Tax Time! (booo!) 4/14/2008

Yes friends, it’s that time again.

I don’t think I’ve ever waited this long to do my taxes.

But here I am, planning to go to the library, the night before the tax deadline. (I don’t have the Internet at home. Or a working computer, for that matter.)

Taxes really just aren’t my thing.

I’m not sure why I waited this long, but if I think back to my days in school (ok, it’s really not that long ago)… this is nothing new! I’m a procrastinator by nature.

I’m perpetually losing things as well. So I just found my W-2 form in the stack of papers on my desk.

Thank goodness I’m living in a digital age, where I can just type in my numbers, and some service will figure it out. I’m also pretty bad at math, so this could get ugly if I had to calculate it all out myself.

By the time I actually have enough going on in my life to have to worry about deductions and all those other things… hopefully I’ll have a better idea of what I’m doing with this stuff.

Because right now, I’m just trying to beat the deadline!

Do you have any crazy tax stories?

Respond to Alison's blog here:

I was hopeful to see you back with chad today but he was not there. I hope to see yall sometime this week . I think yall do a great job during your midafternoon show and you keep me and my husband laughing.
Theresa R.
Wisconsin Rapids

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Manatee Mania! (3/31/2008)

Sorry for the delay… if you watched any of our newscasts last week, you know we’ve been very busy. Unfortunately, it’s been a lot of sad, bizarre and tragic news. So here’s hoping we get some happier happenings this week!

Anyway, I’m still going through all my vacation pictures, but as promised, here’s the manatee!

My dad and I went to a place called Manatee Park before they dropped me at the airport, and we figured that would be a good place to see some manatees. The name is a good clue.

So we stared at the water for a while.

Then we finally saw one!

It just came up for a second to breathe.

And then it was gone!

So I was thrilled and satisfied.

And today, my mom emailed me this picture!

See, if the manatees get too used to people, they start hanging around them more. This means they’ll be in places with a lot of boat traffic, and they get slashed with propellers. (Most of them have several of those big white scars.)

So yay for safe manatees and blog updates.

I’ll keep you up to date on my plans to adopt a sea cow.

Respond to Alison's blog here:

Hi Alison,hpoe you had fun in florida.I hope that warm followed you back.I watch you when I can on the news.Keep up the good work.jeff from Aniwa

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Back in Town... and it's Finally Friday! (3/14/2008)

Hey all!
I made it back to work on Wednesday... and yes, I'm still really happy it's Friday.

A few points to hit before I get out of here:

Chad has been nagging me (on the air, of course) to post the pictures of the manatee I saw in Florida! Unfortunately, the pictures are trapped on my camera at the moment. So until Mikel Lauber loans me that magic cable that gets the pictures to my computer (we have the same camera. Convenient since I lose EVERYTHING.) just be patient! :)

Also, it's been a long week because I'm working my same shift here at NewsChannel 7, along with volunteering at 101.9 WDEZ!

Here's the vid of me and Lee Peek... yesterday, I think...

Alison Struve Filling In on WDEZ-FM

Anyway, if you missed us this week, I'll be filling in for Nikki Monday through Wednesday morning of next week. I do weather updates and try to say funny things from 6 - 9.

And if you don't live around here, they do have live streaming on the WDEZ website!

And it's also fun because they let me pretend to be WDEZ staff for events like last night's Chris Cagle concert. He puts on a fantastic show!

And yes, this is another case of, "I took a picture, but it's stuck on my camera."

So stay tuned for that too. :)

Have a great weekend!!

Hey Girl, are you and Chad an Item? The way you two flirt and all? Just Wondering what it's all about. Dianne

Nope!

Welcome back Alison,look forward to the pictures.Happy St. Paddy's Day!Laura M.

Thanks, you too Laura!

Hey Alison, pretty nifty looking sailboat. What line of business is your dad in ?.

Thanks... my dad is a retired federal employee.

When will you back from your trip? We are all waiting to see that smile of yours on the noon show again. Did you bring back any pics of your vacation? Hope so.

I promise I have pics of the vacation!! Still waiting on Lauber to post them... :)

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Visiting the Parents on the Great Loop! (3/3/2008)

It’s vacation time!

I’m leaving early tomorrow morning, to head down to Florida and visit my parents. You might remember me talking about their
Great Loop adventure on the noon show a few months ago.
This is my chance to catch up with them!

So here’s the deal. They left Green Bay in September, and took off on one of these routes:

For most of the trip in the Midwest, they actually had to take down the mast, so they could make it safely under bridges and whatnot.

Now they’re cruising around Florida for the winter, before they head up the East Coast.

So I’m excited to spend some time with them, enjoy some warm weather, and hopefully see some manatees!

My parents already checked out Snooty the Manatee at the South Florida Museum. Apparently this guy is 59 years old!

Anyway, that’s where I’ll be for the next week… Amy Pflugshaupt and Jonalee Merkel will hold down the fort for me! (And Chad will stick around. :)

Have a great week! I’ll try to bring back some sunshine!

Come back soon... Brett retired while you were gone!
:(

What are the chances that Brett Favre retires the day I leave for vacation?

Hey Alison! I hope you're enjoying your time with your folks on vacation.
We will miss seeing you at noon though, along with Chad. My husband and I enjoy watching the two of you every day if we're home to watch the noon news. You and Chad have a wonderful chemistry together, I'm sure you've heard this before. That is one reason we don't miss the noon news if we can help it. See you again soon.
Katy Arndt
Wisconsin Rapids

Hey Katy!
Thanks so much for watching... I missed my time on the noon show, so it's nice to be back!

Have a great time with your parents but don't forget to come back to WI. We forgive you if you don't bring back the sun just come back to work here. Loved the pics.

I'm back! And I think I actually did bring back a bit of sunshine.
More pics on the way...

Good for you two taking the plunge for a good cause. We enjoyed watching the video down here in sunny Florida! es

Glad you liked it... jump in the Gulf for me!

Allison it was a nice gesture that you would go along with this to help raise money and support a good cause, but how many people know you totally chikened out. Next time you say you will do something maybe you should follow through.

Uh, I'm confused.
How did I chicken out? Are you talking about the Polar Plunge? Because I did it. The video is below.
Also, if you choose to comment on my blog again, please follow through and spell my name correctly.
Thanks!

Hi Alison,
On Wednesday morning's show you asked about people who are having a birthday Friday the 29th. My mother Esther Hintz will be 84 years old, or 21 like she says. She is in the Portage County nursing home on Whiting Ave in Stevens Point. Alos my husband has a nephew who will have a birthday on Feb. 29. Don't know exact age but he is in the early 60's and his name is Robert Hintz and he also lives in Stevens Point.
Thank you Gladys Kluck

Hey Gladys!
Thanks for letting me know about Esther and your husband's nephew. I bet they have a lot of good stories from their leap year birthdays. :)

Taking the Plunge! (2/26/2008)

Alrighty then! By popular demand, here's the visual proof that I took the big plunge on Saturday!
Alison and Chad Take the Plunge!

I hope you like our outfits... I claimed the arm floaties and the duckie, and Chad got the crocodile. But I think he thought it was a dragon. Either way, Stacy Cole ended up with it!

Thanks to everyone who came out!

