGITAL signal only. If you have a DIGITAL TV, it will pick up this signal just fine. However, if you have a traditional ANALOG TV, it WILL NOT be able to pick up the DIGITAL signal.
Still with me?
The good news is -- this doesn't mean your analog TV is useless. However, you will need to buy a converter box -- to make it work. That box will basically 'translate' the DIGITAL signal, so your ANALOG TV can see it.
Why the change? Think of the ANALOG SPECTRUM as a limited and VERY valuable pipeline that carries broadcast signals 'over the air.' TV stations occupy some very valuable space on that pipeline. Insiders call it 'beachfront spectrum' - and broadcasters occupy about 60 BILLION dollars worth of it. By moving the broadcasters, it frees up that ANALOG pipeline for police and fire communications, and other companies that are willing to pay the government BIG bucks for it.
Before you get too angry, understand one thing. This is actually GOOD for TV viewers. While technology has been advancing at light speed around us -- TV has been pretty much the same for 50 years. This digital advance, makes an enormous difference in picture quality, and brings many of technological benefits.
Finally -- if you have cable or satellite, this transition should be rather seamless. Chances are, you already have the 'converter' box you will need.
Bottom line -- get ready for some changes over the next two years. Educate yourself, and enjoy the improvements. You'll be fine!
Meantime, I'll have more on this -- tonight on Newschannel 8 at 11.
Joe Donlon
I know this is mean. Talking about the dangers of too much sugar in our diet the day after Valentine's Day. So if you are still working on that box of chocolates I am sorry about this.
But while we've all been obsessed with checking for trans-fats something else is lurking on our labels. Sugar. It has many aliases. High fructose corn syrup is the one currently getting all the attention, but Dr. Miles Hassell at the St. Vincent Medical Center says they are all bad in excess.
Now if you are telling yourself... "I don't eat candy very often" here's the problem. Most of the sugar we eat isn't in candy. It's in other processed foods. For starters,soda, juice, sports drinks, spaghetti sauce and cereal. Start checking the labels and you will be amazed.
I'm doing a special report on this tonight at five, but here's some examples for you.
A 12 oz can of soda has at least 10 teaspoons of sugar in it. Make it a double big gulp and you are drinking more than 50 teaspoons of sugar and 600 calories! ( I decided to check on this because one of my favorite photographers seems to always have one in hand ).The juice drink pouches that all the little kids love have 6 teaspoons. Might as well give them a bag of M&M's! You would expect to find all those kids cereals just loaded with sugar but how about something called Smart Start Healthy Heart? It says it is lightly sweetened. That translates to more than 4 teaspoons a serving.
It adds up fast. And Dr Hassell says it adds up to things like obesity; type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and dementia. How's that for a line-up? I know I went home and cleaned out my pantry. That doesn't mean I'm giving up chocolate, it just means I'm giving up processed foods with hidden sugar.
Here are some tips from dietician Terese Scollard from Providence Health System. 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon of sugar so read the labels. If you can,buy your food unsweetened. Any amount of sugar you add to it will likely be much less than the pre-sweetened kind. If you need the convenience of ready-made spaghetti sauce...dilute it with a can of unsweetened diced tomatoes. And eat fruit of course to satisfy that sweet tooth. Although it's sweet, it also has the whole package of fiber and vitamins.
And the final word goes to Dr. Hassell... if sugar by any name is in the first three ingredients of a food...it's best to avoid it.
Hope you enjoy the story tonight and as always, thanks for watching.
Tracy Barry
If you get a chance this weekend, check out some of the films at the Portland International Film Festival.
I want to recommend one, especially close to me, "Where's Molly?"
The movie was shot, written and produced by Jeff and Cindy Daly.
Jeff grew up in Astoria and now lives in Northern California, but still spends much time at his home in Seaside.
"Where's Molly?", as I've told you about here in this blog before, is the story of Jeff's search for his long-lost sister, Molly.
They were separated when Jeff was six years old and Molly was three.
