Grizzled WCVB reporter Jack Harper has been covering snowstorms since probably before some of his younger colleagues - the ones who don ski goggles and shoot snowball crossbows and pretend to shovel snow - were even born.

WCVB reports on his death at 74 from pancreatic cancer.

This just in from Channel 5 about a breaking-news alert sent out to users of its mobile app and to its Twitter followers:

Frank Solensky photographed the bread aisle at the Somerville Stop & Shop this evening.

Meanwhile, Channel 5 reporters tonight warmed up for their team coverage of Snowpocalypse '13. With no snow on the ground to fashion into a snowball, Sean Kelly started a report by holding a tree branch for emphasis. Jack Harper, however, found a sand or dirt pile with a thin coating of snow, to which he could point with the ruler he of course happened to have. He was showing how high snow got in the Blizzard of '78 or something. And Ed Harding urged viewers to charge their tablets and phones now, so they can keep watching Channel 5 online if need be - apparently not thinking that if the power goes out, those viewers won't be able to use their WiFi to watch him.

Come snowmageddon or aquapocalypse, Fred Somers is ready.

Yes, it's bad out there - Ed Harding at Channel 5 just put his glasses on.

John Carroll points out an interesting notice on the WCVB Web site:

WCVB-TV Channel 5's parent company, Hearst Television, is currently negotiating a renewal of its carriage agreement with various cable operators, including Metrocast, RCN, Shrewsbury Electric and Cable, Beld/Braintree Electric, Norwood Light Broadband, Argent Communications and Southern Vermont Cable.

Channel 5 sent John Atwater out to report from a harbor on hurricane preparations.

Question: Who are each station's designated Shelby Scotts, to be sent out for live reports walking into the wind and being strapped to poles on south-facing beaches? If, that is, the most recent track, which shows Irene could hit the Berkshires, instead of the eastern part of the state, that is?

While watching ABC tonight, I caught the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" commercial for Sunday's episode. The show goes to Texas to help a family who lost their daughter because she was texting and driving. Justin Bieber comes on the show to sign a pledge the family created to bring awareness to the cause. It's a touching moment when the dad says that his daughter may be gone but her impact continues on...

As soon as the commercial ends, a smiling Bianca de la Garza throws out the teaser for the local news tonight with this gem: "Why the texting ban may actually be harmful at 11..."

Photo by Boston Fire Department