Tuesdays in July: 7/9, 7/16, 7/23 and 7/30 from 4:30p-5:30pm {Online, Virtual Classes!} Join Project Quit for FREE virtual support classes, plus FREE nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges!
This 4-session program is free for participants and all materials are included. Participants receive goodies, a workbook, and the support of a trained facilitator.
Click on the link to sign up https://zoom.us/…/tJAkf-igpz0rGNGuLmLnoyuSMk2oJO_4dSqd
For more information, visit our website (project-quit org) or call The Coalition at 936-634-9308. *Free NRT provided with registration to the Texas Quitline
Come join us for our Saturday Series League Battles! $5 Entrance Fee. Maximum Capacity is 24 players.
Registration is open on 7/6 at 3:30 pm. Matches start at 4 pm sharp!
Pre-register and PrePay for your spot now available online. Click below and purchase your spot, enter your Pokemon Trainer ID, Date of Birth, and Name!
Have you seen the rumbling of Hurricane Beryl in the news? At this writing, it is expected to cross the Yucatan and be in the Gulf of Mexico by the weekend.
We take pride in this part of the world for being able to take care of ourselves when the weather turns foul. We cranked up chainsaws and generators when trees were down and electricity was out for hurricanes Ike and Rita. We checked in on our neighbors to make sure they were making it and they did the same for us.
But be it another hurricane, a wildfire, a tornado, or whatever comes after Beryl, let’s talk about what to do to have livestock prepared for an emergency weather event.
The first step is to maintain your herd records. Knowing how many you’ve got and having them identified is crucial. Brands and ear tags go a long way to sort out co-mingled herds when the fences have been compromised.
Way ahead of any calamity, identify other locations where you could hold your herd if you get flooded, burned out, or have all the fences down. Visit with family, friends, or other stockmen that you have a relationship with to identify potential pastures or corrals to move to.
Be ready with extra fencing material to quickly repair fences. Does the chainsaw have an extra blade and plenty of fuel if needed to remove the trees from downed fences?
Do you have hay stored onsite that may be moved or used in place if pastures are not available for some reason?
It is an ugly truth, but there are some low-life folks that will take advantage of everyone being gone and equipment is more easily stolen. Take pictures of all your equipment. Even the implements that you’ve had for decades, they may no longer have any identifying marks to your operation. Put tractor keys in a secure location, away from any of those sorry kinds of people.
If you become stuck at a distant location, who are the neighbors, friends, or others that can be contacted to check on your place to confirm that the herd and equipment is located where it should be and is in good shape?
Consider writing down a timeline for how long a herd can exist in certain pastures and contrast that with what is an expected time frame before you can get back in. Recent flooding has removed cattle from the Angelina River above Sam Rayburn Reservoir for weeks.
Decide, ahead of a hurricane, where feed/hay and equipment can be staged in advance of an event. Also, determine how much time will be needed to stage all the plans you have made. When it comes time for you to evacuate, let’s have everything in line so that you can take care of yourself and your loved ones.
Lastly, stay informed. While there may be lots in the news for which you don’t care, but be sure to look at a couple of the weather apps on your phone or on the news. Doing this will keep us well ahead of whatever Beryl or those hurricanes that will follow it do.
The Angelina County Extension Office will be discussing these and other weather readiness tips at our Disaster Preparedness for Stockmen Meeting. The class will be held on Tuesday, August 20th at 6:30 p.m. at the Angelina County AgriLife Extension Office – 2201 S. Medford Drive, in Lufkin, Texas.
AUSTIN — Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick today issued the following statement concerning the future of the Texas Energy Fund:
“In recent testimony before the Senate Business and Commerce committee, ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas testified that Texas may need 150,000 megawatts of power to power our grid by 2030. That is only six years away. Currently, Texas typically has approximately 85,000 megawatts of power available counting wind, solar, coal, nuclear, and natural gas. If the new estimate is correct, the updated numbers provided by Mr. Vegas call for an immediate review of all policies concerning the grid.
Last November, voters overwhelmingly approved Senate Joint Resolution 93, which created the Texas Energy Fund, providing for a $5 billion low-interest loan program to incentivize the building of more dispatchable natural gas plants. Texas has already received notice of intent to apply for $39 billion in loans, making the program nearly eight times oversubscribed. With the new projections for 2030, we will seek to expand the program to $10 billion to build more new plants as soon as possible. The average plant will take three to four years to complete, and new transmission lines will take three to six years to complete. Texas is currently the fastest state to approve and build new plants and transmission lines because of our low regulations and pro-business policies, but we must move quickly.”
