Wichita Falls Pundit
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06-14-2025 - From my corrections consultant - I was in 1-section, 7-Building, trying to get the picket boss to open the door to let me out. He was standing at the console looking out to the Sergeant's Desk. At least, I thought he was looking. As it turned out, he was asleep on his feet in the middle of the day. Alseep with his bag of snacks from the commissary open before him. I pushed the intercom button, banged in the window, shined my flashlight at him, and shot my laser pointer at him. Nothing worked. It was so bad that inmates jumped up and down on the dayroom tables, trying to get his attention. Had I been one of those asshole bosses, they could have been jumping up and down on me, and the picket boss would have slept right through it. I thought I would have to push my body alarm, but he finally snapped out of it and opened the door.
06-14-2025 - 4:00 PM - The 20-meter Amateur (ham) Radio band was in and out today, and I didn't make any contacts. I could have worked plenty, but I was looking for Parks on the Air® stations, and those folks are using relatively low power and simple wire antennas. I don't use amplifiers. If I know I'm going to make the contact, where's the challenge? No challenge, no fun.
06-14-2025 - At 9:45 AM, the new "business" users of 151.940 MHz are on the air again. I still haven't figured out who they might be. Get a scanner radio and join in on the monitoring fun. You can live by Facebook alone!
06-14-2025 - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing - National Current Ops / Monitoring – June 13-14, 2025
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• No new significant incidents / operations
Hazard Monitoring:
• Severe Thunderstorms – Northern to Central Plains
• Heavy Rain/Flash Flooding – Central to Southern Plains, Mid-Atlantic
• Tropical Activity
Eastern Pacific:
• Tropical Storm Dalila
• Disturbance 1: Medium (40%)
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• Request: Major Disaster Declaration – MD
• One amendment issued
Event Monitoring:
• U.S. Army’s 250th Birthday Parade – Washington, DC
FEMA NWC is at Enhanced Watch, & N-IMAT HS is deployed to Washington D.C.
06-14-2025 - From the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission - Johnson Health Tech Trading Recalls BowFlex Adjustable Dumbbells Due to Impact Hazard, Including 3.7 Million Sold by Nautilus Inc. The weight plates can dislodge from the handle during use, posing an impact hazard.
06-14-2025 - The "site" consisted of 12 earth-covered bunkers and several associated buildings hidden away in a forested area in Germany. Military Police controlled access. Infantry troops manned the four short gun towers, one at each corner of the site, between double fences. Inside the Maintenance and Assembly building, a nuclear missile warhead was out of its storage container. A warrant officer technician stood back, arms akimbo, and said, "Now, that's a bomb."
06-14-2025 - 5:40 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 99.9% Kemp: 100% Kickapoo: 100%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 99.9% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (99.95%) to determine drought stage.
06-14-2025 - 5:40 AM - ERCOT (Texas) snapshot of grid conditions - ERCOT reports that conditions are normal and there is enough power for current demand with an operating reserve of 10,497 Megawatts.
06-14-205 - 5:40 AM - NWS Forecast - Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 102. South wind 7 to 10 mph. Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. South southeast wind 8 to 10 mph.
06-14-2025 - Good Morning! It's Saturday, and the Montague County Simplex Net (HamRadio) will kick off at 9:00 AM o 147.500 MHz. Also, some local Amateur (ham) Radio operators usually meet at Cracker Barrel on Saturdays at 8:00 AM for coffee. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
BUY TWO-WAY RADIOS & SCANNERS!
