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My five cents… A weekly column from Sen. Robert Nichols

By
Senator Robert Nichols
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On March 2, we celebrate Texas Independence Day! On that day in 1836, a delegate from each of the 59 existing settlements in Texas signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. This document officially declared Texas’ independence from Mexico and created the Republic of Texas. The delegation met at Washington-on-the-Brazos and also organized the interim government, naming Sam Houston commander-in-chief of the republic’s military forces.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. Teacher Vacancy Task Force releases recommendations

Last week, the Teacher Vacancy Task Force released recommendations to help with teacher retention and recruitment. The task force was established in March of last year by Governor Abbott to examine the challenges teacher’s face and why teachers are leaving the profession. The state is facing a severe teacher shortage and school districts are doing their best with the resources they have. The task force included teachers and school administrators from across Texas. The task force developed three key areas that need to be addressed: compensation, training and support, and working conditions. According to the task force, teacher’s need an increase in overall compensation, including benefits, and additional strategic compensation strategies. There is also a need to improve the teacher pipeline, expand training and support for teacher mentorship, and provide access to high-quality instructional materials. Lastly, the task force identified working conditions that led to a lack of value for teachers’ time and a need to ensure culture and discipline supports. To read more about the task force’s findings, go to tea.texas.gov/tvtf.

2. Senate Bill 3 filed, raises homestead exemption to $70,000

This week Senator Paul Bettencourt filed Senate Bill 3 and Senate Joint Resolution 3 which would raise that homestead exemption to $70,000. This would be a 75 percent increase in the current homestead exemption which is currently $40,000. All 31 members of the Texas Senate, including me, have signed on as co-authors to the bill and the constitutional amendment. This change would provide an additional $341 in savings on school taxes for the average homeowner each year. Senate Bill 3 is one of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s top priorities. Delivering property tax relief has never been more important as property values and inflation rise. I look forward to voting for this important legislation and working with our counterparts in the House to pass meaningful property tax relief.

3. Jobs and Education for Texans grant application now available

The Texas Workforce Commission announced the agency is now accepting applications for Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grants. JET grants are given to public junior, state, and technical colleges, and Texas independent school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and the Windham School District. The funding is for career and technical education programs, including equipment, in those education entities. The education courses lead to a license, certificate, or post-secondary degree and many include dual-credit and technical education programs. The JET program also supports employers by preparing students for careers in high-demand jobs in local businesses. The program currently has $8.6 million available. Applications are now open with a deadline of March 14.

4. Senate Bill 2 raises illegal voting penalty

The Senate State Affairs Committee voted out Senate Bill 2 this week. The bill, authored by Senator Bryan Hughes, would increase the penalty for illegal voting from a misdemeanor to a second degree felony, which was the penalty prior to 2021. Illegal voting has been a felony for almost 50 years, and this bill treats it with the degree of seriousness it deserves. This bill is also a priority of the Lt. Governor this session and I look forward to working with the rest of the members of the Senate and the House on this legislation.

5. TxDOT developing record $100 billion plan for projects

The Texas Department of Transportation is proposing a record $100 billion unified transportation plan that will increase the number of projects approved over the next ten years. This is projected to be $15 billion more than the 2023 Unified Transportation Program (UTP) and is based on revenue for the state, derived from the growth in Proposition 1 revenues. The projects would improve congestion, maintain roadways, and increase safety across the state. TxDOT currently has more than $33 billion in transportation projects under constructions throughout Texas with more than 7,000 transportation projects underway or scheduled to break ground in 2023. TxDOT will be evaluating projects for inclusion in the 2024 UTP through May

Swing in the Streets

By
Rozalin Martin
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Nac Swing Dance brings you Swing In The Streets, an evening of swing music and swing dancing that is FREE and open to the public on the square in downtown Nacogdoches. This event follows this month’s Nac Snack Fridays, which brings food trucks to the historic downtown square of Nacogdoches. Enjoy live music by Old Town Brass Band, a local New Orleans-style swing band. Come to dance, to enjoy the music, or a little bit of both. Either way, you won’t want to miss this magical evening on the brick streets of Nacogdoches.

