As I watched the news the other night, I got angry. On the screen: video of a Northland museum that had been trashed by vandals. Historic antiques were smashed, buildings dating back centuries were covered in fire extinguisher dust and windows were broken out. Some of the items cannot be replaced or repaired. And the question I keep coming back to is, Why?

Sadness mixed with anger as I got to look at the Shoal Creek Living History Museum for myself. The president of the group that runs the museum, Sharon Sumner, showed me around. She pointed out the antique piano worth 10-thousand dollars, or at least it was worth that much before the vandals decided to spray it with a fire extinguisher. Now Sumner has to figure out how to clean it up. An historic loom, that was painstakingly rebuilt by an elderly volunteer, is now broken in several places. The hearts of the volunteers at the museum are broken, too.

But they're not giving in. Sumner tells me not one single event at the museum will be cancelled. Hundreds of school children visit every year, and they will again this fall. The phone is ringing off the hook from people who want to help out. I met a man who restores furniture as he came to the Thornton Mansion on the museum grounds. He had never been to the museum, but when he saw the story on the news, he wanted to help.

I just can't imagine why someone would brazenly destroy historic property. Police believe it was juveniles, and beer bottles were found on the scene. Pranks are a common act for young people, but this is something much worse, much more sinister.

Perhaps some good will come of this: more people may now become aware of the Shoal Creek Natural History Museum. It's along Barry Road, right by Hodge Park golf course about two miles west of Liberty. I promised Sharon I'd be back to see everything when the clean-up is done. I hope others will do the same.

I love baseball. Oh, I'm a pretty big sports fan overall - I like football, basketball, golf... even tennis. But baseball is my true love. It started at a young age, as I collected baseball cards and watched the Game of the Week on Saturday afternoons. Whether it's on TV or in person, watching a baseball game is the perfect summer pastime for me.

Kansas City is blessed to have a great ballpark to enjoy. Kauffman Stadium may be an older park, but it is just as enjoyable (or more) than many of the fancy, new stadiums. It would be nice if the team on the field was just a little better.

It's not easy to be a Royals fan these days. I hear the frustration from friends of mine who still support their team, even in these trying times. The Royals are my son's favorite team, although he's too young to get upset about the team's poor record. I'm afraid he's going to give up on them when he gets older. It's not easy to support a losing team. A life-long Royals fan even sold his allegiance to the Royals on Ebay earlier this year. He said he just couldn't take it anymore.

"Wait until next year" is an age-old saying in baseball and Royals fans have become very used to saying it. However, there is a team this year that can truly give the boys in blue and their fans something to hope for. If you're a baseball fan, you know what the Detroit Tigers are doing this year. They have the best record in baseball. They've got a great mix of young stars and savvy veterans. And the best thing about it for Royals fans: just a few short years ago, they were terrible. In fact, they were worse than the Royals. They took losing to historic levels. And just look at them now.

Ah, hope springs eternal. There's a new GM in town and now an organization that the Royals can point to (and emulate), to show that things really can turn around, maybe pretty quickly.

Kansas City is a football town right now. That's great. But I think it can be a baseball town once again, as well. At least I hope so.

I wanted to mention a fun event I had the honor of being a part of late last week. KC Magazine handed out their "Best of KC" awards at a gala event at Starlight Theater. I announced some of the nominees and winners, along with Jenny Matthews from Mix 93.3 and Steven St. John from 810 Sports. It really was a lot of fun, and I learned how to pronounce some of the fine French restaurants in our fair city. Yes, I can now say Aixois. I also now know who the best tailor, best message therapist and even who the best cosmetic dentist is in the metro. Money raised at the event was given to Gift of Life, which works to educate people about organ and tissue donation.

One of the questions I get most often when I'm talking to people about First News is: "What time do you go to work?" The answer is 3:30 am. Their jaws drop. Then I add that I get up at 2:15 am to make sure I'm at KMBC on time. The response: they shake their heads and say, "I don't know how you do it." I don't either sometimes.

But if you needed any more proof that I'm a little off my rocker, I actually enjoy the early shift. I really do. This is the second time I've done it, and thankfully, I've got a pretty good system down. I'm in bed most weeknights by 7:00 pm. That's right, my four-year-old son tucks me into bed. I've found that's the only way to survive the crazy hours.

