Thursday, November 02, 2006
First Impressions
Back home again in the South. How great it is to be here. I may look like a Yankee, maybe even sound a bit like one, but make no mistake about it…I’m a southern girl through and through. I spent a big part of my broadcast career in Huntsville, Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee so Jackson feels like “coming home.”
I hope you’ll watch for me each weeknight on the 6pm newscasts. You can also see my special reports on issues facing Mississippian’s. This online notebook gives me a chance to share some behind the scene tidbits on the stories we cover. This reporter notebook is also a way for you to let me know what stories you’d like to see. Often I’ll have the chance to interview local and national newsmakers. Send me questions you’d like to have asked. We’ll get to the point of issues important to you.
Part of the excitement of coming to Jackson is to be part of the “Rebuilding Mississippi” effort. We’re airing a series of reports that follow the rebuilding progress of 5 towns on the Gulf Coast. I recently traveled to Pass Christian where the devastation is still massive.
I met seventy-eight year old Vivian Hill and her seventy-seven year old brother Thomas Boyd. They’ve lived there all their lives. Both lost everything in Katrina and are now living in FEMA trailers. Thomas had insurance and now with the help of volunteers is building a new home. Unfortunately, Vivian wasn’t insured and will likely spend the rest of her life living in a trailer designed as a temporary shelter. This widow, on a fixed income of $630 dollars a month has no place else to go. She’s grateful for the FEMA trailer but prays she will eventually get some kind of assistance that will help her build her own home.
Vivian and Thomas are just two of the thousands of Mississippians still living with Katrina’s lingering ravage. We can’t forget them no matter how much time passes. You’ll hear more about them in the weeks ahead.
Next week, we’re focusing on problems closer to home. The Georgetown neighborhood in Jackson is one of the oldest in the city. Unfortunately it’s riddled with crime and a lack of resources. We hope our special reports will open some eyes to the challenges our neighbors live with everyday. But more than just showing you the problems, we want to be part of the solution. You’ll get to see some progress in these reports as well.
And on the issue of important “issues”…don’t forget to vote Tuesday. You may think your opinion doesn’t count. It won’t, if you don’t get out to the polls. Be sure to watch for my interviews with the candidates. If you miss them during our newscasts, you can see and hear them here on our website.
I’m excited to be a part of this community and am counting on you to be part of the positive changes in Mississippi.
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