A Guy Wins a Million Dollars, I Get Bit By a Pit Bull

I can't claim Thanksgiving was boring. Walking my dogs in a park near my house, they spotted the neighbor's dog, who was also being walked in the park. Once before, on leashes, 'Lady', a bit pull, had gone after one of my dogs. But that happens all the time, so i didn't think too much of it. Besides, dogs on leashes are usually more aggressive than off-leash. At first, all was well, as the three dogs were playing chase and sniff-butt, but then, all of a sudden, 'Lady' went after 'Bongo'. While the guy walking Lady was just yelling, "Lady, stop it!", I went in to get my dog out of the fray, and I have the dog bite on my arm to prove it. Let this be a lesson for all of you who think there is no way for a 60 lb. dog, even if it is a pit bull, can take you down. That dog bit HARD! Puncture wounds at every toothmark. So after I got home and realized I was bleeding (from multiple holes) I went back to the neighbors to make sure the dog had all of it's shots. It did. I'm over it.

I'm not over, however, one Mr. Robert Barnes. He won $926,000 in the South Carolina lottery. He let me come to his house to do a story on him, and he is by far the best character I've ever reported on. You have to watch this guy.

http://www.abccolumbia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1689:70-year-old-local-man-wins-big-in-the-lottery&catid=43:local-news&Itemid=50

I seriously believe we could triple our viewership if we had this guy do a weekly commentary on our newscast. 'Nuff said.

And the winner is....(keep the bag over your head)

My third installment of 'Hidden Columbia' aired tonight. It was about the Miss Venus pageant, put on by Sigma Chi back in the late 1940s through the early '70s. It was finally canceled because by the '70s, the women's liberation movement simply was not ok with women strutting in front of a bunch of frat boys with high heels, short shorts, tight shirts, and BAGS OVER THEIR HEADS. Yup, it simply was too good to pass up. Other than the catch phrase 'bags over their heads' and the accompanying pictures from the yearbooks, there really is nothing much more to it. Unfortunately, I never got a former winner to talk with me, so it left a huge hole in the story overall, not having that perspective. I would love to have done the story without any narration from me--all coming from the former winner and the USC archivist.

But I can honestly say in my short two months at WOLO, I worked harder on trying to get a former winner than i have on any other story. I went through all the yearbooks and wrote down all the winners, then cross-referenced them against the alumni directory. That gave me about five hits. Two had moved out of state, one was in Summerville and never answered the phone, one was in Barnwell and told me she wasn't Miss Venus, but Miss Aphrodite (I have no idea where the bag was placed in that pageant). Finally found someone still in Columbia. She answered the phone and agreed to an interview. She never answered the phone again, nor did she return my messages. I hope she watched tonight and wishes she had participated. Anyway, I won't say who she was, that would be unfair. But I'll give a hint--Miss Venus 1958.

If you want to watch, you no longer have to go to our website and type 'hidden columbia' in the search engine, because now, I have my own SECTION of the website. Go to the main website, www.abccolumbia.com, then click 'local news' at the top. A pull down menu will appear, one of the options being "Hidden Columbia." I'm becoming big-time......Good times.

What to do with South Carolina post-election?

It's an odd scenario as post election numbers clear up, studies conducted, and trends analyzed. The immediate aftermath of the election was a republican collective sigh--they had weathered the storm in our state and won all the major elections, from McCain as president to Lindsey Graham as senator, Joe Wilson as Congressman, etc. etc. But since the day-after sigh, it's not been such a rosy picture. The New York Times analyzed voting returns county by county, and concluded some areas in the South voted more Republican this year than four years ago. Their conclusion--race. Certain parts of the South and Appalachia came out in white droves to stop Obama. Check out the article and map at

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/us/politics/11south.html?_r=1&sq=south&st=cse&oref=slogin

It's pretty revealing because South Carolina looks much more like North Carolina and Virginia than the other deep south states that moved even more republican. And remember, North Carolina and Virginia actually voted for Obama. So the big question: is this an actual trend in the coastal south, a democratic trend, or just an Obama phenomenon. To see how I tackled this issue in a two minute TV story, check out www.abccolumbia.com.

Election Night./'Hidden Columbia' is a hit!

So Obama is the new president. I didn't get to enjoy the party because I was covering the Republican watch party at the downtown Hilton. No food, no drink, no enthusiasm. It felt like the break room at a funeral home, where people aren't outwardly sad, but there isn't exactly a giggy feeling either. Lindsey Graham didn't show, he was in Phoenix with McCain. Joe Wilson did show, put that was it. Governor Sanford, as always, was blunt. He said it was dismal, but that the 'carnage' vindicated his message for the last 6 years of fiscal conservatism. I asked him if he felt so vindicated, would we reverse course and stay in politics after his term is up. He said he didn't know what he was doing tomorrow, much less in two years....but he didn't say 'no'. We'll see. Otherwise, my vantage point last night was very narrow. We didn't even go live because we only have one live truck and that went to the democratic watch party, understandably enough. So enough of politics...


My Hidden Columbia series got underway Monday. The first one was on the 36-year defunt Underground Columbia--an old restaurant and bar mall under the ground on Main Street. I love this stuff, exploring parts of a city that locals don't even know about, or have forgotten about. This place is under the equitable building, just below the arcade pedestrian mall (itself a beautiful rendition of 19th century Italian Renaissance architecture). It was opened in 1972 by 3 local businessmen (Joe Gentry was one, he now runs a contracting business in Columbia) who rented the space from the owner of the building, Ned Barnes (he's in Charlotte, but his nephew gave me an interview and great insight). It's first year was very successful, at least in terms of buzz and attendance, but year two was a disaster. I would love to have seen pictures from when it was running well, and pictures from when it was taken over by prostitutes and tattoo parlors. From what I was told, Joe Gentry has pictures, but he didn't return my phone calls. Disappointing, but the story was still fun and from reaction, successful...you can check it out at www.abccolumbia.com, then find 'Hidden Columbia'. Ned Barnes, the nephew, not the owner, said they had gotten a few offers to renovate the underground, but none that they entertained as serious. I think the equitable arcade above it would be an awesome hotel (a la the renovation of the old Citadel in Charleston into the Embassy Suites.) If you haven't seen the Equitable Arcade, check it out, it's beautiful. Unfortunately, you can't get access to the Underground---unless of course, you watch my story.