Flight...Delayed
2-17-09

What could be better than escaping the North Dakota cold and spending a long weekend near Phoenix, Ariz., instead?

Those are some of the thoughts I had when planning my trip to Arizona to report on snowbirds. It seemed like the perfect assignment for the last weekend of January, but unfortunately, Murphy`s Law soon took over.

The first signs of trouble began when I arrived at the Bismarck airport. I had to break my rule of always packing everything I could possibly need in a carry on, and had to check luggage instead. That`s because I was working as my own photographer, and had to bring the camera along, as well. I decided against checking the very expensive piece of equipment, and taking that as my carry on. Little did I know that when I handed my bag over to the counter attendant, around noon, that I wouldn`t see it again for a very long time.

I went upstairs, passed through security with no trouble, the only time that would happen for the next several days. Then, I sat down in a chair and waited for my flight to begin boarding. I saw on the monitor that the earlier flight was delayed leaving Bismarck, that was slightly worrisome, since there was some weather in Minneapolis.

My flight was still listed as on time. Until it wasn`t.

Once they boarded everyone after an hour-plus delay, we took off. It was a fairly smooth flight, until it wasn`t. We circled the Minneapolis airport for about a half hour until we were able to land. They told us the weather had caused so many disruptions, there wasn`t a place for us to go on the ground, so we had to wait in the air.

By the time our plane landed, I knew I was cutting it close. I asked the gate attendant where the connecting flight to Phoenix was, and was told to "run." So I did. I ran until I saw the appropriate gate, with the door closed. ( I should say that my sprinting beat everyone else making that connection by a solid two minutes.) The attendant there cheerfully told me I had "just missed it!" and they would rebook me on the next flight, at 10:00 that night. So, I passed the next five hours eating dinner and meandering around.

The time came for my evening flight, and I made my way to that gate. It took only 15 minutes or so for the next round of bad news to roll in. Because of high winds and a tornado warning in Phoenix, all flights in and out had been canceled. They`d be willing to re-book me on a flight that left at 3:30 p.m. the next day, fly to Detroit, and make a connection to Phoenix from there, arriving around 10:00 p.m. the following evening. That would be about 30 hours later than I was originally scheduled to arrive, and cause me to miss just about every story that I had lined up for my time in Arizona. So I talked with the gate attendant (very friendly people, by the way) who rebooked me on a 9:00 a.m. flight to Tucson, instead. My plan was that I would fly to Tucson, rent a car one way, and drive to Phoenix. I`d be there shortly after noon.

As instructed, I went to the baggage claim area to get my bag, and go to a hotel for the evening. Except my bag was nowhere to be found. One of the baggage desk workers said that it was in Denver. So there I was, stuck overnight with no clothes, no toothbrush, no makeup, no nothing. Oh well. I went to the hotel, which thankfully had plenty of complimentary toiletries, and fell asleep.

The next morning I returned to the Minneapolis airport, and checked on my bag once more. They told me there was no way it would be in Denver, and there was nothing in the system that said it was in Denver. She didn`t know how the person the night before would know it was in Denver, and on top of that, bags don`t fly without you. They said it had probably been in Minneapolis the whole night, and would fly with me to Tucson. I went through security, where, because I was carrying a camera, I was subject to extra search. They scanned the bag for explosives, and then let me through.

The flight from Minneapolis to Tucson was entirely uneventful.

Once arriving in Tucson, I went to the baggage claim area, and waited for my bag, which I had been promised was on the same flight. Except that it wasn`t. I waited and waited, and the bag never came off the carousel, so I had to find the customer service area and fill out a claim form for lost bags. I gave them my hotel information and phone number, and was promised that they would deliver the bag to me when they found it, which was usually within 24 hours. I then picked up my rental car to Phoenix, stopped by a store to grab some clothes and drove north. I dropped the car off in Phoenix, went to get the original car that I had reserved there, and thought, let`s go check the bag claim here, just in case. Well there the bag was, locked up with a few dozen other orphans. No phone call, no "we found it!" no delivery to my hotel. Oh well, beggars can`t be choosers. I took the bag and checked into my hotel room, more than a day after I was originally scheduled to.

