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k5jri radio

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  1. k5jri radio
    "The Life and Death of the American Mall" by Matthew Christopher (January 10, 2024) offers insights about the demise of enclosed shopping malls: "The loss of larger anchor stores (and the inability to replace them with comparable stores) created "dead ends, darkened store fronts, and vacant corridors created eerie, lifeless pockets-- and a death spiral. Fewer tenants, fewer shoppers, decreased income, more unkempt areas. Where an outdoor strip mall could simply tear down an under performing area and build something else, (enclosed) malls were static islands surrounded by seas of asphalt.When online shopping grew, it stabbed a victim that was already bleeding out. In the 1980s, there were roughly 2500 malls in the United States. Today, there are approximately 700--a number most analysts expect to continue to decline."
  2. k5jri radio
    As an aside, actress Valerie Bertinelli (Barbara on One Day At A Time sitcom, 1975-1984) met her future husband, rock musician Eddie Van Halen, while visiting her family in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the time, Bertinelli's father was an executive at the aforementioned General Motors assembly plant in Shreveport. Bertinelli and Van Halen were married from 1981 to 2007 and had one son, Wolfgang Van Halen.
  3. k5jri radio
    After The Treaty of Ghent was ratified by Congress and signed by President James Madison, the ratified and signed treaty documents were presented to the British Ambassador on February 17, 1815.
  4. k5jri radio
    The Battle of New Orleans (circa 1815), was the final battle of the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom (aka the British Empire). Although the United Kingdom Parliament had signed the Treaty of Ghent, the treaty would not take effect until the United States Congress ratified the treaty. One clause in the treaty stated that the border between the respective United States and United Kingdom territory in North America would be based on areas controlled by the each country as of the date of ratification by Congress. This delay provided a "window of opportunity" for the naval and ground forces of the United Kingdom to attack and gain military control of not only New Orleans, but access to the Gulf of Mexico. General Andrew Jackson, who led the United State land forces, was assisted by Jean Lafitte, a privateer who led a group of armed ships and boats. The British attacked but their naval and ground forces were unable to gain military control. As a result, the war ended with New Orleans still under military control when the Treaty of Ghent was ratified by the United States Congress. Jean Lafitte later (circa 1817) relocated his operations to Galveston Island and adjacent areas in coastal Texas. According to online sources, many details of Lafitte's life and deeds tend to be "obscure and contradictory". In 1959, "The Battle of New Orleans", by Johnny Horton, was released and became a major "top-40" hit record. As would be expected, it received frequent play on the New Orleans area "Top-40" radio stations, including WNOE (1060 kHz), at that time, the top-rated (in terms of audience) radio station. According to "urban legend" one of WNOE's disk jockeys had an apparent mental breakdown and began playing "The Battle of New Orleans" over and over and claimed to have a bomb he would set off is anyone tried to interfere. Stories vary regarding whether or not this incident actually happened, particularly regarding the alleged explosive device brought into the radio station. Sadly, Johnny Horton was killed in a traffic accident (November 5, 1960) while traveling from Austin TX to Shreveport LA. He was only 35 years of age.
  5. k5jri radio
    Looks like the new bowling alley adjacent to the movie theater complex at 8902 Seawall Blvd is about 4 miles WSW from the now derelict building at 3424 Seawall Blvd. that once housed the Island Bowl prior to Hurricane Ike. From the intersection of 61st St. and Seawall Blvd. (6100 Seawall Blvd.), its about 2.1 miles WSW.
  6. k5jri radio

    The beach resort cities of Gulfport MS (population approx 72.000) and Biloxi MS (population approx 50,000), 13 miles apart along the Mississippi Gulf of Mexico coast, are the joint county seats of Harrison County MS. On 17 August 1969, Hurricane Camille, a category 5 storm, made landfall with 175 mph sustained winds, causing total destruction of 68 square miles of Harrison County. The total estimated total cost of damage was $1.42 billion in 1969 dollars (approximately $11.65 billion in 2023 dollars). As was the case with Galveston County, casino gambling and associated vice activities along the Gulf coast, although illegal, were common until stricter law enforcement ended them in the 1950s. Although casino gambling is currently illegal in Galveston County TX (and other counties in Texas with the exception of Native American property), Mississippi cities, including Biloxi and Gulfport are home to 26 gambling casinos not on Native American property, plus 3 more gambling casinos on Native American property.

  7. k5jri radio

    Many of the "beach resort" areas along I've visited over the years have been smaller cities or towns adjacent to or otherwise part of the metro area of a larger city. For example: [1] Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Atlantic Beach are part of the Jacksonville, FL (Duval County) metro area; [2] Panama City Beach is part of the Panama City, FL (Bay County) metro area; [3] Pensacola Beach is part of the Pensacola, FL (Escambia County) metro area; [4] St. Augustine Beach and Vilano Beach are part of the St. Augustine, FL (St. Johns County) metro area; [5] Wrightsville Beach is part of the Wilmington, NC (New Hanover County) metro area.

