I graduated!

I am officially a Citizens Police Academy graduate! After 10 weeks of 3 hour classes, once a week the academy came to an end. While graduation's are usually a time for excitement, I am definitely disappointed that it's all over.
I've always respected police officers, but being part of the Citizens Police Academy (CPA) made me respect them even more. Each class involved a behind-the-scenes look at the duties and lifestyles of an Abilene Police Officer. Cops often have a negative reputation of being the bad guys, arresting people. And while, they do arrest people, it's all in effort to keep our communities safe.
Throughout the class, cops were referred to as, "Peace Officers," and I realized how perfect that suited their job description. They try to keep the peace by having a presence in the community and then make peace when conflicts do arise.
I can honestly say that I enjoyed every class. I can still recall 3 hour night classes in college (and no offense, Professors) but, sometimes it was hard to stay awake for all 3 of those hours. I would've been too afraid to fall asleep within CPA; afraid I'd miss something. : )
I thought I had a tough job (and still do) but man, those police officers really have huge responsibility.
While I mentioned, I liked all of the classes, by far my favorites were the investigation unit, the narcotics, and the k-9 training. I've been told that the SWAT training class was the best and unfortunately, I had to miss that class. It also happened to be our last, which was quite a bummer.
Luckily, my co-worker Tim Johnston (also in CPA) put together a story for the 10 o'clock news that allowed me to feel as if I were there for the SWAT training class.
Another great thing about the class were my classmates. There were about 25 other students, from all different aspects from within the community. We had some Dr.'s, Teachers, Council members, Restaurant Owners, City Employees, and so many others. Everyone was great. We all got along really well too. So not only am I appreciate of the Abilene Police Department for providing me with the opportunity to be a part of CPA, but also for introducing me to such great people within the community. : )

A tough Story to Tell

"Death or Adoption," a story of mine aired last night during the 10pm news. If you didn't get a chance to watch it, check it out on Abilene Midday's Facebook page.

A tough story to tell is the best way to describe my experience putting it all together.

Euthanasia is something I knew about but like many didn't like to hear about. However, I realized how important it was to raise awareness, especially in our community of just how many animals are put to sleep on a daily basis.

After speaking with the Abilene Animal Shelter and hearing that dogs generally have less than a week to live, I was shocked.

It got me thinking about just how many people go to pet stores or to breeders when they want a pet. Up until I did this story, I was certain I'd go to a breeder to get the English Bull Dog, I'd always dreamt of having. Now, I plan on adopting from a shelter, when I am ready to have a pet just to make that difference (even if it's only a tiny difference) of saving that one animal's life.

I'd love to hear from anyone that has adopted from the shelter, or even plans to in the future!

Facebook Fans

To those of you that already friend requested, "Abilene Midday"...we need you to add us one more time! Search for "Abilene Midday" but instead of becoming a "friend" you need to become a "fan".

Our original facebook account got deactivated and because we are a business, we need to have fans and not friends. Although you are our friends, we need you to also be our fan so that you can write to us and we can read your comments on air.

Abilene Midday is a unique newscast and I am so glad that the opportunity fell on my lap. We are the only interactive show in the Big Country. Our "facebook feedback" within the show allows you to leave us comments that we will read on air. It's a fun way to be part of the newscast.

We'd especially love for you to comment on each story that we air. You can even do so while watching the show. Also, by writing to us on facebook you can suggest things you'd like to see on KRBC or ask some questions that you might have for the news team.

Abilene Midday is on weekdays at 11:30. You can catch it on TV, but if you're not able to get to the TV you can always watch us LIVE online. Just look for: WATCH Abilene Midday LIVE. But, don't be fooled you can't just go online at any time to watch Abilene Midday...it's only LIVE. So make sure to tune in at 11:30. We'd love to have you as part of our show! : )

For those of you that are already watching and even facebooking with us, please leave some comments letting us know what you think.

Girl Power!

