Wichita Falls Pundit
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08-27-2025 - 6:00 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 8,750 Megawatts.
08-27-2025 - 6:55 AM - The "movie" page in a 1949 issue of the Wichita Falls Times shows a Skyway Drive-In located at the Archer City cutoff. The Azteca Theater at 408 Flood Street, The Falls Drive-In, "just off Iowa Park Road on Sheppard Access Road". (Became the Twin Falls Drive-In.) The Open Air Theater on Iowa Park Road. (Was this an earlier name for the Twin Sheppard Drive-In in the 4000 Block of Old Iowa Park Road?) The Scottic Drive-In on the Henrietta Hwy near the Chicken Shack. The Lisa Theater at 1523 Monroe. The Gem and Texan theaters, locations not given. And our more recent editions, the Wichita, Strand, and Tower Theaters. Also mentioned was Playland Park at 27th & Jacksboro Hwy and the Dancehaven Club at 401 N. Scott.
08-27-2025 - 7:05 AM - The 281 Project. That's what I was going to call it. I was going to start at the southern end of U.S. 281 - at the bottom of Texas - and drive to the north end - at the North Dakota / Canadian border. I was going to see how many 2-meter FM contacts I could make on the route. Insanity? Maybe. I don't think this project will happen. It would have been a 3,750-mile round trip.
08-27-2025 - 8:00 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing - National Current Ops / Monitoring – August 26-27, 2025
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• No significant incidents/ops
Hazard Monitoring:
• Heavy Rain/Flash Flooding – Northern Intermountain to the Central Plains
• Critical Fire Weather – Pacific Northwest
• Tropical Activity:
Atlantic:
• Tropical Storm Fernand
Eastern and Central Pacific:
• Tropical Storm Juliette
• Disturbance 1: Low (30%)
• Disturbance 2: Med (50%)
• Disturbance 3: Low (30%)
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• FMAG Approval: Windy Rock Fire – MT
• 12 amendments issued
Event Monitoring:
• No significant events
08-27-2025 - 8:30 AM - The CB Radio is very much alive this morning. I hear a lot of people having fun across the band. The haters only wish they were having as much fun as these CBers. I know a few Amateur Extra hams out there who are having fun shooting skip on CB Channel 38. Haters are going to hate.
08-27-2025 - 10:25 AM - From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Economics Daily - Unemployment rate for youth ages 16 to 24 was 10.8 percent in July 2025 - Typically, the unemployment rate for young people increases with the onset of summer, as people who were not in the labor force while attending school begin seeking employment. The unemployment rate in July 2025 for those ages 16 to 24, at 10.8 percent, was higher than the prior summer (9.8 percent in July 2024). The unemployment rate for young women in July 2025 was little changed over the year, at 10.5 percent. The unemployment rates for Black (14.3 percent), Asian (13.3 percent), and Hispanic (12.6 percent) youth were also little changed over the year. These data are from the Current Population Survey and are not seasonally adjusted.
08-27-2025 - 3:45 PM - Today, I've been working on mounting several radios, an antenna tuner, a battery, and related components, for use in upcoming operations in local City parks and other locations. Stay tuned for more info.
08-27-2025 - 4:00 PM - According to a story on Texoma's Home Page (KFDX), a woman has been charged with embezzlement after it was discovered that she made 489 unauthorized transactions, totaling over $200,000, on the bank account of a business on Indiana Avenue. The charge of embezzlement suggests that the suspect was likely an employee or had another direct fiduciary responsibility at the business at the time of the offense.
08-27-2025 - 6:20 PM - The Local Group is active on CB Radio Channel 23. These guys have been meeting here for years.
08-26-2025 - 6:30 AM - Good Morning! It's Tuesday, and the Clay County Amateur Radio Club conducts a weekly Skywarn® practice net on Tuesdays at 8:00 PM on the 146.800 MHz repeater. Tune in with your scanner radio! We had a slight chance of rain this morning, but the radar seems to indicate that the rain is north of us. I might have to water my lawn. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
08-26-2025 - 6:40 AM - Today: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 7am and 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. East northeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 67. East northeast wind 7 to 11 mph.
08-26-2025 - 6:45 AM - Current National Short Range Weather Forecast
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08-26-2025 - 6:50 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 92.1% Kemp: 100% Kickapoo: 95.7%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 96.1% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (93.9%) to determine drought stage.
08-26-2025 - 6:55 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 8,589 Megawatts.
08-26-2025 - 7:05 AM - CB Radio channels 19 and 1 have been active locally this morning. The only people busier are the Allred Unit on 153.815 MHz and the school bus drivers on 152.360 MHz. The City bus drivers are active on 453.5375 MHz, just not as busy.
08-26-2025 - 7:55 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing - National Current Ops / Monitoring for Aug 25-26, 2025
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• No new significant incidents / operations
Hazard Monitoring:
• Excessive Rainfall – Central Great Basin, Northern Intermountain, Southwest, Central/Southern Rockies, Southern Plains, and California
• Excessive Heat / Fire Weather – Pacific Northwest to Northern Intermountain
• Tropical Activity
o Atlantic:
• Tropical Storm Fernand
o Eastern Pacific:
• Tropical Storm Juliette
• Disturbance 1: Med (40%)
• Disturbance 2: Low (30%)
• Disturbance 3: Low (20%)
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• Request: Major Disaster Declaration – VT
Event Monitoring:
• No significant events
08-26-2025 - 9:10 AM - Have you ever driven through the 400 Block of Flood Street? It's barren today, but the 400 and 500 blocks were once home to a theater, a hotel, a doctor's office, a dentist's office, a barber shop, a grocery store, an apartment building, a service station, an adult beverage store, and nightclubs. A few blocks away - in the 200 Block of 7th Street - was the home of the Skip Shooters QSL CB Radio Club.
08-26-2025 - 11:00 AM - From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Economics Daily - From July 2024 to July 2025, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 19 states and was essentially unchanged in 31 states and the District of Columbia. The largest job gains occurred in Texas (+232,500), New York (+153,400), and Florida (+134,100). The largest percentage increases occurred in South Carolina (+3.4 percent), New Mexico (+2.7 percent), and Hawaii (+2.1 percent).
08-26-2025 - 11:10 AM - From the U.S. Federal Trade Commission - The Federal Trade Commission is sending more than $6.7 million to consumers impacted by a gig work company’s deceptive claims about the potential money workers could make on its platform. In its July 2024 complaint, the FTC alleged that Arise Virtual Solutions regularly targeted people looking for opportunities to support their families by working from home, including stay-at-home mothers, with misleading promises about the earnings they could make on its platform. Arise used deceptive advertisements that said consumers who signed up on its platform would have access to jobs that paid “up to $18/hour” doing remote customer service work for major companies, according to the complaint. The FTC said that the company violated the FTC Act and the Business Opportunity Rule, including the requirement to truthfully disclose the basis for earnings claims to consumers.
08-26-2025 - 1:55 PM - An oversized load is passing through town with operations being conducted on CB Radio Channel 34. They sound very professional. I caught this because I had the radio on 40-channel scan.