Indy is ready for some football!

The biggest NFL game of the year is just two hours away, in my hometown, but I’m missing it because I fell down some stairs. Good morning, Brad here.
We have been talking about it for over a week now, showing you pictures and videos from Indianapolis as the circle city gets ready to host Super Bowl 46 this Sunday. This past weekend I had planned to head home to check out everything Super Bowl Village had to offer. That didn’t happen. I’m wearing a boot on my right foot because I fell down the stairs, sprained my ankle and tore two ligaments. Idiot.
While sitting at home watching movies and catching up on my DVR I kept getting text messages with photos emails with videos of downtown Indianapolis from friends and family who spent their weekend having fun. If I sound a little bitter, I am.
However, I must give it up to my city! Indy does it right. For about 10 days multiple streets are closed around Lucas Oil Stadium. There are stages set up for concerts, a zip line through downtown, the large roman numerals on the circle and my favorite the Indy Cars. Leading up to Monument Circle sits 33 Indy cars, each with the design of all the NFL teams and one with the logo for Super Bowl 46. Check out the Bengal car!
It’s really the ultimate fan experience and it’s less than 100 miles west on Interstate 74, so I encourage you to check it out before it’s gone. I will get to catch of glimpse of it traveling through Indy this weekend but I do wish I could spend more time than a pass through. As for the game, sorry little Manning, I’m cheering for the PATS!

Sunday Dinner

Marzullo Here: So this weekend we did not to do much, and sometimes those are the best weekends. One thing we did do which I always find time for, is that we cooked and we ate. On Sunday I had a craving for Lasagna, however I changed it up a bit and I wanted to go with roll ups instead of regular Lasagna. I got the idea from Giada on the Food Network, and I altered the recipe just a bit. I started by making a quick marinara sauce and then I got into the Lasagna. I start my making a bechamel sauce which is a white sauce that goes on the bottom of your baking dish. It is fairly simple, you melt butter in a pan and then head flour and saute it together. Then you add milk, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg and continue to heat and stir until it becomes thick and set it aside. Then boil your noodles but do not cook them all the way through make them al dente. While the noodles cook steam some fresh spinach to wilt it slightly. Then tear it apart and add it in a bowl with riccota, one egg, Parmesan, romano cheese, and some basil. Stir this fully then had scoops on to each noodle. After you spread it roll them and place them seam down in the baking dish on top of the bechamel sauce. Then after they are in the pan cover with the marinara sauce and top with fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh parsley. Then bake covered for 20 mins and uncovered for a additional 10 mins. You can always add more sauce afterwards but it is a nice twist to traditional lasagna.

Progress Report: Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields

Karma is cool.

Sheila here. I'm not just saying that. I am seeing a wonderful example of it in the construction of the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields in Fairfield. Miracle League fields are special places where kids and adults with special needs get to step onto a field of dreams. Quite simply, they get to play baseball, many for the first time in their lives. Construction is finally underway after four years of fundraising and planning.

Bringing a Miracle League field to his old stomping grounds was one of the dreams of Reds legend Joe Nuxhall after he saw a feature story on ESPN. His son Kim and a lot of kind and generous people are making Joe's dream come true. I don't have to tell you what Joe Nuxhall meant to Cincinnati, Fairfield, and Hamilton. His character education program, scholarships for high school seniors, and other local efforts to help children? That's all good Karma.

I'm not sure if you know what Kim means to the folks up that way in Butler County, but I saw it firsthand last month, and I witnessed it again yesterday.
Kim, Joe, and Reds great Sean Casey put together a Joe Nuxhall Character Education program several years back to bring to local schools. Kim was a teacher in Fairfield schools and saw the need for it. Last month Katy Morgan and I joined Kim and some athletes and teachers at an "I Can" basketball game at Fairfield Intermediate School. I was really touched to see the way the kids reacted to Kim, even though he is no longer in the classroom every day. When he walks into a classroom or the gym, the students cheer for Kim like he's a rock star. I've never asked him about this, but I'm sure it's because they know he cares about them, and still stands up for them and inspires them. That's good Karma too.