Then I opened up the bag, which contained a note that the TSA in Denver had searched it the night before.

After I finally arrived, the work began. The next morning, I went and interviewed two couples who moved to Sun Lakes part time. I noticed the area where they lived was very developed, but it bordered the Gila River Indian Reservation, which was entirely undeveloped. My photographer`s eye thought the mountains in the distance across the desert were quite the sight, and I decided to come back at sunset to get some video. I drove about a mile onto the reservation, pulled over to the side of the road, and began setting up my equipment...when out of the corner of my eye, I noticed some red and blue flashing lights. Uh oh. Maybe he thought I was broken down, and needed some help.

So there I am standing with my camera as the police officer from Gila River calls in my information, and then proceeds to tell me that photography is not allowed on the reservation. There weren`t any signs announcing that, and there are certainly a number of photos on their Web site. The officer then begins to explain the reasoning for the law is that the Native Americans there believe photography steals their souls, and asked me to leave. At least he didn`t take my camera from me! Or arrest me. (To be honest, there weren`t any people in sight, so I`m not sure whose souls I was stealing.) But that is how I got kicked off the reservation for stealing souls.

Thankfully, the return trip was much smoother, though I did have to go through extra security in Phoenix because of the camera, and barely made my connecting flight into Bismarck. Two minutes to spare certainly beats two minutes too late.



A Joyous Reunion
1-29-10

If you were to rank my favorite stories to cover, I can`t think of anything that beats a soldier`s return. Whether its one or 100, being able to see someone who has served our country return from duty and return to loved ones is a sight not easily forgotten. So last night, when a dozen soldiers came home to Bismarck after serving in Afghanistan for a year, I was more than happy to be on hand to witness it.

Even more soldiers returned to Grand Forks and Fargo.

The hour of the return meant it was a late night, but I have to say it was worth it. The Bismarck soldiers didn`t arrive in the capitol city until after 1:00 Friday morning, meaning a late night for this reporter. But it`s worth staying up that late to see that joyful, tearful reunion of wives greeting their husbands, friends greeting their friends, sisters and brothers greeting each other.

I talked to a lot of them beforehand, as they were waiting for their soldiers to come off the bus. The atmosphere was one of anticipation, excitement and nerves. There`s bound to be a lot of change when a soldier returns, as the family re-adjusts to living with him around, when they`ve been independent for the year before. And there`s always adjustment for the soldier, too, who`s transitioning back into a civilian life. But mostly, the anticipation takes over, the excitement of seeing someone again, possibly for the first time in a year.

When they walked through the door, all caution was thrown to the wind. Applause broke out, a few women rushed their husbands at the door, ready to greet them with a hug and kiss -- despite the fact that a TV camera was right behind them. Then, after a few minutes of joyous reunion, it was time to go home. The armory cleared out within about 15 minutes.

I cover a lot of bad news in this job, since my primary responsibility is the court system and police beat. You come across a lot of grisly things with those beats, even in Bismarck. So anything that lifts my spirits is a welcome break. Plus, you can`t help but be proud of these men and women, and be thankful for all they`ve done, even if you don`t know any of them personally.



New Year`s Resolutions
1-4-10

A new year is always full of new resolutions.

My first one will be to update this blog more often.

My second resolution is one that I am still scared to admit publicly, because I fear failing. For some strange reason, I started thinking last year that I would like to run a marathon. There`s no real reason for it, other than just to prove that I can do it. Now that I`ve been thinking about it more and more, I`ve decided that my resolution this year will be to train for a half-marathon. I have until September, so I figure I can do it. The half marathon seemed a lot easier to tackle as a beginner than a full marathon.

This weekend I began my training. I already go to the gym on a (fairly) regular (sometimes) basis. The one piece of equipment I always avoid, however, is the treadmill. So, this weekend I bit the bullet and hopped on. I actually made it a full 20 minutes of jogging, with only a little bit of walking. That`s just one hour and 40 more minutes to go, and nine more months in which to do it. Anything`s possible, right?

In the meantime, I will keep my resolution of updating this blog more.



