Sam Shane's Blog

Moving to the News Blog

Sat, 16 May 2009 00:14:22 GMT

I haven't stopped blogging, I've just moved to the CBS13 News blog where you can see Steve Large and I video blog about the top stories of the week.

Sam & Steve's Top Stories Of The Week

Fri, 08 May 2009 23:38:16 GMT

Video Blogs

Thu, 07 May 2009 03:39:09 GMT

So our managers here at CBS 13 have asked many of us to start doing video blogs. You probably know the drill - somebody sits in front of a bad camera attached to a computer and rambles or rants or tries to deliver a humorous monologue about the events of the day. I'm not sure I want to do this. I'm not convinced there's a real upside to video blogs. The production value is very low and I suspect they run the risk of being extremely dull. That said, I'll do it. The boss thinks it's a good idea. And if he thinks it's a good idea, then it's a good idea. We've also been asked to twitter or tweet, to blog on facebook to get more "friends" and to update our written blog on cbs13.com as much as possible. Now I don't know about you but I just don't have enough time in a day to do all these things. I spend almost ten hours a day in a newsroom working on four newscasts in varying degrees and an occassional in-depth investigative story when I get a spare moment. When I'm not at work I have two young kids, errands to run, a lawn to mow, gardens to weed, cars to wash, soccer practices to attend, and on and on and on. Who really has time to twitter and tweet and facebook and blog and myspace and who knows what else? Is this thing just a little bit out of control? And what are we really saying or writing? I know this is old school but maybe we'd be just fine if we slowed down just a bit. But we all know that's not gonna happen. Stay tuned for my video blog at cbs13.com. I know why I'm doing it. I just have no idea how it'll turn out.

Heroic Firefighters & Cowards

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 06:06:59 GMT

This week we aired an investigative report on how four Sacramento City firefighters bought beer and booze and partied while on duty. Last summer the four were sent to fight a fire in Humbolt County. After one day they were pulled off the fire line and told to get some rest in Red Bluff where they bought and drank alcohol. From the time firefighters leave their station to the time they return they are considered to be on duty. It is a clear violation for firefighters to drink alcohol while on duty. These four firefighters violated policy and were reprimanded by their superiors but kept their jobs. The response to our story was overwhelming - from taxpayers who were outraged that the four men weren't fired to people who criticized CBS 13 and me for doing the story. Those who were critical of me and our reporting repeatedly said these four firefighters are heroes. I'll get to that in a moment. But before I do that I'd like you to read a portion of an actual email I received from a person I consider to be a coward. He calls himself Samuel Gee. He listed his email address as: samshanesucks@cbs.com - he made it up. That's what cowards do. If Samuel Gee had any courage he'd be willing to back up what he writes and send me his real email address. Don't count on it. Unlike true heroes cowards run and hide. Here's the email he sent:

Samuel Gee

samshanesucks@cbs.com

Elk Grove

I'm glad that you guys were able to put together an exclusive story on something that happened a year ago. You really came up with the big story. The heroes of our city definitely deserve the mud that people like you throw at them. Is it your job to report the news or to be a wannabe Ryan Seacrest. The people don't care about what you have to gossip about. Your story really was an unnecessary attack on both the Fire Department and the families of the captains and families involved, who like adults, are trying to move past the situation. I never had much respect for your skills on the box, and I think I speak for a lot of other people as well when I say your stories are garbage.

First let me say that I have the highest respect and regard for firefighters. They're willing to put their lives on the line for all of us. That's a remarkable characteristic in any person. But firefighters who drink beer and booze on duty are not heroes. I don't know anyone who wants a drunk firefighter showing up as their house is burning down. These four guys violated policy. They failed their department, their families, the taxpayers and themselves. They bought booze and they drank it while on duty and they got caught. That is hardly heroic. As journalists it is our duty and responsibility to inform the public when we discover public servants to break the law, waste taxpayers' money or violate policy. As for "Samuel Gee" - a factual report based on government documents and verified by city officials is not gossip - it's reliable reporting. And calling me a wannabe Ryan Seacrest. Really? C'mon Samuel Gee, you can do better than that.

Let Petrie Pick

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:49:27 GMT

If they've learned anything the past few years you'd hope the Maloofs have come to the realization that they must let Geoff Petrie do his job. Let him pick the new coach. The Maloofs need to let go and let the people who know basketball make the basketball decisions. Granted, Petrie is not a genius - some of the players he's aquired and signed recently have failed miserably. That said, it's difficult to know in this organization who is pulling the strings and it's possible these poor decisions were actually made by the Maloofs. Of course the Maloofs can do what they want with the team since they own it. We'll find out just how much they've learned from their recent failures when a new coach is named. If they're smart they'll let Petrie pick.

Forget Tea Bag Parties - Think Bigger

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:39:29 GMT

The Tea Bag Parties made for good pictures and righteous outrage. Indeed our leaders who run the United States government and the state of California are taxing and spending at an alarming rate. This bailout plan better work or my three year old son will be paying for it decades after he turns 18. But if you're really tired of paying taxes and picking up the slack for others then may I suggest you focus your outrage and anger at American's corporations which are hiding untold billions in off shore companies and bank accounts to avoid paying taxes. The GAO reports many federal contractors and numerous banks that are getting TARP money (that would be our money) are hiding income in tax haven countries. The U.S. Treasury estimates that it (which means all of us the taxpayers) loses $100 billion a year in tax revenue as a result of companies shipping their income off shore. The estimate is more than $1 trillion over ten years - taxes that rich corporations avoid paying by shipping money overseas. If you're one of those who picked up a sign and marched to a Tea Bag Party, consider calling your representatives and senators in congress and tell them to crack down on these corporations. The Tea Bag Parties made for good pictures on cable television and good fodder for radio talk show hosts. But forcing our lawmakers and President Obama to show some real courage and some real change by cracking down on these wealthy companies will deliver real results and relief for those of us who have been paying our taxes fair and square for years.