 

Angelina College Names Brown Associate Vice President of Student Services

By
Gary Stallard
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Hudson Native Has Served Several Roles at AC

Angelina College recently has named Krista Brown the new Associate Vice President of Student Services, according to AC administrators.

Brown, a native of Hudson, has served in numerous leadership roles since her arrival at AC in December of 2019. Most recently, she served as Executive Director of Marketing and Strategic Enrollment.

As the Associate Vice President of Student Services, Brown will oversee offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, Communications and Marketing, the Office of Academic Success and Athletics.

Brown is a graduate of Hudson High School, in Hudson, Texas, where she starred as a Lady Hornet basketball player. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas-Dallas and her master’s degree in Executive Leadership from Liberty University.

From Brown’s released statement:

“It’s an incredible privilege to continue working with our talented team to further our mission of helping students reach their full potential. I am honored to serve our students in this expanded capacity and to build upon our existing services. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to our President, Dr. [Michael] Simon, for the opportunity.”

AC president Simon expressed his confidence in Brown and her abilities in a released statement:

“Since joining the Angelina College team, Krista Brown has demonstrated a commitment to efficient and caring student services as well as a passion for student success. She strives to achieve her vision for excellence in student services with a servant-leader disposition. I am confident Mrs. Brown will help to strengthen the college’s capacity to help people and the community reach their full potential in her new position.”

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

Jasper’s Annual Azalea Festival is Almost in Bloom

By
Rozalin Martin
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Jasper’s Azalea Festival is celebrating the blooming of the azaleas to kick off spring on March 18th, 10am to 4pm. This event is fit for all ages, and will have fun activities such as car shows, ax throwing, bounce houses and dancing!

This festival also welcomes small business, vendors, and teen entrepreneurs to sell their homemade merchandise! They are currently taking in applications for teens on the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce website so if you’re interested, definitely sign up! You’ll get great recognition.

The infamous band Old Souls has been invited once again to perform live, along with Masharu Martial Arts that will perform awesome demonstrations during the day. There will be tons of food trucks, so no need to worry about food!

Admission is free, so set your calendars to come and have a blast!

One-Day Home Projects to Transform Your Spaces

By
Statepoint
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Want to give your home a fresh look but don’t have a lot of time to spend? Check out these five home projects that can be completed in just one day.

Refresh the Wall Paint

If there’s one area in desperate need of a refresh, painting is a great place to start. With the right planning (and an early start), you can easily paint a room in a day. Purchase the materials you need, including primer, the paint color of your choice, brushes and rollers, and a high-quality painter’s tape like FrogTape Multi-Surface painter’s tape. Made with PaintBlock Technology, FrogTape ensures crisp and professional paint lines, so there will be no time wasted on touch-ups.

Once you have your supplies, tape the walls, apply primer and paint away. In just one day, a fresh coat of paint will have the room feeling brand new.

Enhance the Entryway

Your entryway should give your guests a warm welcome. A few simple solutions for sprucing up this area are organizing shoes, hanging up coats and adding a pop of color by laying a rug at the door. If you have the space, time and budget, you could consider larger improvements such as adding a bench, shoe storage or a coat rack. Complete the look by adding decorative pillows to the bench or adding frames to the wall.

Replace Bathroom Accessories

One way to make a space look more contemporary is to update the hardware and fixtures. This works particularly well in bathrooms where showerheads, faucets, towel bars and cabinet handles can be swapped out for matching, on-trend matte black or gold finishes. Other small, easily replaced items include shower curtains, towels, bathmats, soap dispensers and toothbrush holders. These swaps may seem minor to make, but they can make a big difference in the look and feel of the room.

Organize Cabinets, Drawers and Shelves

Once the hardware has been replaced on cabinets and drawers, open them up and get things in order. Start by going through what you have and deciding what can be eliminated. Clearing out clutter is particularly important for open shelves that are visible in the room. Once you’ve decided on what to keep, replace items in an organized manner so they’re easy to find going forward. Sorting out these small spaces can help keep things running smoothly.