Alison,you and Chad looked great! Maybe next year I'll try it,lol.Excellent jump.Laura

You should do it next year! It's a lot of fun.

Alison, No one has SEEN proof of your plunge ?!!

A Late Night and Some Early Mornings! (2/19/2008)

Happy Election Day!

It’s about 6:30 on Primary Night in Wisconsin, and here at NewsChannel 7, we’re gearing up for all the results!

We’re about to have a meeting about our job duties (I’m only here for the pizza).

The thing is, the polls close at 8:00. So there isn’t a whole lot to do until about 8:30, when the results start coming our way. Then it’s CHAOS.

My role for the evening is the Presidential Primary. My boss told me she knew I’d be following it closely anyway, so might as well put me in charge of it! And I’ll be doing a live interview with a Political Science professor during NewsChannel 7 at 10:00, to get his take.

After a very long day today… I have some early mornings on the way.

On Thursday, the folks over at 101.9 WDEZ are beginning their Radio-a-thon for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. For two days, they’ll be raising money for research on childhood cancer. I signed up as a Partner in Hope last year, and trust me, it’s a good investment.

So Thursday morning at about 7:30 to 9:00…. I’ll be answering phones to take pledges, and I’ll grab one of the microphones at some point. At that point, it’s ok to turn down the volume on NewsChannel 7, to listen to the Great Country Morning Show!

Then the next morning, Chad and I are taking the plunge! At about 6:45 a.m. we’ll jump into Man Made Lake in Wausau to preview the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics on Saturday.

This is my first time plunging… so it’ll be interesting. And cold.

My question is… what do we wear? I’d like to wear a costume or something… Sue Ramsett says we just have to make sure we aren’t wearing anything that would weigh us down. Especially since I need to get dry and warm and then go to work right afterwards.

So yet another opportunity to see me do something wacky on live television. I’m getting pretty good at that…

THANK YOU! I am elderly and have "tinitis" making it difficult to understand people whe do not enunciate well. You enunciate very well and esides being pretty and pleasant to look at, your bubbly and pleasant personality make the news pleasant and enjoyable. In fact, I can understand you better than I can understand Kattie Curric. I look foreward to you getting her job sometime in the future.

You're very welcome! Thank you very much!
I don't know where I'll end up, but Katie's chair wouldn't be so bad. :)

Wear something PINK for being a PRINCESS that you are. We can't wait to see this event happening. Just becareful you don't freeze.

I bought a pink beach towel! It even had a princess on it!

I once went to a Polar Plunge event and a man wore a giant bobber for his costume. It worked so well, his head never even went in the water! So if you don't want to get wet, dress as fishing tackle.

I got as close to this as I could... my inflatable duckie did a pretty good job.

Your going to jump at 6 45 in the morning? Well it should wake you up faster than a pot of coffee, i guess. Good for you to do it for a good cause. I went through the ice several years ago and would never do it on purpose. It felt like thousands of needles sticking me and I swore my heart stopped. Just kiddin its not as bad as you would think, have fun and a warm place to run to afterward. CL

2/22/2008 -- Hey all, so I didn't jump in this morning. It was below zero and they didn't have a hot tub or warming tent or anything set up... so I thought I'd better wait until Saturday to jump... since I needed to come to work right after the jump this morning!

Alison,your hard work is appreciated!As for the Polar Plunge,doesn't matter what you wear,it's cold.My daughter did it a few years ago,she loved it.Just be sure not to wear glasses,her friend forgot to take his off and they got lost in the lake.Good Luck on the Plunge! Laura

Just one question Alison,is Sen.Obama as handsome in person as he is on T.V.?Your answer does not constitute an endorsement,I'm well aware.Thanks,Laura

Of course, everyone has their own idea of handsome... but if you think Sen. Obama is handsome on television, then YES he is as handsome in person. :) He's actually not as tall as I thought he would be. Maybe he's just always with short people on TV.
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The Presidential Campaign Circus Rolls Through Wausau (2/16/2008)

In case you haven’t heard, Wisconsin’s primary is this Tuesday.

Who would have thought the Badger State would be getting so much attention?

Several of the Presidential Candidates have been in the Wausau area, and I was able to cover Republican Mike Huckabee when he visited Rothschild on Thursday, and Democrat Sen. Barack Obama in Wausau today. Sen. Hillary Clinton will be in Wausau tomorrow, but I need a day off! So we’ll let Todd Hicks have some fun at the media circus.

Before I go any further, I feel the need to point out that I’m not going to support any candidate or party or anything like that on my blog. Obviously I have my own political beliefs. And we learned in journalism school that as much as you try, it’s basically impossible for a journalist to be completely and totally unbiased. But I do strive to be fair and accurate, and as unbiased as possible. So since there’s a long way to go until November… there you go for now.
I urge you to check out Campaign Central on wsaw.com. We have bios for all the candidates. We also have links so you can figure out where you need to vote. It's also a good idea to do check out the candidates' websites. They all lay out their views on the issues, so you can make an informed decision!

Thursday’s Huckabee event was a rally at the Stoney Creek Inn in Rothschild. It was in a reasonably-sized ballroom, and about 300 people packed in, with the media (local people like us, and national crews that travel with Huckabee) on risers at the back of the room. We did a live shot for NewsChannel 7 at 5:00, and Mr. Huckabee started his speech almost right after that.

He spoke until about 5:30 (it was a version of his stump speech), then a guy with his campaign told us the former governor was going to have “Media Availability” in another room. That’s basically a little press conference when we can ask him just about whatever we want!

Huckabee was very personable. (It’s always fun to see famous people, but of course you have to avoid getting star struck!) Huckabee and his wife commented on how quiet the room was when they walked in! He said he’d like the local press to ask questions first, since he said he already knew what the other guys were going to ask.

Unfortunately, the presser lasted a little longer than we thought… and my photographer, Erik Cieslewicz, and I had to sneak out so we could do our live shot! So we ran back downstairs to the empty ballroom, and I talked for a minute about what had been happening!

Today’s event with Barack Obama was totally different. It was a private event at NorthCentral Technical College, by invitation only. So we had to RSVP to the campaign yesterday, and let them know how many people from WSAW would be coming.

When we arrived (nearly 2 hours before the event at 9:00 a.m.), we checked in, showed our credentials, went through a metal detector, got stared down by the Secret Service, etc. Then we got set up in the room where Obama was going to speak, and have a Q&A with the audience.

Then we had to do a little coordinating. Obama was going to be taking a tour with some NTC students, and his campaign wanted us to get video of that… but they didn’t want a ton of cameras and microphones. So we used what’s called a pool camera. One cameraman from CBS News took video, and it was sent out via satellite.

When we got back into the room, Obama was beginning his speech.

This speech wasn’t Obama’s typical stump speech, geared at rousing thousands of people in an arena. But it was interesting and appropriate for the situation.

(The whole time, most of the media was behind a rope. My photographer, Matt Behrens, and I were up against that rope, on the right side of the room. But still photographers and other national media were able to get closer. )

After Obama’s speech, he talked with the two students about their experiences at NTC. (The event was a “community meeting” to look at why technical and community colleges are important, and how the system can be improved.)

Obama also opened up the conversations to questions. He talked about ways he’d improve the economy, make it easier for everyone to go to college, and make health care more affordable.

