region i-3a&5a track championships

(caption from 1st photo in above gallery: Midland Greenwood's Joshua Cook, center, yells as he wins the Region I-3A 4x200 meter championship in front of Abilene Wylie, left, and Lubbock Estacado, right, Saturday at Fuller Track in Lubbock. They finished with a time of 1:29.15.
May 23, 2009 (Geoffrey McAllister/for the Reporter-Telegram))

Korean War veteran Bob Bland remembers

Korean War veteran Bob Bland reads the names of those who have served in American wars at the Lubbock Area Veterans War Memorial Thursday, May 21, 2009. Bland is the current commander of the VFW Post 2466 in Lubbock.

May 21, 2009 (Geoffrey McAllister/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
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1st Sgt. Robert Nelson Bland - a career Marine and combat veteran of the Korean War - essentially observes Memorial Day all year long.

"It is having the privilege of honoring our fallen veterans," he said of the official Memorial Day event observed by the nation.

But as a volunteer in the American Legion, he continues a celebration of veterans' service by commanding the gripping 21-gun salute at funerals held for veterans across the South Plains in every month of every year.

Bland volunteered for service in the Marine Corps June 30, 1947, less than two years after World War II ended.

"I did a three-year cruise in the Marine Corps, and was released on the 29th of June in 1950, but at that time the Korean War had already been in progress for about four days.

"At midnight of the day I received my discharge, all discharges were frozen, and all Marines were held on active duty."... (Continue reading Ray Westbrook's story: Korea veteran still serving his country)

LCU headed to NAIA World Series ranked no. 1

It was an exciting week for Lubbock Christian University baseball as they competed in and won the NAIA Regional tournament and are headed to the NAIA World Series as the number 1 ranked team in the country. I got to cover a few games - here are some of my favorite tenths of a second.

A-J Outdoors: Caprock Canyon

We've recently begun an A-J Outdoors series. Check out the first video above. The article will be in tomorrow's Avalanche-Journal.


A-J Outdoors reporter Logan Carver hikes along the Haynes Ridge Overlook Trail on his way to Fern Cave at Caprock Canyon State Park earlier last month.

Wednesday, April 02, 2009 (Geoffrey McAllister/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)