The Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce has set its 6th annual Celebrate Business Awards and Salute to Healthcare for Thursday, Nov. 12 at The Pines Theater in downtown Lufkin. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. It runs about two hours.
The night recognizes businesses, organizations and individuals across Angelina County, and it doubles as the chamber’s salute to the county’s healthcare workers. This year’s nominees have been announced — the chamber posted the announcement video on its Facebook page, so that’s where to look to see who made the list.
Tickets are $35 and include light appetizers and desserts. A cash bar runs through the evening. Tickets are on sale through the chamber. The awards evening is the chamber’s yearly look back at who moved the needle in Angelina County, and because the nominee list is public before the night, members can see in advance which of their neighbors and competitors are up for something.
Past award winners come back to present in the category they won, so the people handing over this year’s awards took one home last year.
Plinko at the networking breakfast
October’s Power Networking Breakfast, presented by Amerigy Energy, is running on Power Plinko. You drop a chip, see where it lands, and talk about whatever it points you at — a recent win, an ask, something about your business nobody in the room knows, or the referral you’ve been trying to find.
The chamber’s pitch is that you probably already know the people in the room and still don’t know much about what they do. Registration is requested so the chamber has a head count.
The Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce is at 1615 S. Chestnut Street, Lufkin, TX 75901. The phone number is 936-634-6644 and the calendar is at LufkinTexas.org.
Lufkin Creative is putting a day of food, art and music in Cotton Square Park on Saturday, Nov. 7, and using the afternoon to mark the city’s new standing as a Texas Cultural District.
Heritage Festival: Bites & Beats — A Celebration of Heritage Around the World runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the downtown Lufkin park. The Texas Cultural District Proclamation Celebration starts at 2 p.m., recognizing the designation Lufkin received from the Texas Commission on the Arts. Gary Gibbs, Ph.D., the commission’s executive director, is coming in for it.
The designation recognizes creative work already going on around Lufkin and opens the door to support for local artists, cultural tourism and more visibility for the community.
Who’s setting up
Vendors include La Cultura Taqueria, Reed’s Fish & More, Smash and Pass Burgers, Bizzy Bees Bakery, Caffeine Clinic, Sarai’s Clay Studio, VAZA Woodworks and Sharkbait Spraypaint, among others.
Kids get their own corner, the Kids Passport to Adventure area, sponsored by HiJinx Trampoline Park. Participating groups are bringing hands-on activities — Chinese paper lantern making with CENTURY 21 Cota Realty and a papel picado activity with NexGen Liderazgo.
Confirmed entertainment includes Slack Elementary dancers, Casey Drummer, Coushatta Indians and Ketzaly dancers, plus a DJ. Individual performance times haven’t been set yet; Lufkin Creative says it will post a full schedule, a vendor list and a festival map on its website and social media as the date gets closer.
If you go
Heritage Festival: Bites & Beats — A Celebration of Heritage Around the World
Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Cotton Square Park, Downtown Lufkin
Texas Cultural District Proclamation Celebration, 2 p.m.
Visit Lufkin is supporting the festival. Hijinx Trampoline Park sponsors the kids’ area, with printing and production from Real Graphics.
Lufkin Creative works to build up the local arts community through artist support, programming, partnerships and public events.
After having every attack turned away throughout the first half, the Angelina College Roadrunner soccer team had every right to experience at least a little frustration.
Instead, the ‘Runners found another attack gear in the second half.
Trailing 1-0 with 20 minutes elapsed in the second half, the Roadrunners reeled off four goals in 11 minutes to knock off Jacksonville College by a 4-1 final in Region XIV Conference quarterfinal action at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex in Lufkin.
Diego Ramirez, Leeyon Phelan, Rolando Gallegos and Kanta Maruyama each scored goals for the ‘Runners, with Angel Benitez collecting two assists. Keeper Harrison Bond finished the match with five saves as AC shut down the Jaguars in the final 36 minutes of play.
The teams spent nearly the entirety of the first half at midfield, with both defenses controlling the action. The first half ended in a scoreless draw, but the next 45 minutes offered plenty of fireworks.
The Jaguars scored the match’s first goal on a header in the 54th minute, but that would be their last celebration. Ramirez ripped a ball into the net from outside the box to draw the teams even in the 65th minute, and Phelan headed a ball between two defenders for a 2-1 lead with just under 16 minutes to play.
