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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
You're listening to the Roy West Show here on News
Talk five sixty klv. I can be heard every Sunday
from noon to one and anytime on the free iHeart
Radio app, as well as Apple Podcast and Android podcast.
Love to keep people informed about what's happening in Southeast
Texas and bid Bouma Independent School District. I love Bouma
(00:26):
Independent School District. They do a great job with our
kids and they're constantly being innovative in terms of how
can we better serve our kids. And I have the
privilege of having with me Randall Maxwell. He's senior director
of Students Support Services here at BID and y'all are
doing something quite innovative this coming fall.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Absolutely and thank you for having us on the show.
We want to make it.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Yes, sir, not only do our students, but our stakeholders, parents, grandparents, everyone.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Understand the the.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Fact that we're going to use a tool called the
Yonder Pouch to help students secure their phones number one,
so that we and the students have a you know,
more success in the classroom. We know how phones and
(01:25):
young people are like you know, glue because they don't
want to get rid of their phone.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
They think that the phone is the most important thing
in their life, even though their parents and grandparents and
all of that.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
You know understand that, yes, the phone is important, but
your education is probably going to take you a lot
further than that phone will.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Absolutely, So the two things have really transpired. Roy number one.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
In the past, we've had a phone policy and we've
asked that our students not you know, get on their
phones during class times. But the legislature has also decided,
along with a lot of other states, that cell phones
should be prohibited in the classroom setting, in the school setting.
(02:16):
So the legislature passed HB fourteen eighty one this year
and it requires a policy for hibbiting students from using
cell phones and smart watches. Key there cell phones and
smart watches on school property during the school day. Now,
why would they do that? There has been information, there's
(02:37):
been studies that support the fact that students around the world,
around the United States, who are constantly on their cell phone,
there are effects of being on there for multiple hours,
many many hours all day long, worrying about it, and
(02:58):
it not only has so emotional effect, but it also
creates a situation where students aren't paying as much attention,
they're not being as engaged with the instructor in the classroom,
and that really is what allowed us to think about
and to really look at a tool called this Yonder
(03:20):
pouch to help our students with the fact that we
know that they are constantly glued to and some would
say addicted to their cell phones.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
So yes, we're implementing a tool a procedure. It's been
very well thought out.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
This has been an ongoing two and a half year
project where we actually looked at data of the number
of kids that were getting in trouble with their cell phones.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
We visited.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Not only Colleen Independent School District, Dallas Independent School District,
Richardson Independent School District, but we also talked to people
in California, on the East Coast in Arkansas, and we
really have decided that this tool is what's.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Going to help our students well.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
And I know that that wasn't an easy decision, and
having been to concerts and shows, you know, I think
over ten years ago these pouches were introduced for commercial purposes,
so people couldn't video and take pictures at concerts or
just be a distraction to their neighbors. So this isn't
(04:36):
a new concept, and it's and it's been you and
it first was used commercially just for that very purpose
is you know, people didn't want information taken out from
them and you know, through the video or but also
just the distraction and the distraction to the neighbors. And
(04:56):
I know for schools, you know, and we're certainly this
is for our students and our children and grandchildren, but
I know that you know, phones are a distraction everyday
life is here in Beaumont. You know, in traffic that
can be a concern. People are on their phone instead
of driving. So, you know, being able to remove that
distraction because quite frankly, phones have become quite addictive for
(05:20):
a lot of people.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Well and Yonder is a patented locking pouch that creates
a phone free learning space.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
For students and educators.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Every single school we went to that had this tool
in place said that discipline incidents were down, that creativity
was up, that engagement was up between not only your
teacher and your student, but also students and students instead
of let's say, you know, nine hundred kids going to
(05:53):
lunch and they're all looking at their phone.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Now the phones are in the pouch. We're not taking
the phone away from the student, which can you know,
cause some anxiety issues the kid gets to keep their
phone on them, it's locked away. But more importantly, during lunch,
during the hallways, they're actually talking to each other.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
They're actually engaging with each other. They're actually doing the
thing that helps the human mind and body by having
good conversation with your fellow neighbor, your you know, your friend,
your student, whatever. So we understand that Yonder is going
to create a better learning environment, a better teaching environment
(06:37):
in every single adult that we talk to stated that
when we went to the different schools and talked to
the different folks about you know, even thinking about using.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
This, well that that's that's quite uh, that's really good testimonies.
And I know I looked at it online before we
did this, and you know, there's really there is no
negatives to this. And I think it'll also help with
as you were talking about kids' soft skills. You know,
(07:11):
I know that a lot of younger people aren't learning
how to talk to their friends because they don't have
to their text and but it gets in their way
of ability to do jobs and communicate in business. Later
and learning how to talk to people, you know, face
to face. I don't think we necessarily understood what an
(07:33):
acquired skill it is. But if you don't do it,
you don't learn how to do it very effectively, and
then you avoid it. And I think we've had a
number of students grow up in this phone environment where
they didn't escape it, and they weren't very effective at
communicating as a whole, and certainly getting a better education
(07:54):
and freeing up teachers to be able to teach more
rather than just try to uh handle getting phones from
kids or getting them to put them up.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I would imagine, Well, and you mentioned phones being a distraction.
You know, you're talking about people driving and texting. That's
a distraction when you when you place your phone in
a yonder pouch, you do not have to worry about.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
It for that day.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Now, we do need to educate our parents because parents,
you know, probably in the past, have always felt like, hey,
I can just contact my student at any time.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Well, that's going to have to change. It's gonna have to.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
To go back to what is a true emergency, and
a true emergency when I looked it up, talk more
about is does it have to do with death, Does
it have to do with an accident, does it have
to do with a serious situation? You know, forgetting your
cleats is not a true emergency. So you know, we're
(09:00):
going to have to retrain not only the conversation, which
I think will help with our parents. Parents need to
daily talk about, Hey, what is your day going to
look like? Do I need to do this? Do you
have an appointment? Do you have everything you need? You know,
that kind of thing, because part of this also is
safety if we do ever have an incident, We want
(09:24):
our students focused on our teachers, not twenty five two
thousand have very many kids in a school all of
a sudden texting out and our first responders not being
able to get to a to a school and take
care of the situation. So there's a lot of positives.
There's a lot of retraining that has to be done.
(09:44):
But we do believe this is the right step, and
it's been proven all over the country and all over
the world.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Well, and for anybody that thinks they might be a
doubt or they need to get online and read about it,
because you are exactly right. All the testimonies uh from
school districts and and other businesses that have incorporated it,
you know, speak the value. I mean, it's just taking
the phone out of the equation and it can be
such a huge distraction. And uh and our kids are
(10:13):
in school to learn and uh and as you pointed out,
I know I went to school, and I suspect you
went to school when phones weren't a thing, and you
know you parents couldn't get hold of you. And I think, uh,
the idea that it parents are better informed. I think
it actually does exactly what you were talking about. In
(10:33):
the event of an emergency, they don't need me to
be on the phone with a parent. They need to
be listening to the authorities at the school to be
following those instructions. So uh and and we live in
that kind of time, uh, Randall Maxwell with Boba Independent
School District, I want to applaud the district for the
vision and the willingness to do this. And I also
(10:56):
know it's quite an investment. It's another thing that uh
where y'all have to invest money into the students that
to help with education on a thing that who would
have thought, you know, put having to take phones away
from kids, But it makes perfect sense. And I applaud
(11:18):
you all art.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Well, and just clarifying, remember we're not taking the phone
away from them. We're just saying that, hey, you got
to power it down, your earbuds can't be used, and
you're going to keep your phone. We're just asking you
to put it in this pouch which is the tool.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
You take the pouch.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Home with you, you bring it back the next day,
you unlock it, place everything back in, lock it back up.
