Twittering Tweets

It's been a while since anybody's posted on this page, but that doesn't mean we've abandoned technology altogether. A lot of us are using twitter (and some on air people tweet too). Here's a list of some of our staff using twitter along with the links to their tweets.

13 ABC Action News
Diane Larson - Anchor
Lee Conklin - Anchor
Brian Trauring - News Director
Anthony Knopps - Assistant News Director
Kristian Brown - Anchor/Reporter
Greg Bilazarian - Reporter
Sashem Brey - Anchor/Reporter
Todd Gaertner - Photographer
Chris Henderson - Photographer
Justin Billau - Photographer
Rebecca Regnier - Reporter
Jennifer Jarrell - Reporter
Zack Ottenstein - Reporter
Christina Williams - Assignment Editor/Reporter
Jenny Walenczak - Assignment Manager
Becky Black - Assistant Director of Finance
Cindy S - Director
Craig K - Engineering
Vickie Van Vliet - Producer
Terry Kowalski - Promotions
Ryan Speer - Promotions
Alexis Means - Reporter
Amy Montgomery - Nightside Assignment Editor
Chad Evearitt - Engineering
Tamara Rost - Program Director

-Billau

Mayor Carty Finkbeiner on the Big Three Bailout

Last Wednesday the mayor got a little fired up when speaking at a town hall meeting about the auto industry bailout. Here are Mayor Finkbeiner's comments:



Thanks for watching.
-Billau

3/4% Tax Change

Councilman Joe McNamara is proposing legislation to change how the 3/4% tax is allocated. He says this will allow for 2009 police and fire classes. This is his entire press conference...

Joe The Plumber

Joe Tibbals was the photographer working the day Senator Obama toured that now famous Holland neighborhood. Here is Joe The Photographer's video of the exchange between Senator Obama and Joe The Plumber.




Thanks for watching!
-Billau

$700 Billion Bailout Rejected - Roll Call

Wonder how your representative voted? I know the House's website crashed last night from people trying to find out how their representative voted. I'm here to make finding out easier. No video today, just text. Here's the roll call from yesterday's house vote. A "Y" is a yes vote in favor of the bailout.

ALABAMA
Democrats - Cramer, Y; Davis, Y.
Republicans - Aderholt, N; Bachus, Y; Bonner, Y; Everett, Y;
Rogers, Y.

ALASKA
Republicans - Young, N.

ARIZONA
Democrats - Giffords, N; Grijalva, N; Mitchell, N; Pastor, N.
Republicans - Flake, N; Franks, N; Renzi, N; Shadegg, N.

ARKANSAS
Democrats - Berry, Y; Ross, Y; Snyder, Y.
Republicans - Boozman, Y.

CALIFORNIA
Democrats - Baca, N; Becerra, N; Berman, Y; Capps, Y; Cardoza,
Y; Costa, Y; Davis, Y; Eshoo, Y; Farr, Y; Filner, N; Harman, Y;
Honda, Y; Lee, N; Lofgren, Zoe, Y; Matsui, Y; McNerney, Y; Miller,
George, Y; Napolitano, N; Pelosi, Y; Richardson, Y; Roybal-Allard,
N; Sanchez, Linda T., N; Sanchez, Loretta, N; Schiff, N; Sherman,
N; Solis, N; Speier, Y; Stark, N; Tauscher, Y; Thompson, N; Waters,
Y; Watson, N; Waxman, Y; Woolsey, N.
Republicans - Bilbray, N; Bono Mack, Y; Calvert, Y; Campbell, Y;
Doolittle, N; Dreier, Y; Gallegly, N; Herger, Y; Hunter, N; Issa,
N; Lewis, Y; Lungren, Daniel E., Y; McCarthy, N; McKeon, Y; Miller,
Gary, Y; Nunes, N; Radanovich, Y; Rohrabacher, N; Royce, N.