Bad News
11-10-09

I have been wanting to blog about some of the recent tragedies I have been covering as a part of my job, but it has been difficult finding the right way to give my thoughts on it without being either too depressing, or too casual.

First off, I should say that there are times no reporter wants to cover a story. It`s difficult to sit through a trial where a teenaged mom is accused of not feeding her baby, causing the six month old to die.
It`s difficult to call the Highway Patrol and ask if there is any new information on a group of young teenagers who rolled an SUV, killing one of the girls inside.
And it`s next to impossible to cover the heart-wrenching search for three college students who`s last call to a friend mentioned "water."

But these have all been a part of my job for the past few weeks, and it can be difficult to keep from being emotional, especially when one happens right after the other. I know it was hard for me to watch the parents and teammates of the three softball players visit the spot where their loved ones drowned. The moment was harder for those who knew them, of course, but it reminded me of a loss I still feel every day.

This summer, one of my good friends and fellow journalists passed away suddenly. Most of you probably read an article by Crystal Reid in the Bismarck Tribune at one point or another. Crystal and I both moved to Bismarck around the same time, and for the same reason. We soon became friends, and always enjoyed a good debate over the best way to cover stories or what was and was not ethically appropriate as a journalist. But none of us had enough time with Crystal. She died this past summer, just six days after we watched her get married. And as I stood by that pond where the parents of Ashley Neufeld, Kyrstin Gemar, and Afton Williamson cried and prayed...the grief I felt was for the loss of my own friend.

No reporter ever wants to cover bad news. It may be easy for people to dismiss "the media" as some cold, heartless being. But the truth is that on an individual level, no one who covered this story left unaffected by it. It was just impossible to.



Things Not to Do
10-28-09

As part of my job, I get to listen to all of the police reports that come into the Bismarck Police Department every day. While most of the crimes reported are fairly routine; someone spray painting on a city sign, scratching a car with a key, or losing a cell phone, every now and then there are a few reports that jump out at you.

I`ve always said I should write a book, and it could be non-fiction, because some of these things you just can`t make up. Until my book writing mood strikes though, a blog will suffice. Here are a few things that came up this week, along with my thoughts on them.

1) Driving the wrong way on a one way. Driver arrested for DUI.
It`s always a bad idea to get behind-the-wheel of a car when you have been drinking. Nothing good can come out of this. It`s always a bad idea to drive the wrong way down a one way street. If you do both at the same time, you really do deserve to spend the night in jail.

2) Giving false information to law enforcement. Now, I can understand the idea behind this one. You think you won`t get in trouble if you lie about your name to the police. However, they do a really good job of finding out who you really are (driver`s license, anybody?). The really special part of this report was that the woman who lied about her name did it because she knew she had a warrant out for her arrest. Congratulations. In addition to being arrested for the warrant, you`re now facing even more charges.

3) Shoplifting from Scheels. Ok, there`s nothing really outstanding for this one. It happens all the time. Note to would-be thieves....they have REALLY, REALLY GOOD store security. And they prosecute everything. I think this report comes up in the police reports at least three times a week.

4) Speeding. Always a bad idea if you have a warrant out for your arrest. If there`s a warrant out for you, and you know the police want to take you to jail, and you haven`t done anything about it...you probably don`t want to break the law and draw attention to yourself.



Still A Safe Place
10-15-09

Yesterday, our attorney general released the crime statistics for North Dakota. And while the results are mostly good news, there were a few things that gave me pause.

Generally, we think of North Dakota as a safe place to live. And it certainly is. There were only four murders in the state last year- a remarkable number. And our police officers are to be commended for solving every one. So far this year, there have been nine murders in North Dakota, and while that`s up from last year, it`s a number that any state, or even most cities, would be jealous of. Other areas of crime are showing signs of improvement, as well. Drug arrests are down from the peak of the methamphetamine epidemic five years ago. DUI arrests are down, hinting that people are taking responsibility for finding other ways home from a bar or party.

