The loss of a friend

Circle of Friends

To laugh often and much;

to win the respect of intelligent people and the

affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to

endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty;

to find the best in others;

to leave the world a bit better

whether by a healthy child; a garden patch or a

redeemed social condition;

to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

this is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

George Kerner died on Saturday, July 26th. He was a retired Purdue Firefighter and good friend. He was featured in a story we did about ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in May. George died within 6 months of diagnosis.

Kiss The Pig

The coliseum at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds was packed for the annual Kiss-the-Pig contest. Tippecanoe County Program Assistant Sara Sturtevant came in first place and go to kiss a little pig. Second place went to WLFI's Julie Krizen. She kiss an Angora goat. Third place went to county councilman and Farm Bureau President Kevin Underwood. He puckered up to a huge rabbit.
Congratulations to all the participants. They raised more than $1200 for the 4-H scholarship fund.

209th Quartermaster Anniversary

Today is the one year anniversary of the return of the 209th Quartermaster Company. The unit returned to Camp Atterbury to family and friends. Days later hundreds of people gathered to welcome the local members back to the Army Reserve Center in Lafayette. I remember being there for the gathering. What a joyous time for the soldiers and their families!

The unit spent about 14 months on active duty. The 209th helped with supplies and shipping equipment, as well as guard duty at Anaconda Air base, north of Baghdad.

Member Tim Plante talked with us today. Above is a picture of a message on his truck. "When you've been where I've been, any kind of life is paradise.' Watch for Renetta DuBose's story tonight.


The Iraq war is now in its fifth year.

Tippecanoe County 4-H Fair

The Tippecanoe County 4-H Fair is underway! I look forward to this time of year. It's an opportunity to see friends and enjoy some 'fair' food. Above is a picture of WLFI's Bruce Parker grilling up some ribeye sandwiches at the Cattleman Association's tent. There is also some good things on the menu at the Pork Producers next door. And, there's a great place to go in the air conditioning--the extension homemakers have great meals (even breakfast) at the end of the Home Ec Building. Monday night they were serving baked steak. But, don't get me wrong, I still like elephant ears and corn dogs!

Being a farmer's daughter, I enjoy going through the barns and seeing all the animals. This is a dairy calf named Oreo and his mother (off to the side) named Oprah. The Downard family is showing them. They were very gracious in letting my son pet them.

Going to the carnival was more expensive. Leuhr's Ideal Rides is charging a $1.00 fuel surcharge on each sheet of 20 tickets.

If you have time, also go through the exhibit buildings. 4-H members have many different projects that don't get the spotlight in the coliseum. They include photography, rockets, clothing, foods, veterinary science, and gardening.

Don't forget the Kiss-the-Pig contest Thursday night. Our reporter Julie Krizen will be representing WLFI. Look for the money-collecting jars in front of the Coliseum. The contest is at 8:20p.m.

For a complete list of the week's activities go to:
http://www.ces.purdue.edu/tippecanoe/youth/2008FairFlyer.pdf

Weekend Events

This little creature is an armadillo curled up in his shell. He was one of our guests on the noon show promoting the Zoo Run Run on Saturday. Registration is from 7-8am at the Zoo Administration building. The run/walk begins at 8:30am. You can get more details about the event at http://www.columbianparkzoo.org/. The event is a fundraiser for the Columbian Park Zoo. Participants get a t-shirt and passes to cool off at Tropicanoe Cove. Look for our weatherman Mike Prangley at the event. He helps organize it.
Organizers are promising a rockin' night of fun at this year's Dancing in the Streets. The event is from 4:00p.m.-midnight on Saturday in downtown Lafayette and across the bridge into West Lafayette's Tapawingo Park. There will be music and food. At 7:00p.m., there will be a classic car and motorcycle cruise. The laser light show will be just after dark in the West Lafayette side.
For details go to http://www.dancinginthestreets.net/.

Backstage with Obama

Barack Obama made his first appearance in Indiana since the May primary. He held a summit on national security at the Purdue Memorial Union.

As you can imagine that caused quite a media stir. The ballroom was filled with 500 invited guests. Behind the guests were risers for the media. WLFI was among dozens of media representatives. We had crews from CNN, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Chicago there for the event. We streamed the video live on our web, as well as provided live coverage at noon, 5:00, and 6:00.

