Home Blog Page 168

Give Blood (San Augustine County)

0

Our Blood Drive will be on December 27, 2023 from 9:00-1:30, scan the QR Code below to register or swing by to save a life. Mustard Seed will be set up in the parking lot, and the first 20 donors will receive a coupon for $5.00 off the Mustard Seed food truck, and all donors will get a free Hoodie. Call for for info 936-275-3610 or email us at saccc611@gmail.com

Date/Time Information:
Wednesday, December 27, 2023, from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm

Location:
Donor Coach

 

Angelina College Law Enforcement Academy Graduates Class 114

0
Angelina College’s Law Enforcement Academy Class 114 on Thursday graduated in a ceremony held inside AC’s Temple Theater. The ceremony recognized 12 new law enforcement officers entering their new profession. (Gary Stallard/AC News Service photo)

Twelve New Members Enter Law Enforcement Careers

The Angelina College Law Enforcement Academy on Thursday recognized 12 new graduates during a ceremony held at Temple Theater on the AC campus.

Class 114 of the academy also recognized valedictorian Clayton Lozano, Director’s Award recipient Cliff Prestwood, Best Drive Award recipient Ivan Flores-Moore and Top Gun Award recipient Garrett Thomas.

The ceremony’s keynote speaker was Lufkin Police Department Chief David Thomas, who spoke of the “art” of becoming a police officer.

Lufkin Police Department Chief David Thomas address the crowd and the cadets of Angelina College’s Law Enforcement Academy Class 114. The academy held its graduation ceremony at Temple Theater, recognizing the 12 new entrants into the law enforcement profession. (Gary Stallard/AC News Service photo)

“It’s not just about the facts, or someone having to be kind of a stoic person,” Thomas said of the profession. “There’s got to be more of an art to it. The art of empathy over sympathy. The art of talking someone into handcuffs instead of a fight. The art of applying the law instead of just enforcing words on paper. And the art of telling a parent that their world just changed for the worst.”

Valedictorian Lozano lauded his classmates’ overall determination throughout the rigorous four months of training.

Class valedictorian Clayton Lozano address the crowd and his fellow classmates of the Angelina College Law Enforcement Academy’s Class 114. The academy held its graduation ceremony at Temple Theater, recognizing the 12 new entrants into the law enforcement profession. (Gary Stallard/AC News Service photo) 

“We were told on first day of class that the academy was not like any school or anything we’d ever been through before,” Lozano said. “We had to make a decision that it would basically take a S.W.A.T. team to pull us out of there, because nobody was going to quit.

“The 12 men [graduating] here tonight took that mentality and ran with it. Even now, it would take a S.W.A.T. team to pull us away.”

Graduating cadets, along with their listed home towns, were as follows:

Dawson Barnett (Denton, TX), Ivan Flores-Moore (Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico), Hernan Gonzalez (Crockett, TX), Bailey Ham (Nacogdoches, TX), Preston Johnson (Houston, TX), Ethan Kaye (Dallas, TX), Clayton Lozano (Lubbock, TX), Jeremiah Moss (Crockett, TX), Cliff Prestwood (Pasadena, TX), Sheldon Silence (Humble, TX), Garrett Thomas (Lufkin, TX) and Tristan Wagner (Hemphill, TX).

Angelina College’s Law Enforcement Academy staff includes AC Police Chief Doug Conn, Training Manager Lt. Jack Stephenson, Training Manager Sgt. Ashley Jowell and Administrative Assistant Kim Capps.

For further information regarding the academy, contact policeacademy@angelina.edu.

For other information, contact Krista Brown at kbrown@angelina.edu.

Angelina College Fire Academy Celebrates Graduates

0
Angelina College Fire Academy Class 23-60 valedictorian Stormi Ray addresses the crowd and classmates during Wednesday’s ceremony at Temple Theater. The academy recognized and awarded a total of19 new firefighters. (Gary Stallard/AC News Service)

Class 23-60 Sends 19 New Firefighters into the Profession

Angelina College’s Fire Academy celebrated its 60th graduating class on Wednesday, with 16 cadets crossing the stage of Temple Theater to receive their designations as certified fire fighters.

Lt. Jason Pope, Fire Academy Coordinator, introduced guest speaker Capt. Shawn Dillon, who was a member of AC’s very first fire academy 59 classes ago. Dillon spoke of the definition of the word “goals” while offering the new firefighters a different meaning.

“I saw something that I like better than the actual dictionary definition of ‘goal’,” Dillon said. “I read that ‘A dream written down with a date becomes a goal, a goal broken down into steps becomes a plan, and a plan backed by action becomes reality.’

Keynote speaker and instructor Captain Shawn Dillon addresses the crowd and graduates during Wednesday’s Angelina College Fire Academy graduation ceremony at Temple Theater. The academy recognized and awarded a total of19 new firefighters. (Gary Stallard/AC News Service) 

“You’ve already achieved one goal by graduating this academy, but the fire service is an ever-changing industry,” Dillon added. “Continue training and learning every aspect of this great profession.”