You know, it's just a resp a brief eight hour
time where you're not going to be on the phone.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
That's right. Well, we're about out of time. I thank
you very much and I look forward to visiting.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
With you again absolutely, and thank you for allowing us
to come on and discuss this with you.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Yes, sir, appreciate you. We are back with the Roy
West Show here on News Talk five sixty KLV. And remember, folks,
if you miss any part of this show, you can
always download the free iHeartRadio app or Apple podcast, Android podcasts,
Spotify and catch this show in its entirety on podcast.
(12:23):
And I have with me Bo Hanson with building codes
of the City of Beaumont. He's the Deputy Building Official
for the City of Beaumont, BO, welcome to the show.
Speaker 4 (12:33):
Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Well outstanding, and you know, I being mayor here in
the city, I have a huge appreciation for the work
you'll do. And I know sometimes there's some misunderstandings, you know,
And because the City of Beaumont actually does a whole
lot to help facilitate businesses opening, people building things in Beaumont,
(12:57):
lots of free services up front to help people walk it,
walk them through and tell people a little bit about
that if you don't mind, well.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Uh yeah, that's a that's a great question and one
I very much enjoy talking about because so many things
can happen in the field when materials have already been
bought and time is already being spent and timelines are
already established, And if we can get ahead of those
problems as a developer or a contractor, that's what we
(13:28):
aim to do. That's specifically what I aim to do
as a not only the deputy building official, but the
plans examiner for the city. When we review plans, we're
trying to get ahead of those issues so you don't
encounter them in the field. So I'd say probably the
most beneficial thing is, you know, I'm a part of
this community. I've been here, I'm a neighbor, and so
(13:50):
I just want to encourage people to pick up the
phone and call me. They can always call me, call
our office and just have a conversation with us. If
you are un familiar and doing a larger project, a
commercial project specifically, we have more formal environments established. One
of those is our pre development meeting. We have those
every single Thursday where we invite projects. Whether you're an
(14:15):
owner of a property wondering what you can do with it,
or an entrepreneur trying to move into an existing space.
We take time to think through all the different things
with all the different departments, which can be a lot.
You know, I'm just building codes. There's planning and zoning,
there's fire, there's health, water quality control, and all of
(14:36):
all of us work together to have a roundtable discussion
to make sure all your t's are crossed and isser
dotted before.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
You get going.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
But again, that can be that can be an intimidating process.
So my biggest encouragement is just pick up the phone
and call me. One of my friends even called me
just about thirty minutes ago. They're about to start a
project in Beaumont. They do a lot of work and
Hard County. Uh, and this is going to be their
first project in Beaumont, and they knew to pick up
(15:04):
the phone and call and get ahead of some of
the issues that they might encounter when you move to
a different jurisdiction.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Well, and you know, I think it's so important for
people to realize the city is there to help you
and u and sometimes you know, I've learned a lot,
but you know, this has so much to do with
public safety and public health and and obviously there are
some you know, in terms of planning and zoning that
(15:33):
is something that the council has put into effect over time,
and they have made adjustments. But you know, that's who
protect property values and areas of town that are uh,
you know, you don't want a commercial warehouse in a neighborhood.
But uh, but you know, sometimes people don't know what
(15:54):
they don't know. And I know, for me, oftentimes that's
been the case. I've gotten educated because the codes that
bone Byte enforces are these are not codes we just
pull out of thin air. These are for reasons.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Yeah, Unfortunately a lot of those reasons piggyback tragedy. We
learn a lot when tragic events happen, and if you
remember mayor a few months ago, I gave a presentation
of walking through that process. I mean going back to
some of the earliest codes and what we were doing,
(16:29):
even you know, the early Americas and the colonies being
established with wooden chimneys and thatched roofs and all the
fire hazards there. We have slowly learned over time how
to create a better, more efficient, and ultimately safe product,
and that only benefits us. One of the misconceptions a
lot of us think, you know, I come from a
(16:52):
very blue collar family and constructions in my blood, and
you'll hear it all the time of man, a bunch
of lawyers wrote these codes, and that is simply not true.
Boyd Meyer, our chief building official, and I we attended
actually some of the code hearings this past spring and
got to be in the room when they were discussing
(17:14):
and debating. It was amazing, even though it came down
to one word, the most nuanced thing in the code
they were debating over, and it wasn't a bunch of attorneys.
It was a bunch of plumbers and a bunch of
general contractors and a bunch of architects and engineers getting
together and discussing real world scenarios that have caused them
(17:35):
to passionately want to make small nuance changes with our codes.
And so, yeah, you're right. Over time that process is
slowly crescendoed into.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
What we have today.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
And then to go further on that, sorry if I'm
going too far here, but Beaumont has even adopted the
existing building code. I mentioned this because we have a
lot of older historic buildings that deserve a unique really
analysis when you think through how to address this, and
(18:07):
so we've adopted an existing building code that allows us
to approach each and every circumstance with flexibility. And I
think if people knew that, they would be more willing
to have a conversation with us.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Well, and again I applaud y'all because I've seen it firsthand.
Is sometimes people are afraid, well, if I say something wrong,
I'm going to get in trouble. This is the very
purpose of these meetings, is y'all. Don't expect everybody to
know everything. And you know that's why you're meeting with folks.
(18:38):
If everybody knew everything, we wouldn't need to do this,
but this is to allow people good guidance and help
them understand why it's important as well.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
Yeah, I know this is radio, it won't be a video,
but I'm holding my codebook and this is just one
of them.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
You see how thick this r It's about right.
Speaker 4 (18:56):
Two and a half three inches thick. I don't even
know it all off the top of my hand.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
But part of my job as.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
A building official is to you know, not only know how,
but teach developers and contractors how to navigate this massive
thing and understand each project quickly and to your point,
just as safe as possible.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Well, and another great thing about Beaumont is we we
have inspectors that get out in the field and check it.
And there are areas smaller areas and county areas where
things aren't inspected. But you know what I've found when
it when it comes to UH buildings and it comes
(19:38):
to pretty much anything, people expect that they're pretty safe
when they're walking in to do business with somewhere. They're
expecting that rules are being followed. You know, if like
if you go to a restaurant, you don't expect to
get sick from bad food. And you know, of course
we have public health for that, and the same thing
for a building, whether you buy a house, rent a house,
an apartment, you want to you assume it was built
(20:00):
and you know, with the best technology in terms of
keeping you safe. But that's not always the case.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Yeah it's not. And you know, even a misconception floating
around more prevalently today, And it seems like every year
this argument raises its ugly head that building the code
costs more. Studies show that, you know, when you look
at the duration of a quality product, to your point,
you're actually saving money. And the materials have gotten better,
(20:30):
so the standards that we were going by even ten
years ago and what it would take. You know, we
live on the coast, windstorm wind speeds are high here,
so we want to keep that in mind. The material
and the technology has gotten better to allow us to
build a better product at a more affordable cost. And
so again, quality is not something to skimp on. And yeah,
(20:55):
I think we're living in a day where you should
demand that, I guess is what I'm trying to say.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Well, bo, we've got just a minute left. How do
people You've got a website and you've got a phone
number that people can reach out to.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
Yeah, you can find me in my email. If you
go to Beaumont, Texas dot gov and click on building codes,
you'll see me and our entire team there. If you
want to get a hold of anybody specific, you can
call our office at four nine eight eight Oho thirty
one hundred and talk to us. We've got a great
team of clerks ready to serve, and we're here to
(21:34):
serve and walk alongside Again. Our heart as a department
is to get ahead of some of the issues that
you might experience in the field, So call us before
you get going.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Bo. Thank you so much, and I appreciate all that
you do and the patience that you have when working
with people, because y'all really are for the residents, for
the citizens, for the builders, and to keep people safe.
