I’ve had a dull headache since my shift started last night, not just because I’ve been working since Saturday night, but also because we had a training session and those always give me headaches. (I detest computer classes) So this morning, I was about to have a hissy fit when my friend Belinda from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel called me at freakin 7:49 a.m.

That’s her, while we ate at Versailles in Miami. Anyway, it turns out the LA Times is flying her out to help cover the fires. Now, why would the LA Times want to fly out a Florida journalist — is she some sort of fire expert? No, not exactly. Her specialty at the Sun-Sentinel is full-page graphics, as you can see from her News Page Designer portfolio. The fact that the LA Times is flying her for this assignment out kind of blows me away, but I guess it makes sense since both the Sun-Sentinel and the LA Times are Tribune-owned.

Have I mentioned that even as I do plug away for my own station, I have been blown away by the LA Times coverage? Honestly, it seems like all the news coverage has been really good, and not sensational as some viewer emails have suggested (those viewers are usually the ones angry that one show or another has been preempted for fire coverage).