The Write Team Podcast

HEROES OF THE CAMP FIRE | November 8, 2018 Butte County, California Before sunrise on November 8, 2018, a failing electrical transmission line sparked a wildfire in California's Feather River Canyon. Within hours, an entire community was fighting for survival. In today's headline story on The Write Team Daily, we revisit California's devastating Camp Fire, examine the equipment failure and evacuat...

BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID | November 7, 1908 San Vicente, Bolivia Two American outlaws. A remote village high in the Bolivian Andes. A deadly gunfight. And a mystery that has endured for more than a century. In today's headline story on The Write Team Daily, we follow legendary outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid from the American frontier to the mountains of South America, exami...

SAFE AT HOME | November 6, 1935 Chicago, Illinois He traded baseball diamonds for revival platforms, preached with the energy of a professional athlete, and became one of the most influential evangelists in American history. In today's headline story on The Write Team Daily, we explore Billy Sunday's transformation from professional baseball player to nationally recognized evangelist, his unconven...

REMEMBER THE 13 WHO NEVER CAME HOME  | November 5, 2009 Fort Hood, Texas On November 5, 2009, what began as an ordinary afternoon at Fort Hood, Texas, became one of the darkest days in American military history. In today's headline story on The Write Team Daily, we remember the thirteen victims, examine the warning signs that preceded the attack, and honor the courage of the soldiers, medical pers...

One of the biggest East Texas high school football results of 2026 has shaken up the playoff picture, and the final Friday night of the regular season is loaded with postseason implications! On this week's High School Football From The Press Box, hosts David Weaver and Matt Paul welcome back longtime East Texas sports journalist and Longview News-Journal sports editor Jack Stallard for a special W...

THE GIRL WHO LIVED IN SILENCE | November 4, 1970 Los Angeles County, California On November 4, 1970, a social worker in Los Angeles County encountered a 13-year-old girl who could barely walk, could not speak, and appeared severely malnourished. The discovery exposed one of the most disturbing cases of child abuse and isolation in American history. In today's headline story on The Write Team Daily...

🏈 ONE LAST FRIDAY NIGHT. ONE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO FINISH STRONG. The Elysian Fields Yellow Jackets are preparing for their 2026 season finale, and there's plenty more at stake than the final score. On this week's Coach Maines Show, host David Weaver sits down with Elysian Fields athletic director and head football coach Bo Maines to discuss the Jackets' rivalry loss to Waskom, the challenges of a...

🏈 ONE GAME. ONE OPPORTUNITY. ONE PLAYOFF SPOT TO SECURE. The Hallsville Bobcats are one victory away from securing the No. 3 playoff seed in District 6-5A! On this week's Coach Strickland Show, host David Weaver sits down with Hallsville head football coach Josh Strickland following the Bobcats' impressive 20–8 road victory over Whitehouse. Hallsville enters the regular-season finale at 5–4 overa...

THE GENTLEMAN OUTLAW | November 3, 1883 Funk Hill, Calaveras County, California He robbed stagecoaches, wrote poetry, and outsmarted Wells Fargo detectives for nearly eight years. But one forgotten handkerchief finally brought his extraordinary criminal career to an end. In today's headline story on The Write Team Daily, we explore the extraordinary life of outlaw "Black Bart," his clever stagecoa...

Can a three-loss Texas Longhorns team still make the College Football Playoff? And could this be one of the biggest weekends of the entire college football season? David Weaver and Matt Paul return for another edition of From The Press Box on The Write Team Podcast, breaking down the playoff race, the contenders, the surprises, and the games that could reshape the national picture. Texas is coming...

LIGHTS IN THE WEST TEXAS SKY | November 2, 1957 Levelland, Texas On a quiet Saturday night in West Texas, a pickup truck suddenly lost power. Its headlights went dark, and a brilliant unidentified object appeared above the highway. Moments after the object disappeared, the truck started normally. In today's headline story on The Write Team Daily, we revisit the mysterious Levelland sightings, the...

TERRORIZING THE CHURCH | November 1, 1937 Baku, Azerbaijan They pleaded with Soviet authorities to save their church. They collected donations, sent petitions, and even delivered a personal appeal to Joseph Stalin, promising to pray for him if their congregation could continue worshipping. The building survived. But eight people who fought to preserve it were executed. In today's headline story on...