So until we talk again, God bless.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
You man, Thank you, sir, you too.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
Good afternoon, Southeast Texas.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
We are back with the Roy West Show here on
News Talk five sixty k l v I and also
heard anytime on the Free I Heardit radio app, Apple
podcasts or Android podcasts.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
I have with me.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
Drew Davison with Freedom Firearms welcome back to the show, Drew.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I appreciate you invite me back.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Absolutely, And you know, in today's world and with Texas laws,
you know, handguns guns in general are popular items in
Texas and absolutely certainly ability to be able to carry
in Texas is exists and is practiced by many people.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
But you know one thing that I think information.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Is always a powerful tool, and that we have somewhere
local right here in Boma that serves all of Southeast.
Speaker 5 (23:04):
Texas that you know, if that's a direction.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
You're wanting to go, and you know, you need to
know how to shoot, You need to know what firearms
best for you. You need to know how your gun shoots.
Tell people a little bit about how y'all might.
Speaker 5 (23:18):
Be able to assist people with and.
Speaker 6 (23:22):
I'll be on that, Roy. I'll even go beyond that.
We're a full service self defense dealer. We are the
only local distributor of Taser products. We are the only
local distributor of palm Oc spray, which is if you're
going to carry self defense spray, it is the one
you should carry. I carry it every day everywhere I go.
(23:43):
It's you know, for those who are watching on video
on my pocket right now. So it's it's very you know,
we have a lot of other options other than just firearms,
and I think a lot of those certainly have their
place now, no doubt. At the end of the day,
a firearm is probably the best self defense tool, uh,
you know, outside of situational awareness on this planet. We
(24:04):
also teach situational awareness classes. So, uh, firearms are you know,
a phenomenal tool, but just like any tool, it requires
a little bit of skill to use it, right. So
that's where we really come in. So not only can
we provide you with any firearm you might be interested in,
we all also have a number of training classes for
(24:24):
every level. We're just wrapping up our last kids camp
of the summer. We will be doing more of those
coming up. Those have been wildly successful. We filled every class,
so we definitely will be doing those potentially winter break
and then certainly uh spring break as well, and then
in the next summer, so those will be coming.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
Up as well. So we have them.
Speaker 6 (24:44):
We teach all levels from eight years old and up.
We do private lessons, We do defensive handgun classes, defensive
rifle classes. We teach things in a force on force environment.
You know, if you actually want to know what is
it like for me to have to deal with someone
who's coming my home in the middle of the night.
We have space, we can go upstairs, we can move around,
we can actually you know, give folks a taste for
(25:06):
what that actually feels like to have to deal with
those types of problems. So we handle not just the
legal training that you need to be able to safely
and responsibly carry a firearm, but also the actual tactical
training that you need to be successful if you ever
have to use it well.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
And and again, like any tool, it's only as good
as the person that's trained to use it. And I
think sometimes people are buying handguns and maybe never even
shooting them.
Speaker 5 (25:34):
Just thinking hey, this is gonna be personal defense for me.
And you know, I think statistics will show that it's.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Very important to know when and how to use a firearm,
and because they can certainly be used against you if
you're not prepared.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Not only can they be used against you, it's not
a low stakes game from a legal or a civil perspective.
So you know, there's a lot of places where if
you don't understand how, when, where, why, In all those
aspects of using a firearm, you can get yourself in
legal trouble or civil trouble, and that doesn't serve a
(26:18):
positive purpose for you either. So you know, you do
need to be aware of those things because our goal
is you know, saying sober moral citizens, is to you know,
get home and take care of our families at night,
be able to raise our children, protect our families. But
if we're in prison because we ran a foul of
(26:38):
these laws because of ignorance or not understanding or whatever,
that doesn't serve our purpose towards that goal. Right, So
it's it's not just important that we understand how to
use the firearm when we need to, but then we
understand when is the right time to do that from
both a moral and a legal perspective.
Speaker 5 (26:55):
Well, and what you're suggesting and talking about here is
people need to be able to get training for that.
I mean, it's absolutely you know, you're not going to.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Be able to watch YouTube and figure it all out.
And you know, just like our law enforcement and others
that are you know, carry guns is a day to
day part of their business, there's required training for them
and uh and it's to keep them safe and also
to keep the public safe and absolutely so tell people
(27:27):
you know a little bit about you know, price point
in terms of guns and you know, in terms of
training if you can, and I know it's been to vary.
Speaker 5 (27:36):
A lot, there's a lot of variables there. Yeah, people
an idea.
Speaker 6 (27:41):
Absolutely, so you know, we can get you in a
good defensive handgun that's going to be reliable for the
low three hundreds. You know, and from time to time
we have used guns that we certify. We offer a
lifetime warranty on all firearms, uh, whether new or use
purchasing the stores. So if you're worried about the condition,
(28:01):
you can borro our warranty at twenty five dollars and
we'll guarantee that gun for life. But we can get
you in good guns generally starting to around the load
three hundreds. Obviously they go way up from there. We
have guns and are a couple of guns behind me
or you know, if you're watching online or on one
of the podcasts, you can see they're five six thousand
dollars setups, right, So it certainly goes up from there.
(28:21):
But we can get you a good reliable gun for
around that price point. Training wise, there's I'd always recommend
taking at least two classes. One of those is always
going to be Texas Licensed to Carry class. That is
a classroom class primarily that talks about the laws, the
legalities around carrying and use of force. That's important to understand.
So I recommend that to every single person who comes
(28:43):
through our door. If you haven't taken that class in
five or ten years, you have the ability to renewal
on line and not retake that class. I would recommend
retaking it. There was a complete change of Texas self
defense laws and carry laws that happened in twenty nineteen
twenty twenty, twenty twenty one, so across a couple legislative
sessions there, we've seen some major changes, a lot of
(29:04):
them really positive updates for carriers, but understanding just where,
when and how to carry to make sure that you
don't run a foul of any laws. And then, in
addition to that class, which is one hundred and twenty
five dollars, members get twenty five percent off all of
our classes also, so if you want to get a
membership here, you will save some money on that. We
have shooting classes starting at private lessons for about seventy
five dollars and then going up to about one hundred
(29:25):
and fifty, so you can get a really good quality
lesson or take a class anywhere from seventy five dollars
to one hundred and fifty dollars. And you know, I'll
tell you, with one private lesson, I feel relatively confident
in saying this, you would be in the top twenty
five percent of law enforcement shooters with one class here.
And I feel confident saying that because we are a
(29:46):
company of instructors. We're professional instructors, We're not you know,
law enforcement people talk about them training a lot, but
the reality is they have a lot of facets to
their job, and the firearm is probably less than one
percent of that. So whatever you do with us than
one percent of your job, you're probably not that good at.
And and every law enforcement officer spends their day hoping
they never need their firearm, right, And so to all
(30:07):
of us is the public, that's that's the best outcome, right,
And and uh, I'm the same way. I hope I
never need mine. The reality is, but we do need
to be prepared should we ever have to. So we
have a number of classes where we can take you
from a new shooter to a very competent shooter, very
very quickly, because it's all we do. We teach people
every day, day in and day out. Competition shooting, defensive shooting,
(30:30):
tactical shooting, long range shooting, you name it we have.
We've got multi multi tour snipers working for us. We
have folks who've been training for fifteen twenty years, so
we can definitely take care of all those needs.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Well, we're getting close to the last minute. Tell people
where you are and how they can get you know,
how they can get in touch with you, and about
your website absolutely.
Speaker 6 (30:56):
So the website is freedom fd dot com. If that's
hard to remember, Beaumont Shooting dot com will take you
there as well. From our website you can find links
to everything you need, phone numbers all that. We are
located at five five four five East Tex Freeway, just
down from Park.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Dell Mall and y'all have a firing indoor firing range
there this, you know, and as you pointed out earlier,
you can have a membership in and so that you
can stay sharp once you learn the proper skills, you know.
