Cable TV news could use an All-Petersons Network

The cable newstainment shows have been dominated recently by one name:

Peterson.

You need a scorecard to keep track of all the Petersons in the headlines. A radio news anchor talking Wednesday about the Stacy Peterson case referred to the missing woman's husband as Scott Peterson.

Nope. The husband in the current case is Drew Peterson. Scott Peterson is the husband in another infamous missing Peterson wife story. It's confusing. So here's a quick breakdown of Petersons in the news:

• Stacy Peterson is a 23-year-old Bolingbrook mother of two who has been missing since Oct. 28. You can read more about her on www.findstacypeterson.com.

• Drew Peterson is the husband of Stacy Peterson. The 53-year-old Bolingbrook police sergeant retired from the force after his wife's disappearance. He appears frequently these days on the "Today" show, where he gives some people the creeps.

• A trio of Drew Peterson's former wives also are in the news. One of the ex-Mrs. Petersons says her former husband wasn't abusive. Another says he was, and talked about killing her. The body of the third former Peterson wife, who was found dead in a bathtub in 2004, recently was exhumed and is now fueling speculation that she may have been murdered.

• All this talk of Peterson and his wives makes it understandable that someone could mistakenly bring up the name of Scott Peterson. That Peterson currently sits on death row in San Quentin State Prison in California for murdering his missing wife, who deserves her own paragraph.

• Laci Peterson, 27, was reported missing on Christmas Eve 2004. Her disappearance, like that of Stacy Peterson, became a national story. Her husband, Scott, like Drew Peterson, gave interviews to the media. Four months later, her body was found in the San Francisco Bay, as was the body of the couple's unborn son, Conner.

• While never born, Conner Peterson connected with people -- some of whom still write kind words about him on www.lacipeterson.com.

• Those who follow details of Peterson files will know that the murdered Laci Peterson's best friend was named Stacey, and that the missing Stacy Peterson has a daughter named Lacy.

• Because of similarities in the stories, some people confuse Stacy Peterson with the case of Lisa Stebic, a Plainfield mother of two. Stebic, who graduated from Libertyville High School in 1987, would be 38 and has been missing since April 30. Her husband, Craig Stebic, hasn't been on the "Today" show.

• If the drama surrounding Drew and Stacy Peterson didn't dominate the news, then the Nebraska case of Kelsey Peterson would. She is the 25-year-old middle school teacher who authorities say fled to Mexico with a 13-year-old boy. She faces kidnapping and child abuse charges and was indicted Friday in Nebraska on charges of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

• Also lost in the glut of Peterson news is Tyler Peterson. He's the 20-year-old off-duty Wisconsin deputy whose rampage at a party in a small town in northern Wisconsin killed six people and himself in October.

The news is bad, not tragic, for other Petersons:

• In what some are calling the greatest election upset in Hoosier history, two-term Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson lost his re-election bid this month to political newcomer Greg Ballard.

• Record-setting Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson missed Sunday's game because of an injury suffered during a 34-0 loss. His replacement, Chester Taylor, scored three touchdowns and piled up 202 total yards in a win that leaves Minnesota tied with the Bears. Speaking of which:

• With the Vikings' Adrian Peterson injured, the Bears' Adrian Peterson is now the NFL's best healthy running back named Adrian Peterson.

• In other recent NFL Peterson news, Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Mike Peterson, the team's top tackler, broke his right hand Sunday and will miss games. So will Denver Bronco defensive end Kenny Peterson, who was suspended for violating the NFL's steroid policy.

I'm sure there are many Petersons out there who aren't caught up in tragedies, defeats and legal battles. They just don't make the news. Here's hoping all you other Petersons out there have plenty of reasons to give thanks this week.