Can I Have Your Autograph, Please?

Yes, I've been asked for my autograph. I'm not bragging. Actually, I'm amazed. I may be on TV, but I'm certainly not a celebrity. In fact, most people who ask for my autograph don't even know my name.

So, why ask? Well, I'll make a confession now. The only people who actually ask for my autograph are children...usually very young ones.

So, lets review. These "fans" probably don't watch the news, they're under the age of ten, and they don't know my name. But...to them I am the "news lady." I love that title. When I started reporting more than six years ago, I was fascinated how so many people would refer to me as the news lady. I'm not Lauren, I'm not a reporter or journalist, or even 'hey you' -- I am the "news lady." By the way, that's the same title the adults use. So, for my "fans" that's all they need to know, because being the news lady means I carry a microphone and I'm on TV. For them, that's pretty cool.

Recently, I was bombarded by a pack of these fans while they were waiting at the bus stop. I was actually in the neighborhood for a vacant house fire with no injuries. These children saw the fire trucks and the crews in action, and then the TV crews showed up. Well, you can imagine their excitement! I was quickly surrounded and a dozen questions were fired my direction: "Why are you here?" "What happened?" "Is that your microphone?" "Is it on?" "Can I talk in the microphone?" In between, there are random comments as well. For example: "I'm going on a school trip today" or "I have a pet goldfish." And then...a young girl extends a pad and a pencil and asks for my autograph.

At that moment, I feel ridiculous. I know she doesn't know who I am -- but I always sign, because I think it would be more ridiculous not to. After all, she had the guts to fish out her pink pad and pencil and ask me with a sweet smile. And the truth is, I'm a little bit flattered. So what if she's eight years old. She thinks I'm cool!

Quite often when I show up on the scene, people aren't happy to see me. I've been yelled at, called a variety of names, threatened, and worse. So, I guess if I give out an autograph that's a pretty good day at work.

Fire Season -- Be Smart & Stay Safe

The roar of the sirens.
The flashing lights that illuminate an entire street.
Broken out and blackened windows.
Flames licking at the rooftop.
The smell of smoke hangs in the air.
The organized chaos of trucks, dozens of firefighters, and what looks like miles of fire hose.
It's another house fire -- striking in the middle of the night.

That's the scene I've been witnessing all too often. If you've been tuning into Local 12 in the mornings, then you've noticed I've been at several fire scenes; all of them catastrophic for different reasons. One devastating fire took the lives of three young children, shaking up the Lower Price Hill community. In most other cases there's been no loss of life, but in the midst of the holiday season people have lost their homes and everything inside.

It's the season for fires. Why?

Well, this year the economy may actually be playing a role. People strapped for cash decide not to turn up the heat, but rather to turn up the oven and leave the door open. It's a desperate act, and it's very dangerous. Then you have the Christmas trees that pose a hazard. Remember to turn off those lights overnight or when you leave the house. Plenty of cinnamon, evergreen, or Christmas cookie candles are burning this season -- just one more fire hazard to worry about. It sounds like common sense, but then again, so does having a smoke detector. You might be surprised to see how many fires I cover where there are no smoke detectors in place. Get a smoke detector -- that's an order! Here's the best part, it's easy and could be free. Call up your local fire department; most will provide the fire detector for free and will even come out to your home and install it. Trust me, they don't want to come to your home for any other reason

My last bit of advice -- get insurance. For any homeowner, I'm sure your mortgage company requires it. That means this really applies to renters. I can speak from experience here -- it's relatively cheap -- about $100 a year. Now, I'll be honest, I always knew having renter's insurance was the smart thing to do. Yet, I was a renter for five years before I got a policy! What was I thinking? Finally, a complex I moved into made the job easy on me and required a policy to move in. I am grateful that they gave me a kick in the rear. Loosing everything in a fire would be traumatic no matter what. Not having the money to get back on your feet sounds like an unimaginable challenge.

So, I'll step off my soap box now :) I'm just hoping we can cut fire season short this year.

Thanksgiving Brings Good News

Often times I hear that the "news" is nothing but bad news. Unfortunately, even the bad news needs coverage. No one is excited about the state of our economy, but we can't ignore it. It warrants plenty of news coverage, even if it makes you want to hide under a blanket! That being said, I love Thanksgiving because it's a time to search for a positive, uplifting story. That's been my mission this week. After bugging my co-workers for their input, it finally came together today.

Thursday morning I will profile a Cincinnati family with a new family member -- their adopted 17-year-old son, Anthony. When you think adoption, you likely think of infants finding a good home. Well, that's what makes this story unique. Although most adoptive parents are in search of newborns, most of the children you can adopt through the Department of Jobs & Family Services are older than ten. Not to mention, these are children who've had to grow up much too fast; they're victims of abuse, neglect, and abandonment. They're the children who desperately need love, and yet you can imagine, it's much harder for them to find a loving home.

But, Anthony's story has a happy ending. He was a foster child who found a loving home six years ago. Last week, he was adopted by his foster family. Mom, Veronica, can't wait to tell their story. She has such a tremendous love in her heart for her son, and she's hoping their story will inspire others to foster children. On the phone, she was already bragging how Anthony is making straight A's -- a very proud parent indeed! Tomorrow I meet Veronica and Anthony, and I can't wait to introduce them to the Queen City. A little inspiration can go along way -- especially on Thanksgiving.