Rearrange a Bedroom

Sometimes you just need to look at what you already have with a fresh perspective. Rearranging the furniture in a room can make it feel brand new. It can be as easy as switching which side of the bed the nightstand is on or moving the dresser to another spot on the wall. Best of all, this approach doesn’t require spending money on new items or supplies – all you need is your creativity and imagination!

With so many DIY projects that can be done in just one day, there’s no need to put the task off. Consider giving your home the refresh it deserves now.

Drug-Free All Stars to Kick Off Project Sticker Shock

By
Larry Waldorp
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The Angelina County Drug-Free All Stars, alongside The Coalition’s Board of Directors and staff, will kick off Project Sticker Shock on Tuesday, March 7th, with a press conference at Brookshire Brothers Gaslight, 1807 W. Frank St., in Lufkin beginning at 10:00 am. The guest speakers will be Hannah Spikes, Drug-Free All Star and Lufkin High School student; Melissa Crager, Public Relations Coordinator for Brookshire Brothers; and Kelly Morris, Lufkin District Engineer from Texas Department of Transportation.

Project Sticker Shock is a community awareness campaign that aims to make adults aware of the dangers of underage drinking and the consequences of providing alcohol to minors. The participating stores are Brookshire Brothers, Tobacco Barn, La Michoacana Meat Market, Big’s convenience stores, Hernandez Grocery, Walgreens on Frank, and Coleman’s convenience store in Zavalla. The Drug-Free All Stars hold this event annually before the Spring Break holiday. Spring Break is one of the deadliest times for alcohol-related accidents involving minors.

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 Stars, contact Abby Baker at The Coalition at 936-634-9308.

Spring Cleaning: Don’t Toss That ‘Junk,’ It May Be Valuable!

By
Statepoint
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It’s time to hit the garage, basement, attic and closets for that age-old task of spring cleaning! Before hauling unwanted possessions to the curb, you may be surprised to learn they might be valuable — especially if you have sports cards and memorabilia gathering dust.

With prices of sports cards rising in recent years, take time to determine if yours are valuable and how to best sell them.

“Older sports cards and memorabilia aren’t just highly collectible; they can be worth lots of money. Recent sales of scarce vintage cards have topped anywhere from thousands of dollars to tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands. And really rare cards can go higher,” says Al Crisafulli, Auction Director at Love of the Game Auctions, an internet sports auction house that helps families identify and sell valuable items.

Crisafulli has assisted people in selling such keepsakes as a grandparent’s autograph collection and an uncle’s childhood baseball cards, for tens of thousands of dollars. In one life-changing event, he helped a family determine that a baseball bat that spent decades protecting their home was used by Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig — and Love of the Game Auctions sold it for almost half a million dollars. Today, that bat could bring more than a million dollars.

The key is understanding what makes old sports collectibles valuable. To help, Crisafulli is sharing some tips:

Older is Usually Pricier

Cards from the 1960s and earlier are collectible, and those from before the 1940s can be worth a lot of money, especially those depicting stars. Do you have cards of Hall of Famers, such as Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner or Ty Cobb? Even non-stars from the early days of a sport can be worth big bucks, especially if the cards have no creases and retain sharp corners and original gloss.

If you have very old cards from the 1880s through the 1930s, look for tobacco, gum and candy brands, such as Old Judge, Piedmont, Sweet Caporal, Goudey or American Caramel.

If you want to sell sports items for the most money, consider a specialty auction, such as Love of the Game, which has the expertise to properly research sports ephemera and maintains bidder lists of collectors specializing in sports. More information is available at loveofthegameauctions.com.

Postcards and Photographs

We all have keepsakes of vacation destinations, but most aren’t valuable. However, photographs and postcards depicting sports stars and ballparks can be significant. Look for early “real photo” postcards from the 1900s through the 1940s, which are photographs printed on postcard backs.