COLORADO
Democrats - DeGette, Y; Perlmutter, Y; Salazar, N; Udall, N.
Republicans - Lamborn, N; Musgrave, N; Tancredo, Y.

CONNECTICUT
Democrats - Courtney, N; DeLauro, Y; Larson, Y; Murphy, Y.
Republicans - Shays, Y.

DELAWARE
Republicans - Castle, Y.

FLORIDA
Democrats - Boyd, Y; Brown, Corrine, Y; Castor, N; Hastings, Y;
Klein, Y; Mahoney, Y; Meek, Y; Wasserman Schultz, Y; Wexler, Y.
Republicans - Bilirakis, N; Brown-Waite, Ginny, N; Buchanan, N;
Crenshaw, Y; Diaz-Balart, L., N; Diaz-Balart, M., N; Feeney, N;
Keller, N; Mack, N; Mica, N; Miller, N; Putnam, Y; Ros-Lehtinen, N;
Stearns, N; Weldon, Y; Young, N.

GEORGIA
Democrats - Barrow, N; Bishop, Y; Johnson, N; Lewis, N;
Marshall, Y; Scott, N.
Republicans - Broun, N; Deal, N; Gingrey, N; Kingston, N;
Linder, N; Price, N; Westmoreland, N.

HAWAII
Democrats - Abercrombie, N; Hirono, N.

IDAHO
Republicans - Sali, N; Simpson, Y.

ILLINOIS
Democrats - Bean, Y; Costello, N; Davis, Y; Emanuel, Y; Foster,
Y; Gutierrez, Y; Hare, Y; Jackson, N; Lipinski, N; Rush, N;
Schakowsky, Y.
Republicans - Biggert, N; Johnson, N; Kirk, Y; LaHood, Y;
Manzullo, N; Roskam, N; Shimkus, N; Weller, X.

INDIANA
Democrats - Carson, N; Donnelly, Y; Ellsworth, Y; Hill, N;
Visclosky, N.
Republicans - Burton, N; Buyer, N; Pence, N; Souder, Y.

IOWA
Democrats - Boswell, Y; Braley, N; Loebsack, Y.
Republicans - King, N; Latham, N.

KANSAS
Democrats - Boyda, N; Moore, Y.
Republicans - Moran, N; Tiahrt, N.

KENTUCKY
Democrats - Chandler, N; Yarmuth, N.
Republicans - Davis, N; Lewis, Y; Rogers, Y; Whitfield, N.

LOUISIANA
Democrats - Cazayoux, N; Jefferson, N; Melancon, Y.
Republicans - Alexander, N; Boustany, N; McCrery, Y; Scalise, N.

MAINE
Democrats - Allen, Y; Michaud, N.

MARYLAND
Democrats - Cummings, N; Edwards, N; Hoyer, Y; Ruppersberger, Y;
Sarbanes, Y; Van Hollen, Y.
Republicans - Bartlett, N; Gilchrest, Y.

MASSACHUSETTS
Democrats - Capuano, Y; Delahunt, N; Frank, Y; Lynch, N; Markey,
Y; McGovern, Y; Neal, Y; Olver, Y; Tierney, N; Tsongas, Y.

MICHIGAN


Democrats - Conyers, N; Dingell, Y; Kildee, Y; Kilpatrick, N;
Levin, Y; Stupak, N.
Republicans - Camp, Y; Ehlers, Y; Hoekstra, N; Knollenberg, N;
McCotter, N; Miller, N; Rogers, N; Upton, Y; Walberg, N.

MINNESOTA
Democrats - Ellison, Y; McCollum, Y; Oberstar, Y; Peterson, N;
Walz, N.
Republicans - Bachmann, N; Kline, Y; Ramstad, N.

MISSISSIPPI
Democrats - Childers, N; Taylor, N; Thompson, N.
Republicans - Pickering, Y.

