Newton’s Notes

“Glorified Bonfire”

That’s what firefighters are calling the fire in far south Fort Worth, burning at a pallet company.

The good news: No injuries. The blaze isn’t threatening any homes or business, even the main buildings within the pallet company aren’t in danger of catching fire… The fire is contained to a large pile of wooden pallets in a remote area.

The bad news: Firefighters have quite a chore keeping this fire contained. They had to string fire hose for several blocks, and had a hard time getting enough water pressure to really douse the flames.

More bad news: The fire hoses are crossing Crowley street, so there are some road closures. That could affect traffic.

Even more bad news: no marshmallows to roast.

It’s back FINALLY

Monday night was the season premiere of Heroes on NBC, and yes, I stayed up late just to watch the two hour special! Typically, as the morning reporter I go to bed around 7:30pm, but it was worth sacrificing sleep to watch Heroes. 

I am not a big TV watcher, but Heroes has me hooked! If you’ve never seen the show, it is about these people who discover they have special powers. (sounds cheesy, but it is a really great show).

Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think, or if you are a fan like me, comment me with what special power YOU would want to have!

Lowering the Drinking Age?

This weekend I filled in on Saturday night, and did a story down in Lower Greenville about a debate brewing on the national circuit.

Should we lower the drinking age? This topic comes up periodically, usually in times of war, when 18-year-olds are sent to fight for our country. This weekend Mothers Against Drunk Driving held its national conference in Dallas, where they discussed (and strongly opposed) the idea of a lower drinking age.

Here are the two primary arguments I have found…

Against: younger drinkers are not as responsible, therefore the number of drunk driving accidents would increase.  

Support: if you can vote and fight a war, you should be able to drink.

I’m curious to know how viewers feel about this topic.

I believe before we could EVER lower the age, Americans would have to change their perception of alcohol.

During high school, I had European exchange students live with my family. One boy was from Germany, and started drinking around 16. He came to the U.S. and was blown away by the American teenager’s view of alcohol. He says in Germany, people do not binge drink, and most do not drink to get drunk. Not the case in America, where teenagers drink as a form of rebellion… and those who wait until they’re 21, end up drinking themselves silly.

Here’s an interesting article in USA Today about the 21-year-old binge: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-27-drinking-21_N.htm

Something else that would have to change before we could lower the drinking age: cities would HAVE to adopt better mass transit systems. In Germany they have fewer drunk driving accidents because fewer drunks are driving! A lot more people depend on public transportation there, and so they aren’t leaving a bar and getting behind the wheel.

Now, I know both of my scenarios are unlikely… Mass transit is very expensive for cities to operate, and changing a teenager’s perception on anything is a nearly impossible task! But just some food for thought.

Latest on the Scrapyard Fire

Environmental Quality Inspectors have given the “all clear” to firefighters. They have tested the air and water runoff to make sure it is safe… It is.

Firefighters have been dumping 1000 gallons a minute on the fire that was still smoldering early this morning.

Investigators still have not determined the cause of the blaze, but surrounding businesses are back open this morning, and firefighters hope to have things wrapped up later this morning.

Pregnant in the Spotlight

If you haven’t heard by now that Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant and unmarried, then you are probably in the minority.

I am not blogging to share my opinions on teen pregnancy, children born out of wedlock, or Palin’s mothering skills. 

I actually want to address another issue about this “news story”. Is it actually news? Yeah, probably… will it affect the Presidential race? Perhaps… but should it, and is Bristol’s pregnancy anyone’s business?

After all, this 17-year-old girl is not a pubic figure. Bristol is not running for office. She did not ask to be put in the spotlight. Yet, she undeservedly has become the national poster child for teen pregnancy. Should her name, her personal decisions, or poor judgement be blanketed across the TV and newspapers?

Quite honestly, I feel sorry for her and for her 18-year-old boyfriend (who also did not ask for all the publicity). I think they are handling this situation with grace. Being a pregnant teenager would be hard enough, I could not imagine doing so in the national spotlight. 

I admire her for being strong, despite the judgement and ridicule she has and will inevitably face.

