It never fails. The Erie Times-News can headline a major story that could have huge economic impact on the region -- such as Tuesday's front-page report about the amazing growth of the biofuels plant currently under construction at the site of the former International Paper plant on Erie's east side. It was Hammermill before IP bought out the plant some years ago.

Yes, readers were interested in that story, but by noon today (Tuesday), I received nine calls from readers who all had the same question: How's Abbie? Is she OK?

In case you missed it, Abbie is a black Labrador retriever who ran out onto the thin ice covering Edinboro Lake at about 4 p.m. Monday. Abbie was walking with her owner, said Deputy Fire Chief Jason Dahle, of Edinboro's Volunteer Fire Department, when the ice broke and she fell into the cold water.

The dog treaded water for about 30 minutes before the fire department received the call. Then, it took another 30 minutes for the fire fighters, wearing water rescue suits, to rescue her.

The story in today's newspaper described all this, but it wasn't clear if Abbie survived the ordeal, or if she had suffered any permanent disability. That's what the callers wanted to know.

Well, the news is good: Abbie is fine. After a brief trip to the vet, she returned home, tail wagging. She's no worse for wear following her dip into the cold water.

It's also a lesson for us newspaper types. These are the types of stories that strike a chord with readers, and we should have carried the news that Abbie is OK. Besides, it's nice to be able to report a story that has a happy ending.

-- Kevin Cuneo