Two minutes later, Gallegos offered a spectacular display of footwork on a breakaway goal, winding his way around both a defender and the Jaguar keeper to put AC up by a 3-1 score.
Maruyama capped the scoring within the next 83 seconds, getting a happy bounce off his attempt off a Benitez long pass. Maruyama’s attempt hit the upright but managed to carom inside the net.
The win launches the Roadrunners (6-3-2) into the semifinal round. AC will host Paris Junior College at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex.
By Gary Stallard, Sports Information Director, Angelina College Athletics
Angelina College Athletics Weekly Update — November 1, 2026. Photos by Maryane Pala and Gary Stallard.
Hey, sports fans,
In case you missed it — you really missed it.
Our women’s and men’s soccer teams opened up the Region XIV Conference Tournament with a couple of huge wins at home, pushing both teams into the tournament semifinals. The men now will host a semifinal match at home this Tuesday as they fight for a spot in the upcoming national tournament in Wichita.
The Lady Roadrunner basketball team tipped off its 2026-2027 season with a split on the road, falling on Friday before bouncing back for the team’s first win on Saturday.
And this coming week? We’ll have home games for men’s soccer, women’s and men’s basketball and baseball, with the ‘Runner baseball team hosting its annual Fall World Series.
We are AC, and we’re ready to Run ‘Em.
Here’s a quick rundown of recent events, along with what’s coming up next:
Roadrunner soccer advances to semis with win over Jacksonville
After having every attack turned away throughout the first half, the Angelina College Roadrunner soccer team had every right to experience at least a little frustration.
Instead, the ‘Runners found another attack gear in the second half.
Trailing 1-0 with 20 minutes elapsed in the second frame, the Roadrunners reeled off four goals in 11 minutes to knock off Jacksonville College by a 4-1 final in Region XIV Conference Quarterfinal action at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex in Lufkin.
Diego Ramirez, Leeyon Phelan, Rolando Gallegos and Kanta Maruyama each scored goals for the ‘Runners, with Angel Benitez collecting two assists. Keeper Harrison Bond finished the match with five saves as AC shut down the Jaguars in the final 36 minutes of play.
The Roadrunners (8-3-3) next will host No. 15 Paris Junior College in the Region XIV Conference Tournament semifinals kicking off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus.
Lady Roadrunners’ soccer beats No. 14 Navarro, falls to No. 9 Trinity Valley
Just a few weeks ago, there was a question as to whether the injury-plagued Angelina College Lady Roadrunner soccer team would even qualify for the postseason.
Not only did the team qualify, but it advanced.
The Lady ‘Runners shocked No. 14 Navarro College Tuesday in Region XIV Conference Quarterfinal action at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus, winning the match when AC goalkeeper Samuela Valeri stuffed Navarro’s final penalty kick.
The ensuing celebration had been brewing all night, with fans rushing the pitch to mob the team immediately after Valeri’s stop.
After trailing 1-0 at the end of the first half, the Lady Roadrunners got a goal from Aundrea Barreiro in the 64th minute to even the score. The Lady Bulldogs regained the lead in the 72nd minute, but three minutes later, AC’s Beatriz Almeida smashed home an equalizer to send the match into overtime.
Under the NJCAA postseason rules, teams play two overtime periods, but the “golden goal” is in play.
Neither team found the gold despite the two extra periods, setting up a thriller of a shootout.
Navarro’s first attempt caromed off the crossbar, and AC’s Almeida and Madelyn Huebel were true on their attempts. The Lady Bulldogs would convert their next two shots, and after an AC misfire, Navarro’s next attempt sailed high. Olivia Loyola found the net to give the edge to the Lady ‘Runners, and Valeri then made a diving stop to her left to send the Lady Roadrunners into the semifinal round.
On Friday in Athens, the Lady Roadrunners again faced a ranked team, this time going up against No. 9 Trinity Valley Community College. Again, the Lady ‘Runners pushed its opponent to a shootout after battling the Lady Cardinals to a scoreless draw through the two OT periods.
This time, AC couldn’t summon the same magic, with TVCC eliminating the Lady Roadrunners on penalty kicks.
The Lady ‘Runners end their season with a record of 7-6-3.
