Wichita Falls Pundit
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09-04-2025 - 5:40 AM - Current National Short Range Weather Forecast
09-04-2025 - 5:45 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 92.2% Kemp: 100% Kickapoo: 95.2%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 96.1% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (93.7%) to determine drought stage.
09-04-2025 - 5:55 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 12,797 Megawatts.
09-04-2025 - 7:00 AM - The CB Radio band is open with stations heard on the usual DX channels. Local chatter can also be heard on Channels 1 and 19. Let's see what the day brings.
09-04-2025 - 7:30 AM - Many years ago, a ham radio broadcast featured an actual family disturbance. Yes! A local man and woman, both licensed "hams", were arguing on one of the local Amateur (ham) Radio repeaters. It was something you'd expect to be conducted over the phone, not over the public airwaves. When the repeater owner thought he'd heard enough, he jumped in and threatened to turn the machine off if the squabble didn't stop.
09-04-2025 - 8:00 AM - FEMA Daily Operations Briefing - National Current Ops / Monitoring – September 3-4, 2025
New Significant Incidents / Ongoing Ops:
• No new significant incidents / operations
Hazard Monitoring:
• Heavy Rain / Flash Flooding – Southwest
• Tropical Activity:
Atlantic:
• Disturbance 1: High (80%)
Eastern and Central Pacific:
• Hurricane Lorena (CAT 1)
• Hurricane Kiko (CAT 4)
Disaster Declaration Activity:
• Request: Major Disaster Declaration – AK
Event Monitoring:
• No new significant events
09-04-2025 8:34 AM - I contacted a station in Lake Griffin State Park (US-1889) in Florida on 20 meters (14 MHz) CW (Morse code) in the Amateur (ham) Radio Parks on the Air® program. POTA hunter count: 561.
09-04-2025 - 9:20 AM - In 2001, agents with the Federal Communications Commission visited an address on the north side of town where they had tracked a station causing interference on the Amateur (ham) Radio 40-meter band. There, the occupant of the house admitted to making one-way broadcasts that interfered with the operations of other Amateur Radio operators. This person also admitted to having no Amateur (ham) Radio license. He was fined $10,000.
09-04-2025 - 9:30 AM - In the 1960s, the Wichita Falls bus station was on the southwest corner of 7th and Lamar. It then relocated to what is now the Juvenile Justice Center, located at 6th and Lamar. Then it moved to a former service station at 5th & Van Buren. From there, it moved to a metal building on 14th Street between Holliday and Broad Streets. From there, it moved to the Jolly Truck Stop in Clay County. For a long period of time, you could not get to or leave Wichita Falls by bus. It was, at least for me, quite embarrassing. I'm not sure how or why the City let us get into that situation. After the move to Jolly, a sign was placed on the door of the 14th Street location with the address to the Jolly location, but instead of Jolly or Clay County, the sign showed the address to be in Wichita Falls. This is technically correct since the Wichita Falls Post Office apparently services that location. But it's still in Clay County. This is similar to the Allred Unit (prison), which has an Iowa Park address but is physically located in Wichita Falls. No one wanted to admit that we didn't have a bus station. From Jolly, the buses moved to the new station in the 300 Block of Scott Ave.
09-04-2025 - 9:40 AM - In the 70s, it was the Toddle House Sandwich Shop. In the 80s, it was the Steak & Egg Restaurant. Some called it the Steak & Leg because "ladies of the evening" would take breaks there. Across the street, where the bus station is now located, was the Imperial 400 motel. If the Steak & Egg was the break room, the Imperial 400 was the office.
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09-04-2025 - 12:15 PM - From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Economics Daily - Unemployment rates up in 32 large metro areas, down in 21, over year ended July 2025 - September 04, 2025 - Of the 56 metropolitan areas with a 2020 Census population of 1 million or more, 32 large areas had unemployment rate increases from July 2024 to July 2025, 21 had decreases, and 3 had no change. The largest rate increase occurred in Cleveland, Ohio (+0.8 percentage point). The largest rate decline occurred in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois-Indiana (-1.0 percentage point). In July 2025, Urban Honolulu, Hawaii, had the lowest unemployment rate among the 56 large areas at 2.5 percent. Fresno, California, had the highest rate at 8.6 percent. These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are not seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary.
