Reporting Live

YIKES

2011-02-18T16:01:00.000-08:00

Wow. I just realized it's been a year since my last post.

If you'd like to continue to follow the work that I am doing here at Fox 4 -- please follow me on Facebook: facebook.com/tessk or on Twitter @TessK

I am always posting links to my stories there. I'm not deleting this Blog, and may even return to it at some point, but it's just that Facebook is so easy to use, and easy to post links and comments, so I really like that format for sharing my stories.

Best wishes,
TessK

Prepare to be outraged

2010-02-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

Thief steals kids wheelchair. Seriously? Seriously...

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY

Investing in their future...

2010-02-16T20:43:00.001-08:00

I worked on a pretty cool story today about a program that works to get urban youth interested in finances, investing, interest rates, stocks and bonds. It's all part of an effort with William Jewell College's SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) program and the KC Urban League's Wealth Creation program, giving people tools they need to break out the cycle of poverty.

It was so exciting to be in this room full of kids who really seemed to get it. They realized that this wasn't just numbers and data... it translates to the real world in a way that impacts them and their future. The way they would determine whether stocks were up or down was by the roll of a dice, which seems arbitrary, but really, it is in the real world too. So it shows what a gamble it is, but also how you can make smart decisions based on patterns and waiting out the highs and lows. Their excitement was genuine and contagious.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY

Those evil vultures

2010-01-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

So a colleague here at work informed me today that I was apparently mentioned in a recent Pitch article.

Okay, so I admit it. It's a prerequisite that in order to be a television reporter, you have to cut out your heart (which is probably black as coal anyway) and sell your soul to the devil. Learning how to do the "circling like a vulture" trick is the hardest to learn in journalism school.

Look, I have a thick skin. I don't take the words of some self-righteous reporter personally. But I told my parents about the article, joking, "hey they could have at least spelled my name right!" My parents responded in the comments section. I was a little embarrassed at first when I read it, but then I realized that what my parents wrote was beautiful and touching, and speaks passionately about the human condition.
So I wanted to share what they wrote:

Jan & Kent says:

As parents who tragically lost our son at age 19, we would like to say that while we never had a microphone thrust in our face, we always appreciated the expression of concern and condolences, no matter the source. And because our son was working off camera at a TV station when he died we were very touched when the anchor expressed on-air condolences to Jason's family and friends. We taped that and still have it. Twenty years later we still weep when we watch that.

The media can help to make connections among people and tell the stories of those who are lost. Some do it better than others. Tess Koppelman does an outstanding job in our opinion - probably because she remembers the difficulty of losing her brother, Jason, 20 years ago on September 13, 1989. We know that she is not just doing her job, but that she is doing it with compassion and caring. We know that, because we know her well. She is our daughter and best friend.

Reporters see so much tragedy in their work, and we have seen our daughter weep privately over some of those stories and rage over others. Reporters are people with feelings and families and histories. They want to tell the stories to humanize the tragedies. We want to hear the stories to become more human. We all become connected when we do so. As Garrison Keillor has said, "grief makes relatives of us all."

Bus Riders Stranded

2010-01-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

The snow and blizzard-like conditions caused major delays for all bus routes heading north from Kansas City.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY

When I first got to the bus depot this morning, the people were being told the buses might leave that evening, but by the time I got there for my live shot at 6pm, they were being told that bus routes were being suspended "indefinitely" or at least until Monday. And Greyhound was not offering these passengers refunds because they bought "non-refundable" tickets. I'd just like to point out that many of these passengers were low income and can't afford to just say "oh forget it, I'm taking the train." They can't just take a cab to the closest hotel until their bus finally leaves. Many of these folks were en-route from Texas or Oklahoma, so they don't have friends or family to stay with. These folks are truly STRANDED.

Winter Weather Try It Special

2009-12-22T13:49:00.001-08:00

In case you missed it, here's the Try It Before you Buy It that starred Kyl Bergstrom and myself, trying out the hot chocolate maker after our chilly live shot earlier this month.

Click here to watch it!!

Oh and here's the story we did that day:
Snow makes finals week a headache for students in St Joe
Click here to watch it

Superman

2009-12-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this on Friday but I've been neglecting my blogging duties-- Sorry!!

So on Friday I did this story about a real life Superman. At least that's what 6 year old Ashlyn calls him, after he rescued her. She was pinned under a car that had hit her... and Nick Harris sprang into action, lifting the car off of her.

Click here to watch this amazing story.

I know Fox News Channel picked up the story, which probably explains why there were more than 60 comments on it over the weekend.

Second Chance School

2009-11-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

Does any kid aspire to fail, or dream of throwing their life away?

Kids who get kicked out of school are often discarded on the streets, with no where to go. But Genesis Charter School is offering something called a Virtual Academy, a place for kids to go to keep up with their education. I was really impressed with how motivated the kids were... motivated to learn, to catch up, to prove they can finish school.... They're just kids. They make mistakes. But that doesn't mean they're unteachable or unreachable.

I spent several days hanging out at Genesis Charter School and Mr A's Virtual Academy. The result is this in-depth sweeps piece:

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY

Special thanks to Big Bad Bobby for connecting me with Mr A so we could tell this amazing story of kids getting that second chance at an education.

Elderly Man Attacked

2009-11-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

I don't think I violate any kind of journalistic integrity by saying that there is a special place in hell for people who victimize the elderly and children. Can we all agree that beating up an old man for money is wrong? Because if we can't... then I don't think we can call ourselves a civilized society.

