Jeff’s Dark and Early Blog

I can’t remember which morning it was, but I do know that I was working a story in Olathe.  It was around 6:30 in the morning and my cell phone rang.  This was nothing out of the ordinary.  I’m in news.  My cell phone rings 600 times a day.  On this particular occasion, it was my wife.

She informed me that she wasn’t home, but she’d received a call from the Shawnee Police Department that our home security system was going off.  I called a neighbor and she told me two police cars were at my house.

My wife wasn’t able to make it home, so I called work, let them know what was happening and made my way to the house…..still driving Cruiser 980.

I pulled into my subdivision, rounded a few corners and turned on my street.  I pulled up to the house, got out and started to address the officers.

“Man, you guys cover ANYTHING these days,” said one of the cops.

Realizing that I was driving a marked news vehicle, I quickly explained that I was the homeowner.

There were no problems at the house.  Apparently our dog has superior jumping ability.

The moral of the story is this:

If your security alarm is going off, we won’t show up.  Usually.

It was early this morning when we broke the news that some of the auditors within the General Motors Corporation are expressing doubt that the company will be able to make it without declaring bankruptcy.

As the story progressed, I made my way over the the local union hall, UAW Local 31, in hopes of having a conversation about what the news might mean for both retirees and current union workers.

Before I got inside, I was greeted in the warmest fashion by a gentleman who was outside raising the American flag.  He wished me a good morning, commented on the fine weather and said he hoped I’d have a chance to spend some time outside once my work day was done.  It was a conversation that lasted a minute at the most, but its impact was enough to compell me to tell you about it.

It was Alexis de Tocqueville who said, “America is great because she is good.  If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

In times such as these, it’s easy to feel as if things aren’t getting any better.  Even so, that kind man this morning proves one thing.  The good is still there.  And maybe, just maybe, the greatness is too.

I have to thank the good people of the Olathe Police Department for this one.

Two weeks ago, I covered an economy-related story on the budget for the Olathe School District.  I had planned on talking to some school officials later in the morning, so I parked Cruiser 980 at the Board of Education building and handled my live reports from there.

Around 6:45, I got a visit from two Olathe Police cars and wondered what I’d done now.

As it turned out, someone had reported me as “suspicious”.

Here’s what the cops told me.  They’d received a call about a “suspicious, multi-colored Mustang” parked in the lot at the BOE.

For the record, Cruiser 980 is an Alero, NOT a Mustang, and is clearly marked with the KMBZ logo on all sides.

That being said, I informed Program Director Neil Larrimore that I’ll be needing a Mustang immediately.

What a difference a few months can make.

I can remember November 4th like it was yesterday.  Everywhere I went, starting with Kansas City’s Morning News and right on through the afternoon, polling places were packed.  American flags waved in the wind.  It seemed as if democracy and duty were on the lips of everyone I passed on the street.  It was like no election day I’ve ever covered.

Fast forward to this morning.  Local elections are being held and turnout will probably be around 5 to 10 percent when all is said and done.

At the polls this morning, I witnessed plenty of enthusiasm, much to the degree that I experienced on November 4th.  Unfortunately, that enthusiam came from only the few who managed to show up.

To those who did vote today, or plan to do so, I salute you.

And to those who gave their time to work at the polls, I salute you twice.

There’s nothing like a Monday morning for a little story about horse thieves. 

The always unknown morning trek of Cruiser 980 took me to I-70 in Independence on a call that started out as a stolen vehicle.  When I got to the scene, and made contact via cell phone with Indy dispatchers, I quickly learned that this was much more than a stolen vehicle.

The story goes something like this.

Police get a report of a stolen truck with a horse trailer from a Motel 6 on Noland Road.

Police find the truck, apparently abandoned, not far from the motel.

Ellen and I’s best guess?

It was dark, so was the horse.  Once these thieves realized what they had, they hit the pavement, leaving truck, trailer and horse safely behind.

As for the horse, you might say he had a long face.