Rob Williams For Congress

Frank Marzullo Here....
First off if your watching this morning, and I hope you are, I want to apologize for my voice. While it is the day after St. Patrick's Day, you may think I had one to many chocolate milks yesterday, but that's not the case I have been fighting these allergies that everyone else has been fighting here in the Tri-State so that's why my voice is gone just to set it straight!!

With that said, at about 5pm yesterday, I hung out with my co-worker and friend Rob yesterday afternoon and some of our good friends, plus many of our neighbors here in the Tri-State. With temperatures in the 60's and sunny skies it brought many people out and about. St. Patrick's Day parties were packed especially those outdoors, click here and check out our story from Fountain Square. http://www.fox19.com/global/Category.asp?C=151146&clipId=&topVideoCatNo=15048&topVideoCatNoB=109491&topVideoCatNoC=104760&topVideoCatNoD=141804&topVideoCatNoE=142722&clipId=4630339&topVideoCatNo=106645&autoStart=true

By the way check Rob's Blog Post, he talks about the nice weather and people wearing flip-flops you may notice your own feet as he was taking pictures of peoples feet, kinda of creepy.

Now we are not special people by any means just the guy or woman next door giving you the news or telling you what the weather will be like. So it is always flattering when you come up and say hi or share a story with us. Yesterday we met many a person in green with beads on, and they even spotted Rob in his "disguise" wearing a John Deer green hat. Now, Rob and I have a big brother / little brother relationship so the following is all tongue and cheek but did happen. We are sitting at the "E" in Hyde Park and Rob says " I am wearing my hat nobody will spot me ( insert Rob's loud laughing ) " Then not 30 seconds later, " Excuse me are you that news guy", Rob says yes and then he is off like a candidate running for Congress he is shaking hands and kissing babies, telling jokes and taking pictures. Glad you had the hat on Rob! haha All in fun but we truly mean it when we say thanks for watching and saying hi and please do it more often!

Okay time for some hot tea for this voice!

It's That Time of Year Again.

It was a little early, but I decided to break out the flip-flops yesterday for St. Patrick's Day.

Hey everyone Rob here.

Flip-flops are great. They're easy to get on and off. I wear them all summer long. I wasn't the only one yesterday. I found a few people wearing flip flops at RP Mcmurphy's, the "E" and Molly Malone's. Although, it was a little creepy taking pictures of complete stranger's feet.

This guy to the right had no idea I took a picture of his feet.

Neither did this girl sitting at the bar at "E" yesterday afternoon. If you recognize your feet, I apologize for the invasion of privacy.

I find the best place to buy flip-flops is at American Eagle. They're cheap. Usually under 20 bucks.

The only time I rethink flip-flops is when I have to use the bathroom in a bar or restaurant. Not all of them, just the ones that go best with a tumbler of penicillin.

A Family's Prayer

Sheila here, sharing the story of a Northern Kentucky couple who needs some help as they work to adopt two children from Mexico.

I heard from a friend of Rene and Barbara Rocha this week, as she helps organize a fundraiser for the couple. Linda Gilkeson tells me Rene and Barbara have been helping the Hispanic community of Florence for more than five years. They started a church there and have been counseling and giving many other services to help Hispanics become better American citizens. Although this has been very rewarding to the young couple, the Rochas found they were feeling incomplete as a family. They became licensed foster parents in Northern Kentucky, with the hope of helping children from their local area. Their desires for a family tugged on their hearts with every passing day.

The Rochas have been in mission work for over half of their lives.
Two years ago, while they were on a mission trip in Juarez, Mexico, their hearts were overtaken by a five-year-old girl in a local orphanage. Her name is Lesly. As they spent more time with this loving child, they found out that she also had a brother, from whom she had been separated for more than two years. This news was heartbreaking for the young couple. Can you imagine being orphaned at an early age and having your only sibling torn away from you, being separated, not even knowing what happened to him? It was too much for anyone to go through, let alone two small children. The Rochas had already decided that these two children needed to be together. Although, at this time they did not even know Miguel, they jumped in with all of their resources to reunite these two children. To make this possible Barbara and Rene had to formally adopt both of the children.

Now Miguel and Lesly are in the orphanage. Adoption was the only way these two children were ever going to grow up together. Rene and Barbara have been in the process of this adoption for two years, hoping to bring these two beautiful children back to their home in Crescent Springs.

After this two-year battle, the Rochas are starting to struggle with finances. While they both are working, the costs of the adoption, including the trips back and forth to Mexico to abide by all of the court procedures are starting to take a toll on the couple’s resources. Until the adoption process is completed, the couple has to pay $900.00 a month to the Juarez orphanage for shelter, food and school classes for little Miguel and Lesly to stay together.

On Saturday, March 20th, friends and local churches are hosting a fundraiser to help bring a happy ending to this story. Some of the best local talent is donating their time to help out the Rocha family. There will also be a silent auction at the Christian Life Center, 509 Roney Lane Cincinnati, Ohio, in the Mt. Carmel, Eastgate area.

If you are unable to attend benefit and would like to send a donation, make checks to Community Christian Fellowship and send to:

Robyn Boehl
5951 Price Road Milford, OH 45152
You can call Robyn for more information at (513) 703-2360.

The Best Part Of My Job

Marzullo Here..

I am often asked what do I like best about my job? I usually have two answers, first covering severe storms, nothing better than using our skills in the FOX19 Storm Tracker Weather Center, To Keep You Safe. The second best thing about my job, talking to school kids of all ages about the wild world of weather.

