Home Blog Page 183

Texas State Forest Festival Pom/Dance Team Competition (Angelina County)

By
Diana De Leon Bon
-
0

GO! FIGHT! WIN! The East Texas Cheerleading & Pom/Dance Championships, presented by Integra Insurance, is back this year and will take place Sunday, September 17 at 1 PM in the Main Arena.

1. There is no charge to enter the competition. However, completion and return of the enclosed entry form is required. The deadline for entry is end of business, Friday, September 1, 2023.
2. There will be 5 categories of competition: Jazz, Hip Hop, Kick, Pom & Officers. (must have at least 3 schools entered into the category to have competition)
3. There will be 2 age groups: High School and Jr. High/Middle School. The explanation of the categories of competition is as follows:
Jazz: Classic Jazz Technique; Must contain basic jazz choreography, with appropriate music. No more than 20% hip-hop style. Judging will be based on style, appropriate technique, which includes turns, leaps, correct extension, completion of movements and overall choreography.

Hip Hop: A trendy style of current dance form; street style original dance with isolations and abstract movements. Judging will be based on style, appropriate hip-hop movements, and appropriate music. Please remember this is a family event.
Kick: Precision dance; may be a small or large group. No solos, duet, or tríos. Must have no less than75% kicks. Judging will be based on the height of kicks, power of kicks, types of kicks, formations, and overall difficulty.
Pom: Must incorporate pom-pons in dance or gymnastic style routine; should contain precision movements and must incorporate a pom 80% of the time. Judging will be based on pom technique, dance steps, and overall choreography. Must be high energy!
Officers Only: Open to any of the genres of dance listed above.
Total performance time should be between (2) two and (2) two and half minutes. Timing will start at the beginning of the music and end when the music has stopped.

4. This year we are urging you to email your music in advance of the competition, so we can create a comprehensive playlist prior to the competition. Please email your music to CMurray@LufkinTexas.org. We also encourage each entry to have their music on an iPod/iPhone and it must be cued to the correct placement. A sound system will be provided.
5. The performance area will be a 42’ deep x 54’ wide carpeted gymnastics floor mat on the arena floor.
6. The use of props is allowed.
7. The basis for judging is as follows:

CHOREOGRAPHY – 20pts
• Composition, Creativity, Difficulty, Appropriateness and Musical Interpretation
VISUAL IMPACT / STAGING – 20pts
• Continuity/Transitions, Use of Area/Stage, Changing of Levels/Floorworks, and Visual Effects
EXECUTION & UNIFORMITY – 20pts
• Upper & Lower Body Precision, Timing, Spacing and Uniformity of Kick Height
MOVEMENT QUALITY – 20pts
• Body Control, Technique, Range of Motion, Dynamics, Turns/Pivots/Flanks, Legwork, Footwork and Flexibility
PERFORMANCE – 20pts
• Facial Expression, Projection, Focus, Confidence in Performance, Musicality, Body Energy, Uniform and Grooming.

5 POINT PENALTIES WILL BE ISSUED FOR ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
• Going over the 2.5-minute time allowance
• Not having music cued up and ready to go
• Questionable or vulgar dance moves

8. Check-in will begin Sunday, September 17th at 11:00 am. Check-in will take place near the main arena of the Angelina County Exposition Center. The competition will begin at 1:00 pm. Each squad will be given 3 minutes to warm up all routines designated practice mat (without music) prior to competition. Going over time will result in a 5-point penalty. The floor will be open for this warmup beginning at 11:00 a.m.
9. Judges will be provided through the management of Academy of Gymnastics and Dance.
10. Complimentary Tickets to the Forest Festival will be given to the Cheer/Dance sponsor prior to the competition based on the number of students listed on the registration form. ONE complimentary pass is allowed for TWO sponsors. Additional tickets for staff, family members and friends may be purchased at the entrance gate for $8.
11. A Best of Show award will also be given in both the Jr. High and High School Divisions.

 

Fall Vegetable Gardens

By
Cary Sims
-
0
Fall Vegetable Gardens

While most of us are just excited to get some rain and see cooler weather, there is a tried-and-true group of folks who also think about planting vegetables in a fall garden. Yes, fall gardening is one of the best times of the year.

The fall vegetable garden is just as much a possibility as a spring one, just different. Establishing a fall garden is different as you may work in some heat up-front. Watering is also approached with a different mindset.  Water will be crucial to establishing the growing vegetables in the traditionally drier time of year than spring. 

Mulching, a wonderful practice for all gardens, will be much easier with the abundance of leaves on the ground.  Just a light layer of mulch will greatly aid in keeping moisture in the soil next to the developing roots and keep weeds at bay.