MISSOURI
Democrats - Carnahan, Y; Clay, N; Cleaver, N; Skelton, Y.
Republicans - Akin, N; Blunt, Y; Emerson, Y; Graves, N; Hulshof,
N.

MONTANA
Republicans - Rehberg, N.

NEBRASKA
Republicans - Fortenberry, N; Smith, N; Terry, N.

NEVADA
Democrats - Berkley, N.
Republicans - Heller, N; Porter, Y.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Democrats - Hodes, N; Shea-Porter, N.

NEW JERSEY
Democrats - Andrews, Y; Holt, Y; Pallone, Y; Pascrell, N; Payne,
N; Rothman, N; Sires, Y.
Republicans - Ferguson, Y; Frelinghuysen, N; Garrett, N;
LoBiondo, N; Saxton, Y; Smith, N.

NEW MEXICO
Democrats - Udall, N.
Republicans - Pearce, N; Wilson, Y.

NEW YORK
Democrats - Ackerman, Y; Arcuri, Y; Bishop, Y; Clarke, Y;
Crowley, Y; Engel, Y; Gillibrand, N; Hall, Y; Higgins, Y; Hinchey,
N; Israel, Y; Lowey, Y; Maloney, Y; McCarthy, Y; McNulty, Y; Meeks,
Y; Nadler, Y; Rangel, Y; Serrano, N; Slaughter, Y; Towns, Y;
Velazquez, Y; Weiner, Y.
Republicans - Fossella, Y; King, Y; Kuhl, N; McHugh, Y;
Reynolds, Y; Walsh, Y.

NORTH CAROLINA
Democrats - Butterfield, N; Etheridge, Y; McIntyre, N; Miller,
Y; Price, Y; Shuler, N; Watt, Y.
Republicans - Coble, N; Foxx, N; Hayes, N; Jones, N; McHenry, N;
Myrick, N.

NORTH DAKOTA
Democrats - Pomeroy, Y.

OHIO
Democrats - Kaptur, N; Kucinich, N; Ryan, Y; Space, Y; Sutton,
N; Wilson, Y.
Republicans - Boehner, Y; Chabot, N; Hobson, Y; Jordan, N;
LaTourette, N; Latta, N; Pryce, Y; Regula, Y; Schmidt, N; Tiberi,
N; Turner, N.

OKLAHOMA
Democrats - Boren, Y.
Republicans - Cole, Y; Fallin, N; Lucas, N; Sullivan, N.

OREGON
Democrats - Blumenauer, N; DeFazio, N; Hooley, Y; Wu, N.
Republicans - Walden, Y.

PENNSYLVANIA
Democrats - Altmire, N; Brady, Y; Carney, N; Doyle, Y; Fattah,
Y; Holden, N; Kanjorski, Y; Murphy, Patrick, Y; Murtha, Y;
Schwartz, Y; Sestak, Y.
Republicans - Dent, N; English, N; Gerlach, N; Murphy, Tim, N;
Peterson, Y; Pitts, N; Platts, N; Shuster, N.

RHODE ISLAND
Democrats - Kennedy, Y; Langevin, Y.

SOUTH CAROLINA
Democrats - Clyburn, Y; Spratt, Y.
Republicans - Barrett, N; Brown, Y; Inglis, Y; Wilson, Y.

SOUTH DAKOTA
Democrats - Herseth Sandlin, N.

TENNESSEE
Democrats - Cohen, Y; Cooper, Y; Davis, Lincoln, N; Gordon, Y;
Tanner, Y.
Republicans - Blackburn, N; Davis, David, N; Duncan, N; Wamp, N.

TEXAS
Democrats - Cuellar, N; Doggett, N; Edwards, Y; Gonzalez, Y;
Green, Al, N; Green, Gene, N; Hinojosa, Y; Jackson-Lee, N; Johnson,
E. B., Y; Lampson, N; Ortiz, N; Reyes, Y; Rodriguez, N.
Republicans - Barton, N; Brady, Y; Burgess, N; Carter, N;
Conaway, N; Culberson, N; Gohmert, N; Granger, Y; Hall, N;
Hensarling, N; Johnson, Sam, N; Marchant, N; McCaul, N; Neugebauer,
N; Paul, N; Poe, N; Sessions, Y; Smith, Y; Thornberry, N.

