Before the climb, I had a chance to interview this young woman. Her name is Skylar Hicks and she has asthma. However, she does not let it slow her down. Along with her parents, Skylar made it up to the 19th floor ... and still wanted to keep going. Her performance was inspirational and made all the participants go the extra mile.

This is the aftermath of 38 floors. I'm in the background in the white t-shirt, next to my best friend Joe. In the foreground are the firefighters with whom I had the honor of joining. It was a pleasure to put on the gear ( all 50 pounds of it ) and try to scale 38 floors. While we set no speed records, we did make it.

Wondering what it takes to scale 38 floors?

It's less about the shape you are in -- and more about the stamina you have. Even the most experienced of athletes will feel a burning of the lungs in the first ten floors. It's that burning of the lungs that is the goals of organizers. They want you to feel what asthma suffers feel on a daily basis .. and believe me, after having to deal with that feeling for 20-plus floors, I will never take my lungs for granted.

I will also never take for granted what the firefighters do. I wore the heavy equipment and made it 38 floors and nothing left by the time I reached the top. Imagine having to do that every day - and then, once reaching the top, you still have to save some one's life. That's why firefighters really are heroes.

Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us ... and a special thanks to those who joined my team: Stockey's Steppers. We kicked butt!!! See you next year at the USX Tower! ( just kidding ).

Here are some pics from a Super Saturday morning ... and some commentary as well.

Nothing lasts forever.

What makes life both great and sad is how people pass through your life. They are there for a few days or maybe a few years, touch your life, and then move on. While they are there, they create some memorable moments - and when they depart, they leave with you those memories and perhaps some lesson that makes you a better person.

Melanie Taylor is that kind of person.

This is Melanie's final morning with us here at Channel 4. After helping Pittsburgh through what can be the daily traffic nightmare for more than two years, she is leaving us and heading back to her roots in radio.

In the "Battle for Pennsylvania", there are many shots fired on both sides ... and there will be some blasts that mis-fire ... or in this case, candidates that "mis-speak". That is the latest bit of jargon the fight for the democratic nomination.


You know the story by know. Senator Hillary Clinton told the press she had to duck sniper fire during a visit to Bosnia as first lady. She recounted the harrowing details in detail. One problem. There's video of her arrival and it's quite clear there was no sniper fire. To be honest, it was as peaceful and warm a reception as you could hope for.

Because Senator Clinton got caught, Pennsylvania voters have a unique opportunity. Not only do we actually have proof that a candidate has failed to tell us the truth ... but know the state democratic voters will have the first opportunity to react and show the voting electorate in this country if this issue and this misstatement does make a difference.

Senator Clinton did spin it ... saying she made a mistake and she's human .. but from a media member point of view, it's difficult to swallow that excuse because her recollections were so vivid and the contrast to what actually happened was so stark. It's the same reason media members are holding Senator Barack Obama's feet to the fire for sitting in the pews as his pastor spewed out his controversial comments .. comments that are also on video.


One final note: The Clinton campaign's strategy to have daughter Chelsea engage college students was a brilliant stroke .. in the beginning. Having her take any question from college students and only college students created a real discussion that I think will help young people as they make up their minds going into their first election. However, we learned Tuesday there are indeed boundaries in this format .. and controversial ones at that.



When Chelsea was asked at one stop, by a college student, whether her mother's credibility was hurt by the Lewinsky scandal she took offense. She actually said "It's none of your business". Look, she may have truly been offended. Who knows? Bottom line here: just because the press can't ask her questions doesn't mean her contemporaries are going to serve up softballs. If you want to have a real frank discussion, than Chelsea will have to field all comers.

photo courtesy: Associated Press

Bill Cowher may have been the most intense coach during his time as the leader of the Steelers, but I don't think there has been a more engaging and vocal coach than Agnus Berenato. The only reason Pittsburgh sports fans may have missed her gift for gab is because she coaches womens basketball.

I've had the opportunity to cover this recent run of Steelers being charged with domestic violence from several angles, and have gotten to know some of those accused on a professional level from my years as a sports reporter and being in the locker room, so this is more than just an opinion you are about to read.

First of all, there is no reason to strike a woman. Ever.

Second, I'm not going to try and read the tea leaves coming from the comments of Steeler chairman Dan Rooney. That is for other to decide. I will just judge the team's actions.

