2009 starts tomorrow... wow, time flies. It feels like it was just yesterday that we were all panicking about the Y2K deal in 2000 - doesn't it? (Maybe I am dating myself) People were stocking up on water and food - just in case. Of course we didn't need it. That was the year I came to Boise and KTVB. The best decision I ever made!

Today, we have an inspiring story online about Kristy Robinson - the local 19 year old who was hit by a drunk driver in September. She is such a fighter. She's still struggling with a brain injury. Yesterday, the woman who hit her - Tiffany Childs - was sentenced to 15 years in prison and must pay close to 300k in restitution. The story is a good reminder for all of us to always have a designated driver, or please take a cab if you choose to drink. Tonight, many of you will be celebrating the New Year - please do it safely! Police will have extra patrols out tonight looking for drunk drivers - don't let one of them be you.

Tomorrow, Larry will make the Great Polar Bear Plunge! He'll jump (and water ski!) in the frosty waters of Lucky Peak to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It's an organization that fulfills wishes for sick kids. You can still donate by calling Larry at 321-5767 and leave a message with your name and phone number. He'll call you back. It's such a wonderful cause. It's not too late to give!

This year has flown by for me for some reason. As I get older, every year seems to go by faster than the last! I had a great 2008. My wedding at Tamarack in June was wonderful, and since so many of you have asked me to show you some wedding pictures, I'm being brave today and posting them! Here you go... My husband won't be thrilled because he likes to stay out of the spotlight - hopefully he won't read the blog today! :)

Here are the guests waiting for the wedding to start... I was so nervous to come down the aisle in front of all those people! If you have a good eye, you can spot Edgar Linares and the back of Larry Gebert's head. Doug was there too!

Fortunately BOTH my parents walked me down the aisle, which was very special.

Here is our wedding party, do you see KTVB's Ysabel Bilbao? She is one of my best friends and was my maid of honor:

And in this picture we are finally married!

Now, as promised - my resolutions for this year: To be healthier, to have a baby (this is not an announcement, I will let you know when I know!), to read more, spend more time with family and just enjoy LIFE! I wish you all the best in your lives too. I have a feeling 2009 is going to be a good year for all of us...

Happy New Year!

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Hello all!

Did you notice how nice and dry and SAFE the roads were this morning? It was such a nice change from driving in the snow and rain. Especially at 4am. Nothing like coming out of my house and not having to scrape my windshield or warm up the car. Love it! Yes, we have a garage but it's stuffed full of junk. Isn't that what the garage is for?

Today we're looking at more dry conditions - which is fantastic for those of you going to the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl game... but tomorrow the rain/snow comes back. The big game starts at 2:30, it's on ESPN. We have a pre-game show at 2pm right here on 7. Larry was live out there at the stadium this morning. He told us tickets are still available if you'd like to go... and there are still prime tailgating spots in the main parking lot too! For a price, of course. The downtown shuttle is also operating.

Two news stories we are keeping an eye on right now - a local couple is missing. This couple was expected in Atlanta last night and never showed up. A search is on... www.ktvb.com will have the latest throughout the day. I am hoping for the best.

Also, a man was pulled over last night on 30th and Fairview - and he had what looked like a military tank round on the floor of his truck! That can't be a good thing. The bomb squad was called in - turned out it wasn't live. Phew!

Sad news about MPC Computers. Another 150 people laid off yesterday. 50 more will lose jobs too. It's hard to believe the Humanitarian Bowl used to be the MPC Computers Bowl. Remember that? My, how times have changed. I hope all the people laid off at Micron, HP, and now MPC etc. are able to find work. Jobs are in short supply right now.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and you know what that means... time to make those resolutions we all make every year! I have a few of my own that I'll share with you. I just have to think of them first. :)

Log on tomorrow!

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Hi all!

Hope your Christmas was fantastic! I really enjoyed mine... :) But now I'm back to "real life". It's strange coming back after an entire week off. You kind of forget how to work - you know? But let me tell you, it all came back to me pretty quickly when I walked in the door this morning! I am truly grateful to have such a great job in this tough economy. Over Christmas break, I heard about a lot of friends who have lost jobs. It's hard to know what to say or how to help... I just hope things turn around soon. I think we all do.

This morning, we had a heartbreaking update on the Nampa man - Jud Winters - who was so badly burned in that bonfire gas can explosion. He passed away on Saturday in Utah at the burn unit. A sad end to a sad story. His family is raising money for his funeral at Wells Fargo Bank, and you can donate at any branch in his name to help out.

We also learned that James Malec - the man accused of shooting and killing mixed martial arts fighter Justin Eilers (on Christmas) will be in court tomorrow, and not today. He is trying to hire private counsel. It seems stories are mixed about what happened that night, depending on who you talk to. Malec is married to Eiler's mother. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about the case as time goes on.