The one made about the training too is it may
show people that it's not as easy as just point
(31:33):
and shoot that you know very sure's there's some real
youthful training in that well, Drew, I just want to
thank you for your availability. You've got a great store there,
offer great services and Boma and Southeast Texas.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
Its fortunate that have y'all. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
Roy.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
All right, folks, you're listening to Roy West Show here
on News Talk five sixty kl V. I we're gonna
be right after this commercial break. You're listening to the
Roy West Show, and we are back after a break
here and I have with me Randy for Tita. She
is with Catholic Charities, the Elijah's Place Ministry. Welcome to
(32:17):
the show, Randy, thank you very much.
Speaker 7 (32:19):
Thank you for having.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Me absolutely well. Catholic Charities. I can't imagine there's anybody
out there that's not familiar with it, and maybe we'll
spend some time talking about them a little later, but
I want to make sure we let people know what
Elijah's Place is and that it's available right here in
Southeast Texas, because this is not something that's normally necessarily
(32:41):
on people's radar until they go through tragic events. So
help if you would explain, okay.
Speaker 7 (32:50):
So, Elijah's Place is a support group for children ages
eight five to eighteen who have experienced the death of
a parent or a brother or sister. The program also
provides support for the children's caregivers to help them with
their own grief as well as how to help their
children who grieve. And it's a support group that's led
(33:10):
by volunteers. It is a peer support group, so that
children who've all had the same common experience of the
death of an immediate family member can come to the
group and be with other kids who've been through a
similar experience, and they're with other kids their age. We
break them up into different age groups. So and then
(33:32):
the groups are led by, like as I said, by
volunteers who facilitate activities that are designed for kids to
encourage participation and encourage discussion about their loved one as
well as learn coping skills, you know, conntinue preserve memories
(33:54):
of that person that they have and just better cope
with the loss that they've experienced.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Well and and certainly such loss is difficult for any
of us, but when you're when you're a child, you know,
it can be really hard to manage and at that point,
you know, you're you're in school, you're in life, and
you know you can it can really derail young people
(34:23):
and and certainly has in the past. And uh, you know,
so this is a tool that sometimes people may not
realize you know, that it even exists, and also the value.
Speaker 7 (34:38):
Of it, right and you know, the thing about it
is children are often referred to is the forgotten, are
the invisible grievers, are mourners because children, we don't realize
often is adults that children do grieve. Their grief is
so different than adults that adults often don't recognize it.
(34:59):
Very young children don't have the language to verbalize what
they're feeling. They don't even understand what they're going through
to be able to identify. They may not know why
they're feeling the way they're feeling, and so they act
it out in different ways. Sometimes it comes out through
you know, constructive ways, like through their play, where they're
(35:19):
actually either communicating what they're trying to with they're trying
to express, or they're trying to act out what they
don't understand. But sometimes it comes out in unproductive ways,
such as you know, in behavioral difficulties, anger problems, maybe distraction.
(35:41):
It's often you know, people think that children that if
they don't know that they're grieving, and this happens like
often in a classroom where a teacher may not know
that a child is lost a parent or a sibling
and they're having some behavioral problems and they're having trouble learning,
they're having trouble paying attention, and it may be due
to the grief that they're experiencing and the children just
(36:04):
don't know how to verbalize that yet.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Well, and that you know, certainly there's grief support groups
for adults that lose loved ones and friends and so
but again many adults, you know, it's something that the
longer you live, death is something you experience. So it's
something that others might be able to relate to and
talk to you about, and at least you might have
(36:30):
some outlets. But certainly going to a support group helps
you because you know you're talking to other people that
are that are in the same boat that you will,
if you will, in the trenches and just trying to
navigate life at that point. So but with kids that
(36:50):
you know, their peers aren't unless they're in a support
group because of loss aren't generally going to have any
clue about this for friends.
Speaker 7 (36:59):
And so sadly, so many of the children, when they're
their classmates or friends do know they're they're treated differently.
They may actually we get so many reports of children
being bullied just because kids will sometimes pick out something
that's different about a person and use that as a
way to kind of increase their own self esteem by
(37:23):
pulling that person down. And so it's sad that so
many of our children come to us and tell us
that they're being picked on at school because of their
person who died, and it is something that you know, again,
it's so important. Another service we provide is education in
the schools, and that is such another important thing because
(37:46):
the teachers, they tell us that they don't receive any
training when they're going through, you know, their education on
how to teach children. They don't get training on how
to support children who are grieving. And so that is
something that we found to be very valuable in a
school setting, is to be able to offer that there
(38:07):
as well, so that they feel better equipped to help
their own students.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Well and certainly as adults. You know, when you have
friends or when you know people that have lost ones,
you know, finding the words, you know, just to be
able to offer that support. So sometimes for parents or
loved ones that are providing, you know, helping kids navigate it,
(38:33):
it's a difficult process for them. They're grieving too.
Speaker 7 (38:36):
Usually, right, And that is definitely an important point to highlight,
is that adults, when they're grieving sometimes they're overwhelmed with
their own grief and they often come to us and
tell us, I want to help my child, but I
don't even know how to help myself. And so it
is something that the children do sometimes fall to the
(38:57):
wayside because the the parents are overwhelmed, not just with
their grief, but with all the new financial strains, the
new arrangements they have to make. It becomes, you know,
a thing that the children do need additional support.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Well, we've got just under a minute left. Tell people
how they can find out about more and how they participate.
Speaker 7 (39:19):
Well, they can always call me directly at four O
nine nine two four four four three three, and they
can also go to Catholic Charity's website, which is cc
SE TX dot org. Click on the ministries tab and
see scroll down to Elija's place to read more about
(39:39):
the program.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Well, Randy, I want to thank you and the ministry
that y'all perform. And you know in all the different ministries,
Catholic Charity checks out and I know that I've had
Carolyn Fernandez on many times, but this is in the
in the wake of the recent tragedy and the Hill
Country that affected so many children, I think it's important
(40:03):
to be sharing with the community. So thank you so
much for your time. Can I please, I like one
quick thing.
Speaker 7 (40:08):
Our services are available to anyone regardless of faith, and
so that's one thing that's often misunderstood.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
So I just want to right.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
You great point. Thank you so much.
Speaker 7 (40:17):
Okay, thank you.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
You're listening to the Roy Weentz Show here on News
Talk five sixty KLV.
Speaker 5 (40:28):
Folks.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
We always have the best guests every week. We're talking
to people from across the community that have upcoming events
are it's just useful and helpful information and this week's
no different than that. We began by talking to Randall
Maxwell with Boma Independent School District talking about the yonder
(40:49):
pouches that will now where students will not be able
to access their phones in schools in the upper grades
and they will put it in a yonder pouch, which
people there's people that have gone to concerts that have
perhaps experienced that yonder pouch they all keep with them.
(41:11):
They'll put their phone in there and it just can't
receive signal during while they're in school. And it's certainly
been proven through many districts to be helpful and now
it's a state law. Then we talked to Bo Hanson
with the building codes. He's a deputy building official for
the City of Beaumont and how if you're looking to
build in the commercial or residential how to go about
(41:33):
doing that and also check out Beaumont, Texas dot gov
for more information. Drew Davison with Freedom Firearms talking about
the classes that they offer regarding handgun and gun training.
Just if people want more information, you can find them
online or and also on Facebook.
Speaker 5 (41:52):
And they are right down the street from the mall
onlo the Service Road.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
And then Randy Fertita with Catholic Charities mina such Eliza's Place,
which is grief support for kids, and so it's you know,
and that is certainly something that if it touches your.
Speaker 5 (42:10):
Life, you need to know that there are avenues.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
They're available, so check out Catholic Charities if you have
more question and until we talk again, God bless you all.
