Atlanta Braves 101

Win or Lose… there is something special about the Atlanta Braves.  I’ve been a fan my entire life and just a couple of weeks ago the Braves contacted me about a one of a kind opportunity.   They asked me to take part in their Baseball 101 clinic at Turner Field.  It’s an annual event that benefits the Atlanta Braves Foundation and the Doris Shaheen Breast Health Center at Piedmont Hospital. 

Adam at Turner Field - Home of the Atlanta Braves

Baseball 101 offered about a hundred women (and me)  the opportunity to learn batting, fielding and pitching skills from some Atlanta Braves players.  The day began with a panel discussion with players like Matt Diaz, Peter Moylan and Jeff Bennett.  I was asked by the Braves to moderate the panel which was a real hit with the ladies.   Maybe I should clarify that the Braves players were a real hit with the ladies.  Then it was time to take the field.  Let me just say I was like a kid in a candy store!  I’ve always wanted to step foot on the field and play catch with some of the players.  We all got to throw some pitches in the bullpen, catch fly balls in the outfield and practice our swing in their batting cages.  I had no idea, but the team has their own batting cages under the stadium seats next to the clubhouse. 

In addition to the on-field clinic, everyone received a first class tour of Turner Field and even picked up tickets that night to the Braves vs. Brewers game.  If you’re interested in having some fun next year for a worthy cause you may want to check out the Braves on-line at www.braves.com/baseball101 or contact the Braves Community Affairs Department.  GO BRAVES!!!

Adam in the Braves dugout

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adam relaxing in the Braves dugout

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taste of the Nation

My wife Angie and I with Kenny Rogers. Courtesy: Ninh Chau - Imagez Photography

For the past six years, I have reported on hundreds of restaurants around metro Atlanta.  I’ve featured some of the best and questioned some of the worst and I will continue to carry out that mission for years to come.   However, I must say there is nothing greater than teaming up with local restaurant chef’s for a good cause.  This month I did just that at the annual Taste of the Nation event. 

Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation is the nation’s premier culinary benefit dedicated to making sure no child in America grows up hungry.  Every year, the nation’s hottest chefs donate their time, talent and passion at more than 40 Taste of the Nation events across the United States and Canada, with one goal in mind: to raise the critical funds needed to end childhood hunger.  Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $70 million.

This year’s Taste of the Nation featured dozens of Atlanta’s best restaurants like Rathbun’s and Holeman and Finch.  Hundreds of people enjoyed the great food and even participated in a silent auction inside the Ocean’s Ballroom at the Georgia Aquarium.  My wife Angie and I had the opportunity to mingle with this year’s honorary guest Kenny Rogers.  It was a special evening and I can only hope you will join us next year for such a good cause.  Keep in mind that during the course of a year, more than 12 million children in America worry about when their next meal will come.  That should be enough incentive to support Taste of the Nation.

Adam Murphy

Action Adam

'Action Adam' bobblehead

A couple of months ago I told my boss that I wanted to spend more time working on news stories that make a difference in people’s lives.  As a result, he nicknamed me ‘Action Adam’ and told me to go for it.  

So I’ve spent the last few months helping over billed Atlanta water customers get their money back.  I’ve also been trying to find out why you still have to pay a toll on GA 400 when the state already has enough money to pay for construction of the road.  

It has now become my mission to help you solve frustrating consumer problems and even tackle government waste.  My boss told me that he wants to create ‘Action Adam’ bobblehead dolls to give to viewers like you after a problem is resolved.  

If you need my help don’t hesitate to call, email or contact me on facebook.  I want you to know that you can always count on me to fight for you when the going gets tough!

‘Action Adam’ Murphy

Never Too Old To Boogie

My wife Angie dancing with 'Papa'

There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re never too old to boogie!  My grandfather-n-law Luke Taylor just turned 96 years old and he celebrated his birthday on the dance floor.  It was a memorable moment for ‘Papa’ because I gathered with family and friends to surprise him on the Dance floor in Northeast Georgia. 