Lady Roadrunner basketball splits road games to open season
Head coach Addie Lees has been chomping at the bit to get the new season started with her new crew of Lady Roadrunners since March, and AC’s ladies finally tipped off their new year this weekend in Baton Rouge.
The Lady ‘Runners fell to Delgado Community College on Friday by a 69-59 final score, but the team bounced back on Saturday with a convincing 58-47 win over host Baton Rouge Community College.
The Lady Roadrunners (1-1) next will face Copiah-Lincoln Community College at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Wesson, Miss. AC then moves up the state on Tuesday to play Southwest Mississippi CC in Summit, Miss., at 4 p.m.
AC will host its home opener at 5 p.m. on Friday against Southern University-Shreveport at Shands Gymnasium.
No. 14 Roadrunner basketball hosting season opener on Monday
Having shown off plenty of talent and desire throughout the preseason, the No. 14 Roadrunners are ready to get the regular-season ball rolling.
AC’s men will host their season opener at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2 at Shands Gymnasium against Dallas College-Eastfield.
The ‘Runners then will be right back at home on Friday to face Southern Arkansas University Tech, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium.
Roadrunner baseball hosting annual ‘Fall World Series’
It’s a Fall Classic pitting Roadrunner against Roadrunner — even though the two competing teams call it “The Dirty Birds vs. The Wheelbarrows.”
The entire AC baseball team will play one another in the “Fall World Series” this week, having already played Game 1 this past Friday. The Dirty Birds prevailed by a 9-3 final score.
Game 2 (weather permitting) is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at Poland Stadium. The if-necessary Game 3 is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
Visit the Angelina College Baseball Facebook page for the team rosters and other information.
Basketball schedules available for viewing
Basketball season is here, with both the Roadrunners and Lady Roadrunners geared up to tip off their regular seasons in the next few weeks.
As always in East Texas, the potential exists for schedule changes because of inclement weather. We try to put out the word as soon as we get it, but the quickest way to confirm game days and times is to visit the AC Athletics website (angelinaathletics.com) to view the most updated schedules. We’ll also send out word on social media (AC Athletics Facebook and Instagram, etc.), but the on-line schedule will always serve up the most recent updates.
Live streaming reminder
All AC Athletics regular-season home games are live streamed on TSBN Sports (a free streaming service for fans), with most of the conference road games also available for streaming. (This does not include baseball and softball fall games, as those are not considered official games.)
Once TSBN posts its schedules, AC fans simply need to visit the AC Athletics web site, look at the scrolling schedule in the middle of the page and click the blue “Video” link.
TSBN also offers an app great for smart phones, devices and smart TVs. (You’ve GOT to see those matches and games on the big screen.)
Reminder II: Admission to ALL Angelina College Athletics sporting events is free, as is the TSBN live streaming. Any other links offering streaming are scams.
Reminder III: For the most current schedule updates (especially for potential weather issues) visit the official Angelina College Athletics website (angelinaathletics.com). Fans can also receive updates on the AC Athletics Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram pages.
Upcoming schedules
Monday, Nov. 2:
Lady Roadrunner Basketball at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, 5:30 p.m. in Wesson, Miss.
Roadrunner Basketball vs. Dallas College-Eastfield (season opener), 6 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium.
Tuesday, Nov. 3:
Roadrunner Baseball Fall World Series Game 2 (weather permitting), 2 p.m. at Poland Stadium on the AC campus.
Lady Roadrunner Basketball at Southwest Mississippi Community College, 4 p.m. in Summit, Miss.
Roadrunner Soccer vs. No. 15 Paris Junior College, Region XIV Conference Semifinal, 7 p.m. at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus.
Wednesday, Nov. 4:
Roadrunner Baseball Fall World Series Game 3 (if necessary), 2 p.m. at Poland Stadium on the AC campus.
Lady Roadrunner Softball at Sam Houston State University, 5:30 p.m. in Huntsville, TX.
Friday, Nov. 6:
Lady Roadrunner Basketball vs. Southern University-Shreveport, 5 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium (home opener).
Roadrunner Basketball vs. Southern Arkansas University Tech, 7 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium.
For any other information, contact Sports Information Director Gary Stallard at gstallard@angelina.edu.
Smoke, fire detector. Fire protection, with smoke in the foreground.
Daylight saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 1. The American Red Cross, Texas Gulf Coast Region, wants you to spend part of that extra hour testing every smoke alarm in the house.
