Come join us for our monthly market! We now have a Facebook page! You can contact us through information in above image or here at our page. The market is from 9:00am to 3:00pm, July 6th 2024. We have new vendors each month!!! Remember Please, I am the only contact for this event. Please do not answer or send anyone else your information.
Location:
2316 FM 980 Rd, Huntsville, TX 77320-1372, United States
Event by Riversidetx Vendormkt
On an unseasonably cool Thursday, July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress declared total independence from King George III and Great Britain. In doing so, the founding fathers threw off the yoke of tyranny, creating a new form of government whose power was to be derived only from the consent of the people they governed. Radical at the time, the actions of men such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson paved the way for the United States Constitution just 13 years later and what we know today as the longest-standing democracy in the world.
Next week, many of us will enjoy an afternoon cookout with family and friends, attend a patriotic parade, or celebrate with fireworks. While we celebrate our great nation, let us remember that we, as citizens of the greatest country on God’s Earth, must continue to strive to create a more perfect Union and make good on the promise of our Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
With that, we’ll dive back into our examination of House interim charges. . .
House Interim Charge: Appropriations
The House Committee on Appropriations has jurisdiction over bills appropriating money from the state treasury, bills containing provisions resulting in the automatic allocation of funds from the state treasury, and all matters of claims and accounts filed with the legislature against the state.
Over the interim, the Committee will study the funding streams from different sections of the state budget to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to determine where overlapping programs are most efficiently funded and placed. The study will also make policy changes to improve transparency and accountability between state agencies involved in programs under TEA’s jurisdiction.
The Committee is also tasked with monitoring the implementation and impact of additional funding to reduce the cost of higher education, funding for specific programs at medical schools, implementation and impact of additional funding for healthcare reimbursement rates, and programs assisting victims of crimes.
House Interim Charge: Pensions, Investments and Financial Resources
The House Committee on Pensions, Investments, and Financial Resources has jurisdiction over all matters relating to banking, savings and loans, the regulation of state and local debt, and the benefits and financial obligations of public retirement systems. The Committee also oversees many state agencies, such as the Finance Commission of Texas, the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, and the Employee Retirement System of Texas.
The Committee has been charged with monitoring the implementation of SB 10, which provided a much-needed Cost-Of-Living Adjustment to retired teachers. I was proud to be a Cosponsor for SB 10 during the 2023 Legislative Session and was happy to see Proposition 9, which amended the Texas Constitution to enable the COLA, pass with 84% of the vote in November. Our retired teachers have given so much to this state, and it was well past time to help them with the continued rise in inflation for essential goods and services.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you in any way. My district office may be reached at (936) 634-2762 and my Capitol office may be reached at (512) 463-0508. Additionally, I welcome you to follow along on my Official Facebook Page, where I will be posting regular updates on what’s happening in your State Capitol and sharing information that could be useful to you and your family: https://www.facebook.com/RepTrentAshby/.
How to control sedges, nutsedge, or what is commonly called ‘Nutgrass’ is a frequent question for one of our most obnoxious weeds. And it is a question for which I just don’t have a lot of good answers. My buddy Gerald Crump gives me grief every week at Lions Club for not knowing the best way to get rid of his ‘nutgrass’! There is an old joke in our area that the best methods are to either fence in some hogs to root it up and eat the nuts (tubers), or just sell your house and move!
Sedges are not truly grasses. They all are in the Cyperaceae family, and have several different variants that we see in home landscapes and agricultural land. According to one of my excellent weed identification books, “Weeds of Southern Turfgrass” by the Cooperative Extension Service with the University of Georgia, there are eleven different varieties that cause us grief. These include Surinam sedge, False nutsedge, Annual kyllinga, Purple nutsedge, Cylindric sedge, Texas sedge, Purple (or Saw) sedge, Globe sedge, Annual sedge, Green kyllinga, and the pernicious Yellow Nutsedge (most commonly known as Nutgrass).
The common, but again incorrect name for these sedges is Nutgrass. These are not botanically a grass at all. A common rhyme for botany students to remember them is “sedges have edges, rush is round, but grasses have nodes from their tips to the ground.” When you pick the stem from a sedge and roll it between your fingers, you’ll fell that it has edges. Cut the stem in half and study the cross-section and you’ll see that the stems are triangular.
