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My misbegotten creative career

ALLIGATOR TALES

Perhaps you've been following the story about the alligator in the Woonasquatucket River on the television news or the radio talk shows. When Channel 12 first started running a story last week, I got an email from David Everett, head of the city of Providence's Planning Department, expressing wonder. David saw the story and noted that they were using a photograph he took with his iPhone that had appeared only one place where they could have accessed it — on my Facebook page. After he showed me the photo two weeks ago, I put it up on my wall for my friends here and around the country to see.

Apparently someone sent the picture to Channel 12 and they decided to run a story about it. However, they neglected to contact either me or Mr. Everett, whose name and provenance as PPD ramrod was prominently mentioned in the posting. It wasn't much of a story, so David's email to me noted that perhaps another media outlet might do a more thorough job (merely contacting David might have done the trick and started the ball rolling).

I suggested that he contact Artie Tefft, the ace assignment editor at Channel 10. David did and Channel 10 sent a camera crew to interview him on the banks of the Woonasquatucket near Eagle Square in Providence so he could point out exactly where he captured his initial photographs. The upshot is that Channel 12 reported a rumor, Channel 10 got the actual story, and the gator is still on the loose somewhere. Maybe the "Woonagator" or whatever they are calling this thing now has moved down the river to the Providence Place Mall in order to take advantage of Borders' going-out-of-business sale.

Send a barrel of monkeys and Pulitzer-grade tips torudycheeks@live.com.