Townsquare Media, wanted to do just that.  Upon learning of the shooting on Friday, we contacted our partners at Hudson Blueprint to see if it would be possible to have a giant banner made that we could take out and let people sign and write condolences on.  The company came through, particularly Paul Groves, who volunteered to stay late on Friday and to come in on Saturday, his off day, to complete the banner.

From noon to 4:30, Townsquare Media radio stations set the banner up at Wal-Mart on Lawrence Rd. allowing anyone who wanted to sign it, and offer condolences could do just that.  Response was overwhelming. In those 4 hours, over 1,000 Texomans signed the banner.  The banner is being sent to Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut as of today.  We all hope that it can serve as a small token of hope during this very dark time for those affected by this tragedy.  God Bless Newtown and Sandy Hook Elementary.

Check out the gallery of photos from the banner signing event:

14 Wichita Falls Fire Fighter units responded to battle a large house fire at the 1700 block of Polk Street – on the corner of Avenue G across from Zundy Junior High – in Wichita Falls around 11:30 am Monday (8/6) morning.

Firefighters manage to extinguish the blaze rather quickly after arriving, however; the house did sustain massive fire damage.

We have been told that there were children inside the house at the time of the fire who all managed to escape without harm. There is no official word yet as to what the cause of the fire was or if the children inside were home alone.

UPDATE: 8/6/12 3:56 pm:

The Wichita Falls Fire Marshall’s office has told us that a child playing with a cigarette lighter caused the fire.  The two children inside the home (11-years-old and 8-years-old) were home alone at the time of the fire – no injuries have been reported.

The home is a total loss and 90 percent of the families belongings have been lost. The family did not have insurance.  The American Red Cross will step in to assist as much as they can.

Camping, president of California-based Family Radio, had predicted May 21 as Judgment Day. Camping, on his radio show Monday, said Judgment Day did in fact come on Saturday, but just in a more spiritual than physical sense. It should be noted, that Camping had also predicted raptures on May 21, 1988 and Sept. 7, 1994.

On Monday, Camping said God began silently judging earthlings on Saturday, and that the real date of the apocalypse is now set for Oct. 21.

Camping had backed his Saturday prediction with millions of dollars in advertising, and many believers followed suite. Robert Fitzpatrick, a retired New York City transit worker, spent his life savings in an effort to warn others of the rapture, thestar.com reported.

Camping said he doesn’t plan on launching a similar marketing campaign to warn the world of the impending October rapture, but be ready and be good, because you’re being silently judged.

Fire fighters from across Wichita, Archer and Wilbarger counties have had their hands full this afternoon with a series of fires. Fire damaged at least two structures near Kemp Blvd on Hwy 79. Sheriff’s deputies and WFPD closed roads for a time while firefighters battled the blaze. A fire in Burkburnett forced evacuations for a time in the area of Holman and Gresham Roads. Another fire in Wichita Falls also threatened some residences in the Sisk Road and Barnett area, but no evacuations were reported. A fire in Oklaunion forced Wilbarger County Sheriff’s officials to order evacuations there as well. As of late evening, all fires are under control or extinguished and all persons have been permitted back to their homes. No injuries have been reported with the fires. Volunteers from Wichita, Archer and Clay counties as well as the Burkburnett and Wichita Falls city fire departments fought the fires. Officials say the risk of fires spreading tonight is very low. Forecasters say cooler temps and slight rain chances are in the forecast as we move through the weekend.

Volkswagen is resurrecting the iconic Microbus, which first came onto the scene in 1950.  The vehicle has many nicknames such as VW Bus, Transporter, Kombi, Microvan, or depending on your altered state of mind,  Hippie Van, Hippiemobile, and Cheechmobile.

VW is showing a concept version of the van at the 81st International Motor show in Geneva, Switzerland this week.  VW is now calling the vehicle by it’s German nickname, the Bulli.  The concept has an electric powertrain and VW says the Bullie can go up to 186.4 miles on a single battery charge.  That’s about 15 times farther than the subdivisions we see driving around now can go on one gallon of gas!  But if they every actually get the nod to go into production, which would be closer to 2014 or 2015,  the real thing would most likely have the usual VW unleaded and diesel engines.

Features of the van include a three person bench seat in the front and seats that fold flat into a double bed, both just like the original. The Bulli is also equipped with a panoramic sun roof, and a removable i-Pad that controls the climate control and Tunes.

In this series of compelling composite photos, we get to see locations in Haiti both then … and today. You decide.