Harold was incredibly brave to share his story with the media today... he warns everyone to lock your doors at all times, because sadly you never know when someone will yank you out of your car and start beating you up for your wallet. Behind the swollen eyes, stitches, and cuts and bruises, you could see a very warm smile, and it made me sad that someone tried to beat that out of him.

CLICK HERE to see the story

Space Pirates

2009-10-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

SO I guess the scientific community has been discussing for a long time how cool it would be to build an elevator into space. With no more need for expensive rocket fuel to launch rockets, it could really open up space for exploration like never before. NASA's theory is you'd attach a cable to the equator and it would extend all the way into space, but then someone needs to come up with a way to get supplies up and down this cable.... thus, the elevator. This has been on NASA's back burner... it would be very expensive to develop the technology to create this elevator. (I'm sure someone with a lot more knowledge of science will find something wrong with my summary, but I think it's pretty close... Google "Space Elevator" if you want to know more.)

So... for the fourth time ever, NASA is hosting the Space Elevator Games. It's a way to recruit some of the best minds in the country to all work to find a way to make the elevator a reality. There are only three teams left in the country competing in the games next week, and a team from Kansas City is one of them! It was really cool meeting our local team, the KC Space Pirates. They've all got day jobs.. they're the only team in this race that is just doing this for fun... and if they win, NASA will give them two million dollars!!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY

Flu bug hits KC Rep Theater

2009-09-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

Friday, my fiance Nate and I saw the KC Rep Production "Into the Woods" and we both thought it was just terrific. The sets and lighting and costumes were all top notch and the acting and singing was all superb. So I was pretty surprised when I found out that many of the actors have been battling bugs, and Sunday the Rep had to cancel one of its shows because an actor was too sick to go on.

CLICK HERE to see the story I did about the Flu hitting the Rep

I did a lot of theater when I was younger and through my college years. I remember one Christmas show I was one of the lead characters, and I caught a horrible flu. I was secluding myself backstage and putting on makeup at home to avoid contaminating other people. But there was one performance that I literally walked off stage and threw up immediately. Finally, I had to call it quits, and the director had to call a stand in for me. I was so upset, but everyone knew I was giving it my all, and just had no more to give. So I know what these actors are going through and how hard it is on them. I wish them all good health since they have time off today to recover. Whoops... I mean BREAK A LEG!!

Keeping one man's passion alive

2009-09-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

Stories like this remind me of one of the reasons I love my job: telling the stories that make you feel connected to the human condition, honoring the humanity of every individual. Friday I did a story about a family who started a foundation to help provide musical instruments to low income kids. They did it in memory of a man who loved music more than anything, and died too young from a brain tumor. It's called Music 4 Jeremy's Cherubs; here is a link to the foundation's website:
CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY STORY about the foundation's recent donation to a local school.

My brother died in a car accident, and my family felt it was important to start a scholarship fund for kids going to college to study film, to keep Jason's memory alive through his biggest passion: movies. So I understand how helpful and rewarding it is for families to do these kinds of things in honor of their loved ones.

Soldiers Dream Come True

2009-08-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

A metro soldiers dream is coming true because Fox 4 viewers are helping make it happen. You might remember the story I did earlier this month about a soldier who wanted to bring Olathe's Patriots Run to Afghanistan, but needed help to get it done. Thanks to the story we did on Fox 4.... that help came pouring in. THIS is why I love my job... helping people do amazing things in their community:

CLICK HERE to see the story.

Woman from Afghanistan gets US business lessons

2009-08-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

Afghanistan is changing... things are improving in many ways. But the Afghan women are still struggling for equality. That became apparent to me when I was setting up this story, about an Afghan business woman who is working with a Lee's Summit woman who owns her own business, getting tips and lessons about things like setting up business plans. The Afghan woman didn't feel safe showing her face on tv though, because she said it's likely she could be beaten or killed if she went back to the states and someone recognized her. It's amazing to me that she's standing up to all the forces in her world that are telling her "no... you can't do this because you're a woman." But she's doing it anyway. It's a good reminder of all the things we take for granted as women in America.

CLICK HERE to see the story.

Ink Interview

2009-08-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Ink interviewed me for a story about "behind the blogs"

Here's the article (CLICK HERE) if you want to check it out!! Click on the links to check out other bloggers interviews too!!

And if you're a new reader, welcome!

Fighting for their Urban Farm

2009-08-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

I did this story yesterday about a farm called BadSeed Farm -- the property is in Kansas City off Bannister and State Line Road, and it's zoned for some agriculture use, even though it is in a residential area. The farmers have 125 different kinds of vegetables and herbs, and say they want to use the land to provide nutritious, organic food for themselves and others. There is actually an "urban farming" movement that is growing in popularity, and the farmers have a lot of support for what they're doing.

But some neighbors are upset saying it's gotten "out of hand." The garden is very large, but well maintained. The farmers call it natural and beautiful. But neighbors say it's not a personal garden, it's a commercial farm, because they sell the food from a storefront in the Crossroads.

But it's not the garden that has some people riled up. The neighbors are upset because there are three goats on the property, which they say isn't legal. Thursday morning, the farmers are going in front of an appeal board with the city, hoping to keep their goats.

CLICK HERE to see the story

THURSDAY UPDATE:
The city ruled against the farmers... saying they don't have the proper space needed for livestock. The goats will have to go within the next 7 days. For now, their garden is legally within the zoning requirement, but I've heard rumblings that the city may be looking further into that too. The farmer's fight may not be over yet.