I must say he’s a really good dancer at the ripe old age of 96 and that’s no joke.  He goes out dancing every single weekend with friends.  In fact, I’m certain he has more energy than me.   I believe his love for dancing is why he’s in such good health.  ’Papa’ is definitely an inspiration to those that think they’re too old to boogie.  The Northeast Georgian newspaper wrote an article about Luke ‘The Dancing Machine” Taylor last month and they were so moved by his story it became front page news!   

http://www.thenortheastgeorgian.com/articles/2009/02/17/news/top_stories/02topstory.txt

Happy Birthday ‘Papa’ and thanks for reminding us that we’re ‘Never Too Old To Boogie.’

Adam Murphy

Adam Gets Action

 

Atlanta's Water Woes

I’VE BEEN TOLD BY MY BOSS THAT ‘ADAM GETS ACTION’ WHEN IT COMES TO ATLANTA’S WATER WOES.  DURING THE PAST TWO MONTHS, I’VE MADE IT MY MISSION TO HELP FRUSTRATED WATER CUSTOMERS GET ANSWERS FROM THE CITIES WATER DEPARTMENT ABOUT OUTRAGEOUS BILLS.

 

 

ON JANUARY 14^THPHILIP CLINKSCALES TOLD US HE RECEIVED A WATER BILL FOR MORE THAN 12-HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR ONE MONTH OF SERVICE.  CLINKSCALES SAYS THE CITY CALCULATED THAT HE USED 85-THOUSAND GALLONS OF WATER WHICH HE SAYS IS ENOUGH TO FILL UP FOUR SWIMMING POOLS.  CBS ATLANTA TRIED TO SPEAK WITH WATER COMMISSIONER ROB HUNTER ABOUT IT, BUT IT WAS UNAVAILABLE.  HOWEVER, THE WATER DEPARTMENT ADJUSTED CLINKSCALES BILL AND CREDITED NEARLY 800-DOLLARS BACK TO HIS ACCOUNT ONLY AFTER CBS ATLANTA AIRED HIS STORY. 

ON JANUARY 21^STGINDA YOUNG TOLD US THE WATER DEPARTMENT ACTUALLY OWED HER MONEY.  SHE MOVED OUT OF HER ATLANTA HOME AND THE CITY NEVER RETURNED HER 58-DOLLAR DEPOSIT.  YOUNG SAYS SHE WAS TOLD SHE WOULD RECEIVE IT WITHIN 10-WEEKS, HOWEVER 8-MONTHS LATER… STILL NO CHECK…. THAT IS UNTIL CBS ATLANTA AIRED HER STORY.  LAST WEEK GINDA YOUNG RECEIVED A CHECK FOR 58-DOLLARS AFTER CBS ATLANTA NEWS QUESTIONED THE WATER DEPARTMENT ABOUT HER CHECK.

 

ON FEBRUARY 2^NDKATHERINE PRITCHARD TOLD US SHE RECEIVED A BILL FOR MORE THAN 6-HUNDRED DOLLARS.  SHE SAYS SHE COMPLAINED TO THE WATER DEPARTMENT AND DIDN’T HEAR BACK FROM THEM WITHIN A WEEK EVEN THOUGH COMMISSIONER ROB HUNTER STATED IN HIS NEWS CONFERENCE ON JANUARY 28^TH THAT “EVERYBODY IS CONTACTED WITH A RESOLUTION WITH IN A WEEK.”   ATLANTA’S WATER DEPARTMENT GAVE PRITCHARD HER MONEY BACK AFTER CBS ATLANTA AIRED HER STORY.  THEY SAID THEY BURIED HER METER WHILE DOING SEWER REPAIRS AND THEY HAD BEEN ESTIMATING HER METER USAGE FOR NEARLY FOUR YEARS.