On Tuesday I traveled up I-71 near Wilmington and spoke to the 7th grade at Clinton Massie Middle School. The kids were AWESOME! I spent about 35 mins talking about warm fronts, cold fronts, high pressure, low pressure, and the day in and day out operations of my job. The best part of doing these visits is the interaction with the youth of our area. So many times we do stories about young people in trouble or causing problems but we have more kids who are doing more good and helping others. Several of the 7th graders talked to me about there work with Little Hearts / Big Smiles of Southwestern, Ohio. The group is a support group for families of children with special needs. These children have so much to offer to our society and our some of the brightest kids you will ever meet. There families are a huge support system to them and work very tirelessly.

The group of kids I talked with wanted me to pass on they are in a competition to receive a $5,000 dollar grant for playground equipment. They had to put together a video and you can vote for them, if they win they receive the grant from Kaboom.org. Voting continues through March 31st, so vote often and help...

Here is the link: http://projects.kaboom.org/voting/elections/video_2010

Erin Go Bragh

Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day, but I really am.

Sheila here. All my life, my mother Patricia and my grandmother Margaret Warren celebrated the fact that our ancestors came from Ireland to America, and we're proud of our Irish heritage.

My Great-Great Grandfather Bernard Downey hails from County Tyrone, and after spending time working in Aberdeen Scotland, he emigrated to America. He landed in Urbana, Ohio, where he found work on railroad cars. He also served the Union Army in the Civil War as a blacksmith, then was honorably discharged after falling from a horse. Barney, as he was known, met his wife Margaret Lyons in Urbana, where she gave birth to my Great Grandfather Andrew Downey.

My Great Grandmother Catherine Radigan (also spelled Radicaen) was just a child when she left her mother in County Sligo, to travel to America with her aunt. She and her sister lived in Danbury, Connecticut before joining relatives in Columbus, Ohio. Andrew Downey knew her relatives and met Catherine when he was working in Columbus for a moving company. They were married at Sacred Heart Church, and my grandmother Margaret spent her entire life in Ohio's capital city. It's where my mother and I were born.

Catherine would never tell her age, and she talked of seeing spirits. She was very superstitious, and would dress in her best clothes to watch television. She thought the people inside the box could also see her!

I hope someday to go to Ireland to see the land of my ancestors. On this holiday, I can't help thinking of their courage in leaving their families and the hard life there behind to find a better life in America. I am grateful to them for giving their children and descendants a life of freedom and promise, and today I will toast them as I celebrate St. Patrick's Day with my own Irish children.

Food Network's Guy Fieri in Town

Diners Drive-in and Dives or Triple D as Guy Fieri calls it, gets better as it features Cincinnati area restaurants.

Hey everyone. Rob here. If you watch the Fox19 morning news, you know I can eat. I don't take small phony TV bites; neither does Fieri.

The show also has great restaurant suggestions if you're headed out of town. Because of Triple D, I have tried The Flytrap in Michigan and Hot Doug in Chicago. I'm hearing Guy is in town until the 18th according to a blogger online. http://tinyurl.com/ygdwen8 The blogger saying Guy was at Virgil's yesterday morning and Terry's Turf Club in the afternoon. Virgil's is a fantastic restaurant in Bellevue, KY.

My feelings about the burgers at Terry's Turf Club are clear. I think the burger has the power to fix things in the universe. Feeling sad, angry, depressed or tired, a bite of this burger will help.

I was at at Terry's a months back for my birthday and it made me feel younger or at least full.

Baseball and Breast Cancer

Hi, it's Sheila.

Once again this year our Cincinnati Reds plan to recognize the fight against breast cancer and Susan G. Komen For The Cure on Mother's Day. You can help the team select an honorary bat girl or boy. Right now, the Reds are accepting inspiring stories from people who've survived breast cancer or whose lives have been touched by the disease, and fans can vote.

Several nominees are vying for the Cincinnati bat girl spot, including the Cincinnati native who formed the Pink Ribbon Girls breast cancer support group, Tracie Metzger.

Tracie was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was only 30 years old.

She says in her entry: "At the time I had 2 children under the age of 3 and felt like I had to be the only young woman dealing with this. I felt scared, alone and like no one else could relate to all of the things I was feeling and thinking. Luckily for me, I caught my breast cancer early and my prognosis was very good. I went through 6 months of intense chemotherapy, lost all my hair and had a double mastectomy with reconstruction. During that time I longed to connect with other young survivors who were going through all of the things I was."

But at that time, no group offered specific support for younger women battling breast cancer, so Tracie and two other young survivors founded the Pink Ribbon Girls. She says, "Pink Ribbon Girls offers young women support during and after their treatments, an outlet to express fears and concerns and an opportunity to find strength through shared experiences."

I mention Tracie because I know her and have been inspired by her myself, but the Major League Baseball website also has entries from Louise, who lost her husband to breast cancer, along with a young woman who is inspired by her mother, and other local breast cancer survivors. Reading their touching stories only takes a few minutes, and you can make one of their dreams come true by voting to help them take the field with the Reds in May.

Here's the website where you can vote: www.mlb.com/honorarybatgirl

(You can look for your favorite team in the drop down box.)

And if you want to learn more about the Tracie's Pink Ribbon Girls, log onto http://www.pinkribbongirls.org/