I got a call early in the morning last week from an aunt who sounded upset. “The Police shot Dorothy’s grandson.” I was a little groggy, but managed to ask “Dorothy who?” She explained that Dorothy was my mother’s cousin whom I’ve met maybe twice in my life and never met her grandson, as they live in Washington state. But still a very tragic story. John Winkler wanted to work in television; in fact he had been working in the production department of “Tosh.0” on Comedy Central in Los Angeles. John was trying to help his neighbor who was being attacked by a man with 10 inch kitchen knife. When officers of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department announced they were there, the door flew open and a man bleeding profusely from his neck came out and lunging behind him a man in a black T-shirt. The 911 caller identified the attacker as a thin man wearing a black T-shirt. John fit the description of the attacker and the L.A. Sheriffs opened fire. Three deputies’s shot a total of 4 rounds, one striking Winkler in the chest and another striking the first man in the leg. Meanwhile, after the shooting the sheriffs heard noise within the apartment and the actual assailant was choking and gouging at another man’s face. He was subdued and taken to jail. So Alexander McDonald is in jail on 4 million dollars bail and an innocent man is dead. What’s really strange about all this is that McDonald is charge in Winkler’s death. I’m not going to pretend to understand criminal law, especially in California but that doesn’t sound right. Also the shooting happened on Monday April 7th. The L.A. Sheriff’s department didn’t release a statement until Thursday April 10th that is was an unintentional shooting death of an innocent man. Send me an email on your thoughts and will probably get back to this story as things develop. It’s obvious that the entire family, especially in Washington State are crushed.

I have to get this off my chest! I wrote a piece last week on my Eric Sevareid award from the NBNA and then got a phone call concerning the content of the interview, LGBT and Religion. We also received a call after the show aired with Jennifer Knapp that night last September. I swear I don’t know what this world is coming too. Jennifer was an award winning Christian singer until she “came out” then she, and her record label parted ways. She wanted to go a different direction with her music. She was NOT asked to leave the label because she’s lesbian. We heard two of her original songs live in studio. She had a great sense of humor. She had interesting stories about spending several years in Australia and her upbringing in Kansas, then we talked about her mission to try to unify Christianity with the LGBT in the area. Not once did she try to convert anybody’s sexuality. I was delighted to have a multiple Dove Award winner and a Grammy nominee sitting in my studio and presenting you with some of her musical works. Go back to my podcasts at KFGO.com. Take a listen to the show again. I know this is just a handful of people but seriously, I invite you to join us in the 21st Century. Jennifer Knapp has a standing invite to the show if she’s ever in town again.

I got lucky and made it in the Civic to see Joe Bonamassa last week. I have to admit I wasn’t all that familiar with Joe’s body of work. But this guitarist blew everybody away. It was a blues lovers’ dream come true. Much like Fargo’s Johnny Lang and Shannon Curfman, Joe picked up his guitar playing at a very young age from his musician father. He soon passed his father in “guitarmanship” but always gave credit to his dad for getting him started. He started the show with an acoustic set and then announced a short break so they could plug in the guitars. He had been in Fargo several years ago as part of the Fargo Blues Fest at Newman Outdoor Field and his back-up musicians were incredible with all that talent complimenting each other perfectly. Don’t miss Joe Bonamassa next time around. Be sure to check his YouTube videos and see what I mean!