Learning my Dad was okay after riding out Hurricane Laura in my hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana was an answered prayer. Cell service is nearly non-existing in some places right now, so he was able to turn on the mobile WiFi hotspot in his vehicle long enough to share why he’ll never do this again….
I was so very sad to hear of the passing of General Erbon Wise this week, just two days shy of his 100th birthday. I always looked forward to visiting with him every Fall in Natchitoches during our NSU Alumni Association/Foundation board luncheon. My college career was possible, in large part due to his generosity,…
Click here to see what’s on the menu at the fast-food chain’s concept store.
One of NASA’s next missions to study the origins of stars will feature a record-breaking telescope hoisted by a football stadium-sized balloon and the space agency is relying on an East Texas facility to make sure it gets off the ground. The Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral Resolution Observations at Submillimeter-wavelengths, or ASTHROS, is…
Perhaps you’ve heard of Prada Marfa on social media? Not far from the West Texas town made famous by its mysterious lights on the horizon, another landmark is drawing people to the remote desert community. Established in 2005, the single room structure is the vision of artists Elmgreen and Dragset. The art installation has become…
Click here to look around dune field with some dunes as tall as 50 feet!
Spectacular scenery and unmatched adventure await visitors to Big Bend Ranch State Park. The 300,000-plus-acre park in Presidio and Brewster counties is the largest in Texas. The West Texas desert landscape’s geological features and recreational opportunities draw outdoors enthusiasts from around the country. One of the easiest ways to take-in the vastness of the state…
Every day since the mid-1980s, the mayor of Lajitas has held court on the side of dusty Farm to Market Road 170, just outside Big Bend National Park in remote West Texas. An unassuming pen next to the town’s general store is home of ‘The World Famous Clay Henry Mayor Mayor of Lajitas.” The title…
A jewel in the desert, Big Bend National Park is a bucket list destination tucked away in a remote corner of south Texas. Hours from the nearest major airport, its location restricts the park to only the most dedicated of travelers. As one of the least-visited national parks, last year they counted just more than…
Blink and you’ll miss it. Situated on a remote stretch of U.S. Highway 90 in West Texas, the so-called ‘Tiny Target’ or ‘World’s Smallest Target Store’ has become a pilgrimage destination for curiosity seekers and art enthusiasts alike. Big Bend Country is known for its dark skies and wide open spaces, but it’s drawing more…
Click here to journey below the surface into Sonora Caverns.
Mysterious and unexplained lights have been reported here in the West Texas desert for more than a hundred years. According to the Texas Historical Commission, the famous Marfa Lights have been theorized as campfires, phosphorescent minerals, swamp gas, or static electricity. The first recorded sighting was by a rancher in 1883. Others say it could…
Click here to join our recent hike in the country’s second largest canyon!
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.
The ISS, which travels 17,500 miles per hour, circles the Earth every 90 minutes. Click here to watch a flyover!
NASA’s administrator has ordered the space agency’s employees and contractors to telework after a limited number of workers tested positive for COVID-19. “Although a limited amount of employees have tested positive for COVID-19, it is imperative that we take this pre-emptive step to thwart further spreading of the virus among the workforce and our communities,”…
The Monastery of the Infant Jesus is celebrating 75 years since its founding in East Texas. Located on Lotus Lane in north Lufkin, the community of nearly two dozen cloistered Dominican nuns are devoted to praying for the needs of the world around them. “I wanted to be hidden so that God could be the…
History, both triumphant and tragic, comes alive in Berlin, Germany. Click here to see some of my favorite sites.
NASA welcomed a new class of astronauts to its active roster Friday, marking the first time the space agency has held a public graduation ceremony. The class, selected in 2017, includes 11 NASA astronauts and two from the Canadian Space Agency. They join a corps of 35 others who are now eligible for assignment on…
The Big Easy’s intoxicating spirit is unlike few places in America. Click here to see some of my favorite stops in New Orleans.
It’s not Christmastime in New Orleans until the lights shimmer in the iconic Roosevelt Hotel. In a tradition dating back to the 1930s, the historic hotel’s block-long lobby is transformed into the Waldorf Wonderland, an elegant display of holiday decorations that draw crowds of visitors from around the world. Colors of white, red, gold and…
On this Pearl Harbor Day, I’m surrounded by history at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. This world-class museum is sure to provide a moving experience, whether it’s a first-time visit or especially if you have the honor of accompanying a veteran. Located on a six-acre campus in downtown, the museum…
At the start of the holiday travel season, countless East Texans will be among the passengers navigating crowds at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Despite the airport being one of the busiest places on Earth, people are finding their faith inside one of the five DFW Airport interfaith chapels. “You don’t ever know how travel is…
Poteau, Oklahoma claims to be home to the tallest hill in the world. Located on the far eastern side of the state, the elevation of Cavanal Hill’s summit is 1,999 feet. According to the local chamber of commerce, geographical features 2,000 feet or higher are typically classified as mountains. Whatever you want to call it,…
Click here to watch the fireworks celebration on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
On the historic night of November 9, 1989, East and West Germans danced together on top of the Berlin Wall. Hours earlier, anyone crossing the border would have been shot by GDR state security. 30 years later, a crowd of 100 thousand returned to Berlin’s historic Brandenburg Gate, which was once surrounded by the wall,…
Click here to watch scenes of 1989 projected on buildings to bring history alive.
Legendary NBC news anchor and former ‘Nightly News’ managing editor Tom Brokaw returned to Germany for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was the only American broadcaster on-air when East Germans began to stream across the border on November 9, 1989. On November 7, 2019 he spoke with a small…
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…
Escaping the surveillance and oppression of the East German government during the Cold War often came at great risk. The impressively complex and often dangerous acts of desperation are highlighted in a series of tours organized by a group of Berliners who work to explore and preserve the history of the city’s underground. The Berliner…
Three decades after the so-called ‘Peaceful Revolution’ toppled the German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, people are celebrating the anniversary of its climax — the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. More time has passed since the Wall came down than the nearly three decades it stood, but painful memories associated with…
Click here to watch Lane Luckie explain misconceptions and common questions about the Berlin Wall.
Freely moving in the wind, independent, yet seemingly in harmony, 30-thousand ribbons dance in front of the Brandenburg Gate, Germany’s most visible symbol of unity. The vision of American artist Patrick Shearn and his studio Poetic Kinetics, a massive public art display drapes the setting for one of Germany’s biggest celebrations in years — the…
Click this video to learn more about the dark history of post-World War II divided Germany.
An international exchange program is bringing another journalist from Germany to work side-by-side with the largest news organization in East Texas, KLTV and KTRE. Andreas Mitzkus will spend the next week shadowing and learning from producers, anchors, reporters, photographers, digital content producers, and news managers in the KLTV and KTRE newsroom. Mitzkus is a producer…
Lane Luckie 