What I will do is tell you that Pittsburgh is getting a full dose of a problem that plagues the world of professional sports in general and football in particular. The rise in domestic violence involving these athletes.

While they are employed by the Steelers and the team does have a responsibility to make sure the players it brings to our city behave, it is not the Steelers job to babysit these players. The team claims that character does matter - and they have told me there is a code of conduct. Clearly, these employees ( and that is what the players are ) do not follow that code.

We point out the fact they are Steelers because their employer is high profile ... and the employer should take a stand when one of their employees cross the line. But the real problem here is young men with a lot of money and a license to do anything they want. A license granted to them at a very young age when they first showed athletic potential.

While the players may all be good athletes, they are not all good people. Like society itself, the Steeler players reflect society. They may all be the cream of the crop when it comes to talent, but some are clearly not ready to be adults, much less role models. Frankly, it's been my experience that we should not expect any of these young men to be role models since they are just learning how to be adults.

The NFL says it has a program designed to guide rookies through the obstacles and off-field dangers they will face. The program takes place before they ever get to training camp. It's my belief that program should be an annual event for every player ... and hopefully incorporate experts who deal with domestic violence.

The other thing that needs to happen is a zero-tolerance policy. Forget three strikes and you're out. When you commit a crime, you should at the least be suspended - and immediately undergo counseling. Only after this is done - and the situation reaches some sort of conclusion - should you be allowed back on the field. Currently, the NFL does require counseling after every offense - but it's a one-time thing and most often the player is on the field before it takes place. In my opinion, the league needs to look at playing as a privilege - not a right for the player or for the team.

Will this be the last time a Steeler is charged with domestic abuse or violence? The statistics tell me no. The hope is yesterday's decision to release receiver Cedrick Wilson - without a trial - will send a message to the rest of those in the locker room that this behavior will not be tolerated. While the Steelers will be under the microscope from here on, it is the players who are the offenders and the players who misbehave who must change. The Steelers job now is to prevent such offenses from taking place by being proactive. Much more so than history would suggest.

Now that I have been assigned to the campaign trail, one of the things I am taking the time to experience as a reporter is the entire speech of a Presidential candidate, not sound bites that have become the standard fare by which most of hear our candidates. Tuesday, it was my first chance to hear Barack Obama from start to finish.

You probably know about the controversy surrounding Obama by now. His pastor has made comments seen as racial, inflammatory and critical of U.S. policy. Critics wondered whether Obama shares those beliefs. Tuesday in Philadelphia, he addressed those concerns in a speech all about race in America.

Did his speech diffuse the controversy and clear up the issue? In my opinion, it did not. After saying he had never sat in the pews and heard such comments from the pastor, he told the assembled audience yesterday that he indeed had heard these things while attending church. He also failed to renounce his association with the pastor, which is what the critics wanted in the first place. That alone guarantee this story will "have legs", as they say in my business, for a long time.
However, here is what the speech did. It talked about race in America in a frank, open and real way that we rarely see from politicians. While I do have a vested interest in the subject, even I was taken aback by the complexity of the issue as Obama spelled it out. It's truly ironic that the issue of race in America is not "black and white". It has many layers, many complications and few simple solutions.

Perhaps nobody spelled out what Obama's speech meant better than CNN analyst and former White House advisor David Gergen who said about Obama's speech, "he spoke to us as adults". That is true. For years, we have tried to simplify this issue and there really is no way to do so. That's not to say the issue of race cannot be solved, but let's not try to put a band-aid on an issue which had cut much deeper into our collective psyche.

Will Obama's address win him the White House? I doubt it. It probably won't even get him the nomination. Rarely will a subject such as race win someone public office - and if it's discussed in the wrong way, it can kill your campaign. Also, we will likely forget about it in the days and weeks to come. We still live in the "here and now" as a society. After all, anybody remember how "Super Tuesday" was supposed to decide the race? There's a lot more campaigning still to come.

We can only hope - and Senator Hillary Clinton touched on this Tuesday - the lasting legacy of this campaign will not be who wins, but rather how we look at race AND gender in our country. This election has already started that process. It's not that the race or gender card is being played here, but rather the entire deck is being thrown at our feet and we are forced to really face the issue for the first time.