Pest control for fall gardens should be less.  Insect problems that are commonly experienced in the spring will be reduced.  Disease issues that arise from cool, moist environments may also be diminished while early fall-planted seeds are getting started in the warmer days of summer. 

The biggest proponents of fall vegetable gardens will always brag about the harvest.  Harvested produce in milder weather is reported to taste better.   The time spent harvesting, and choosing which squash or beans to pick, is obviously more comfortably done. 

Yet with fall gardening, you’ll have a hard deadline for many common, warm-season vegetables. That deadline is our first frost.

Most vegetables, traditionally grown in the spring and summer, must beat the frost.  Now the average first frost for this area is mid-November.  The key word is “average”.  Sometimes it may be near Christmas, and other times it will be before Halloween. 

To extend frost-sensitive crops, you can use a row cover. Purchased locally or online, these thin fabric covers can give a few degrees of protection. And for our first frost, just a few degrees is all we need. Available in a wide variety of widths and lengths, they serve double duty for keeping insects off young, tender plants.

Looking ahead, we have approximately 60 days from the middle of September to mid-November. With that time frame, it would be wise to ignore traditional spring/summer vegetables. Generally, a frost (31-33 degrees F.) will kill beans, cantaloupe, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peas, pepper, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and watermelon.

I’d suggest you consider broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, lettuce, mustard, onion, radish, and turnip. They’ll take colder temperatures (26-31 degrees F.). Their foliage may burn but should not be killed.

For true cold, really cold, weather tolerance plant beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, collards, kale, parsley, and spinach.

So, while you are preparing your deer blind or watching a football game, remember that with proper selection and proper planting time, we can grow vegetables this fall, and through the winter and we’ll be ready for next spring.

Almost Half of All Child Car Seats Aren’t Installed Correctly

By
Rhonda Oaks
-
0

TxDOT kicking off “Save Me With a Seat” campaign during National Child Passenger Safety Week

LUFKIN– Car seats work. Just ask Mandy Watson who was in a head-on crash with her 11-month-old and 5-year-old as they were going to lunch more than a decade ago.

“Immediately after the crash, I climbed in the back seat. At that moment I knew it worked. I knew their car seats did everything they were supposed to do, because they were still intact, still in place, and I could hear my babies crying,” said Watson.

Watson had been trained to properly secure her children in their car seats, preventing an unthinkable tragedy. That kind of training is exactly what TxDOT’s “Save Me With a Seat” campaign will teach as it kicks off in September to coincide with National Child Passenger Safety Week, Sept. 17– 23, 2023.

“It’s extremely important that parents schedule a car seat check today,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. “Ensuring car seats are installed correctly is one of the most important things a parent or caregiver can do to protect the smallest occupants in a crash.” 

In 2022, 72 children younger than 8 years old were killed on Texas roadways; 16 of those who died were unrestrained. Nationwide, 46 percent of all car seats are misused, putting children at risk if they are in a crash.

In 2022, in the nine-county Lufkin District, there were five passenger vehicle crashes that resulted in five serious injuries and no fatalities for children ages 8-12, and there were 11 passenger vehicle crashes that resulted in 13 serious injuries and one fatality for children younger than 8 years old.

Losing a child is a parent’s worst nightmare, but it is often preventable when a car seat is used correctly. This campaign invites parents to schedule a free car seat safety check by visiting SaveMeWithASeat.org and entering their ZIP code to find the nearest TxDOT traffic safety specialist in their area. TxDOT offers free car seat safety checks year-round.

In the Lufkin District, those who would like to schedule a free car-seat check can contact Melissa.McKnight@txdot.gov or call (936) 633-4303 or (936) 219-8922.

With the “Save Me With a Seat” campaign, drivers are reminded that Texas law requires all children under 8 — or shorter than 4 feet, 9 inches — to be in a car seat whenever they ride in a passenger vehicle. Failure to properly restrain a child can result in a ticket of up to $250. In 2022, 72 children younger than 8 years old died in traffic crashes in Texas, and 16 of those were unrestrained at the time of the crash.

During September, the “Save Me With a Seat” campaign will include the “Are You Ready for Takeoff?” interactive educational experience and will make stops in eight Texas cities.

“Save Me With a Seat” 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, like wearing a seat belt, driving the speed limit, never texting and driving or driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Nov. 7, 2000, was the last deathless day on Texas roadways. #EndTheStreakTX asks all Texans to commit to driving safely to help end the streak of daily deaths.