THE EDINBURGH SERIAL KILLERS | October 31, 1828 Edinburgh, Scotland On October 31, 1828, a disturbing discovery inside an Edinburgh lodging house exposed one of the most horrifying murder operations in British history. In today's headline story on The Write Team Daily, we explore the horror of William Burke and William Hare, the disturbing market for human remains in nineteenth-century Scotland, t...

SACRIFICE ABOARD U-559 | October 30, 1942 Eastern Mediterranean Sea On October 30, 1942, three British sailors entered a sinking German submarine in the Mediterranean Sea, searching for secret documents that could help change the course of World War II. Only one would return. In today's story on The Write Team Daily, we revisit the remarkable mission aboard U-559, the desperate struggle to break G...

ZERO FINDINGS. SEVEN CAMPUSES. ONE COMMITMENT TO SAFETY. Hallsville ISD has plenty to celebrate, and Superintendent John Martin joins host David Weaver on School House Rocks to share the latest developments across Bobcat Nation! One of the biggest announcements from the October Board of Trustees meeting was the district's outstanding performance on its state-driven District Vulnerability Assessmen...

THE DAY WALL STREET COLLAPSED | October 29, 1929 New York City, New York On October 29, 1929, panic swept across Wall Street as investors desperately tried to sell their stocks. The New York Stock Exchange was overwhelmed, prices plunged, and ticker-tape machines fell hours behind the actual trading. By the closing bell, approximately 16.4 million shares had changed hands, the Dow Jones Industrial...

On this edition of High School Football From The Press Box, David Weaver and Matt Paul break down 20 games, discuss last week's biggest results, and examine which teams are building momentum as the postseason approaches. The spotlight is on Carthage at Gilmer, where the Bulldogs' remarkable run faces a dangerous Buckeyes offense. Meanwhile, Hallsville travels to Whitehouse for a pivotal District 6...

A major transformation is underway in Buckaroo Country! On this episode of School House Rocks, host David Weaver welcomes back Smackover-Norphlet School District Superintendent Doug Smith for a monthly update on the exciting developments happening across the district. Leading the conversation is the renovation of Smackover High School's gymnasium, where demolition is already underway and construct...

A FLOATING PALACE | October 28, 1940 North Atlantic Ocean, Off the Coast of Ireland For two days, one of the world's grandest ocean liners fought to stay afloat. Bombed by German aircraft, ravaged by fire, and abandoned by most of those aboard, the Empress of Britain remained on the surface as British crews desperately attempted to tow the massive vessel to safety. But beneath the Atlantic, a Germ...

Big things are happening at Karnack ISD, and Superintendent Angela Fitzpatrick is making sure students, staff, and the entire community are part of the excitement! On this episode of School House Rocks, host David Weaver welcomes Fitzpatrick back for their monthly conversation about the latest news, achievements, and opportunities at Karnack Independent School District. One of the biggest developm...

The Elysian Fields Yellow Jackets are back in the win column! And there's no better time to build momentum than the week of the annual rivalry showdown with the Waskom Wildcats. On this week's Coach Maines Show, host David Weaver visits with Elysian Fields Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Bo Maines following the Jackets' thrilling 29-27 Homecoming victory over Ore City. It was a game fill...

THE CHATHAM RAIL DISASTER | October 27, 1854 Baptiste Creek, Canada West In the early morning hours of October 27, 1854, a passenger express train traveled through thick fog near Chatham in what is now Ontario, Canada. Its passengers included German immigrants hoping to begin new lives in America. But the train was running hours behind schedule, and a deadly misunderstanding awaited them on the tr...

College football's wild 2026 season just delivered another weekend of upsets, controversy, and postseason uncertainty. The Big 12 race has been turned upside down, Texas is back in the College Football Playoff conversation, and Baylor is searching for its next head coach. On this week's college football edition of From The Press Box, David Weaver and Matt Paul break down the biggest stories in the...

😾🏈 THREE TEAMS. TWO PLAYOFF SPOTS. THIS IS GOING DOWN TO THE WIRE! The Hallsville Bobcats venture to Whitehouse this week to face the Wildcats in a massive District 6-5A showdown with playoff implications. At stake? With just two games left in the 2026 regular season, the Bobcats (4-4, 3-2) and Wildcats (4-4, 3-2) are tied with Mt. Pleasant for the two final playoff spots in the district. Simple...

THE GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL | October 26, 1881 Tombstone, Arizona Territory On October 26, 1881, four men walked down Fremont Street in Tombstone, Arizona Territory, toward a confrontation that would become the most famous gunfight in the history of the American West. In today's headline story on The Write Team Daily, we explore the real people behind the legend, the bitter rivalry between the...