She had been diagnosed as developmentally disabled, and as often happened in the 1950's, doctors recommended she be institutionalized.
Molly spent more than four decades at the Fairview Hospital and Training Center in Salem. It was called then, "The Institution for The Feeble Minded."
{Molly Jo Daly, age 11, at Fairview Center in Salem)
When Jeff's parents died three years ago, Jeff went on a search for Molly and found her at a group home in Hillsboro.
Jeff's movie chronicles his search for Molly, their reunion, and the changing attitudes about the care and rights of those with mental disabilities.
Since we first ran our story on Jeff's search for Molly in 2005, another family has been reunited because of their story.
Jeff West was watching our newscast in 2005.
He told me when he saw our story, he turned to his wife and said, "I have a brother who was in Fairview."
West called me, and I put him in touch with Jeff Daly. Daly helped West find his brother, Ricky, now living in a group home in Baker City.
They now stay in frequent contact, visting often, sending Ricky pictures and cards.
Jeff West's sister, Barbara told me,
"Our family now feels complete."
If you'd like to see more about the West family reunion, watch our story on Where's Molly? on kgw.com. Click on News and Special Reports.
Also, be sure to catch Jeff Daly's hour long film documentary, "Where's Molly?", we have a link to nwfilm.org on our website kgw.com
(Jeff and Molly in Pioneer Courthouse Square, February 2007)
Jeff, Cindy, and Molly Daly along with the West family have reinforced for me the notion that regardless of a family member's capability, it is spirit and love that's most important, and in the end, that's what binds a family.
Laural
The jungle. That's what our girls called Grandma's garden. A half acre or so of twisting paths, secret hiding spots, raspberries to eat warm off the vine. In many ways it reflected my parents lives. A piece of paradise created from years of hard work. Starting as a pile of sand, nourished with wheelbarrow loads of good soil pushed uphill and dug in by hand for 40 years.
It was planted with memories. A Rhody from the year my sister was born, Calla Lilies from a friend's garden. Wild orchids and Violets "saved" from torn-up roadside ditches. And that Redwood in the front yard packed home as a sapling from a road trip to California, now the delight of every squirrel in the neighborhood. A garden that always had room for one more plant. A kitchen table that always had room for one more friend.
My sweet Dad has been gone for 4 years now. We lost Mom a year ago. I miss them both every day. As the anniversary of Mom's death neared I longed for a way to keep our daughters connected to Grandma and her jungle. To recognize her love of nature. To pay tribute to her resilient spirit.
I found all that and more through Friends of Trees. You probably know the Portland based nonprofit as the group that brings volunteers together to plant trees in our neighborhoods. Hundreds and hundreds of trees.
Once a year they also do something truly special. A commemorative planting to honor someone living or dead. When we gathered early Sunday morning at Wilsonville Memorial Park people were there for many reasons. To celebrate a birth, an anniversary and to remember a friend or family member who had passed. We joined about a hundred others armed with spades and raingear to replant an area with native trees.
Lovely poems were read. Kind words were exchanged. Memories were shared. Then we went to work. We chose a spot by a stump to plant our trees.
Mom would have loved the location. Dad would have loved the doughnuts offered to all!
As a family it gave us a chance to channel our grief. To talk of the things we loved and missed. To offer a living memorial while helping the environment. We promised to come back and record the yearly progress of our trees. And just as we headed back to the car admiring everyone else's work on the way, the sun broke through the clouds.
"In the tree of life our roots are forever intertwined."
As always, thank you for watching.
Tracy Barry
For more information on Friends of Trees check out the website at www.friendsoftrees.org
This is a Valentine story that I hope will warm your heart and compel you to go see a locally produced movie showing at the Portland International Film Festival.
It's called "Where's Molly?"
It's the story of a brother and sister separated nearly 50-years ago, then reunited.
Their story goes much deeper than that. It also has served to reunite other families, and prompted a new Oregon law, "Molly's law", making it easier for other families with loved ones who were insitutionalized to be reunited.
