Previously on "Alaska Daily"...
Hey, Eileen, you got a minute?
- No. On deadline. - I know. It's about your source.
Still no. Still on deadline.
We have a problem.
- Anything from your source? - He's gone dark.
But if the documents are fake--It's on them to prove they are.
Complaints have surfaced about how you treat the staff.
That you're abusive.
They're trying to cancel me now?
Why are you here, Stanley?
To offer you a job.
Her name is Gloria Nanmac.
She went missing two years ago.
I can't go to Alaska, Stanley. It's ridiculous.
This story can change the national conversation.
I just don't know if I'm ready.
I got a strong hunch you are.
Ms. Fitzgerald? Welcome to Alaska.
Roz, I want to put you on a story with Eileen.
Do you know anything about Alaska?
- Is she always like this? - Mrs. Nanmac.
I came because our editor wants to find out
what happened to Gloria.
What do you want to know?
Gloria used crutches?
She was last seen alive at the party here,
and her body was found all the way out here on the tundra.
Someone dropped her off out there.
We need to talk to this guy, Toby Crenshaw.
Jordan Teller. That Jordan Teller.
You have no right to come to my home.
I know you're just doing your job,
but if you print it, it will destroy me, my family.
♪ I am not a woman, I'm a god
♪ I am not a martyr, I'm a problem ♪
♪ I am not a legend, I'm a fraud ♪
♪ So keep your heart, 'cause I already got one ♪
♪ I am not a woman, I'm a god
♪ I am not a martyr, I'm a fraud ♪
♪ Keep your heart, 'cause I already ♪
♪ Every morning, got a hollow where my heart goes♪
♪ I never listen, but I see you with my eyes closed♪
♪ I know you, I remember from the grass stain♪
♪ Maybe I could be a better human with a new name♪
You gotta be kidding me.
Are moose dangerous?
Moose are not usually aggressive towards humans
but can be provoked to behave with aggression.
They attack more people than bears and wolves combined.
Good enough for me.
Turn that off. Now.
No! Don't. I'm using it.
You're hogging it.
Shut up, butt wipe!
Pete, be nice. Share with your brother.
It's his birthday.
Jeff, can you...?
I have to get this piece in by 10:00.
I-I'm just dealing with a work thing.
I happen to have a job, too.
Dudes, come on.
Good morning. Want more coffee?
Please. Thanks, Rita.
Mm-hmm.
It's Finn's birthday-- 9.
Happy birthday, Finn.
Rita's is officially a Muncy birthday tradition.
I remember your parents coming in here before you existed.
No, that's not-- that's not what I'm saying.
I'm out of here!
Man #2: Yeah, keep walking!
Whatever, man!
That was pleasant.
Just another angry person.
It's the world we live in.
And it's only getting worse.
All right, ladies and gentlemen,
we are gathered for a very special occasion.
A little tradition here at The Alaskan.
A token for your first front-page story.
Thank you, guys. A lot.
Congrats!
It is also a tradition that, after receiving said token,
you must buy us all coffee from the truck.
Definitely not a tradition.
It could be.
All right, intrepid reporters,
if I'm not mistaken, we have a paper to put out.
I do have another story I'd like to pitch.
My door's always open.
Great job.
Hey.
Yes.
Yuna! Yeah! Oh, my God!
It's your name. Oh, my God.
Timeline?
I came in early after my morning meeting with a moose.
Gloria's girlfriends, they're not a priority.
We'll talk to them.
Everything keeps leading back to Toby.
He invited her to the party the night she went missing.
We gotta assume he saw her. I checked the clips and they--
No one interviewed him. I know.
And he hasn't posted anything on social media in two years.
He doesn't want to be found.
My gut says he's not in Meade.
Why?
He's not showing up on any of his friends' feeds.
That's pretty hard to pull off in a place that small.
You think he left the state?
Eh, not likely.
I'll do a deep dive on socials.
There's gotta be a clue.
Sylvie.
She'll be there at 10:00.
Gabriel.
You finish going through the traps?
Yes, I did, and thank you again for that assignment.
It really meant a lot to me.
So I started with the building department.
Trinity Lutheran filed a permit to expand their Sunday school.
And some entity named True North LLC
sold a property at 224 6th Street.
What? What, what?
Did you say 224 6th Street?
Yeah. That's Rita's.
Rita's selling!
Rita's selling? No way.
She's an institution. Her pancakes are insane.
They're so good. I can't believe it!