Both Yellow and Purple nutsedges hold a certain disdain in landscapes as they have underground tubers that make them even more difficult to control. The Yellow nutsedge has tubers at the end of their whitish roots (properly called rhizomes). The Purple nutsedge has similar tubers but are darker in color and are connected in chains by dark, thin, wiry rhizomes.
Though they are regularly present, we are seeing an abundance of them this year likely because of the excessive rainfall that we’ve had. Sedges’ ideal habitat is moist to wet soil. So much so that a common recommendation to control sedges in the landscape is to properly water the soil. A deep and infrequent watering schedule solves multiple problems – including the eradication of a suitable habitat for sedge.
This record rainfall has kept ground moist that normally has not been moist. Every sedge seed has had plenty of opportunity to germinate and thrive.
Control measures need to be persistent to get ahead of this persistent problem. IF you have just a few, repeated and consistent hand pulling might be effective. Be sure to remove the underground tubers and roots.
If your landscape is overrun with sedge, pulling will not be effective. Even mulching at a typical recommended depth won’t stop them.
One of the best herbicides that I’ve heard work is anything with the active ingredient halosufuron-methyl. Some of the more common trade names with that active ingredient include Sedgehammer, Sandea, Halomax, Profine, Permit, Prosedge, Nutgrass Killer, and Halosulfuron. Be sure to visit your own local feed store or garden center and look for this active ingredient.
As always, follow the label. While labels contain an abundance of information, I always look up at least three pieces of information: the application site, the application rate, and warnings.
If the application site says only lawns, then it has no business in a flower bed or vegetable garden. If the application rate says 2/3 oz per acre, then no more should be applied. Lastly if the label warns against using this where surface water is present, then we cannot use it where surface water is present.
To my good buddy Gerald, he has the options listed above other than fencing in hogs or putting his house up for sale. But I’m still going to recommend a good realtor to him at our next Lions Club meeting.
We are hosting our 1st Annual Miracle Car Show on June 22nd. We need your help to spread the word. Trophies will be awarded and food truck available just in case you’re hungry. All proceeds benefit the Children’s Miracle Network.
Date/Time Location:
Saturday, June 22, 2024
Location:
407 N Brentwood Dr Lufkin, TX
Registration:
$30 Donation (All donations will be going to the Children’s Miracle Network)
When she received the word about her big invitation two years ago, Beckie Compton said it came from so far out of nowhere that “it wasn’t even something I could have dreamed of adding to a bucket list.”
The invitation in 2022 for her and husband Bryan to perform with a choir at a music festival at New York’s Carnegie Hall was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Comptons.
Once-in-a-lifetime.
Or so they thought.
This week, Beckie and Bryan once again will make the trek to the performing arts’ most hallowed ground, as they’ll be joining a backing choir of 275 vocalists performing with two-time Grammy, seven-time Billboard Music Award and four-time American Music Award winner Lauren Daigle in a concert scheduled for Saturday, June 29.
Yes. The Comptons are returning to Carnegie Hall.
“When we got the invitation, I just told Bryan we needed to make this happen,” Beckie said. “This time will be completely different because Lauren Daigle is so well-known and has had such an outstanding career, especially for someone so young. Her style of music is completely different. It’s very contemporary, and you’ll hear parts of her influences all through her music. There’s a little Cajun in there, a little jazz in there.
“That was intriguing for us because it’s quite a bit different from what we’re accustomed to doing. It’s not your basic gospel choir for sure.”
Beckie, Angelina College’s Chairperson of the School of Visual and Performing Arts, has been with the college for nearly 40 years, teaching music and choir while assembling musicians and vocalists throughout the area for various performances on the AC campus. Bryan, who sings bass, has shared with his wife the stages of both Temple Theater and Hudgins Hall.
Now – again – he’ll accompany his wife for one of the biggest performances of their lives.
“Beckie gets the invitations, and I’ve been told more than once, ‘If she’ll go, you can come with her,’” Bryan said. “She’s big-time. I don’t know if people around Lufkin realize how well-respected she is in the orchestral community both around the nation and when she performs internationally.”
Bryan also noted the level of talent on display for the upcoming performance.
“For me, it’s just so much fun getting to perform with all those professional singers,” Bryan said. “There are so many great voices, and then to do it with someone with the credentials of a Lauren Daigle? I mean, we worship to some of her music during some of our church services. And now to be able to sing along with her is so cool.”
“It definitely takes you up a few notches,” Beckie laughed.
For both Comptons, there will be no thoughts of “been there, done that.” Any invitation to Carnegie Hall is special, no matter how many times one receives the honor, Beckie said.