That doesn't mean I don't experience some severe sleep deprivation from time to time. It happens. That's just one of the realities of working the morning shift. But I'm also home early every day, which means I can spend a lot of quality time with my family. (At least, I hope they consider it quality time.) Since both of my kids are young, we have the whole afternoon for hardcore "Sorry!" games and trips to the pool and the park.

Ironically, I never considered myself a morning person before I started doing morning news about five years ago. I was a bit of a night owl. Boy, do times change. One more interesting note: I'm not a coffee drinker, so I do all this without caffeine. I think both Donna and Joel are thankful that I'm decaffeinated. The thought of me with a "caffeine boost" scares them.

We've been hearing a lot recently about all of the progress going on downtown, and rightfully so. The long-neglected downtown area is now seeing a building boom, from the new Sprint Arena to the Power and Light District. I have to admit I'm excited about it. The new entertainment and retail district is being built by the Cordish Co. I visited a similar project that Cordish built in the firm's home city of Baltimore and was very impressed. If they match the same quality here in Kansas City, it will be a jewel for the metro.

However, there's also something to be excited about just south of downtown. A major attraction is taking shape at the Liberty Memorial. In just a few months, the National World War I Museum will open its doors.

I had a chance to get a sneak peak of the museum a few weeks ago and came away impressed. There's still much work to be done, but it was easy to see that this could be a top-notch attraction. From the entrance, which will be a glass bridge over a field of silk flowers representing the lives lost in the war, to a battlefield trench that will give visitors a first-hand look at what it was like for the soldiers. There will also be several multi-media areas that will make you feel like you're traveling back in time to the "War to end all wars."

One of the first places I take visitors in Kansas City is Union Station. Just as I was the first time I went there, they come away awed by the beauty and history of that magnificent building. Now, just across the street, there will soon be another place that could also be a must-see for anyone visiting Kansas City.

The National World War I Museum will open to the public on December 2. We'll have complete coverage of the grand opening on KMBC and First News.

Pictures help us to remember all the important (and not so important) stages of our lives. With digital cameras these days, our kids can expect to have more photos than ever of their formative years. Is that a good thing? After this morning's First News, I think it may be.

We had the chance to look at first day of school pictures from many of us on the First News crew. Donna had cute pig tails and, for some reason, an angry expression. Erin sported a great perm. As for me.. well, let's just say it took me back.


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As you can see in this picture, it's a day at the bus stop for me and the other neighborhood kids. I'm the second from the right while my brother is second from the left. Let's see.. I have a bowl hair cut and I'm sporting a great pair of white pants. You can't really tell, but those are Reebok aerobic shoes that were so popular in the 80's. And don't forget the Members Only jacket. How suave!

But as embarrassing as it can be to look at these pictures 20 years later, they are truly treasures. I wonder how my son and daughter will view all the pictures (and video) we're taking of them now? Judging from the fun that we had looking at these old pictures this morning, I think they are well worth the embarrassment.

They say you always remember the firsts in life, whether it's your first bike ride or first kiss. Well, this is my first Blog. The internet age is here and I guess it's time to take the plunge into this place I hear so much about: the blogsphere.

You know something is hip when it has it's own cool terminology. Of course, the only cool blog term I know is blogoshere and I already used that. So much for my hipness factor.

What will "Jere's Blog" be all about? I'm not really sure, which makes it kind of fun. If you read the blog, I guess we'll find out together.

Speaking of firsts... it's the first day back at school for many kids around the metro. I can't believe it's already that time of year. Not only because summers always go so fast, but school starts so early these days! You know what's coming now don't you... "Back when I was in school..." --now I sound really old-- we usually started school after Labor Day. Now, it's going to be 98 degrees as kids start lugging their books around. I wish them the best of luck. Drink plenty of water.

Donna and Erin mentioned on First News this morning that it was a tradition in their house to take a picture on the first day of school. We thought it would be fun to dig up those old pictures. A first day of school picture wasn't a tradition in my house, but my Mom is searching for one anyway. Hopefully, Erin, Donna and I will all have some fun pictures to show you on Friday morning's show. Stay tuned...