    These aforementioned "beach resort" areas developed over the years as a part of a larger city's metro area. Although Galveston now has some characteristics of being a part of the Houston TX (Harris County and portions of surrounding counties) metro area, Galveston has many characteristics of having once being a significant metro area in its own right. For example, it is the county seat (Galveston County), with the Galveston County courthouse, jail, and sheriff's office; as well as the Galveston Division, Southern District of Texas federal building located within its city limits.

       

  8. k5jri radio
    Just finished watching the HOU Explorer video showing sights and sounds one would experience during a ride on the restored Galveston Trolleys. Great video!
  9. k5jri radio
    Per additional research regarding Galveston, trolley service: On November 10, 2017, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Federal Transit Authority (FTA) approved a contract to fund repairs for three trolley cars at a cost of $3.8 million. Gomaco Trolley Company was the prime contractor for the repairs. Galveston's trolley line reopened for passenger service on October 1, 2021, approximately 13 years after Hurricane Ike made landfall on Galveston Island (September 12, 2008). Per online sources, there are four operational trolley cars currently in service on Galveston Island's trolley system.
  10. k5jri radio
    If the "steel wheel trolleys" were back in service ("and look great!") on Galveston Island on or before August 14, 2023, the time between when they were damaged and subsequently restored to original mechanical and cosmetic condition was somewhat less than 15 years. Glad to know the "steel wheel trolleys" are back in revenue service. According to online sources, the cost for mechanical and cosmetic restoration of a "steel wheel trolley" is approximately $200,000 to $250,000 per vehicle. State and/or federal funding may have been available to defray at least some of the costs to restore and transport the "steel wheel trolleys to and from the restoration facility. As stated previously, the trolleys operating in Galveston are driven by electric motors geared to the axles; power for the electric motors is supplied by an onboard diesel engine driving an electrical generator. This setup is, albeit on a smaller scale, similar to that of diesel-electric railway locomotives.
  11. k5jri radio
    The official ending of the Mardi Gras holiday is midnight on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent which, in turn, lasts until Easter Sunday. The French Quarter is a small area (approximately 0.6 sq. miles) located between downtown New Orleans and the Mississippi River.
  12. k5jri radio
    Once the city of New Orleans declares Mardi Gras and other holiday events to be officially ended, their police order the people to clear the streets and sidewalks, then their fire department hoses down the streets and sidewalk to clear the litter and related filth that accumulate on Bourbon and other streets in the French Quarter. Several other members posted more graphic terms to describe the contents of the litter and related filth.
  13. k5jri radio
    The term "cajun" is a corruption of "Acadian" the correct term for people of French (and to a lesser extent Spanish) ancestry who lived the French controlled region of Canada known as Acadia. At the conclusion of the French and Indian War 1763, the victorious English [1] renamed the region Nova Scotia and [2] exiled anyone who would not sign a loyalty oath to England and, by inference, renounce their Roman Catholic religion. Many of these exiles ended up in southern Louisiana. The city of Lafayette, LA (approximately 140 miles west of New Orleans) promotes itself as "the metropolis of Acadiana (a portmanteau of Acadia and Louisiana). Unlike much of the southern United States, this area is predominantly Roman Catholic. The city of New Orleans and its suburbs is more cosmopolitan. In addition to its "cajun" population, New Orleans has a significant "creole" population who emigrated from places other than Canada. For the purposes of this posting, the term, creole, is not race specific. African Americans are the most numerous ethnic group in present day New Orleans.
  14. k5jri radio
    For those who want to combine shopping with educational/entertainment activities, the Baybrook Mall is only 10 minutes (5.5 miles) from the NASA Johnson Space Center.
  15. k5jri radio
    Starting from Galveston near the site where the Galvez Mall once occupied, online references show the Mainland City Centre in Texas City (formerly known as the Mail of the Mainland) is 18.4 miles (approximately 25 minutes) away. Starting from the same place in Galveston, The Baybrook Mall in Houston is 31.1 miles (approximately 39 minutes) away. According to online references, the Mainland City Centre has approximately 800,000 square feet of retail floor space, compared to the Baybrook Mall with approximately 1,500,000 square feet of retail floor space. It follows that the larger mall will likely offer a better selection of competitively priced products for sale.
  16. k5jri radio
    Don't recall a retail center in Galveston, Texas named "Galvez Plaza". After the Galvez Mall was demolished circa 2000, Home Depot and Target opened stores on the original site which became anchor stores for the present-day Galvez Shopping Center. In common usage, the terms "shopping mall" and "shopping center" tend to overlap.
  17. k5jri radio

    Dan Hixon's You-Tube video "Galveston in the 70s" offers an informative and entertaining presentation of what various places in Galveston looked like. For one thing, there's a picture of the Hudson Oil service station managed at the time by Dan's dad, Joe Hixon. This service station was literally the first place to buy gasoline upon entering Galveston (or the last place to buy gasoline when leaving Galveston). The Galvez Mall shopping center was easy walking distance from the service station. Dan's video shows pictures of the mall's interior that  were taken in the 1980s following the cosmetic remodeling & renovations made by the Rouse Corp. Dan has done an excellent job assembling the best available source material. 

