An unexpected flood of memories recently reminded me of one of the most formative experiences of my adolescence. I pulled a scrapbook and photos out of a storage closet after realizing it’s been 20 years since I attended Presidential Classroom in Washington, D.C. Flipping through my workbook, hand-written notes, and photographs provided a rush of…
Category: Politics and Government
Tyler Sister Cities Organization fundraising second round of humanitarian relief for Ukrainian refugees
The Tyler Sister Cities Organization is raising funds to send more humanitarian relief to thousands of Ukrainian refugees in its sister city of Jelenia Góra, Poland. Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, millions of refugees have fled across the border into Poland. Tyler’s longtime sister city of Jelenia Góra, located…
Tyler Fire Chief sends customized ‘Ben Franklin’ style fire helmet to Polish counterpart
An early Christmas gift just arrived at the main fire station in Tyler’s sister city in Poland. The commander of the fire brigade in Jelenia Góra recently unboxed a customized American-style fire helmet, a symbol of gratitude from Tyler Fire Chief David Coble. In late September, Coble was part of a small group of representatives…
Small rose garden in Poland promotes Tyler as ‘Rose Capital of America’
Tyler’s Municipal Rose Garden, the largest in America, is making its mark in a city more than five thousand miles from Texas. Tyler’s sister city in southwest Poland has established a small flower garden in a city park as a symbol of cooperation between international partner cities. The modest rose bed in Jelenia Góra is…
WATCH: Future American President visits Tyler’s Polish sister city in 1800
Jelenia Góra, Poland is quite proud of a future American President’s visit in the year 1800. Click here to watch.
Professors from Poland, Tyler Junior College share perspectives through international exchange
Faculty and students at Tyler Junior College are gaining a broader perspective on the world through an ongoing exchange partnership with Karkonosze University of Applied Science in Poland. Located in Tyler’s sister city of Jelenia Góra, in southwest Poland, the public college of about 1,000 students offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the fields of…
Namesake of Tyler’s first hospital, current chaplain share common connection to Poland
The namesake of Tyler’s CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Hospital and a chaplain currently serving patients there share an interesting connection. Polish-born Mother Frances Siedliska founded the order of religious known as the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1875. Years later in the 1930s, 16 sisters came to Tyler from Chicago to operate…
Tyler Sister Cities delegation incorporates barbecue, dancing into citizen diplomacy in Poland
While Polish and English may sound vastly different, the Tyler Sister Cities delegation is quickly learning they speak the same language as their counterparts in Jelenia Góra: barbecue. On the fourth day of a mission to Tyler’s sister city in Poland, the East Texas team took a break from meetings over educational and cultural exchange…
Tyler’s sister city cuts ties with Russian partner, signs agreements with Ukrainian cities
As Russia marks the annexation of territories in eastern Ukraine on Friday, Tyler’s sister city in Poland is making a bold statement about the war. Jelenia Góra held an official signing ceremony in a historic theater to mark new partnerships with two cities in Ukraine. Earlier in the year, Jelenia Góra severed its sister city…
WATCH: Day 3 of East Texas delegation’s visit to Polish sister city
Lane walks through a promenade in Jelenia Góra to share observations and a surprise street performance.
East Texas missionaries providing housing, relief to Ukrainian refugees in Poland
A team of 25 missionaries from the East Texas-based Youth With A Mission, or YWAM, are on a two-month trip to Poland, providing outreach and immediate aid to Ukrainian refugees who have fled violence in their home country. Josh and Meg McClung are leading an outreach team through MercyWorks, a YWAM ministry. This is the…
East Texas delegation visits Ukrainian refugee center in Poland
Members of a delegation from the City of Tyler and the Tyler Sister Cities organization visited a Ukrainian refugee resource center set up in Tyler’s sister city of Jelenia Góra, Poland on Wednesday. Much of the food and supplies handed out here were purchased with private donations from East Texas effort that collected more than…
Tyler Fire Chief tours modern station in Polish sister city, proposes firefighter exchange
On Wednesday, Tyler Fire Chief David Coble toured a recently-constructed fire station in Tyler’s sister city of Jelenia Góra, Poland. Coble is traveling with a group of representatives from East Texas to deepen the partnership between the two communities. His Polish counterpart led the delegation on a tour of Jelenia Góra’s main fire station, an…
East Texas student art project presented to Ukrainian refugee children in Poland
A message of hope from East Texas has made its way into the hands of children forced to flee the conflict in Ukraine. On Wednesday, a delegation from the City of Tyler and the Tyler Sister Cities Organization presented the artwork of East Texas schoolchildren to a refugee resource center in Jelenia Góra, Poland. It…
Poland relationship among oldest, most active of Tyler’s sister city partnerships
The City of Tyler’s partnership with Jelenia Góra in southwestern Poland is among the most active of its five current international sister city relationships. As one of the oldest cities in Poland, Jelenia Góra’s 900-year history includes nearly three decades of collaborations with East Texas. Jelenia Góra, Poland ‘Twinning’ ceremonies to formalize the sister city…
Tyler partnering with Polish sister city to offer assistance to Ukrainian refugees
The Polish sister city of Tyler, Texas has become a receiving point for hundreds of Ukrainian citizens fleeing their home country after the invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Jelenia Góra, a city of more than 78 thousand residents in southwestern Poland, has mobilized its municipal government to provide humanitarian services in response to…
Race Day: Marathon, historic election generate buzz in Germany’s capital city
Two big races are drawing crowds of people to Germany’s capitol city Sunday — the annual BMW Berlin Marathon and a historic parliamentary election that will decide who succeeds Angela Merkel as chancellor. More than 25 thousand runners and other athletes from all over the world are weaving through the city, with spectators and supporters…
WATCH: Final day of campaigning in Germany’s parliamentary elections
Lane Luckie has a look at the final day of campaigning ahead of German’s federal parliament elections on Sunday.