Plano Most Affluent City in America

I thought this was an interesting story… The Census Bureau released its annual report on income and poverty Tuesday, and it turns out, Plano residents aren’t doing too bad! According to the report it’s the most affluent city in the nation.

The median salary in Plano is more than $84,000 per year. Second on the list was San Jose, which had an annual median income of about $77,000, but here’s the catch… in Plano, the median home price is $215,000, compared to $744,000 in San Jose.

Here’s a link to the story: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2008-08-26-income-side_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Come See Us at VISIONS

Hey everyone!

Many of the NBC5 gang will be out at the VISIONS Women’s Expo this weekend. After seeing Kristi Nelson’s preview on the news this evening, I’m super pumped!

It looks like a great time. To learn more: http://adjuvantexpos.com/visions/

And while you are there stop by and say hi! I’ll be there between 4-6 tomorrow afternoon!

A good excuse to cut stuff up!

This morning I did a story with the Arligton Fire Department. That’s me and my photographer James with the Training Supervisor, Lt. Kirk Turner.

The firefighters were training on bus extrication. A timely drill considering last week’s deadly bus crash in Sherman.

Crews were learning how to get people out in the event that all of the exits were blocked. It isn’t something that happens very often, but in the event it does, I’m glad to know rescue crews are well prepared.

These guys had all kinds of power tools, but let me tell ya, cutting through those buses wasn’t easy! I was sweating just watching them.

The buses were donated by the Arlington Independant School District. The buses were old, and were not operational, so they allowed the fire department to train on them before scrapping them. An interesting fact, the Arlington Fire Department depends heavily on donated structures to train. (That way they’re not using taxpayer dollars) If you know of a structure that is about to be demolished and could be used for training you can call the Arlington Training Office: 817-459-6023

I’m sure they would greatly appreciate it!

Watch Video: Firefighters Train For Rescues With Old Buses

We all need Mentors

Gone are the days of shoving freshman into lockers, I guess. This week, the DISD is implementing a program to help freshman kids transition into high school.

I remember (way back when) my first day of high school. My sister was a senior, so I thought the upperclassmen would be on my side. I was wrong! I went to Permian High School in Odessa, Texas. (GO MOJO!) While Odessa isn’t necessarily a big city, Permian was actually a BIG school! I asked my sister’s friend for directions to “H hall”… and while I don’t claim to be great at directions… I KNEW “H hall” WASN’T “on the other side of the campus, out the double doors, past the portable buildings, and inside the boy’s locker room”. (Thank you “senior friend” for getting me lost and humiliated)

But Senior and Junior students at WT White High School in Dallas are taking a different approach to the incoming Freshman class. They are actually mentoring them… teaching them the ropes, helping them out, giving them REAL directions, and simply being a friend.

That got me thinking — how cool would it be if we applied this program to the workplace, and all other aspects of our lives?

It’s actually fairly common in the media to have a mentor… someone you learn from, look up to, respect, and seek out for career advice. I’m not as familiar with other professions, so I’m curious… Do you have a mentor? Whether you are a teacher, construction worker, salesman, or lawyer…. whatever your profession might be, is there another person in your field of work who teaches you to succeed?

By the way you can catch the story on NBC5 First at Four!

Stupid Criminal of the Day

I always say that stupid people and criminals keep journalists employed.

So what do you get when you combine stupidity and crime? You get this guy! The stupid criminal of the day.

Now, if you’ve read my previous blogs, you know I am typically a very compassionate person. Today however, I do not feel sorry for the guy in my story.

Around 5 this morning, the Dallas Fire Department receives a 911 call about a man ON FIRE, stuck on top of a utility pole. According to rescue crews, the man had more than 7,000 volts of electricity zapped through his body, possibly TWICE! He lived, and suffered 3rd degree burns over half of his body.

I was really concerned about the man… UNTIL I found out, he intentionally climbed the pole, in an attempt to steal the copper from the wires! He’s now facing felony theft charges… and is probably in a lot of pain.

Moral of the story: If you are stupid, and you want to steal something, make sure it does not have electricity running through it!