It’s been quite an experience for a Chesapeake mother and daughter who flew to Los Angeles for the big American Idol Finale.

Jessica & Cindy at Idol

You watched it here on Fox 43 TV, but Cynthia and Jessica Chang got to see it live in the Nokia Theater.  And they even got into an after party!  They were tired, but stuck around and got to meet former Idol champ and country singer, Scotty McCreary.

Jessica with former Idol winner Scotty McCreary

Cynthia won the Fox 43/Hot 100.5 “Finale fly away” contest.  They emailed me pictures and notes during their trip.  Jessica got to meet many of the Idol contestants and got lots of autographs.

Jessica with with Idol contestants Paul, Devin, and Curtis

Jessica got all of the autographs

They could see the red carpet being set up from their hotel room.

Jessica near the red carpet at the Nokia Theater

When they weren’t at the show, she and her mom checked out the L.A. Zoo and the Grammy Museum.

Jessica at the Grammy Museum next to Cee-Lo’s outfit

They say the trip, the weather, and the experience have been perfect and we’re glad we could be a part of it here at Fox 43. And Jessica has quite the story to tell and pictures to share with her classmates at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy when she gets back home.

Jessica representing her school Nansemond-Suffolk Academy outside Nokia

Here’s some of what Cindy sent me in her own words:

“Everybody seemed so excited to be there. A host named Corey got the crowd all energized before the show, and he’d interact with the crowd between commercial breaks.
It was neat to see how fast the crew worked to change sets in that brief time during the commercial break. Staff would swarm the judges to fix make-up and hair. That made me chuckle a little bit. Keith Urban several times went to the crowd in those brief minutes and engaged. Gave one gal a Birthday hug.
Both Kree and Candice were Amazing! I couldn’t vote, because I’d be voting for both of them! Kree is a country girl, so I am sure I will be following her career more closely and certainly will see her perform again in the future, since I’m a big concert buff. I will get off the plane in Norfolk tomorrow to go directly to the Luke Bryan concert at the amphitheater. Jessica is a big Hot 100.5 listener, so she will be following Candice (& Angie who she adores) more closely.
I’m not sure what we will be doing today before the show. We may go to the Zoo if it isn’t too far.
Thanks for being a part of our excitement. This has been a very special time for my daughter & I!Jessica was able to see all of the Idols from a short distance away. Most came to the fence and signed autographs. Jessica got autographs from Angie, Lazero, Burnell, Janelle, Paul, Curtis, & Amber.The show was wonderful. It was fun to see how they do the show. Very Exciting! Both Kree and Candice were fantastic!”

Red Carpet

WAVY/FOX43 team at GOTR 5k

The WAVY/FOX43 team had a blast at the Girls on the Run Spring 5k Saturday (see pic)!

This was my second year as the emcee of the event and I was so impressed by the growth year to year! My history with the organization started by chance. Last year, the emcee had to cancel at the last minute and I was the fill in! I remember the race started behind the MacArthur Center in downtown Norfolk. And though the girls were just as excited, the venue was smaller and indicative of a start up.

Not this year.

GOTR of South Hampton Roads has a new executive director and she brought the event to Town Point Park. The venue was fabulous. Zumba teachers were giving free lessons on the stage, runners and their families got some grub at the Pita Pit food truck, and every school had meeting places denoted by signs in the grass.

I don’t know the official numbers but it seems like there were at least double the participants. I saw Portsmouth Mayor Kenny Wright cross the finish, and I heard Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms also ran the race! That’s right we’re big time now!

I adore this organization because it actually works! All the girls are assigned running buddies to help them complete the course. All of the money goes right back to the girls in the form of scholarships. But more importantly, GOTR gives the kids someone to look up to, someone to talk to and someone to show them incorporating healthy habits into your every day life can be fun.

At the race, our photographer interviewed some of the girls about why they love GOTR. Here is what they said:

“It’s about getting girls up in motion and how to respond to like, bullies and stuff…and the lessons behind it are very important.”

Another girl told our photographer this: “You talk about how to deal with bullies and friends and making the right decision.”

Not to mention some of these girls can really run!

The first female to cross the finish line was Isabella Cooke. Isabella was third overall. Oh, and did I mention she is just nine years old! Isabella ran with her dad and they got a time of 22:30. That’s 7:15 min/mile! After the race, I ran into them and asked her dad if she is into running. His response? “No, but she plays soccer.”

Cross country coaches of Hampton Roads…consider yourself warned!

See the story that aired on the 11pm news! Click here: http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/norfolk/hundreds-attend-girls-on-the-run-5k

It started with an ad campaign on television and in print asking folks to gather up non-perishable goods to donate to the local needy for the big food drive.