Class valedictorian Stormi Ray spoke of the “giving of one’s self” required for such a calling, and reminded her classmates of how they’d already shown great courage just by choosing such a “noble career.”

“For those of us who have chosen to become firefighters, to even be here and gone through this class is an ultimate act of bravery,” Ray said. “You could have given up [at any time], but here you are now, still not knowing what the next day brings or how long your career might last. So with all that, you’ve already made an awesome sacrifice just to be here.”

Pope announced the Most Outstanding Cadet recipient as Dennis Cartwright.

The new firefighters, along with their home towns, include the following.

Caden Barrios (Cushing), Dean Brown (Nacogdoches), Dennis Cartwright, Jr. (Denison), Edward Davis (Cushing), Joseph Hawthorne (Lufkin), Andrew Knight (Cushing), Jackson Linam (Nacogdoches), Zakery Martin (Lufkin), Conner Murray (Huntington), Trey Pleasant (Nacogdoches), Cole Powers (Conroe), Stormi Ray (Lufkin), William Stanaland (Nacogdoches), Conner Tate (Nacogdoches), Walker Thorne (Apple Springs) and Colton Wilson (Elkhart).

Academy staff includes Doug Conn, Senior Director of Public Safety Training Fire/Law Enforcement; Lt. Jason Pope, Coordinator Fire Academy; Capt. Shawn Dillon, Assistant Coordinator Fire Academy; and Kim Capps, Administrative Assistant.

For information on the Angelina College Fire Academy, contact Jason Pope at jpope@angelina.edu.

For other information, contact Krista Brown at kbrown@angelina.edu.

Understanding Plant Nutrients – Phosphorous and Potassium

0

Previously we had looked at the full list of nutrients and spent some time understanding nitrogen (N) as a major nutrient for plants. This time will press forward and talk about phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). This will round out the three macronutrients that are found on every fertilizer bag and are known by their initials, N-P-K.

 Phosphorus can be a difficult nutrient to manage in the soil. First, the total supply of phosphorus in many soils is usually slow, and yet, even when present, its availability to the plants that need it may be limited. In our area with acidic soils, the phosphorus availability may be even lower because of the formation of chemical compounds which make phosphorus very slowly available.

A few of the many ways that phosphorus is important to plant growth is that it stimulates root formation and growth, encourages flower development, seed formation, and makes plants more winter hardy.

But as much as it is needed, too much phosphorus can get in the way. Excessive phosphorus in the soil chemically binds with iron and zinc and keeps those vital micronutrients away from the plants that need them. Phosphorus excessive phosphorus can build up from too much inorganic or commercial fertilizer. In the soil phosphorus is very immobile – it doesn’t move through the soil like nitrogen. If that top layer of soil, where phosphorus has accumulated, runs off into lakes and streams, it can be a real problem.

If phosphorus had a personality, it would be like that friend that you invited over to watch a football game. He would sit in “your chair” and take over the remote. Then when the game is over, he would ask what else you got to eat in the kitchen, and then would overstay his welcome looking for more games to watch.

For soils that have an accumulation of too much phosphorus, there is no simple solution. The first step is to eliminate any new fertilizers that contain phosphorus. This would include eliminating organic materials such as compost and manure. This elimination of fertilizers and soil amendments which contain phosphorus may need to continue for a period of years. And as always, the way we will know that the nutrients or at the proper level is through a soil test.

The last of the three macro nutrients needed by all plants is potassium. Potassium is represented in the periodic table as the letter K. Potassium also has several benefits to plants such as imparting vigor and aiding in resistance to disease, providing winter hardiness, and it aids in the translocation of sugars starches and other carbohydrates.

Potassium is crucial to plant metabolism and is a part of the regulation of water loss and is needed to adapt to stress such as severe cold or extremely dry weather. Plants that are deficient in potassium will exhibit a reduced yield before any symptoms are noticed. Those who produce Bermuda hay know that potassium is a hugely important nutrient for a successful field of Bermuda.

Potassium is somewhat mobile in the soil, falling between the fickleness of nitrogen and the immobility of phosphorus.

Both phosphorous and potassium is mined and packaged for all types of fertilizer applications.

Finally, if you are waiting for any recommendation on how much fertilizer to put out on your yard, garden, or field, you won’t hear any from me. To get it right, really correct, you’ll need to fill out a soil sample. Texas A&M and many other land-grant universities have a form online that you can download and print, or you can easily get the form from your local Extension office. 

Next, I’ll cover the three secondary nutrients, Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Sulfur (S). 

ERCOT Provides New Look at Battery Storage Production on the Grid

0

(Austin, TX) – As part of continued efforts to increase transparency into grid operations, ERCOT today announced the new Energy Storage Resources (ESR) dashboard and Integration Report that provides Texans with a view of charging and discharging battery production on the grid.