Some good news now... the local ski resorts/areas are all open and reporting awesome snow! It's going to be a great ski season. If you can, get out on the slopes while we have all this great powder. More seems to be coming every day. I have yet to go, but I am hoping to go this weekend. See you there!

And one more thing - the H-bowl is tomorrow! It will be on ESPN at 2:30, but we'll have a pre-game show for you at 2pm right here on KTVB. Our sports staff will have full coverage as the University of Nevada takes on the University of Maryland.

Have a great Monday...

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Happy Christmas Eve to you all... :)

My blog is kind of late today because I've been thawing a turkey (darn bird!) and making sugar cookies all morning long! Some of them actually resemble Christmas trees and snow men. Some... not so much. It's so fun to be at home cooking and baking... who knew I had this in me??? I even have an apron on, and for those who know me - that's a small Christmas miracle in itself!

Despite all this holiday merriment - I must admit, I think I'm a little depressed about the Broncos losing last night! It was a great game... but the end was so disappointing... and the fact is - we're just not used to losing around here. We've been spoiled with win after win. BUT- we still have a lot to be proud of, what a great season!

So, there are a couple of fun Christmas things online for you today - the first one: The YULE LOG. Love this idea! It's a screen saver of a crackling fire, and you can run it all day long on your computer. Very cozy! Also, we have our Santa Tracker 7000. You and your kids can track Santa's journey tonight. I wish we had that when I was a kid! This is all located at the top of our home page. Check it out!

For those of you traveling today - that stretch of the interstate into Utah is back open. We're expecting more snow today and tomorrow... so that could change. Traveling during the holidays can be so stressful, especially in bad weather - good luck! Dial 511 for conditions while you are on the road...

Have a wonderful Christmas with your families! Enjoy every minute...

Maggie

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The Pointsettia Bowl is tonight! YAY!

Be sure to tune in to our live web chat again today at 12:15pm online. You can ask Mark, David and Zach anything you want about the big game between BSU and TCU. If you just can't get enough, we have some great interviews on ktvb.com with Ian Johnson and Coach Pete etc. The team even had the chance to train with the Navy Seals! We have the video online for you to check out. Tonight, the game starts at 6pm on ESPN. Watch our news at 5pm, for pre-game coverage on KTVB 7.

Well, hello SNOW! My newly shoveled walk way was covered in snow again today... I know it must have been the same for you. It just keeps on coming! The roads are slick and icy, lots of slide offs reported so far. Interstate 84 into Utah is closed this morning! Not sure how long that is going to last? But it's definitely going to throw a wrench into some of your Christmas travel plans. Check our home page for the latest travel conditions. Or dial 511.

So today (on a day off) I woke up at 3am. Really, I did. Ridiculous. My work alarm went off, and I was in a sleep fog - so I got out of bed to get ready for work - and then realized, I am on vacation! Ahhhhhhhhh. Back to bed I went... that's such a great feeling!

I woke up again at 5:30am and was up for the day. (Believe it or not, that's sleeping in at my house) I was up - so I made my husband a couple of sandwiches to take to work with him - he was shocked and happy all at once. I think he's beginning to really like this "stay-at-home-wife" role... I am too, but it won't last long!

Have a great Tuesday, and GO BRONCOS!

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What a weekend for snow! It's so nice to wake up to - it really puts us all in the Christmas spirit, doesn't it? I have to say it's much nicer to wake up to at 8am than at 3am. Being on vacation is soooo nice... although I really can't complain about my job. I have a pretty good gig...

Of course, the downside of all this snow, is the accidents - and there have been a lot of them. Please be careful on the roads. Give yourself plenty of extra time to get to where you need to go. There are few things worse than reporting on deadly car accidents. Especially this time of year. We want everyone to be safe!

I loved all the comments from you on Friday's entry - thanks for all the encouragement. The family dinner was a big success - It seemed like everyone had a great time. I'm still so new to my husband's family - so I get nervous. He is one of 8 kids, so no party is small! We may just host it every year... :) Did I just say that? BTW, I have gotten a lot of your emails asking for wedding pictures, I may just get brave enough to post them one of these days.

So our crew is on the ground in San Diego for the Pointsettia Bowl - have you seen the reports? They could wear shorts and flip flops out there...the weather looks awesome!
Bronco fans are showing up in droves... and today at 12:15pm we have an interactive webcast online for you, where you can ask Mark and David and Zach questions. Log on!

The game is tomorrow night - everyone seems to be looking forward to it. I'm going to an all girls gift exchange dinner party, a yearly tradition that just happens to fall on Bowl Game Day this year. We plan to watch it anyway - some of my best friends are former BSU Mane Line Dancers.. retired now... LOL. Our husbands may just get together for the game too - somewhere else - where they can watch the game in peace and quiet :)

Have a great Monday...

