What Kind of Bureau Are We?!

 Just so I don't have to cut loose and vent on the wife tonight when I get home, I'll soapbox it here instead.

 Almost a year to the day I moved my family from SLC to St George for a new work opportunity as a bureau photographer. Bureau work has been something I've always thought about doing since my CSU days and interning at KCNC's NoBo in Ft Collins. "What a great gig!" I thought. "No assignment desk, no managers, no run-n-gun just shooting, editing and fronting stories from start to finish!"

 Well, yeah. And it's great most of the time, but more often than not... we're eventually forced to head to Polygamy central for... uh... non-news.

 The problem is the damn morning phone call that reminds us that we're still at the mercy of people 300+ miles away. People who, for some unknown and unreasonable reason, seem to think that if it doesn't pertain to Northern UT then it doesn't happen and they don't really care. And with some personnel it's like we're just filler. "Fine," *sigh* "Do some story on... water and I'll see where I can squeeze you into the show..."

Unless it happens to deal with the FLDS wackos. Suddenly they're all a-buzz up there and can't wait to hear the latest load of gossip-inducing crap that is really nothing more than hyped up rumors fueling the water cooler chatter. Literally. We go out there because of what someone heard from someone else that might've seen someone else doing this or that. Nothing concrete. Nothing readily verifiable. And it's not like we don't try to verify, it's just that we can't 100% verify. The best we can do is get "info" from some contacts, we've managed to convince, who's experience isn't recent but based on what life was like when they were part of the "in crowd" 11ty-7 years ago. Again, nothing recent.

 Case in point: In the wee hours of the morning, a college girls wakes up in her apartment to find a total stranger standing over her. She starts screaming as he grabs onto her throat. Her roommate comes in, scaring stalker-boy off and they call 911. Holy. Crap. I'm sure the girls are rattled and, perhaps, others in their apartment complex and on campus. Why? Because that kind of thing just doesn't happen around here. So let's talk to the girls, let's talk to the police, let's get this creeps' description out there and get him caught before he does this again Right? RIGHT?!

 *inhale sharply* "Wellllll, yeeeeah. I don't know... Hey, we're hearing about the FLDS and their taxes schtuff again. Look into that!"

DAMMIT!!! REALLY?!?!?! You know if this invasion happened at the U, or BYU or anywhere up north they would've pounced on it and had it live at noon with "BREAKING NEWS" plastered all over the place and jammed down your throat. But down in St George? Nope. Oh, and the damn FLDS and their f***ed up taxes?! It's a story that we're just gonna rehash and have rehashed over and over and over again!\

Get this through your head: (whoever's reading this) 

WE ARE NOT THE FLDS BUREAU!!!!!!!!! THERE'S REAL DAMN NEWS DOWN HERE!!!!!!!