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

Lunch and Learn: Center of Hope (Polk County)

By
Diana De Leon Bon
-
0
Date and Time
Tuesday, Sep 19, 2023
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CDT
Location
Chamber office
1001 Hwy 59 Loop N
Livingston, TX 77351
Fees/Admission
FREE
Website
The Chamber
Contact Information
936.327.4929
Send Email

Texas Electricity Bills Going Up: What You Need to Know

By
Lee Allen Miller
-
0

Texas electricity customers across the state are soon to see an unwelcome change in their utility bills – higher transmission and distribution utility (TDU) charges. These delivery fees from companies like Oncor, TNMP, and AEP are increasing thanks to a rate hike approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) on September 1st.

What does this mean for your monthly bill? Residential customers can expect to pay an extra 1-3 cents per kWh for the delivery portion, while commercial and industrial users will see hikes of 0.5-2 cents per kWh depending on their TDU. That’s on top of any fluctuations in the energy supply portion from your retail electric provider.

While disheartening, the unfortunate truth is that these TDU delivery charges are outside of your electric provider’s control. They reflect the costs companies like Oncor and TNMP incur to maintain the infrastructure that transports electricity to your home or business. The PUCT authorizes rate changes to allow TDUs to recover investments in grid improvements.

So with TDU fees going up across Texas, what can electricity customers do? Your first step should be to make sure you are in a contract. The date your contract expires is required to be on your bill.  If there is no expiration date on you bill, you may be out of contract. Engage an energy broker that knows the best prices on the market.  Their services are free and can help you make a decision in a very crowded market. Our partner company, Amerigy Energy can help.  Just be aware that switching providers won’t let you avoid the delivery fee increase.

Another proactive option is exploring solar power. Installing solar panels or a solar array allows you to take control and reduce your reliance on the grid. Solar customers can lock in lower rates for decades, immune to unpredictable utility rate swings. And with battery storage, you can keep the lights on even when the grid goes down. If rising TDU fees have you considering solar, be sure to get quotes from a reputable LOCAL installer, MCFSolar.com is one of our TFCL partners. Avoid those ads on social media, or the guy that shows up on your doorstep!

The bottom line is that higher transmission charges are now hitting Texas electricity customers statewide. While disheartening, being an informed consumer can help you manage the rate impacts. Consider all your options, from new retail plans to solar, to take greater control over your energy costs.

Texas Forest Country Living Magazine, Amerigy Energy LLC, and MCF Solar LLC have some common ownership.

ERCOT Provides New Look at Peak Demand Records

By
Diana De Leon Bon
-
0

(Austin, TX) – As part of continued efforts to increase transparency into grid operations, ERCOT today announced a new Peak Demand Records webpage that will provide Texans with a view of current and yearly demand records.

“The new Peak Demand Records webpage increases public visibility into current and past record-breaking demand on the grid,” said ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas. “Providing updated, readily available information on grid operations remains a key part of ongoing transparency in our communications with the public.” 

This summer, ERCOT set 10 new all-time peak demand records. ERCOT set an all-time peak demand record of 85,464 MW on August 10, 2023. ERCOT set a new unofficial September peak demand record of 84,182 MW* on Wednesday, September 8, 2023, surpassing the previous September peak of 83,911 MW* set on September 7.

Prior to this year, the previous September peak of 72,370 MW was set on September 1, 2021. Last year, ERCOT set 11 new peak demand records and surpassed 80 GWs for the first time ever.  

The Peak Demand Records page will be updated with each new record. For demand records, ERCOT uses the integrated system load for the full hour. ERCOT does not count instantaneous loads for demand records. The unofficial demands reported during or just after an operating day are preliminary and numbers may change slightly as the data goes through the settlement process. *All records are unofficial until final settlements occur.

The Peak Demand Records page is accessible from the Helpful Resources page at www.ercot.com.

ERCOT Communications

Governor Abbott Announces Over $1.8 Million In Grants To East Texas Veteran Organizations

By
Diana De Leon Bon
-
0
PHOTO: Texas Veterans Commission

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today announced nine Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA) grants totaling over $1.8 million were awarded to nine East Texas veteran service organizations as part of the Texas Veterans Commission’s (TVC) Big Check Tour. Presented today by TVC, the funding will provide services to more than 1,800 veterans and their families in over 30 counties in the FVA East Texas region. 

“Texans will forever be indebted to our brave veterans who selflessly answered the call to serve in our nation’s military,” said Governor Abbott. “These funds for Veterans’ Assistance grants will help veterans in East Texas and their families receive critical services they need to thrive. I thank the Texas Veterans Commission for partnering with veteran service organizations across our state as we honor the sacrifices these heroic men and women made in service to our state and our nation.”