When he finished, most of the people in the audience swarmed Obama, and then you could really take in the media circus.

Behind the cameras, radio and print folks were able to sit and work. When Obama had finished, many of them used the WiFi to file their reports to their news agencies.

Then we did a few more interviews and went back to the station!

I’m wrapping up and heading out of town… so don’t forget to tune in to NewsChannel 7 Weekend tonight for my report, and tomorrow for Todd Hicks live at the Hillary Clinton event!

PS: As I’m finishing this up, CNN just aired a clip of Obama speaking at NTC. My co-workers asked me if I coughed in the background, loud enough to be heard on TV! Nope, sorry. :)

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Another Loan Store Robbery? ... and A Special Happy Birthday! (2/7/2008)

So another payday loan store was robbed in Wausau last night.

Police say a masked man went in the store, got the clerk to give him a bank bag and cash from the register, then he ran away.

Obviously, this is very troubling to the store, and probably very traumatic for the employee.

But for most people, I wonder if this story just a case of, “Can you believe another one of these stores was robbed?”

I would have to do a bit of digging to determine how many of these have actually been held up in the Wausau area lately.

My rough estimate is a lot.

In our morning news meeting, we were speculating why more of these stores don’t have security cameras or surveillance video.

Even though Wausau is generally a kind, Midwestern city… I hope more businesses make the decision to install security equipment.

I’m obviously not an expert in criminal psychology, but if potential criminals see that these other guys keep getting away with it… wouldn’t they try it too?

In the meantime, I hope police are developing some leads. And that we find a way to reverse the trend of drug use around here. Because as I’ve written in the past, many of these crimes seem to be connected to drugs or drug money somehow.

My other question… what’s the deal with all the quick loan stores, anyway? It seems like there’s one every few blocks. Is this a relatively new phenomenon? What are your experiences with them?

…

On a completely separate note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my NewsChannel 7 at Noon cohort, Chad Franzen!

I had my first experience buying a balloon bouquet last night… it’s really a lot more complicated than you would think. Or at least I made it a lot more complicated than it needed to be.

Anyway, they made a nice addition to the weather lab for Chad’s big day.

payday loan stores are legal loan sharks plain and simple. who else would charge over 500 percent interest on a loan? and some try to talk you into borrowing more money than you actually need! but as long as there are people that are broke with poor or no credit these places will continue to pop up on every block.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Too many payday loan stores in our area. I think they prey on the poor people.I had to use one once for an emergency,never again! They are legal loan sharks.Some people do not understand the amount of interest charged on these loans. It is outrageous! I was lucky and payed mine off fast,some people are not so lucky and it can take years to pay off a larger loan.Where is the security for the employees of these stores? They get hit too often and I hope they catch the criminals before someone gets hurt! Happy Valentine's Day to you and all at Channel 7. Laura M.

Thanks for your comments, Laura, and I hope you had a happy Valentine's Day too!

I thought Chads balloons were awsome you did a great job picking them out. As long as I don't have to blow any of them up myself I enjoy them myself..

I'm a fan of balloons! Although blowing them up yourself might be cheaper... there's a helium shortage, so those balloons are getting a little more expensive.
Of course, it is easy... so that's priceless, right?

The balloons were awesometastic Alison! Thank you... you did a great job buying balloons!
But because you "embarassed" me with them at work... watch out.. paybacks can be "fun". :)
your noon weather dood.

You're so welcome... good thing my birthday is a long ways away!
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The Wausau Baby Boom? (1/28/2008)

Do you know anyone who’s having a baby?

I feel like I know a ton of people who are having babies… or just had them. (When I actually count, I know five of them.)

Is there actually a baby boom, or am I just at that age where my friends are having kids?

Anyway, this is an excuse to show you some cute new baby pictures.

One of our photographers, Brooke, just had a baby on Thursday! So Jonalee Merkel, Amy Pflugshaupt and I went to visit Mom and Baby Belanna on Friday!

Congratulations Brooke!

Babies, babies, and more babies!!! Isn't it great! I will volunteer to be grandma to ALL of them. We were just blessed with grandson # 3, and I have to say these pictures are so beautiful....almost as beautiful as our precious ones!!! (I am very prejudice when it comes to our grandchildren)
My first time on the blog, and I am really enjoying it, especially the photos!
Keep up the great work
D

Hey D -
Congratulations on the grandkids! I'm sure you can't get enough pictures of them.
And I'm glad you enjoy the blog... come back soon! :)

Hi Allison,
Its me Lynn D again yup again so are you watching the game right now? Na my car is on the fritz right now the tail pipe is dragging on the ground.My husband won't fix it because he says he dooesn't lie on the ground to fix it.
His racing car is more important than my car.
Anyway when is the primary for Wis I thought it was February 5, on my birthday yup my birthday is this Tues.
Lynn D

Hey Lynn -- I assume you wrote this during the Super Bowl? (In that case, yes, I watched. Crazy, huh?)
Sorry to hear about your car... hopefully that gets fixed up soon!
And Wisconsin is not one of the Super Tuesday states... our's is February 19. Hope you have the chance to get out and vote!

What a beautiful baby girl. I ran into an old friend over the weekend who is expecting her third child in August.She has two other friends who are due in June and July.Your theory must be valid.Congrats to all new Moms.

Wow! I ditto the congrats!

Alison you look so cute holding that percious bundle in your arms. I love the name Belanna and never heard of it before. Where did that name come from do you know?

Congratulations to her mommy.

Thanks... Brooke says Belanna is a happy, mellow baby, so hopefully that lasts!
As for the name... I'm pretty sure it's from Star Trek, but I emailed to ask for sure. I'll get back to you.
And judging from all the cute clothes we bought for the baby shower... Belanna is in good shape!
2/4/08 Update: Brooke says the name Belanna is from Star Trek Voyager, one of her favorite shows of all time.
She says B'Elanna is half klingon half human and the strongest most developed character on the show.
So there you go!

If there is a boom going on, my wife and I are a part of it. We're expecting our second little girl in June!

MD

Oh that's fabulous! Congratulations! :)

Cute pictures - now don't get any ideas! (kidding) I can think of 5 people I know having babies before May; there does seem to be a mini baby boom going on! Love from Mom on the boat in Florida. ps: sorry about your awful weather; it's supposed to be 72 and sunny here today. I'll enjoy it for you honey!

Yeah don't worry about it... the cat is definitely enough.
Enjoy the weather... find me a manatee... and I'll put a sweater on for you.

Hi Alison. I think there is a baby boom going on, not just in Wausau, but all over... I think I read somewhere that there was a mini-boom happening. But it sure seems there are a lot of people having babies...

Glad to hear I'm not completely coming out of nowhere on this. :)
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The Red Raider: Just Misunderstood? (1/16/2008)

You’ve probably heard the recent debate about the mascot (or former mascot) in the Wisconsin Rapids School District.
If you haven’t…

Wisconsin Rapids School Board Votes to Change Nickname

Anyway, this got me thinking.

I’m a Red Raider, and it never occurred to me that this could be racist or offensive in any way!

This is what my Pulaski High School mascot looks like:

To me, he looks like a pirate dressed in red.

I emailed my old Student Council advisor, Dan Jung, to get the story on the Pulaski Red Raider.

