News Radio Stories

(BAYPORT 1)

 PORT OF HOUSTON AUTHORITY COMMISSIONERS WILL SOON BEGIN ADVERTISING FOR BIDS FOR CONSTRUCTION AT THE PLANNED BAYPORT CONTAINER AND CRUISE TERMINAL. CHAIRMAN JIM EDMONDS SAYS CONSTRUCTION WON'T START JUST YET, BECAUSE THEY'RE WAITING TO GET A PERMIT FROM THE ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS...
==SOUNDBITE==
EDMONDS SAYS HE HOPES THEY'LL BE GIVEN A PERMIT BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

(BAYPORT 2)

 CONSTRUCTION AT THE PLANNED BAYPORT CONTAINER AND CRUISE TERMINAL WON'T BEGIN UNTIL THE U-S ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS APPROVES THE PROJECT, BUT PORT OF HOUSTON AUTHORITY COMMISSIONERS ARE TAKING THE FIRST STEP ANYWAY...
==SOUNDBITE==
CHAIRMAN JIM EDMONDS SAYS THE BIDDING AND CONTRACTING PROCESS CAN TAKE EIGHT MONTHS. HE SAYS BEGINNING THE PROCESS NOW WILL SAVE TIME AND MONEY.

(CRISIS RESPONSE 1)

 IS THE HOUSTON MEDIA PREPARED FOR ANOTHER CRISIS? SOME OF THE TYPICAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES USED DURING TROPICAL STORM ALLISON AND THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH BROKE DOWN. AREA MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS PROFESSIONALS DISCUSS THIS CHALLENGE TODAY...
==SOUNDBITE==
NANCY BURCH, WHO HELPED PLAN TODAY'S SEMINAR, SAYS MANY COMPUTERS AND CELL PHONES DIDN'T WORK DURING TROPICAL STORM ALLISON.

(CRISIS RESPONSE 2)

 TROPICAL STORM ALLISON AND SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH CHANGED THE WAY THE MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS PROFESSIONALS COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR AUDIENCES. LOCAL PROFESSIONALS MEET TODAY TO TALK ABOUT ALTERNATIVE CRISIS COMMUNICATION.
==SOUNDBITE==
NANCY BURCH, WHO HELPED PLAN TODAY'S SEMINAR, SAYS MANY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE CRISIS PLANS, BUT MANY ARE LULLED INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY WHEN YEARS GO BY AND NOTHING HAPPENS.

(STEM CELLS 1)

 RESEARCHERS AT M-D ANDERSON CANCER CENTER IN HOUSTON HAVE SHOWN ADULT STEM CELLS IN BLOOD CAN GENERATE ORGAN TISSUE.
==SOUNDBITE==
M-D ANDERSON DOCTOR ZEEV (ZEV) ESTROV SAYS THEORETICALLY, BLOOD STEM CELLS CAN BE USED TO REPAIR DAMAGED TISSUES.

(STEM CELLS 2)

 HOUSTON RESEARCHERS REVEAL THAT STEM CELLS IN ADULT'S BLOOD CAN GENERATE LIVER, STOMACH, AND SKIN CELLS. M-D ANDERSON CANCER CENTER'S DOCTOR ZEEV (ZEV) ESTROV SAYS THIS MAY AFFECT THE TREATMENT OF MANY DISEASES...
==SOUNDBITE==
ESTROV SAYS THE NEXT STEP IS TO LEARN WHAT TRIGGERS THE BLOOD STEM CELLS TO BECOME VARIOUS ORGAN CELLS.

(CHILD SAFETY 1)

 ==SOUNDBITE==
ACTRESS JAMIE LEE CURTIS IS AT A FORD DEALERSHIP IN HOUSTON, SPOTLIGHTING THE ISSUE OF MISSING CHILDREN.
==SOUNDBITE==
HOUSTON-AREA BLUE OVAL CERTIFIED FORD DEALERSHIPS ARE OFFERING CHILD SAFETY I-D KITS MAY EIGHTH THROUGH MAY 19TH.

(CHILD SAFETY 2)

 STATISTICS INDICATE MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF PARENTS DON'T KNOW THEIR CHILD'S EXACT HEIGHT, WEIGHT AND EYE COLOR- INFORMATION POLICE NEED IF A CHILD IS REPORTED MISSING. ACTRESS JAMIE LEE CURTIS IS AT A HOUSTON FORD DEALERSHIP, WHERE FREE CHILD SAFETY I-D KITS ARE ON-HAND FOR PARENTS TO PICK UP.
==SOUNDBITE==
THE I-D KITS INCLUDE A PHOTO AND SET OF FINGERPRINTS.