- What happened? - Rita is selling.
What? I was literally just there.
She didn't say anything.
Gabriel just found the transfer record.
I gotta find out why.
Do you mind if I take this?
Oh, I'd be honored.
I think she's asking Bob, dude.
It's all yours. Uh...
Rita's closing.
What is happening in this world?
Maybe congratulate Yuna.
It's her first front page.
Yeah, sure. Good morning.
Stanley. Lunch today--
you, me, and our esteemed publisher, Aaron Pritchard.
Well, that's a hard pass.
Not a request. He's flying in from Fairbanks.
Stanley... Humor me. His family keeps the lights on.
Don't blame me if things go sideways.
You? Sideways? Never.
What's he like? Pritchard.
Rich guy, daddy issues.
High five on your first A1.
You know this might be difficult.
They told me I couldn't get the autopsy.
The cops?
Not surprising.
Not at all.
N-A-N-M-A-C.
Nanmac.
Mm, I'm not permitted to turn over that report.
It's an open investigation in Meade.
It's been open for two years now.
Sorry.
Hi.
That autopsy is public record.
So unless you can cite the law
that allows you to withhold it right now,
I suggest you share it.
Who are you?
A reporter from The Daily Alaskan.
We both are.
You're writing a story about this?
Yes, we are.
Helen.
Hey. Someone forget something?
Here on work.
I'm doing a story on why you're selling.
I have nothing to say.
It's a private matter.
It's not. It was in public records.
Who did you sell to?
Claire, I told you I can't.
You can't or you won't?
Rita, why would you sell this place?
It's a great business.
Are you moving?
No!
This is home.
I love it here.
I just didn't have a choice.
Did someone pressure you to sell?
No.
I can't talk about it, Claire.
Rita, I'm writing this story either way.
I just want to get this right.
You can't fix this.
No one can.
So, no comment or whatever they say.
Look at these injuries.
Skull fractures, lacerations, contusions.
All consistent with an assault.
And the cause of death is listed as undetermined.
And they swabbed for DNA, but there's no test results.
That makes no sense.
Are there photos?
Of Gloria?
There are, but I--
I want to see them.
Can you explain to me how it is they swabbed for DNA
but there's no lab report?
I don't know.
Care to guess?
Um, it would really help, Helen.
We know this isn't your mess.
We're just trying to sort it out.
I think it's just too expensive to run a DNA test on every case.
They're $2,500 apiece.
So this is about money.
Look, the truth is, even if they did test her,
they don't really have anything to match it against.
What do you mean?
There is a national FBI database.
Not that I know of.
The paper did a story on this three years ago.
The Attorney General promised
that the state was going to create a DNA library.
Hasn't happened yet.
Maybe they're still working on it.
Three years for a database?
They bet we'd forget about it.
Well, that's a bet they're gonna lose.
Uh-huh.
Anything else?
Got it. Okay.
Thank you very much.
I gotta know.
Big Burger.
Big Burger?
Rita sold to Big Burger?!
She cashed out.
I don't think so.
She said she didn't have a choice.
She couldn't talk about it.
You think Big Burger squeezed her?
Why else would she sell?
She's not moving.
If she was just tired, she would say it.
Wow. People are gonna flip out.
Did you get a comment?
Talked to this guy. Head of PR.
He gave me nothing.
I know there's more to this story.
Write it up, see what shakes loose.
I'm gonna do that.
Didn't we do a story on this?
Yeah, three years ago.
The AG made a bunch of promises but nothing changed.
The police departments aren't DNA-swabbing offenders.
There is an FBI database,
but almost no one in Alaska is feeding into it.
No swabbing, no testing, no database.
No database, no catching the bad guys.
We should publish a story.
Too early. We need more reporting.
The coroner's report is a clear indication of assault.
They didn't DNA test her.
They're not testing offenders.
They don't want to solve these crimes.
Okay, but this isn't daily reporting.
You can't publish every scoop on a long-form investigation.
You do that, you'll tip off the cops.
Good. We'll finally hold them accountable.
Yeah, and they'll get ahead of us,
and we'll hit a brick wall.
We gotta be patient.
Patient?
Tell that to the next mother of a Native missing girl.
If we don't do it right, we'll be telling
those same mothers that for another hundred years.
She's right.
We publish when the time is right.
For now, we hold.
Good. We're in agreement.
- I'm not. - Stanley is. That's good enough for me.
We done?
Hey, Roz.