Mr. Jung says our Raider is a representation of the Polish soldiers who fought with Casimir Pulaski on the side of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War.

Mr. Jung’s understanding is that Pulaski’s army had the nickname “Red Raiders”.

So basically, Pulaski’s mascot has nothing to do with Native Americans.

(As a side note… Mr. Jung says at least twice, the Department of Public Instruction has asked P.H.S. to explain why it has a Native American mascot. Apparently, the second time, a news crew from Green Bay went to visit some D.P.I officials in Madison. They showed our mascot to them, and asked what their concerns were. Mr. Jung says the D.P.I. hasn’t given Pulaski any issues with the mascot since then!)

So I guess my point is that I can absolutely understand why some mascots should be phased out.
But some mascots are just misunderstood. Do you know of any others?

I too went to Lincoln High School in Wi. Rapids. We were the Red Raiders. I always thought of it as a compliment to the Indian ancestry in our area. You don't name something after someone without it being a compliment. Get over it! Back in the olden days Indians were "raiders" They raided each other for crying out loud. Haven't you read your history books. You're all so worried about being politically correct you're bordering on the ridiculous.

Hey alison you and chad get along really good are you dating i love watching you both on the noon show

Yes, Chad and I get along well... as friends!
Glad you're watching! :)

I'm so sick of this political correctnesss. Why do we have to sit and nit-pick about every little thing in this world? Just be glad there's a school for your kids to go to.

now look what you created, i knew this was going to create a heated fact. just when we try to become a united community you have to bring it on. who made you do it!

If the nickname "Red Raiders" offends ONE Native American, change the nickname and move on to better and more urgent issues in the school district, PLEASE !!!!

oh yeah maybe they should of called them white raiders if that isnt disrespectful

I think Rapids should have kept the name Red Raiders. We did the right thing when we removed the native american image and replaced it with the WR.
It has not affected other schools, such as yours, or that of another local district, Marathon.
I think to big of a deal is made of these things, and is not ment to be disrespectful.

- Thanks all for sharing your thoughts.
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I’m sleepy. (1/15/2008)

I’ve read that tens of millions of Americans have sleep disorders. Compared to most of them, my problems at the moment aren’t so bad.

I think my biggest problem is that I’m an extreme night person on a normal person’s schedule.

My morning would be a lot less stressful if I could just wander into the newsroom a half hour earlier.

Not gonna happen.

Anyway… I’ve had the classic insomnia in the past, but right now, I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep. Isn’t that frustrating?

I fall asleep, have these crazy dreams that I usually can’t remember the next day… then I wake up, thinking I must have been sleeping for hours and hours because of the sheer volume of nonsense that had been running through my head.

But it’s actually about 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. This morning, it was 4:13 a.m.

I just laid there thinking.

You know, the classic thoughts:

“I really wish I were sleeping right now.”
“I have so much to do tomorrow!”
“I am never going to get up on time.”
“I should really write a blog about this. People with lots of their own issues will care about mine, right?”

Anyway, yes, I woke up late, got to work late, and I’ve been dragging all day. But I’m not completely convinced you will care.

What are your sleep problems? Is it ever going to get easier to be one of those “early to bed, early to rise” people that I just don’t understand?

Thanks for listening… and sweet dreams!

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A Team of Superheroes… and the Gang’s All Here! (1/10/2007)

Have you seen the spot we have running about Captain Stormy?

And how about the Media Men? Lee and Belky have a lot to be proud of.

Of course Chad had to do his own version, since Mike’s promo aired right before weather…

Captain Stormy #2?

Anyway, make sure you get signed up for Bowl for Kids’ Sake 2008!

Today was the first day Chad and I have worked together since… December 21. (That ellipse signifies the time I took to look that tidbit up in our archives.) I went on vacation, then he went on vacation. And tomorrow, I’m working a late shift, so the next Chad and Alison Show will be next week! Stay tuned!

Have a great weekend!

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Vacation’s Over… and We’re All Sick (1/3/2007)

I’m back!

Loyal NewsChannel 7 at Noon viewers (there are a few of you, right?) hadn’t seen me for a while before today! I was home in Green Bay all last week.

I had a great time with my family… watched a lot of reality television, ate a lot of holiday treats, and got to try out my sweet bowling ball at the local alley. (I got many gutter balls, but also got a strike!)

This is the annual picture in front of the tree after church on Christmas Eve.
It’s my dad, Paul; brother, Eric; me, Kyle’s girlfriend Lizzie; mom, Emy; and brother, Kyle.

Of course, on my last day at home, I started feeling like I was getting a cold! It turned into a crazy chest congested cough thing for a few days. When I came back to work New Year’s Day, I took some cold medicine (thanks Mike Lauber) and that moved all the congestion to head. The next day, I came to work, and I was a mess. I produced the noon show, scrambled around to find someone to anchor for me (thanks Sue Ramsett) and went home!

When I got home, I took cold medicine, watched The West Wing (I’m a huge fan. Own the entire series on DVD.) and slept. A lot.

I woke up today, feeling better, but still not good.

At least I have plenty of people to commiserate with! Just about everybody in the newsroom is coughing, wheezing, sniffling, sneezing… or out with some wacky stomach flu. We’re talking about shutting down the place and fumigating.

Is this happening where you work or go to school? It seems like we keep getting each other sick over and over again.

Hi Alison with one "L" - what a lovely family! Sorry you've been sick but hopefully all of you are feeling better by now. A fan

Thank you! Good spelling and well wishes always help. :)

I've had some form of cold for a month now. It started after I spent 3 hours digging out after our first snowstorm on that 1st weekend in December. I then took a trip with a chest cold and felt weak the whole time. When I returned a week later, the chest cold turned into a full blown head cold. Large quantities of tea and soup helped. Even felt good enough to spend another 3 hours clearing out after storm #2 just before Christmas. Stupid mistake. I went right back to square one. This time after a day or two of the head and chest cold, I had one nasty sinus infection AND had to work New Year's Eve. The cold medication ran out, but hopefully I'm finally on the mend. I love the winter and the snow, but will be glad if I don't have to spend another 3 hours clearing away snow - at least not until I'm completely recovered. Take care. From Sick of Being Sick in Merrill.

That sounds like quite an ordeal! I always have to watch out when I get sick... because I usually catch something else before I get completely better.
The newsroom is doing much better... Steph and I are still the "Hacking Twins" but we'll get through it. :)

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Last Day Before Holiday Break… and Someone Get Those Kids Some Hats! (12/21/2007)

I wanted to get this blog posted tonight before I leave work… since I won’t be back until 2008! I’m heading home to see my parents (they’ve been on a trip), my two brothers and a new girlfriend I need to meet!

I had a bit of a dilemma today… I was really hoping we could get a reporter out to D.C. Everest Middle School for a story, but we were having some serious staffing and scheduling issues, and no one could make it. (That’s a really unfortunate part about this job… it seems like we never have enough people, equipment, or time to cover everything we want to!)

My friend, Erik Beitzel, teaches Social Studies, and for the second year, he told his students he’d shave his head if they raised a certain amount of money for the Salvation Army.

The kids raised more than a thousand dollars… so Mr. Beitzel and some of the kids got their heads too! (The costume from the movie Elf was also part of the deal. And, Mr. B’s female counterparts in the house had to do that Soulja Boy dance! I’m sorry I missed it.)