“The end of daylight saving time is a good opportunity to test every smoke alarm in your home as you turn your clocks back,” said Edward Blanchard, regional disaster officer for the Texas Gulf Coast Region. “Every second counts when there’s a home fire. The sooner an alarm alerts you to a fire, the sooner you can get to a safer place.”
Alarms belong on every level of the house, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Test them once a month, change the batteries once a year if the model needs it, and replace any alarm that’s 10 years old or older. Teach children what the alarm sounds like and what to do when they hear it.
Three things worth adding to the list
The Red Cross fire prevention release that ran here Oct. 7 covered 20 steps — escape plans, the stove, space heaters. This weekend’s release adds three that weren’t on it.
Don’t throw water on a grease fire. If a pan catches, put a lid on it and smother the flames. Keep a fire extinguisher within easy reach if you don’t already have one.
Have the chimney cleaned and checked once a year, and use a metal or glass screen to keep embers in the fireplace.
If your microwave isn’t built in, keep the vents clear and the counter around it uncluttered.
One more step
The Red Cross Emergency app is free and carries weather alerts, preparedness information and open shelter locations. It has an English and Spanish selector, works with Apple Watch and Android wearables, and is built to be accessible for people with disabilities. Search for the American Red Cross in your phone’s app store, or go to redcross.org/apps.
More fire safety information is at redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org.
Angelina College’s men’s basketball team won’t play the scrimmage it had on the books for Wednesday night. Sports Information Director Gary Stallard sent word that the Roadrunners’ 6 p.m. scrimmage against Legacy Houston is canceled, and because it was a scrimmage rather than a game that counts, there’s no makeup date.
That moves the first look at this year’s Roadrunners to opening night. Angelina College tips off the regular season Monday, Nov. 2, against Dallas College-Eastfield. Game time is 6 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium, on the campus at 3500 S. First Street in Lufkin.
Stallard handles sports information for the college and teaches in the liberal arts department. He can be reached at (936) 633-3256.
If you have ever waited on the Texas Secretary of State to process a business filing, there’s a faster way to do it now. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Oct. 8 that Texas Express services are online, which puts same-day and next-day filings in a web portal called SOSPortal.
The system takes all business documents online, including mergers and conversions. You can save a filing as a draft, check the status of what you’ve submitted, pull down completed filings, and choose expedited processing at the time you file.
Texas Express already existed for time-sensitive filings. What’s new is that the whole process runs online instead of over a counter.
What the state says
“Texas moves at the speed of business,” Abbott said. “With more than 3.2 million active business entities in our state, Texas Express online makes it fast and efficient for entrepreneurs to make the necessary filings to create jobs and expand opportunity across Texas.”
Secretary of State Robert Howden said the portal is part of a longer modernization push in his office. “Texas Express already strengthened the way our office serves businesses that need time-sensitive filings, and putting this service online makes the process even easier,” Howden said. “SOSPortal represents a major step forward in our modernization efforts. Texas businesses should expect their state government to provide reliable, efficient and convenient service, and that is what we are working to deliver.”
The number of active business entities in Texas passed 3 million in 2025, up from about 1.4 million in 2015. That count includes businesses incorporated here and out-of-state companies registered to do business in the state.
Where to file
Filings and details are at www.sos.state.tx.us/express.shtml. Questions about the announcement go to the Governor’s Press Office at (512) 463-1826.
Farmer Jimmy Crawford sprays an onion field on Tuesday, Apr 23, 2024, in La Pryor, Texas. (Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife)
Anyone around here who holds a pesticide applicator license and needs continuing education units can pick up five of them on Nov. 12 without leaving the house.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is running its Overton Fall Pesticide Continuing Education Unit Program online that day, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., over Zoom. It’s open to pesticide applicators and agricultural producers across Texas. Registration is $35 through Texas A&M AgriLife Register at agriliferegister.tamu.edu.
The day carries five Texas Department of Agriculture units: one in laws and regulations, one in integrated pest management, and three general.
What’s on the agenda
Five sessions, five speakers:
Respiratory protection in pesticide application — Ed Parson, safety and occupational health, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University.
Using stocking rates to reduce weed and brush pressure — Jason Banta, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science at Overton.
Laws and regulations of pesticide use — Wizzie Brown, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist and entomologist, Texas A&M Department of Entomology, Travis County.