Jeff and Molly Daly grew up in Astoria. Jeff was six years old when his three year old sister, Molly, mysteriously disappeared.
Molly had been diagnosed as developmentaly disabled. Many doctors at the time encouraged parents with severely disabled children to send them to an institution.
Molly was sent to Fairview Center in Salem, then called The Institution for The Feeble Minded, where she lived her life, isolated and without her family.
Jeff grew up wondering where Molly went. When his parents died three years ago, he went on a quest for Molly.
He cut through the red tape of privacy laws, and found Molly had been moved to a group home in Hillsboro.
He and Molly reunited, and we told you about their story in 2005. Now, Jeff, a professional cameraman has turned his search for Molly into a film documentary, "Where's Molly?"
(below Jeff and Molly Daly as we shot our follow-up story in February 2007)
When we aired Molly's story, Jeff West of Portland was watching. As he watched, he told his wife, "Hey, I had a brother at Fairview."
Jeff West called me, and I put him in touch with Jeff Daly.
Daly helped West contact the right people, and just a few days later,Jeff West had found his brother, Ricky, in a group home in Eastern Oregon.
The Wests have also now reunited with their brother.
We will feature Molly's story and the West family story on Newschannel 8 at 11pm on Valentine's Day,Wednesday February 14th.
(above... Emmy winning Newschannel 8 photographer, Kurt Austin, shoots our story on Jeff and Molly)
You can also see the documentary, "Where's Molly?" at the Portland International Film Festival. It will be screened Saturday night, February 17th at 6:30 at the Whitsell Auditorium and again Monday night, February 19th at the Broadway Regal theater.
There's ticket information at www.nwfilm.org. Click on PIFF.
Molly's story is a valentine to others with disabilities that they will also find acceptance, and a valentine to us all that demonstrates the value of human life and the strength of a brother's love.
Laural
There's a road near our house - that ends at the banks of the Tualatin river. I doubt it's on any maps, because it's just a short, dirt road. The neighborhood kids all know about it, though, because no one ever goes back there. There's even a locked gate, to keep vehicles out.
Lucky for me, Tim Schmidt had a key.
As fate would have it, Tim had been hired to do some electrical work - on a remote power station down that road this afternoon. At one point, his work was interruputed by a splashing sound coming from a canal near the river. When he investigated the noise, he found a dog -- frantically paddling for her life -- struggling to keep her head above water.
Tim knew he didn't have much time, so he climbed through thick blackberry bushes - over large boulders - and made his way down the steep bank. When the dog finally made her way over to him, she was exhausted. Tim had to literally carry the 50 pound dog back up the bank, over the boulders, and through the blackberry bushes to safety.
I tell this story as if I were there. I wasn't. In fact, that's how our dog ended up in this situation in the first place. Yes -- that dog, was our beloved boxer. When I left the house, she was enjoying the sunny day in our front yard. Apparently she decided to take a joyride while I was gone. How did she get loose? We have an invisible fence, which works AMAZINGLY well -- but only when the owner actually remembers to put the collar on the dog!
Upon my return, I realized our pup was gone - so, I began the sojourn almost every dog owner knows. All you can do is grab a Tupperware bowl full of treats - and start walking... and yelling.
My wife had arrived by this time, and picked up a message on our phone -- from Tim. Moments later, I came upon the dead end road - and met the soaking wet, muddy man who had saved our dog's life. I have no doubt about that. On any other day, no one would have heard the splashing. No one would have been there to climb down into the water. No one would have been there to carry her up the bank. No one would have been there to call us. No one would have been there -- period. I can't begin to tell you how devastating that would have been.
So, to Tim -- I want to say, "Thank you." And to you, I would say -- if you need any electrical work done, I have a reference for you. Tim Schmidt works for GOT POWER ELECTRIC. His number is 503-722-1295. He has three employees, and he told me he's doing his best to build his business through word of mouth.
If what he did today - is any indication of his level of service, I think he's going to do well. Take it from a satisfied customer.
Joe Donlon
May 2008
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