Happy Halloween!

Black cats, skeletons, and pumpkins--it must be Halloween! Blackie (who was born in our barn a year ago) is still a very playful kitten. This is Brett's first carved pumpkin. And the skeleton is just some of the fun decorations we have 'hanging' around the house.

Brett will be a Star Wars 'storm trooper' tonight. We actually purchased the costume three weeks ago. At first, he played in it. Then, he wanted to sleep in it. I'm hoping by the time he goes door-to-door tonight, people won't notice the dirt and ketchup stains on his uniform!

There are several places holding Halloween activities. We will be live at 5:00 and 6:00 at Lommel Park in West Lafayette. The neighborhood is having a costume contest and other activities for children. University Plaza Hotel is having a party for children under 10 from 6-8 tonight. They will have story telling, pumpkin bowling, and candy. We did not hear from the Tippecanoe Mall this year.

Just be safe our there and have fun!

And can you guess who this trick or treater is??
Yes, he is on the air!

Haunted Feargrounds

I was too busy concentrating on what ghost, ghouls and goblins were about to jump out or creep up behind me to take any pictures at the Haunted Feargrounds. The Coliseum and other buildings at the the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds have been transformed into the new and improved 'Haunted Mansion.' It is open 7:00p.m.-11:00p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The event is a fundraiser for Jefferson High School music groups.

It has been a few years since I've been to the Haunted Mansion. So, I was ready for some ghostly fun. It took some time to convince some friends they would survive the 30 minute tour. But once we got inside, it was a lot of fun. In fact, I think we all felt 20 years younger as we screamed our way through one scene after another. Watch out for the man with a chain saw in the hay maze and the car that flies over your head with its lights and horn blaring. Don't worry I didn't give away all the fun, there's more surprises inside.....
http://www.feargrounds.org/

Boo at the Zoo

The Columbian Park Zoo had some scarey creatures to share with us on the noon show. One was a boa constrictor. Yes, that's a snake wrapped around Jeff's waist!
The other was a skink. The blue-tongue reptile and the snake will be among the animals you can see at this year's Boo at the Zoo. This is a fun event for young children. The zoo has an enchanted train ride and several activities (pumpkin bowling, eyeball toss, and the bat wing fling) that will have youngsters howling. Boo at the Zoo is 6:30p.m.-9:00p.m. Wednesday-Friday. Admission is $4 per person. That money goes toward continued renovations at the Columbian Park Zoo.

Boiler Up!

Saturday proved to be a perfect day for football! The leaves are changing color and the skies were clear. And of course Purdue's win over Iowa made the day complete. The Boilers beat the Hawkeyes 31-6. That assures Purdue a bowl game and breaks a 2 game losing streak. Hopefully that gives the team plenty of positive energy going into its match up with Northwestern this weekend. After that the Boilers are on the road against Penn State, at home against Michigan State, then at IU on November 17th to end the season.

News From Iraq

Good to hear from a local soldier serving in Iraq. PFC Adam Prickel, a 2000 graduate of Harrison High School is a combat correspondent for the US Army. This is a picture of Adam with General David Petraeus. Adam's Public Affairs Unit has been moved to Baghdad to cover the 3rd Infantry surge. Before he joined the Army, Adam was studying telecommunications at IU.

Frontier Fun

8th grade students at Frontier Junior Senior High School are beginning to learn about career options. During the first program, students heard what it takes to be a vet tech. Then, I told them a few things about getting into broadcasting. Some of the students stood before their classmates and did a mock newscast. We even had someone fill the role as floor director. (That's the person who tells us when we are on and what camera to look at!) I really enjoyed my visit to Frontier. The students were great and asked lots of good questions.

Safe & Sound

The Safe and Sound Squad is performing this week to hundreds of children at Jefferson High School, as part of Fire Prevention Month. The S&S Squad consists of a group of firefighters and specialists who entertain and educate children, parents, and teachers about fire safety through he universal language of music. Children enjoy songs like 'Two Ways Out,' "You Gotta Click It," and "Stop, Drop and Roll." The band is performing a free show for the public tonight at 7:00p.m. at Jefferson High School.

Apple Pie Time

It's Apple Pie time again! Lafayette Christian School is having its 13th annual Dutch Apple Pie sale this week. Watch for stories on Wednesday about how volunteers make hundreds of pies as a fundraiser for the school. To get a pie, drive by the school Thursday and Friday from 8:30a.m.-6:00p.m. or Saturday from 9:00a.m.-noon. Lafayette Christian School is located at 525 North 26th Street in Lafayette. Pies are $8.50 each. The pies are great to freeze, then bake for family and holiday gatherings.

