Newton’s Notes

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

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!

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

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!

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!