So since we couldn’t cover it today, I told Erik to send some pictures my way. The Wausau Salvation Army is really behind on donations this year, so these kids deserve a lot of appreciation from the community for their help!

Thanks again to all the kids (and adults) who sacrificed warm heads and dignity to help out! And thanks for being so understanding.

Have a blessed Christmas everyone! See you in the new year!

I think you and chad did a great job with the parade! it was good to see you both out there!

Thanks so much!!

Allison,
I just watched your so-called wausau christmas parade!! What happened to the horse and buggy, and nobody was dressed up in the christmas atire.

To put it blank I think the parade STUNK
everyone is complaining about gas prices, I think you could save more by using horses.

Well ok. Thanks for blogging!
First of all, the Wausau Holiday Parade is not MINE. If you have issues with the parade, you can contact Wausau Area Events, the organization that plans it.
Secondly, do you drive a horse and buggy?

~ Alison (with one l. Seriously, it's at the top of the page.)

__________________________________________________________

I am NOT a Bowling Superstar. (12/18/2007)

Now I have an answer for those people who ask, ‘What’s your most embarrassing moment on TV?’

Check out my bowling stories from Your Town: Weston on Friday… specifically the clip titled Alison Struve Tries Her Luck at Bowling.

I swear, I got three strikes. It’s all about taking the time to concentrate… there’s so much to think about! I just got really nervous and felt very rushed when I had to bowl at the end of the show!

Don’t worry, I’ll keep practicing.

Hi Alison! If you're interested I can definitely give you tips on how to improve your bowling skills!

Steve

I can definitely use them!

I love your bowling reports.
Next time insist they drill you a Lane #1 bowling ball.
http://www.lane1bowling.com/
that is the only brand our team uses.
"The Hunkster"

Thanks! I'll look into it...

Holiday Parade and Winter on the Way(12/03/2007)

Ok kids, back to the holiday blogs. :)

Were you one of the brave people who went to a parade this weekend? Chad Franzen, Jonalee Merkel, Amy Pflugshaupt, Chastity Walberg and I walked in the Wausau Holiday Parade Friday... and Patrick Dailey was kind enough to drive the live truck next to us.

It was cold.

Most of the kids we saw were so bundled up, I don't know how they could see what was going on! I was extremely bundled up, and walking, so I was ok.

Here's Chad and I trying to stay warm before the parade kicked off:

Live Report: Entries Line Up for 2007 Wausau Holiday Parade

I was going to post a few pictures, but I can't find that darn cable that connects the camera to the computer. I'll try to get back to you on that.

In other news... I didn't get stuck in the snow this weekend! I did venture out Saturday night because I had to return a DVD to the video store (I already had one late fee last week, and I didn't want another one!)

And my car was a bit plowed in Sunday morning, but I made it to church on time. Which is an accomplishment, even when there isn't inclement weather.

But I didn't get to play in the snow! I actually don't know if I've done that since college... my friend Chris and I made a snowman in the courtyard of our dorm one year! I know I have a picture of that somewhere... I'll have to track it down.

I guess we're supposed to get a little bit more snow tomorrow... maybe I can drag Chad outside to make some snow angels. Or a snow news team.

I saw you and the other teevee people out saturday night. happy birthday!

Thanks!

Oh Alison that was me before that wrote to you about my sisters Lea and My Molly but I have another brother who lives Greenbay with my sister inlaw Julie and her two kids Brice and Mary and Franks two kids Ashely and Brandon
And there is my sister Sally three boys Thomas and Ronnie named after my dad and there Christroher Clark.Clark is his middle of course.
Happy birthday and Merry Christmas again.
Lynn Duberstein 12:40 12/15/07

Thanks! Merry Christmas to you too!

Merry christmas and Happy Birthday I saw you bowling Mike said you did do well thats ok your were to have good time right? I was in bowling leaque at one time but never again.The last time I bowled it was Wis Rapids I did live there at one time but getting back to it
I bowled a 69 ya terrible but I had a good time doing it.
So bowling is a lot of fun.I enjoyed at one time. The leaque at paper city Lanes in Mosinee. My sister Lea Loppnow and her husband Glen and My brother Brian Buchack and my sister Tracie bowl Mosinee and Marathon two leaques wow huh where do they find the time. Glen and Lea have two kids counting Glen's two girls from his first marriage Heather and Brooke and Glen and Leas two girls. Amy Amanda.And Brian's kids Alex and Kate. And three other sisters Molly lives in Milwaukee for now and Beth lives in Rib Mountain and Sally lives in Rhinelander for now until she closes on her house in Bluebell Ln 7805 The house she is oveing from is really nice as well. Beautiful really beautiful. Its by Lake Mildred. So ya who knows.

I've gotten a lot of comments about the bowling, so I thought I'd do a quick blog entry about it!

I saw Chad and you having lunch this afternoon. It is good to see that you both get along well on the show and in public. It makes me happy to watch the after noon show now and know that you are both great people on the tv and in person. Thank you for doing such a good job!

I've said it before... Chad and I have a great time.
Thank you for thinking we do such a good job!

It looked like you two were having fun at the parade. I almost got cold watching - I think it's supposed to be 75 here today in Panama City, FL. Wish you were here! es

We'll have plenty of winter when you're up here for Christmas!

Would love to see pics of Chad and you making snow angels tomorrow.

You should have a contest on making a snowman then let us decide on the winner. Don't let anyone know which person made the snowman. Post them on here or during the noon show.

I'll see if I can get Chad to do that... of course we'd have to skip out on work to do it... I'll ask Sue...

GO PACK GO! (11/27/2007)

I was going to write ANOTHER holiday blog… but I’ll save that for next week.

Let’s talk about the Packers instead, ok? I can’t even tell you how excited I am about this season. How about you?

I grew up in Green Bay… so I fully understand how nuts people can get about this stuff. One of my friends just moved to Titletown a few weeks ago to work at a TV station there… and right after she arrived, she told me she’s already sick of the Pack! (She’s from South Dakota.) I told her it’s only the beginning!

During the ’96-’97 season, I was…. almost in high school. At my school we had contests and wore Packer clothes every week and it was a great time. I’m excited to see what area schools will be up to once we get closer to the Super Bowl.

Of course, the big drama this week is where we’re going to watch the game. (If you’ve been under a rock… the Packers-Cowboys game is on the NFL Network, which won’t be aired through most cable providers in the area.)

Mikel Lauber did a story today about how some satellite providers are seeing more business because of the controversy.

We also have a special section on wsaw.com with a list of area establishments that will have the game on.

I’m planning to go to a co-worker’s house. Should be a good time.

In our afternoon news meeting, we were wondering if this would be such a big deal if the Packers weren’t doing so well. I think there would be a fair amount of hype, (the Cheesewagon is always pretty full… even when the team isn’t winning tons of games.)
but probably not as much.

What are your plans? Do you even care?

Go Pack!

Hi Alison,
I am a big packer fan. I am mad that the game is on nfl network. Everyone on the noon show has the most fun and the other team of the station should have more fun. Keep on the best local coverage and news. Great job doing the noon news. Have a great day. I trust this station more than any other station in northwoods.
Most watched tv veiwer,
kate s. plover,wis

Hey Kate!
We do have a lot of fun on the noon show... thanks so much for watching.

