A handheld transceiver is overkill if you're not a licensed amateur radio operator. I'd suggest looking into the Icom receiver line.

I have a Yaesu 7R, and my wife has the 5R; we also have the Icom R5 for our receive-only listening pleasure. The R5 seems to be current, but Icom has an RX7 out now, and the R20 which is a scanner. The R5 runs on AAs, which I figure I can scavange anywhere.

Check here:
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/receivers/handheld/r5/default.aspx
for the R5 page, but across the top you'll see links to the other two receivers. Each page has links to the manual for that receiver, which I recommend downloading and reading before purchase.

(On my R5, TV channels are the old analogue ones, not current digital frequencies. Ic don't know if they've updated the radios.)

> the Yaesu seems to have most all of the features I want in one device along
> with the ability to transmit.

If you don't have a license, don't transmit. Seriously. Non-hams in Manhattan were screwing up the ham nets used to maintain communications between fire, police, red cross, and shelters. They were trying to help, but they made things very much worse.