I'm not sure how this came up, but the other day a friend of mine who happens to be a parent told me kids really don't date anymore. He says they hang out and do things in groups but the pairing off we used to see when we were kids ( I'm talking to all you Gen-X'ers out there ) is pretty much a thing of the past.


That got me to thinking about dating. I remember as a teen, and more as an adult, the fun and excitement of dating. The anticipation towards going out on that Friday or Saturday night with that someone special. I can remember when I first started dating Sharon. While I was into my work here at WTAE back in 1998 when we first went out, Fridays could not arrive soon enough.


I would call her during the week and tell her we would be going somewhere secret - somewhere special. From there, I would make plans - be it dinner, dancing, whatever. I would not tell her and then we would go out on that date. I would pick her up and we were off for a night of fun and romance.

Sharon and yours truly on a date night last summer

I miss those days. Let's be honest, dating is a different animal when you are married to that person. Much of the fun of dating is the mystery. You are still learning about that person and what makes them tick. You are riding an emotional high when you first date. Once you get married, you tend to know everything about that person - and probably a thing or two you would rather not.

So can you be married and date? Of course you can, but it just takes a little more work. I have discovered that with Sharon it's not the grand night on the town, rather the small things that seem to bring her joy. It's not flowers, but maybe a nice written note. It's not a declaration of love, but rather a phone call to say "hi". Most of all, it's not about spending money and taking her to the most lavish place in town, but rather trying a new place around the corner as we did last weekend.

No, you can never date the way you once did -- but why would you? You know this person now, so date night feels different so why not approach it differently? Of course, there is still some mystery there ... as there will always be Sharon and I.

It proved to be the ultimate photo op.

Senator Hillary Clinton strolling down Grant Street in Pittsburgh, walking in step with the Governor, Allegheny County's chief executive and the mayor of the city. Around them, banners upon banners supporting her bid for the White House and thousands more cheering her as she moved down the parade route.

Yes, Saturday morning's appearance in Pittsburgh' Saint Patrick's Day parade was a can't miss success for the former first lady. It had that "Presidential" look about it: giving those who watched the impression that she was Pittsburgh's pick for the White House whether that is true or not.

I had a unique vantage point to witness this spectacle: part parade and part campaign ad. The media was placed on a truck in front of the candidate. While it would seem the obvious place to put the media, it was also a calculation on the part of the campaign. The goal was for our cameras to capture the so-called "money shot" of Clinton walking with thousands cheering behind her.


Because she walked the route, she had access to people along the street ... but not the media. The campaign did a good job of keeping us close, but arm's length away from the candidate. We wound up getting the video, but were unable to get an interview.


However, not everything went as the Clinton campaign might have planned. There was a moment before the parade where the Obama supports showed up in force and shouted at the Clinton supporters ... and along the parade route there were many green Obama signs in what I thought was the best organized effort when it comes to a public display by the Obama campaign in western Pennsylvania.


There was one other moment I won't forget. As Senator Clinton was starting the parade, I looked over at the crowd from my vantage point on the truck preceding her. I think a few people must have recognized me because all of the sudden I heard my name being chanted. I guess for one moment I had the crowd .. before candidate Clinton took control.

You may have noticed that I was at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PA during Tuesday's noon broadcasts. Get used to it. You will see me on the road with the candidates as part of our Commitment 2008 Coverage on Channel 4 Action News. I'll be following the former President as he meets with the people of Erie Wednesday.

Former President Bill Clinton introduced by W & J senior Kristen Schuh

I think enough of you know me by know through this blog. You know me well enough to know how much I love golf, politics and a good bottle of wine. Know me well enough to know I despise laziness, bad service at a restaurant and the designated hitter rule in baseball.