Riley Ride Results

Saturday's Ride for Riley was a success. Thanks to everyone who rode and/or donated to Riley Children's Hospital. It was a little warm, which made everyone enjoy the wooded areas and creeks even more. Roanie wanted to stop and splash around in every creek we went through. (not that I blame him!) Thanks to the Red Hat Riders and Billy Reeves Stable in West Point for hosting the fundraiser. The event raised more than $2,200 for Riley Hospital.

Light The Night

A string of lights circled the front of Harrison High School Friday night. More luminaries could be found in the end zones of the football field. Each bag had the name of someone whose life has been affected by cancer (patients, survivors, family members, friends, etc) The 'Light The Night' was a fundraiser sponsored by the Harrison Student Council. Money raised will help a family with a 5-year old daughter with cancer.
Cancer affects so many people. I have a friend and co-worker who were treated for skin cancer. I know several women who've had breast cancer and men who were treated for prostate cancer. As many of you know, my mother is suffering from pancreatic cancer. Thank you to my friend Mary Jane who donated money to have my mom's name on several luminaries.

Champion's Centre

Anyone tired of looking at the run-down Family Inn on Northwestern Avenue in West Lafayette will be glad to hear today's news. A $60 Million development is planned at that site.
The Family Inn will be torn down in the spring to make room for the new development, which
will include a hotel with 80 to 100 rooms, retail space, office space, a restaurant and 115 sports
condominiums.
The company is targeting sports fans. Collegiate Ventures President Gary Spillers said, "What we do is we target the season ticket holders in the major sports as our buyers and we sell them these fully furnished condominiums. And when I say fully furnished, they're all the way down to the knives, forks and spoons." The condos range in price from $150,000 to more than $600,000.

Riley Ride

This Saturday is a trail ride to raise money for Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. Billy Reeves Stable, 5731 SR 25 South in West Point, is hosting the event. There will be one two rides going out at 10:00a.m. and another ride will be heading out at 1:30p.m. Roanie and I will be leading one group. We are expecting about 50 horses and the weather looks great for the weekend! If you want more information on the ride or to donate, you can call Billy Reeves Stable 572-2815.

Cancer Awareness Month

These are a few of the hats you'll find at a Woman's Place. The shop is located on State Street (behind Rural King) in Lafayette. It is a store that caters to breast cancer survivors. You'll find lots of pink and 'pretties' inside. The shop sells wigs, prostetic breasts, and other items. Tracie Bedwell is the store owner. She is a cancer survivor herself. It is a place where you hope you never have to go. But, if you or a loved one is in that situation, it's nice to know it's there.

It seems I know more and more women with breast cancer. The American Cancer Soceity says the chance of dying from breast cancer is 1 in 35. Breast cancer death rates are going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and improved treatments.

October is breast cancer awareness month. It means reminding the women in your life to get a mamogram. If there is a family history of cancer, get a mamogram by age 35. If not, women need to start at age 40. For more information, talk to your doctor or go to the American Cancer Society website.

Dynasty

Our hearts go out to the family of Dynasty Wortham. The 6 year old girl was killed while crossing the street Tuesday on her way to school. Dynasty was walking to school early with her siblings to have breakfast at Glen Acres Elementary School.

What happened is a nightmare for any parent. When something like this happens people can be quick to place blame. Should the crossing guard be there earlier? Was the driver distracted? Should the city lower the speed limit? Etc. It is good to ask questions and explore ways to make the situation safer, so something like this doesn't happen again.


Covering a tragic event like this is a real challenge for a reporter. Unlike what a few J&C readers put in the comments section, WLFI did not have a reporter camped out at the family's house, nor did she knock on the door. That may have been Indianapolis TV. But in the same respect, there will be people watching that station because they will have the sensational story.

This is a comment sent to WLFI from Karen Combs, the principal of Glen Acres:
"Thanks for your appropriate and respectful coverage of this tragedy. I will certainly convey your remarks to our staff. It is greatly appreciated. It was a difficult day at school today. "

There is a group of parents who are trying to help the Wortham family with funeral expenses. Cindi Collins says donations can be sent to Glen Acres School in care of Dynasty. Cindi says some parents may be going door to door to collect donations.