I've always loved breaking the stereotypes that, "only a guy can do this," "only a guy can do that," and "guys can do it better".
Even from an early age, I loved competing with guys in sports and academics. In Elementary School, I can remember being the fastest runner and at beginner times tables (I say that loosely because now I am not a big fan of math).
My grandmother also played a large role in motivating me to seek equality in all that I do and to defend women's rights. She really put things in perspective for me growing up, that women weren't always allowed to do the things that they now are today.
Despite, the many accomplishments women have made over the years, women still continue to fall victim to sexism.
A recent story of mine highlighted three women from right here in the Big Country that are also, all about breaking stereotypes.
Rayetta Dorman works as head maintenance at the Abilene Zoo, Diana Hartmann helps construct and sell parts to race cars through her company Art Carr Performance Products, and Pamela Goodrich, works for O'Reilly's Auto Parts.
It was empowering meeting with all three of these women, hearing the obstacles they've had to overcome and their motivations to keep going.
If you didn't get the chance to see the story air, be sure to check it out online.
I'd love to know what you think about it, so I welcome your comments! : )

Abilene Midday Debut

You've probably seen the promo's running on TV, "Big Changes coming to KRBC April 20th".
Hopefully, it got your mind racing and that now you've discovered those big changes. I am one of the big changes; anchoring our new and interactive show, Abilene Midday.
It's been a secret that I've been excited to spill for awhile. I am very excited to take on the challenges of a full-time, week-day anchor, as well as a full-time reporter.
I am even more excited about this show's format. It's an interactive newscast, and the only one in Abilene.
It's going to be a lot of fun interacting with you, the viewers. I look forward to hearing what you think of certain stories and other things you'd like to send to me and Chris Whited, who is Abilene Midday's meteorologist, as well as Abilene Today.
If you haven't already, add us as a friend on Facebook! You can write on our wall, make comments, and even post pictures.
For those of you that haven't quite jumped on the Facebook bandwagon, it's really simple. Go to http://www.facebook.com/ and create an account. Once you're on, just look up Abilene Midday!
I'd love to hear what you think of the new show. This is a first for me and I've got a lot to learn. But, I'm learning from the best (our other anchors here at KRBC : ))
It's going to be a fun journey, so come along with me (yes, I'm a cheeseball) and watch either on TV at 11:30 am every Monday through Friday, or for your convenience you can even catch it LIVE on the internet at http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/. Look for the Abilene Midday LIVE button.

Home Sweet Home

So, I recently took a vacation to Florida to visit with family and old friends. I'll admit that as soon as I landed in Miami, I couldn't get over just how gorgeous everything was; from the green grass, the flowers, and of course the turquoise waters.

Now don't get me wrong, I took advantage of beach days any chance I could, while I lived in Florida. But, somehow when you live there, you don't actually have as much time as you'd like to spend it on the beach or in the ocean. Since I have been away from that setting for so long, this trip really made me realize how lucky I was to live in such a tropical place.

Another thing I loved about my Florida get-away was how convenient the hours for nearly everything were. Shops and non-fast food restaurants are open in Miami until the wee hours of the morning.

Being in Florida was, without a doubt; a breath of fresh air, but I truthfully missed Abilene while I was gone. Texas may not be the most aesthetically pleasing state, with the dryness and lack of color around, but the people here are really incomparable. When people ask you how you are doing here; they genuinely care. Where as in Miami, many times you won't even get a "hello" or a "how-are-you" at all...or if you do, it's only because someone feels obligated. Of course, this isn't how everyone in Miami is...but the community here in Abilene is definitely much friendlier overall.

Just for the record, no one is paying or making me say these things. That's what I love about blogging...it allows each of us to share our thoughts without any outside editing. ; )

This Florida-Getaway was much needed after a busy week in March, but by the week's end, I was ready to come "home."

Reporter by Day...Cop at Night

Citizen's Police Academy...what's that? That's what I said, until I was asked by MaryAnn Martin with AISD to be part of it.

Here in Abilene, they offer a unique 10 week course that shows you the "behind the scenes" stuff that our local police officers go through here in Abilene.

There are 26 of us in the class and we all come from entirely different work backgrounds. Media personnel are often chosen to be part of this academy because police feel that we could benefit from more insight into their careers, since we often work together.

We've only had two classes so far and I am very intrigued. Specifically by one of the female police officers who is one tough gal. You can tell she definitely holds her rank within the Abilene Police Department and is well-respected. When people think of police officers, they often think of men. So, I admire her and the tough job she has.

Last night's class was really interesting. We learned all about the Narcotics Division. I was amazed at just how many drug seizures go on right here in Abilene. They told us about some crazy run-in's with drug dealers and prostitutes.

We have lots of fun and exciting classes to look forward to within the Police Academy, such as shooting guns and learning about the K-9 unit.

It's also just interesting to interact with cops in the classroom setting instead of on the streets covering a story.

I think I am going to learn a lot about Abilene just by learning from the Abilene Police Department. It's also been a great tool to network with other members of the community, who are also students in the class.