Saying Goodbye to Ben Tracy

How did I spend my Friday night? Not in the usual very-lame go-to-bed-shortly-after-my-kids way. Instead, I (along with colleague and good question-answering friend John Tauer) journeyed to downtown Minneapolis (where the cool people go on the weekends, I quickly found out) to raise a glass and bid farewell to our friend Ben Tracy (co-founder and superstar of CBS affiliate, Minneapolis WCCO's Good Question feature). Ben recently accepted a job with the CBS Evening News (yes, he gets to work with Katie Couric!) What a fun night it was, seeing all the lovely WCCO folks who, truly, have developed their own loving little family. No shortage of fun people in that organization, for sure. After all the laughs, toasts, and hilarious stories, I returned home feeling a bit somber, realizing I was saying goodbye to Ben, my favorite reporter ... and someone I have started to refer to as "my friend Ben" (vs. "that cute reporter guy Ben Tracy"). He is surely so much more than just a (did I already mention adorable?) reporter-guy; he's a genuine, grounded, super-smart, and exceedingly-nice guy who is going to, no doubt, wow the world with his coverage of huge and happenin' things! Ben-- congratulations and best wishes! The twin cities will miss you. I will miss you too (... way more than Tauer will).