Home > Waco Breaking News > Archives > 2008 > May > 13
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Severe thunderstorm warning, McLennan County
Update 2: …THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHERN MCLENNAN COUNTY EXPIRES AT 1245 AM CDT…
RADAR INDICATED THAT HEAVY RAIN…SMALL HAIL…AND GUSTY WINDS WERE STILL POSSIBLE FROM THE THUNDERSTORM. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS STILL IN EFFECT UNTIL 315 AM.
Update: …A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1245 AM CDT FOR SOUTHERN MCLENNAN COUNTY…
AT MIDNIGHT CDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZE HAIL…AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF LORENA…MOVING NORTHEAST AT 27 MPH.
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR… WOODWAY AND HEWITT BY 1210 AM CDT… ROBINSON BY 1215 AM CDT… BEVERLY HILLS BY 1220 AM CDT… WACO BY 1225 AM CDT… BELLMEAD AND LACY-LAKEVIEW BY 1235 AM CDT… HALLSBURG BY 1240 AM CDT…
Original entry: THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR… SOUTHERN MCLENNAN COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS…
UNTIL 1245 AM CDT
AT 1140 PM CDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZE HAIL…AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR MOODY…AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 27 MPH.
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR… BRUCEVILLE-EDDY AND MCGREGOR BY 1145 PM LORENA BY 1155 PM HEWITT AND WOODWAY BY 1205 AM ROBINSON BY 1210 AM BEVERLY HILLS AND WACO BY 1215 AM LACY-LAKEVIEW BY 1225 AM
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO A STURDY SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.
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Flash flood warning, Bosque County
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR… BOSQUE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
UNTIL 330 AM CDT
AT 1134 PM CDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF CLIFTON…MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH. RADAR INDICATES THAT 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN. ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH 330 AM CDT.
LOCATIONS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE AFFECTED BY HEAVY RAIN INCLUDE…MERIDIAN.
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD TO UNKNOWN DEPTHS. IT ONLY TAKES TWO FEET OF RUSHING WATER TO CARRY AWAY MOST SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND PICKUPS. TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION OR WAIT UNTIL THE WATER RECEDES. REMEMBER… MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.
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BU beats Texas State
Baylor erupted for four fifth-inning runs and Aaron Miller blasted a three-run homer in the eighth en route to a 7-2 win over Texas State Tuesday night at Baylor Ballpark.
Making his first start of the season after 14 relief appearances, Baylor’s Randall Linebaugh limited the Bobcats to six hits while striking out seven in six innings to nail down his first win since May 25, 2007.
Miller’s homer was his team-leading 11th of the season.
The Bears will host Stephen F. Austin at 6:30 tonight in their home finale.
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Second TB case diagnosed at a Waco elementary
A person at Doris Miller Elementary has been diagnosed with active TB disease, officials with the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District announced this afternoon.
Officials say the health district is working closely with Waco Independent School District to test those who came into close contact with that person at Doris Miller.
The announcement was the second time in a month that the district revealed a case of TB was found at a WISD elementary school. On April 25, someone at Provident Heights Elementary School was diagnosed with an active case of TB. That triggered action by the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, which handles TB treatment for the community.
After investigating the situation, the health district determined that 28 people had been in close enough contact with the infected person at Provident Heights to be at risk, health district officials said. That investigation has been completed with no new active TB cases from the school, officials said.
The investigation of the Doris Miller case has found a common contact outside of the school with the Provident Heights case.
Though many people think that TB is a disease of the past, it continues to be an issue in the United States, health district officials said. The Waco -McLennan County Public Health District treats on average 10 to 12 people a year with active TB disease and identifies approximately 110- 120 people with Latent TB. TB disease is preventable and treatable.
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Waco ISD looks further into start times
From Trib staffer Wendy Gragg:
Waco ISD administrators met earlier today as they continued looking into adopting standard school start times for its campuses. Administration officials tweaked its proposed times some since the issue first was discussed.
A new proposal being considered has the school day for elementary school students from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For middle and high school students, the day would be from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30. The original proposal had high schools starting at 9 a.m.
District officials said the standardizing of times will help with fuel efficiency and the shortage of bus drivers.
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Incoming BU freshman collects funds needed for AIDS orphan home
From Trib staffer Terri Jo Ryan:
Kristen Elliott, 18, an incoming Baylor University freshman this fall, has successfully raised the $60,000 she sought to make her wish come true to fund a home for the AIDS orphans of Zambia.
The plucky cancer survivor, who graduates from Katy’s Faith West Academy this month, had asked the Make-A-Wish Foundation for seed money to start the ball rolling.
