A Better REGION 8

Gun Safety and Teens

It was with great sadness I read on kait8.com about another Region 8 teenager losing his life in an accidental shooting.

Investigators said 16-year-old Zane Riddiough of Independence County was with a group of friends and he was handling a gun when the gun went off, hit him and he died.

Just a few weeks earlier, we reported another shooting death of a teenager named Dillon McKinnis Brown.  Dillon was just 14-years-old. Investigators said Dillon was accidentally shot and killed after a duck hunt.

These two incidents alone are enough for those of us who are parents of teenagers or friends of teenagers to at least talk to the young people we know about the dangers of handling guns.

Please don’t misunderstand me – I support our right to bear arms and am not against the responsible use of firearms especially in self defense and for hunting.  But as the mother of a 20-year-old son – I know teenagers and young adults often feel they are invincible. 

Please do what you can to talk with your teen, your young adult and their friends about the dangers of guns. 

Maybe, just maybe, you can help save a precious life and in turn make this a Better Region 8

 

Tracey Rogers : Joining the Region 8 Family

Region 8 joined together recently to welcome Coach Gus Malzahn as the new head football coach at Arkansas State University. Cheers went up from the crowd as Coach Malzahn spoke about his plans for the future and talked about taking the ASU Football program to the next level.  Coach Malzahn declared he is here to win championships and is looking forward to building on the success at ASU.  He called ASU a program on the rise and said he knows this is the place for him. 

Like Coach Malzahn, I am also joining the Region 8 family and I also know this is the right place for me.  I am the new Vice President and General Manager of KAIT 8 taking the reins from the incomparable Tim Ingram who has moved to Cape Girardeau, Missouri to lead KFVS-TV.  I am excited to be taking over “a program on the rise”.  KAIT 8 is known for the highest quality of journalism and programming and I look forward to serving you in the years to come as we work together to make this a better Region 8.