Join us Thursday, August 1, for Cheers with the Chamber and the New Investor Showcase, presented by MSGPR Ltd Co, as we celebrate all Investors who joined within the past year. All Chamber Investors are invited and encouraged to attend and learn more about the newest additions to the Chamber family.
Make connections, share ideas, build your network, and grow your business. Don’t forget to bring your business cards. We’ll see you there!
Time:
5:30 pm Location: Pitser Garrison Convention Center
Join us Friday, July 26 at 8 AM for July’s Power Networking Breakfast, presented by Angelina College SBDC! We are excited to welcome Dianne Amerine, Director of Angelina College SBDC as our featured speaker. This month’s focus is “Getting to Know Your SBDC,” where you’ll learn about the valuable resources and support the SBDC offers to help your business thrive.
Attendance is free! While registration is not required, it is strongly encouraged to help us plan accordingly. Register today at bit.ly/PNB-0724.
We are excited to announce that the talented Garth LaGrone will be performing live at Swampers Icehouse!
Date: July 20
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Swampers Icehouse, 1581 Triple Creek Loop, Livingston TX
Join us for an evening of fantastic music and great company!
Garth LaGrone brings a unique sound and energy that will captivate you from the first note. His blend of country and rock is perfect for a summer evening out with friends and family.
Highlights of the Evening:
Live performance by Garth LaGrone
Delicious food and refreshing drinks are available
Included in your reservation at Two Creeks Crossing Resort
Ideal for a relaxing and enjoyable night out
Mark your calendars and don’t miss this incredible performance!
Last week, our nation witnessed an unspeakable act of violence against former President Donald Trump when a deranged man attempted to assassinate the former president, wounding him and others and killing a father and fire chief.
I am immensely grateful that President Trump was not seriously hurt, and my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this senseless act of violence and their families. Let me say, in no uncertain terms, that political violence has no place in this country. As another national election approaches, let us remain civil in both our discourse and dealings with others.
For too long, our country has been too deeply divided by differing opinions and beliefs. While it is natural for people to disagree on specific issues, we must stop demonizing others who hold differing perspectives. It is time for us to turn back to the word of God and remember the teachings of our Lord.
1 John 4:20: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”
With that, we’ll dive back into our examination of House interim charges. . .
House Interim Charge: Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
The House Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Issues has jurisdiction over bills regarding juvenile delinquency, gang violence, juvenile criminal law, juvenile court proceedings, youth rehabilitation, and many other issues. The Committee also oversees state agencies such as the Texas Juvenile Justice Board, the Advisory Council on Juvenile Services, and the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
Over the interim, the Committee will study the definition of “best interest of a child” in the Texas Family Code. The Committee will study the term to determine whether policy changes can better protect the rights and interests of children and parents. The Committee will also evaluate the system for adjudicating and dismissing cases involving delinquent conduct and determine whether changes to the juvenile court system and planning for services to keep children in the juvenile justice system closer to home will lead to better overall outcomes for youth and public safety.
House Interim Charge: Youth Health & Safety, Select
The House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety has jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to improving the ability of governmental entities to address the needs of Texas’s youth through programs and services such as child protective services, mental health services, educational institutions, and the juvenile justice system.
Over the interim, the Committee will monitor the implementation of House Bill 3, which provides Texas schools with a new standard of emergency preparedness and ensures adequate state funding is provided to school districts to ensure that schools can implement these new standards. The Committee will also monitor the implementation of House Bill 18, which prohibits an Internet Service Provider from entering into an agreement with a known minor without the consent of the minor’s guardian and requires the ISP to provide the ability for the parent or guardian to enable protective settings permanently. I was proud to coauthor HB 3 and HB 18 to protect our children.
The Committee will also evaluate current programs and services for children and families that are either in or at high risk for entering the foster care and juvenile justice systems. They will study the barriers to accessing community-based behavioral health services for children with intense behavioral health needs, with an emphasis on ensuring that parents do not have to give up custody of children to gain access to services.
The mobile office is on the road again in August, and our District Director looks forward to seeing you on the following dates at the following times: August 7 at the San Augustine County Courthouse in San Augustine from 9-11 a.m.; August 14 at the Polk County Commissioner’s Courtroom in Livingston from 9-11 a.m. and the Tyler County Commissioner’s Courtroom in Woodville from 1:30-3:30 p.m.; and August 21 at the Houston County Courthouse Annex in Crockett from 9-11 a.m. and the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
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/.
Nacogdoches Chamber Stakeholder Conference Call sponsored by Burke Learn about the Excavation Extravaganza from guest speaker Delaney Mott, JB Crawford Construction.
Hear reports from local leaders. Calls are open to the public and held live. Recordings can be found on the Chamber’s YouTube Channel
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet, or smartphone. https://meet.goto.com/536677693 You may also dial in using your phone. +1 (571) 317-3122 Access Code: 536-677-693 Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://meet.goto.com/install
Date/Time Information:
Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at 10 am
Angelina College’s beautiful soccer complex is about to get extremely busy.
