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January 2008
Bundle up again tonight
We’re at 57 degrees right now at Waco Regional Airport with winds of 29 mph and gusts of 39 mph, and it’s not going to get much warmer
The forecast calls for the temperatre to drop this afternoon to around 49 by 5 p.m. Winds will be out of the northwest between 25 and 30 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph.
So for tonight, we’re supposed to have clear skies with a low around 30. The wind will still be blowing hard, so figure on wind chills at least in the low 20s.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, Weather
Sick and can’t see a doctor?
We’re hearing tales about lots of sickness going around in Waco, and two of our reporters, Wendy Gragg and Erin Quinn, are working on a story about people who need to see a doctor but can’t because physicians offices are booked and overbooked with patients.
Are you one of those folks who can’t find a doctor to treat you? If so, please call or e-mail Gragg at 757-6901 or wgragg@wacotrib.com or Quinn at 757-5748 or equinn@wacotrib.com.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Headlines, Health
Don’t forget: Library renovation comment sessions today
The first session is under way, but there are two more opportunities for public comment today for residents to offer their ideas for the $5.4 million in renovations to be made on the Central Library.
All sessions are at the Central Library, 1717 Austin Ave. A session for input from teenagers starts at 4 p.m. and the last one, from the community, is at 7 p.m.
Architects from the Dallas offices of Leo A. Daly will share examples of their work completed at other libraries.
For more information, call 750-5946.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Headlines, Downtown development
Rapoports to host U.S. Senate candidate
Bernard and Audre Rapoport will be hosting a reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 5 in the Royal Room at Ridgewood Country Club, 7301 Fish Pond Road, so people can meet Rick Noriega, who is running for U.S. Senate.
Here’s his Web site if you’re interested in learning more about him.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Headlines, Politics
Honoring Ann Roznovsky again
The public reception honoring marketing and community relations director Ann Roznovsky for her 50 years of service at the Tribune-Herald was a couple of weeks ago, but our in-house reception for her retirement is going on right now.
Ann has always a wonderful spark of energy and positivity here at the Trib, and while she’ll still be here occasionally handling Storybook Christmas, we’re going to miss seeing her daily.
Today is her final day as a full-time Trib employee.
I think I’m missing the cake and punch in the break room, so I’m going to slide away for a few minutes and be back blogging shortly.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Headlines, This, that
Waco businesses named in ‘best’ list
Two local businesses were recognized last week at the “2008 Best Companies to Work for in Texas” awards luncheon.
Higginbotham & Associates, an insurance and financial services company based in Fort Worth ranked eighth of the 25 medium-sized company finalists. Higginbotham has a branch office headed by Cindy Brown in the American Plaza building off State Highway 6. It was been there about a year, Brown said.
Higginbotham & Associates came in at 10th in the 2006 list.
The Dwyer Group, which is based in Waco, came in 14th in the medium-sized category.
A complete list of the top 75 companies (25 in large, medium and small categories) will be published in the February issue of Texas Monthly magazine.
But if you’re curious already, here’s the Web site.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Headlines, Business
Former China Spring woman rearrested in murder-for-hire plot
The Dallas Morning News today has a story that Frisco police have arrested three people in the December murder-for-hire killing of Craig Nail, including Nail’s estranged wife, China Spring native Vera Elizabeth Guthrie-Nail.
It marks the second time Vera Elizabeth Guthrie-Nail, 42, has been arrested in the case. She was taken into custody earlier this month and posted bail after being accused of trying to hire a boyfriend to kill Nail.
Here’s the Morning News story.
You might recall that earlier this month investigators found evidence at a China Spring home they say is connected to the scheme.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, Politics
Watermelon yell did happen at A&M
I don’t know how often it happened but the “watermelon yell” I blogged about yesterday prior to the Texas A&M-Texas men’s basketball game did happen at the game.
Here’s the youtube proof.
The Dallas Morning News included it in the game story:
Texas, which has lost four straight in College Station, fell to 16-4, 3-2 in the league. As the final seconds ticked off, A&M students let out a cheer directed at UT coach Rick Barnes: “Watermelon, watermelon, watermelon rind. Look at the scoreboard and see who’s behind. T.u! t.u!. t.u.!”
“I’m proud of their student body,” Barnes said, “because last year, I taught them the cheer, and they carried it out great. … From that point on, good night for the Aggies.”
Permalink | | Categories: Pro & college sports
Bank robber stopped by Trib first
That the guy who tried to rob the Bank of America Wednesday morning? He stopped by the Trib’s offices right before he held up the bank.
Here’s today’s story about Marvin Goodlow Washington, who interacted with at least four people here at the Tribune-Herald office and was “acting crazy.”