You're listening to the Roy West Show here on News
Talk five sixty klv. I can be heard every Sunday
from noon to one and anytime on the free iHeart
Radio app, as well as Apple Podcast and Android podcast.
Love to keep people informed about what's happening in Southeast
Texas and bid Bouma Independent School District. I love Bouma
(00:26):
Independent School District. They do a great job with our
kids and they're constantly being innovative in terms of how
can we better serve our kids. And I have the
privilege of having with me Randall Maxwell. He's senior director
of Students Support Services here at BID and y'all are
doing something quite innovative this coming fall.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Absolutely and thank you for having us on the show.
We want to make it.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Yes, sir, not only do our students, but our stakeholders, parents, grandparents, everyone.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Understand the the.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Fact that we're going to use a tool called the
Yonder Pouch to help students secure their phones number one,
so that we and the students have a you know,
more success in the classroom. We know how phones and
(01:25):
young people are like you know, glue because they don't
want to get rid of their phone.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
They think that the phone is the most important thing
in their life, even though their parents and grandparents and
all of that.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
You know understand that, yes, the phone is important, but
your education is probably going to take you a lot
further than that phone will.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Absolutely, So the two things have really transpired. Roy number one.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
In the past, we've had a phone policy and we've
asked that our students not you know, get on their
phones during class times. But the legislature has also decided,
along with a lot of other states, that cell phones
should be prohibited in the classroom setting, in the school setting.
(02:16):
So the legislature passed HB fourteen eighty one this year
and it requires a policy for hibbiting students from using
cell phones and smart watches. Key there cell phones and
smart watches on school property during the school day. Now,
why would they do that? There has been information, there's
(02:37):
been studies that support the fact that students around the world,
around the United States, who are constantly on their cell phone,
there are effects of being on there for multiple hours,
many many hours all day long, worrying about it, and
(02:58):
it not only has so emotional effect, but it also
creates a situation where students aren't paying as much attention,
they're not being as engaged with the instructor in the classroom,
and that really is what allowed us to think about
and to really look at a tool called this Yonder
(03:20):
pouch to help our students with the fact that we
know that they are constantly glued to and some would
say addicted to their cell phones.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
So yes, we're implementing a tool a procedure. It's been
very well thought out.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
This has been an ongoing two and a half year
project where we actually looked at data of the number
of kids that were getting in trouble with their cell phones.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
We visited.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Not only Colleen Independent School District, Dallas Independent School District,
Richardson Independent School District, but we also talked to people
in California, on the East Coast in Arkansas, and we
really have decided that this tool is what's.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Going to help our students well.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
And I know that that wasn't an easy decision, and
having been to concerts and shows, you know, I think
over ten years ago these pouches were introduced for commercial purposes,
so people couldn't video and take pictures at concerts or
just be a distraction to their neighbors. So this isn't
(04:36):
a new concept, and it's and it's been you and
it first was used commercially just for that very purpose
is you know, people didn't want information taken out from
them and you know, through the video or but also
just the distraction and the distraction to the neighbors. And
(04:56):
I know for schools, you know, and we're certainly this
is for our students and our children and grandchildren, but
I know that you know, phones are a distraction everyday
life is here in Beaumont. You know, in traffic that
can be a concern. People are on their phone instead
of driving. So, you know, being able to remove that
distraction because quite frankly, phones have become quite addictive for
(05:20):
a lot of people.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Well and Yonder is a patented locking pouch that creates
a phone free learning space.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
For students and educators.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Every single school we went to that had this tool
in place said that discipline incidents were down, that creativity
was up, that engagement was up between not only your
teacher and your student, but also students and students instead
of let's say, you know, nine hundred kids going to
(05:53):
lunch and they're all looking at their phone.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Now the phones are in the pouch. We're not taking
the phone away from the student, which can you know,
cause some anxiety issues the kid gets to keep their
phone on them, it's locked away. But more importantly, during lunch,
during the hallways, they're actually talking to each other.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
They're actually engaging with each other. They're actually doing the
thing that helps the human mind and body by having
good conversation with your fellow neighbor, your you know, your friend,
your student, whatever. So we understand that Yonder is going
to create a better learning environment, a better teaching environment
(06:37):
in every single adult that we talk to stated that
when we went to the different schools and talked to
the different folks about you know, even thinking about using.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
This, well that that's that's quite uh, that's really good testimonies.
And I know I looked at it online before we
did this, and you know, there's really there is no
negatives to this. And I think it'll also help with
as you were talking about kids' soft skills. You know,
(07:11):
I know that a lot of younger people aren't learning
how to talk to their friends because they don't have
to their text and but it gets in their way
of ability to do jobs and communicate in business. Later
and learning how to talk to people, you know, face
to face. I don't think we necessarily understood what an
(07:33):
acquired skill it is. But if you don't do it,
you don't learn how to do it very effectively, and
then you avoid it. And I think we've had a
number of students grow up in this phone environment where
they didn't escape it, and they weren't very effective at
communicating as a whole, and certainly getting a better education
(07:54):
and freeing up teachers to be able to teach more
rather than just try to uh handle getting phones from
kids or getting them to put them up.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I would imagine, Well, and you mentioned phones being a distraction.
You know, you're talking about people driving and texting. That's
a distraction when you when you place your phone in
a yonder pouch, you do not have to worry about.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
It for that day.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Now, we do need to educate our parents because parents,
you know, probably in the past, have always felt like, hey,
I can just contact my student at any time.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Well, that's going to have to change. It's gonna have to.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
To go back to what is a true emergency, and
a true emergency when I looked it up, talk more
about is does it have to do with death, Does
it have to do with an accident, does it have
to do with a serious situation? You know, forgetting your
cleats is not a true emergency. So you know, we're
(09:00):
going to have to retrain not only the conversation, which
I think will help with our parents. Parents need to
daily talk about, Hey, what is your day going to
look like? Do I need to do this? Do you
have an appointment? Do you have everything you need? You know,
that kind of thing, because part of this also is
safety if we do ever have an incident, We want
(09:24):
our students focused on our teachers, not twenty five two
thousand have very many kids in a school all of
a sudden texting out and our first responders not being
able to get to a to a school and take
care of the situation. So there's a lot of positives.
There's a lot of retraining that has to be done.
(09:44):
But we do believe this is the right step, and
it's been proven all over the country and all over
the world.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Well, and for anybody that thinks they might be a
doubt or they need to get online and read about it,
because you are exactly right. All the testimonies uh from
school districts and and other businesses that have incorporated it,
you know, speak the value. I mean, it's just taking
the phone out of the equation and it can be
such a huge distraction. And uh and our kids are
(10:13):
in school to learn and uh and as you pointed out,
I know I went to school, and I suspect you
went to school when phones weren't a thing, and you
know you parents couldn't get hold of you. And I think, uh,
the idea that it parents are better informed. I think
it actually does exactly what you were talking about. In
(10:33):
the event of an emergency, they don't need me to
be on the phone with a parent. They need to
be listening to the authorities at the school to be
following those instructions. So uh and and we live in
that kind of time, uh, Randall Maxwell with Boba Independent
School District, I want to applaud the district for the
vision and the willingness to do this. And I also
(10:56):
know it's quite an investment. It's another thing that uh
where y'all have to invest money into the students that
to help with education on a thing that who would
have thought, you know, put having to take phones away
from kids, But it makes perfect sense. And I applaud
(11:18):
you all art.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Well, and just clarifying, remember we're not taking the phone
away from them. We're just saying that, hey, you got
to power it down, your earbuds can't be used, and
you're going to keep your phone. We're just asking you
to put it in this pouch which is the tool.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
You take the pouch.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Home with you, you bring it back the next day,
you unlock it, place everything back in, lock it back up.