Military Innovations in Leavenworth

2009-08-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

Fort Leavenworth will have an important role in developing the latest technology for soldiers in the field. The new Edge Innovation Center opened Tuesday in Leavenworth. It's the fourth Edge location in the country, and the group is already developing technology that helps soldiers do their jobs, and can even save lives. The next great innovative idea could come from soldiers in Leavenworth.

CLICK HERE to see the story.

Soldier on a Mission

2009-08-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

Today I got to witness a very happy homecoming... a soldier being reunited with his family after a long deployment. But after a few hugs and kisses... he was a man on a mission. He's one of the organizers of the local Patriot's Run that takes place on 9-11 in Olathe. When he was deployed in Iraq he started a race there. Now that he's back from Afghanistan, he's got people there fired up about doing a race. But there's no budget for it, and it's coming down to the wire.... he needs sponsors... he needs money... he needs shirts printed and shipped. He figures he has about ten days to round up support for this run in Afghanistan, or it might not happen.

How about it Kansas City? Know anyone who can help?

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY and read about why this is so important to him.

Ink Interview

2009-08-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

Monica Watrous from Ink (a KC Star publication) just interviewed me for a story about local bloggers. It was strange (and fun too!) for me to be an interviewee instead of the interviewer! I'm looking forward to seeing how the story comes together, and I'll make sure to post a link here when they publish it.

Former KC cult TV icon in the news

2009-08-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

People who grew up in KC know "Uncle Ed" from the Channel 41 Treehouse show for kids back in the 70s and early 80s. But they may not know he left KC for Florida in the early 80s, and he was convicted of sexual battery of a 14 year-old boy in 1986. He now lives in South Carolina, and a local blogger Midtown Miscreant is raising concerns about Ed's youtube site... because it seems to be attracting kids. If you want to see the youtube site for yourself, you can find a link on MM's website.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY I did with MM's Mark Smith about his blog and his concerns about Uncle Ed's access to kids.

A trio of interesting stories

2009-07-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

I worked on a couple of interesting stories this week.

First, police are now working with a new tool that they hope will prevent domestic violence victims from becoming homicide victims:

CLICK HERE to see the story.
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A local woman who started an orphanage in Africa is working to get local kids involved in helping those kids half a world away. And over the weekend, some orphans got the chance to tell those caring kids, "thanks."

CLICK HERE for that story.
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And today, a story about neighbors working to help out neighbors. In an economic slump, people who lost their job may not be able to spend money on upkeep of their home. Neighborhood associations are recognizing that and hoping people take advantage of tool lending library programs:

CLICK HERE for that story.

KC Bands playing the blues

2009-07-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

Some local musicians are worried that a music industry crack down on bands will stifle live music events in Kansas City. Actually, I believe he says it will "kill" live music in Kansas City.

They say BMI (a group that says it collects fees to pay musicians for performance of their work) is demanding large fees from small businesses, even without proof that copyright law has been broken. But BMI says it is just enforcing the law.

CLICK HERE to see the story

Storm Destroys Animal Shelter

2009-06-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

People in Drexel are still recovering from the storm earlier this week, but the local animal shelter fears it can't recover. Warm Fuzzys needs to get all 25 cats new homes, because the storm blew the trailer off its foundation, and it is too unstable to house the cats. The damage to the building was so bad, they think it will have to be demolished, and since insurance didn't cover the building, their rescue shelter days are over. That is unless someone can help them.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE STORY ON THE Fox 4 website if you can't see the video embed below:

WANT TO HELP??
www.WarmFuzzys.org

POWERLESS

2009-06-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, I did a story about a freak accident causing a major power outage in St Joe. About 50-thousand homes and businesses were without power for almost two hours:

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY on the Fox 4 website

2009-06-11T21:37:00.001-07:00

I was in Lawrence yesterday covering the theft and vandalism of some fairly rare and valuable books on the KU Campus Watson Library. Hard to believe there's a market for illustrations and maps STOLEN OUT OF BOOKS!! That seems strange to me. You'd think being removed from the book would lessen its value, but what do I know. Just kind of sad to see taxpayer dollars wasted because of someone's selfishness.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE STORY if you can't watch the embedded video below:

More coverage of Tiller murder

2009-06-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

I talked to a former friend of Roeder's who fanned the flames of some of the pro-life rhetoric going around now about Tiller's murder, namely that it's "a shame it didn't happen sooner." It's not included in the story, but I did ask her about the pro-life groups denouncing Tiller's death and she said that because they profit from abortion being in existence, they don't really want it abolished, and that's why they sympathize with Tiller.

My story also included our interview with the KCK clinic employee who was also familiar with Roeder, from his protests at the clinic. He carries a gun and said if "they" want to take this fight to the streets, he's ready to do that.

Today's story kind of worried me about the future of any abortion dialog in this country.

CLICK HERE to see the story

Tiller Coverage

2009-06-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

Dr. George Tiller, an abortion doctor well known throughout the country because he performed controversial late-term abortions, was shot in the head and killed Sunday. He was an usher at his church, when witnesses say a man walked up to him and ended his life. I went to Wichita today for a follow up story.
You can watch it by CLICKING HERE

What's the buzz?

