But the northern line of the front was always the X-factor, and we found it this weekend.
With that as prelude, Lee is now tracking another storm, due to hit tomorrow night and Wednesday, and he's using the B-word, as in blizzard.
No hard snowfall predictions yet, but Lee says it's a major storm. And so we'll likely lead our newscast with that, tonight at 11.
And our investigative reporter Sarah Wallace tonight begins an extraordinary series - tracing the heroin pipeline from Colombia to the streets of our neighborhoods. Colombia now controls the heroin market in the eastern part of the U.S., and New York City is the hub for retail distribution.
And, as Sarah discovered in her reporting down south and here, the biggest sales point is now the suburbs, with the greatest demand on Long Island.
Her reports begin tonight at 11.
Speaking of drugs, to the surprise of no one, Michael Jackson's doctor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Dr. Conrad Murray, who was with Jackson when he died June 25 in Los Angeles, is now accused of acting "unlawfully and without malice." He gave Jackson a powerful sedative to help the former pop star sleep. Did that sedative cause Jackson's death? That's what authorities say, and now we're likely in store for another high-profile celebrity trial in a city infamous for them.
We're also following developments in the New York Governor's office. David Paterson, who came into office after the Eliot Spitzer sex scandal, tonight very much on the defensive. His spokesman insists he's not resigning, after what he called "innuendo" and stories that have been "fabricated."
Our coverage is not about the speculation, it's about a Governor now under political assault. Mr. Paterson insists he's not resigning. We'll have the latest, at 11.
We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Scott Clark with the night's sports. I hope you can join Liz Cho and me, tonight at 11.
BILL RITTER