I know it doesn't feel like it,
but we want the same thing you do.
I think the only thing Eileen wants
is to get back to New York.
To save her career.
For me, this story's deeply personal.
It's about my community. My life.
And that's why I put you on this.
I told you I was willing to take this story all the way.
But you can't do this alone.
Not an investigation of this scope.
You might question her motivations,
but Eileen is a damn good reporter.
You don't have to like her.
But use her.
When Stanley told me he was going to New York to hire you,
I thought, frankly, he was nuts.
I said there is no way you can get her,
but he assured me he would bring you back.
Did he?
He did.
And here you are.
It's amazing how things work out, right?
You needed a job, Stanley shows up, boom.
I had a job.
I'm writing a book.
About what?
Well, I'll send you a copy when I'm finished.
I can't wait.
So, this-- this is kind of a reunion for you two, right?
How'd you first meet?
Stanley?
I hired her at the Cleveland Dispatch.
She wrote a great story,
but I got pressure not to publish.
I caved, and she left.
I regret it to this day.
It won't happen again.
Okay, I have to ask.
Who pressured you?
My publisher.
Speaking of...
were you born and raised here, Aaron?
I was.
Brief stint at Dartmouth, then right back here.
I live in Juneau, but I'm back and forth for business.
I keep a room right here at Captain Cook,
so we're neighbors.
This your first time in Alaska?
It is.
How do you like it?
I've only been here four days.
You ski?
No.
Fish? Nope.
Hike? Well, walk.
You know, I'm from New York, so...
Well, the trails in the Chugach are incredible.
I'd be honored to show you sometime
if you'd ever like to go.
Question.
A question from Eileen Fitzgerald.
Stanley, do I need my lawyer present?
Just your wits.
Why'd your family buy the paper?
Because I love journalism.
Sure, but what's in it for you, really?
Ego? Vanity? Influence?
I bought the paper because this state has a lot of problems.
It's a place where people do what they want
and take what they want
because no one's looking out for the public good.
Hence The Daily Alaskan.
The Pritchards saved the paper from bankruptcy.
And I promised my father
that I'd make the paper economically sustainable.
While still supporting your reporters?
Of course.
But I-I do have to say,
we do not have the resources
that you're used to at The Vanguard.
Oh, I'm aware.
Curious.
Uh, your family owns a lot of different business ventures.
Is there anything that's off limits for the paper?
Not if you get your facts right.
I always get my facts right.
Well, not to be disrespectful now,
but you wouldn't be here if that were true.
Any luck on the search?
Nope.
Toby does not want to be found.
Neither do I, but here I am.
Whoa. Claire, that Rita's story's exploding.
I told you people were gonna flip.
Yeah.
And I only got half of it.
I still don't know why she's selling.
Oh, God. I gotta pick up a birthday cake for my kid.
Ooh, what kind?
Double chocolate with vanilla icing.
Yum!
I'll bring leftovers.
Oh. I'm an idiot.
I didn't check Toby's birthday timeline.
"Happy birthday, T!
Would love to see you when you're in Anchorage soon.
Love you, Uncle Ned!"
So that went well.
Well, it didn't go really badly.
Agreed.
Hey, by the way, you could've told me
the paper was in a strip mall.
Didn't I mention that?
No, you didn't.
Thank you again, sincerely.
Uh-huh.
You're right. Daddy issues.
Toby has an uncle in Anchorage.
They seem close.
I got an address.
Great. Leave in 15?
Sure.
Eileen Fitzgerald.
Concerned Citizen: Hello, Eileen.
Did you get my e-mail?
Hello, Concerned Citizen.
How nice of you to call again.
I did not get your e-mail.
But you somehow got my cellphone number.
How'd you manage to do that?
Like you, I have my ways.
I see that.
It's like you're my own personal paparazzi.
Got some bad news for you--
you're not gonna be able to sell those photos.
You think this is a joke?
This isn't a joke.
Don't get upset.
Tell you what-- how about you step out of your truck
and we talk about it face to face?
We support Rita! We support Rita!
Hey, Miles.
Hey, Claire. Look what you started.
We support Rita!
Anything I should know?
Yeah, it's a total pro-Rita crowd.
We support Rita! We support Rita!
Some wild theories about why she's selling.
One lady said Big Burger kidnapped Rita.
Gotta love the Internet.
- Oh, yeah. - We support Rita! We support Rita!
Claire Muncy, The Daily Alaskan.
I'd like to ask you a couple questions, if that's okay.