AC’s soccer teams have released their schedules for the upcoming 2024 season, and both the Lady Roadrunners and Roadrunners will combine for at least 12 home dates with at least six doubleheaders, with more home matches possible according to postseason seedings.
AC’s ladies, under first-year head coach Sergio Gardea, have put together a grueling schedule for the pre-season, the non-conference season, and the conference season.
The Lady ‘Runners open the pre-season with a pair of home scrimmages on Wednesday, Aug. 7 (vs. LSU-Shreveport) and on Saturday, August 10 (vs. Brookhaven College). Kickoff times are 6 p.m. on Aug. 7, while the Aug. 10th match kickoff time is TBA.
The Lady Roadrunners open the regular season on Aug. 22 at Miami Dade College in Miami before opening conference play at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30 against Northeast Texas Community College as part of a women’s/men’s home doubleheader.
The Roadrunner men are looking for a “three-peat” after qualifying for the NJCAA Division I National Tournament in 2023, marking the first time an Angelina College athletics program has participated in back-to-back national tournaments.
AC’s men, led by reigning Region XIV District Coach of the Year Martin Melchor, kick off the pre-season with a trio of road scrimmages (at Dallas College-Mountain View on Aug. 13, at Jarvis College on Aug. 18 and at UT-Tyler on Aug. 21) before hosting back-to-back scrimmages at home. AC hosts Texas A&M San Antonio at 4 p.m. on Aug. 24 and Western Texas at 6 p.m. on Aug. 27.
The ‘Runners then kick off the regular season as part of a women’s/men’s conference doubleheader against Northeast Texas Community College on Friday, Aug. 30.
The Lady Roadrunners will compete in Region XIV’s South Zone (featuring Blinn College, Jacksonville College, and UT-Southmost College), while the men’s South Zone competition includes Blinn College, Jacksonville College, Coastal Bend Community College, and UT-Southmost.
The Region XIV/District Tournament takes place from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1, and the 2024 NJCAA Division I National Tournament (for both men and women) takes place Nov. 17-23 at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kansas.
The Angelina College soccer complex is about to get busy again, with the Lady Roadrunners and Roadrunners recently releasing their upcoming 2024 schedules. Both teams kick off the pre-season in August. (Contributed photo)
All AC Soccer home games will be live-streamed on TSBN Sports (a free streaming service for fans), with most of the conference road games also available for streaming.
Currently, the Angelina College Athletics website is scheduled for an upgrade. Once the upgrade takes place, all schedules will be available for viewing there.
For now, fans can visit this link for the combined schedules:
Join us today at noon for our Membership meeting. Our Business of the Month is Stonecreek Nursing & Rehabilitation, and we will be serving pulled pork sandwiches with chips, cupcakes, and a drink for $10.00. See you there.
Date/Time Information:
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at Noon
Location: 611 W. Columbia St. (Log Cabin)
Contact Info: 936-275-3610
Hoping everyone stayed safe and (relatively) comfortable following this past week’s storm. It definitely helped prepare me for the waves of AC Athletics stuff heading our way.
We had one of our Roadrunners tagged to participate in a huge JUCO All-Star Showcase in Atlanta, and we’re wrapping up the summer’s youth camps this week. Add to that the soccer schedule releases, an AC Basketball Summer Showcase for seniors, and the upcoming Guy Davis Golf Tournament, and you can see how we’re heating up faster than the August weather in Texas.
Here’s what’s coming up:
Focus on FUNdamentals
AC Athletics Programs Hosting Youth Summer Camps
Angelina College Athletics programs are hosting the last of 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.
This week features basketball and soccer starting on Monday and concluding on Thursday.
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.
Roadrunner Basketball’s Holder Selected for All-American JUCO Showcase
AC Basketball’s Kanaan Holder this past weekend participated in the All-American JUCO Showcase in Atlanta, Georgia. The event featured the top 100 junior college sophomores in the nation.
Holder, a Hudson High School alumnus, was a key player for the ‘Runners as a freshman in 2022-2023 before missing all of last season with an injury. Now recovered and back to his earlier form (if not better), he’s expected to lead the Roadrunners into the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
AC Basketball Hosting Showcase for Incoming High School Seniors
Angelina College Basketball will host an invitation-only 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.
More importantly, considering the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics and the recruiting process, coaches will be on hand to provide guidance for those hoping to play college basketball.
The session is “Invite Only”, but anyone interested can check out the following link:
AC’s beautiful soccer complex is about to get busy.
Both the Lady Roadrunners and Roadrunners have released their schedules for the upcoming 2024 season, and the teams will combine for at least 12 home dates with at least six home doubleheaders, with more home matches possible according to postseason seedings.
The Lady ‘Runners’ first home appearances are pre-season matches scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 8 (6 p.m. against LSU-Shreveport) and on Saturday, Aug. 10 against Brookhaven College (kickoff time TBA).
The men’s first home action features back-to-back pre-season matches against Texas A&M-San Antonio (4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24) and Western Texas (6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27).