Then, the big day was Saturday, May 4th.  The Face of Fox 43, Rhonda Arrington and I  joined the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast for the Helping Hands Food Drive.

  People dropped off non-perishable food items to Walmart

collection sites where the donations were sorted and loaded onto trucks for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia andother area foodbanks.  It was cold, windy and rainy day, but we bundled up and huddled close and got the job done. They collected thousands of pounds of food to be distributed to help feed the hungry in our community. Some of the girls earned their Girl Scout Gold Award for help organizing projects devoted to the issue of hunger. I never got to participate in a project like this when I was a Girl Scout, but I’m happy to see how this group came together to help out.  WAVY and Fox 43 TV were among the sponsors of this event. Thank you to all who stopped by to say hi and support the cause.  If you missed us at the food drive, you can always help local food banks by volunteering your time or donating canned/boxed goods and of course money always helps, too.

Another year of celebrating hospitality workers in Norfolk and another great (and loud) rally at Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center downtown.

The Booker T. Washington High School band provided the welcoming beats and the area mascots gave hugs and put smiles on our faces.

The Champions of Hospitality Rally is put on by VisitNorfolk as part of National Travel And Tourism Week.

We never forget our dear Uncle Pete Decker who was one of Norfolk’s biggest cheerleaders and the star of this show for years. His sons Paul, Peter and Phillip have taken over for the late great local legend who died last year.

Norfolk Airport Hilton won for large group most spirited. They’re employees put on a quite a skit with a boxing theme.  The Downtown Norfolk Council won for small group. They consist of those always helpful ambassadors who greet visitors to the city and guide us all in the right direction. The competition was fierce and one thing is  certain, there are a lot of hospitality workers in Norfolk who absolutely love what they do!

My  co-workers Bruce Rader, Tom Schaad and Stephanie Harris joined me on the judging panel for most spirited – along with Old Dominion University’s football coach , Bobby Wilder.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

Admissions/Box Office – Megan Gullickson of the Virginia Stage Company & Virginia Arts Festival

Audio Visual – Everett White of Norfolk Special Events

 Banquets – Lenora Southall of Norfolk Waterisde Marriott

Bartender – John Queen of Kincaid’s

Concierge– Ellie Porambo of Hilton Norfolk Airport

Front Desk – Amelita Avendano of Navy Gateway Inn & Suites and Loleta McGary of Navy Lodge

Host – Mikah Haydu of Shula’s

 Housekeepers – Quenella Somerville of Courtyard by Marriott Downtown and Mary Matthews of Residence Inn Downtown

 Kitchen – Mary Hearvey of Holiday Inn Airport and David Moore of Sheraton Norfolk Waterside

 Maintenance – Rafael Rosado of the Ted Constant Convocation Center

 Military Tourism Ambassador – Gregory Bell of USN

 Parking Attendant – Ruth Jones of MacArthur Center

 Public Service Ambassador – Marcia Oubre of Norfolk Botanical Garden

 Receptionist – Sarah Gilbert of Ted Constant Convocation Center

 Retail – Elizabeth Joseph of Nauticus

 Server – Mark Montgomery of 219 An American Bistro

 Valet – Marcus Watterson of Byrd & Baldwin

 Volunteer – Don Pipes of Nauticus

 Zoo Keepers – Aubry Hall of Virginia Zoo

 Zoo Ambassador – Oscar the Red Panda

This little trip to a chilly riverfront Norfolk is more about a festival than the wine for which it is named.   More than two dozen Virginia wineries descended on Town Point Park to inject a little spring into an otherwise dreary impression of May.  I tried to capture some of the humanity who is falling in love with Virginia’s fruit of the vine.   The Commonwealth ranks 5th in US wine production, and much of it quite good!   See my pictures here.

Hand of producer pushing button to talk to anchor on the set.

   With the rise of the online world and social media, more information is available to us than ever before.   You are gracious enough to let us into your homes daily, but you don’t always get that extra look at how information gets to you.  Here then is a look behind the scenes; pictures I snapped around the station, to provide an additional angle of the news and a candid look at just some of the journalists and production specialists  on which you depend daily.  That’s 10 on your side.

Social media, (WAVY.com, Facebook, and comments from nameless readers at the end of articles on newspaper web pages) is the new water cooler gossip zone, reminded my colleague and Old Dominion graduate Jeff Myers today. Jeff is a season ticket holder for both ODU football and basketball, and like thousands of others, had an opinion of the hiring of new basketball coach Jeff Jones.

In less than 24 hours, anonymous pundits typed their fingers raw, calling for the firing of Old Dominion athletic director Dr. Wood Selig after word leaked out Selig had hired Jeff Jones away from American University in Washington, D.C. to replace longtime coach Blaine Taylor who was fired in the midst of Old Dominion’s most miserable season in school history.