(GREEN LECTURE)

 "EXPORTING FREEDOM" IS THE TOPIC OF TONIGHT'S GREEN LECTURE. HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP TOM DELAY OF SUGAR LAND WILL DELIVER THE FOREIGN POLICY ADDRESS...
==SOUNDBITE==
THE GREEN LECTURE WAS THE VENUE FOR WINSTON CHURCHILL'S FAMOUS "IRON CURTAIN" SPEECH IN 1946. THE SPEECH STARTS AT SIX TONIGHT AT WESTMINSTER COLLEGE IN FULTON, MISSOURI.

(DRUNK DRIVING)

 WITH SPRING BREAK JUST AROUND THE CORNER, HARRIS COUNTY IS HOPING A LITTLE "DRUNK DRIVING SHOW AND TELL" WILL LEAVE A LASTING IMPRESSION ON AREA COLLEGE STUDENTS. VOLUNTEERS ARE GIVEN A FEW DRINKS, AND THEN THEY TRY TO PASS FIELD SOBRIETY TESTS...
==SOUNDBITE==
OFFICER MARK FERRELL WAS ON HAND AS STUDENTS WALKED BY A COUPLE OF SMASHED UP CARS INVOLVED IN AN ALCOHOL-RELATED ACCIDENT...
==SOUNDBITE==
FERRELL SAYS MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE HOW LITTLE ALCOHOL IT TAKES TO IMPAIR THEIR DRIVING ABILITIES.

(ENRON SIGN)

 A CRANE LIFTS ASTRO'S ENGINEERS SEVENTY FEET AS THEY REMOVE ONE OF THE FOUR LARGEST REMAINING ENRON FIELD SIGNS. HOUSTON ASTRO'S TODD FEDEWA (FE-DEW-A) SAYS THE ENRON FIELD SIGNS WILL BE PUT IN STORAGE, JUST IN CASE.
==SOUNDBITE==
THE FIRST PART OF THE SIGN TO COME DOWN WAS THE ENRON FIELD LOGO, WHICH FEATURES A CROOKED "E".

(BEACH ECONOMY)

 STUDENTS ARE DONNING SWIMSUITS AND SUNGLASSES AND HEADING TO TEXAS BEACHES FOR SPRING BREAK. GALVESTON POLICE CAPTAIN EDWARD BENEVIDAS SAYS SO FAR, NO ROWDY SPRING BREAKERS...
==SOUNDBITE==
THE GALVESTON CONVENTION AND VISITOR'S BUREAU REPORTS AN INCREASE IN SPRING BREAKERS THIS YEAR OVER LAST, BUT SOUTH PADRE ISLAND EXPECTS A DECREASE. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT ROXANNE HARRIS SAYS CONSIDERING THE NATIONAL ECONOMY AND THE DAMAGE TO THE ISLAND'S ONLY BRIDGE LAST FALL, BUSINESS IS STILL GOOD.

(SHIRT ART)

 SEXUALLY ABUSED CHILDREN IN HOUSTON ARE USING MARKERS, PAINT AND STENCILS TO TELL THEIR STORIES ON T-SHIRTS. JULIA WOLF, DIRECTOR OF THERAPY SERVICES FOR THE CHILDREN'S ASSESSMENT CENTER, SAYS THE SHIRTS HAVE A TWO-FOLD PURPOSE...
==SOUNDBITE==
THE SHIRTS ARE DISPLAYED THROUGHOUT HOUSTON, FOR CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH.

(SHIRT ART 2)

 SEXUALLY ABUSED CHILDREN IN HOUSTON ARE PAINTING THEIR FEELINGS ON T-SHIRTS. JULIA WOLF, DIRECTOR OF THERAPY SERVICES FOR THE CHILDREN'S ASSESSMENT CENTER, DESCRIBES ONE OF THE SHIRTS...
==SOUNDBITE==
WOLF SAYS THE SHIRTS SHARE A THEME OF SADNESS.

(TWINKIE BIRTHDAY)

 THE TWINKIE TURNS 72 THIS WEEKEND. AND WHILE MOST OF US HAVE ENJOYED EATING THE CREAM-FILLED SNACKS, TWO STUDENTS AT A RICE UNIVERSITY ACTUALLY DID SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS ON THEM TO PUT OFF STUDYING FOR FINALS...
==SOUNDBITE==
HOSTESS' KARA KREHBIEL (CRAY-bil) SAYS THE STUDENTS ALSO TESTED THE TWINKIE'S FLAMMABILITY, SOLUBILITY AND MAXIMUM DENSITY.