You know, it's just a resp a brief eight hour
time where you're not going to be on the phone.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
That's right. Well, we're about out of time. I thank
you very much and I look forward to visiting.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
With you again absolutely, and thank you for allowing us
to come on and discuss this with you.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Yes, sir, appreciate you. We are back with the Roy
West Show here on News Talk five sixty KLV. And remember, folks,
if you miss any part of this show, you can
always download the free iHeartRadio app or Apple podcast, Android podcasts,
Spotify and catch this show in its entirety on podcast.
(12:23):
And I have with me Bo Hanson with building codes
of the City of Beaumont. He's the Deputy Building Official
for the City of Beaumont, BO, welcome to the show.
Speaker 4 (12:33):
Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Well outstanding, and you know, I being mayor here in
the city, I have a huge appreciation for the work
you'll do. And I know sometimes there's some misunderstandings, you know,
And because the City of Beaumont actually does a whole
lot to help facilitate businesses opening, people building things in Beaumont,
(12:57):
lots of free services up front to help people walk it,
walk them through and tell people a little bit about
that if you don't mind, well.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Uh yeah, that's a that's a great question and one
I very much enjoy talking about because so many things
can happen in the field when materials have already been
bought and time is already being spent and timelines are
already established, And if we can get ahead of those
problems as a developer or a contractor, that's what we
(13:28):
aim to do. That's specifically what I aim to do
as a not only the deputy building official, but the
plans examiner for the city. When we review plans, we're
trying to get ahead of those issues so you don't
encounter them in the field. So I'd say probably the
most beneficial thing is, you know, I'm a part of
this community. I've been here, I'm a neighbor, and so
(13:50):
I just want to encourage people to pick up the
phone and call me. They can always call me, call
our office and just have a conversation with us. If
you are un familiar and doing a larger project, a
commercial project specifically, we have more formal environments established. One
of those is our pre development meeting. We have those
every single Thursday where we invite projects. Whether you're an
(14:15):
owner of a property wondering what you can do with it,
or an entrepreneur trying to move into an existing space.
We take time to think through all the different things
with all the different departments, which can be a lot.
You know, I'm just building codes. There's planning and zoning,
there's fire, there's health, water quality control, and all of
(14:36):
all of us work together to have a roundtable discussion
to make sure all your t's are crossed and isser
dotted before.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
You get going.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
But again, that can be that can be an intimidating process.
So my biggest encouragement is just pick up the phone
and call me. One of my friends even called me
just about thirty minutes ago. They're about to start a
project in Beaumont. They do a lot of work and
Hard County. Uh, and this is going to be their
first project in Beaumont, and they knew to pick up
(15:04):
the phone and call and get ahead of some of
the issues that they might encounter when you move to
a different jurisdiction.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Well, and you know, I think it's so important for
people to realize the city is there to help you
and u and sometimes you know, I've learned a lot,
but you know, this has so much to do with
public safety and public health and and obviously there are
some you know, in terms of planning and zoning that
(15:33):
is something that the council has put into effect over time,
and they have made adjustments. But you know, that's who
protect property values and areas of town that are uh,
you know, you don't want a commercial warehouse in a neighborhood.
But uh, but you know, sometimes people don't know what
(15:54):
they don't know. And I know, for me, oftentimes that's
been the case. I've gotten educated because the codes that
bone Byte enforces are these are not codes we just
pull out of thin air. These are for reasons.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Yeah, Unfortunately a lot of those reasons piggyback tragedy. We
learn a lot when tragic events happen, and if you
remember mayor a few months ago, I gave a presentation
of walking through that process. I mean going back to
some of the earliest codes and what we were doing,
(16:29):
even you know, the early Americas and the colonies being
established with wooden chimneys and thatched roofs and all the
fire hazards there. We have slowly learned over time how
to create a better, more efficient, and ultimately safe product,
and that only benefits us. One of the misconceptions a
lot of us think, you know, I come from a
(16:52):
very blue collar family and constructions in my blood, and
you'll hear it all the time of man, a bunch
of lawyers wrote these codes, and that is simply not true.
Boyd Meyer, our chief building official, and I we attended
actually some of the code hearings this past spring and
got to be in the room when they were discussing
(17:14):
and debating. It was amazing, even though it came down
to one word, the most nuanced thing in the code
they were debating over, and it wasn't a bunch of attorneys.
It was a bunch of plumbers and a bunch of
general contractors and a bunch of architects and engineers getting
together and discussing real world scenarios that have caused them
(17:35):
to passionately want to make small nuance changes with our codes.
And so, yeah, you're right. Over time that process is
slowly crescendoed into.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
What we have today.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
And then to go further on that, sorry if I'm
going too far here, but Beaumont has even adopted the
existing building code. I mentioned this because we have a
lot of older historic buildings that deserve a unique really
analysis when you think through how to address this, and
(18:07):
so we've adopted an existing building code that allows us
to approach each and every circumstance with flexibility. And I
think if people knew that, they would be more willing
to have a conversation with us.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Well, and again I applaud y'all because I've seen it firsthand.
Is sometimes people are afraid, well, if I say something wrong,
I'm going to get in trouble. This is the very
purpose of these meetings, is y'all. Don't expect everybody to
know everything. And you know that's why you're meeting with folks.
(18:38):
If everybody knew everything, we wouldn't need to do this,
but this is to allow people good guidance and help
them understand why it's important as well.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
Yeah, I know this is radio, it won't be a video,
but I'm holding my codebook and this is just one
of them.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
You see how thick this r It's about right.
Speaker 4 (18:56):
Two and a half three inches thick. I don't even
know it all off the top of my hand.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
But part of my job as.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
A building official is to you know, not only know how,
but teach developers and contractors how to navigate this massive
thing and understand each project quickly and to your point,
just as safe as possible.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Well, and another great thing about Beaumont is we we
have inspectors that get out in the field and check it.
And there are areas smaller areas and county areas where
things aren't inspected. But you know what I've found when
it when it comes to UH buildings and it comes
(19:38):
to pretty much anything, people expect that they're pretty safe
when they're walking in to do business with somewhere. They're
expecting that rules are being followed. You know, if like
if you go to a restaurant, you don't expect to
get sick from bad food. And you know, of course
we have public health for that, and the same thing
for a building, whether you buy a house, rent a house,
an apartment, you want to you assume it was built
(20:00):
and you know, with the best technology in terms of
keeping you safe. But that's not always the case.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Yeah it's not. And you know, even a misconception floating
around more prevalently today, And it seems like every year
this argument raises its ugly head that building the code
costs more. Studies show that, you know, when you look
at the duration of a quality product, to your point,
you're actually saving money. And the materials have gotten better,
(20:30):
so the standards that we were going by even ten
years ago and what it would take. You know, we
live on the coast, windstorm wind speeds are high here,
so we want to keep that in mind. The material
and the technology has gotten better to allow us to
build a better product at a more affordable cost. And
so again, quality is not something to skimp on. And yeah,
(20:55):
I think we're living in a day where you should
demand that, I guess is what I'm trying to say.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Well, bo, we've got just a minute left. How do
people You've got a website and you've got a phone
number that people can reach out to.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
Yeah, you can find me in my email. If you
go to Beaumont, Texas dot gov and click on building codes,
you'll see me and our entire team there. If you
want to get a hold of anybody specific, you can
call our office at four nine eight eight Oho thirty
one hundred and talk to us. We've got a great
team of clerks ready to serve, and we're here to
(21:34):
serve and walk alongside Again. Our heart as a department
is to get ahead of some of the issues that
you might experience in the field, So call us before
you get going.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Bo. Thank you so much, and I appreciate all that
you do and the patience that you have when working
with people, because y'all really are for the residents, for
the citizens, for the builders, and to keep people safe.