On a snow Saturday night, a trio of couples ( including Sharon and myself ) and two friends all gathered and dined on a delicatable menu prepared by Culinary Queens. The ladies pricked the wine combinations. I would love to show pictures, but our server is down for some reason this morning. Stuill, here's how the menu played out:

Course One:
Sun Dried Tomato Cheesecakes
with Basil Oil Drizzle
Wine:
Haute Cabriere,
55% Chardonnay / 45% Pinot Noir


Course Two:
Seared Scallops
with Roasted Garlic Sabayon
Wine:
2006 Carmel Road Chardonnay,
California


Course Three:
Culinary Queen’s Signature Salad
Wine:
2006 "J" Pinot Gris


Course Four:
Creamed Carrot Soup
with Basil Oil and Crème Frâiche
Wine:
2005 J. Vidal Fleury, Cotes-du-Rhone


Course Five:
Intermezzo Granita of Lime and Jalapeño


Course Six:
Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter
Beef Tenderloin with Port Sauce
Green Beans with Lemon Butter
Garlic Smashed Potatoes
with Caramelized Leeks
Wine:
Steltzner Cabernet Sauvingon,
Stag’s Leap 2004


Course Seven:
Lemon Sabayon in Pine Nut Crust with Honeyed Cream Sauce
Wine:
Ice Wine, Inniskillen


Course Eight:
Cheeses and Assorted Breads
Wine:
1970 Sandeman Port



I have to tell you: it was one of the most fantastic dining experiences I have had in quite a while. You have to undertstand. I spent the last moth buying a home, selling a home, moving and trying to help WTAE win the morning ratings war. I have not had a nice sit down meal in weeks. This was relaxing, pleasurable and - thanks to the wine - a little bit louder than most meals I have had.


Still, it's nice to have dinner with good friends and be able to talk about everything under the sun and, when it is all said and done, not have to wash a single dish. Sure it was pricey, but the money all went to the Animal Rescue League and the folks at Culinary Queens could not have been more professional and more engaging.

Good day everyone. I just got out of jail.


No, really, I did just get out of jail.


I think I told you a while ago about this class I was taking - Leadership Pittsburgh - which was exposing myself and other professionals to the critical issues facing southwestern Pennsylvania. Yesterday, we focused on the judicial system - which included an afternoon in the Allegheny County jail.


While I have covered stories there, I have never been inside the jail. It was an amazing experience for myself and many of my classmates. Imagine a bunch of business professionals strolling into a pen area surrounded by immates locked into their prison cells. Many of the women in the class were justified in their nervousness. Many of them men were as well.


However, what really made us nervous was the references to the recent studies which indicate that the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. One out of every one hundred people in this country is in jail or prison - and there is a difference between the two. ( Think of jail as an overnight hotel and prison as an extended stay ).


Even worse, western states are building more prisons - and their construction estimates are based upon the literacy rates of fourth graders in school TODAY. Think about it. Education success of failure has now become an indicator as to whether people end up behind bars. Jails and prisons are also becoming home to more and more of the mentally unstable because state funded hospitals that treat such people are closing.


It's a difficult time when crimes rates are growing that we are incarcerating more of our citizens and the funding is not there to create the programs that will keep them out of prison. Prisons only treat the problem after it has become a problem, not before.


At the end of the day, I was able to walk out of Allegheny County Jail. The men and women inside that prison could not. Yet, while I had my freedom I was still in jail. So are all of us. Imprisoned by a system that sends millions to jail .. and has us footing the bill. Remember, it costs more to send a person to prison than it does to send them to college.

I've got a crazy day ahead ... too crazy to sit here and compose any rational thoughts. I'm going to take a blogging break and be back tomorrow.

Thanks everybody for your understanding.

Last night's comeback by Sen. Hillary Clinton - her victories in the Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island primaries - has guaranteed the best election story of our time will go on. It also guarantees the craziest campaign in history is coming to western Pennsylvania. As I said in the introduction, the circus is coming to town ... in the form of the race for the White House.



Get ready for six weeks of non-stop campaign ads and six weeks of visits from both Sens. Clinton and Barack Obama. The pair will be here so much, they may want to consider buying a residence. Get ready for six weeks of polls which will be drawn from the same groups of voters and somehow give two different views of the race. Get ready to see political spin the likes of which you have never seen before. Finally, get ready for mudslinging, infighting and flat-out insults.




Welcome to Pennsylvania
Senators Clinton & Obama prepare to battle in Western Pa.
( photo courtesy: AP )

However, also be ready to be educated. The Pennsylvania primary has been going on for years and yet very few Pennsylvanians know what it's about and how it works. are about to get the civics lesson of a lifetime. We will learn about delegates and superdelegates. We will bear witness to how primary politics work. We will see, first-hand, how campaigns fight for our vote. You will also see the national TV networks invade our state and witness how they present Pennsylvania to the rest of the nation.