After her story was aired on ABC World News Tonight earlier his month, in fact, more than $100,000 has been collected as of May 7.
Kristin’s Miracle House is being built inside the Tree of Life Children’s Village complex on the outskirts of Zambia’s capital city of Lusaka. Altogether, there will be 25 homes for over 300 kids. Kristin’s Miracle House is the seventh house being built by Family Legacy Missions International. Any excess funds collected are going to “Kristin’s Miracle Clinic for AIDS Orphans” at the Tree of Life Children’s Village.
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Fire update: Lightning ignited house
From Trib staffer Erin Quinn:
Fire officials determined that a lightning bolt around 10 a.m. today caused a ranch-style house at 3920 Austin Ave. to catch fire.
Its owner, 63-year-old Dub Allen, is a tugboat operator, who was out-of-town at the time of the fire.
Waco fire investigator Charles Lindorfer said lightning struck a metal chimney near the back of the house. The fire caused extensive water and smoke damage, he said, however, the contents in the home were not a total loss.
“I heard a huge clap of thunder,” said Mavis Nix, who lives across the street. “Then, my neighbors came by to tell me that smoke was shooting out of (Allen’s) house.”
Below is a shot of a firefighter working on the roof of the house taken by photo editor Rod Aydelotte:
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Area science teachers being recognized
Twenty area science teachers were being recognized this morning at an “Honoring the Teachers” ceremony sponsored by the Texas Regional Collaboratives (TRC) for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching, the AT&T Foundation and the Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12, it was announced in a news release.
Here’s the rest of the release:
The recognized science teachers have mentored a minimum of five other teachers and obtained 105 hours of training in the last year about the latest methods and techniques to engage students in science learning experiences. These mentors return to their schools and districts to assist other teachers in incorporating the methods and techniques into their curriculum. In addition, the event will recognize the Science Mentors of the Year for 2006-07 and the Science Teachers of the Year for 2006-07.
The teachers will be presented with a Certificate of Achievement and award plaque. They will be recognized by state Rep. Doc Anderson and state Sen. Troy Fraser. Joel Carter, vice-president of marketing for Innovation First, Inc. will deliver the keynote.
Science Teacher Mentorees: Brandy Alley, Temple ISD; Pam Baldree, Blooming Grove ISD; Sandra Barnett, Waco ISD; Andrea Bruce, Copperas Cove ISD; Lisa Cobb, La Vega ISD; Jennifer Davies, Temple ISD; Tabatha Davis, Connally ISD; Prisscilla Fricke, Connally ISD; Shari Harris, Blooming Grove ISD; Linda Hewgley, La Vega ISD; Angie King, Robinson ISD; Diane Leggott, Midway ISD; Dennis Marler, Killeen ISD; Linda McClure, Rogers ISD; Christy Moix, Temple ISD; Thelma Rose, Rogers ISD; Christina Salter-Wilson, Killeen ISD; Mary Tate, Marlin ISD; Sue Wernecke, Cranfills Gap ISD; and Tracie Wetzel, Fairfield ISD.
Science Mentors of the Year for 2006-07 are Pam Baldree of Blooming Grove ISD, Diane Leggott of Midway ISD, and Mary Tate of Marlin ISD.
Science Teachers of the Year for 2006-2007 are Christy Moix of Temple ISD, Linda Hewgley of La Vega ISD, and Prisscilla Fricke of Connally ISD.
In addition, a $500 cash award (from the Shell Foundation & TRC) will be given to two teachers who taught the top student winners in the Central Texas Science & Engineering Fair (CTSEF). They are James Dorman (junior division) in Mexia ISD and Jennifer Milsap (senior division) in McGregor ISD.
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Sensing equipment placed at Southeast Texas sinkhole
Sensing equipment has been installed to monitor whether that sprawling sinkhole in Texas is growing, the Associated Press reports,
It’s been nearly one week since the gap opened near Daisetta, about 60 miles northeast of Houston.
No injuries have been reported, but the spread has reached to 900 feet wide and 250 feet deep.
The U.S. Geological Survey is working to monitor the hole. Nearby Farm-to-Market Road 770 remains closed.
Concerns have been raised that any heavy rain could further destabilize the area.
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Severe storm risk for Waco
The new severe weather outlook from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has extended the moderate-risk zone southward to include Waco. (“Moderate” may not sound like much, but it’s kind of the SPC equivalent of an orange alert. They generally reserve “high risk” for really, really bad situations.)
