So let’s say I have in my hands a seemingly very good story that’s currently taking place but no one else has noticed. Beyond simply going to a news station and telling them about it (and letting them investigate and report on it), how could a regular Joe like myself go about putting a written story like this somewhere someone will see it?
Not to sell, but rather to get some distance on the story itself.
Any ideas?
You could try approaching a newspaper reporter and/or TV/radio reporter. However, unless you have some standing with the reporter, or the story is that good, they will be polite, thank you, and then blow you off.
You could see if the local media has a media web site and post a comment there.
Or just start your own blog.
Typically this sort of thing is why people start blogs.
If the story has significant interest many times newspapers will let you submit the story and will run it with you as the author. As a commercial RE agent as part of my personal marketing I often submit free articles to newspapers (which they have solicited) about the local-regional commercial real estate market, and they typically run them as submitted.
I’d lust speak to the head news editor and see what their policy is. If it’s highly opinionated vs straight news they might run it as an op-ed or opinion piece. You also need to pay attention to who is “owning” the story. In some cases once the story is submitted to them (much like SDMB submissions) it belongs to them and they can re-run or do as they please with it.
I used to work as a newspaper reporter and editor, and many times, people would just call in and let us know about an interesting story. If it was truly newsworthy (and sometimes even when it wasn’t, but it was a very slow news day) we would do a story. However, I have never seen a case in which we published an article submitted by someone. Although, you could possibly offer to submit your story or be a co-author. So, find your local paper’s number, call and ask to speak to the editor, or e-mail. Good luck!
This strategy might not get the OP as far as a less sexually-charged approach might, in this day and age.
Thanks for the tips, folks! Never had a blog, but maybe I should consider it 
Depending on how local your news is, you could consider Wikinews. It seems to be an excellent place to contribute your own stories, and have people read it.
Although based on the fact that my locale’s page (Georgia) still has the ‘bigfoot is a hoax’ right at the top of the list, I’d be dubious that very many people are going to these pages for breaking news. YMMV.