The other Jewish Elvis in Cajun country

File under "Why I love my job." One of the great things about being a reporter is the oddball people who become reliable sources. Here's a profile of someone: mildly retarded, somewhat hyperactive, dreams of being a firefighter. Not exactly Deep Throat, right? However, this guy, Barry the Scanner-nut, is awesome. All he does is listen to the police and fire scanner all day (we have received messages at 3 a.m. before) and every time he calls us about a fire or a shooting he is dead on. He has been right every single time he's called me, down to the details of the fire damage, and he's definitely picked up on some shit that I and my cohorts missed.

I won't lie to you, it's humbling getting scooped by a retard, but he sure is helpful.