Come join us for our Chamber of Commerce quarterly luncheon on July 9th, 11:30-1!
This is open to chamber members and community members!
Join us as we receive updates on the “State of the County” from speakers: Fritz Faulkner, County Judge Emmitt Eldridge, OEM John Benestante, Mayor of Coldspring Mark Wood, Mayor of Point Blank Charles Minton, Mayor of Shepherd
Contact the Coldspring Chamber of Commerce to purchase your ticket to this event!
Coldspring Chamber of Commerce (936)653-2184 chambercoldspringtexas@gmail.com
It’s been a relatively quiet summer for AC Athletics – other than the noise generated by all those kids at our summer camps – but that’s not going to last long. We just received the men’s soccer schedule for 2024, there are some more camps and a showcase heading our way and the Guy Davis Golf Tournament is just around the corner.
Here’s what’s coming up:
Focus on FUNdamentals
AC Athletics Programs Hosting Youth Summer Camps
(Basketball camp photos by Kory Blandford)(Basketball camp photos by Kory Blandford)
Angelina College Athletics programs are hosting a series of youth summer camps in conjunction with the college’s “Camp Roadrunner” recreation camps. The camps focus on building both fundamentals and love of the game; instructors include the AC coaching staff and players/volunteers.
The camps are open to youngsters from kindergarten through 5th grade. The cost for each camp is $110. Attendees can make this a full-day camp by purchasing a Recreation Camp “Add-on” for $75.00.) Sessions run from 9 a.m. until noon each day.
Basketball –July 15-18, Shands Gymnasium on the AC campus.
Soccer –July 15-18, AC Soccer Complex on the AC campus.
AC Basketball Hosting Showcase for Incoming High School Seniors
(Basketball camp photos by Kory Blandford)
Angelina College Basketball will host a showcase for incoming high school seniors on August 2 at Shands Gymnasium. The camp runs from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and is designed to allow those Class of 2025 student-athletes an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of college coaches.
There’ll be a full press release issued this coming week, but for now, anyone interested can check out the following link:
AC men’s soccer is looking for a three-peat: Following back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, the Roadrunner soccer team will seek its third trip to the big dance in 2024. The ‘Runners released their schedule (with a couple of dates/times still TBD), and the team will launch its ’24 campaign with a pre-season match on Tuesday, Aug. 13 at Dallas College-Mountain View.
AC’s first match at home will take place on Saturday, Aug. 24 in a pre-season match against Texas A&M-San Antonio; the team finishes off the pre-season with a home match against Western Texas on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
The regular season then kicks off on Friday, Aug. 30 with a home match against Northeast Texas Community College.
There’s a copy of the men’s schedule attached to this press release. We’ll send the women’s schedule along as soon as it’s finalized.
NOTE: Schedules and rosters won’t appear on our website until after August. 1. See the note below regarding upcoming changes to the website and social media.
Changes, Upgrades Coming to AC Athletics Web Site, Social Media
We’re gonna need a bigger website.
Angelina College Athletics’ official website (www.angelinaathletics.com) and all related social media will be getting a massive, much-needed overhaul over the summer. Joining our staff are some true website and graphics wizards, and they’re going to help with the redesign and upkeep of all our forms of internet and social media presence going forward.
Our tentative launch date for all the new-look media is August 1st. That’s when we’re hoping to reveal the new website, along with all the revamped (and possibly reborn) social media sites.
In the meantime, we’ll be posting on all those sites to make everyone aware of the coming changes. Some of the current sites need only a little updating, while others may have to disappear completely in order to make room for the new version.
As always, we’ll keep you updated all the way up until the big date.
Guy Davis Golf Tournament Date, Location Set
The 17th Annual Guy Davis Golf Tournament has a date now, along with a temporary change in location.
The tournament, hosted by the Roadrunner Foundation, serves as the biggest fundraiser for all our AC Athletics programs.
This year’s tournament will take place on Saturday, August 17, with the pre-tournament kickoff dinner taking place on Friday, August 16.
Because of the ongoing course renovations at Crown Colony Country Club – the usual site for the tournament – this year’s golf will take place at the Neches Pines Golf Course in Diboll, Texas.
Crown Colony will still serve as the site for the kickoff dinner.
We’ll send out more details as the event draws nearer.