09-04-2025 - 12:45 PM - From the U.S. Federal Communications Commission - Federal Communications Commission FCC 13-XXX - Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 - In the Matter of Appointment of the Defense Commissioner - ORDER - Adopted: July 21, 2025 - Released: September 3, 2025 - By the Commission: 1. Pursuant to section 0.181 of the Federal Communications Commission’s (Commission) Rules, 47 C.F.R. § 0.181. we hereby appoint Chairman Brendan Carr to be Defense Commissioner. The Defense Commissioner “directs the homeland security, national security and emergency preparedness, and defense activities of the Commission.” The duties and responsibilities of the Defense Commissioner include, inter alia: (1) representing the Commission in interagency matters pertaining to public safety, homeland security, national security, emergency preparedness, disaster management, and defense and related matters, including matters pertaining to continuity of the essential functions of the Commission under emergency conditions; (2) serving as the principal point of contact for the Commission on all matters pertaining to the Department of Homeland Security; (3) developing emergency programs covering service provision by wireless and wireline telecommunications carriers and broadcast, cable, and satellite facilities, as well as radio frequency assignment, investigation, and enforcement; and (4) assuming the duties of the Commission under certain emergencies. Id. 2. This Order is procedural in nature and pertains to internal organization and delegations of authority, and hence is not subject to the prior notice and effective date provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. See 5 U.S.C. § 553(b), (d). 3. ACCORDINGLY, IT IS ORDERED, that pursuant to sections 1, 4(i), 5(c), 303(r) and 706 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. §§ 151, 154(i), 155(c), 303(r), and 606, and section 0.181 of the Commission’s rules, 47 C.F.R. § 0.181, Chairman Brendan Carr is appointed Defense Commissioner EFFECTIVE on adoption of this Order.
09-04-2025 - 1:15 PM - An oversized load is making its way through town, with communication taking place on CB Radio Channel 24. Tune in!
09-04-2025 - 3:05 PM - The year was 1971. The station was KNTO, 103.3 FM. After a long day of easy-listening music, Nightcap, hosted by Doug Allen, would erupt at 7 PM with three hours of good old hard rock. The station was in a mobile home at the bottom of the radio tower on Onaway Trail. A friend and I visited the studio one night while the Nightcap program was on the air. The front door was unlocked, so we just walked in, and there was Doug Allen at the mic. He didn't mind the visit and told us his real name was Doug Bennett. On a later visit, we brought him donuts. Those were the days. Ownership canceled the "hard rock" format that year.
09-04-2025 - 3:15 PM - Purchase a scanner radio. If all you listen to is our local school bus operation on 152.360 MHz, you'll get your money's worth!
3:20 PM - Another oversized load is passing through town, with communications being handled on CB Radio Channel 20. Tune in!
9-03-2025 - 7:00 AM - Good Morning! It's Wednesday, and the most work I have on the scehdule is a trip to Natural Grocers. Wichita Falls used to have more Amateur (ham) Radio repeaters on the air than active repeater users. Years ago, two relatively new ham radio operators were conversing on a local repeater. I knew they could have easily worked each other direct, or simplex, due to their proximity and outside antennas. In other words, without the help of a repeater. What were they talking about? Putting up another repeater! The number of repeaters has decreased over the last several decades. That's a good thing. Of course, that's just my opinion. My Folgers Black Silk coffee is ready.
09-03-2025 - 7:10 AM - Wichita Falls NWS Forecast - Today: Sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 5 mph. Tonight: tMostly clear, with a low around 68. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the evening.
09-03-2025 - 7:15 AM- Current National Short Range Weather Forecast
09-03-2025 - 7:20 AM - According to Water Data for Texas, Wichita Falls reservoirs are: Arrowhead: 92.2% Kemp: 100% Kickapoo: 95.2%. Monitored Water Supply Reservoirs are 96.1% full. The City of Wichita Falls uses combined levels of Arrowhead and Kickapoo (93.7%) to determine drought stage.