And when it's said and done, will we have the nominee for the Democratic party? I doubt it. Pennsylvania will be key, but considering the way this election has unfolded I think the state will point the Democrats in the right direction rather than decide the winner.


Whatever happens, I am excited to see this race come to our hometown. I think it will be one of those great things to observe. But will it choose a champion on April 22? I tend to think, six months from now, it may have no more significance than Super Tuesday did last month.


With that, raise the big top ... and let the circus begin.

Pittsburgh's football future is secure - at least at quarterback.

Ben Roethlisberger agreed to the richest contract in Steeler history -- a reported $102M. It's a staggering sum by any stretch of the imagination and while it is unprecedented in Pittsburgh, he becomes the 6th NFL passer to break the $100M mark -- a club that includes the currently incarcerated Michael Vick.


However, today's blog is not about breaking down the QB's contract nor whether it will help or hurt the Steelers in the long run. This is about the reaction of you -- the average resident -- to the windfall and what it means to you.


After covering sports for more than a decade, it was always curious to me how fans internalize and personalize the money that athletes make. The same held true yesterday. There were people saying it was too much money and that Ben was not worth it, or how can one man make so much money.


First of all, when Ben says it's not about the money, it is about the money. No professional athlete does this for the love of the game anymore. Even Tom Brady, who took a pay cut to help his team sign other players, has a $60M contract.


Second, if the team is paying Ben $102M, how much do you think the Rooneys are making? People, let's remember the Steelers are a profit-making venture and they would not take a loss to keep anyone. Owners in general who pay out these huge salaries can afford to do so. Thus, let's not demonize the athlete with the small window of opportunity who wants to cash in. If someone offers you $102M, what would you say?


Third, the question always comes up: is anyone worth $102M? Who am I to say? As long as someone is willing to pay $102M, then I guess there is someone worth the money. Look, it's not your money. I don't care if you are a season ticket holder, the money is not yours to spend and if you are offended by the amount of money these players are getting there is a way to stop it. Do not go to games and do not watch on TV. That would bring salaries down in a hurry.


Finally, our priorities have always been a little out of whack as a society. We live in a world where we pay the people who play games more than those who care for our children eight hours a day. Something about that ratio doesn't seem right, but I doubt it will ever change in our media- and entertainment-driven culture. I just don't see anyone paying a teacher -- no matter how good he or she is -- $102M.

No matter how many times you do it and no matter how well you think your system might work, it never goes off as planned. It's always trying, tedious and tiring. It can be frustrating, agonizing and soul crushing. But when it's all said and done, it might be one of the most satisfying feelings you will ever have in your life.

I'm talking .. of course .. about moving.

As I mentioned before, Sharon and I decided ( at the ripe old age of 40 ) it was time scale back and live a simpler life. We hardly used our home - and when it came down to actual time spent there - it was Boobaloo who wound up spending most of the time using it.

So we found a townhome and decided to try and move most of our earthly possessions there in one day. The move itself wasn't the hard part. The movers did a great job and didn't damage anything over the seven hours of moving us from one home to another. The hard part was unloading, unpacking and putting away everything. I still think Sharon is working on the kitchen even as I write this.

As you all know, the challenge in moving isn't actually packing up. It's emptying boxes and putting things on shelves, in closets and where it's supposed to be as quickly as possible. That maybe an on-going experience for some people but I like to get it done as soon as possible. Adding to that - we had the painters in the house, the cable TV installation guy and the steady parade of new neighbors. Suffice it to say, it was a challenging weekend.

We finally finished up the upstairs portion of the house yesterday afternoon .. and the living room is getting there ... and I afraid to even go down to the basement to see what needs to be put away. I don't think I even mentioned the steady piles of boxes that we have unpacked that are now lying in my garage.

OK, enough with the complaining. Despite all the drama, there is still something special about moving into a new home. Whether it's your first, or in my case my 5th, there's an excitement and optimism when you put up stakes in your new place. You dream about what this place will become and you look foward to the memories that you will make. Most of all, you create a space that is uniquely yours.

Well, it's time to go back to work .. and then get home and get back to unpacking. I figure we'll have this done by week's end although Kelly tells me when it comes to home improvement, you are never really done.

Great.