Now the good Karma is coming full circle. Construction started on the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields at Hatton Park in Fairfield on December 28th. Since then water and storm sewer lines have been installed, the foundation for the building was poured along with footers for the patio and pavilion area, and the main electrical conduit for the building and parking lot lights are in. There is still a lot of work to be done, but we could be watching our first Miracle League game at the field by this July.

Katy and I got to attend an appreciation luncheon yesterday at Receptions in Fairfield, where Kim honored the people who are making his dad's dream come true. "The Mayor" Sean Casey was there to thank them too. Sean doesn't even live in Cincinnati any more, but he travels back here regularly to see the progress and help it along. Sean said something that really resonated with me: "You don't make a life by what you get. You make a life by what you give." Two young ladies with special needs also touched listeners with their letters to the giving people in the audience. Jesse Hutson and Karlee Thomas can't wait to play baseball, so they can forget about doctors and surgeries for a little while, and feel "normal" by taking part in America's pasttime. I can't wait to see them on that field.

The fundraising efforts and the work have reached two big milestones: One million dollars in monetary donations and one million dollars worth of "in kind" donations, from architectural and engineering designs to construction and electrical work. Not everyone can donate thousands. In face, one donor gave $2.47. Every little bit means the world to Kim and his family, and will make an impact on special kids. But I think it would please them so much to have thousands and thousands of local people "invested" in this great project. We all loved Joe, and what I love more is knowing how he will continue to touch so many thousands of kids and their families who just want to go out and enjoy a baseball game for a little while. You can find out more about the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields here:
http://www.nuxhallmiracleleague.org/

And be sure to like the page on Facebook to watch the progress: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Joe-Nuxhall-Miracle-League-Fields/126938827383004

Here's a list which shows how all of the good Karma is not only paying off, but I believe creating even more. Maybe you can support these businesses and special people.
The Hatton Foundation donated $500,000 in a matching grant.
Other big donors include Mercy Hospital, Clemmons & Wolterman Law Office, Union Central Life Insurance, the Pfau Foundation, Butler County, and of course, the Nuxhall family. But the effort continues because an endowment is needed to ensure that the field can be maintained and used for years to come. The goal for that is $500,000, and every donation, no matter how big or small can make an impact.
Lots of companies, groups, and workers are helping by donating their services and equipment.
Bown Industries, LSI Lighting Industries, John R. Jurgensen, Ernst Concrete, Halcomb Concrete & Foundations, Dallis Homes, Bayer & Becker Engineers, DHA Architects, Magna Engineers, Lykins Oil, KoKosing, Enerfab, the City of Fairfield, the Fairfield Community Foundation, and local Ironworkers.
And an extra special shout out to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers #648. Some of them are unemployed right now, but they are all working hard on the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields. Their good Karma will inspire me for years to come.

Where Is All The Snow ?

Good morning, happy Thursday! It’s Katy… and recently I’ve been getting the same question here in the newsroom and out in public. Where is all the snow?! Hard to believe we’re now at the end of January, and we’ve gotten by with a pretty mild winter (*Shh! Don’t tell Mother Nature!) As much as I am enjoying the mild weather, I have to admit.. I do miss the snow. It may be that most people yern for what they don’t have. If you remember last year, we had quite a bit of snow! In fact, this time last year, we had already logged 28.6 inches of snow! Compare that to the 2.0 inches that we’ve seen this year! (On average, we should have seen about 10 inches of snow by now… which puts us 8 inches behind for the year).

So… why so little snow this year? You remember the Storm Team talking about the La Nina winter that’s set up for us this winter. For our region, that typically brings a slightly mild, wetter winter. Take a look at the outlook that NOAA put out back in October, which basically follows what a typical La Nina would bring to the United States. Our region is under the “average “ temperature, seeing temperatures right around 40 degrees, with wet conditions. The reason why? The Jet Stream. The Jet Stream hasn’t been able to pull in the arctic air we need to produce snow. Instead, many southern systems have formed, pulling in warmer air from the south, with shallow cold layers in the upper levels. The result is more rain than snow.