“I want it to be fresh and exciting because it’s such an honor any time one gets the chance to do it,” Beckie said. “I don’t take it lightly. If anything, I’m excited to be part of such a large performance, just the sheer numbers. And having a whole different vibe, a different genre of music is going to be something special.”
For further information, contact Beckie Compton at bcompton@angelina.edu.
LUFKIN – A major construction project is scheduled for a traffic shift this week, weather permitting.
The Corrigan Relief Route, being constructed on the west side of Corrigan, will see a traffic switch Thursday, June 20, on US 59. Motorists will be moved to the outside lanes of US 59, both north and southbound at US 287 from south of FM 942 to south of Laurelia Loop, and from FM 1987 to north of FM 1987 in Corrigan. Crews will work to place barriers and temporary pavement on inside lanes through these locations.
“The Corrigan Relief Route is progressing well, and this traffic switch is necessary to move forward with construction,” said Rhonda Oaks, public information officer. “Traffic along US 59 will begin to see more equipment and workers as the project continues, and motorists should stay alert and pack some extra patience through this area.”
Construction began on the Corrigan Relief Route in late 2023 after Texas Transportation Commissioners approved the $172.8 million construction for Polk County.
James Construction Group LLC, Baton Rouge LA, is serving as contractor for the project that will bring US 59 to interstate standards with construction of new US 59 northbound and southbound lanes with controlled access around the city of Corrigan.
The 7-mile project will include overpasses at the United Pacific Railroad, US 287, and Union Springs Road; entrance and exit ramps at US 59 tie-ins, and at the US 287 overpass. The project is being built to interstate standards and will enhance safety, improve emergency evacuations, and support freight transport.
Motorists should obey all traffic controls \, reduce speed, and stay alert for moving equipment and workers near the lanes of traffic through this work zone. Traffic fines double when workers are present.
For more information, contact Rhonda.Oaks@txdot.gov or call (936) 633-4395.
As summer heats up, the weather in Texas Forest Country is becoming more unpredictable. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Tropical Storm Warning, affecting both inland and coastal regions. The warning follows the formation of a tropical system in the Bay of Campeche, which is expected to intensify and bring significant weather impacts to our area.
Currently located about 410 miles southeast of Brownsville, TX, the tropical system is moving north at a speed of 7 mph. With wind speeds reaching 40 mph, the storm is projected to strengthen further and make its way toward the central Mexican Gulf coast. This development has prompted the NWS to issue Tropical Storm Warnings for coastal areas including Kenedy, Willacy, and Cameron counties.
In response to the tropical weather threat, Governor Greg Abbott has activated state emergency response resources.
“Texas stands ready to deploy all resources and assistance needed to help support communities in Southeast Texas that are in the path of a potentially devastating tropical storm,” said Governor Abbott.
He urged Texans to remain weather aware and heed the guidance of local officials to ensure safety.
To support the tropical weather response operations, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) has activated the following resources:
Additional resources have been readied by TDEM for mobilization as needed, including incident management teams, saw crews, and monitoring by various state commissions.
Residents of Texas Forest Country should prepare for heavy rainfall, potential flooding, and gusty winds. Rainfall totals are expected to range from 4 to 8 inches, with some areas seeing up to 10 inches or more. This heavy rain could lead to significant flooding, particularly in low-lying areas and near rivers.
Coastal areas will face additional challenges, including storm surges up to 3 feet, high surf, and dangerous rip currents. The combination of these conditions poses a threat not only to property but also to personal safety, especially for those planning beach trips.
In addition to the tropical storm warning, multiple flood warnings are in effect for rivers in the region:
These flood warnings highlight the need for vigilance and preparedness, particularly for those living near these waterways.
Residents are urged to complete any necessary preparations to protect life and property. This includes securing outdoor items, preparing for potential evacuations, and having an emergency plan in place. With the possibility of isolated tornadoes, it is crucial to have multiple ways to receive weather warnings and to know the safest places to shelter.
For those planning trips to the coast, be aware of the hazardous conditions and consider postponing travel until the storm passes. Coastal flooding, high surf, and strong winds make beach activities extremely dangerous during this period.
Stay updated with the latest weather information through reliable sources such as NOAA Weather Radio and local news outlets. For detailed updates and safety tips, visit Weather.gov.