Looking back, I must admit I think Dr. Selig made his first mistake by being honest and saying he was looking for a hard working, maybe young coach, who would work hard, knows the area and would bring excitement back to the Ted Constant Center.

So much for honesty. Like other AD’s, Dr. Selig should have just clammed up and said he was looking for the best coach possible. But that is not his style.

His second mistake (and this is only my personal opinion) came when he publicly proclaimed in late February that interim coach Jim Corrigan was not only in the running for the job, but that “another candidate had to come in and beat him.” A great slap on the back for a job well done under difficult circumstances, but nothing I ever believed to be true. Although I am sure Dr. Selig will disagree.

I wonder how ecstatic Monarchs fans would have been if Selig had hired the loyal 54-year old Corrigan who had spent 19 years as an ODU assistant, but had only won three games as a head coach? Not a very sexy hire.

Virginian Pilot reporter Ed Miller, one of the best, and who’s primary beat is ODU basketball, reported the finalists to replace Taylor were down to a handful. Dennis Felton, who left Western Kentucky to move onto Georgia where he was fired in 2009. Kevin Keatts, a promising assistant to Rick Pitino at Louisville, who’s previous job was as a Prep School coach at Hargrave Military Academy. And 56-year old Steve Robinson, Roy Williams’ top assistant at North Carolina, who was fired as head coach at Florida State after five years. Felton has been out of the business for four years, and although Robinson is considered one of the top assistant coaches in basketball he did not fare well in his only shot at being a head coach.

Keatts seems to have the most upside, but there is no guarantee he would be the next Brad Stevens, Shaka Smart or Danny Hurley (my guess to be the next coach at Rutgers, if they can get him).

So who would have drawn cheers had they been introduced today instead of Coach Jones? Alabama’s Anthony Grant would be nice, but his $1.8 million price tag is a little out of ODU’s reach. Seton Hall took a chance with Tommy Amaker, a then young Duke assistant, who left Seton Hall after three short years for a better job at Michigan where he was fired and replaced by Richmond’s John Beilein. Amaker is at Harvard now, where he turned down a $1.1 million a year offer from Miami last year.

Of course, it would have made national news today had Florida Gulf Coast’s Andy Enfield donned a Blue and White Monarchs cap. Dr. Selig had the darling of this year’s NCAA tournament secretly on his radar before March Madness began and had already interviewed Enfield before his team’s unbelievable run in the NCAA tournament two weeks ago. Selig was so interested in Enfield he had a private plane ready to fly down to Ft. Myers to bring Enfield and his wife to Norfolk for a final talk and maybe a final offer. The plane was sent back into the hanger when Enfield instead flew to Los Angeles where he landed a six-year $6 million dollar deal to become the new coach at USC.

But let’s be honest. Let’s say FGC (where is it, again?) had not beaten San Diego St. and Georgetown two weeks ago. Let’s say Enfield had agreed to come to Old Dominion. How many Monarchs fans had him in their coaches search bracket? What would the reaction have been when word leaked out that ODU’s new coach was a former businessman with two years of coaching experience at the school nobody had ever heard of.

“Fire Wood Selig” would have been the rant of the day.

So with Enfield in LA, and all the other finalists with their fair share of question marks, Selig may have taken the safe way out. ESPN college basketball guru Fran Fraschilla, the former coach at St. Johns and New Mexico convinced Dr. Selig that Jeff Jones was the perfect man for the job. A hard worker, a great strategist, well connected in the world of AAU basketball (maybe the most important complement). A coach who can calmly make the kind of adjustments on the fly which is worth two or three wins a year. That can be the difference between making the postseason and being a bubble team bust.

ESPN host Tony Kornheiser pointed out today that Jones’ record at AU was the best in the school’s history and even more impressive considering the private school in the Patriot league with tough academic standards is no Duke. NBA reporter David Aldridge said this morning Jones had taken American U to the NCAA tournament twice, something none of its previous coaches including Gary Williams (Ohio St. and Maryland), Jim Lynam (St. Joseph’s), or Tom Davis (Iowa) was able to do during their coaching stints there.

Aldridge said what impressed him the most, was that Jones stayed at AU for 13 years and did not use it as a stepping stone for a better job. Aldridge said Jones respected the people and fans at American University and appreciated their love of basketball, that he gave the fans there the excitement of having a winning and championship team. When AU beat Colgate in 2008 and made the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, Jones sat on the bench after the game with a towel over his head and sobbed with joy over what his team had accomplished and what it meant to the fans. He brought respectability and a winning attitude to the program, and the AU fans will forever be grateful for that.

It may not be sexy—but it appeared to be sincere.