Structural pests, identification and management — Janet Hurley, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management senior program specialist with School Integrated Pest Management, Texas A&M Department of Entomology, Dallas.
Effective weed control in pastures and hayfields — Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension forage specialist and professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Overton.
Two of those — Banta on stocking rates and Corriher-Olson on pasture and hayfield weeds — are aimed squarely at the cattle and hay operations that cover a lot of ground in the twelve counties. The other three are the license-keeping part.
For more information, contact Banta at jpbanta@ag.tamu.edu or Corriher-Olson at vanessa.corriher@ag.tamu.edu.
Crews start work Nov. 9 on a widening of US 259 in northern Nacogdoches County, and TxDOT doesn’t expect to be finished until fall 2031.
The project covers about 6.77 miles, from State Highway 204 north to the Rusk County line. Posillico Civil, Inc., an Austin-based contractor, is heading it up. Its crews begin by preparing the right-of-way on Monday, Nov. 9.
What gets built
The road picks up a 16-foot-wide continuous two-way left-turn lane down the middle and 10-foot-wide shoulders. The SH 204 intersection will be reconfigured and get a traffic signal. Right-turn lanes go in at FM 2664 and FM 1087.
TxDOT gives three reasons for the work: moving freight, a more efficient hurricane-evacuation route, and less congestion on that stretch.
What drivers should expect
Lane closures and changing traffic patterns, off and on, for the next five years. TxDOT asks drivers to slow down in and near the work zones and stay alert for workers and equipment moving around. Project schedules can also shift with the weather and with how quickly materials show up, so the dates may move.
Anyone who drives US 259 between Nacogdoches and the Rusk County line regularly will want to plan for it. Five years is a long run, and the first year of a job like this is the one where the traffic pattern keeps changing on you.
Where to follow it
Search “US 259 widening” at TxDOT.gov for additional information on the project. The department also keeps a Project Tracker that shows the status of its work, and real-time travel conditions are at DriveTexas.org or in the Drive Texas app.
Tim Monzingo is the public information officer for the TxDOT Lufkin District. He can be reached at timothy.monzingo@txdot.gov or 936-208-5651.
The Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce has three more celebrations on its calendar after the Angelina College Veterans Resource Center ribbon cutting on Nov. 3 — two ribbon cuttings and a groundbreaking. All three start at 10 a.m.
Chamber celebrations
Dr. Kay Nelson, Woodland Heights Family Medicine — ribbon cutting, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 10 Medical Center Blvd., Lufkin.
Hospice in the Pines Inpatient Unit — groundbreaking, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 220 Gene Samford Dr., Lufkin. That’s Veterans Day.
East Texas Roofing Pros — ribbon cutting, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1615 S. Chestnut, Lufkin.
Two of the three are health care. Woodland Heights Family Medicine is opening Dr. Kay Nelson’s practice on Medical Center Boulevard, and Hospice in the Pines is breaking ground on an inpatient unit — a building where patients stay, rather than care brought to the house.
One address worth noting: East Texas Roofing Pros’ ribbon cutting is at 1615 S. Chestnut, which is the chamber’s own street address, so that one is at the chamber building rather than at the business.
Businesses that want to schedule a ribbon cutting, Red Carpet Salute or kick-off with the chamber can contact Mackenzie Herring at mherring@lufkintexas.org.
The rest of November
The chamber’s running list:
Nov. 5 — Bingo Fever with the Boys & Girls Club of Lufkin
Nov. 5, 6 and 7 — Angelina College: “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash”
Nov. 6 and 13 — High-Impact Leadership
Nov. 7 — Hospice in the Pines Memorial Walk
Nov. 7 — Lufkin Creative Heritage Festival
Nov. 7 — Joe W. Elliott House Auto Show
Nov. 7 — Lufkin’s Bistro
Nov. 7 — Honor America Night
Through Nov. 30 — Food Drive for Survivors of Abuse
Through Dec. 3 — Adopt-a-Family for Christmas
Nov. 7 is the crowded one. Five of those land on that Saturday, and the last night of the Johnny Cash musical is the same evening.
The chamber’s email lists the calendar by date and name only. Times and locations are on the calendar at LufkinTexas.org, or call the chamber at 936-634-6644.
The Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce is at 1615 S. Chestnut Street, Lufkin, TX 75901.
