Most every day in my line of work is busy—- but today was busier than usual.

Here’s a quick chronology of events:

9 AM:  Get to work and start preparing for morning meeting.

9:15 AM:  Boss hands me anonymous letter containing allegations of a state internal investigation into Roanoke vice mayor Sherman Lea.

9:20 AM:  Read letter.  Re-read it.  Make call to the State Internal Auditor’s office to obtain information.

9:30 AM:  Morning editorial meeting begins.  I inform producers and my boss of my progress so far.

9:47 AM:  State internal auditor’s report on Sherman Lea arrives on fax machine.

10:00 AM:  Read the report.  Then re-read it.  The investigation finds mistakes by Lea in calculating leave from his job at the Department of Corrections and that he drove his state funded car to and from certain council functions.

Around 10:10 AM:  I make my first call to Lea to try and schedule an on-camera interview.

Around 11:30 AM:  Make second call to Lea.

Around 11:40 AM:  Lea returns the phone call.  An on camera interview is set for 1:15 pm.  Lea tells me he’s repaid all monies and reconciled the leave time, meaning it’s leave time he won’t be able to take.

1:15 PM:  No Sherman Lea.

1:30 PM:  I call Lea to see if the interview is still on.  He tells me the investigation is over, that the media reports are disturbing his family, and he sees nothing to gain by doing the interview.  I remind Lea I can’t control viewers’ reaction if he doesn’t go on camera.  He promises to call me back “in five minutes.”  Lea reiterates he’s paid all the gas money back and reconciled the leave time.

1:50 PM:  I call Lea again to see if he has changed his mind.  His cell phone is unable to receive messages.

1:58 PM:  Lea promises to send me a written statement.

2:25 PM:  I begin writing my live shot stories for the 5 pm and 6 pm shows.

Around 4 PM:  Management approves both scripts.

4:45 PM:  My colleague Jay Warren finds reaction from Lea’s fellow city councilman Court Rosen, it’s added to the 6 pm story.

5 PM:  Live shot for 5 o’clock show.

5:30 PM:  Finishing touches are put on the 6 pm package.

Around 5:40 PM:  Mayor David Bowers calls with his reaction.  His statement is put in the 6 pm show as a Jay Warren read.

6 PM:  Live shot for 6 o’clock show.

It’s now 6:34 pm as I write this and the day is done.  I wish Lea had agreed to talk to me on camera.  I tried the best I could to tell the story in a fair way.