“Energy Storage Resources (batteries) are connecting to the grid at an incredible rate and becoming a significant part of our resource mix,” said ERCOT Vice President of System Operations Dan Woodfin. “This new dashboard provides Texans with a real-time status of connected batteries’ aggregate charging and production output.”

The Energy Storage Resources dashboard displays previous and current day real-time battery storage discharging, charging, and net output information within the ERCOT system. The new daily ESR Integration Report includes aggregated installed capacity, percentage of contribution to total system load, and statistics on production during peak load for the ERCOT system.

The ESR dashboard is accessible from the Grid and Market Conditions page, and the ESR Integration Report is located here. Read the Market Notice for more information.

In addition to the ESR dashboard, ERCOT plans to add a new Outages dashboard showing planned and forced real-time generation outages to its current suite of dashboards in mid-December.

Hudson Band Program – Christmas Concert (Angelina County)

0
Date/Time Information:
Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 7 pm
Location:
Angelina Center For The Arts Temple TheaterAdmission Fee:
$5 per ticket

Come listen to some great Christmas Music featuring all three of the bands at Hudson ISD.

41st Annual Christmas on the Square (San Jacinto County)

0

The 41st annual Christmas on the square with all of the things you love about our small town. The shops, the food, pictures with Santa, over 100 vendors and food vendors, a kid zone with activities like face painting and cookie decorating, then to top it off, a lighted parade when the sun goes down at 6 pm. Come be a part of this magical event for all ages.

Where: San Jacinto County Court House
When: December 9, 2023, at 6 p.m

Event by Coldspring Chamber of Commerce

Lufkin District Experiences Work Zone Crash

0

LUFKIN – The TxDOT Lufkin District has recorded a crash that occurred in an Angelina County work zone late Tuesday afternoon.

The crash is currently under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety, but the unfortunate crash resulted in the loss of life(s).

The work zone was set with rumble strips, barricades, and a flagger directing traffic just north of the Jasper County line on US 69. There was a work crew present at the time of the crash. The TxDOT family would like to express its heartfelt sympathy to the family of those involved and to those who witnessed the crash.

Motorists are urged to reduce speed and obey all traffic control in and near a TxDOT work zone. Stay alert for moving equipment and workers near the lanes of travel as you approach a work zone. Always be prepared to stop.

For more information, contact Rhonda.Oaks@txdot.gov or call (936) 633-4395.

Angelina College Vocational Nursing Class Holds Pinning Ceremony

0
Newly pinned members of Angelina College’s Vocational Nursing program pose during Monday’s traditional pinning ceremony held at AC’s Hudgins Hall. A total of 19 new nurses received their awards and pins. (Gary Stallard/AC News Service photo)

A total of 19 New Nurses Received Awards

Angelina College’s Vocational Nursing program on Monday held its traditional pinning ceremony, acknowledging 19 new members and their entries into the nursing profession.

After an introduction and welcome from AC’s Dean of the School of Health Careers, keynote speaker and instructor Dr. Charlet Blades encouraged the new graduates to embrace “the support, the struggle, the success and the celebration.”

“I told our students they have to believe the impossible will possible,” Blades said. “So many of these students suffered, but they overcame, and they made the impossible possible tonight.

“Once you overcome anything you think is impossible, and you experience success, you realize that’s just the first success. People who are successful have at least one success they can fall back on, and they can tuck that back in their hearts and tell themselves, ‘Maybe, if that was possible, I can reach the next level.’”

The new nurse strolled the stage inside Hudgins Hall to receive their awards, with some of them getting “pinned” by friends or family members, and they followed with the traditional candle-lighting ceremony and the Nightingale Pledge.

A newly pinned nurse participates in the traditional lighting ceremony during Monday’s Angelina College Vocational Nursing pinning ceremony held at Hudgins Hall on the AC campus. A total of 19 new nurses received their awards and pins. (Gary Stallard/AC News Service photo)

The list of newly pinned nurses includes Ajetutu Akinlade, Krislyn Balderas, Josie Crosby, Amanda Fandry, Kelllie Garsee, Cynthia Godinez, Maria Gutierrez, Makayla Howell, Joselin Jaraguchi, Jabria Jenkins, Rebecca Johnson, Kayla Jones, Latrinda McGee, Ciara Meglic, Amanda Montgomery, Elexia Nash, Kaylee Pantoja, Glenda Rodgers and Vanessa Vargas.

Faculty members included Ferguson-Adams, Blades, Dr. Sandra Brannan, Alison Dillion, Mary Hastings and Jacquelyn McClain.

For further information, contact Krista Brown at kbrown@angelina.edu.

Free Picture with Santa (Nacogdoches County)

0
It’s getting about that TIME. Santa Claus time!! He’s coming soon….

Mark your calendars for Friday, December 8th from 2:00PM – 7:00 PM to come get your FREE picture with Santa!

We are so excited to see you and your sweet kids!

Date/Time Information:
Friday, December 8th from 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Location:
Texas Farm Bureau Insurance 5026 Tech Dr Nacogdoches TX 75964