Dustin Pedroia Pops Off

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:51:48 GMT

He called Woodland a dump. The city where he was raised, where he learned how to play a game that now pays him tens of millions of dollars. It took a healthy dose of nerve and an even larger amount of stupidity for Dustin Pedroia to say what he said. Here are two exerpts from an interview with Pedroia published in Boston Magazine:

Pedroia said of Woodland: "It's a dump. You can quote me on that. I don't give a ... "

Later Pedroia said, "Everyone wants to get out of there. You don't want to stay in Woodland. What do you want to stay in Woodland for? The place (stinks)."

Why would he say such things? These quotes are from a man who just donated $25,000 to rebuild Woodland's Little League field. His brother, Brett, told CBS 13 he knows why Dustin trashed Woodland in the interview. In January Brett Pedroia was arrested in Woodland on child molestation charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Brett says Dustin is apparently upset over the arrest and how Brett is being treated. So Dustin Pedroia is angry. Okay. But that's no excuse. Dustin Pedroia also said this to the people of Woodland in that interivew: "I come from your town. You should embrace me. I play for the Boston Red Sox. You haven't had a lot of major leaguers come out of your city." Well, good for you Dustin. Congratulations on playing for the Boston Red Sox. You're getting paid handsomely to play a game that millions of kids play for free. And right now in your life you play the game very well. Here's a little advice - there will come a time when you will not play for the Boston Red Sox. Father Time will slowly take away your physical skills - he does that to all of us. And the people you met on the way up you will likely meet again on the way down. Like your Little League coach in Woodland. And your high school coach in Woodland. Or your teachers in Woodland. Or the guys you went to school with in Woodland. You know, all the people who helped you become the very wealthy baseball player you've become today. The people who live in the "dump" who gave you their time, advice, patience and guidance. One day you may realize they are every bit as good as you - and maybe better. You owe them an apology.

Stimulus Package: Too Much Pork

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:51:36 GMT

The trillions are adding up. I just hope it works. Given the dismal condition of the world's banks, financial institutions and some of the largest corporations it seems there's no other option but to infuse as much money as possible into the economy to keep it afloat and hopefully ignite it. No one is certain how it will play out. I believe it will recharge our sputtering economy in the short term. However, it's the absence of substantial long term investment in the development of private industries which concerns me most about President Obama's stimulus plan. On the radio today I heard the owner of a furniture factory say we can't cut each other's hair, we have to make more goods which we can export. I couldn't agree more. Building roads and fixing schools will add jobs now but it's not the long term answer. In order to create wealth in America it's essential we create more products and commodities in America to be sold in other countries. Yes, it's simple math. But it adds up, it makes sense. We've spent our way into this mess by buying more than we earn, importing more than we export, consuming more than we produce. We need a plan to build more factories and private sector businesses to create the next generation of cars, solar power, computers, home appliances and construction equipment - the big ticket items that can be exported and will create good paying jobs that can be sustained for many years. I haven't seen such a plan yet. There's plenty of spending on bail outs, typical government programs and pork projects. Of course that will increase consumer spending in the short term. But in the long run it'll be throwing money down the drain if we fail to develop a smarter long term strategy in which the private sector rapidly expands by developing more exports and creating more private sector jobs. The last thing our country and economy need right now are more government jobs which further drain our precious dollars and serve as a massive drag on economic growth.

Big Thinkers Chase The A's

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:29:51 GMT

The Oakland A's have made it known they want out of Oakland. The team's owner says he's looking at moving his team elsewhere in Northern California. At first blush San Jose would seem to have the inside track - especially with all the corporate money available in that market. Here's what San Jose is missing - Sacramento's historical love of the game. If the A's were to move to Sacramento they would be assured of a packed stadium for virtually every home game for at least their first five seasons here. West Sacramento already has the foundation of what could easily become a Major League stadium. A big league ball team playing in a stadium along the riverfront - take one guess what that would do to the riverfront and downtown development on both sides of the river. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson recently said his priority is to keep the Kings in Sacramento and then pursue the A's. However, it's not an either-or proposition. Mister Johnson, who without question thinks and dreams big things for his city, is surprisingly unenthusiastic about making a public pitch for the A's. Then again, maybe West Sacramento city leaders are making their own pitch behind the scenes. Who knows? These deals are rarely done in the open. What is known is that big deals and big accomplishments are never achieved by small thinkers. The Sacramento A's? Really? Maybe not. Or maybe. Why not?

The Good Doctor

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:29:01 GMT

Dr. Brian Rubinstein and his colleagues represent what's good about people and our country. He's a local surgeon who recently traveled to Equador with a team of more than 30 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to fix the faces of children who were born with facial deformities. They arrived on a Friday night. There were 200 potential patients waiting for them - all of them hoping they would be the lucky ones. Some of them traveled more than 24 hours. Only 60 were chosen. The hardest part, Rubinstein will tell you, is saying, "I'm sorry but we can't help you at this time," to 140 people who desperately want a normal face or mouth or ears. For five straight days Rubinstein and his team operated, doing nearly a dozen surgeries each day. One after another they would hand over children with fully repaired lips to parents who cried with joy. These patients in this developing country are poor - very poor. They cannot afford this kind of medical care but it doesn't matter. There is no charge. It's free. Rubinstein and his team raise the money then donate their time, skills, hard work and dedication. Medically speaking they repair cleft lip, cleft palate and microtia. In language the rest of us understand - they're some of the finest people our country has to offer. If you'd like to learn more about them and their organization, go to: www.facesoftomorrow.org