Last night, the Flathead Beacon staff gathered at the Wachholz College Center among hundreds of other attendees to listen to a conversation with legendary journalist Connie Chung and her husband Maury Povich – a media legend in his own right – as part of the Flathead Valley Community College’s Speaker Series.

Sitting in the audience, we watched a curated, yet off-the-cuff banter unfold between the married couple of more than four decades as Povich interviewed Chung about her new book, “Connie: A Memoir.” In between some lighthearted bickering, they broke down a handful of her career highlights and the trail she blazed not only for women, but for Asian Americans as she climbed the ladder to become a lead anchor for CBS.

It seemed like many listeners were caught off guard by Chung’s sense of humor as a steady stream of laughter came from the crowd – like when she cracked a joke referencing old, white, male journalists making passes at her. I’m hesitant to divulge the punch line because Editor-in-Chief Kellyn Brown always reminds me the Beacon is a family publication, so I’ll leave that to your imagination.

Chung also told the story of a head-scratching interview with President Richard Nixon when he refused to answer her questions and instead asked her how much money she made. She left with a single-word response to sum up the interaction, a reaction that really resonated with me as I reflected on the many odd interviews I have experienced over the years.

“Weird!”

Chung also revealed that she even has a marijuana strain named after her, which is described as easy to grow and low-maintenance – just like her.

Growing up, I watched both Chung and Povich on TV, reading the news on CBS and revealing baby daddy results on “Maury.” I never thought in a million years I would be working for the newspaper they would one day own in the Flathead Valley.

The Flathead Beacon’s owners even gave us a shoutout during their conversation on stage, with Chung insisting it was her husband’s idea to launch an independent newspaper covering northwest Montana.

Either way, we are eternally grateful for their support and dedication to local journalism.

So, back to the breaking news in the Beacon HQ … this yellow Labrador and one of the newsroom’s furry mascots turns 5 years old today. Stevie has been a copy dog in the office since she was just a puppy, even after she almost got fired for chewing a telephone cord in her first few weeks on the job. These days, she’s often found napping on the clock and distracting her coworkers. Happy Birthday, Stevie!

I’m Maggie Dresser, here with today’s Daily Roundup.

In her latest column, Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger Julie Laing shares her recipe for raspberry shrub mocktail or cocktail. Check it out here.