Hey. Got a minute to talk?
Ned Crenshaw?
Yeah.
I'm Roz Friendly with The Daily Alaskan.
This is my colleague, Eileen.
Hey. How you doing?
We'd like to ask you a few questions
about your nephew, Toby.
He in some kind of trouble?
No. We'd like his help.
We're investigating the death of his friend, Gloria Nanmac.
Toby's a good kid.
He'd never hurt anyone.
We're not saying he did. We just want to talk to him.
I can't help you. Have a good day.
You all set for winter, Ned?
I see your freezer.
I got my salmon last week. You?
Tanner crab this year.
Mm. That's a lot of boxes.
Someone in your family crew on a boat?
Please leave.
What's with the fish?
That's his subsistence freezer.
It's tradition that a family shares food for the winter.
You think Toby sent him crab.
Based on those boxes, it's from someplace commercial.
My bet, Toby's working on a crab boat.
Okay, but where?
Wherever they fish for Tanner crab.
My round.
Thank you.
Uh, I couldn't help but notice
the Jordan Teller story trending huge on social media.
Thanks. That means a lot.
Guys...
Big Burger sent over some bags of burgers and fries.
What?! Why?
They're trying to buy our support.
It won't work, but those burgers are fire.
Okay. So I'm starving. You mind if I...
- Oh, get in there, yeah. - Me too, actually.
Hold. Do not eat that.
As much as it pains me to say it,
it's a direct conflict of interest.
"Dear Claire. Thanks for the call.
We appreciate your work. Here's a sample of ours!
Your friends at Big Burger."
Just saying, how about we finish before Claire gets back?
She's the only one writing about this.
That sounds like a fix.
Gimme one.
Mmm!
Yeah. We need a Big Burger.
Agreed. Absolutely delicious.
This is so damn good.
I mean, I feel guilty, but damn...
What, are you guys stoned or something?
Just poor and hungry. Free Big Burger.
I'm in.
Bob, where do they fish Tanner crab?
Tanner?
I believe that would be Kodiak and Dutch Harbor.
Why? Hmm.
We think Toby Crenshaw might be working on a Tanner crab boat.
Oh, crew manifests are filed with the harbor master.
The database should be online.
Great. All hands on deck.
We need help searching all boats
operating out of Kodiak and Dutch Harbor.
Eileen, what are you doing?
Reporting. What should I be doing?
You can't just dole out assignments to my reporters.
Bob, you guys are all sitting here eating swag.
If that takes precedence over a murder investigation,
we have different ideas of journalism.
Bob, this might be a real break.
Please.
Fine. Get it done.
But next time, can you ask me first?
Consider it done.
Can I try some fries?
Yeah, yeah.
What's going on?
Big Burger sent some samples.
So we sampled.
Let me guess, from my "friend" Ryan Rogers in PR.
But he had them flown in from Seattle on the Big Burger jet.
Those guys have so much money, they can do whatever they want.
Including taking away a piece of our history.
So make them work for it.
Any ideas?
You guys have a historical society?
Yeah. Call and get a comment.
They live to save places like Rita's.
That'll stir the pot.
Thanks.
All right.
Crew manifests-- let's go.
I got him.
He's in Kodiak.
He's crewing on a boat called the Southern Ridge.
Great. Where's Kodiak?
South.
Problem is, it looks like his boat leaves tomorrow.
When will it be back?
Boats can be out there for two, three months at a time.
All right, so we have to go. How do we get there?
Only one way-- fly.
When's the next flight?
There's two flights a day.
They're both sold out.
Bummer.
We are not chartering a flight to Kodiak.
I can't spend a third of our travel budget for the month
on a speculative trip.
What? This is how it works. This is how I work.
Worked.
You're not at The Vanguard anymore.
You heard Pritchard at lunch.
We don't have the resources to fly around on every whim.
A whim? It's not a whim.
It's a lead, a good one.
And I'm not about to let it sail off into a speculative sunset.
What?
So, what's the play?
We're going to Kodiak tomorrow morning.
Really? Really.
Jamie, that was quick.
Yeah, I'm doing all right.
♪ I don't wanna get left behind ♪
♪ Gonna love my baby all the time ♪
Kodiak Traffic-- Beaver 825 X-Ray Lima,
approaching 10 miles northeast.
So you really are a pilot.
Read my poems. I wasn't making that up, either.
You're a poet, too?
A poet pilot.
Only in Alaska.
