Many broadcasters spend their careers moving from city to city, hopping among newsrooms until they find the perfect fit. Very few people can say they’ve worked in any industry for nearly 50 years, let alone spending 44 years in one company. Veteran journalist Joan Hallmark is celebrating an extraordinary tenure with the KLTV and KTRE…
Category: Lane’s Topics
These posts are general interest topics that I address.
A pioneer of spaceflight, Ellen Ochoa set to retire from NASA
After a 30-year career with NASA, Dr. Ellen Ochoa is retiring as director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston at the end of May. On Thursday, May 17, I had the great privilege of attending the retirement celebration for the administrator, engineer, and astronaut. Listening to former crew mates, NASA colleagues, and family friends…
WATCH: Time lapse of wheelchair ramp build in Tyler
Click here to watch a time lapse of a five-hour wheelchair ramp build crammed into 40 seconds.
WATCH: Spring blooms at Briarwood Nature Preserve
Click the here to view the wildflowers in bloom at Briarwood: Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve.
Legendary political consultant, journalist, professor heading into retirement
What a great privilege to spend an evening celebrating my former professor, Raymond Strother. The famed political consultant, author and journalist is retiring as the Erbon & Marie Wise Endowed Chair in Journalism at Northwestern State University. The university held a retirement reception for Strother on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at the NSU Alumni Center….
WATCH: China’s defunct Tiangong 1 space station hurtles toward uncontrolled reentry
China’s first orbiting outpost, the Tiangong 1 space station, is hurtling toward an uncontrolled re-entry in the Earth’s atmosphere. Lane Luckie appeared on KLTV’s streaming newscast, East Texas Now, to explain what will happen over the next few days.
WATCH: Wisconsin’s State Capitol, a monument on the isthmus
The Wisconsin State Capitol features the only granite dome in the United States. Click here to take a look around.
Shuttle Columbia commander’s widow shares journey of faith on 15th anniversary
This month marks 15 years since the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart over East Texas. The widow of the Columbia’s commander is sharing how that tragedy turned into a test of faith for her family. While enduring the loss of a spouse wasn’t easy, Evelyn Husband-Thompson says she has been able to find healing comfort…
WATCH: Spectacular time-lapse of Dallas, Texas flyover
Click here to watch a spectacular time-lapse of the city lights over Dallas, Texas.
WATCH: Wheels up: Tyler to Dallas, Texas
Click to watch a time lapse of the short flight between Tyler and Dallas, Texas.
WATCH: Scenic sunset on Christmas Eve
Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas Eve from the boardwalk in my picturesque hometown, Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Reporter’s Notes: Lessons learned in Germany
As I stepped off the platform onto my train to the Frankfurt Airport, my world seemed to transform into a slow motion flood of memories. After three weeks in Germany as a fellow with the RIAS Berlin Commission, this life experience had just become my standard by which all others will be measured. Gazing out…
WATCH: Natchitoches Christmas Festival fireworks display
Since 1927, Natchitoches, Louisiana has hosted one of the oldest community-based holiday celebrations in the country. Click here to watch fireworks from the 2017 Christmas Festival.
Why the Cologne Cathedral is Germany’s most-visited destination
The Cologne Cathedral, a symbol of Christianity’s influence through the ages, is the most-visited destination in Germany. Situated along the shores of the river Rhine, the church is also home to the shrine of the Magi, making it one of the most significant pilgrimage destinations for believers. After the remains of the Magi were transferred…
Honored with a 2017 Lone Star EMMY award
I’m so honored to have been recognized with a Regional EMMY from the Lone Star Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for Outstanding achievement in Morning/Daytime Newscast – Smaller Markets (61+). We have a tremendously talented and dedicated morning news team. Our viewers have come to trust KLTV for exceptional coverage…
Ministry reaches English-speaking pilgrims marking 500th anniversary of Protestant Reformation
As Christians around the world mark the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, an English-language ministry is reaching out to the thousands of visitors making a pilgrimage to Germany. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a German monk and professor of Bible studies at Leucorea University in Wittenberg, Germany, is said to…
Grateful for all my Alma Mater has given me
Northwestern State University’s annual Homecoming reunion is always one of my favorite times of year! It’s a great reminder of how special Natchitoches and NSU will always be for me. I was surprised, but so very honored to receive the ‘Outstanding Young Alumnus’ award from my Alma mater at halftime of the football game. Perhaps…
German journalist visits East Texas through RIAS exchange, spends week in KLTV newsroom
Only a week after returning from my fellowship in Europe, I had a unique chance to continue my trans-Atlantic learning exchange by hosting a German RIAS fellow in East Texas. Charlotte Potts, a presenter for ZDF and political correspondent for Deutsche Welle, is no stranger to the U.S., having lived in Washington, DC for seven…
WATCH: Day of German Unity 2017
Mainz, Germany was selected to host the national Tag der Deutschen Einheit (Day of German Unity) observance on October 3, 2017. Click here to watch.
