Pipe bomb stories often leave me rolling my eyes.

It seems we get calls every once in awhile about some device found somewhere---but my impression is that most are the work of a couple kids proving they paid attention in chemistry or physics class.

The Salem pipe bomb story proved much different.

Thursday (8/10/06) four different pipe bombs were discovered around the greater Salem area.

Police let us know about them---but told us very little other than where they were found.

I was sent to Salem on Friday to follow up on the devices. I learned on the way to Salem that I would appear twice in our noon show talking about the pipe bombs.

That's often a scramble because of the logistics involved---and I didnt know a darn thing about the story except the location where the devices were found and the fact that we had video from three of the four scenes.

Our assignment desk also discovered police had formed a task force and were meeting at the State Fire Marshall's office in Salem. We headed that way---figuring I could at least point to the building and say "they're meeting in there...." or something brilliant like that.

Unfortunately, they were not meeting inside.

Twenty minutes before the live shot, concerned workers from the Fire Marshall's office came to ask us what we were doing. When we explained---they explained we were at the wrong place.

Oh brother.

With no time to move, I stood in front of a bunch of cars---informed viewers that police were somewhere comparing notes on the issue---and we'd have more later.

After the noon show we met with Lt. Bill Kohlmeyer from Salem police. He's a tough as nails dude with parachute tattoos on his forearms. He's friendly, but I get the feeling that if he ever needed to snap my neck it would be done before I could blink.

He's not given to much hype. In fact I've been on other stories where I've tried to get him a bit more excited about the case we were discussing.

So it was significant when he began talking about the pipe bombs found Thursday. He used terms like "serial bomber" and "very serious" and "powerful enough to kill" and just in case I wasn't following---- "this is a big deal."

Got it.

Someone in Salem tried to kill four people Thursday with pipe bombs.

There are a million questions. Who did it? Why? What's the connection among the victims? Why didnt the bombs go off? Will there be more?

The Lieutenant answered most of those with " I don't know."

We drove out to the one location where a bomb was found and we did not have video. I spent the entire drive looking underneath passing cars. Police think there are two cars out there that were intended victims but the bombs fell off. They may still have wires hanging off the underside.

How scary is that?

This is a pipe bomb story where no one should roll their eyes.

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