Woodlands Toasts Liquor License Renewal 
The Night Spot Will Receive A Warning From The State To Address The Problem Of 
Fights And Assaults

2 Men Accused Of $600 Million Bank Scheme 
Named Are Theodore Graino, 
70, Who Listed His Address As East 
Diamond Avenue, Hazleton, And 
Wilbur Arthur Stile, 54, Of Harrisburg

Wednesday, January 29, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1C 





Flood scoop still vivid to reporter &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's been a year since former WBRE-TV reporter Carol McKenzie broke the
news that the Wyoming Valley would be evacuated, but she still gets chills
just thinking about itThe evacuation was prompted after heavy rain and melting
snow led to the possibility that the Susquehanna River might flood the entire
Wyoming Valley during the last weekend of January 1996. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; McKenzie, who left Channel 28 last September to take an anchor position at
WHP-TV in Harrisburg, said she will never forget the magnitude of it all. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It seems like it just happened yesterday," said McKenzie, who scooped the
rest of the local media on the flood evacuation story. "I can still see the
look on Jim Siracuse's face when he announced that he was ordering the
evacuation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I knew from the look on his face that this was a very serious situation.
He wasn't fooling around. It made me realize the gravity of it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Siracuse is director of the Emergency Management Agency on North River
Street. Getting the big scoop was simply a matter of being in the right place
at the right time, according to McKenzie, 31. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I went over to the EMA about 10:30 p.m. on Friday night (Jan. 26),"
McKenzie said. "We decided to do a live update because there already was some
minor flooding in the area. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "At 10:55, Siracuse announced the evacuation. I was the only TV reporter
there, so we got the scoop for the 11 p.m. newscast. I think everyone was
shocked because we didn't realize what had happened north of us, where there
was so much melting snow." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McKenzie filed reports from the EMA until 9 a.m. Saturday. She returned to
work at noon Saturday on the news desk, and subsequently anchored the 6 p.m.
and 11 p.m. newscasts Saturday and Sunday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McKenzie said her only regret about covering the flood was not being able
to "get out and about," which is something she considers instinctive. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "In a way, I felt removed from what was happening outside," McKenzie added. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The evacuation also effected McKenzie personally because she lived in the
flood plain. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I called my roommate and asked him to pick up my two cats and my
grandmother's wedding ring and bring them to the TV station," McKenzie said.
"My cats wound up spending the night in a storage closet at WBRE." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The thing she is most proud of is her professionalism in covering the
evacuation story, McKenzie said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The initial shock gives you a jolt," she said. "Your instinct then kicks
in. You know what needs to be done and you do it. I remember thinking to
myself how important it was not to panic. I knew I needed to report the facts
and do it calmly." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McKenzie, a native of Lancaster, is a graduate of the Columbia University
School of Journalism. She joined Channel 28 in 1994 after spending 1 1/2 years
at WETM-TV in Elmira, N.Y. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McKenzie said she was offered a job at WHP after station executives viewed
tapes of her weekend anchor work at WBRE. She co-anchors the 6 p.m. and 11
p.m. newscasts at WHP, a CBS affiliate. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Breaking the flood story didn't play a major role in her landing her new
job, McKenzie said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They were looking for a full-time anchor person," McKenzie said. "But I
think my reporting skills are important, and they certainly were enhanced by
the flood coverage." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McKenzie has been involved in covering several big stories since she moved
to Harrisburg. But nothing as big as the Flood of '96. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The flood was by far the most important story I've ever done in my life,"
McKenzie said. "Who knows, I may never get to cover anything that big again." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WBRE's news department has two special features planned for February
sweeps, which actually begin Thursday, according to news director Terri
Simonich. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A behind-the-scenes look at the QVC home shopping network will air on the
11 p.m. newscasts Thursday and Friday of this week. Reporter Donna Crilley
recently visited QVC headquarters in West Chester, Simonich said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We wanted to find out what QVC is all about and check their prices to see
if consumers are getting a good deal," Simonich added. "The answer to that
depends on who you talk to." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Channel 28's other feature involves physical fitness. Throughout February,
Healthbeat reporter Diana Penna will offer a tip a day on how to stay
physically fit. The tips will air during the 6 a.m. and noon newscasts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This is more than just tips on exercise," Simonich said. "They include
fitness, nutrition and mental health." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Van Rose is a Times Leader staff writer. His television column appears
every Wednesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Flood Scoop Still Vivid To Reporter 
It's Been A Year Since Former Wbre-tv Reporter Carol Mckenzie Broke The News 
That The Wyoming Valley Would Be Evacuated, But She Still Gets Chills Just 
Thinking About It.

Flood Scoop Still Vivid To Reporter It's Been A Year Since Former Wbre-tv Reporter Carol Mckenzie Broke The News That The Wyoming Valley Would Be Evacuated, But She Still Gets Chills Just Thinking About It.