Annie Stensrud of KEYC-Mankato drunk on air 12/4/11

(KEYC's parent company -- United Communications -- has apparently scrubbed YouTube of the original newscast clips but this David Letterman clip showcases Annie Stensrud at her best.)

Wow. It boggles my mind how someone could show up to work obviously impaired and her co-workers let Annie Stensrud of KEYC-TV in Mankato go on the air. Whether she was drunk, on powerful cold medication or high as a kite from smoking a fat joint doesn't really matter.

This isn't the 1970s or even the 1980s. She isn't new at the job either as her bio details a series of TV stations she has been employed at. Don Shelby of WCCO-TV showed up for work very obviously drunk once early in his career in Minneapolis but went on to have a storied career. He made reparations and turned his life around and used his battle with alcohol to bring awareness to the subject. I highly doubt that Annie Stensrud -- anchoring weekends in Mankato -- is destined for greatness but I could be wrong. I do know that an impaired performance like this gets at least a few people talking and will be hard to explain down the road to future employers. I hope that this was a one-time deal and that she had simply taken too much cold medication but I have my doubts.

Since you're obviously interested in Minnesota happenings, check out MinnPics. It's the best of the best of photos from all over Minnesota! (even some from Mankato)