2009-05-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

Swarming Bees on the Plaza... The Bee expert I talked to says the good news is a bee swarm isn't in a "stinging mood" -- they're just looking for a new home for their Queen. The video still creeps me out :-)

Link to the story CLICKING HERE

Bad to the Bone

2009-05-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

I recently did a special in-depth sweeps story about dog behavior problems called "Bad to the Bone." This was an important topic to me because it was a dog behavior expert who helped me save my dog. She was a rescue from a breeder kennel, and she was very nervous and peed in her kennel every single day, but refused to walk on a leash. This expert explained to me that since Madeline spent so much time in a kennel that probably had no bottom (so her waste fell through the holes) so now she thinks the kennel is broken and not her. He helped train me how to walk her on a leash without her fighting me the whole time and said that I should walk her everyday before she goes in her kennel. Four years later and Maddie and I are still going on our daily walks, and it's very rewarding for me to know I gave her a better life.

Even when I was in tears about my own problem, I never wanted to take Maddie back to the shelter. "Boomerang" animals are a huge problem in shelters, and often once an animal is returned, it makes it very difficult to adopt again. Experts like the ones I spoke to in my story can help people work with their new pet, to make sure both owner and animal are happy with their new living arrangement. I know adopting a dog can often seem like a daunting challenge, but with some love and dedication and sometimes expert advice, you too can give a shelter animal a better home.

I'm not sure if the video embed is working, so I've also included links to the story on Fox4kc.com here:

Part 1 (click here to link to the story on Fox4kc.com)

Part 2 (click here to link to Part 2)

How much is life worth?

2009-05-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

A St Joseph man is dead... investigators say someone paid a hit man two-thousand dollars to have him killed.

Wild Courtroom Drama

2009-03-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

I went to the Cass County Courthouse today for what I thought would be a pretty typical arraignment. I was in the front row and watched as the defendant listened to the judge read the charges against him. But then two men walked past a bailiff and punched the defendant and then started kicking him. Five or six deputies rushed in and regained control of the courtroom. We didn't have approval for a camera in the courtroom, but our camera outside the courtroom caught much of the drama as it unfolded. Check out the story:

A Special Friend

2009-02-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

This was a sweet story I did with Jon Haiduk on Thursday. A little girl gets a special new friend:

Kansas Showdown

2009-02-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, the state of Kansas almost sent their budget into grid-lock, because Republicans and Democrats couldn't agree about how to go about paying their bills, since their main account was almost out of money. It was a lot of political posturing, and here's how it ended:

PS... Sebelius is also on a short list for possible Obama cabinet position, so keep your eyes on her in the future.

Looking for Love...

2009-02-13T22:28:00.000-08:00

Website helps lonely farmers find love

Catholic School Closing

2009-02-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

Parents are agonizing over what to do now that Our Lady of Peace Catholic School is closing at the end of the school year. After more than 60 years, the neighborhood near the school at 105th and Grandview Rd in Kansas City is changing and enrollment is sinking. Some parents said they moved to the neighborhood because it was close to this school, and now they're sad to see the school close its doors for good.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE STORY

Opera Idol

2009-02-11T00:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. Fox 4 now has a new website, so I wasn't posting anything for awhile, because I knew the old website was going to expire and I didn't want to post bad links. So change your bookmarks to Fox4KC.com

So here's your first link to one of my stories on our new site.
A Blue Springs man is about to take center stage at the biggest opera competition in the US. You could call it the American Idol of the opera world. Especially apropos since he's an old high school buddy of David Cook, last year's American Idol winner.

CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY

Someone was listening

2008-12-05T00:36:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most moving stories I have ever been apart of.

I told you on Monday about the deaf man and his mom who lost everything because of thieves and then a house fire. One of his hearing aids was destroyed in the fire. A local audiologist stepped forward to donate a new pair of hearing aids for Ricky. But these are state of the art digital hearing aids, so Ricky is hearing better than he ever has before.

Watching Ricky hear his mom for the first time... really HEAR her and not need to read her lips.... it was a powerful moment.

CLICK HERE to watch the story

Hear their plea

2008-12-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday was a very bad day for a Kansas City family. First thieves steal from them. Then some kind of electric short starts a fire in the house. A woman and her deaf son lost everything in just one day. They didn't have renter's insurance, so now they're struggling to get back on their feet. Plus, her son uses two hearing aids, one was destroyed in the fire and the other is not working quite right.

CLICK HERE for a link to the story, and click on the video link to watch the story.

The good news is that since the story aired, I have been getting many emails with suggestions of organizations to contact and also people wanting to donate money to pay for the new hearing aids. Generosity... it warms my heart.

Wild Thing

2008-11-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

Why in the world was an African Serval cat wandering around a wooded area in Kansas City's Northland??? Is this a pet that escaped? A pet that got too big and someone dumped it? A bad pet owner who thought it would be funny to turn an African wild cat loose in the city? This is such a strange story, I just had to share it:

CLICK HERE to link to the article, then click on the video link to watch my story

Blowing in the wind

2008-11-14T00:02:00.000-08:00

My sweeps story about wind energy and the turbines that are powering the future of the midwest:

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY

Fighting for charity

2008-11-13T23:48:00.000-08:00

Firefighters and police officers will raise their gloves and battle it out this weekend, all in the name of charity:

CLICK HERE TO WATH THE STORY

History's New Future

2008-11-13T00:11:00.000-08:00

The Black Archives of Mid-America are the considered the most comprehensive collection of African American History and Heritage in the midwest. But for years many worried the collection would be lost forever. Taxes were left unpaid and state paperwork was never filed. But now there's a new donation, and dedication to bringing the Black Archives a new home.