But we still have the rest of January, February and early March to get through. Will we see a big snow at all this year? According to Chief Meteorologist Steve Horstmeyer, it may not happen. The pattern this winter has been pretty steady, with a west to east jet flow, keeping us around average with rainy conditions all winter. I’ll have to agree with Steve. The chances are dwindling for a cold, deep snow to form. But, being in the business of meteorology… I won’t completely rule it out. I’ve been in the line of work long enough to know that Mother Nature can and DOES surprise you. We’ll just have to wait and see!

My REVIEW of Disney Live! Three Classic Fairy Tales!

Happy Wednesday. Dan Wells writing, and I hope your day is off to a good start.

This past Sunday afternoon was a day spent with Disney Princesses. I had the pleasure of taking my family to see Disney Live! Three Classic Fairy Tales at US Bank Arena. This was the first live theater experience for my daughters, and let me tell you, it was a great introduction to live entertainment.

The show started at 12:00pm and kept a good pace, especially for two young kids who tend to get distracted (my girls are two and four years old).

Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy greeted the audience and then began to tell the story of "Snow White". The set was close, magical (in that Disney sort of way) and the pace was perfect. A word of warning for next time, the Evil Queen in the Snow White story can be frightening for young kids who may not be familiar with the story. (my girls almost cried) However, all those fears went away when the goofy seven dwarves took the stage and the girls pulled their faces out of my jacket!

"Cinderella" was the next Fairly Tale. My girls loved Cinderella (that's they're favorite story) and what's nice about this story was a well placed intermission in the middle of the story.

Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" was the last princess featured. The costumes for the Beauty and the Beast were big, sparkly, beautiful, and the music was fun as well.

The grand finale featured all three couples in their wedding garb (I think this is what my girls imagine their wedding will be) and then everyone was joined by Mickey Mouse and friends.

The entire show was about an hour and a half long and was the perfect length. In closing, if you get the chance to attend the next Disney Live! event....go for it, you won't want to miss it when one comes close again!

Cheers,
Dan

Beating the Winter Blues

We are starting a new series here on the morning news. It will hopefully give you ideas on how to beat the winter blues.

Hi everyone. Rob here.

We all headed to Rockquest in Sharonville yesterday. Everyone except for Brad Underwood. He's already beating the winter blues. He's on vacation in Florida.

Rockquest allows people of all ages and all levels of climbing ability to act as Spiderman for a bit.

The wall we scaled was 4 and a half stories tall. I took a picture of Sheila, Katy and Tracey climbing the wall. Katy's way up top, but all three made it to the top. Actually, everyone made it to the top except for one. (I will allow you to guess who that is)

It was challenging and surprisingly grueling. The height can freak you out for a while. It did me, but the more you climb the easier it gets.

The expert climbers who guided us yesterday were fantastic. They made us feel comfortable and most importantly safe. Find out more at www.rockquest.com

Our Dan Well has some advice for men and what not to wear. If you want to know more, email him at dwells@fox19.com

Come Chat With Me

Good Morning...Frank Here...Did the rolls of thunder wake you up this morning? We had some areas of heavy rain up to a half of inch in spots, but for the most part no wind damage here at home. So where is the snow? Where is the cold air? What is going on? I know all questions you have as we have only seen 2 inches of snow this season. We have addressed all of these questions on air and now I have another way you can chat with me. Join me every morning on FOX19.com for a morning chat while you enjoy breakfast and get the kids to school. On mornings when the weather is the story we will be here with you as Meteorologist Katy Morgan will join me to answer your questions. Then on other mornings we will just chat about whatever is on your mind, so let the questions fly. I will include a link here for you to find our chat or you can simply go to our homepage at http://www.fox19.com/ and click on the chat with Frank link. Here is the direct link: http://www.fox19.com/category/229883/frank-marzullos-weather-chat