06-13-2025 - From the U.S. Federal Communications Commission - The New York Office of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Enforcement Bureau is investigating a complaint about an unlicensed FM broadcast station operating on frequency 88.9 MHz. On January 14, 2025, agents from the New York Office confirmed by direction finding techniques that radio signals on frequency 88.9 MHz were emanating from the property at XXXXX, Spring Valley, New York 10977 (Property). Publicly available records identify XXXXXXXXXXXX as the owner of the Property. The FCC’s records show no license issued for operation of a radio broadcast station on 88.9 MHz at this location. The FCC Enforcement Bureau issued a Notice of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting (NIPRB) per its authority from the PIRATE Act. (Identifying information removed by Wichita Falls Pundit)
06-13-2025 - From the U.S. Federal Communications Commission - The New York Office of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Enforcement Bureau is investigating a complaint about an unlicensed FM broadcast station operating on frequency 90.9 MHz. On January 14, 2025 and January 31, 2025, agents from the New York Office confirmed by direction finding techniques that radio signals on frequency 90.9 MHz were emanating from the property at XXXXXXXXXX, Irvington, New Jersey. Publicly available records identify XXXXXXXXXXX as the owner of the Property. The FCC's records show no license issued for operation of a radio broadcast station on 90.9 MHz at this location. The FCC Enforcement Bureau issued a Notice of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting (NIPRB) per its authority from the PIRATE Act. (Identifying information removed by Wichita Falls Pundit)
06-13-2025 - From my law enforcement consultant - It was "back in the day" when the rear doors on WFPD patrol cars did not lock. Of course, there was no handle on the inside, but anyone could open those doors from the outside. It was not unheard of for the friend of an arrested person to open the door when the police were not looking. What was uncommon was this: Several officers were on break at the Pioneer #3 restaurant. Another officer, dropped off at the restaurant, climbed into the back seat of one of the patrol cars and hid below the cage barrier. When the officer/driver returned to that vehicle, the hiding officer activated a tape recorder. Remember those? In the resulting recording, played in briefing the next day, the driver starts the car and makes his way while humming a tune north on I-44. The hiding officer then sprang upright, screamed, and banged the cage. The driver screamed several choice words, as might be expected. What was unexpected was the unique sound (a rapid and loud CLACK, CLACK, CLACK, CLACK, CLACK) of an automatic transmission being thrown into "Park" at highway speed. It was some time before the hiding officer was released from the back seat. Unknown if the transmission was damaged.
06-13-2025 - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing - National Current Ops / Monitoring – June 12-13, 2025
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• No new significant incidents / operations
Hazard Monitoring:
• Heavy Rain/Flash Flooding - Northern/Southern Plains, Upper/Lower Mississippi Valley
• Severe Thunderstorms – Northern/Central Plains
• Critical Fire Weather – Nevada
• Tropical Activity
Eastern Pacific:
• Potential Tropical Cyclone Four-E: High (90%)
• Disturbance 1: Low (30%)
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• No new declaration activity
Event Monitoring:
• U.S. Army’s 250th Birthday Parade– Washington, DC
06-13-2025 - Do you remember when cable TV first came to Wichita Falls? Citizens had to vote on the issue. Both the "For" and "Against" cable TV people were allowed to use the only two theater screens in Sikes Senter Mall to sway voters. I watched at least parts of both presentations. I don't remember what was showing on the "For" screen. All I remember is that on the "Against" screen, they were showing the terrible, sinful things cable would bring to the city, like Richard Pryor and others. They showed a Richard Pryor stand-up routine, and I was sold! What were the "Against" people thinking? On a similar note, it was around 1969 or 1970, and the Wichita Theater on Indiana Ave. was showing a movie that the City must have thought would put cooties on you. I say this because a cop was out in front checking IDs.
06-13-2025 - Customer Service: How to tell an owner from an employee - At one time, our bus station was in a metal building on 14th Street between Holliday and Broad Streets. I was there to see someone off when the employee (not the manager) had an announcement to make. Instead of the more professional "May I have your attention," we heard the Wichita Falls version, "Listen Up!" The guy acted like it was a privilege for us mere mortals to be there. On a similar note, I was in a local pawn shop looking for something when I noticed an employee talking to customers like it was a privilege for them to be in the store. This person had to be an employee because a business owner wouldn't treat customers that way. Years ago, at a local "drug store/pharmacy," I was looking for "Star Wars M&Ms that were supposed to be coming out. I asked a young female employee about it and was told, "I don't work for M&M, so I don't know. I responded, "The company's name is Mars, and thank you very much. Remember when Payless Cashways was at Seymour Hwy and McNiel? There, I was looking at a lawn mower. I told an employee, a young man, that I wanted a particular feature. He told me that he would look through the units on display but wouldn't go back to the storage area to look. Really?
06-13-2025 - Pro Tip: If you work in a place where violence can happen, and that violence does happen, don't scream into your radio. A garbled, distorted radio transmission might not bring the help you need. I'll leave it at that. Tune in to local action on your scanner radio.
06-13-2025 - From my law enforcement consultant - At the WFPD, back in the day, the old radio system did not identify the transmitting officer. Therefore, funny noises on the radio were not uncommon. A few officers would turn on their portable radio, key the car radio, place the car radio microphone near the portable radio, move it back and forth, and cause a wavering feedback squeal. After one event, a dispatcher yelled, "Stop it! Y'all are coming in my ear!"
06-13-2025 - In a story reported everywhere, 241 of the 242 people on board Air India Flight 171 perished when the plane crashed on Thursday. One passenger survived. Amazing. On a different note, I've always wondered if anyone tossed their crumpled driver* license or other photo ID into the debris of the World Trade Center and disappeared. *I use the Texas term of Driver License. We don't have a Driver's or Drivers License in Texas. Texans, look at your DL for confirmation.