We’ve already had some thunderstorms this morning (the gauge up on the roof has about 0.10 inches, and Waco airport has reported 0.08 inches so far today), but the nastier ones are expcted late this afternoon into tonight. The main threat right now is thought to be large hail — there’s a 45 percent chance of penny size hail or larger within 25 miles of a given point, and a better than 10 percent chance it’ll be larger than golf balls.
The severe weather threat continues into tomorrow.
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Texas-born artist Robert Rauschenberg dies
Robert Rauschenberg, a native of Texas and pioneer in pop art whose talents included painting, sculpture and dance, has died, his gallery representative said today. He was 82.
Rauschenberg died Monday, said Jennifer Joy, his representative at Pace Wildensteins.
Trib entertainment writer Carl Hoover noted that the Martin Museum of Art at Baylor University bought one of the Port Arthur native works last year for its permanent collection.
Here’s the New York Times piece on his death.
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Fire update: Blaze at Austin Avenue house extinguished
Firefighters have knocked out a fire at 3920 Austin Ave. that was primarily in the attic. It’s possible that smoke and water damage will affect more of the structure.
There’s no word yet on the cause.
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List of VA advisory committee members released
We have already reported that Kirt Love of Crawford, a Gulf War Army veteran, is a member of a new advisory committee established by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake for veterans who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during 1990-91.
The 14-member, independent panel will advise the secretary and the Department of Veterans Affairs on the full range of health care and benefits needs of those who served in the conflict.
Love is serving as director of the Desert Storm Battle Registry.
Joining him on the committee are Gulf War and other veterans, veterans service organizations’ representatives, medical experts, and the survivors of Gulf War veterans.
Members were selected to provide a variety of perspectives, experiences and expertise.
The committee will be chaired by Charles Cragin, a retired Navy captain, who has had several senior level positions within the federal government, including Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and chairman of VA’s Board of Veterans Appeals.
This committee’s first meeting will be in mid-June in Washington, D.C. It is expected to complete its work within 18 months.
Here’s the list of the members of VA’s Gulf War Advisory Committee from a news release:
*Charles Cragin, (Chair) of Raymond, Maine. Currently serves a senior counselor for Maine Street Solutions, LLC.
*Martha Douthit of Ashburn, Va. Surviving spouse of Gulf War Army veteran, member of the Gold Star Wives of America, currently an international trade analyst with the U.S. Department of Commerce.
*Dr. Henry Falk of Atlanta. Retired rear admiral and former Assistant U.S. Surgeon General. Currently director for the Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
*Mark Garner of Lorton, Va. A retired Marine Corps chief warrant officer-three and Gulf War veteran who served as a Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Officer.
*Dr. Lynn Goldman of Chevy Chase, Md. Vice chair of the Institute of Medicine Gulf War and Health Study; currently professor of environmental health sciences at Johns Hopkins University.
*Dr. John Hart of Plano, Texas. Past president of the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology, currently professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
*William (Rusty) Jones of South Riding, Va. Retired Marine Corps colonel, and veteran of Gulf War and Vietnam War.
*Kirt Love of Crawford, Texas. An Army veteran of the Gulf War, currently serving as director of the Desert Storm Battle Registry.
*Daniel Ortiz of Whittier, Calif. An Army veteran of the Gulf War, currently serving as department service director with the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
*Daniel Pinedo of Oceanside, Calif. Marine Corps colonel currently serving as the comptroller for First Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
*Thomas Plewes of Annandale, Va. A retired Army lieutenant general and former chief of the Army Reserve. Currently a senior program officer with National Academy of Sciences.
*Valerie Randall of Savage, Md. A retired Army sergeant first class; currently with the Department of Homeland Security.
*Edward (Randy) Reese of Washington, D.C. An Army veteran of the Gulf War; currently national service director for the Disabled American Veterans.
*Steve Robertson of Fredericksburg, Va. A Gulf War veteran who served both in the Air Force and Army National Guard. Currently director of the national legislative commission for The American Legion.
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Mars Snackfood project environmentally friendly
Mars Snackfood this morning is announcing its latest “going green” effort — completion of a project that delivers methane gas from the city of Waco landfill to power the plant’s boilers.
According to a news release in advance of the ceremony, the decadelong public-private partnership project will bring significant environmental benefits. Available quantities of methane will cover approximately 60 percent of the Waco plant’s total boiler fuel requirements for the next 25 years, the release said.
Mars Snackfood U.S. President Todd Lachman is scheduled to be there along with local, state and federal government officials and the Waco business community. The Mars Snackfood plant in Waco manufactures Snickers, Starburst and Skittles.
