1 minute to live

Today's story is about a swine flu outbreak at Tampa Catholic High School.

I was lucky I made this live shot this morning. Our GPS made a mistake (shocker!), so we arrived at our live shot location about eight minutes to our hit time. By the time we were tuned in and had gotten a mic check, we were one minute to air! Yikes!

Getting emotional on live TV

Whoops!

I was a little embarrassed after I got a bit emotional on live TV this week, but if I was going to do it, there's no more appropriate place than a police officer's funeral.

I covered Tuesday's services for Tampa Police Cpl. Mike Roberts, who was killed by a suspect last week.

Hundreds of officers were there to pay their respects.



I got a little choked up as I talked about the little girl Cpl. Roberts saved from a hot car earlier this year. Ironically, that girl is three years old, the same age as Cpl. Roberts' son.

Identical twins arrested for scamming women

They're twins, and they're both accused of using their good looks and charm to scam women out of money...

Jordan Gann was arrested in Tampa in 2007...



His identical twin brother, Simon Gann, was arrested in Canada in May...



Now police think there may be more victims. If you have any information, you can contact the Toronto Police Service at 416-808-1100. Tips can also be reported at www.222tips.com.



One of Jordan's victims, Meredith Gavin, started her own blog to spread the word about the twins and to find other victims.

Reusable bags... bad for you?

I know, I know...

One story says red wine and chocolate are good for you, and the next story says they're bad for you. This may be one of those stories, but you can decide for yourself.

According to a recent study, reusable bags can be unsanitary when used at the grocery store.

Oh my!

Time's running out!

Time's running out to cash in your clunker! And this time, there's no lifeline...

Scary suspect

As we covered the sad news of Cpl. Roberts' death, we got our first glimpse of the man accused of killing him.

This is one of the scariest-looking mug shots I've seen in a while. Humberto Delgado, Jr. is facing various charges.



It turns out Delgado's Facebook page is public to those in the Tampa Bay network. It's crazy how different his mug shot is from his profile picture.



We went to the house where police say Delgado lived, and an older man pulled up in a minivan and started yelling at us. You see him and another man (claiming to be a relative) in the story I filed for our noon show. I also detail and try to confirm some other interesting tidbits from his Facebook page.

Officer killed

This was a very sad day to be working as a reporter. We learned that Cpl. Mike Roberts, an 11-year veteran of the Tampa Police Department, was killed after a violent struggle with a suspect.

Overnight, about 50 officers gathered at Tampa General Hospital to mourn with Cpl. Roberts' widow. He also leaves behind a three-year-old son.

Neon fashion statement!

Another day, another story about another traffic shift on the Veterans. This time, it's an alert for drivers heading from Tampa to Clearwater.

We were live on the side of the freeway, which means that all media have to wear reflective safety vests. This was the first time I wore mine!



After the live shot, I blasted classic rock in the live truck and got to watch a few planes take off from TIA and head into the beautiful sunrise!

Squirrel crashes the set!

We had to have some fun with the "crasher squirrel" on the Saturday morning show.

This self-timed picture, taken at Banff National Park in Canada, caught a squirrel in the foreground and two surprised picture-takers in the background!



Then, oddly enough, the squirrel crashed the 10 Connects set!



Much to Bobby's dismay, I decided to name him Bob..

New name, same game

New name, same sweet game...

Monday, 10 Connects News This Morning officially became The Morning Show.

Here's a look at our new logo:

Free backpacks!

On Saturday, Metropolitan Ministries handed out free backpacks to 5,000 children as part of the Backpacks of Hope program. In the four years the program has existed, the need has increased tenfold.

Wedding for... 99 cents?

It's a new promotion from the 99 Cent Store!

At one store in Los Angeles, they're offering nine, 99-cent weddings on 9-09-09 at 9:09. Couples have until August 24 to sign up.

Clever, huh?

Clarkson retouching controversy

Curious to know what you think on this one...

There's been some controversy over Kelly Clarkson's cover photo in the September issue of Self Magazine. Some say the retouching went too far in slimming her down and actually altered her bone structure.

What do you think?

Teaching at NABJ!

I was honored to be asked to help teach young journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Tampa!

If you look closely, you can see CNN's T.J. Holmes in the background of this picture. He's working with the student in the peach shirt...



I got to work with Norris, a very talented student who loves sports reporting.



He's learning to be a backpack journalist, which means he's a reporter who also shoots and edits his own video.



He used my camera to shoot a story about a summer camp at the Tampa Skate Park.



Come on, Norris! Get crazy!!!

HGTV star visits 10 Connects!

Jason Champion, a contestant on HGTV Design Star, joined us on 10 Connects News This Morning!

He was such a sweetheart, and he lives in Sarasota. I told him I want to see his house, and he said I could come over for cocktails some time! By the way, I fully intend on taking him up on that!

He and his partner posed for a picture with me and our producer, Cris.

21-year-old buys first house

I just interviewed a guy who is 21 and just bought his first house. He used an FHA loan and bought a bank-owned property, and the realtor arranged for the bank to pay closing costs and for fix-ups.

The realtor says she's seeing lots of homebuyers whose mortgages are less than their rents were!

3 minutes of fashion!

Yes, we spent a full 3 minutes talking about harem pants on the show, and I loved every second!

Freaky pants!

Alright, I gotta know what you think of these!

Apparently, they're all the rage in Europe right now! My sister sent me this picture after she got back from her honeymoon in France.



I posted this on my Facebook page, and the comments poured in. Most people don't like them, but one friend said they're better than the "hip-hugging, underwear showing fashions" that you see in the U.S.



We're going to have a live Skype interview about this tomorrow morning on 10 Connects News This Morning, so tune in!

Limbaugh talked up Castor meeting before it happened

Last night, violence erupted at a healthcare reform public meeting in Tampa, even before Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) could give her opening remarks.

People in the meeting yelled at Castor, and those outside banged on windows and doors. As people were asked to leave, several screaming matches erupted between participants. One man’s shirt was even ripped open.

Turns out, conservative radio pundit Rush Limbaugh had talked about the meeting on his radio show earlier in the day. During his show, he read a post from RedState.com that Obama had mobilized "union thugs" to attend these townhall meetings. The post goes on to encourage all Tampa residents to attend.

Pug needs a home!

Wall-E is an adorable pug mix who needs a home!

His owners were living out of their car when they let him loose in a parking lot. He was hit by a car and lost the use of his back legs.



If you'd like to adopt him, you can contact Pug Rescue of Florida through their website or by calling 321-948-8932.

Free backpacks!

We profiled a great program this morning: free backpacks for kids in Tampa Bay!

In the four years since Metropolitan Ministries started Backpacks of Hope, their need has increased ten-fold.

It's a sign!

Make that a misspelled sign!

We found lots of them around Tampa Bay. The most surprising thing: almost no one we stopped could find the mistakes!




I started an album of misspelled signs on my Facebook page, and a few people have emailed me pictures. Friend me on Facebook to add yours or email them to me at jporter@gannett.com.