But he didn’t seem any crazier than a lot of other folks who have arrived at the Trib. Washington came to our front desk on the second floor around 9 a.m. asking to talk to a journalist because he had a story to tell.
That story, he said, was that he had just been released from prison in Huntsville, but his wife didn’t come to pick him up, and he was looking for her. He thought she was kidnapped. Washington then went into various tangents on the FBI, conspiracies, and that he came inside because it was cold.
Co-workers suggested he go to the Salvation Army or somewhere else for help, but he refused.
Right before leaving here, he told our second-floor clerk, “If y’all can’t help me, I’m fixing to create a disturbance.” He told another co-worker on the first floor before exiting, “I’m not gonna be homeless after today.”
Little did we know.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Headlines, Police & crime
Damp start to Thursday morning
Welcome to the Thursday Waco NOW newsblog. It’s a little slick out there this morning, the result of a little bit of rain fired off in front of the latest front to push through.
Waco Regional Airport recorded 0.18 inches of rain, most of that coming between 3 and 4 a.m. Gatesville had 0.06 inches, but none of the other local recording sites listed any precipitation.
To our north, Corsicana Municipal Airport listed 0.47 inches for the overnight hours.
We are supposed to have mostly sunny skies, with a high near 61. Yeah, that wind is coming back, too. West-northwest winds could gust as high as 40 mph.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, Weather
Get ready to go Completely ‘Lost’
Even with only eight episodes completed, thanks to the writers’ strike, Lost returns tonight on ABC (KXXV-TV, Channel 25) with an “enhanced” version of the two-hour finale from last year that had fans of the show, going “What the …?”
The “enhanced” version will offer pop-ups on the screen to explain background and other tidbits of information, though how much of that will be relevatory to Lost fanatics is questionable.
The New York Times has a great piece on it today.
Speaking of Lost fans, Tribbers Chris Oliver and myself are about to embark on a new blog at wacotrib.com, called Completely ‘Lost.’ The blog should be up later today and all of you Central Texas Lost fans — or beyond — are welcome to immerse yourself with us in a show that we find amazing every week.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, Entertainment, This, that
Midway Little League late registration tonight
Just a reminder, since I was asked nicely to put this in the blog, that Midway Little League will take late signups at 6 p.m. today at Sorrels & Gunn Builders, 7901 Woodway Drive.
Players can still sign up for the upcoming spring season until Feb. 4. If you can’t make it tonight you have by then to mail in a registration form off the Web site www.midwaylittleleague.net and mail to P.O. Box 21253, Waco, TX 76702.
Registration fees cost $100 for kids 8 and up, $65 for kids age 6-7; the fee covers uniform costs. For more information, log on to www.midwaylittleleague.net or call Eddie Burns at 254-715-9260.
Permalink | | Categories: This, that
Update: Bank robbery attempt at Bank of America
A suspect in a bank robbery in downtown Waco this morning was apprehended quickly by police officers.
Dispatchers alerted officers to a possible robbery at the Bank of America, 514 Austin Ave., at 10:09 a.m., according to a records supervisor at the police department.
The supervisor said a suspect was taken into custody not far away at 10:13.
Waco police officer Steve Anderson said the suspect threatened to stab a bank employee if she did not give him money. Anderson said he didn’t know if the suspect displayed a knife during the threat.
—Monica Ortiz Uribe
I apologize for the gap in posts. We had this information before 11 a.m., but a systemwide problem knocked out blog-posting capability for a half-hour or so.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, Police & crime
Bank robbery suspect caught
We’re hearing scanner chatter here about Waco police capturing a bank robbery suspect this morning in downtown Waco. Don’t know where the robbery was, or even if it happened today.
We’ll let you know more as we find out.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Headlines, Police & crime
More slide shows from weekend event online
If you enjoy our slide shows, and based on the page-view numbers we’re seeing it’s obvious that you do, new slide shows from the Hill County Fair and Columbus Avenue Baptist Church’s Fresh Grounded Faith Conference are now up.
Check them out.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, This, that
Report: FutureGen could look at Texas again
The Dallas Morning News today has a story that the U.S. Department of Energy told members of Congress from Illinois on Tuesday that it would pull its support for building the $1.8 billion FutureGen plant in Mattoon, Ill., because the project has stalled over questions about its rising cost and technological scope.
You might recall that Jewett and Odessa were the Texas cities vying to have the project.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, Around Central Texas, Technology
Watermelon yell may debut at A&M-Texas game tonight
Trib co-worker Christy Scott, a fellow Aggie grad who probably bleeds maroon more than I do, sent me this funny story from The Battalion, Texas A&M’s student newspaper about tonight’s Big 12 game in College Station between No. 10 Texas and No. 23 Texas A&M.
