Student with a Gun

I checked my work phone and saw that I had three missed calls and at least one new voicemail. "Something big's happening," I thought.

Turns out there was a student on North Medford High School's campus with a loaded gun.

But but that 17-year-old had it the day before. And was arrested the day before.

We were just finding out about it more than 24 hours later.

I hurried down to campus, finding out as much as I could from a Sergeant, a couple of students, and a parent.

At the end of the night, I put together all of those perspectives for my story:

Loaded Gun on Campus from Bryan Navarro on Vimeo.

SWPL: Shorts

There's this book called "Stuff White People Like," which pokes fun at some of the stereotypical things middle class, left-leaning people (of any race) enjoy. I like it because I see some of myself in the items mentioned: plaid, farmers' markets, living by the water.

Every now and then when I come across a life experience that mirrors the mimicking I find in the book, I'll post it here.

Last weekend and this week we had temperatures in the upper 60s and even hit 70 Thursday. I played frisbee, read on the patio, and took a nap in the hammock.

And I wore shorts.

Now, the SWPL ode to Shorts:

"One thing prized by white people is making the most of situations. They like to maximize opportunities for all that they are worth. It applies to jobs, vacations, investments, books, education, and perhaps most importantly, warm days.

After a prolonged cold snap, white people are very excited at the first hint of a warm day. It is their opportunity to go back outside, to enjoy nature and thrive.

In order to get the most possible enjoyment out of these days, white people turn to one of their most trusted allies: shorts.

It is a known fact that white people believe that they can bring spring early by wearing a pair of shorts on any day that is above seasonal temperatures. This myth runs so deep that they will often wear shorts the following day when temperatures drop, at which point they will refuse to recognize that it is cold."

Astounding

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Bitter Rivalry, Sweet Victory

Yesterday I did something I've only done one other time in my life.

Monday was the WCC Championship featuring the two teams everyone expected to be there-- the Saint Mary's Gaels and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. For the fourth year in a row, it was the same matchup. This time there was something a bit different. The Gaels had unseated the Zags as regular season champion and were the #1 seed in the tournament.

I've come to realize that this game is my most anticipated annual sports day. There may be a great Giants-Dodgers game in late September, or the Niners could make a playoff run. But you don't know for sure if that's going to happen. On the first Monday in March, you can safely presume the SMC and GU will square off for a title, a punched ticket, and, most importantly, a year a of bragging rights.

I made a decision to defy the laws of society, technology, and sports. I recorded the game to watch it later in the evening after I got home from work.

That meant turning off my phone, avoiding the internet, not looking at the TVs in the newsroom, and asking for some help from my roommate.

It's a phenonmenon that's incredibly rare and hardly satisfying. Just ask columnist and pop culture expert, Chuck Klosterman.

But I blocked out all knowledge of the game and watched it from start to finish just as if it were real. And I'm glad a I did. One of the most dramatic, energetic, passionate, fiery games I can remember. A game that me shouting throughout the second half, went to OT, and felt like the best in this bitter rivalry's history. Sweet victory.

Man, I'm glad I bucked laws of common sense, lived in the past, and celebrated like it was real-time.

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The other game that I did that is Stanford-VA Tech in the Orange Bowl last year. However, I fast forwarded the 4th quarter, when Stanford dominated.

Samurai Sword

Legend has it that a samurai sword is so sharp that you can cut a piece of yarn just by dropping it on the blade.

A few weeks ago a store owner in Northern California was robbed by a crazed man holding a samurai sword above his head, threatening to unleash a deadly blow. The owner, Jim, told me about the unfocused, possibly drug-induced haze over the robber's eyes. He told me the rated-R threats he made. He told me how he thought he might die.

Then, he told me about the hope that came over him when he got his hands on something cold, the fear went away.

Jim handed over the money, his phone, his car keys, and his sense of security. He says he hated feeling as fearful as he did in those moments.

Jim told me that he wanted to shoot the robber. He said he would have had no regrets. But there was another woman with the robber and he didn't know if she also had a weapon. So he didn't take any chances.

Deputies later told Jim that the sword-holding suspect is lucky that the woman was with him. She saved his life. And maybe Jim's, too.

Last Week's Reports

It was a week of ups and downs. Stories that were easy to find interviews for and some that were difficult.

Stories that were emotionally draining. And some that were a bit lighter.

On Thursday, I found a gas station where prices had jumped 20¢ in one day!

Friday brought one of my toughest assignments I can remember. An 18 month old boy had been sexually assaulted by his step father. I covered the story as the 27 year old suspect wept in court.

Monday was a relief. Has that ever been said before? I got to head up the mountain to the slopes of Mt. Ashland. Many of the people up there said it was the best ski day all year.

More recently, on Tuesday the 28th, Southern Oregon and Northern California started bracing for the first big storm of the season. A Winter Weather Warning for our entire viewing area. I headed up the mountain for a story on road crews' preps.

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Check back tomorrow. I'll be posting a story where I talked to a market owner who was robbed by a man with a samurai sword. He talks about how feared for his life and what gave him comfort in those terrifying moments.

Snowmygosh

Anytime there's a chance the Rogue Valley floor will see snow, we call that looming doom "Snowpocalypse" or "Snowmaggedon."

It's tongue in cheek. We know there's nothing to really get flustered about. And we don't refer it to like that on-air or online.

This week we had a Snowpocalypse waiting the wings. It hit late Tuesday and through Wednesday.

Wednesday morning snow fell beautifully, silently outside and started building. The three reporters started making calls. Tow trucks, the airport, utilities companies. Was the world coming to a halt out there? We were finding out.

Several school districts closed down for the day. Others delayed classes (and bus pickups) two hours.

Here's the thing, an inch of snow in Medford means 3-6 inches in most other areas and a foot in the mountains and over the interstate passes. An inch in town means barely anything, but it's indicative of a major event everywhere else.

My report on Wednesday was in the Applegate Valley, about a half hour from Medford. There, snowfall was more than 6" in some areas. People live up remote roads on steep hills and when it snows like that, they're stuck at home.

Before hunkering down, there's stocking up.

Before Snowmaggedon, there's Grocery-apalooza.