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Jellyfish already appearing at Galveston
It’ll be a while until summer, but Galveston beaches are already dealing with the problem of jellyfish.
Galveston Island Beach Patrol chief Peter Davis says the warmer the water, the higher the likelihood that a sting will occur.
Patrol staffers on Sunday treated 100 jellyfish stings.
Officials say an 11-year-old boy had to be transported to the University of Texas Medical Branch for treatment of pain.
The beach patrol has a Web site and flies a blue flag when an advisory has been posted about jellyfish and other potential dangers.
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Fire reported at Austin Avenue house
We’re hearing about a fire at 3920 Austin Ave. that we’re checking out. We’ll update as soon as we know more.
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Not a newsflash: Conan O’Brien’s successor is Jimmy Fallon
It sure seemed like there was a collective yawn on Monday when it was announced during the TV network upfronts, when the new shows for the next fall season are presented, that Jimmy Fallon will take over for Conan O’Brien in 2009.
O’Brien will be assuming Jay Leno’s late-night seat.
Anyhow, here’s a Los Angeles Times blog interview with Fallon after the announcement.
What do you think about the news?
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Obama leads candidates in unsolicited campaign songs
In this YouTube crazy world, unsolicited campaign songs about the candidates are wildly popular. This Associated Press story explores that, and notes that the candidate with the most songs about him is Sen. Barack Obama.
It doesn’t surprise me at all that Obama leads in the song category. But I didn’t know there was even one for Republican Ron Paul.
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Dave & Buster’s hackers indicted for swiping credit card info
Three people have been charged with stealing credit and debit card numbers from customers at U.S. restaurant chain Dave & Buster’s Inc. by hacking into cash register terminals, the Department of Justice said.
Maksym Yastremskiy, of Kharkov, Ukraine and Aleksandr Suvorov, of Sillamae, Estonia, are accused of hacking into 11 Dave & Buster’s cash register terminals to acquire credit card account numbers and card expiration dates. They sold the stolen data to others who used it to make fraudulent purchases, prosecutors said Monday.
The two were charged in a 27-count indictment unsealed in Central Islip, N.Y., with charges including conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the DOJ and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The third defendant, Albert Gonzalez of Miami, is accused in a criminal complaint of wire fraud conspiracy related to the alleged scheme, prosecutors said.
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Waco man on Grand Prairie minor-league team
A story about the inaugural season of the Grand Prairie AirHogs mentions Clint Smith, 30, of Waco, as one of the relief pitchers on the team.
Pegasusnews.com has this information in an online article:
Clint Smith is a relief pitcher from Waco who made the team after being out of professional baseball for three years. He’s 30 years old and runs a baseball academy in Waco. “I’ve been coaching a select team of 13-year-olds, too,” Smith said. “I missed it (playing professionally) and wanted to get back.” He harbors hopes of getting signed by an affiliated team, and thinks the layoff may have been good for him. “My body feels good. My arm feels strong. I think I’m physically more fit.”
The AirHogs are a member of the 10-team American Association, an independent minor league in which its teams are not affiliated with major league ballclubs.
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Man claims JetBlue made him sit on toilet during flight
A New York City man is suing JetBlue Airways Corp. for more than $2 million because he says a pilot made him give up his seat to a flight attendant and sit on the toilet for more than three hours on a flight from California.
Gokhan Mutlu, of Manhattan’s Inwood section, says in court papers the pilot told him to “go ‘hang out’ in the bathroom” about 90 minutes into the San Diego to New York flight because the flight attendant complained that the “jump seat” she was assigned was uncomfortable, the lawsuit said.
Read on here.
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Report: China quake death toll now tops 12,000
Sadly, the numbers of those killed in the massive China earthquake continue to rise. The official Xinhua News Agency said the death toll exceeded 12,000 in Sichuan province alone, and 18,645 were still buried in debris in the city of Mianyang, near the epicenter of Monday’s 7.9-magnitude quake.
Rescue workers are digging through flattened schools and homes in a desperate attempt to find survivors of China’s worst earthquake in three decades.
The numbers of casualties was expected to rise due to the remoteness of the areas affected by the quake and difficulty in finding buried victims.
Rueters has this interesting fact box about the setbacks China has seen this year in which it hoped to trumpet its successes and the upcoming Olympics.
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A chance of rain this Tuesday
It’s mostly cloudy out there now and that’s probably the way it’ll stay today. There’s a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms today, with a south wind between 15 and 20 mph, and gusts as high as 30 mph.
The greater chance of rain comes tonight (60 percent) and severe weather is possible, according to the National Weather Service.
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