When I was at A&M (1982-1986) basketball games were in G. Rollie White Coliseum, which was pretty much shaped like a box. We could get really loud in that environment.
All I can say, is “Gig ‘em!”
And while I’m at it, “Go Lady Bears!” The sixth-ranked BU women host No. 25 Texas at 7 tonight in the Ferrell Center. Here’s Jerry Hill’s story.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Around Central Texas, Pro & college sports
Attorney to represent Mart residents facing eviction
Attorney Rick Bostwick has told Trib reporter Tommy Witherspoon that his firm will be representing for free the Mart residents who live on Mart city property near Battle Lake Golf Course and are threatened to be displaced.
At 1:30 today in Judge Vicki Menard’s 414th State District Court, the group of residentswill seek a temporary restraining order to keep the city from acting on this plan.
Here’s our previous stories on it:
Residents vow to fight eviction plans
Mart wants residents on city-owned property to move
We’ll update this story as we learn more.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, Around Central Texas
Giants’ Ross has a sort-of tie to Waco
You’ve probably heard that the Super Bowl is this weekend. OK, there’s no LT and the Chargers to root for, but there are a couple of Baylor/Waco ties to the game.
Patriots kick returner Willie Andrews played for Baylor. You may have heard on local radio how both Baylor radio guy John Morris and our own Baylor football beat writer Jerry Hill were stiffed by Patriots media relations in trying to get an interview with Andrews … last week, not even this week when it’s understandably crazy.
C’mon. They were asking for Willie Andrews. Not Tom Brady, Randy Moss or even Wes Welker.
If you want to root for the Giants, there’s a bit of tie to cornerback Aaron Ross, who played for the Texas Longhorns in college, but is engaged to one of the fastest women in the world, Sanya Richards, who trains in Waco with the legendary Clyde Hart. Here’s a fun story on that.
Hart, meanwhile, is in the news because he and star pupil Jeremy Wariner are ending their partnership over a contract dispute. Read Brice Cherry’s story on that. The Associated Press had this story.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Headlines, Pro & college sports
Sorry, but I like my newscasters to be local
In yesterday’s blog, I commented about watching the first installment of Fox 44’s entry into doing newscast. Little did I know while watching it Monday night was that the news, sports and weather anchors are all in Tyler!
What kind of flim-flam stuff is that?
Trib entertainment writer Carl Hoover was alerted to it, and we worked the phones Tuesday to get the answers. Yes, the segments are filmed locally, but the anchors tape their segments ahead of time. Seems a tad disingenuous, if you ask me.
So guys, if you want to watch news anchor Crystal Kobza because she’s really darn attractive, go ahead. But I’ll get my TV news from the truly local folks, who are also involved in our community. The Tyler folks can’t be.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: Headlines, Entertainment
Cold start to this Wednesday
Good morning, folks! It’s exactly 32 degrees at the Waco Regional Airport and the wind chill has it feeling like 25. But with the clear skies and a wind — yes, it’ll be breezy again — switching from the south we’re supposed to get a high in the neighborhood of 60 degrees.
Because of the wind we do have another fire danger watch. There were scattered grass fires in Central Texas yesterday and we don’t need a repeat of any of that.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, Weather
Don’t forget to bundle up tonight
Sure, it’s downright balmy right now (69 degrees in Waco, 70 in McGregor and Gatesville) but that’s going to change this afternoon as a cold front and high winds pushes down through Central Texas.
Check out the forecast and tonight get those pets inside, the plants covered and the pipes wrapped (if you’re like me, they’re stayed wrapped).
See you on the blog tomorrow.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, Weather
Waco man in Idaho semi-truck accident
An Idaho TV station is reporting an overnight accident on Interstate 84 in Caldwell, Idaho, that involves a Waco man.
Dumitru Boicu, 27, and listed as being from Waco was driving a semi on Interstate 84 when his truck smashed through a guardrail at an exit ramp late Monday night.
Apparently he wasn’t hurt as he told the TV reporter that he didn’t slow down in time for the ramp and was confused by the signs.
Caldwell, Idaho, has about 26,000 people and is considered part of the Boise metropolitan area.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, National news, Police & crime, Traffic
Classified ad prankster tags Aspen paper
Like the Waco Tribune-Herald in 2005, the Aspen Times in Colorado is the latest newspaper to receive a “gotcha” from classified-ad prankster Rory Emerald. It happened this weekend for the Times and suckered 60-70 readers.
Like the Trib, the Times wrote a story about “getting had.”
