KICKS 105 THE COUNTRY LEADER » Travel

Here We Go Again, Another Carnival Cruise Ship Generator Problem

Danny Merrell — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:56:54 +0000

Another Carnival Cruise...another round of non-working toilets and reports of waste on the floor.

According to CNN, the Carnival Cruise Ship 'Dream' while docked at St. Maarten started experiencing generator issues overnight which led to some outages, including toilet service.

Traffic Switch and a Closure Planned This Week for Highway 59 Construction

Danny Merrell — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 17:36:24 +0000

The construction continues to take shape just North of Lufkin on Highway 59 as the diamond interchange project continues to move forward. This week, possibly by Wednesday, TXDoT officials anticipate some traffic changes to be made. The following is taken from their press release: FM 3439/Spence Street access to northbound U.S. 59 will be permanently [...]

County by County Listing of New 75 MPH Speed Limit

Danny Merrell — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:04:59 +0000

Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews throughout the Lufkin District’s nine-county area are beginning to install new 75 mph speed limit signs on roadways throughout the district. A listing of the roads affected follows, however, keep in mind that the new speed limit does not take effect until the signs are in place. ANGELINA COUNTY [...]

Alabama Announce Fan Cruise 'Festival at Sea' Set to Sail October 2013

Sterling Whitaker — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 14:00:57 +0000

One of the most successful groups in country music history, Alabama, have had a four-decade career that encompasses hit singles, best-selling albums, sold-out tours and awards too numerous to count. Now, the band have revealed a special fan celebration for their 40th anniversary: a cruise. In a posting to their official website, Alabama announced a [...]

Dreaming of a Wet Christmas? Santa Delivers.

Jen Austin — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 11:44:38 +0000

So it’s not white. It’s a wet Christmas. The rumbles of thunder make it seem more like April than December, and if you’re traveling today expect the rain showers to continue through tonight. If you’re traveling north, the chances of seeing snowflakes increase. The big issue today is the snow that is expected in the [...]

Do We Need To Be Protected From Airport Security? (Video)

Sean Ericson — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 01:07:19 +0000

Airport security is a new necessary evil and a true sign of the times. We have all dealt with the stress of airport security, maybe even left something behind. Did you know that according to TSA over 300 airport security employees have been terminated for alleged thefts?

Give Into Road Rage and You Could End Up All Wet (Video)

Sean Ericson — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:30:28 +0000

You have experienced it. Road rage. Confrontation is never a good choice, but with a bit of imagination a disagreement on the road can be rather entertaining. Check out these drivers jockeying for position in traffic. ”Cut me off? I’ll show you!”

Highway 59 Wreck Kills 13 in Packed Pick Up Truck

Danny Merrell — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:47:33 +0000

A Sunday evening wreck on Highway 59 near Goliad, Texas, about 30 miles West of Victoria, has claimed the lives of 13 persons, including 2 children. The Ford F-250 was packed with up to 23 people including numerous lap riders and some that were riding in the bed of the pick up. Based on the [...]

Wreck in Construction Zone Near Houston County Airport Kills One

Danny Merrell — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:49:08 +0000

A wreck involving an 18-wheeler and several vehicles on Highway 7 East of Crockett has killed one and injured several others.

TxDOT currently has one lane of SH 7 open to traffic with a pilot vehicle. This means that traffic is being escorted through the crash/work zone. For instance, the pilot vehicle will lead traffic eastward through the crash zone, and then turn around and escort westbound traffic.

Schlitterbahn Looking to Open New Cedar Park Location in 2013

Danny Merrell — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 04:26:37 +0000

Schlitterbahn has locations in South Padre, Kansas City, Galveston and the 3 separate parks at the original New Braunfels location( .

Plans have been place for a new location in Cedar Park in Northwest Austin. However, there have been a number of delays and the proposed opening has been moved back to no sooner than the Summer of 2013.