As with sports cards, star power matters, so preserve those Babe Ruths as opposed to images of your great grandma’s baby cousin once-removed. And when it comes to photos, look for old markings on the back, such as photographer, publication and date stamps.

Memorabilia

Set aside old advertising posters depicting sports stars and food, tobacco or sporting goods brands. Ads from magazines aren’t valuable, but those used as store displays and for other marketing purposes can be pricey. Tin signs from the 1960 and earlier can be highly prized, but reproductions aren’t.

Your family’s sporting goods, such as balls, gloves and bats, can be valuable. Pre-1950s uniforms and catcher’s masks, helmets and other equipment are highly collected, especially when endorsed by star players. Top condition brings the highest prices, but even used equipment can be valuable.

“The golden rule is the older the sports card or item, the more valuable it usually is. Pre-1975 pieces start to get interesting and are worth researching,” says Crisafulli.

Don’t just clean out your “junk” this spring, examine it closely to potentially maximize its value.

Come And Celebrate The Annual Boots, Best Buddies, & BBQ Fundraiser

By
Rozalin Martin
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Kurth Animal Shelter Advocates invites all animal lovers to attend the annual “Boots, Best Buddies, & BBQ” on March 4, 2023, at the Pitser Garrison Convention Center in Lufkin, Texas from 6:30 – 10:00.

This event will help raise money for the vetting fund to help animals at the shelter to survive and to be adopted into a loving home.

Molly James is the planner for this event, and is an animal lover herself. She has volunteered at Kurth Memorial Animal Shelter for 10 years and has grown in love toward the shelter. James’ says, “This event is not only for having a good time, but helping out the needy animals.”

The Glenn Lenderman band will be joining this event, so be prepared to dance to some amazing live music! There will also be fun activities such as raffles, silent auctions, and more! Delicious barbecue sandwiches will be available along with soft drinks.

Tickets are $25 and are available at the door or at Grizzlys. Call (936)-634-7090 for reservations or more information.

DETCOG Submits Challenges to Texas Broadband Map

By
Larry Waldorp
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The Deep East Texas Council of Governments has filed the required evidence with the Texas Broadband Development Office to challenge the accuracy of the new State Broadband Map. The challenge asserts that 46 census blocks in the 11-county DETCOG Region have significantly slower internet speeds than reported on the initial Texas Broadband Development Map. The state map will be used in determining how state and federal Broadband Internet Funds will be distributed around the state.

The challenge process did not allow for individual challenges, but provided that governmental entities and internet providers could provide evidence to contest the map. DETCOG’s challenge is based on evidence gathered from over 3,000 households and businesses in Angelina, Houston, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler Counties. These households and businesses responded to DETCOG’s requests to complete an online broadband survey and speed test.

DETCOG staff and contractors analyzed the surveys, grouping them by census blocks and identifying the ones where a minimum of 20 percent of the households in a census block were inaccurately represented on the state map. That analysis found 46 reportable census blocks where the data significantly differed from the state’s map.

“We had just gone through a similar process to challenge parts of the new Federal Communications Commission National Broadband Map, said DETCOG Executive Director Lonnie Hunt. “So, when the new Texas Broadband Map was released, we immediately recognized it over-represented the availability and speeds of internet service in our region. Left unchallenged, the use of both maps looked like our region would be short-changed when state and federal funds are distributed.”

DETCOG continues to leave up the challenge survey webpage where residents can submit their home information. It may be needed if further map changes are considered and to collect data for future grant applications. The survey and speed test may be completed at:

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7218052/Deep-East-Texas-Internet-Speed-Test

Celebrate St. Paddy’s Day at the Stone Fort Museum

By
Rozalin Martin
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Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with music by El Camino Real de Nacogdoches Band at the Stone Fort Museum. Enjoy traditional music from Ireland and music that celebrates the rich history of Texas while relaxing under a big tent with a plate of traditional Irish treats! The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, contact museum staff at (936) 468-2408 or stonefort@sfasu.edu.

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