Here’s our story when Emerald “got” the Trib. It was in the Aug. 26, 2005, paper and written by Tim Woods:
Prankster Rory Emerald has struck Waco. Emerald is not a criminal, at least not with his latest endeavor. Instead, the 38-year-old stay-at-home dad refers to himself as a “professional hoaxster extraordinaire.”
Emerald ‘s gags involve placing fake classified ads in newspapers across the country, beginning during the Michael Jackson trial in June when he ran an ad in the Santa Barbara News-Press that read “Found: Near Neverland Ranch, prosthetic nose.”
The prankster hoped the ad would lighten the mood in the California town and thought the ads would end there. They didn’t.
“I thought, how can I stop now, when it’s making so many people laugh?”Emerald said.
On Monday, Emerald brought his unique brand of humor to Waco, specifically the Tribune-Herald.
Emerald ‘s latest ad - he says it’s about the 25th he’s run - read: “Found: ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ ice sculpture in Waco, in lrg. comm. walk-in freezer.”
The Anaheim, Calif., resident said he chose Waco because he “found the people there were wound kind of tight and needed to laugh,” citing the tension surrounding the Crawford protests outside President Bush’s ranch and other negative publicity Waco has received over recent years. Emerald said the response from Wacoans - he had received about 50 calls by Monday evening and was still getting calls Wednesday - has been both overwhelming and receptive.
“The response I’ve gotten from Waco has been really incredible, it’s been fabulous,” Emerald said, noting that he has not received any negative feedback from Waco residents.
Emerald ‘s ads have claimed to have found things such as Andy Warhol paintings in Buffalo, N.Y., an Elvis Presley tour bus on a Fargo, N.D., ranch, and Paris Hilton’s PDA in Charleston, S.C.
He says that negative reactions are rare and that “usually when that happens, the person is kind of whackadoo.”
Sgt. Ryan Holt, a spokesman for the Waco Police Department, was not aware of any law or ordinance forbidding Emerald ‘s classified ad jokes, but that does not mean Emerald has always steered clear of law enforcement.
In 1993, he served jail time for impersonating Mia Farrow’s personal shopper on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, attempting to take more than $10,000 worth of clothing for the actress. Emerald said that Farrow “would have loved the clothes I picked out.”
In 1990, the Associated Press reported that Julian Lee Hobbs, Emerald ‘s birth name, was dating Elizabeth Taylor. Emerald said that some news sources even reported that the two were going to be married, though he was reluctant to say how the story came about.
The Taylor incident led to Emerald obtaining a restraining order against Taylor’s former husband Larry Fortensky in Los Angeles Superior Court in September 2000.
Emerald said he plans to avoid future legal trouble, but has no intention of stopping his unusual ads. He would not disclose where or when he would strike next, but said that he does “have something regarding Laura Bush and something regarding Yoko Ono.”
He wants people to rest assured, though, that the ads will remain clean and fun.
“All I want to do with the found ads is make people laugh and make people happy,” Emerald said.
The Tribune-Herald employee who took the call about the ad, Christina Pesina, said that Emerald was not the person who called. Pesina said that a woman called and said she was placing the ad for out-of-town people. Pesina said that the woman claimed that the out-of-towners were trying to sell a vacant commercial building and found the ice sculpture in a walk-in freezer.
The woman sounded very upset, mentioning that the sculpture must have been very expensive and thought it might have been stolen, Pesina said.
Besides the found item, Pesina said there was nothing unusual about the call.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Headlines, Weird & wacky
Carter BloodCare seeking donors
Donna Karl with Carter BloodCare, which supplies blood to Providence Health Center and Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, e-mailed today to let me know that more blood is needed these days, especially O-negative and O-positive.
The way the weather’s been lately and with people being sick, donations are really down, she said, and the blood center wants to make sure the patients in Central Texas have their needs met.
She stressed that Carter BloodCare is not at a crisis level, it just doesn’t want to get to that point.
Hours at the Waco Neighborhood Donor Center, 4332 W. Waco Drive, are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
More information is available at (800) DONATE-4 or carterbloodcare.org. For more information, call Karl at 399-8546.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, This, that
MPO meeting to be shown on city cable channel
The city of Waco has announced that because of public interest, the Waco City Cable Channel, WCCC-TV, will carry today’s policy board meeting live for the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Bosque Theatre at the Waco Convention Center.
The agenda does include discussion on the possibility of adding tolls lanes on Interstate 35, which is part of Agenda Item III - Amendments to the Transportation Plan.
