The Office is Now Closed

This is a news package I did for WKTV NEWSChannel 2 to tie in to the series finale of NBC's The Office on May 16, 2013. Since WKTV is the NBC Affiliate in Utica, New York, the piece focuses on the fictional Dunder Mifflin - Utica branch and the process of getting local items and paraphernalia from the real Utica on to the small screen.

Live report for The Today Show on scene of 20+ hour standoff

Reporting live from Herkimer, N.Y. for NBC's The Today Show on the scene of a 20+ hour standoff after the suspect shot six people at two different locations in the Mohawk Valley, killing four of them.

Chatting with Congressman Hanna on 2013 State of the Union

Interviewing Congressman Richard Hanna on February 13 about the 2013 State of the Union Address.

Yes, Virginia...

In 1897, eight year old Virginia O'Hanlon, at the prodding of her young peers, was beginning to doubt the existence of Santa Claus, something we've all dealt with at some point in our childhood. So, she wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun newspaper, and the quick response was printed as an editorial. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

She wrote: "DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. "Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. "Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.' "Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? "VIRGINIA O'HANLON. "115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

Virginia got her answer, when the newspaper responded with this, something that I think still rings true to this day. They responded: "VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS.

There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there.

Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real?

Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

PATH TO SAINTHOOD Part 2:The miracles of Kateri Tekakwitha

Kateri Tekakwitha, along with Marianne Cope, will soon become saints in the eyes of the Catholic Church. The path to sainthood, as you might expect, is not an easy one, and Kateri Tekakwitha's came with its own share of roadblocks.

"First of all, they have to get all the information they can about her life from people who knew her or any writings the person may have had," said Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. "And then, in order to be canonized, you need a bona fide miracle. And that was the big hold up for her, because there was only one miracle that we had prior to recently."

At least two miracles are needed in order to become a saint. There were many alleged miracles over the centuries, including healing a young boy with smallpox, restoring a priest's hearing, and others, through possessions once associated with Kateri. It would take until the 20th century before the miracles that would make her sainthood a reality. It began in 1943 then-Pope Pius XII declared that the disappearance of Tekakwitha's smallpox scars at the time of her death was an authentic miracle.

"A few years ago, there was a young man in Seattle, Washington who had been injured in a basketball game and he developed a flesh eating bacteria and the doctors determined that he was terminally ill, was going to die," Bishop Hubbard said. "And they called the priest to give him the last rites and he asked the father, who happened to be a Native American, himself, if the father was willing to have the relic of Kateri Tekakwitha applied to him. It was, and against all medical explanation, he was able to recover and he will be at the canonization."

In December 2011, Pope Benedict XVI approved this second miracle needed for Kateri's canonization, paving the way for her canonization on Sunday, October 21.

PATH TO SAINTHOOD Part 1:The story of Kateri Tekakwitha

On Sunday, October 21, two women from the Mohawk Valley will be officially recognized by the Catholic Church as saints.

One of those women, Kateri Tekakwitha, is not only becoming a saint, but the first Native American saint as well.

Born in 1656 in what is now known as Auriesville, she lost her parents and brother to a smallpox epidemic that ravaged the village when she was only four years old. Adopted by her uncle and aunt, Kateri and her relatives had to move to the other side of the Mohawk River after the French burned down their village, locating in what is now known as Fonda.

"And there she was baptized at the age of 20," said Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of the Albany Diocese. "As a result of the smallpox epidemic, she was severely pock-marked in her face and she lost a great deal of her eye sight, so she was impaired throughout her life. When she converted to christianity, she was rejected by members of her tribe because the Jesuits were associated with the French and they had aligned themselves with the English. And then, also, her family wanted her to marry and she took a vow of virginity. And so, because of the bullying, the threats she was receiving, she had to journey two months by foot from the banks of the Mohawk to the banks of the St. Lawrence River where there was a Christian village. And there she devoted herself to the service of children, the poor and the sick."

Due to the ongoing infirmity created by the smallpox, Kateri died at the tender age of 24. While that was in 1680, her legend was carried on through oral tradition and passed on from tribe to tribe through the Jesuit community.