Give your friend a break... it takes a while to open up to Packers Football. For goodness sakes, all we had to root for in SoDakota was South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Football. (go HardRockers) Okay, so SoDakota State Football is in a bigger conference and has had such NFL greats as former Packer Adam Timmerman and current Colts Stud Kicker Adam Vinatieri.
By the way, have I shown you my claim to fame - me running over Vinatieri on a kick return during a game when my SD Tech Hardrockers got stomped by SD State? (6 to 56 if you must know) It was awesometastic!
Your noon weather dooD!

You haven't shown me your claim to fame from SoDak...
maybe we can use it for a kicker tomorrow...

Happy Thanksgiving, Vegetarians and Those Who Love Them(11/21/07)

Yes, it is extremely difficult for me to do the news during hunting season. I'm not going to get into a big debate about it... I'm not going to steal your guns or throw things at you if you hunt.

However, I don't really want to hear about it, and I don't enjoy seeing the video (I keep my eyes on the teleprompter). I had to go behind the scenes at a meat market during this time two years ago (right after I started here). It was horrifying, and I cried and called my mother.

But as I touched on during my last post, Thanksgiving and Christmas are tricky too. No turkey, Christmas ham... no gravy or stuffing either, usually. See, when most people say, "turkey" they see the delicious piece of meat on a platter. I, on the other hand, see a cute little turkey running around, gobbling and being happy. I can't eat that.

People tend to get a little stressed when they find out one of those vegematarians is coming over for dinner... If you are a meat-eater, and are having a dinner guest who isn't too fond of eating meat, check out these ideas for Dealing With Vegetarians.

And here are some great Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes!. Perhaps I'll be motivated enough to make some of these... my Thanksgiving is probably going to consist of waking up, watching the Packers game, and going to work. Festive, huh? :)

A Christmas Confession (11/12/07)

I have a confession to make.

I’m so ready for Christmas! I mean, I don’t have any of my shopping done or anything. But I absolutely love this time of year. My birthday is ten days before the holiday, so it’s a happy time.

This weekend, I just couldn’t help myself. I was cleaning up my apartment, then I pulled out the Christmas music, and lit my candy cane scented candle.

I usually don’t decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving, so I didn’t pull out the lights or my little tree yet. Maybe next weekend. But I’ve never been super picky about not skipping over Thanksgiving.

That’s possibly because I always work on Thanksgiving. Even though I grew up here, I don’t have a lot of family in Wisconsin, (I honestly don’t even know where my parents are right now… they’re somewhere on the Great Loop.) so we’ve never had those huge Thanksgiving dinners. Plus, there’s the whole vegetarian thing, so I’ll give thanks for all the blessings in my life, but I won’t throw a party to eat turkey, you know? Watch for my special appearance on NewsChannel 7 at 10 November 22. :)

Are you ready for Christmas? Our graphics guy, Bill Mercer was pretty proud of himself for getting his lights on his house… all set to turn on in a few weeks. I need to figure out how to cat-proof my tree. Last year I had to put it in my closet. Not too festive…

In general, I guess I’m just a fan of celebrating the Holiday Season. Start getting excited in November and be happy and festive through New Years. So the Wausau Holiday Parade falls right in the middle of that… November 30. More on that to come!

I wish I could share your joy for the holidays. My son is currently serving his second tour in Iraq, we will not have him home for his birthday or the holidays, this being the third year in a row. But I am thankful that he is healthy and currently safe. I am thankful for all our service men and woman so that we may enjoy this feative season. Please don't forget the proud families that sacrifice so that we can celebrate. Happy Holidays.

Happy Holidays to you as well... I can't imagine what you and so many other families are dealing with, but please know we appreciate the sacrifices you're making! And we're praying for your son and all the others serving our country. Have you submitted him as a Local Hero? We feature one on the air every Tuesday and Thursday... check out the Our Local Heroes section of our webchannel, or send an email to ourlocalheroes@wsaw.com.

Alison-

MD

Hey MD -
My parents were actually grumbling about seeing Santa Claus at the mall this past week... I just listened politely. Glad to hear other people are getting into the spirit too!
As for the cat... I'm really going to have to figure out something! Maybe a big glass case... for the tree, not the cat. Anyone know where I can get one of those? :)

Thank you Alison for letting me be a part of the noon show! It was, in a word, AWESOME! Just like you!

Jocko

Hello again everybody!
I think we could have you on for a regular segment... you might have to come in a little earlier though...

PS You're the AWESOMEST

Hello Alison,
I am so ready for the Christmas season to. I can't wait to get a tree I love the smell of pine it makes our house feel like it's in nature. I'm really not that into Thanksgiving. The reason why is because our family is so big my Grandma's house is filled with people and there is no place where it is quite. But to tell you the truth a couple of weeks ago I took out my Christmas music and started to listen to it. I can't wait to start Christmas crafts with my cousins to start decorating my Grandparents house.
Nicole Mitchan Tomahawk WI.

Hey Nicole!
Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about you listening to Christmas music. :)
Sounds like your Thanksgiving will be the exact opposite of mine! I guess just enjoy the time with your family... easier said than done, I know.
Let me know what kinds of Christmas crafts you and the cousins put together!

And Here’s Another Toy Recall… (11/9/2007)

Can you believe all these toy recalls?

When we’re putting together newscasts, it’s one of those stories that we’re getting used to including. A lot.

The latest we’ve reported is a Curious George Plush Doll that has lead paint. The one before that was the bizarre case of Aqua Dots, which apparently have a coating that turns into the date rape drug, GHB. If your children ingest the chemical, they can throw up and go into a coma.

How scary is that?

My concern is parents who buy a lot of their toys from garage sales and second-hand stores. Apparently, a lot of those home kits that test for lead aren’t always very accurate. Have you had any experiences with them?

Do any area health departments offer higher-tech tests?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has compiled a list of toy recalls dating back to 1974.

You might want to check it out to see if any of your kids’ toys from the past twenty years or so are on the list.

Alison Struve and the Spell of Harry Potter (11/1/2007)

When’s the last time you got absolutely lost in a book?

I admit, I really don’t read a lot anymore. Anyone who’s been to college knows you get extremely sick of reading as the semester goes on. And I’m not afraid to tell you I watch quite a bit of television. I figure that’s ok, considering my current occupation.

But this weekend, I finally opened up Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I’d delayed starting the final book in the series because I knew it would completely consume my life until I finished! That, and I’m pretty sad it’s the last book.

Well, a few days later, I can finally sleep again because I finished it. (Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you what happens.)

There are some books I’ve literally been reading (pick it up, put it down) for years. (Mostly biographies and memoirs… everyone has kind of a boring period in his or her life, right? I don’t really want to read about it.) And of course, like millions of other people, there’s one book that I read from everyday.

But Harry Potter… if you’ve been wondering what all the fuss is about these past few years… all I can say is that J.K. Rowling crafts such compelling stories. I know there’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the series. But I believe that as long as children realize that the books are fantasy, they’re just great stories. Of course, if your kids are younger, that’s completely up to you to decide.

In the meantime, I can’t start the series over yet because I’m loaning my copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to Chad Franzen. I hope he loves it as much as I do!