UTAH
Democrats - Matheson, N.
Republicans - Bishop, N; Cannon, Y.

VERMONT
Democrats - Welch, N.

VIRGINIA
Democrats - Boucher, Y; Moran, Y; Scott, N.
Republicans - Cantor, Y; Davis, Tom, Y; Drake, N; Forbes, N;
Goode, N; Goodlatte, N; Wittman, N; Wolf, Y.

WASHINGTON
Democrats - Baird, Y; Dicks, Y; Inslee, N; Larsen, Y; McDermott,
Y; Smith, Y.
Republicans - Hastings, N; McMorris Rodgers, N; Reichert, N.

WEST VIRGINIA
Democrats - Mollohan, Y; Rahall, Y.
Republicans - Capito, N.

WISCONSIN
Democrats - Baldwin, Y; Kagen, N; Kind, Y; Moore, Y; Obey, Y.
Republicans - Petri, N; Ryan, Y; Sensenbrenner, N.

WYOMING
Republicans - Cubin, Y.
-Billau

Senator John McCain Interview

Last week I traveled with Lee Conklin to Columbus to interview the presumptive GOP candidate for President of the United States, Senator John McCain. In February, I posted the interview Lee and I did with Senator Barack Obama in its entirety. Now here is the follow-up to that post, Lee's interview with Senator McCain in its entirety.




Thanks for watching!
-Billau

13 ABC EARNS ITS GOLDEN BUCKEYE CARD

We celebrated our 60th Birthday here at WTVG this week. We first hit the air on July 21st, 1948. For more than a decade Channel 13 was the only TV station in town. In 1958, we became an NBC station. In 1995, The Walt Disney Company bought WTVG and we switched to become an ABC station. Originally, our call letters were WSPD-TV.

Below is some video made from a film transfer from the summer of 1948. The video includes a WSPD-TV slate, shots of the studio being constructed, engineering equipment and cameras, and video of the old transmitter tower construction.



Thanks for watching.
-Billau

Dog Warden's House Calls To End

As 13 ABC reported earlier today, the Lucas County Commissioners put a freeze on the Lucas County Dog Warden's ability to go door to door for license checks. Below are Lucas County Dog Warden,Tom Skeldon's interview and Lucas County Commissioner, Ben Konop's interview.

Here's Mr. Konop's interview:



And here is Mr. Skeldon's interview:


For more, go to my blog to see the entire interview Lissa Guyton did with Tom Skeldon yesterday for his views about a pit bull attack and pit bulls in general.
As always, thanks for watching!
-Billau

Carly Fiorina Interview

Carly Fiorina is Senator and Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain's Economic Adviser. Christine Long did an exclusive interview with her when she and Mr. McCain were in Toledo for a fundraiser. Here is that complete interview:

BAX Global Brass in Toledo

Below is the raw video from Lissa Guyton's interview with Schenker USA's Executive Vice President of Freight Management, Malcolm Heath.



I thought some of you may find this interesting. Here's a good 17 minute interview and we only have time for about 3 1/2 minutes total airtime for this story.

Thanks for watching!
-Billau

*I was just visiting the BAX website, check out their cool online game here!

Senator Barack Obama Interview

Hey, remember us? Yeah, the photogs. Sorry it's been so long since there's been a post. We'll improve on that in the future. Anyodd, today Lee Conklin traveled to Columbus to interview presidential hopeful Barack Obama after a rally held at the Ohio State University. Here is the uncut interview.

I'll be posting some pictures from our trip on my blog very soon.