With hurricane season underway, Governor Abbott reminded Texans to follow these flood preparedness and safety tips:
Texans are urged to implement proactive measures to prepare for incoming weather, including making an emergency plan, following instructions from emergency officials, and monitoring local forecast information. For more preparedness tips, visit TDEM and Texas Ready.
The unpredictability of tropical weather underscores the importance of staying informed and prepared. By taking proactive measures and heeding official warnings, we can protect ourselves and our communities from the potential impacts of this tropical storm.
Stay safe, Texas Forest Country, and keep an eye on the skies as we navigate this weather event together. Don’t forget to visit our Hurricane Preparedness page HERE
With the help of community sponsors, The Coalition, Inc. presented scholarships to six outstanding Angelina County Drug-Free All Stars. The Drug-Free All Stars of Angelina County, funded by a grant from TxDOT, are high school seniors in Angelina County who serve as role models in the community throughout the year. Six outstanding Drug-Free All Stars were selected for their commitment to promoting a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle to their community and their involvement in the program throughout the year. The 2023-2024 Drug-Free All Stars went above and beyond to share a message of prevention, including social media posts, press conferences, videos, school presentations, and more. The six Drug-Free All Stars selected to receive a scholarship were Natalie Courtney, graduate of Lufkin HS; Dulce Flores, graduate of Diboll HS; Kenady Hathorn, graduate of Lufkin HS; Giselle Jaime, graduate of Central HS; Cara Phillips, graduate of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School; and Alexander Tiu, graduate of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School. Thank you to the community partners who made these scholarships possible: Abeldt’s Pharmacy; Southside Bank; Southwood Drive Animal Clinic; KSWP/KAVX; Contractor’s Supplies, Inc.; Whataburger/GVCS; Texas Materials Group; Lufkin Printing Company; and Morgan Insurance. We are proud of the accomplishments of the 2023-2024 Drug-Free All Stars and wish them luck in all their future endeavors.
Since 1988, The Coalition has focused on eliminating the use of harmful substances by affecting public policy, laws, attitudes and behaviors, all in an effort to foster healthy life-long choices for the local community. For more information about the Drug-Free All Star program, contact Abby Baker at The Coalition at 936-634-9308.
An average of 89 Texans were killed every month in alcohol-related crashes in
2023
AUSTIN – We all know that drunk driving is dangerous and yet people still choose to get behind
the wheel impaired, causing on average 65 alcohol-related crashes every day last year. Three
Texans died daily as a result — their lives extinguished at the hands of those who never thought
they would be responsible for a roadside tragedy.
Making the choice to drive drunk instead of finding a sober ride home can lead to serious
consequences, including a lifetime of anguish. This is the painful reality for Charles and Shenica
Trammell of San Antonio, who will never see their child again.
“We taught our son to serve others, not knowing that he would actually die while doing so,” said
Shenica Trammel. Her 21-year-old son and Texas Wesleyan University football player Charles Jr.
was killed while changing a friend’s tire on the side of the road in Fort Worth.
“All because someone made the decision to get behind the wheel after drinking,” she said.
Shenica and her husband Charles are among the faces seen and voices heard in a traveling
exhibit showcasing first-person testimonial videos by survivors, offenders and those who’ve
suffered the loss of a loved one to a drunk driver.
July and August are the calendar’s two deadliest months for drunk-driving fatalities. Heading into
these months, TxDOT’s Drive Sober. No Regrets. campaign is spotlighting these stories of grief
and remorse to emphasize the importance of driving sober and the consequences of drinking and
driving.
“Drunk driving can change lives forever,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. “In the
worst case, families lose loved ones or face devastating injuries. But even when there isn’t a
crash, the decision to drink and drive can ruin careers and relationships. That’s why we want
everyone to know how important and easy it is to always plan ahead for a sober ride.”
Beyond the possibility of taking a life – including your own – driving impaired and getting a DWI
can result in time-consuming legal hassles and fines and fees up to $17,000.
The Drive Sober. No Regrets. campaign’s Faces of Drunk Driving overlaps with heightened law
enforcement efforts to keep Texas roads safe during the Independence Day holiday. From June
21 through July 7, increased patrols aim to reduce the number of DUI-related crashes, injuries,
and fatalities.
Even though the number of drunk driving deaths on Texas roadways in 2023 is down 15% from
2022, we must strive to continue that trend. TxDOT’s Drive Sober. No Regrets. campaign is a
key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that
encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel to help end the streak of daily
deaths. Nov. 7, 2000, was the last deathless day on Texas roadways.