Welcome Back!

Man, am I happy to be back working the weekends again. See that's how you can tell that I am not quite right. I actually WANT to work on Friday and Saturday nights!

For me, the weekends are far more enjoyable than the weekdays. The primary reason being (as I have bitched about this before, if you already know, skip to the next paragraph) that I don't have to drive a fucking live truck at all on Saturday and not till later on Sunday - even though I do now drive the live truck all night long ever since being 'complained to' (a/k/a bitched at) for having to switch trucks. Secondly, Saturday there is no show, so there is no producers, which means I have tons of freedom and I don't have to check out every single crash and reported 'fire in a building' (a/k/a pot on the stove). Sunday I have Adorable Producer #3 (AP3) Ressa, but she knows I know my job and doesn't bother me.

Weekends are usually busier too. More robbers and more tourists and more drinking combines for a gaggle of interesting and sometimes sad news stories. I enjoy it when it's busy, as the night goes by a lot faster. And while that might be harsh, I tend to think that this stuff would happen to people anyway, so what's wrong with wanting it to happen when I am working?

The picture to the right was from the only big news on Saturday. Dude and his girlfriend (who was downright disgusting) was walking into the Seamless Ultra Lounge (which I am assuming is Las Vegas speak for 'classy titty bar', since that's what Seamless is...). Some dude walks up to them, demands the victims bling. Old boy tells robber to fornicate himself. Robber, at point blank range, shoots victim in the fucking shoulder...

Now, I'm glad that the guy is going to be okay, but how, at five feet, can you miss and hit someone in the shoulder? This robber should be ashamed of himself.

Tonight started off sad. There was a single car accident that night side covered, but the police were not being very forthcoming and giving any information. Later, after I started, I hear some homicide guys on the radio, and eventually METRO's Fatal Detail (for fatal car accidents). I pondered what could be up, so I called John Farrell. No, not the lovable scamp from News 3, but the METRO Lieutenant who was watch commander Saturday night that shares the same name. Both good Irish names.

Back on topic, it turns out that a poor 81 year old lady got ran over by her own car somehow. The police at first thought it was suspicious, so homicide came out. They interviewed her son and some neighbors and found that no one would EVER want this nice old lady dead. They declared it an accident, so Fatal came out to take over the investigation. I zipped by to get the info we didn't have from Sgt. McDonald (not Ronald, even though that would be kind of cool) and headed back to the station.

As soon as I got back I hear a report of a stabbing up in North Las Vegas. I throw the tape I just shot at AP3 and bolt out the door. It wasn't TOO far away, maybe I can get there and get an ambulance shot!

I couldn't. I did get some video and then the unthinkable happened. North Las Vegas police moved me!

Northtown NEVER moves the media. In fact, I think that Northtown would let us walk right up to the bodies if it wouldn't hinder their investigation. NLVPD has to be the most media friendly police department on the planet. In fact, the PIO called my station to let us know that it turned into a homicide and that he was enroute and we should send a crew.

PIO must have forgotten who he was dealing with here. (HA!) It's interesting though, NLVPD and NHP (Nevada Highway Patrol) have PIO's who will call the stations if there is news. Almost makes it pointless to listen to the scanners! Of course, by the time the PIO is called out, all the flashing lights and interesting video has disappeared, so it's still a good idea to listen and roll ASAP.

While on the homicide, the NLV Watch Commander informed me that there was a serious accident up in the north end of the city. After I got some info from the PIO on this, myself and 13 who had finally arrived went to the crash. Apparently a woman was ejected and now she was reported to be paralyzed.

Well, that was bullshit! We arrive and the cops are like "Oops, we meant she was fine. Just released from the hospital." Oh well, I guess I'd rather be given bad news tips from the cops than no news tips!

Sol and I headed off to Triple Play for lunch (I, as usual, had the Philly Cheesesteak!). Not too long afterwards there was a report of an accident where a car caught fire. The occupant was out, so I really wasn't that interested, but I heard the Fatal unit guys beginning to log on, so I headed that way.

What seemed boring at first was really interesting. Let's preface this by saying that the occupant will be fine.

Apparently, according to police conversations that I probably wasn't supposed to hear, some woman was coming down the road at 100+ MPH. Now, as you can see in the picture, there is a hole in the middle of the road. This part of the road is actually a bridge over a flood canal. There are guard rails on the side, but none in the middle.

She seems to have some how driven right into the gap and into the hole. According to witnesses, she pulled a Dukes of Hazzard and went airborne for 108 feet before slamming into the side of the flood canal. Her windshield and quite a bit of junk that was in her car was blown out an additional 50 feet!

Three people who hear the crash came down and saw the car on fire and the woman trapped. They jumped to her rescue and pulled her out moments before the gas tank exploded!

As for the guard rail, unofficial comments lead me to believe that at her speed, if there was a guard rail protecting the gap, it would have certainly killed her. I do find it interesting, being that this bridge is right after a curve in the road, that (at least since Feb 05) no one else has plummeted down there.

Maybe that's why there's no guard rail? It will be an interesting follow up, but alas not for me, as it's 9:00 AM and time for me to go home!

Tonight I go back to my job as the utility photog - the third wheel as it is - for our shaken up morning show (we lost our main anchor for unknown reason, our female anchor was moved to noon and the anchor they hired for the 4:00 show was moved to our show, AND the sports reporter was promoted to anchoring our show). Hopefully I will be kept busy! If not, there's always Starbucks!