CLICK HERE to see the story

Veterans and Suicide

2008-11-11T22:49:00.001-08:00

Many Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are fighting for their country, and then coming back home to painful memories, nightmares, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Mental Health experts say the military is not preparing veterans for their return, and a third of them suffer from mental health problems after returning from war. Now they're committing suicide at an alarming rate.

Click here to watch the story

Brooke Investigation

2008-11-10T23:45:00.000-08:00

I spent a little more than two months working on this story. It's probably the most intense investigation I've ever worked on, because every time you'd peel off one layer of the onion, there would be 10 more layers underneath.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE STORY

The main video is my investigation, and then the sidebar video is the story I did today talking about the current state of Brooke. The Special Master in charge basically says there's nothing left to do to save Brooke, and at this point they're just winding down operations to close up shop for good.

Music cures the blues...

2008-11-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

....but not serious illness.

This is a story I did on Friday night about a musician, her fight for her life, and her desire to help others who might one day find themselves in her situation:

CLICK HERE to watch the story about Abigail Henderson

CLICK HERE to learn about the event and how you can help Abigail

Finally coming home

2008-11-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

A local man's helicopter came under fire, and crashed against a hillside in Vietnam 40 years ago. Now finally, the remains have been identified, and Lance Cpl. Kurt La Plant is going to have a proper burial at Arlington Cemetery in Washington DC. His mother says it's hard going through all these emotions again, 40 years after she already grieved for her son. Especially because this process of identifying the remains has dragged on for more than a year. But she's also happy because this is all to honor him, and she knows he would have appreciated that.

CLICK HERE to see the story.

ELECTION 08

2008-11-06T01:04:00.001-08:00

So if you're not on board with twitter.com yet, it's basically like a mini blog. Instead of crafting a well-written blog, you can just sort of blurt out whatever is on your mind. They call it "micro-blogging." You can follow me on twitter under the username TessK.

Tuesday, I was kind of busy working, but managed to blurt out a few things.
Here is a collection of my twitters from ELECTION 2008:

Got in line to vote, wait was going to be 1 1/2 hours. But then some guy said 'names h-o this way' & it was a line with 2 people in it. Wow.

Got my free chick filet with I Voted sticker. Line was long but moved fast. Now off to get free Starbucks. List of free stuff on myfoxkc.com

Hey natl news: MO cities always report later than rural areas. It will be too close to call until STL and KC report

The crowd goes wild as cnn calls Ohio

I twittered a couple of other things that apparently got lost in a technology mess.... but I remember saying something about "I will always remember where I was at this moment. the announcement of "President Barack Obama" on the loudspeaker, and then the roar of the crowd."

CLICK HERE to watch my interview with Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver as he discusses the historic significance of Barack Obama's run for the White House.

AND NOW WEDNESDAY... the election is over.

Hope hangover. My friend Bob's account of the watch party we attended last night: http://tinyurl.com/6jtv4a

CLICK HERE to see my story from the day after the election, as a church group in Kansas City celebrates this historic victory for Obama and for civil rights.

I keep hearing people say we woke up to a new day, a new America. I don't want the sun to set on all this Hope. The rays feel nice on my face.

Sign Swapping

2008-10-07T22:02:00.000-07:00

A Riverside man has been driving his neighbors crazy. He's got an Obama sign out in front of his house one day... then the McCain one is out the next day. He's an amateur artist and the signs are his own creation. He says he's the quintessential undecided voter, and changes the signs whenever his leaning changes. And he also enjoys the fact that he's the talk of the breakfast crowd at the local Corner Cafe down the street. Sometimes he'll leave one candidates picture up with the other candidates name... just to make people wonder.

This story was so much fun to shoot because Jeff was so funny... he had me and photographer Steve in stitches the entire time we were there. He said anyone who doesn't like his sign flip flopping can "just go paint their own signs."

CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY

Halloween is coming...

2008-10-06T21:46:00.001-07:00

halloween
Originally uploaded by TessK

I stumbled across this online article today and I really enjoyed looking at kids home-made Halloween costumes. See, I was actually pretty worried that a home-made costume was a fading tradition. Why bother making something when you can buy some cheap plastic garbage bag with Spider man on it?? I mean, it comes with a cheap plastic mask!!

My mom made our Halloween costumes every year. I have very fond memories of Halloween and I know that some of those fond memories are because we always had fun coming up with some wacky Halloween costume. I was two when my mom plopped a popcorn bowl on my head and called it R2D2. I think I was four the year mom dressed me up in a wig and make-up and bam! you've got Olive Oil. One year I was a princess with a big tall blue princess hat, and it poured rain Halloween night. The blue cardboard hat left a blue ring stain on my blonde hair. Ahhh... memories. Yeah, I know they didn't look perfect, but nothing you can buy in a store will beat my popcorn bowl R2D2.

Deaf KU Soccer Star

2008-10-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

A KU women's soccer player is the first deaf student-athlete on campus. She's a star on the team because of her amazing scoring ability, but she's never heard the crowd cheer for her.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY

Weeding out controversy

2008-10-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Local Botanical Garden gets caught up in the middle of some political "dirt."

According to the Chicago Sun Times, back in 2001, then State Senator Barack Obama gave some grant money to a supporter to build a garden, and that garden never got built. The Illinois Attorney General is now investigating. The Garden is called "Englewood Botanical Garden."