'm glad you liked the book. I've got a lot of time to read on this boat trip (now you know who this is!) and am just finishing "Having Our Say" by the Delany Sisters. It was written in 1993 when the sisters were 100 and 102. I'd recommend it to anyone, it's really interesting: funny and historical. es

Thanks for the tip, Mom! (Haven't heard from you in a while... hope the boat didn't sink or anything.)

Alison,

Your Number One Fan

You better make some cameo appearances during State football and whatnot! You are my favorite sports director at NewsChannel 7.

You are so right about the Harry Potter series! I got into it quite late...I started to read the first book a few days after the last one came out, but I am totally hooked.

MD

Hey MD -
I got into the Harry Potter game relatively late too... one of my friends gave me the first book when I was laid up with a broken vertebra a few years ago (that's another story) and I read books 3,4, and 5 during one winter break from college! It's a lot of fun to read them in close succession. Just make sure you're getting out every once in a while. :)

Hi Alison,
Your doing a great job doing the noon news. When you and chad laugh and smile that makes my day. Well have a great day and stay warm.

kate s. Plover,wis

Hey Kate!
Thanks so much... Chad and I have a great time.
Hope you're staying warm too!

The Search for the ‘Hoodie Bandit” (10/23/2007)

If you’ve been watching NewsChannel 7 lately, chances are you’ve heard us mention a man we call the “Hoodie Bandit.” It’s this guy Wausau Police think is responsible for about 30 break-ins, burglaries and robberies in the area.

He usually wears a gray hooded sweatshirt and carries a kitchen knife. However, when the Southside Pharmacy was robbed October 5, a gray sweatshirt was found in a yard the ‘Bandit” apparently ran through while he was fleeing the scene. Police also found some OxyContin in another yard.

Police say they think the same guy robbed the P.L.S. Payday Loan Store last week (for the second time in less than a month, by the way), but this time – he was wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt.

My question is, what do you think of the “Hoodie Bandit” title? It’s something we called the robber/burglar in the newsroom…. And finally figured it would be easier to refer to him as the “Hoodie Bandit” on the air, instead of “The man who police believe is responsible for about 30 break-ins, burglaries and robberies in the area recently.”

Now we hear calls on our police scanner, about people calling the authorities about suspicious people wearing hooded sweatshirts. Should we be concerned about wearing our hoodies to the pharmacy?

And I’m convinced we’ll have some “Hoodie Bandits” running around on Halloween.

Police have told us all along that a lot of the thefts and robberies around here are for drug money. It’s just so sad to me that someone gets to the point where they feel the need to steal from other people just to get their fix.

Makes sense to me to call him that. But I'm out of the area and can't catch your newscasts - darn!

Well, thanks for checking out my blog even if you can't watch the shows!

Please take that horrific picture down!
Your noon weather dood!

Aww... we both look horrible. But I'll try to find a better one tomorrow.

Thinking Pink and Dancing for a Cure (10/15/2007)

As I’m sure you’ve heard, it’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And here at NewsChannel 7, we’re wearing pink this week to show our support for the cause of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Here’s Chad’s sorry attempt to wear pink on the noon show Monday:

We’ll do better tomorrow.

(Added 10/16/2007: I decided to give Chad some help with his quest to wear pink...) Chad Gets Gift to Be 'Passionately Pink'

And a lot of area businesses will also be pretty in pink! Chastity Walberg did a little Passionately Pink preview story for the big week. Scroll down a bit on that page, and you’ll see a link to the Susan G. Komen page.

Another reason I’m super excited this week? Disco Cures Cancer! The 10th event is this Friday, and it’s my first time going! I actually just decided to go over the weekend, so I need to get going on putting my outfit together. (If you’re not familiar... here’s what I can gather: You dress up like a disco maniac and dance to disco music. It’s a yearly fundraiser for the Marshfield Clinic’s Angel Fund, which gives help to cancer patients who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford their care.)

Until now, I hadn’t been able to rope anyone into going with me, but I’m pretty sure my friend Nicole and I are going to be disco divas.

I just think it’s pretty funny that this fundraiser has lasted longer than the actual disco era.

Hopefully I assemble an ensemble in time! As always, feel free to chime in with any tips!

I am so happy you have a blog now. You were talking braces I never had myself but I am so positive that it wouldn't make difference with your smile either way you have a great smile anyway. Metal or invisalign like I said it wouldn't make a difference if have them or not? You have a great smile either way. 7:31pm Oct 15
Lynn D

Thanks Lynn!

~Ali

My Mouth is 10 Years Behind Schedule. (10/9/2007)

At least that’s pretty close to what my new orthodontist said yesterday!

Let me start from the beginning. My mother tells me I didn’t get my first teeth until I was more than a year old… which is apparently really late.

Then, when I was about to enter my sophomore year of high school, it was determined that I still had five baby teeth. They were promptly pulled to make room for the permanent teeth, and I went back to school for 10th grade missing five teeth. Needless to say, a gappy smile is pretty traumatic for a 15-year-old.

The three upper teeth grew in pretty quickly, but the two on the bottom took a lot longer. In fact, my dentist and orthodontist wondered if I even had any permanent teeth there. Then once some under-developed roots appeared, they pondered removing those and putting in implants.

Finally, two or three years ago, the teeth started growing in!

Fast forward to yesterday, when I went to see the orthodontist for some concerns my dentist has about spacing and stuff.

The first thing he says when I meet him is something like, “I’ve never seen anything like this in the 15 years I’ve been practicing!”

He said my mouth looks like that of a 14-year-old. Great.

As far as dealing with my teeth now – I don’t really have a problem with them, but I don’t want them to get any worse either. So I’m going to try those clear plastic braces things called Invisalign. Do you have them or know anyone who has?

It’s not that I would have a huge problem with having regular metal braces as an adult (I’m sure a lot of you have or have had them!) but it might be a little distracting when I’m on the air.

Anyway, thanks for reading my latest rant… let me know if you have advice about dealing with braces… or tips on how to budget and pay for them!

I had metal braces for two years back in grade school/jr. high. I really enjoyed wearing the head gear....okay maybe not. But now there isn't a day that goes by that I don't smile wide and show off my nice teeth! And with your already inviting smile, you'll be glad you've taken the steps to ensure that your smile will be a lasting impression on everyone you meet!

My two older brothers did the full deal on the braces thing... and it looked like the head gear was a lot of fun!
And I'm sure you're right... after the ordeal, I'll really enjoy the results!
Thanks!

~Ali

You’re Entering the Hilight Zone! (9/26/2007)

Finally made it to my first high school football game last week! My noon buddy, Chad and our chief photographer, Randy, and his pals headed out to the beautiful field at D.C. Everest for their homecoming game against East.

Not the best picture, but at least it’s proof we were there.
(Just a side note – I tried to fix up my red eyes in this picture… and they came out white. I always have CRAZY red eyes in pictures! If you have any advice about this, please share.)

Anyway, we had a fabulous time. I decided I wasn’t going to pick sides, but since Randy is a D.C.E. alum, and it was their homecoming… I eventually picked the Evergreens. About 30 seconds later, they scored a touchdown, and went on to win the game. I’m not sure how much that had to do with me taking sides, but it couldn’t hurt, right?