Thanks for watching!
-Billau

Jobe Trial

I've been the photographer covering the State Vs. Jobe murder trial. An interesting thing happened today while covering the trial. Because the courtroom had reached capacity, a number of attorneys joined us in the media room for opening statements. I was editing my noon pieces so my full attention wasn't on what was happening in the courtroom. In the background noise I heard a slight gasp from in the room and somebody say, "Did she just say a 300 pound thug?" Yup. During their opening statement the defense said something to the effect that Bobby (that's what they call him) was protecting himself from a 300 pound thug with a gun. Their reason for using this was to establish Robert Jobe's mindset that night. I can tell you that if I were on the jury and the defense was saying that for impact, they had certainly achieved their objective.

Let me remind you that what I say does not necessarily represent the views of WTVG. This is a blog.

Here is the the defense's opening statement. Let me know what you think.



I'll try to give you more as we move along next week either here or on my blog (just click on my name over on the left). Thanks for watching.
-Billau

Wolfgang Puck

Tony and I went to the opening of the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Detroit on Tuesday and we got to interview one of the world's best chefs. Wolfgang Puck was up there opening up his new grille. We also got to eat some of his signature salmon pizza and his leek pizza. Yes, I said leek. It was soooo good. Thanks to Wolfgang for being a really nice guy.

-Todd

Marijuana Eradication

As promised, though delayed, here is the package about the marijuana eradication in Seneca County last week.



If you want to see the raw video from this story, you can find it on my blog.

Thanks for watching!
-Billau

Cosi Fizz

Here is video from BGSU where "scientists" from COSI created a wonderful display of fizzy popness. I wonder how many ants showed up afterwards.

-Jag

Corn Maze

This is a fun story Sashem and I did on Labor Day. Thanks to Duke and his crew at the Butterfly House in Whitehouse for being such gracious hosts...and for the helicopter ride.

-Kevin

Handicapped?

Here's Andre's video that he shot last Friday with Zack. What are your thoughts? Did Carty do the right thing? Does it matter that other handicapped parking spaces were available? Should he have had the dog with him on such a hot day when he knew he had appointments?




Thanks for watching.
-Billau

Minneapolis Bridge Collapse

Here's some video from the Minneapolis bridge collapse from Wednesday evening.

-Jaclyn

"GREEN" HOUSE

This Vlog is for those of you who saw Theresa’s piece on Friday about retired BGSU Professor Dr. Donald Scherer and his “green” house. Dr. Scherer had a lot more information about energy efficient living that we weren’t able to squeeze into a minute-thirty story. So here, in his own words, Dr. Scherer gives us the full tour of his “green” house.



There are businesses locally that offer ways to be more energy efficient. In the Bowling Green area there is Green By Design – a division of Stark’s Inc. In the Port Clinton area there is North Coast Wind and Power LLC.

According to Dr. Scherer, the cost to design and build the “green” house averaged just two percent above the cost of an average home. Scherer worked with Bill Decker of Decker Homes to design his home.

Dr. Scherer says the geothermal heating and cooling unit costs between $1,500 - $2000 more than your average furnace, but makes up for the cost difference very quickly. Dr. Scherer’s wind turbine is a Skystream model and has an average cost of $13,000. He estimates that his turbine will pay for itself in 8 – 9 years. The wind turbine is also maintenance free and Dr. Scherer doesn’t expect to service it for another 20 years.

Dr. Scherer estimates he uses between 700 – 800 KW/H of electricity a month in his new home. His old home used 650 KW/H of electricity in the winter, plus he spent hundreds of dollars in natural gas. To cool his previous home in the summer, he used 1,300 KW/H of electricity.

Thanks for watching!
-Billau

Levis Goose Flies Coop

This may be more of a Tony and Todd's Roadside Attractions story, but hey, I'm the one who shot it. Sgt. Richard Murphy assures me that when they catch the thug behind this fowl deed, his goose is cooked. Priceless.

-Billau