"In 1882, her cause was introduced by the diocese of Albany and it took until 1943 before she was (declared) a server of God, which is one step on the journey to sainthood," Bishop Hubbard said.

Bishop Hubbard was the one who presented the petition of beatification of Kateri Tekakwitha to Pope John Paul II back in 1980. He, along with a pilgrimage of about 200 people from throughout the Albany Diocese will soon be headed to Rome, Italy to celebrate her canonization on October 21.

Live from vacant apartment fire

HERKIMER, N.Y. (WKTV) - Fire officials say a heating unit is to blame for a fire on North Main Street in the Village of Herkimer on Monday afternoon.

The fire broke out at 121 North Main Street in Herkimer shortly before Noon on Monday, with heavy smoke and flames pouring out of the third floor and attic of the multi-story structure when crews first arrived on scene.

Winds made fighting the fire a bit of a challenge, but Herkimer Fire Chief John Spanfelner said crews had it under control in roughly 20 minutes.

"We had some pretty good gusts," Chief Spanfelner said. "It was fortunate it was during the middle of the day. During the middle of the night, with a vacant building, it would've got going a lot faster and we could have had a major fire here."

Herkimer, East Herkimer and Ilion Fire Departments were all on scene, as were Herkimer Police, with North Main Street closed off to traffic at State Street as well as Park Avenue. However, that did not deter a large amount of foot traffic, as onlookers from various businesses and eateries all lined the street to watch the crews at work.

Firefighters on a ladder truck ripped away at some of the building's siding so that a larger hole could be made around a window where once sat a window. From that space came mattresses tossed to the ground below, many of which were either partially or completely burnt.

Chief Spanfelner said that the vacant apartment portion of the building had been remodeled in the recent past and that there were a number of mattresses on the floor - two right above the fire that were completely destroyed, and another that was stacked against a wall inside.

"Whether they were getting ready to use them as apartments is unknown at this time until I talk to the owner," Chief Spanfelner said.

Investigators remained on the scene past 2 p.m. on Monday, determining the fire's point of origin to be a front corner of the third floor of the building, a floor that at one time housed apartments, but is currently vacant.

Chief Spanfelner said he does not believe anybody was in the building at the time of the fire.

Aside from being vacant, fire officials originally thought the only portion of the building where any electricity was connected was storefronts on the bottom floor of the building, such as Not a Problem Computers. Later in the afternoon, Chief Spanfelner said his crews learned that there was, in fact, power going to the entire structure, including the vacant apartment areas.

The Chief said investigators believe the fire started in the pipe of a gas heating unit stretching from the floor to the ceiling and that something inside the pipe may have caught fire.

Election Night Live Shots - 2011

Two live shots (one for the 10 pm news, one for the 11 pm) with the Republican candidate for mayor of Utica, N.Y. on Election Night - November 8, 2011.

Six questions with Republican candidates for Utica Mayor

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - With primary day less than 24 hours away, many candidates were out and about for that last minute campaign push, including those seeking the Republican nod in the Utica Mayoral Race. Six questions for each of the candidates and their responses.

Anchoring the CW News at 10

Anchoring the 10 p.m. news on CW11 for August 18.

Anchoring the Noon - July 25, 2011

Anchoring the Noon news on Monday, July 25, 2011.

Live interview with Congressman on looming government shutdown

A live interview with U.S. Congressman Richard Hanna (R-24th District) on April 8, 2011 - as a looming federal government shutdown loomed. This interview was so last-minute, we didn't know it was happening until seconds before I went on the air.

The presidential past of the Mohawk Valley

MOHAWK VALLEY, N.Y. (WKTV) - While many people had the day off Monday for Presidents' Day, you may not realize just how much of a connection our area has to some of the Presidents of the United States.

The Oneida County Historical Society realizes that, however, with many artifacts to prove it - artifacts like a podium that was actually used by a pre-President and then-New York Governor Teddy Roosevelt. The podium was used during a dedication ceremony of the Historical Society for its founder, Horatio Seymour.