So until we talk again, God bless.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
You man, Thank you, sir, you too.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
Good afternoon, Southeast Texas.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
We are back with the Roy West Show here on
News Talk five sixty k l v I and also
heard anytime on the Free I Heardit radio app, Apple
podcasts or Android podcasts.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
I have with me.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
Drew Davison with Freedom Firearms welcome back to the show, Drew.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
I appreciate you invite me back.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Absolutely, And you know, in today's world and with Texas laws,
you know, handguns guns in general are popular items in
Texas and absolutely certainly ability to be able to carry
in Texas is exists and is practiced by many people.
Speaker 5 (22:53):
But you know one thing that I think information.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Is always a powerful tool, and that we have somewhere
local right here in Boma that serves all of Southeast.
Speaker 5 (23:04):
Texas that you know, if that's a direction.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
You're wanting to go, and you know, you need to
know how to shoot, You need to know what firearms
best for you. You need to know how your gun shoots.
Tell people a little bit about how y'all might.
Speaker 5 (23:18):
Be able to assist people with and.
Speaker 6 (23:22):
I'll be on that, Roy. I'll even go beyond that.
We're a full service self defense dealer. We are the
only local distributor of Taser products. We are the only
local distributor of palm Oc spray, which is if you're
going to carry self defense spray, it is the one
you should carry. I carry it every day everywhere I go.
(23:43):
It's you know, for those who are watching on video
on my pocket right now. So it's it's very you know,
we have a lot of other options other than just firearms,
and I think a lot of those certainly have their
place now, no doubt. At the end of the day,
a firearm is probably the best self defense tool, uh,
you know, outside of situational awareness on this planet. We
(24:04):
also teach situational awareness classes. So, uh, firearms are you know,
a phenomenal tool, but just like any tool, it requires
a little bit of skill to use it, right. So
that's where we really come in. So not only can
we provide you with any firearm you might be interested in,
we all also have a number of training classes for
(24:24):
every level. We're just wrapping up our last kids camp
of the summer. We will be doing more of those
coming up. Those have been wildly successful. We filled every class,
so we definitely will be doing those potentially winter break
and then certainly uh spring break as well, and then
in the next summer, so those will be coming.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
Up as well. So we have them.
Speaker 6 (24:44):
We teach all levels from eight years old and up.
We do private lessons, We do defensive handgun classes, defensive
rifle classes. We teach things in a force on force environment.
You know, if you actually want to know what is
it like for me to have to deal with someone
who's coming my home in the middle of the night.
We have space, we can go upstairs, we can move around,
we can actually you know, give folks a taste for
(25:06):
what that actually feels like to have to deal with
those types of problems. So we handle not just the
legal training that you need to be able to safely
and responsibly carry a firearm, but also the actual tactical
training that you need to be successful if you ever
have to use it well.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
And and again, like any tool, it's only as good
as the person that's trained to use it. And I
think sometimes people are buying handguns and maybe never even
shooting them.
Speaker 5 (25:34):
Just thinking hey, this is gonna be personal defense for me.
And you know, I think statistics will show that it's.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Very important to know when and how to use a firearm,
and because they can certainly be used against you if
you're not prepared.
Speaker 6 (25:53):
Not only can they be used against you, it's not
a low stakes game from a legal or a civil perspective.
So you know, there's a lot of places where if
you don't understand how, when, where, why, In all those
aspects of using a firearm, you can get yourself in
legal trouble or civil trouble, and that doesn't serve a
(26:18):
positive purpose for you either. So you know, you do
need to be aware of those things because our goal
is you know, saying sober moral citizens, is to you know,
get home and take care of our families at night,
be able to raise our children, protect our families. But
if we're in prison because we ran a foul of
(26:38):
these laws because of ignorance or not understanding or whatever,
that doesn't serve our purpose towards that goal. Right, So
it's it's not just important that we understand how to
use the firearm when we need to, but then we
understand when is the right time to do that from
both a moral and a legal perspective.
Speaker 5 (26:55):
Well, and what you're suggesting and talking about here is
people need to be able to get training for that.
I mean, it's absolutely you know, you're not going to.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
Be able to watch YouTube and figure it all out.
And you know, just like our law enforcement and others
that are you know, carry guns is a day to
day part of their business, there's required training for them
and uh and it's to keep them safe and also
to keep the public safe and absolutely so tell people
(27:27):
you know a little bit about you know, price point
in terms of guns and you know, in terms of
training if you can, and I know it's been to vary.
Speaker 5 (27:36):
A lot, there's a lot of variables there. Yeah, people
an idea.
Speaker 6 (27:41):
Absolutely, so you know, we can get you in a
good defensive handgun that's going to be reliable for the
low three hundreds. You know, and from time to time
we have used guns that we certify. We offer a
lifetime warranty on all firearms, uh, whether new or use
purchasing the stores. So if you're worried about the condition,
(28:01):
you can borro our warranty at twenty five dollars and
we'll guarantee that gun for life. But we can get
you in good guns generally starting to around the load
three hundreds. Obviously they go way up from there. We
have guns and are a couple of guns behind me
or you know, if you're watching online or on one
of the podcasts, you can see they're five six thousand
dollars setups, right, So it certainly goes up from there.
(28:21):
But we can get you a good reliable gun for
around that price point. Training wise, there's I'd always recommend
taking at least two classes. One of those is always
going to be Texas Licensed to Carry class. That is
a classroom class primarily that talks about the laws, the
legalities around carrying and use of force. That's important to understand.
So I recommend that to every single person who comes
(28:43):
through our door. If you haven't taken that class in
five or ten years, you have the ability to renewal
on line and not retake that class. I would recommend
retaking it. There was a complete change of Texas self
defense laws and carry laws that happened in twenty nineteen
twenty twenty, twenty twenty one, so across a couple legislative
sessions there, we've seen some major changes, a lot of
(29:04):
them really positive updates for carriers, but understanding just where,
when and how to carry to make sure that you
don't run a foul of any laws. And then, in
addition to that class, which is one hundred and twenty
five dollars, members get twenty five percent off all of
our classes also, so if you want to get a
membership here, you will save some money on that. We
have shooting classes starting at private lessons for about seventy
five dollars and then going up to about one hundred
(29:25):
and fifty, so you can get a really good quality
lesson or take a class anywhere from seventy five dollars
to one hundred and fifty dollars. And you know, I'll
tell you, with one private lesson, I feel relatively confident
in saying this, you would be in the top twenty
five percent of law enforcement shooters with one class here.
And I feel confident saying that because we are a
(29:46):
company of instructors. We're professional instructors, We're not you know,
law enforcement people talk about them training a lot, but
the reality is they have a lot of facets to
their job, and the firearm is probably less than one
percent of that. So whatever you do with us than
one percent of your job, you're probably not that good at.
And and every law enforcement officer spends their day hoping
they never need their firearm, right, And so to all
(30:07):
of us is the public, that's that's the best outcome, right,
And and uh, I'm the same way. I hope I
never need mine. The reality is, but we do need
to be prepared should we ever have to. So we
have a number of classes where we can take you
from a new shooter to a very competent shooter, very
very quickly, because it's all we do. We teach people
every day, day in and day out. Competition shooting, defensive shooting,
(30:30):
tactical shooting, long range shooting, you name it we have.
We've got multi multi tour snipers working for us. We
have folks who've been training for fifteen twenty years, so
we can definitely take care of all those needs.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Well, we're getting close to the last minute. Tell people
where you are and how they can get you know,
how they can get in touch with you, and about
your website absolutely.
Speaker 6 (30:56):
So the website is freedom fd dot com. If that's
hard to remember, Beaumont Shooting dot com will take you
there as well. From our website you can find links
to everything you need, phone numbers all that. We are
located at five five four five East Tex Freeway, just
down from Park.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Dell Mall and y'all have a firing indoor firing range
there this, you know, and as you pointed out earlier,
you can have a membership in and so that you
can stay sharp once you learn the proper skills, you know.
