If you are like most people in Milwaukee, you turn to your local news for a variety of reasons, including sports scores, some news and, of course, the weather forecast.
Common to all those reasons is that you expect to hear something you don’t know. There was a murder somewhere or a politician was indicted or a shopping sale was underway or one of your favorite players was injured or there’s a big storm coming.
But sometimes the local news is a disappointment, telling you stuff you already know and wasting valuable airtime to do it. As we approach winter, I write this in the hopes that every station in town will read it and save the time it normally takes to tell this story.
The news says: "When driving in the snow, make sure you slow down, stay well back of the car in front of you and allow yourself more time to get where you are going."
Really? This is Wisconsin. 99.9 percent of us know about this. As a matter of fact, most of us not only know it, but we do it.
The news says: "If you have to go out and shovel, make sure you bend at your knees and not your back. If you try to shovel without using your knees, you could cause back strain."
Really? We’ve gotten this advice during your newscast from doctors, weathermen, news anchors, news reporters, physical therapists, kinesiologists, masseurs and guys who run hardware stores.
The news says: "Be careful of letting your pets out in this cold. It could be harmful."
Really? Most of us who have pets think of them as members of the family. We’d no more let our pets languish in freezing temperatures than we would let our kids out.
The news says: "There’s a big one coming. It might pay to get to the grocery store and stock up for a couple of days."
Really? This is Milwaukee. There are grocery stores all over the place. Most of us could walk to a store if we needed to."
The news says: "Those good men who drive the trucks are working like dogs to clear the streets. Make sure your car isn’t in the way so they have a clear path to clear a path."
Really? A whole bunch of us have either been plowed in, towed or gotten tickets for violating the winter parking regulations either on purpose or by accident. If we’ve lived here longer than two years, we are pretty hip to this whole parking thing.
The news says: "Make sure you’ve got gas in your snowblower."
Really? What else? Kerosene.
The news says: "We’ve had 18 inches of snow since this morning. Stay tuned for a list of closings."
Really? Everything is closed. Everything.
The news says: "The temperature is plummeting. If you have to be outside, dress in layers. Wear a hat because most heat escapes through your head."
Really? Why do you think sales of long underwear and Green Bay Packers knit hats are so robust?
And the biggest one of all -- the news says: "The snow is falling."
Really? Do you think we expected the snow to be going up? Of course it’s falling.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