Most political events start late. Not this one. The panelist took their place about 10 minutes early, then a few minutes later Bayh and O'Bama took the stage together--like a team. That certainly is raising questions about whether Bayh is a viable choice to be Obama's running mate. When asked about that, Bayh referred all questions to Obama.

After the summit, I was allowed backstage with three other reporters to interview Obama. (two from Indy and one from Fort Wayne) There was a lot of waiting and security checks. When the senator entered the room, he made a point to meet every reporter and videographer and shake his or her hand. The reporters were allowed to ask one question. I asked Obama about what he thought his chances were in Indiana. Other democratic candidates have ignored the state because Hoosiers have historically voted republican. Obama has made 41 campaign appearances, as well as opened seven campaign offices and many more are planned. Obama said he thought his message about ending the war, the economy, and other issues appeal to people in Indiana. He thinks it will be a close race with John McCain.

We asked Obama about Bayh as a possible running mate. Obama said he is not prepared to talk about that. All he would say is that Bayh has many 'gifts' and that he would make an announcement when the time was right.

Changes in Sports

Today we say goodbye to our sports reporter Kelly Crull. She has taken a sports reporting job in Oklahoma City. Kelly followed the Purdue Women's Basketball team in the NCAA tournament, tennis and many high school sports during her two years here at WLFI. She was our station's first female sports reporter!
As we wish Kelly luck, we welcome Matt Wettersen. (that is Matt and Kelly pictured above) Matt grew up in the Chicago area and graduated from Bradley University. He left a position at a Peoria television station to join our sports department. We hope to get Matt acquainted with all the high school sports rivalries, as well as make him a Purdue fan!

Obama is back

Barak Obama will be making a visit to Lafayette on Wednesday. The democratic presidential candidate is taking part in a summit at Purdue on national security threats. Obama will be speaking at the Purdue Memorial Union. WLFI will cover the event. Unfortunately the public is not invited. It's an invitation only event. So stay tuned!
Obama appears to be ready to campaign hard for Indiana. Political experts say Indiana is traditionally republican, so they are surprised at the Obama campaign. He made two visits to the state during the May primary. Now, he has opened five campaign offices in Indiana and is expected to open more as the November election gets closer. One of those sites is on Main Street in Lafayette.

Our Family is Growing

Congratulations to Seth Conley (our morning news anchor) and his family on the birth of their new baby! Ethan James Conley was born 7 lbs 13 oz., 20 inches long. Seth says mom and son are doing well. I'm sure Ethan's little sister is also excited about her new baby brother. Looks like Ethan will be a Colts fan! Seth will be off all week to help take care of everyone.

The Long Ball/Lauren Crowner Award

Many of you may remember our former employee Lauren Crowner. She was a weekend anchor and reporter. Lauren took a job in Ohio, then died in August 2006 after a brief illness. We all remember her energy, enthusiasm for life, faith and beauty. In her memory, WLFI presents an award to a young aspiring employee like Lauren. This year's winner was Baron Brendel. Baron is in our production department. (Baron s pictured on the left) He helps direct our morning and noon shows, produce commercials, among many other things. Our previous winner was Kelly Greene, our morning meteorologist.

I was surprised and very, very honored today to receive the WLFI 'Long Ball Award.' The award is presented each year to a long time employee. It is named after long-time, dedicated sales executive Dick Long. Previous winners include News Director Chris Morisse and Sales Executive Susan Clisby. I enjoy speaking to various groups and classes. The award reads for 'unwavering commitment to our community, accomplished speaker, and dedicated volunteer.' But when they announced my name I was speechless!

Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July everyone. I hope you get a chance to enjoy time with friends and family during the holidays. I am staying close to home. As you can see, it costs a lot to fill up. The pump actually stopped at $100 and my truck tank wasn't full yet! Ouch!

Many people enjoy fireworks, cookouts, and other activities to mark Independence Day.

The annual Stars and Stripes concert at Slayter Center will be held on Friday evening. The festivities start with music, then fireworks around 10:00p.m. Look on our local news page for information about different 4th of July festivities in our area.
Stay safe!