It turned out to be a great night after the storms rolled through… but I could have done without the wind. Randy and Chad let me hide behind them to protect myself!

I did get all reminiscent at the game though! I wore the term “Band Geek” proudly in high school. Pulaski has a fabulous marching band (recently appeared in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day and Rose Bowl Parades) and football games were always so much fun! (This was a topic of conversation with my friends over at WDEZ during Pulaski Polka Days. I played the baritone, and yes, I wore the hat with a big feather. It’s called a plume.)

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to drag anyone to another game, but let me know if there’s another big match-up I should get to!

The game sounded like fun. I have many fond memories of marching band too - bot participating but watching you and your brothers at good old PHS! You looked cute with your plume! I'm doing laundry in the Alton Marina where they have wifi - yay! es

Thanks! Good to talk to you yesterday... glad everyone's safe on dry land for a little while!

~ Snal

Another Ridiculous Day on the Job… 9/20/2007

This Tuesday (9/18) was a busy day around here, for just about everyone.

It started beautifully – reporter Mikel Lauber and photographer Erik Cieslewicz got an early start, and arrived at Volk Field to welcome the C Company of the Wausau-based 397th Engineer Battalion. The soldiers are finally back in Wisconsin after serving a year in Iraq!

(We LOVE those stories around here… Actually, we’re starting a new project called “Our Local Heroes.” It’s a way for us to tell area military members how much we appreciate them. Check out the Our Local Heroes section of wsaw.com to let us know about someone you know who’s served or is serving in the armed forces. Bill Martens did a fabulous job of putting that page of the site together – lots of cool links and stuff. Check it out!)

But back to yesterday… reporter Jonalee Merkel and chief photographer Randy Bise were at the Sunset Plaza in Park Ridge in the afternoon, following up on a huge fire early that morning. While they were there, the fire re-kindled.

Since they had other stories to do, and didn’t have time to “babysit” the fire with the fire departments, our news director sent photographer Jason Klappa and me down to the Stevens Point area to take over for them.

While we were there, poor Jason got stung by a bee on his finger! He was a trooper and still filmed the interview I wanted to do. As we were packing up to go back to Wausau, we decided Jason should probably get some allergy medication for his swelling finger. And as each minute went by, he got more red and puffy and swollen and hivey!

So we decided it would be our best bet to take Jason to the hospital. The doctors and nurses hooked him up to some meds that helped him out really quickly. But… that meant we had to watch the 5:00 news from his room in the E.R.! It can be kind of tough for me to watch the news sometimes, especially when I can’t do anything to contribute. But I have to say it was refreshing to be the caretaker instead of the patient! (Sorry, Jason)

Fortunately, Jason got much better, (not sure if I’m violating HIPAA Rules by telling you that, or any more information) and I made my way back to the station to write and edit my story.

Finished that up… then we got the call about the murder-suicide in Kronenwetter.

Devastating.

Randy and I headed over to the home, took some video of the street and got information from an officer, then rushed back so I could do the story for the 10:00. We didn’t have much information, but we didn’t use everything we had because not all of the family members had been notified yet. Information we didn't use, includes the exact address of the home. I’m horrified by the thought that someone could turn on our newscast, see the home of someone they know… and find out something this tragic.

So it was a long day… but the stories we cover always make me realize that my troubles are absolutely trivial in the big scheme of things… and even the small scheme of things, most of the time.

I noticed that you get along well with Chad just like Julie did. Either you are both dolls for putting up with him, or he is a decent man.
I work at a hair salon and we love watching the noon show.

Well, I guess it's a little of both! Chad and I have a fabulous time on the show... So glad you're watching!

~Ali

Happy to see you have a blog finally. We love watching you and Chad on at noon it makes our day seeing your bright smile.

Thanks so much! The noon show is the best half hour of my day... except for lunch, maybe.... :)

~Ali

Welcome to the Blog! 9/13/2007

Hi everyone!

In one week I’ll be celebrating my two-year anniversary here at NewsChannel 7 (not that I’m actually going to celebrate… but you know what I mean) and perhaps in honor of my longevity, webmaster Bill Martens has awarded me with a blog.

Just to give you a little update since my bio was written… here’s my story!

I’m an anchor/producer/reporter… and a bunch of other stuff. Most of us wear a lot of different hats while we’re here. Up until a few weeks ago, I was a reporter, and anchor and producer for our weekend shows. Now I’m the Executive Producer and anchor of NewsChannel 7 at Noon. Then I help Steph Luisier and Jeff Thelen produce the 5:00 and 6:00 shows.

Other than that… I grew up in Green Bay, went to school in Minnesota, and ended up here.

As far as this blog goes… I’m hoping to drop in every once in a while and let you in on some of the behind the scenes events here at the station! I’m sure I’ll also tell you about stuff going on in my life. And I’m guaranteed to complain about my cat, or describe my latest injury.

I’ve also told the reporters and photographers that I’m looking for guest bloggers! I can’t tell you how many times a crew has come back to the station saying, “You won’t believe what happened to us!” Since we don’t have time to put those stories on the air, I think my blog would be the perfect place. This should be a great experiment!

Please feel free to comment below, or drop me an email at astruve@wsaw.com with any questions or suggestions. All I ask is that you don’t insult my hair. ;)

Hope you stay warm these next few days!

And make sure you come to the United Way Parade this Saturday morning in Wausau. Daybreak’s Todd Hicks and I will be emceeing!

-- Alison

Guest bloggers would be neat! I'm always curious what 'other' stories are encountered on the way to the one on the air. For instance, I live in Merrill and have seen the channel 7 vehicle riding through on some rather odd streets. Can't help but wonder if they get lost sometimes (anywhere, not just in Merrill.)

I can tell you firsthand... we get lost a lot more than we'd like to admit. :) So if you see us pass your house a few times... feel free to flag us down and offer directions.
And as for guest blogging, I'm already working on getting Mikel Lauber to write us something about his trip to Volk Field to welcome the 397th home!
Thanks for blogging!
~Ali

We think you do a wonderful job...keep it up!!

Frank and Tina

Thanks so much! Glad you're watching. :)
~Ali

I hope you bundled up for the parade - let me know how that goes. Mom here (from the library in Sheboygan) We're still fine, Ginger too!

Thanks Mom! (The fam is just setting sail for a year-long adventure on the Great Loop... blogs on that are in the works.) The parade was great... nice and sunny, but the warm coat didn't hurt!
~Snal

TO WSWA-TV 7 PRODCUER MS ALLSIONS:

GOOD MORNING ALLISON. THIS IS ARIC FROM MADISON WI DANE COUNTY. YOUR WXVIEWER FOT CHANNEL 7. GREAT BLOG ENTRY. KEEP UP THE GREAT BLOG POSTS. I WILL READ THEM AN DCOMMENT. HOPE TO BE YOUR FRIEND WITH BREAKING WXNEWS FROM DANE COUNTY WI SOON.

Thanks Aric!
~Ali

Yay for Alison's blog!!! BTW...we need to talk about that hair. j/k :P
-R'barb

Aww... I take enough of your advice already, buddy...
~Ali

Bout time you got your own blog!
:)

Weather Stud... aka Chad.
LOL

-- No kidding! Can't wait for some warmer weather for Friday night football next week! :)
~Ali