Thing is, there's an Englewood Botanical Garden here in Independence, Missouri. And when you do a Google search for "Englewood Botanical Garden" the local garden's website is one of the first to show up. So... guess who has been getting a bunch of angry phone calls the last several days?? Russ Lawrence wanted to talk about it today, to set the record straight:

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE STORY

Cats Killed

2008-09-30T23:51:00.000-07:00

It's bad enough that a Lawrence neighborhood is coping with the pain of losing three families pets in three weeks. But the Lawrence Humane Society says it's part of a disturbing pattern: a significant rise in animal cruelty cases in the area.

Click here to see the story

Guilty

2008-09-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

A woman was convicted today in a murder for hire plot. She conspired to kill her own husband. The case is more than three years old now, because it took that long for the evidence to fall into place.

I remember covering this murder when it first happened, and Jeremy Warrior's uncle told me back then that he thought Jeremy's wife was involved in his nephew's death. Jeremy was a hard working man, lived a good life, stayed away from drugs and violence. He had discussed divorcing his wife because she was cheating on him. Now she's convicted of first degree murder and conspiring to kill him to get his life insurance money. So many lives ruined.

Click here to see the story

A rising star

2008-09-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

I always like to celebrate others successes. It's just good karma.

So when I opened up my Apple iTunes email on Tuesday and saw that the featured artist of the week was a Kansas City band, I was so pleased for them. Yesterday, I got to meet them and do a story about their recent successes... if you'd like to see the story CLICK HERE

Acrobatic Airplanes

2008-09-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

So some people probably saw my Twitter about flying in a small acrobatic airplane trying to paint 9-11 in the sky? It didn't work out so well because it was cloudy and rainy.... but anyway....

HERE'S THE STORY

Tail Date

2008-09-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

So you're single and dating and having trouble meeting Mr or Ms Right? A single guy in Kansas City tried a unique approach. He needed a date for the Chiefs game this weekend, so his marketing mind came up with TailDating. he advertised on his blog and the internet responded. Will Bob Roth find true love on his Tail Date?

CHECK OUT THE STORY HERE

Church Arson

2008-09-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

You know that saying "there's a special place in hell for...."
Yes it's cliche. But I think it's an appropriate cliche for the person responsible for setting this 102 year-old church on fire:

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY

AND.....
This marks the second day in a row I've covered a church falling victim to criminals.
Yesterday's story was about gang graffiti marking another community church:

CLICK HERE to watch that story.

Ted White Civil Trial

2008-08-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

I was the first in Kansas City to report on the efforts to free a man from jail, wrongly convicted of child molestation. I was there for his re-trial, and when a jury acquitted him, freeing him from prison three years ago. But Ted White says his real freedom came today, when a jury awarded him 16 million dollars for what he went through. He did a one on one interview with me about what he calls his "vindication."

CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY

Help for autistic kids

2008-08-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Parents of autistic children know how complicated it can be to find therapies or medications that work. But a couple in Kansas says their sons life has changed for the better ever since he got a new best friend: his therapy dog named Coop.

CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY (click on the video link)

A common problem with autistic children is they have a hard time connecting with people, and a hard time communicating. But Coop doesn't require a lot of conversation. Simple commands will do just fine. And it's not hard to have a special connection with a dog who is always there for you, by your side, supporting you and protecting you. It's no wonder why this program is such a success. It may not help every autistic child, but it's certainly an option for parents as they struggle with this incredibly complicated disease.

Emmy Nomination

2008-08-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

A story that I did with photographer Jon Haiduk got nominated for a regional Emmy. It's a huge honor to be nominated.

If you want to see the story CLICK HERE and click on the video link to watch the story.

And as a special bonus to you, my loyal readers, here is some video of me getting tossed around in a Hummer. This footage was taken also at Ft Riley while we were out shooting our story, but it didn't make the cut in the story.

Woman fired for showing mastectomy scars

2008-08-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

I recently interviewed a woman who is suing Children's Mercy Hospital, although she called herself the "reluctant plaintiff." Lisa says she isn't the suing type, but she was very upset when she got fired from her job at CMH. See, she's a breast cancer survivor, and throughout her recovery process, she had a core group of co-workers who were very supportive of her. After she went through a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, they wanted to see her scars and post-operative tattoos, and learn about what she went through. So Lisa says she took them into a private room and showed them. Someone who wasn't there found out about it and complained. Lisa got fired for "exposing her breasts" in the workplace.

Lisa felt what she did was educating her fellow women, and celebrating her recovery from breast cancer. The hospital wouldn't comment because of the pending lawsuit, but one would imagine their argument is that they were following hospital rules. It's an interesting case.

Click here to see the story.

Stalking Laws get some teeth

2008-08-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

Imagine being threatened, harassed, living in fear of physical harm. On top of that you feel you have no where to turn, because the courts won't do anything to protect you from your stalker. Imagine dealing with all that, and you're only 15 years old.

One family has been living with that reality for the last two years. The teenager's stalker has never been charged with a crime, despite many incidents happening in front of witnesses. But now they hope a new stalking law in Kansas will change things, and put the law on their side.

Click here for the story.

Now Hiring: Vampires and Ghosts

2008-08-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

August. To some it's the end of summer. To others, it's the beginning of the Haunted House season. KC's haunted houses are well known throughout the country, and right now they're looking for a few good ghosts and goblins.

Check out the story here.

The Good and The Bad

2008-08-04T21:58:00.001-07:00

How does a simple story about a program donating air conditioners turn into an emotional experience?