Germans take to social media to create traditions for national holiday
Germans have reason to celebrate Tuesday as the country marks 27 years since East and West Germany were peacefully reunified, forming the Federal Republic of Germany. Though the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, the task of joining two countries didn’t go into effect until nearly a year later, with the adoption of the German…
WATCH: Inside Europe’s largest cathedral
With its iconic spires, the Cologne Cathedral has the largest façade of any church in the world. Click here to take a look inside.
Europe’s largest cathedral steps up security amid international terrorism threats
Amid a wave of terror attacks abroad, steps are being taken to protect visitors to Germany’s biggest tourist destination, the Cologne Cathedral. In August, police and the City of Cologne agreed to make closures near the historic church in response to the van attack in Barcelona, Spain, which killed 13 people. According to the Cathedral’s…
Pay to pray: Understanding Germany’s church tax
A so-called church tax in Germany may be behind a steady decline in the European nation’s church membership numbers. The Pew Research Center, a non-profit, non-partisan public opinion group based in Washington, DC, cites the tax as a factor behind an exodus of Germans officially leaving their religious communities. Germany is among several European countries…
WATCH: History and transparency converge in Germany’s Bundestag building
Built in 1894, Germany’s Reichstag building now features a glass dome symbolizing transparency in government. Click here to watch a tour.
WATCH: Touring Germany by high-speed train
Planes, trains, & automobiles — I did it all to travel across Germany. Click here for the spectacular view from the Deutsche Bahn ICE train!
WATCH: The Berlin Wall — a silent witness to history
A section of the Berlin Wall still stands to illustrate the division created for decades until 1989. Click here to watch.
Post-war American radio station in Berlin lives on in trans-Atlantic exchange program
Even though history has outlived the iconic German radio station RIAS, its legacy lives on in the form of a trans-Atlantic exchange program for journalists in the United States and Germany. The program is named for the radio station RIAS, or Radio In the American Sector, which was founded by the U.S. in 1946. After…
WATCH: Inside the world’s most ‘acoustically perfect’ building
Click the video below for a look around what’s considered the world’s most acoustically advanced building.
WATCH: Touring Hamburg, Germany’s harbor
Hamburg, Germany is the country’s 2nd largest city and the 3rd biggest port in Europe. Click here for a quick tour of the harbor.
WATCH: 2017 German federal election results & reaction
Lane Luckie reports from SPD party headquarters in Berlin, Germany after the Social Democrats’ historic loss in the 2017 Bundestag elections. Click the video below to watch.
WATCH: 2017 Berlin Marathon finish line
Click here to watch the final few feet of the 2017 Berlin Marathon.
WATCH: Brilliant nighttime view from the Berlin TV Tower
Built in 1969, the Berlin TV Tower gives brilliant 360-degree views of Germany’s capital city. Click here to see for yourself.
WATCH: German Bundesliga’s Hertha versus Leverkusen
Click here to see Hertha Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen face off in a Bundesliga match at Berlin’s historic Olympiastadion.
Bibiana Steinhaus debuts as first female referee in Germany’s premier soccer association
A 38-year-old former police officer has made history as the first woman to officiate a soccer match in any of Europe’s top soccer leagues. On Sunday, September 10, Bibiana Steinhaus oversaw the first Bundesliga match refereed by a female. According to a Bundesliga news release, she handed out a single yellow card in the 1-1 draw…
WATCH: Inside the European Commission
Click here for an inside look at the European Commission and NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