East Texas state rep. recalls watching Ronald Reagan deliver ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall’ speech in Berlin
Six decades have now passed since the Berlin Wall first went up, not only dividing a nation, but also becoming a globally-recognized symbol of government oppression. On August 13, 1961, the government of East Germany began construction on a barrier surrounding the Allied-controlled West Berlin to stem mass migration from the Soviet-controlled East. In 1987,…
Lingering East-West division in Germany highlighted by economic issues
This August marked 60 years since the Berlin Wall first went up, creating a physical barrier between East and West Germany. Despite the wall coming down nearly three decades later, a lagging economy in parts of the former East are creating new divisions. Wages, unemployment, and GDP are lower in the former communist East Germany,…
America’s military presence in Germany remains fresh issue for both countries
As Germany votes this Sunday in a historic election to usher-in a new chancellor for the first time in 16 years, recent polling shows eligible voters are most concerned with campaign issues like the environment and the COVID-19 pandemic. The outcome of the vote will likely have a significant impact on Transatlantic relations, as Germany’s…
Talking Politics: Analyzing Texas election outcomes with international journalists
With a historic voter turnout in Texas during an unprecedented pandemic, the 2020 general election will likely be studied for years. President Donald Trump garnered roughly 600 thousand more votes in the Lone Star State than Democratic challenger Joe Biden, upending pundits’ predictions that Texas would turn “blue.” Democrats did make in-roads, expanding their reach…
Election 2020: The Morning After
What an awesome opportunity, the morning after the election, talking to students about the role of journalism in democracy. Journalism teacher Josh Ault, a former KXAS-TV (NBC 5) reporter and fellow Northwestern State University alum, invited me to lead a virtual Q&A with his class at Southlake ISD’s Dawson Middle School. There’s a reason why…
Greta Van Susteren discusses first presidential debate of 2020
Greta weighs in on the first presidential debate of 2020, which was certainly unlike any other.
German lawmaker calls lockdowns, communication ’secrets to success’ in pandemic response
As Texas enters the next phase of re-opening its economy, a German lawmaker is sharing insight into his country’s strategy for emerging from lockdown, while managing the spread of COVID-19.
Fmr. Ambassador reflects on George HW Bush’s role in German reunification
As the world marks 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, a former diplomat is reflecting on his tenure as the first U.S. ambassador to Germany following reunification. Robert M. Kimmitt held the post from 1991 to 1993, though his ties to Europe predate his birth. Like 20 percent of Americans, Kimmitt traces…
Economists at Chinese think-tank predict American consumers to feel trade war effects by year’s end
The U.S. trade deficit with China is up for a second straight month and one group of Chinese economists predicts the ongoing trade friction between the two countries will continue to intensify. Citing the numerous U.S. businesses that manufacture products in China, economists at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges proposed this week that…
Tyler closer to formalizing sister city relationship in China
A city in southwest China is closer to being named the sixth official sister city of Tyler. The Tyler Sister Cities program is exploring a new partnership with Qujing, a city of more than six million residents located in southwestern China, located about 700 miles west of Hong Kong. Earlier this year, the Tyler City…
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: 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.
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…
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: 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: Berlin crowd protests right-wing AfD party after 2017 parliamentary election
Click the video below to watch Lane’s report from Alexanderplatz.
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.
Lane Luckie 