Click here for a link to the text of my story.... But to understand why this story effected me so much you really need to
click on the video link to WATCH the story.

Here's some information that the story doesn't go into:
26 Years ago, Wanda was a single mother of two elementary aged kids when she got word that her two year old nephew was going to be taken into state custody. A severe case of child abuse left him with brain damage and he's a quadriplegic. Wanda says she prayed to God, asking for guidance. This child was abandoned by so many people in his life, but Wanda stepped in to raise him as if he was her own child. That alone would be an admirable quality in a person, but the fact is Milan was in need of very special care. If Milan refuses to eat, she has to hook up his feeding tube. He has a shunt in his head to drain fluid from his brain so his brain doesn't swell up. He can't speak, but Wanda has figured out how to interpret his noises and she says "he speaks with his eyes."

When you look at the video, remind yourself that Milan was once a happy, healthy two year old child. Now know this: Wanda tells me the man that did this to Milan never spent a DAY behind bars. His mother didn't want to press charges. It was agonizing for me to hear, but Wanda doesn't seem angry about this fact at all. It's just reality. And she's right. All these years later, what good would it do to be angry about it? Putting him in jail won't turn back time and change what happened to Milan.

I was so humbled and touched by Wanda's devotion to Milan. I find myself overwhelmed that a horrible act of violence turned into an incredible act of kindness, that is now truly a life of kindness.

As I left her home, all I could think of to say was "you're an angel...."
And I am sure that she is... especially to Milan.

Gaming Junkies

2008-07-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

So here's an interesting story I spent months working on, and it finally aired Thursday for sweeps.

When is playing video games a fun hobby and when is it an addiction? The medical community is debating that issue right now, and some psychologists believe gaming is just as addictive as drugs or alcohol. The doctor I talked to is a gambling expert and says video games are set up with the same type of reward system that gambling has. The more you play, the more you want to play, the more you need to play.

But he says the most important reason why video game addiction should be considered a mental disorder is so more study will be done on treatment and people needing treatment would be eligible for insurance coverage.

I think it's an interesting debate. I'm sure everyone has their own opinion about it. When I was in college, I got so hooked on a Tetris game on my computer that I would dream in Tetris. But it never got to an extreme point where it was impacting other parts of my life. If someone had an obsessive personality though, I could see how that would happen.

Watch the story by clicking here.

Or you can read the text of the story by clicking here.

Putting Citizens to the Test

2008-07-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

So I did a pretty fun story recently. I went to a class where immigrants are preparing to take their naturalization test. We borrowed some flash cards, and then hit the streets to ask every day people if they knew the answers... if US Citizens would be able to pass the test people have to take to become a US CItizen.

I thought it was pretty interesting, and it generated a lot of traffic on the web.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY

MADD is angry

2008-06-18T13:03:00.001-07:00

Mothers Against Drunk Driving confronted a Lake Lotawana city alderman at a meeting last night about his comments at a previous meeting. He said he wanted police to lay off the drunk driving patrols near bars in the city.

READ THE STORY HERE Or click on the video link to watch it.

I will add that I have been working in this business in one capacity or another for about 11 years and this is the first time a public official tried to tell me I can't have my camera at a public meeting. I told him he could call the police if he wanted to, but I wasn't going to leave.

Thanks!!

2008-06-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to John at Bottom Line Communications for the mention about my award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It was a really nice write up, which you can read here.

Awards are nice

2008-06-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

So I guess I've won a "major award" as they would say in "A Christmas Story." MADD has announced that I won their Missouri media award for 2008. I'm the sole winner from all the print, radio, and TV media in the state, so it's a very nice honor, and I'm pleased they thought of me.

This is one if the stories where I worked with MADD recently. The video link is on that page or you can click here for a direct link to the video.

Sound the alarm

2008-06-05T22:23:00.001-07:00

My neighbor got to be on TV today, after she tipped me off to some pushy sales people in our neighborhood.

Turns out these sales people have been hitting the streets all over the metro, and it's concerning to the KC Crime Prevention Assoc.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY and the video of my neighbor's cute dog.

Queen Bee

2008-06-02T23:36:00.001-07:00

Today I talked to the 12 year-old who is a much better speller than I am. We joked at work that we should hire her to check all of our scripts.

Read and watch the story here

I bet she rocks at Scrabble too.

Our American Idol

2008-05-22T01:09:00.000-07:00

Kansas City area native David Cook won American Idol. Cook spent years slugging away in the local bar scene with his band before being plucked from obscurity. He's earned his rock and roll stripes, and I think that's why I like this story. He wasn't just an overnight sensation. His combination of hard work and talent paid off.

I covered the watch party that took place near his hometown:

WATCH THE STORY HERE (I'm after John Holt's live shot)

And yes, my voice is sore.

Energy of Hope helps children in Africa

2008-05-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

I did a special in-depth report for sweeps about a Missouri college student who started an African orphanage in her spare time and now works to support about 20 kids.
And you thought you were busy in college.

CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY.

Eminent Domain Fight

2008-05-07T01:27:00.000-07:00

How do you fight "the man?" Sometimes, it requires a change in the law. Some people in Missouri fighting what they call Eminent Domain "abuse" are hoping their petition to change state law makes it on the November ballot.

Click here for the story (and click on the video section to watch the story)

Midwest Storms

2008-05-06T01:07:00.000-07:00

I live in the Midwest. It's not a surprise to folks from here that we have storms. Friday, a tornado touched down north of the river, which is close enough to me to make me nervous, but far enough away that I wasn't really impacted personally.

