The Coalition is happy to announce the new group of Drug-Free All Stars for the 2021-2022 school year. The Drug-Free All Stars are a group of high school seniors from Angelina County who are hand selected to serve as role models for their community by living a tobacco, drug, and alcohol-free lifestyle. Drug-Free All Stars are active throughout the school year by volunteering their time in the community promoting a healthy and drug-free lifestyle. The All Stars this year consist of 45 students from seven Angelina County high schools including; Central, Diboll, Hudson, Huntington, Lufkin, Pineywoods Community Academy, and Zavalla.

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

The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster (EDS) teams in South Texas are preparing to respond to potential heavy rain and flooding associated with Tropical Storm Nicholas. Salvation Army staff and trained volunteers, utilizing mobile feeding units, cleanup kits, and other supplies, are ready to serve impacted communities.

“We are carefully monitoring Tropical Storm Nicholas and have mobile feeding units and staff along the Texas coast prepared to respond, if necessary,” said Alvin Migues, Emergency Disaster Services Director for The Salvation Army in Texas. “Many of our staff and trained volunteers are only just returning home from the first wave of response efforts after Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana. The Salvation Army stands ready to serve as needed.”

The storm is currently moving slowly, skirting the Texas coastline, and is expected to make landfall in on Monday evening just north of Corpus Christi. “Heavy rain and potential flooding are the major concern in areas north of Corpus Christi, including Bay City, Freeport, Houston, and the Golden Triangle region,” said Migues. “We have units located throughout the area that can mobilize and respond very quickly.”

Financial donations can be made at helpsalvationarmy.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY to support ongoing disaster response efforts. For the latest information please go to www.disaster.salvationarmy.org and watch for regular updates on our social media pages at www.facebook.com/salvationarmytexas/ and www.twitter.com/salarmytx

TxDOT crews are preparing today for Tropical Storm Nicholas that is expected to impact the Lufkin District for most of the week.

Crews will be following all safety protocols and are prepared to respond to any needs in the nine-county district. Crews are preparing equipment, cleaning ditches, checking road signs and signals and checking problematic areas that are prone to flooding.

The public is advised to stay alert to rising water should there be excessive rain from Tropical Storm Nicholas. Never drive through a flooded roadway or around barricades.

“Our crews are ready for this weather event, but we want the public to also be ready and make a plan to stay safe should we experience any flooding,” said Rhonda Oaks, public information officer. “As always, driving is discouraged during heavy rain or flooding. Never drive through a flooded roadway. There is no way of knowing whether the safety of the road beneath the water has been compromised until crews can inspect it.”

Follow all updates and alerts for the Lufkin District on Facebook at Texas Department of Transportation (Lufkin) and on Twitter at TxDOT Lufkin. For updates on road conditions statewide, visit drivetexas.org. Remember to Turn Around Don’t Drown.

Lady ‘Runners, No. 19 Roadrunners Still Unbeaten

Jase Magers Field in Lufkin on Saturday was the site of a pair of nail-biting soccer matches, with the Angelina College Lady Roadrunners and the No. 19 Roadrunners squeezing out wins over Blinn College.

Both AC teams remained unbeaten after a pair of wins, setting up Wednesday’s showdown with nationally ranked Tyler Junior College teams.

Lady Roadrunners 1, Lady Bucs 0

AC’s Camila Montero opened the scoring barely 10 minutes into Saturday’s match, scraping the underside of the crossbar on a long-range goal off a free kick in the 10th minute.

Montero’s goal stood up the remainder of the match, with the Lady Roadrunners turning in several defensive gems to preserve the 1-0 win at home.

Lady ‘Runner keeper Emily Quintanilla did her part, turning away several Lady Buc scoring opportunities. However, it was Abi Hearn’s play in the match’s late stage ensuring Quintanilla finished with a clean sheet.

In the 80th minute, Blinn mounted a press leading to a shot on goal. Quintanilla dove to deflect the ball, only to have it roll across the line. Hearn managed to sweep the ball out of the nets in a super clearance, and the Lady Roadrunners kept the Lady Bucs out of scoring range the rest of the way.

The Lady Roadrunners (4-0, 4-0) are scheduled to host No. 1 Tyler Junior College Wednesday in Lufkin, with kickoff set for 5 p.m.

No. 19 Roadrunners 2, Blinn College 1

Angelina College’s Roadrunners made their first home defense since earning the program’s first-ever national ranking, squeezing out their sixth straight win to open the 2021 season.

Ulises Mercado scored both Roadrunner goals in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Blinn College at Jase Magers Field in Lufkin.

Mercado opened the scoring in the 20th minute, going top shelf on a free kick for a quick 1-0 AC lead. Mercado then would add a goal on a penalty kick in the 42nd minute, pushing the Roadrunner lead to 2-0.

Blinn’s Stefan Fevnier Sildor cut the AC lead with a goal in the 61st minute, and Sildor seconds later appeared to have evened the score, only to have his second goal discounted on an offsides call.

Roadrunner keeper Uche Santschi made two key saves in the waning moments

AC (6-0, 5-0) will host No. 3 Tyler Junior College Wednesday at Jase Magers Field in Lufkin. Kickoff will take place at 7:30 p.m

The East Texas Fruit and Vegetable Virtual Conference will be held on the morning of Thursday, Oct 7. While this annual event has been held for years, the hosts are offering in on-line for the second time out of caution everyone’s health.

The seminar starts at 9 am with a presentation on small fruit production for the homeowner. Blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, fig and more will be covered. Stephen Janak, AgriLife Program Specialist for Sustainable fruit production, works out of Texas A&M in College Station and will bring his wealth of knowledge about the options for a small home orchard.

Later that morning at 10 am, state renowned Professor, Dr. Monte Nesbitt will discuss pecan production for the homeowner. Pecans can be found growing naturally throughout the state but can have unique challenges for the homeowner that expects a substantial, annual crop of pecans. Water, nutrients, and pest control for an optimal pecan crop will be covered.

The last session from 11 am till noon will be on tomato pest management for the homeowner. Dr. Juan Anciso, AgriLife Horticulturalist working in the Weslaco Research Station in the Texas valley will be covering organic and conventional methods to keep disease, insects, and mites away from this prized garden crop. You can register for the event at https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/Veggies . Cost is $15. Once registered, participants will receive instructions a few days ahead of the conference on specifics of registering.

For more information, contact Dr. Joe Masabni, AgriLife Extension Small Acreage Vegetable Specialist at jmasabni@ag.tamu.edu

Woodland Heights Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award for our commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds, and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and speeding recovery times.

Get With The Guidelines-Stroke was developed to assist healthcare professionals to provide the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treating stroke patients.

“Woodland Heights is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to helping patients have the best possible chance of survival after a stroke,” said Drew Emery, CEO of Woodland Heights. “Caring for our stroke patients is definitely a team effort and I couldn’t be prouder of our team.”

Each year program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Woodland heights also provides education to patients to help them manage their health and rehabilitation once at home.

“We are pleased to recognize Woodland Heights for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and Executive Vice Chair of Neurology, Director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”