 

ALSO IN FEBRUARY CAROLYN ELLIS RECEIVED A BILL FOR MORE THAN $880.  SHE TRIED TO GET HELP FROM THE WATER DEPARTMENT FOR WEEKS TO NO AVAIL.  SO CBS ATLANTA NEWS REPORTED ON HER PROBLEM AND THE WATER DEPARTMENT DECIDED TO CREDIT HER ACCOUNT BACK THE SAME DAY.  SHE RECEIVED MORE THAN $200 BACK AND THEY ALSO GAVE HER A ZERO ACCOUNT BALANCE.

 

ON FEBRUARY 6^TH BART OSBORNE TOLD US HE RECEIVED A BILL FOR 578-DOLLARS.  HE SAYS HIS BILL SPIKED IN SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR FOR NO APPARENT REASON SO HE DISPUTED THE CHARGES AND WAS TOLD TO PAY HIS AVERAGE MONTHLY AMOUNT FOR WATER.  DESPITE DOING THAT, HE STILL RECEIVED A FINAL DEMAND FOR PAYMENT.  HIS RECORDS SHOW THAT THE CITY WANTED HIM TO PAY MORE THAN 570-DOLLARS EVEN THOUGH HE ONLY OWED 470-DOLLARS ACCORDING TO HIS BILL.  ONCE AGAIN, THE WATER DEPARTMENT CREDITED OSBORNE’S BILL BY NEARLY 400-DOLLARS AFTER OUR REPORT AIRED.

 

ON FEBRUARY 9^TH, BARBARA JACOB TOLD US HOW SHE RECEIVED A BILL FOR MORE THAN 15-HUNDRED DOLLARS.  SHE SAID THAT BILL CAME AFTER 9-MONTHS OF NOT RECEIVING A BILL AT ALL.  AFTER OUR STORY AIRED… ATLANTA’S WATER DEPARTMENT CREDITED NEARLY 950-DOLLARS BACK TO JACOB’S ACCOUNT. 

 

ON FEBRUARY 11^TH RONALD WEIR QUESTIONED HIS METER AFTER HE RECEIVED 3-STRAIGHT BILLS FOR OVER 1-THOUSAND DOLLARS.  HE TOLD US WATER HAD BEEN RUNNING DOWN HIS STREET FOR SEVEN MONTHS.  WEIR SAID HE CONTACTED THE CITY AND THEY TOLD HIM IT WAS HIS LEAK AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY TOLD US WHEN WE CONTACTED THE CITY.  WEIR EVEN HIRED A PLUMBING INSPECTOR TO CHECK HIS PROPERTY FOR LEAKS.  200-DOLLARS LATER THE INSPECTION REPORT SHOWED THEIR WERE NO LEAKS AND IT SAID THE CITY NEEDED TO CHECK THEIR MAIN WATER LINE.  WELL AFTER OUR STORY AIRED THE WATER DEPARTMENT FINALLY PATCHED UP THE LEAK WHICH THEY ADMITTED WAS COMING FROM THE MAIN WATER LINE. 

 

ON FEBRUARY 16TH REPRESENTATIVE TOMMY SMITH CALLS A PUBLIC HEARING ON ATLANTA’S WATER PROBLEMS AFTER WATCHING CBS ATLANTA’S CONTINUOUS COVERAGE ON THE ISSUE. 

 

ON FEBRUARY 17TH REPRESENTATIVE TOMMY SMITH CONTACTED CBS ATLANTA NEWS TO LET US KNOW THAT OUR REPORTING SAVED THE STATE OF GEORGIA NEARLY ONE MILLION DOLLARS.  THE GEORGIA BUILDING AUTHORITY SAID ATLANTA’S WATER DEPARTMENT HAD BEEN OVER BILLING THEM FOR MONTHS BECAUSE OF A SOFTWARE GLITCH.  THE STATE IS EXPECTED TO RECEIVE $800,000 FROM ATLANTA’S WATER DEPARTMENT.

 

I WILL CONTINUE TO REPORT ON YOUR WATER WOES UNTIL ATLANTA’S WATER DEPARTMENT RESOLVES ALL OF THEIR PROBLEMS.