Some numbers are up, and it can be hard to understand why. The number of rape cases was up in 2008, from 202 to 222. Were there more cases of forcible rape actually occurring, or are more women comfortable approaching a police officer and reporting it? I hope it`s the latter. Aggravated assaults have also been trending upwards. While the legislature redefined aggravated assault two years ago to include more cases than before, it`s still a disturbing trend. Hopefully our police officers can find successful ways to educate the public about the dangers of this violence, and will be able to turn the tide.

While I was interviewing Wayne Stenehjem about the crime statistics, he made an interesting comment. He said he wished there was a way to tell if North Dakotans are more likely to report some of the smaller crimes, like shoplifting, vandalism, or thefts from their car, because they know law enforcement will have the time to come take a report and investigate the case. I see all of the police reports that come in to the Bismarck police department every day, and there are a lot of reports of "smaller" crimes. I do think that North Dakotans are more likely than people who live in areas of high crimes to make those reports, and that`s a good thing. If we can help our law enforcement be successful on the small scale, someone who might otherwise get deeper into a life of crime may possible be averted from it. I think it is a case of having to win the battles in order to win the war, and I`m happy to live in a state where that is happening.



Good Morning!
10-08-09

We all get into routines in our day to day lives. Every day at work, mine starts out the same way. The first stops on my list are the Bismarck Police Department, followed by the Burleigh County Courthouse and then the Burleigh County Sheriff`s Department. Tuesday through Friday I do this before heading into the station, and on Mondays I come to work first before heading out.

Every day, I run into the same people. There are three security guards at the courthouse, and I hold a brief conversation with whichever one is working. Then, there`s a brief conversation with the clerks at the court`s administrative office. And finally, the "hello" and "good morning" to whoever is up front at the sheriff`s department.

While most of the conversations I have in the morning only consist of asking how people are that morning, telling a brief story of what I did over the weekend, or commenting on the weather, they`re something that I really enjoy. It`s nice to know that there are always the same smiling faces doing the same thing every day, when there is so much other chaos going on in the world. Having people say hello and ask how you are in the morning is a great way to start off the day. And it`s yet another reminder of what I truly love about North Dakota...the people who live here.



One Step at a Time
10-01-09

There is one thing that I don`t have in common with many other females. I don`t like shoes.
It`s almost a hard thing to admit, because it seems like something that should just be innate. But I don`t like shoe shopping, I`m not worried about wearing cute shoes, and I don`t really have all that many. I say all this to preface a story.

In my job, I never know where I`m going to be in any given day. While I might have a story set up at one location, something else could come up, and be completely different. Or sometimes I`ll have something planned at two areas with opposing dress codes, for example, the courthouse and a farm. That can often make it difficult to figure out what to wear in the morning. And the worst part about finding what to wear is figuring out what shoes to put on.

This past week, I was on a manure tour with the Morton County Soil Conservation District...not exactly the kind of thing you want to wear dressy shoes to. However, earlier in the day I had been at both the police department, courthouse, and the office, where tennis shoes or boots aren`t appropriate. So I ended up wearing a pair of dress shoes to a feedlot, hoping no one would notice. (with the exception of my coworkers, who would be able to smell the difference when I returned.) I`m about halfway through shooting my story, when true to form, one of the ranchers turned to me and said, "well those aren`t the kind of shoes to wear on a $#!t tour."



Starting a New Life
9-22-09

It`s hard to believe that I`ve been living and working in Bismarck for three years. I never intended this as a permanent move, but as it turns out, life always has different plans. So now it looks like I will be in the capital city for quite some time, as my fiance has no plans on ever leaving the area.

There are a lot of good things about Bismarck. As a transplant from Maryland, one thing I always prefer about North Dakota is how few cars are on the road. I certainly don`t miss the traffic.

The weather isn`t so bad either. Sure, last winter was pretty brutal, but I survived it. Now, I tell people, I know I can survive anything.

And finally, the best thing about living here is the people. I`ve never run across a rude person on the sidewalk. It seems like everyone says "hi" or "good morning," and that`s certainly a nice change of pace.
I haven`t decided yet what this blog will be about, whether it`s my personal experiences on the job, odd stories that I come across, or just my thoughts for the day. It will possibly be some hybrid of all three. But whatever it turns out to be, thanks for reading!

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