Background information about the agenda items can be found online. The full agenda is:
I. Call to Order, Proof of Posting
II. Approval of the November 27, 2007 meeting minutes.
III. Consideration and Action on proposed amendments to the Waco Metropolitan Transportation Plan.
IV. Consideration and Action proposed amendments to the 2008-2011 Transportation Improvement Program.
V. Consideration and Action on approval of list of federally funded projects let for construction during FY 2007.
VI. Consideration and Action on approval of the FY 2007 Annual Performance & Expenditure Report.
VII. Consideration and Action on choosing an MPO Representative for the Interstate 35 corridor advisory committee.
VIII. Public Hearing of any visitor concerning MPO business not on the agenda.
IX. Staff Reports
X. Adjournment.
For more background on the toll lanes proposal, here’s Trib reporter David Doerr’s story from Monday.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, City hall, Traffic
Serbian business expert to speak to Waco chamber
The Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce’s International Business Development Council (I didn’t even know we had one) is hosting a commercial specialist from Belgrade, Serbia, today for a noontime luncheon at the chamber’s boardroom.
Boris Popovski assists U.S. companies looking to do business in Serbia through counseling, providing commercial and economic information and providing guidance in developing a market penetration strategy.
Because the boardroom is small, the chamber took reservations from its members who were interested in hearing Popovski speak. The 20 or so spots are already filled up.
Wonder if anyone will ask Popovski what he thinks about a 70-foot statue of a Texas ranger?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Headlines, Downtown development
Waco High: check out yourselves
The Waco High School channel at wacotrib.com has a wealth of new features and images to view.
Much of it is student-produced work. Check it out.
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, Education
Did you check out Fox 44’s news?
The big three TV stations in Central Texas don’t have anything to worry about yet, but KWKT-TV, Channel 44, entered the news broadcast business last night with its first telecast.
Here’s the story by Trib writer Carl Hoover from Monday’s paper.
As initial efforts go, I thought it was pretty clean. It certainly doesn’t have the production values of the more established local stations and I imagine it’s running with a small staff.
Normally it will be on at 9 p.m. weeknights. Last night was a 9:30 start because of the State of the Union address.
If Fox 44 is looking to draw that younger male demographic, it may have that in news anchor Crystal Kobza. She’s attractive and did well in her first night. She comes from KETK-TV, Channel 56 in Tyler. Here’s her bio from that station’s Web site, since Fox 44 has no mention of the news broadcast on its site yet.
She grew up — at least until high school — in La Grange, about two hours south of here. That’s 15 minutes from my little hometown of Fayetteville, Texas. Midway ISD folks will recall that former superintendent Randy Albers went to La Grange ISD to lead that district with plans to retire there
I’m not sure I’m a fan of the theme music — too techno-pop for my tastes — but the broadcast did deliver two local news stories and a sports story in addition to weather.
An interesting installment is the 4-1-1 segment in which Kobza stands next to a headlined story taken — but rightfully given credit — from area newspapers. Business editor Mike Copeland’s Caterpillar story (though they misspelled it “Caterpiller”) and David Doerr’s piece on tonight’s Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting were featured, as well as something from the Killeen Daily Herald that I can’t remember.
It’ll be interesting to see how this does in the weeks ahead.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: Headlines, Around Central Texas
Meridian without city police force
The city of Meridian is without a police force today, as its chief unexpectedly quit late Monday afternoon.
Chief Scott Martin was the city’s lone lawman after the first of the department’s two-person team quit in December, said the city’s administrator, Marie Garland.
The Bosque County Sheriff’s Office has already agreed to taking over law enforcement duties within the city’s limits, she said.
Garland said Martin had been chief of the department for less than a year, and, at 4 p.m. Monday, he handed in his badge and city-issued cell phone.
Garland said the city had been in brief discussions about disbanding the department, but said council members were just “looking at all their options.”
No decision has yet been made regarding where the city will go from here.
A message was left on Martin’s home phone number in Meridian, but the call was not immediately returned.
— Erin Quinn
Permalink | | Categories: Headlines, Around Central Texas, Police & crime
Skinny’s store robbed
Waco police are investigating a robbery overnight at the Skinny’s convenience store at 9311 China Spring Highway.
A police spokesman says a man walked into Skinny’s just after 12:30 a.m. Tuesday and demanded money. He took money from the store and ran off, the spokesman said.
It is police policy not to disclose the amount of cash taken in robberies.
No weapon or vehicle was used in the robbery, the spokesman said.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding the robbery to call Waco Crime Stoppers at 752-HELP or the department at 750-7500.
— Erin Quinn
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Headlines, Police & crime
Good Tuesday morning … here comes the sun
Well, at least I think we’ll see the sun today. Checking the forecast from the National Weather Service we have the following: Fire Weather Watch