Click here for my story from Friday.

Click here to see Monday's follow up story.

Barter your Business

2008-05-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

With a slumping economy, people are looking for ways to stretch their business' budget. And that means more people are turning to an age-old practice of bartering, but now it's been updated for the 21st Century.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY AND CLICK THE VIDEO SECTION TO WATCH THE STORY.

Precious Pendant Stolen

2008-04-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

When I pitched this story today, one of my bosses kind of yawned. It's a burglary, who cares? The thing is my parents house was broken into about a year ago now, and all of my mother's jewelry was stolen. Most of it was actually HER mother's jewelry. None of it was expensive, none of it was valuable, but it was all invaluable to her. Some of the items stolen were my mom's jewelry that I remembered playing dress up with when I was a little kid. The sense of violation when someone steals something from you is incredible. But then to have the stolen items be something so personal....

Let's just say that I could relate to this Lee's Summit couple who had 10-thousand dollars worth of jewelry stolen from their home. But there's only one thing they really want back:

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE STORY

National Convention is in KC...

2008-04-24T01:11:00.001-07:00

You probably don't know it, but there's a national political convention here in Kansas City this week. It's for the Constitution Party, who are preparing to pick their presidential nominee. And if you don't know a lot about the party... perhaps you should.
LOOK AT MY STORY TO FIND OUT WHY.

Preschool Suddenly Shut Down

2008-04-21T23:01:00.000-07:00

Parents learned today that their preschool was closing down. They went to the church, where the school is housed, and tried to get answers from the church staff. The church staff called the police. I was there for the whole thing.

CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY
(This is the text version; click on the video to watch the story.)

Bullet Parts Stolen from the Army

2008-04-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

Some guys find out the hard way that it's a bad idea to steal from the army. They now face 30 years in federal prison, charged with "sabotage of war materials." They're accused of stealing copper parts from an ammunition plant, parts used to make bullets. It wasn't an anti-war statement. They allegedly sold the copper for salvage and got more than 45-thousand bucks for their trouble.

I actually drove to Moberly, MO for this story. It's about 2 hours 20 minutes one way drive. Yeah, Rachel and I were sick of being in the car by the end of the day today.

CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY (click on the video to watch my story)

It's a Tuesday two-fer

2008-04-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

Basic rule of TV is that kids and PUPPIES make great TV. This story is about 25 dogs that faced death and lived to tell about it.

And the other story I did today:

A family lost every single thing they own in just 30 seconds.
I can't imagine what heartless person would steal someone's baby pictures.

Flippin for Gold

2008-03-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

Some metro athletes are bringing home gold medals in sports acrobatics, and hoping it will one day soon become an Olympic sport.

I had to do this story in a hurry, so I'm not really happy with how I wrote it. But these girls are amazing... you have to check them out.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE STORY

Why are they protesting?

2008-03-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

Why are masked people protesting in front of the Church of Scientology?

WATCH MY STORY HERE

Flu Epidemic

2008-03-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

A sad story tonight about a mother taken from her family, after a bad flu takes a turn for the worse. She was only 42 years-old and had three kids (including a 20 month old baby.)

WATCH THE STORY HERE

It's a good reminder for those people who resist going to the doctor... sometimes it's a life or death decision.

Boating While Intoxicated

2008-02-28T21:20:00.000-08:00

A woman's death sparks her family to fight for justice, and a change in the law about boating while intoxicated.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STORY
And click on the video link to watch my story.

Learning about the past

2008-02-26T21:14:00.000-08:00

A KCK High School wanted to teach kids about what it was like to live in segregated America. So they divided students into "light skinned" and "dark skinned" students, and the light skinned kids could only use certain water fountains and bathrooms and enter through certain doors. Another reporter covered the story dayside, and talked to some of the kids who organized the whole thing. I followed up nightside, talking to more students.

CLICK HERE to see the story

People helping people

2008-02-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

I did a story last night about a program that helps families make ends meet, reducing grocery bills.
It's a faith-based program, with USDA support, but it's open to ANYONE and EVERYONE, regardless of income. And there are sites all across the country.

LINK TO STORY HERE
(CLICK on the VIDEO link to watch the story)

Old Links

2008-02-23T12:54:00.000-08:00

Now that I can post links again, here are some old links to stories I enjoyed in the last couple of months (these links were all broken on the old blog):

Chocolatier makes Valentine's Day sweet

Missouri man sues WBNA... says "they stole my idea"

Small town football powerhouse breaks records

Tattoo convention in KC

Camp encourages kids with disabilities to dance

Tornado Ravaged Greensburg, KS: High School Graduation

I think that pretty much gets ya caught up.
Oh, and this too:

Here's my video bio

My work

2008-02-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

So... hi again. I had hoped that my myspace blog would serve as a way to show my friends and family what stories I've been working on, especially when there's a story I think they'd be interested in or a story I just enjoyed doing. But MySpace has this nasty habit of breaking links to MyFoxKC.com (where my stories would be posted.) Since the links don't work there, I thought I would try posting the links here on blogger instead.

SO... tonight I did a story about an urban swim team that is now treading water to stay alive. Its funding source is being forced to make cuts, and the swim team is on the list of cuts. The only thing that could save the team now is private donors stepping in.

LINK TO THE STORY HERE

2006-04-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

Feel free to view my blog any time ya like....
http://blog.myspace.com/tesamalu