NEWSTALK 860 » Jim Bell

Keep Umbrella Handy – It's Gonna Rain

Jim Bell — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:13:03 +0000

It's official. It WILL rain in east Texas tonight and over the weekend. Plan on it. People who're planning to go to a football game today and tomorrow would be wise to take their rain gear.

Read More|Comment

Experts Call for Better Way to Rate Hurricanes

Jim Bell — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:54:37 +0000

The Houston Chronicle reports a lot of people in the weather forecasting business say it's time to discard the old "Category 1-5" system of rating the strength of hurricanes.

They say that system -- known as the Saffir-Simpson Scale -- only tells us the storm's wind speed. It says little about the storm's tidal surge which causes the most deaths and property damage.

Read More|Comment

Scientists Explore Civil War Wreck off Galveston

Jim Bell — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:06:11 +0000

The Houston Chronicle reports the Union Navy's USS Hatteras was sent to the bottom on January 11, 1863, about 20 miles from Galveston. The Hatteras went down while the rest of the Union fleet bombarded the Confederate Garrison on Galveston Island.

Read More|Comment

Budget Cuts May Force State Parks to Close

Jim Bell — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Here we go again. The legislative session is coming in January, and we're hearing the usual predictions of budgetary doom and gloom. This year we are hearing that if the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department doesn't get the money it needs, nearly two dozen state parks may have to close.

Read More|Comment

Christian Hobby Lobby Stores Sue ObamaCare

Jim Bell — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:18:23 +0000

It's reported that the Christian-oriented Hobby Lobby Stores chain has filed a federal lawsuit over a mandate in the health reform law that requires employers to provide coverage for the morning-after pill.

Read More|Comment

Kingwood Woman Getting Double Arm Transplant

Jim Bell — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:20:03 +0000

The Houston Chronicle reports a Kingwood woman who lost both arms and both legs after a massive infection is in line to become the first in the country to get double arm transplants above the elbow.

Read More|Comment

Blind UH Student Wins MasterChef Reality Show

Jim Bell — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:25:20 +0000

Who hasn't heard someone say they can do something better than you blind-folded? Well, a University of Houston graduate student has done just that, in a manner of speaking, but she didn't need to be blind-folded.

Read More|Comment

Tall Ship Elissa in Dry Dock for Repairs

Jim Bell — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:35:26 +0000

The "Official Tall Ship of Texas", the Elissa, has been pulled into a shipyard dry dock in Texas City to get a much needed overhaul - stem to stern, as they say. Let's just say that at the ripe old age of 135, Elissa's mileage is showing.

Read More|Comment

Last WWII B-29 Bomber Coming to Tyler

Jim Bell — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:48:36 +0000

The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports that the last "flying" B-29 Superfortress Bomber left in the world will be in Tyler later this month -- the 18th through the 20th -- at Tyler’s Historic Aviation Memorial Museum.

Read More|Comment

TxDOT Rebuilds Lufkin N. Loop Interchange

Jim Bell — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:32:11 +0000

The Lufkin News reports the Texas Department of Transportation is finally launching a long awaited redesign and rebuilding of the U.S 59/Loop 287 interchange on Lufkin's north side.

Read More|Comment

Prisons Find Legal Way to Block Cell Phones

Jim Bell — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:32:17 +0000

No matter how annoying many people are with their cellphones, we can't stop them because it's illegal to jam radio signals. Cellphones smuggled to prison inmates are also a serious problem, but the Lufkin News reports Texas prisons are getting electronic help to fight cell phone calls -- legally.

Read More|Comment

Killer Gets Sex Change at Taxpayer Expense

Jim Bell — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:21:40 +0000

It's reported that a federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered state prison officials to provide taxpayer-funded sex-reassignment surgery to a transgender inmate who is serving life in prison for murder.

Read More|Comment

Bryan Man Facing Flag Desecration Charges

Jim Bell — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:24:48 +0000

We don't hear much about flag desecration anywhere these days, much less here in east Texas, but we have one from Crockett. The Houston County Courier has the story of a man who was arrested and charged with desecrating the United States flag.

Read More|Comment

Say What? Texas Forest Service is Now A&M?

Jim Bell — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 15:25:17 +0000

It's true, and it's not another Aggie joke. As of Saturday, September 1st, the 97 year old Texas Forest Service has a new name. It is now the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Read More|Comment

Anger Over Lake Naconiche Publicity Stunt

Jim Bell — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:51:35 +0000

The Lufkin News reports some Nacogdoches County landowners and fisher folk are upset, and say they felt betrayed when county commissioners allowed a popular Texas bass fishing TV show early access to Lake Naconiche several days before the official opening date.
Read More|Comment

Study: Half of Americans Will Die Nearly Broke

Jim Bell — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 17:51:46 +0000

This should get your attention if retirement is in your near future. MarketWatch reports a recent survey shows that almost half of all U.S. retirees die with savings of $10,000 or less -- almost no money in the bank.
Read More|Comment

Allen ISD Opens $60 Million Dollar Football Stadium

Jim Bell — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:41:54 +0000

Taxpayers in a school district outside Dallas are now the proud owners of one of the most expensive high school football stadiums in the country. The Allen ISD's Eagle Stadium is a gleaming $60 million facility with seats for 18,000 fans, a 38-foot-wide high-definition video screen, a towering upper deck, and, oh yes, corporate sponsors.

Welcome to the new home of Eagles Football.

Read More|Comment

TxDOT Watching for Labor Day Drunk Driving

Jim Bell — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:52:49 +0000

The Texas Department of Transportation says it is working overtime to continue its month-long crack down on drinking and driving over the Labor Day weekend. TxDOT’s “Drink. Drive. Go to Jail” Campaign began August 19th and goes through Tuesday September 5th.
Read More|Comment

Seven People Charged With Fishing Fraud

Jim Bell — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:11:43 +0000

Yes there is such a thing as "fishing fraud", and people who're caught doing it are in a heap of trouble. The Brownsville Herald reports that's what seven people learned when fishing tournament judges caught them at it on South Padre island earlier this month.
Read More|Comment

East Texas Gets Little or No Rain from Isaac

Jim Bell — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 15:20:18 +0000

East Texas just can't catch a break. Even with all the rain Hurricane Isaac is dumping on Louisiana and Mississippi, forecasters at the National Weather Service say some parts of East Texas may not get a drop of that rain.
Read More|Comment