    1. k5jri radio

      k5jri radio

      To clarify, the Hudson Oil service station was the first place to buy gasoline when and last place to buy gasoline for motorists entering or leaving Galveston Island via I-45. Don't recall the first/last service station counterparts for San Luis Pass bridge or the Galveston-Port Bolivar ferry terminal.

  18. k5jri radio
    As has been stated by other HAIF members, a significant number of the better paying jobs in Galveston County have "moved away" from the City of Galveston to League City and other areas, incorporated or otherwise, in Galveston County. Despite attempts to diversify to more year round jobs, many of the remaining jobs in the City of Galveston are highly seasonal due to their direct or indirect dependence on tourism. In other words, wages + gratuities (tips) might provide a reasonable standard of living, but only for part of the year. Subsidized housing (free or reduced rate) and UTMB free medical care can offset this to some extent. What any particular group of people consider to be a "reasonable standard of living" is highly subjective.
  19. k5jri radio
    Looking again at my March 13 posting, it would be more correct to say that, at any given time, an occupied city or other political entity displays the cumulative attitudes of its residents.
  20. k5jri radio

    Assuming a visitor to Galveston Island (business or vacation purposes) learns of an approaching tropical storm, but is unable to leave before heavy traffic makes it difficult to do so. Where ares the safest places) on Galveston Island to ride out the storm?

    This scenario presupposes that [1] electronic monetary transactions might become difficult or impossible, and [2] the visitor does not have personal friends or close business associates on Galveston Island to look to for assistance.

    Should this happen in the manner described, how much cash should be kept in reserve? Are there any organizations available to assist stranded visitors during times of natural disasters?

    1. k5jri radio

      k5jri radio

       

      If I learned of an impending tropical storm while visiting Galveston Island, but not in time to leave before the tropical storm makes landfall: Assuming I already had a hotel or motel room, I'd get enough food to last at least 2 days and stay in my room, keep the blinds or curtains closed, and unlock my door only for uniformed law enforcement personnel and leave the room only if they order me to do so.

      If I did not already have a hotel or motel room and was unable to find one, all bets are off. Churches or other large buildings willing to admit refugees might be an alternative option.

  21. k5jri radio
    Although it's been nearly 15 years since Hurricane Ike made landfall on Galveston Island and, among other things, caused severe damage to its steel wheel trolley fleet, only limited progress has been made to repair the damaged trolleys and return them to active service. My assumption is the limited progress is due to the high cost of mechanical and cosmetic repairs needed to restore the steel wheel trolleys to safe operating condition, combined with the high cost of transporting them to and from the repair facility. The rubber-tired trolley replica vehicles currently operating in place of the steel wheel trolleys have several advantages: [1] during normal conditions, they can operate on ordinary paved roads, allowing greater flexibility in selection of routes due to the far greater mileage of existing paved streets compared to that of the existing steel trolley rails; [2] in the event of an anticipated tropical storm, they can be driven over existing highways to safer inland locations. Once the storm passes, they can be driven back to Galveston Island and returned to service as soon as the streets are cleared of debris and flooding. Although the rubber-tired replica vehicles are not as realistic and their steel-tired counterparts, they might be the most practical alternative.
  22. k5jri radio
    By coincidence, Galveston Houston Electric Railway began operations in 1911, three (3) years before the outbreak of World War I in 1914, and ceased operations in 1936, three (3) years before the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Years ago, a relative told me [1] when he graduated from college with a BA (Business Education) in 1939, the economy was still depressed and decent jobs were hard to find; but a year later in 1940, "war industries" had revived the economy, making it much easier to find decent jobs.
  23. k5jri radio

    If my recollection is correct, when traveling west on the Termini-San Luis Pass road, there is an interruption of the City of Galveston's  jurisdiction starting with the Galveston Island State Park (State of Texas jurisdiction) and followed by the adjacent city of Jamaica Beach (independent incorporated municipality). The City of Galveston's jurisdiction then resumes until the western end of the island at San Luis Pass. However what might seem logical to a tourist (regarding what area constitutes the West End) is not necessarily in accord with common understanding among Galveston's residents.

  24. k5jri radio
    It's the dunes! Kudos to s3mh for pointing out (now that I have read the posting) what should have been obvious. If I understand the posting correctly, dunes to block surging water, preferably in conjunction with adjacent marshlands to soak up the excess water, are needed to facilitate the more gradual release of the water in a manner less likely to cause flooding.
  25. k5jri radio
    Regarding housing & related construction on Galveston Island's west end... I'm likewise curious why do "new houses on the west end decrease the island's ability to mitigate flooding and why do they increase the risk to everyone else?" As a long time tourist, I've always assumed that Galveston Island's west end begins where westbound traffic transitions from Seawall Blvd to Termini-San Luis Pass Road.
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