Moody Gardens Promises a Great Summer

Sean Ericson — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:00:15 +0000

Stephanie Chan (PR Coordinator), Amber Henderson (Rainforest Biologist) and Azul (Blue-tongued skink) stopped by the Kicks 105 studios this morning to tell us about the awesome Summer season at Moody Gardens in Galveston. Bands On The Sand, Dark Knight Rises 3D and the Brewmasters Craft Beer Festival are just a few of the events happening this [...]

Merrell's Vacation – Danny imitates Chevy Chase

Danny Merrell — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 18:49:06 +0000

And so it has started...the annual Merrell vacation.

Every Summer, my wife, 3 kids, and myself getaway for a week, sometimes it's a beach, sometimes the mountains, sometimes just down the road, but every 3 years or so we head off to our favorite destination - Disney World.

Highway 94 Bridges Set to Open Today

Danny Merrell — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 12:02:33 +0000

The new bridges over the Neches River on Highway 94 are set to open! If 'Mater' the tow truck were around he'd be the first to drive on the new pavement.

Either later this afternoon or Friday morning (barring any unforeseen issues) Texas Department of Transportation workers will be making the switch from the old bridges to the new.

The Awesome Power of Buc-ee's [VIDEO/POLL]

Danny Merrell — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 02:45:30 +0000

My family got hooked two years ago. We make quite a few trips to Austin and on one occasion we made a stop in Madisonville at a newly built convenience store…well, calling Buc-ee’s a convenience store is like calling Lake Sam Rayburn a stock tank. This place was behemoth complete with dozens of fountain drinks, [...]

Where are the Most Dangerous Intersections in Lufkin?

Jen Austin — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:27:37 +0000

It’s the beginning of a holiday weekend, YAY! And the beginning of people in your way on the road and aggressive drivers ticking you off. Who will present the biggest problem on the road today? It’s those darn red light runners.

We’ve probably all had the experience of sitting at a red light that turns green, signaling our chance to go, and all of a sudden a car zooms through from the other direction. Near miss! Red light runners cause accidents all the time, and it turns out today is one of their favorite days to do it.

And what are the most dangerous intersections in Lufkin?

Truck Fire Shuts Down Lane Of Highway 59

Danny Merrell — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:44:07 +0000

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, a truck fire around 3:30 this morning has lead to the closure of the northbound outside land of Highway 59 at the intersection of FM 942 in Leggett. No injuries were reported. The trailer of the rig was loaded with pallets of aluminum trihydrate in bagged powder form [...]

Toyota Recalls Almost 700,000 Vehicles for Brake Light and Airbag Issues

Shauna Wright — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:54:30 +0000

If you bought a new Toyota car or truck in the past few years, you could be getting a recall notice. The automaker says more than 680,000 vehicles may have brake light and airbag problems. Toyota reports that during assembly, silicon grease might’ve found its way into the stop-lamp switch on affected cars, which could [...]

Italy Tops the List of Most Popular Vacation Destinations in 2012 — Survey of the Day

Jeremy Taylor — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:22:42 +0000

Are you planning on using your passport in 2012? According to a Travel-Ticker survey of 2,301 people, Italy is the most popular overseas travel spot for the coming year, with 43 percent citing it as one of their “dream destinations.”

Man Endures Seven-Hour Flight While Standing, Obese Passenger Took Up His Seat

Shauna Wright — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:53:40 +0000

In the past year or so, several airlines have made headlines for insisting obese passengers buy two seats to accommodate their size and avoid infringing on the space occupied by others. Some people say the practice is unfair, but Arthur Berkowitz likely isn’t one of them.

On a recent US Airlines flight from Anchorage to Philadelphia, he was forced to stand for the entire seven-hour trip when he was seated next to a man who took up not only his own seat, but half of Berkowitz’s as well. The flight was completely full, meaning there was nowhere left to go.

Travel Coast To Coast In 5 Minutes (Video)

Sean Ericson — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:00:06 +0000

Twenty-five year old Brian DeFrees took a two month roadtrip across America in his Honda Civic. The freelance photographer took footage of the 12,000 plus mile trip, and crammed it all into a five minute timelapse video. Now you can literally go across America from sea to shining sea in five minutes instead of two [...]