Hey, how-- how are you doing?
With, uh, flying, since your last flight?
What happened on the last flight?
Nothing. I'm fine.
You do a lot of charters?
Uh, I once had to fly a pregnant Shetland pony
to the Anchorage vet before she went into labor,
but ferrying reporters to get a scoop,
that's-- that's a first.
It's more of a lead, but... still grateful.
Yeah, well, either way, I'm glad you called.
So, how do you two know each other?
College.
So, like, you two are partners on this story?
Something like that.
How's that going?
Still new.
I'm gonna drop you two off,
then I'm gonna take some supplies to Chiniak.
Milk run? Yep.
A lot of these villages are off the road system,
so if you got a plane nearby, you bring people supplies.
Good stuff, Santa.
Kodiak.
I don't know when this zoning meeting's gonna end.
Can you grab the kids from karate?
I can't. I'm prepping this Donnelly River case.
I know, Jeff. This just came up.
Come on, Claire.
Last week, you bailed on dinner with my parents.
Before that, it was Aiden's dentist.
Stories are always coming up.
That's not fair.
It's not like it's the Pentagon Papers.
Get someone else to cover it.
And for what it's worth, I love Big Burger.
Good for you, Jeff, but I don't really care.
I'm convinced that Rita didn't want to sell,
and I'm gonna find out why.
So, no, I'm not gonna let someone else cover it.
Okay, great. I will deal with the kids.
Bye.
This should be easy.
Let's find the harbor master.
Yeah, they're still here.
C Finger is Gc12.
Can you translate that for us?
Come on, lady, figure it out. I got a job, too.
Harbor.
Nope.
Hey, we're looking for a C Finger Gc12.
They're up the way.
Back that way?
Hey. Do you know Toby Crenshaw?
Yeah.
Is he here?
Nope.
Helpful.
Guess we're waiting.
Zoning Chair: Okay, let's get started, please.
We're about to begin.
Heads up, Claire.
These people are super tweaked.
Yeah, looks like it.
Thank you for coming.
We're here to consider the matter of
Big Burger's application to tear down Rita's diner.
Quiet, please.
There is also an application to name Rita's a city landmark.
Boo!
If the board grants Rita's landmark status,
then the Big Burger Corporation will be required
to find another parcel to build on.
Nobody touches Rita's!
The government has no right
telling a company they can't build!
That's socialism!
Order, please, or we will adjourn.
He's right!
We'll start with comments from Mr. Rogers,
Big Burger's head of PR.
Thank you, Leslie.
Good afternoon, folks.
My name is Ryan Rogers,
and when Big Burger opens a location,
we're bringing jobs and opportunity.
But much more than that--
Go work in the lower 48!
We don't need that crap here!
I appreciate your passion, sir.
Now, we understand Rita's is beloved in Anchorage--
Corporate greed is destroying America!
Shut up and let the guy talk!
- Thank you, ma'am. - Don't you talk to me like that, lady!
I will if you don't stop interrupting people.
- That's elitist crap. - Shut your face, dude.
Oh, yeah? Or what?
Huh, grandpa?
- Okay, now. - Or I'll kick your ass.
Nah, go to hell.
Sit down!
Order!
Okay! There's no need for this!
Order!
So, were you and Jamie close in college?
Huh?
Oh.
Yeah. BFFs.
Hey.
Toby?
Toby Crenshaw?
Yeah.
I'm Roz Friendly. This is Eileen Fitzgerald.
We're reporters for The Daily Alaskan.
Like to talk to you about Gloria Nanmac.
I got nothing to say.
We just want to know what happened to Gloria.
I don't want to talk about it.
Well, you invited her out that night.
Why?
I just did. We were friends.
Friends? That's it?
Yeah.
That's it.
Toby, anything you say is off the record.
No one has to know that we spoke.
I don't believe you.
They'll find out.
I'm not gonna take any chances.
- Who are "they"? - No one.
I-- I just don't want to talk about it!
I gotta go!
Did you kill her, Toby?
What?
No.
I didn't do anything.
So, who was Gloria with when she disappeared?
I don't know. I didn't go to the afterparty.
Gloria went to an afterparty?
Where was it? Whose house?
Some guy called Skeeter.
Skeeter? Does Skeeter have a last name?
A real one?
No. I don't know him.
But you know she went to the afterparty.
How?
She called.
Asked me to come and get her, all right?
But we had a fight,
and I was still pissed off,
so I didn't.
Toby, let's go!