 

Adam Murphy

Miami Heat

Adam enjoys a boat ride off the coast of Miami

 

 

The one thing I love about Atlanta is the weather.  You can enjoy all four seasons in the peach state, but I must admit it sure was nice to warm up in Miami this month.  I traveled down to South Florida to visit a friend for a couple of days and I picked the perfect weekend to do it.  It was sunny and 70 degrees in Miami which was beautiful compared to Atlanta’s freezing temperatures and sleet.

 

It was so beautiful in Miami we were able to take a boat ride off the coast of South Beach.  I was surprised to see so many people  relaxing on the beach.  The beach in January?  It must be nice.   We even found time to do a little deep sea fishing.  Let’s just say the fish weren’t biting.

 

I’m headed back for some more Miami Heat in March.  My good friend is getting married and I can’t think of a better place to enjoy the ceremony.  My wife and I plan to make a mini-vacation out of our trip just to thaw out.

 

Adam Murphy         

Winter Wonderland

Brasstown Bald Snow

My wife and I spent the weekend with family in the North Georgia mountains this past weekend and much to our surprise we got to see some snow!  Temperatures dropped below freezing Saturday night and when we woke up Sunday the mountains were snow capped. 

It was absolutely beautiful so we decided to drive to the top of Brasstown Bald to check it out.  Brasstown Bald is the highest point in Georgia and when we got to the top the trees were covered in snow.  I was surprised to see snow in November.  We usually don’t see it until February if we see it at all. 

I love that we get to experience all four seasons in Georgia.  It was definitely a winter wonderland that put me in the holiday spirit!

Adam Murphy

The Biltmore

The Biltmore

I did it! I finally did it!  I traveled to Asheville, North Carolina with my family this month to see America’s largest home.  It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I must say the Biltmore is larger than life.  I took this artistic photograph to illustrate what I’m talking about. 

There are more than 250 rooms and 40 bathrooms inside the 175,000 square foot mansion.  If you’ve been there then you know what I’m talking about.  Otherwise, I would highly recommend you take the three hour drive to Asheville for a long weekend.  It’s a really neat city nestled in the North Carolina mountains. 

We took the holiday candlelight tour of the Biltmore, but there are several others you can enjoy also.  Plus, there are several great restaurants in Asheville!!  Send me a comment and let me know what you think aboutI’d love to hear your stories about the Biltmore if you’ve

Adam Murphy

Historic Election

Clark Atlanta student reacts to historic election

I know this blog entry is long overdue, but I think it’s worth the wait.  I had the pleasure of witnessing history from a special place on election night.  I was assigned to report live at the student center on the campus of Clark Atlanta University.  There were more than a thousands students on hand when we arrived that evening.

Shortly before our 11 pm newscast the race was called in favor of Barack Obama.  At that very moment, the student center erupted with cheers, chants, and cries.  It was like nothing I had ever seen before.  I immediately called our newsroom and asked the producers to take us live.  No matter who you voted for it was a historic moment that became great television.  Most of the students were first time voters and for them it was a life changing experience!  I took several pictures with my camera phone that night including the one in this blog.

I will always remember election night and I’m sure the students at Clark Atlanta University will too!

Adam Murphy

My Little Devil

My English Bulldog Cleo dressed up as a Devil on Halloween!

If you’re a pet lover like me then you’ll understand this blog entry.  Otherwise, you’ll probably think it’s a bit silly.  Anyway, my English Bulldog Cleo is a big part of our family so we decided to dress her up in a devil costume for Halloween this year! 

She’s actually a very sweet little devil!  We rescued her four years ago from the Georgia Heartland Humane Society and she’s been such a wonderful addition to our family.  My wife and I both attended the University of Georgia so I guess you could say we’re biased. 

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays and it’s even better when you can enjoy it with your pets!  Our Bulldog will tolerate just about anything including a devil costume once a year. 

Adam Murphy