"This was a very important area, not just for New York, but the nation as a whole," said Brian Howard of the Oneida County Historical Society.

In September 1889, Governor Roosevelt visited Richfield Springs and gave a speech from the porch of the Earlington Hotel, which today is the location of The Tally-Ho Restaurant.

Roosevelt certainly wasn't alone. There are many links to this region and our nation's chief executives, the most notable being our very first - George Washington.

"He was a land owner actually in Oneida County," Howard said. "He owned a couple of hundred acres in (what was then known as) White's Town and the society actually has a copy of the lend indenture he signed when he sold that land to Jedidah Sanger in 1790."

Sanger may be a familiar name to many in the area. He was the founder of the Town of New Hartford.

"So, right from the beginning, there is a very close tie with our American presidents," Howard said. "It's pretty surprising when you go through a region and see signs that say 'Washington was Here' or the typical 'Washington Slept Here.' Well, Washington owned land here. And that's not something that a lot of regions can claim."

Washington was also said to have made stops in Mohawk to have lunch at the Shoemaker Tavern on his way to and from Fort Stanwix in Rome.

The connections only begin there. The man who would become our 22nd and 24th president, Grover Cleveland, also came from Mohawk Valley roots.

"When he was a little boy in the early 1850s, his father was a Presbyterian pastor who was assigned to Clinton," Howard said. "And when Grover Cleveland was a small boy, he attended grammar school in Clinton - lived right on Utica Street. His house still stands, actually."

One of our most iconic presidents - Abraham Lincoln - also visited our fair region.

"Lincoln came through this area at least twice - once during his inaugural train ride from Springfield, Illinois to Washington, and tragically, four years later, his funeral train stopped in Utica," Howard said.

While Monday may be Presidents' Day, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Utica born James Schoolcraft Sherman. Sherman, a Hamilton College graduate who worked at a Utica law firm before serving as a Congressman.

Sherman was just one heartbeat away from the presidency when he served as Vice-President to William Howard Taft.

"The greater Mohawk Valley has been tied to the story of our nation all the way back from the day's of the French and Indian War to the present day," Howard said. "I've said many times we are a lot closer to our nation's history than we might realize."

Police Chief sues Village and Mayor

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (WKTV) - The Village of Cooperstown Police Chief has filed a lawsuit against Village Mayor Joe Booan and the Village itself. According to lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in Albany and served to each party Wednesday afternoon, Police Chief Diana Nicols was suspended without pay because she publicly spoke about a dispute with the police department's budget.

Central Issues - From homeless to helping hands

Watch the full episode. See more Central Issues.

An interview on WCNY's "Central Issues" with two people who not only run the Rome Rescue Mission, but who tell their incredible stories about how they found themselves in need of such services at one point in their lives, and the incredible journey that led them both to help others in similar experiences.

Central Issues - The Challenges facing Oneida County

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I sit down with Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. to discuss the challenges facing Oneida County on this episode of "Central Issues" on PBS.

Central Issues - The Challenges of Food Pantries

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Guest-hosting the show "Central Issues" at PBS-WCNY. On this episode, the holiday season brings to mind not only generosity, but those in need. How food pantries and similar organizations now find themselves with increased need and looking for assistance, themselves.

Central Issues - Police and Social Media

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Hosting Central Issues on PBS-WCNY and talking to two police departments (the Cicero Police Department and the Utica Police Department) about how the internet and social media has changed the way they conduct investigations.

Central Issues - A new age of bullying

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Talking with Utica Safe Schools about the new age of bullying, and what parents and schools should know, while guest-hosting PBS-WCNY's Central Issues.

Central Issues - Media Roundtable

Watch the full episode. See more Central Issues.

December 3 was my first foray into guest-hosting the show "Central Issues" on the Central New York PBS station, WCNY. This initial guest-spot is for the weekly "media roundtable" episode, where members of the media discuss a myriad of the current headlines. We discussed wikileaks, teen violence, and more with Ellen Leahy, editor of Eagle Newspapers and my colleague Megan Koskovich at WKTV in Utica.