It doesn't matter anymore.
She's dead.
Don't use my name.
I'm serious.
Don't.
He's scared.
Now we know there was a second party.
Hosted by Skeeter.
Break time.
Thanks.
Sorry about today.
I didn't mean to make such a thing of it.
Me neither.
How'd it go at the town hall?
Nuts.
Like everything else these days.
It's upsetting.
I work so hard to get the facts right
only to see people use the facts to attack the other side.
Mm.
They don't want to be informed.
They just want to win the argument.
It's like, why do I even do this job?
The money.
You know, maybe that's what this story is about.
It's about the city.
Rita's selling is a symbol
of a community that's lost its center.
Which means you're right, Claire--
this is an important story.
Stanley? This can't be good.
Hello?
Hi. I'm with The Daily Alaskan.
Anyone hurt?
Place was empty.
- Any idea what started it? - I don't know.
Lots of crazies around this place the last few days.
Looks like one of them took it too far.
Back up! Get 'em back!
Hello, Anchorage Center.
De Havilland November 825 X-Ray Lima, final approach.
Welcome back to Anchorage.
Uh, keep heading southwest.
We'll get you all settled.
Hey, uh...
can I, uh, buy you a drink as a thank-you?
Can I ask you a question?
Sure.
Would you have called me again
if you didn't need a ride to Kodiak?
Um... yeah.
Um, I'm gonna pass on the drink.
Thank you.
Good luck with your article.
Thanks.
You good?
Yep.
Haven't you done enough?
If you'd stopped writing about it,
maybe this wouldn't have happened.
I am so sorry it happened, Rita.
Do you have any idea who might have started the fire?
No.
And, to be honest, I don't care.
It's done.
And now they have nothing to fight over.
I saw you at the town hall.
All that anger, it was ugly.
Try dealing with it every day.
Is that how you felt?
It broke my heart to see friends, family,
sit at the diner, unable to talk without fighting.
So you sold it.
And then they fought about that.
It was never gonna end.
Is that why you started the fire?
Rita, you could be arrested.
Big Burger was gonna tear it down anyway.
I just...
I just snapped.
Why didn't you tell me
that's why you wanted to sell when I asked?
I was ashamed.
This is still my home, Claire.
The customers are like family.
It's not easy to tell family you can't take their crap anymore.
I feel like the paper used to be like your restaurant.
A place for people to read about and discuss ideas,
to have a conversation.
And now?
It's different.
The Internet.
Social media.
Opinions over facts.
And fighting.
So why do you keep doing it?
Because I'm not ready to give up.
On the paper.
Or Alaska.
Maybe I shouldn't have torched it.
Maybe not.
But you can still help.
There was an afterparty thrown by a guy named Skeeter.
A second house.
That's where she was last seen.
Have you reached out to this Skeeter?
The only thing Toby gave us was a nickname.
Nothing yet.
We gotta get to Meade, start knocking on doors.
Someone will know something.
In the villages, everyone knows your business.
Have you been to Meade?
Once.
Good. I need to see it, get a sense of it.
Boots on the ground. It's time.
Book your flights to Meade.
I'm not sure how you got to Kodiak,
and I'm not sure I want to know, but this is good work.
You were right to hold the article.
We have more to take to the cops in Meade.
Oh, no.
What?
Breaking news tonight.
Anchorage resident Jordan Teller
has died in a plane crash in the Gulf of Alaska.
Teller was piloting the plane himself
and was the only one on board at the time.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Teller recently resigned...
Yuna. On it.
...after a scandal broke involving his position...
Miss?
12 years ago,
my husband and I fell in love at Rita's Diner.
We lingered over black coffee for hours.
Other restaurants might have asked us to pay the check.
Rita never did.
That's because she made you feel like family,
which means even more in a place like Alaska.
A place for people to connect.
To work through it all.
Together.
But something's changed.
We stopped listening to each other.
This reporter, like many of you,
believed Rita selling was a story about
big business crushing mom and pop.
But it wasn't a case of bad business.
Just bad behavior.
Ours.
Rita agreed to talk with me because,
the truth is, she grew so tired of the fighting,
she burned her beloved diner to the ground.
This is what she told me--
"We think the louder we talk, the more we'll be heard.
But no one's having the same conversation.
We have to get back to that.
Being in conversation."
All good?
Yeah.
"Listening."
Thanks. Mm-hmm.
"Connecting.
With each other."
"Otherwise,
we're all alone."