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Fridays are always fun around here - rain, snow or shine! It's just that vibe in the air, knowing the weekend is always in VIEW. :) That's Larry's trademark line. We are always happier on the AM crew on Fridays...

Well, good news! It turns out it's not going be "0" when we wake up tomorrow... it will be 12 degrees. Is that really any better? Once we get to the teens, it's all the same to me and most likely to you too. COLD! Brrrrrr. Be careful on the roadways, the cold temps and wind combined can create black ice.

I'm on my own today, solo anchoring the shows - Doug is taking the day off and enjoying a nice long weekend. Today we had a couple of fun elements on the show... I wish he had been here for them!

The first one was our morning crew's holiday greeting E-Card... our co-worker made it online. We put it on air today... check it out:

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/0o2pqJRxUrZEyFDLfYAz

You can do this too, for your friends and family - it's so easy! Just click on our hotlinks... we'll take you to JibJab so you can create your own!

Also, we had a GINORMOUS Flat Larry on the show today.

This fan named Tina made this HUGE Flat Larry, and wanted to get it autographed for her hubby for Christmas - so Larry did it for her!

Our Pointsettia Bowl crew is hitting the road this AM. They are taking three vehicles, and driving over the river and through the woods all the way to San Diego! Don Day, Xanti Alcelay, Mark Johnson, David Augusto, Zach Wolken and Paul Boehlke are all going. Our coverage should be awesome - we're even planning interactive webcasts at 12:15pm on Monday and Tuesday - so you can get in on the fun! Log on to our website to get involved. You'll see a lot of the Pointsettia Bowl crew on our air... well be doing live reports all the time. I'll have more on that next week...

Speaking of next week, I'll be off ALL WEEK LONG! It's my first Christmas with my new husband and I have all sorts of things planned to truly enjoy the holidays this year. I usually work most holidays, so this will be really special! BUT, the good news is - I will be blogging from home - most likely in my pajamas with a latte in hand. Love it!

And tis the season for family... tonight, I'm having about 30 (YIKES!) of my new in-laws over for dinner... wish me luck! I hope they are cool with sitting on the floor - at last count we only had ten chairs - oh dear!

Maggie

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Happy Thursday everyone!

Good news for snow lovers... we're getting more snow today! Larry says it should arrive this afternoon. Get ready!

It's below freezing out there again... and we had Joni Shriver in for Edgar on the AM show - and she had some great advice for preventing frozen pipes at your house! It's important to open your cabinets, let the water slowly drip, etc. Check out our story online. In this economy - no one needs a surprise like that. It can cost thousands of dollars to repair frozen pipes. My house is old, so I need to pay attention...

So, listen to this. TWO guys who work on our crew in the AM, ride their bikes to work. I'm serious. They do! Rain or shine, freezing temperatures... you name it. Russ (one of them) wears snow pants on his ride. I guess that's what you have to do! It keeps them in good shape year round - and saves on GAS. Pretty smart. I don't think I could pull it off... can you imagine? By the way, Russ is a man of many talents... he also helped me fix my high heel shoe with crazy glue this morning! My sole was coming off, probably because I wear them out in the snow. What a man! They are good as new.

Larry was live today talking about the Great Polar Bear Challenge coming up on New Year's Day. This is a wonderful opportunity to donate to Make-a-Wish... and in return Larry will plunge into freezing cold Lucky Peak! You can do it too, if you dare. For more information, check out "Where is Larry" on the website today. Larry usually raises a ton of cash for wishes, I know he'll do it again this year with your help! I am too chicken to take the plunge and Larry knows it, but I will donate to his cause! It's such a wonderful organization. Larry has a really big heart.

Another cool thing going on... two Meridian women (sisters) are featured on the new season of Biggest Loser! It starts in January, so we'll all have to tune in and cheer them on. :) They have been on the Biggest Loser Campus since Sept, so you know they are already looking awesome! One question we had this morning - how in the world do people pay the bills at home when they are participating on the show? They can't work, so it makes me wonder! Does the show pay the mortgages for these contestants? Does anyone out there in the blogosphere know?

And one more thing, Brundage Mountain opens this Saturday at 9:30am! YAY!

Have a great day, and stay safe on the roads this afternoon!

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Hi everyone...

Just how cold can it get? Well, it's going to be 0 degrees when we all wake up on Saturday morning. I'm so relieved I don't work that day - I plan to stay in my pajamas as long as possible. That will be the coldest day of the week! Sorry to all of you who have to work that day... especially those of you who work "out in the elements". There's that phrase again - I just can't escape it here in the news world.