Boo Williams, one of the most successful AAU coaches in the nation, who lives in nearby Hampton, told David Teel of the Daily Press today, “They (ODU) needed to get somebody who knows the 757 and North Carolina. Jeff knows the area. I think it’s a good hire.”

But in the age of the web, where every game is on TV, and a totally obscure coach with a hot wife can get a million dollar a year raise by winning two games, fans want flash. You know, Mark Schmidt at St. Bonaventure, Scott Nagy at South Dakota State, Chris Mack at Xavier, Baylor’s Scott Drew. Had Dr. Selig been able to steal away any one of these household names how excited would Monarch fans be tonight?

I pointed out to Dr. Selig today, something he already knew of course, that some ODU fans were disappointed and were wishing for a “sexier” hire.

His response…

“I can understand that but my number one goal is to put ODU basketball in a position to win championships, because I believe championships are sexy. So if ODU is going to win Conference USA championships, if ODU is going to go to the NCAA and compete and make noise in the NCAA Tournament, the position I believed was best suited to put us in a position to accomplish that was Jeff Jones.”

And considering the options, I tend to agree.

When you hear us report on fires we often say the Red Cross is helping the victims with food and a place to stay. You don’t often hear about how the YWCA helps women and families with a place to stay and counseling follow domestic violence, sexual assault or another crisis.

The YWCA of  South Hampton Roads held it annual Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon on March 28, 2013.  I was honored to serve as emcee and even more honored to have been recognized as one of the award recipients last year.

The organization has a new leader, Ruth Jones, who took over in June of 2012.  She told the packed crowd at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott about the history of the local YWCA. Founded in 1911, it has grown to upheld its mission of “eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all”.

She also shared these stats:

During the 2011-2012 fiscal year, YWCA Hampton Roads provided:

• 2, 472 sexual assault victims with mental health counseling and support;
• 14,178 nights of emergency shelter and 11,085 nights of transitional housing to victims of domestic violence;
• 7,056 meals to 319 children participating in our before and after-school childcare programs.

Some people simply don’t know about the services and leadership opportunities provided by the “YW” for women and racial and ethnic minorities.

The Women of Distinction Award goes to women who have made significant contributions to the community through professional activities and volunteer efforts.

Here’s the list of the 2013 recipients.

• Elena Montello (Arts)
• Priscilla Trinder Roady (Business)
• Sandra Parker (Communications)
• Bonnie Sutton (Education)
• Jane Short (Finance)
• Clarissa McAdoo (Government)
• Mary Jane Hall (Law)
• Dr. Michelle Clayton (Medicine)
• Kathy Nelson (Military)
• Debra Dandridge (Nonprofit)
• Inger Pincus Friedman (Science and Technology)
• Denise Britt and Janice Dildy (Volunteerism)

The organization can always use financial and volunteer support. You never know just how many lives you can change by helping out.

I had the chance to share my career story with some Newport News high school students on March 6, 2013.

They attend different schools in the city, but they are in the Telecommunications Program.

One our former WAVY & Fox 43 News editors, Carl Daniels, invited me to speak to the juniors and seniors. He started working there in the fall.  I told the teens about my work schedule and the realities of working in the t.v. news business. I told them it’s a competitive industry, but not to give up. They’ll know it’s really in their heart when they work their way up the ladder from internships to the big job.

The kids have quite a setup there for writing, shooting, and editing. The equipment is high quality. Some students help the staff  film council meetings and school sports and create commercials.
This experience really gives them a jump start on college- and skills that will last a lifetime! Who knows, maybe some will be working with me someday soon?

A special honor for Virginia Beach’s former mayor and I was honored to be a part of it.
The Diocese of Richmond and Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia presented its Bishop’s Humanitarian Award to Meyera Oberndorf on March 4, 2013.

According to the program, “The award honors those whose service exemplifies the ideal that society is worth improving and that sharing and caring are part of a well-lived life”.  Mayor Oberndorf certainly fits the description.

Her daughters, friends, and colleagues attended the luncheon at Beth Sholom Village.
The event was originally planned for last fall, but her husband Roger passed away around that time.
Oberndorf is now battling Alzheimer’s disease, but I can tell you- she’s as witty as ever. Speakers included Rabbi Israel Zoberman, The Reverend James E. Parke, Mary Russo, Joel Rubin and others.

All praised her for her work before during and after her term to help the community- particularly children and families. As always, she was very gracious and shared stories about her family and how they supported her through her busy days as mayor.

My mom Becky, dad Henry, Meyera and me!

So, how do I know “Auntie Meyera” so well?
She and my grandfather John Perry served on Virginia Beach city council together in the late 1980′s.  Her daughters Heidi and Marcie were in school with me at Kempsville, too.

Mayor Oberndorf at my high school graduation (That’s my Nana on my left)

In fact, here’s a picture of her at my high school graduation.  Small world, huh?