Editing
Tying Up Loose Ends
By Jacque Hilburn
Some events make headlines, but frequently there's no word on the outcome—a "follow-up" as we call it.
That's the purpose of this column.
Rarely a day goes by that someone doesn't ask about my coworker Shauna Wonzer, who caught a bullet in the leg during a New Year's Day encounter with a barricaded subject.
Wonzer and photographer Herb Nygren Jr. were covering a house fire when the incident took a nasty twist. An elderly man inside the home started shooting, striking Wonzer and grazing Nygren in the head.
Station 4 firefighter Capt. Neal Franklin and driver Robbie Wade were inside the smoke-filled house when radio traffic indicated there was a man inside with a gun.
"We looked at each other," Franklin said of the firemen's reaction. "It was kind of strange."
They ran out of the house to seek cover behind the fire engine just as shots rang out. A few feet away, Wonzer stumbled backward and went down.
"I looked over there and she looked up at me and said, 'I think I'm shot,'" Wade said. "Then she went white."
Instinctively, the men scrambled to her aid and swept her out of the line of fire.
"We weren't thinking about the guy shooting," Wade said. "She was in distress and we went to help."
Miraculously, Nygren, dazed from his injury, sought cover and continued snapping photographs.
The pair returned to work within days of the incident, albeit with unique battle scars.
Doctors removed the bullet from Wonzer's leg this week, but she wasn't allowed to keep it.
"The police took it as evidence," she said. "I was sort of disappointed."
Authorities said they will return the bullet when the case is disposed.
On the topic of firemen, a hearty thanks is extended to everyone who aided in the recovery of Tyler firefighter Robert Williams and his family, who lost their home to fire.
It continues to be a rough road, but the family is sticking together.
"My family is doing great," Williams said. "The fire department, church, city, our families—everybody really helped out. But the city really took care of us. Without their help, it would have been a lot worst situation."
The couple's three children are thriving and the family is looking forward to rebuilding their dream house.
Although the Williams clan is on the road to recovery, other families touched by fire continue to struggle. Please remember them.
Around Christmastime, I wrote about a very nice lady, Gayle Helms, who cares for dozens of unwanted animals at the Humane Society of Smith County.
But there was one little dog that really, really, really needed a home.
"Booger" wasn't just plain, he was U-G-L-Y.
He had been at the shelter for a whopping 10 months, waiting patiently for the right family.
He found one.
A day after the story ran, reader Lynne Briggs and her two dogs went to visit Booger and check out the canine chemistry.
It was electric.
Booger went home for the holidays and even got a cheeseburger for Christmas, I understand. He is one of five "lost and founds" Ms. Briggs adopted over the years.
"That dog is hysterical," she said. "He's got such a wicked sense of humor—he thinks he's always lived there."
So much for first impressions.
"It couldn't have turned out any better," Ms. Helms, the shelter's director, said. "And the timing couldn't have been more perfect—we were excited he finally got a home."
Coincidentally, a shepherd-mix named Ringo and Shannon, a retriever mix, are also desperate for homes. Both are friendly, surgically altered and ready for a romp.
And if you've lost an animal, call the shelter immediately. Unlike humans when confined, animals don't have the right to make a phone call. The number is 597-2471.
In more heated venues, an old feud among some Tyler firefighters rages on.
A few months ago, I wrote about some of the best cooks the Tyler Fire Department has to offer. The chief and I staged a little battle among stations to see which cooks could whip up the best lunch with little or no notice.
Firefighters at Stations 4 and 6 treated me to lunch, whipping up some of the most tantalizing, wonderful meals I've ever tasted.
But my enthusiasm for the project didn't impress some of the other firehouse cooks.
"We do it better here at Station 2," A-shift Capt. Mickey Haisten teased afterward. "Name the day."
Indeed I did.
Those A-shift guys really delivered. Haisten whipped up a meal of grilled fish, freshly caught from the coast. Co-chef Randy Lee concocted an impressive dessert—homemade chocolate and coconut pies. They were right. Lunch was exquisite.
No wonder I love follow-ups.