All AC Soccer regular-season home games will be live-streamed on TSBN Sports (a free streaming service for fans), with most of the conference road games also available for streaming.
Currently, the Angelina College Athletics website is scheduled for an upgrade. Once the upgrade takes place, all schedules will be available for viewing there.
For now, fans can visit this link to view the combined schedules:
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.
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott announced that the federal government has updated the Major Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Beryl to include 17 Texas counties now eligible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individual Assistance program. Texas may request additional counties for federal assistance based on the completion of damage assessments in impacted communities.
“This approval to include 17 counties for FEMA assistance is a crucial step forward to help Texans and communities recover and rebuild after Hurricane Beryl,” said Governor Abbott. “We continue working with our federal, state, and local partners to assess damages as part of Texas’ ongoing response to ensure all necessary resources, funding, and assistance are available to support impacted communities. Texans who sustained damage to their home or business are encouraged to report it using the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s iSTAT damage survey to help determine if counties are eligible for financial assistance. I thank all the state and local officials, emergency response personnel, and first responders who continue to work tirelessly to help their fellow Texans in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.”
Qualifying Texans in the following counties are eligible for FEMA’s Individual Assistance program: Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker, and Wharton. Texans can apply for FEMA disaster assistance online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362.
FEMA’s Individual Assistance program funding assists with expenses such as temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, disaster legal services, disaster unemployment assistance, and medical, dental, and funeral expenses caused by the disaster.
A request from Texas to the federal government to reopen the incident period and instead designate it as “continuing” amid the ongoing response and recovery to Hurricane Beryl remains pending with FEMA.
Texans are urged to submit online damage surveys to report damage to homes and businesses using the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) damage survey. iSTAT surveys can be filled out in English and Spanish by visiting damage.tdem.texas.gov and clicking “July 7th – Ongoing Hurricane/Tropical Storm Beryl.”
Information entered into the iSTAT damage survey helps emergency management officials identify immediate resource needs and aids in determining whether the state meets federal requirements for various forms of federal disaster assistance. Reporting damage through the iSTAT tool is a voluntary activity, is not a substitute for reporting damage to your insurance company, and does not guarantee disaster relief assistance. Tutorial videos in English and Spanish explaining how to fill out iSTAT surveys are available at damage.tdem.texas.gov.
Texas continues to support the needs of local officials and distribute truckloads of commodities to affected areas, including generators, tarps, fuel, ready-to-eat meals, water, and ice. To date, the state has distributed more than 3,677,000 bottles of water, more than 472,800 ready-to-eat meals, and more than 127,700 bags of ice to communities impacted by Hurricane Beryl.
The State of Texas continues to take action to provide all available resources to help support local communities from the impacts of Hurricane Beryl, including:
Growing herbs isn’t just for the salad lover. Herbs are fantastic in meats & sausages, fritters, beer & wine, beans, dips, stews, pastries, sauces, butter, omelets, candy, beverages, and more.
Herbs used in cooking are simply plants that are used as flavoring agents. The common herbs used in the kitchen are referred to as culinary herbs. Mild or savory herbs impart a delicate flavor to foods, and the pungent herbs add zest.
For most herbs, the part of the plant that is used is the leaves. The seeds or roots of some herbs can also be used. Because herbs are used in small amounts, only a few plants are usually needed to provide enough fresh and dried herbs for an entire season.
How to grow herbs and knowing what varieties grow best in our area covered at the next Noon Gardening Meeting on Tuesday, July 16 from 12 – 1 pm. The guest speaker is Julia Canas, a Master Gardener in Angelina County. The title of her presentation is “For the Love of Herbs”. Over the years, Canas and her family have developed a real love of growing all kinds of herbs. These noon gardening seminars are held monthly at the Angelina County Extension office at 2201 S. Medford Drive in Lufkin.
Herbs may be grown in flower beds, in rock gardens as borders, or as container plantings. Some herbs are annuals, meaning that they grow from seeds and complete their life cycle in 1 year; others are perennials that return year after year.
Many gardeners establish a small herb garden near the home. Generally, a 6- to 10-foot square or rectangular area is sufficient. For annual and biennial herbs, plant the seeds directly in the garden or start them indoors for later transplanting to the garden. Obtain seeds from your local garden center or seed catalog, or save the seeds produced by the herb plants for next year’s crop.
Care for your herb garden as you would a vegetable or flower garden. Choose a sunny, well-drained location. Apply a balanced fertilizer but do not use too much nitrogen fertilizer. Most organically derived fertilizers should work very well.
Water as necessary during dry periods. Generally, about 1 inch of water should be added per week if it is not supplied by rainfall. Mulch helps conserve soil moisture and reduces weed growth as well.
In general, most herbs have few insect or disease problems. Although most herbs tolerate minor infestations of feeding and chewing insects, do not allow the insect populations to explode.
Plants outgrow insect feeding or damage if they are growing vigorously and are fertilized and watered properly. Harvest the herbs regularly to help keep insect pressure at a minimum.