The one made about the training too is it may
show people that it's not as easy as just point
(31:33):
and shoot that you know very sure's there's some real
youthful training in that well, Drew, I just want to
thank you for your availability. You've got a great store there,
offer great services and Boma and Southeast Texas.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
Its fortunate that have y'all. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
Roy.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
All right, folks, you're listening to Roy West Show here
on News Talk five sixty kl V. I we're gonna
be right after this commercial break. You're listening to the
Roy West Show, and we are back after a break
here and I have with me Randy for Tita. She
is with Catholic Charities, the Elijah's Place Ministry. Welcome to
(32:17):
the show, Randy, thank you very much.
Speaker 7 (32:19):
Thank you for having.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Me absolutely well. Catholic Charities. I can't imagine there's anybody
out there that's not familiar with it, and maybe we'll
spend some time talking about them a little later, but
I want to make sure we let people know what
Elijah's Place is and that it's available right here in
Southeast Texas, because this is not something that's normally necessarily
(32:41):
on people's radar until they go through tragic events. So
help if you would explain, okay.
Speaker 7 (32:50):
So, Elijah's Place is a support group for children ages
eight five to eighteen who have experienced the death of
a parent or a brother or sister. The program also
provides support for the children's caregivers to help them with
their own grief as well as how to help their
children who grieve. And it's a support group that's led
(33:10):
by volunteers. It is a peer support group, so that
children who've all had the same common experience of the
death of an immediate family member can come to the
group and be with other kids who've been through a
similar experience, and they're with other kids their age. We
break them up into different age groups. So and then
(33:32):
the groups are led by, like as I said, by
volunteers who facilitate activities that are designed for kids to
encourage participation and encourage discussion about their loved one as
well as learn coping skills, you know, conntinue preserve memories
(33:54):
of that person that they have and just better cope
with the loss that they've experienced.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Well and and certainly such loss is difficult for any
of us, but when you're when you're a child, you know,
it can be really hard to manage and at that point,
you know, you're you're in school, you're in life, and
you know you can it can really derail young people
(34:23):
and and certainly has in the past. And uh, you know,
so this is a tool that sometimes people may not
realize you know, that it even exists, and also the value.
Speaker 7 (34:38):
Of it, right and you know, the thing about it
is children are often referred to is the forgotten, are
the invisible grievers, are mourners because children, we don't realize
often is adults that children do grieve. Their grief is
so different than adults that adults often don't recognize it.
(34:59):
Very young children don't have the language to verbalize what
they're feeling. They don't even understand what they're going through
to be able to identify. They may not know why
they're feeling the way they're feeling, and so they act
it out in different ways. Sometimes it comes out through
you know, constructive ways, like through their play, where they're
(35:19):
actually either communicating what they're trying to with they're trying
to express, or they're trying to act out what they
don't understand. But sometimes it comes out in unproductive ways,
such as you know, in behavioral difficulties, anger problems, maybe distraction.
(35:41):
It's often you know, people think that children that if
they don't know that they're grieving, and this happens like
often in a classroom where a teacher may not know
that a child is lost a parent or a sibling
and they're having some behavioral problems and they're having trouble learning,
they're having trouble paying attention, and it may be due
to the grief that they're experiencing and the children just
(36:04):
don't know how to verbalize that yet.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Well, and that you know, certainly there's grief support groups
for adults that lose loved ones and friends and so
but again many adults, you know, it's something that the
longer you live, death is something you experience. So it's
something that others might be able to relate to and
talk to you about, and at least you might have
(36:30):
some outlets. But certainly going to a support group helps
you because you know you're talking to other people that
are that are in the same boat that you will,
if you will, in the trenches and just trying to
navigate life at that point. So but with kids that
(36:50):
you know, their peers aren't unless they're in a support
group because of loss aren't generally going to have any
clue about this for friends.
Speaker 7 (36:59):
And so sadly, so many of the children, when they're
their classmates or friends do know they're they're treated differently.
They may actually we get so many reports of children
being bullied just because kids will sometimes pick out something
that's different about a person and use that as a
way to kind of increase their own self esteem by
(37:23):
pulling that person down. And so it's sad that so
many of our children come to us and tell us
that they're being picked on at school because of their
person who died, and it is something that you know, again,
it's so important. Another service we provide is education in
the schools, and that is such another important thing because
(37:46):
the teachers, they tell us that they don't receive any
training when they're going through, you know, their education on
how to teach children. They don't get training on how
to support children who are grieving. And so that is
something that we found to be very valuable in a
school setting, is to be able to offer that there
(38:07):
as well, so that they feel better equipped to help
their own students.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
Well and certainly as adults. You know, when you have
friends or when you know people that have lost ones,
you know, finding the words, you know, just to be
able to offer that support. So sometimes for parents or
loved ones that are providing, you know, helping kids navigate it,
(38:33):
it's a difficult process for them. They're grieving too.
Speaker 7 (38:36):
Usually, right, And that is definitely an important point to highlight,
is that adults, when they're grieving sometimes they're overwhelmed with
their own grief and they often come to us and
tell us, I want to help my child, but I
don't even know how to help myself. And so it
is something that the children do sometimes fall to the
(38:57):
wayside because the the parents are overwhelmed, not just with
their grief, but with all the new financial strains, the
new arrangements they have to make. It becomes, you know,
a thing that the children do need additional support.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Well, we've got just under a minute left. Tell people
how they can find out about more and how they participate.
Speaker 7 (39:19):
Well, they can always call me directly at four O
nine nine two four four four three three, and they
can also go to Catholic Charity's website, which is cc
SE TX dot org. Click on the ministries tab and
see scroll down to Elija's place to read more about
(39:39):
the program.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Well, Randy, I want to thank you and the ministry
that y'all perform. And you know in all the different ministries,
Catholic Charity checks out and I know that I've had
Carolyn Fernandez on many times, but this is in the
in the wake of the recent tragedy and the Hill
Country that affected so many children, I think it's important
(40:03):
to be sharing with the community. So thank you so
much for your time. Can I please, I like one
quick thing.
Speaker 7 (40:08):
Our services are available to anyone regardless of faith, and
so that's one thing that's often misunderstood.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
So I just want to right.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
You great point. Thank you so much.
Speaker 7 (40:17):
Okay, thank you.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
You're listening to the Roy Weentz Show here on News
Talk five sixty KLV.
Speaker 5 (40:28):
Folks.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
We always have the best guests every week. We're talking
to people from across the community that have upcoming events
are it's just useful and helpful information and this week's
no different than that. We began by talking to Randall
Maxwell with Boma Independent School District talking about the yonder
(40:49):
pouches that will now where students will not be able
to access their phones in schools in the upper grades
and they will put it in a yonder pouch, which
people there's people that have gone to concerts that have
perhaps experienced that yonder pouch they all keep with them.
(41:11):
They'll put their phone in there and it just can't
receive signal during while they're in school. And it's certainly
been proven through many districts to be helpful and now
it's a state law. Then we talked to Bo Hanson
with the building codes. He's a deputy building official for
the City of Beaumont and how if you're looking to
build in the commercial or residential how to go about
(41:33):
doing that and also check out Beaumont, Texas dot gov
for more information. Drew Davison with Freedom Firearms talking about
the classes that they offer regarding handgun and gun training.
Just if people want more information, you can find them
online or and also on Facebook.
Speaker 5 (41:52):
And they are right down the street from the mall
onlo the Service Road.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
And then Randy Fertita with Catholic Charities mina such Eliza's Place,
which is grief support for kids, and so it's you know,
and that is certainly something that if it touches your.
Speaker 5 (42:10):
Life, you need to know that there are avenues.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
They're available, so check out Catholic Charities if you have
more question and until we talk again, God bless you all.
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