Some events make headlines, but frequently there's no word on the outcome—a "follow-up" as we call it.
That's the purpose of this column.
Rarely a day goes by that someone doesn't ask about my coworker Shauna Wonzer, who caught a bullet in the leg during a New Year's Day encounter with a barricaded subject.
Wonzer and photographer Herb Nygren Jr. were covering a house fire when the incident took a nasty twist. An elderly man inside the home started shooting, striking Wonzer and grazing Nygren in the head.
Station 4 firefighter Capt. Neal Franklin and driver Robbie Wade were inside the smoke-filled house when radio traffic indicated there was a man inside with a gun.
"We looked at each other," Franklin said of the firemen's reaction. "It was kind of strange."
They ran out of the house to seek cover behind the fire engine just as shots rang out. A few feet away, Wonzer stumbled backward and went down.
"I looked over there and she looked up at me and said, 'I think I'm shot,'" Wade said. "Then she went white."
Instinctively, the men scrambled to her aid and swept her out of the line of fire.
"We weren't thinking about the guy shooting," Wade said. "She was in distress and we went to help."
Miraculously, Nygren, dazed from his injury, sought cover and continued snapping photographs.
The pair returned to work within days of the incident, albeit with unique battle scars.
Doctors removed the bullet from Wonzer's leg this week, but she wasn't allowed to keep it.
"The police took it as evidence," she said. "I was sort of disappointed."
Authorities said they will return the bullet when the case is disposed.
On the topic of firemen, a hearty thanks is extended to everyone who aided in the recovery of Tyler firefighter Robert Williams and his family, who lost their home to fire.
It continues to be a rough road, but the family is sticking together.
"My family is doing great," Williams said. "The fire department, church, city, our families—everybody really helped out. But the city really took care of us. Without their help, it would have been a lot worst situation."
The couple's three children are thriving and the family is looking forward to rebuilding their dream house.
Although the Williams clan is on the road to recovery, other families touched by fire continue to struggle. Please remember them.
Around Christmastime, I wrote about a very nice lady, Gayle Helms, who cares for dozens of unwanted animals at the Humane Society of Smith County.
But there was one little dog that really, really, really needed a home.
"Booger" wasn't just plain, he was U-G-L-Y.
He had been at the shelter for a whopping 10 months, waiting patiently for the right family.
He found one.
A day after the story ran, reader Lynne Briggs and her two dogs went to visit Booger and check out the canine chemistry.
It was electric.
Booger went home for the holidays and even got a cheeseburger for Christmas, I understand. He is one of five "lost and founds" Ms. Briggs adopted over the years.
"That dog is hysterical," she said. "He's got such a wicked sense of humor—he thinks he's always lived there."
So much for first impressions.
"It couldn't have turned out any better," Ms. Helms, the shelter's director, said. "And the timing couldn't have been more perfect—we were excited he finally got a home."
Coincidentally, a shepherd-mix named Ringo and Shannon, a retriever mix, are also desperate for homes. Both are friendly, surgically altered and ready for a romp.
And if you've lost an animal, call the shelter immediately. Unlike humans when confined, animals don't have the right to make a phone call. The number is 597-2471.
In more heated venues, an old feud among some Tyler firefighters rages on.
A few months ago, I wrote about some of the best cooks the Tyler Fire Department has to offer. The chief and I staged a little battle among stations to see which cooks could whip up the best lunch with little or no notice.
Firefighters at Stations 4 and 6 treated me to lunch, whipping up some of the most tantalizing, wonderful meals I've ever tasted.
But my enthusiasm for the project didn't impress some of the other firehouse cooks.
"We do it better here at Station 2," A-shift Capt. Mickey Haisten teased afterward. "Name the day."
Indeed I did.
Those A-shift guys really delivered. Haisten whipped up a meal of grilled fish, freshly caught from the coast. Co-chef Randy Lee concocted an impressive dessert—homemade chocolate and coconut pies. They were right. Lunch was exquisite.
No wonder I love follow-ups.
Originally published by the Tyler Morning Telegraph
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