Polk County Minority Representative Brandon Prescott has been sworn in as the new President of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments and Economic Development District. The oath of office was administered to Prescott and other DETCOG officers during the organization’s Annual Membership and Awards Luncheon held June 27 at the Pitser Garrison Convention Center in Lufkin.
The other officers for 2024-2025 include San Jacinto County Commissioner Mark Nettuno who is President-Elect, Houston County Judge Jim Lovell serving as Vice President, and Lufkin City Councilman Robert Shankle who is the new Secretary. The immediate Past President, who also serves on the DETCOG Executive Committee, is San Augustine County Judge Jeff Boyd.
“I am excited to begin my year of service as President of DETCOG,” said Prescott. “This is an organization which provides many valuable services to the local governments and citizens of our region. Our goal is to bring people together to improve the lives of the people of this region. It’s an honor to serve.”
Organized in 1966, DETCOG is both a Regional Planning Commission of the State of Texas and a federally chartered Economic Development District. It serves an 11-county region encompassing all of Angelina, Houston, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity and Tyler counties.
The organization is governed by a 54-member Board of Directors, composed of elected officials of counties and cities, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, and various other governmental entities in the region. The Board also includes a Minority Representative from each of its 11 counties. Prescott has represented Polk County in that capacity since 2019. He has served as a DETCOG officer for the past three years.
Ken Brown is a regional solo musician entertaining with his unique style of traditional country music…a crossover music artist from an array of genres. His integration of a variety of elements into the country genre has earned him his popularity with the mainstream audience.
You can hear Ken perform LIVE on stage for a night of traditional country music…KB Country presents a Tribute to the Troubadours!
“I can’t wait to see you there! Get to know my songs before the show!” Ken
Livingston, Texas — In response to the recent heavy rainfall and flooding, the Trinity River Authority (TRA) has issued a “potential failure watch” for the spillway of the Lake Livingston Dam. The announcement came on June 28, 2024, following significant weather events that have compromised the dam’s drainage area.
Current Situation and Safety Measures
According to the TRA, the spillway’s integrity has been adversely impacted by the torrential rains, prompting heightened monitoring and evaluation. While there is no immediate danger of a failure or breach, the potential risk, however remote, has necessitated this precautionary status.
“The day-to-day operation of the dam will continue as necessary, although normal gate operations may vary as conditions dictate,” TRA officials stated in a news release. They emphasized that the declaration aligns with the Emergency Action Plan approved by the TRA, ensuring systematic and proactive measures are in place to address any emerging issues.
Historical Context of Lake Livingston Dam
Constructed in the late 1960s and completed in 1969, the Lake Livingston Dam is a critical infrastructure project designed to provide water supply and flood control for the region. Spanning the Trinity River, the dam has been instrumental in supporting the area’s agricultural, industrial, and municipal water needs.
The dam creates Lake Livingston, one of the largest reservoirs in Texas, which has also become a popular recreational destination. Over the decades, the dam has withstood numerous weather challenges, including the infamous flooding events of the 1980s and early 2000s, which tested its resilience and capacity.
Recent Weather and Impact
The recent heavy rainfall and flooding are part of a broader pattern of extreme weather affecting the region. Historically, Texas Forest Country has experienced significant weather fluctuations, with periods of drought often followed by intense storms. These weather patterns have necessitated robust infrastructure and emergency preparedness plans.
In the past month, the region has received unprecedented rainfall, overwhelming local waterways and drainage systems. This has led to widespread flooding, affecting homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure like the Lake Livingston Dam. The TRA’s prompt response and implementation of a “potential failure watch” are crucial steps in mitigating risks and ensuring public safety.
Community Response and Preparedness
Local authorities and emergency management teams are on high alert, coordinating efforts to monitor the dam’s status and provide timely updates to the public. Residents are advised to stay informed through official channels, including the TRA’s website and hotline.
For additional information and updates, the Trinity River Authority can be contacted at 877-352-3247 or online at trinityra.org.
— Trinity River Authority of Texas (@TRAofTexas) June 28, 2024
TRA Twitter Feed
As the community navigates the challenges posed by the recent weather, the vigilance and preparedness of local authorities are paramount. The Lake Livingston Dam has a long history of serving the region, and with continued monitoring and necessary repairs, it is expected to withstand the current conditions. The TRA’s proactive measures and clear communication underscore their commitment to public safety and infrastructure integrity.
Stay tuned to Texas Forest Country Living for ongoing coverage and updates on the situation at Lake Livingston Dam. Your safety and well-being are our top priorities during this critical time.
