Tess Koppelman's Blog

Saturday September 13th marks 19 years since my brother died. He was killed in a car crash in 1989 when he was 19 years old. So today it hit me.... as of this date, he has been gone for as long as he was alive.

I was 13 years old when my parents woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me my brother was in an accident. It was a bad one. He "didn't make it." I didn't understand what that meant until we got to the hospital and I saw him. The oxygen tank under his gurney had a tube coming out of it that had been snipped by scissors, so the end of the tube dangled off the tank. I couldn't stop looking at it, and thinking about that moment when the paramedics knew it was all over, knew there was nothing left for them to do, and snipped the tube. He was 19 years old, driving home from work late at night, and maybe he didn't see the curve in the road, or maybe he was messing with the radio, or maybe he was falling asleep at the wheel. He was thrown from the car because he wasn't wearing his seat belt. He broke his neck. He never made it home.

The thought of him being gone is something I long ago accepted. But this date.... it's nagging at me, the fact that he's been gone as long as he was alive. He should have done so much with his life. He wanted to go to LA and direct movies. I always knew some day I would see his name in the credits, as director or producer or writer or even a grip. It pains me to think that he never got to do that. He never got to fall madly in love with the woman he would marry. He never got to hold his first born child.

Our lives are just a blip on the radar in the universe. Life's too short not to embrace it, and embrace your loved ones and love them with all your soul. One day, I too will be gone for as long as I was alive. I want to make the most of what time I have here on Earth, while I'm lucky enough to be here.

Parents of autistic children know how complicated it can be to find therapies or medications that work. But a couple in Kansas says their sons life has changed for the better ever since he got a new best friend: his therapy dog named Coop.

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A common problem with autistic children is they have a hard time connecting with people, and a hard time communicating. But Coop doesn't require a lot of conversation. Simple commands will do just fine. And it's not hard to have a special connection with a dog who is always there for you, by your side, supporting you and protecting you. It's no wonder why this program is such a success. It may not help every autistic child, but it's certainly an option for parents as they struggle with this incredibly complicated disease.

A common question I am often asked is "how do you reporters get your story ideas?" It's hard to answer that question, because every story idea is different. Some you have to dig a lot to try and turn a story. Others sort of fall in your lap and you wonder how you got so lucky!

But the honest truth is I get many of my best story ideas from YOU our viewers. And in this modern age, the best way to reach me is email.

Here's the problem: Fox 4 was recently sold and my email box that contained hundreds of messages and contacts is now gone. I feel like I'm kind of starting from scratch now, trying to re-connect with contacts and get the word out about my new email address.

I figured one of the best ways to do that would be to SHOUT it from a mountain... I HAVE A NEW EMAIL ADDRESS. And I guess that's what a blog is good for... my own little mountain.

So please make note of my new email address and send me your story ideas!!  Thanks!

Tess.Koppelman@wdaftv4.com

I did a story tonight about a local woman who started a website kcmetromoms.com where moms can network and swap information about bargains and coupons, and also swap or sell used toys or kids items. It's a great idea for parents who are trying to pinch pennies.

One of the moms who posts on there is a big fan of the website thegrocerygame.com because she often finds things for free or almost free. The website compares coupons to store ads and tells you the best time to buy for the best price.

When I was growing up, my mom would never buy anything for me unless it was on sale. It just got to the point where I wouldn't even ask if I could have it unless it was on sale. It's not that we couldn't afford to pay full price, I think to her it was just the principle of it. She would tell me "you know we'll buy it for full price and next week it will be on sale." And you know, to this day, I rarely buy anything for full price. My mother's words still ring in my ears.

It's also because of my mom that I clip coupons and wash zip lock bags to re-use them. A penny saved is a penny earned!!

So what are some of the ways that you save money? Anyone have any good tips?

As we head into some wintery weather here over the next few days, and given some of the poor driving I saw over the weekend, I thought some people could use some quick winter weather driving reminders.

Today I saw a man spinning his tires on an icy street so much that the tires were smoking. When you're in a situation where your tires are spinning and you're not getting traction, put your car into a lower gear. If you're stuck in snow or mud, you don't want to spin your tires too much because you'll get stuck even worse and then you'll need a tow truck. Instead, throw your car into reverse and then forward and repeat, creating a rocking motion that can help propel you out of your sticky situation.

Also, know what kind of brakes you have. If you don't have anti-lock brakes, you need to pump quickly instead of slamming on your brakes if you're entering into a slide, or you could be in a world of hurt.

Keep at least three car lengths between vehicles. If you hit some ice, you'll need at least that much room to brake and steer out of a slide.

Speaking of steering out of a slide... if you start to skid on ice DON'T brake. Instead, let up on the accelerator and then steer in the direction you want your wheels to be going. If you slam on your brakes, you could cause your car to start spinning out of control.

Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses, and tunnels. Black ice can form, and it's invisible to the eye and very dangerous. Also be careful in areas that look like they get little to no sunlight because that's another place black ice likes to hide.

Also, posted speed limits are for ideal road conditions. If the roads are bad, you MUST slow down. If you're driving the posted speed limit in bad road conditions, law enforcement could pull you over for driving a dangerous speed. You want to be especially careful with curves in the road or when turning. Don't brake, ease up on the accelerator and go into the curve slowly. In general, you want to avoid a lot of sudden movements, because that's how you lose control of your vehicle.

I'm a little late getting around to posting this... but I wanted to

thank some people who helped me and my boyfriend out at the Chiefs

game on Sunday (yes I sat through the disappointing loss.) Near

the end of the game I asked my boyfriend if we could leave early

since a loss was assured and it was starting to rain. He insisted on

staying until the end of the game, and it was pretty exciting

watching the Chiefs last second touchdown, even if it was too little

too late. However, once we dashed through the rain to the car, it

was already raining pretty good at that point. We were parked in the

grassy area, since we had been tailgating before the game. After a

couple of attempts to pull out of our parking spot, we started

sliding down a muddy mess toward a ten foot drop-off where someone

else was parked below us. Just as it started to get pretty scary, a

handful of guys jumped in to try and help us out. They pushed... and

pushed... but we were stuck. Hey guys... you got muddy trying to

help us and I just wanted to say THANK YOU. We ended up having to

wait for a very nice tow truck driver who also got pretty wet and

muddy helping us out, so THANKS to you as well!!! It could have

been a pretty miserable experience, but instead we were pulled out of

the mud and back on the road in no time. And maybe next time I tell

my boyfriend "you know, it's supposed to rain, maybe we shouldn't

park in the grass," maybe he'll listen to me ;-)

And speaking of CHIEFS... this was actually the second game I've been

to this year. I was at the home opener, and had to make the tough

decision which team to cheer for, since I went to college in

Minnesota. I know my Viking Fan friends will never speak to me

again, but I wore red and cheered on the Chiefs to their victory.

There are pics from that home opener game in my photo album, and if

you look at the pictures I took from outside the stadium, we're basically

parked in the same spot where the rainy mess situation happened, so

you can see what I mean about sliding down towards the cars below.

I guess I'm a fair weather fan... in the literal sense.