The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI is visiting the United States this week. The leader of the world's Roman Catholic faithful begins his 6 day journey in Washington DC and wraps up the historic visit with an Ecumenical Mass in Yankee Stadium on Sunday the 20th.

I invite you to join me, photojournalist Pat Driscoll and the whole Channel 3 Eyewitness News Team for complete local coverage of the Papal visit to New York. If you can't watch our regularly scheduled broadcast, catch our coverage on-line @ http://www.wfsb.com/ .

Personally, this is going to be an exciting and ultimately an exhausting week. Just take Sunday the 20th for example the Mass in Yankee Stadium. The 2000 or so tickets distributed to "security cleared" guests will board buses and trains before 6am Sunday just so they can be "seated" in the stands by 10am for a security sweep. The Holy Father won't arrive in the Pope-Mobile until 2pm....the 3 hour celebration of the Eucharist won't start til 2:30. But organizers proclaim the music will be moving. Expect every portion of the visit to operate on Military precision. Just distributing communion to the 57 thousand has been calculated to take 15 minutes, thanks to the assistance of 500 local priests.

This will be an Historic week and we're excited to tell the stories.

It's time to pull the covers off your ride and fire em up! Whether you've got four wheels or two, make sure no critters have crawled inside and nested the winter in the: air-cleaner / exhaust / heat-blower etc. Take your time and check the plugs, fuel ( If you had fuel in the tank, lets hope you also put a stabilizer in before shutting her down for the season.) Check the brakes, brake fluid level etc.
There are sooooo many rides scheduled this year. Be safe!
Our friends at the NORWICH BULLETIN website have a motorcycle feature page! Likewise weekly at the Waterbury Republican-American.
I've gotten inquires about cruises too. The best ones are right around the corner. With higher fuel prices this driving season, you'll get your best bang for the buck by checking out the cruises/shows nearest where you live.

Be Safe!

So many young lives have been lost on our roads. Why?

That is a question State Lawmakers are trying to answer. Is it an issue of training? Experience? I am sure the Insurance Companies in the Insurance Capital of the world can find the answer quickly in their super computers. How many police reports are housed in these computers?

Times have changed. Instant communication technology (ie: cell phones, text messaging, GPS) are all grab and drive tools at our fingertips. It's not just eating a dashboard lunch anymore while you attempt to manuever our busy roadways.

Maybe lawmakers are honing in on a possible solution that could help reduce the number of our children who are killed each year.


Video: High School Holds Assembly On Teen Driving

It amazes me each Spring when School Districts and Communities go through the pains to host the moc DUI crashes, just to impress prom goers about the dangers of drinking and driving and taking risks. They learn later the "reality" of life when they attend the "real" funeral of a classmate.

Sound Off: Your Thoughts On Teen Driving

Task Force Details Proposals

Link: !MPACT

CT DMV: Teen Drivers in Connecticut

CDC: Teen Drivers Fact Sheet

35 Years! WOW! Congratulations W-X-C-I. That's the College Radio Station at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. The School and the Radio Station's Alumni this past weekend celebrated the growing milestone of excellent radio.
Thanks go to many people who got WXCI On-The-Air, and launched so many careers, including mine.
What a pleasure for me to meet and talk with General Manager Justin Mazzarese. Justin, I love your spirit and enthusiasm, keep striving for your dreams. You are WXCI....helping to mold future broadcasters, podcasters, webcasters and whatever communications medium comes along during the next 35 years and beyond.

Kevin Hogan
WXCI 1973-1980

It may not look like much now, but the Hogan's are hoping to be cruising by this summer in our restored 1959 MGA Roadster.
After I totally screwed up the bodywork, the trusted technicians at "Vintage" in Westbrook (take a bow Kevin, Mike & Rich) are about to push this puppy into the paint booth for a nice healthy dose of a single-stage paint. What color? Well now that you ask, it's ORIENT RED,
the original exterior colour from the Morris Garage. Once we get her home, it's build time. When you don't see me on TV - you'll find me in my grease monkey suite under the hood in the garage. What else do you think those of us bitten by the bug do during the off-cruising season?
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