The Channel 7 parking lot is an ice rink right now, I don't suggest walking in high heels on it. :) Duh! Today, when I came into work - I slipped right in front of the guy that comes to our station to spray for bugs and critters... he made fun of me for my choice of shoes. He was absolutely in the right. I was leaning toward the snow boots, but opted for my heels anyway. Not the brightest choice. Why do I do it? For the record, Larry slipped too. He had sensible shoes on. He always does... I should take a lesson from him.

Poor Edgar Linares had to go out in the 11 degree weather this AM to do his live report, but he's such a good sport and doesn't complain! (He was a Edgar-sicle when he came back to the station) Seriously though, His story was about The Salvation Army's Project Share - a program that helps families struggling with heat bills. They are running out of money very quickly every month, because so many people need help right now. With the layoffs in the area, the need is greater than ever! The foodbank is also in desperate need of turkeys. If you can donate one, now is the time. Just think, if we all donated a turkey... what a difference that could make!

Bogus Basin opens today - YAY! Ski buffs are so happy. I can't imagine skiing when it's this cold - I learned to ski in California when I was little, so for some reason I think it should be 70 degrees when I hit the mountain. My better half is a huge snowboarder though, so we'll be going a lot. He was getting our gear all ready to go last night... so I'll see you all at Bogus, Brundage, Tamarack, Sun Valley... etc. I'll have to suck it up.

Have a great Wednesday!

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First of all, thanks for all the fun comments! I didn't think the blog would catch on so fast. It's great to have this opportunity to hear from viewers like all of you. If you have a question for me about the news or anything else that goes on here at KTVB, feel free to ask! If it's too personal, I'll pass on it. But I'm an open book, usually - so go for it. :)

Ok, so today was crazy here at the studio! First of all, I got in late because my car took FOREVER to warm up. My husband used to start it for me, but those days are over now that we've been married for 6 months! I'm on my own in that department! He needs his sleep too... right?

So I get in late at around 4:15am, and all heck is breaking loose here in the newsroom. Doug and our producer Ranae told me there was a report of shots fired in Meridian - but we didn't have any info and dispatch was being tightlipped. Then we heard on the scanner that it might just be fireworks... good thing we sent Edgar Linares, because it WAS shots fired. A man told police a burglar broke into his house, got a hold of his gun and when confronted, shot his way out the door! There was a massive search for this "man" in the neighborhood - K9's the whole shabang. Turns out, the man made it all up! He fired the shot himself accidentally and admitted that to police. Ughhhhhh! He could face charges for that.

In the meantime, we got a call from a worker at the Nampa Sugar Beet Factory - he said there was a gas leak there and streets were being shut down. We sent our on call photog Troy Colson out there to get footage - we woke him up out of bed! We do that a lot around here... poor guy. He got us the video, and we got it on air. Thanks Troy! Now, go back to bed...

AND today, Larry Gebert was trying to see just how cold he could get out in the 20 degree temperatures, by NOT wearing his coat and gloves for the first hour of our show. He had a short sleeved polo on with his dockers... WHAT??? Needless to say, he had his warm coat on by 6am.

One more thing... only 5,000 tickets have been sold so far to Bronco fans for the Pointsettia Bowl. We are officially a week away. Times are tight, but something tells me Bronco Nation will show up. We're sending a big crew to bring you all the action if you can't make it! I got to cover the Fiesta Bowl two years ago, but I'm not going to the Pointsettia Bowl this year. A girl can't be that lucky! I'll be watching it here with the rest of you...

That's all for now - I may write more later - after all, the day is young!

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Hi everyone!

Starting today, I'll be blogging about life here at Channel 7 "BEHIND THE SCENES".

I'll be blogging about the news, the morning show, and what happens around here that you don't get to see! I'll also be including a bit about my personal life... and the strange things that happen to me on a weekly basis. Why not?

Today on the morning news - we sent Doug out live "into the elements" to cover the snow and icy roads. Not sure why we say that??? "Out in the elements" sounds so weird. Anyway, he was freezing out there - poor guy. It was 18 degrees! Edgar usually has to go out and do that kind of stuff - but he was off today so Doug stepped in. It's slick out there today! I almost hit a de-icing truck on my way into work at 4am. Be careful out driving.

Larry Gebert's interview didn't show up, so he came back to the studio to do weather from the set. He rarely gets no-shows...

AND our fire alarm went off here at the studio today! It was loud and we couldn't turn it off. Boise Fire sent THREE trucks. We didn't evacuate - maybe we should have? But we had to go on air. Turns out it was a faulty smoke detector. All is well here at the Mighty 7!

I'm excited about this blog, it should be fun! Tune in tomorrow to read more...

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