“I want to sincerely thank each of our award recipients for serving our veteran communities across the Lone Star State,” said TVC Chairwoman and Navy veteran Laura Koerner. “Your organizations are recognized for making a difference in the lives of those who served.”

This grant presentation, the second stop on TVC’s FVA Bic Check Tour, was made by TVC Vice Chair and Air Force veteran Kimberlee Shaneyfelt at Habitat for Humanity of Smith County in Tyler. Fund presentations will continue through the first weeks of October in Fort Worth, Dallas, Abilene, El Paso, Edinburg, San Marcos, and New Braunfels.

FVA grants awarded today include:

  • Ark–Tex Council of Governments: a $5,000 grant for financial assistance
  • Cass County: a $300,000 grant for financial assistance
  • Community Services of Northeast Texas, Inc.: a $300,000 grant for financial assistance
  • Deep East Texas Council of Governments and Economic Development District: a $235,000 grant for home modification
  • East Texas Council of Governments: a $250,000 grant for transportation programs and services
  • East Texas Veterans Community Council: a $250,000 grant for support services
  • Habitat for Humanity of Smith County: a $200,000 grant for home modification
  • Northeast Texas Habitat for Humanity: a $200,000 grant for home modification
  • The Salvation Army of Lufkin: a $100,000 grant for financial assistance

Funding for these grants is generated primarily by the Texas Lottery Commission’s games designated for veteran support. Other sources of funding for the grants come from individual donation options on driver’s licenses, licenses to carry a handgun, outdoor recreation licenses for hunting and fishing, and vehicle registrations.

Texas veterans in need of assistance can find available local organizations at tvc.texas.gov/grants/assistance/ 

PHOTO: Texas Veterans Commission

Local Artist Exhibition at Casa Morales Restaurant (Angelina County)

By
Diana De Leon Bon
-
0

We are thrilled to announce an upcoming art exposé series that aims to celebrate and showcase the incredible artistic talent within our community.  Casa Morales, a renowned establishment in our town, is opening its doors to local artist, providing them with a unique opportunity to display and sell their captivating artwork.

In an effort to create a vibrant space for artist to exhibit their creations, Casa Morales will be hosting a series of exhibitions, featuring a diverse range of painting from talented individuals right here in our own backyard. This exposé not only serves as a platform for artist to gain exposure but also allows art enthusiasts like yourself to discover and appreciate the remarkable talent that exist within out community.

Date and Time

Tuesday, Sep 26, 2023
August through December 2023

Location
1001 S First St. Lufkin, Texas 75901
Fees/Admission
no fee
Website
http://www.casamorales1.com
Contact Information
936-404-2347 Joe R Morales MA, LPC
Send Email

Power Networking Breakfast (Angelina County)

By
Diana De Leon Bon
-
0
WHAT’S JA IN A DAY?

Featuring Brook Durham, Executive Director

Date and Time Information:
Friday, Sep 22, 2023
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM CDT

Location:
Chamber Community Room

 

Congressman Pete Sessions Visits The Coalition, Inc.

By
Diana De Leon Bon
-
0
Members of The Coalition, Inc. with Congressman Pete Sessions. From left: Congressman Pete Sessions, Texas 17th Congressional District; Martin Aguilar III, Central HS; Ben Hicks, Lufkin HS; Jaydn Burns, Diboll HS, DeAndrew Dodd, Pineywoods Community Academy; Helena Nerren, Pineywoods Community Academy graduate; and Judge Wes Suiter, Board member.

Congressman Pete Sessions (TX-17) recently visited The Coalition, Inc. to meet coalition youth and other members. The youth shared their concerns regarding youth substance misuse with Congressman Sessions and talked about ways they are working within the community to prevent underage use. The youth in attendance were Martin Aguilar III, Central High School; Ben Hicks, Lufkin High School; Jaydn Burns, Diboll High School; DeAndrew Dodd, Pineywoods Community Academy; and Helena Nerren, recent graduate of Pineywoods Community Academy. Board members Maci Dover and Judge Wes Suiter described the importance of community coalitions and suggested ways to support prevention efforts, including increased funding. Congressman Sessions congratulated the students on making the choice to remain drug, alcohol and tobacco-free and encouraged them to continue their prevention work in the community. Thank you to Congressman Sessions and his staff for visiting and listening to the issues that youth in our community face regarding harmful substances.

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 on the dangers of youth substance use or The Coalition, contact Sharon Kruk at The Coalition at 936-634-9308.

1...182183184...745Page 183 of 745