Home Blog Page 320

CLOSURES SCHEDULED FOR NACOGDOCHES CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

By
Luis Ruperto
-
0

Old Lufkin Road in Nacogdoches is scheduled for closure May 13 – 27 as work on the US 59/SL 224 flyover construction project continues. Other traffic changes are also scheduled, weather permitting.

Beginning Thursday, local traffic on Old Lufkin Road should access West Spradley or the very south end of Old Lufkin Road as entry/exit points. The closure is necessary to add a traffic barrier, extend drainage features and add temporary pavement along SL 224.

Work is also planned on May 20 that will require a temporary closure at CR 522 at US 59. The closure is scheduled from 7 am to noon to cement treat the subgrade. Local traffic can enter/exit on FM 2863/Press Road.

The week of May 24 will also see traffic patterns change on US 59 along the existing US 59 median at Spradley Street. Once temporary pavement is placed in this area, northbound traffic will be switched to the temporary paving.

As this construction continues, motorists are urged to remember the speed limit in the work zone has been lowered to 45 miles per hour from CR 524 to Spradley Street.

“This is a busy work zone with many moving parts,” said Rhonda Oaks, TxDOT public information officer. “On any work day, motorists will see moving machinery and many workers. They are urged to stay alert, reduce speed and obey all traffic control.”

The $86.1 million construction project includes construction of new US 59 main lanes that will directly connect to SL 224 just south of SH 7 and is being built to interstate standards. The project also includes the construction of overpasses at Spradley Street, existing US 59 and Old Lufkin Road, and the construction of frontage roads for SL 224 between SH 7 and BU 59.

Motorists are urged to reduce speed and stay alert through the project area from SH 7 west on SL 224 to 1.2 miles south of Spradley Street on US 59. Longview Bridge and Road, Longview TX, is serving as contractor for the project that is on schedule to be completed in spring 2023.

ALERT: 59 LANE CLOSURE

By
Luis Ruperto
-
0

Northbound traffic on US 59 South in Nacogdoches will be re-directed to Old Lufkin Road after a crash involving an 18-wheeler near Spradley Street. Motorists should prepare for delays. HazMat is in route and crews continue to work to clear the scene. This is only northbound lanes involved. Southbound is clear and open for travel. Estimated time of clearance could be up to three hours. Updates will follow.

Fun Spring and Summer Toys and Games for Kids!

By
Statepoint
-
0

In the warm weather months, you can keep toddlers and preschoolers engaged with these great learning toys and games perfect for the season:

• Chalk it Up: With just a colorful set of washable, toddler-safe chalk, your child can create their own artwork on any sidewalk or patio. Or, draw a hopscotch or four square court for active playtime that builds coordination.

• Travel Inspiration: Inspire kids who are ready to go places with LeapFrog’s 100 Words About Places I Go bilingual learning book. Featuring age-appropriate words, this interactive book teaches about people and objects in 12 unique places in both English and Spanish. Go to the beach in any season and discover words in two languages about things to bring and surprises to find. The school, the park, the farm, the amusement park and more locations can light up your child’s world and spur their imagination.

• Obstacle Course: Transform the backyard into an amazing obstacle course. Toys you have on hand such as hula hoops, Frisbees and bean bags can be used to create different components of the course.

• Ice Cream Fun: By pretending to run their own ice cream cart, kids can create a variety of imaginative and tasty-looking ice cream combinations. And the Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart helps them build memory and sequencing skills, as it comes with six cute animal order cards that encourage little ones to follow the instructions. The cart also features playful phrases to introduce colors, numbers and flavors, and plays upbeat songs and music when pushed.

• Pretend Picnic: Make learning a picnic with the Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket. Kids can lift the lid to hear cheerful phrases and unpack the colorful plates, forks, cups and food. The interactive shape sorter on the lid recognizes the food pieces and says the shape and color of each one, encouraging kids to drop the correct food in the basket for rewarding responses.

Whether your family is at home or on the go, great games and toys help link learning with fun.

ANGELINA COLLEGE RELEASES SPRING 2021 PRESIDENT’S LIST

By
Gary Stallard
-
0

Angelina College officials and faculty members are pleased to release the names of 74 students named to the President’s Honor List for the Spring 2021 semester.

              To qualify, students must have enrolled in at least 12 semester hours of college-level work and have attained a grade point average of 4.0.

            The names of students who make the President’s Honor List are posted at the end of each long semester.

            Following is the list, divided by town or city of residency, of students named to the President’s Honor List: 

Apple Springs

 Seth Schaffer.

Broaddus

Ariel Mundy.

Burke

Jessica Little. 

Corrigan

 Hillary Bookman.  

Crockett

 Khushi Bhatt, Brandon Galloway, and Leanna Tran.

Diboll

Samuel Belasco, Yasmine Hulett, Elizabeth Luna, Klarisa Mijares, Yvette Rocha and Yvonne Rocha. 

Douglass

Holly Hollnagel.

Farmington, MO

 Joel Roberts. 

Goodrich

Heather Eaton. 

Grapeland

 Stacy Perez-Maldonado and Walker Webb. 

Groveton

Jonathan Eleby, Danny Luna and Michael Turner.  

Huntington

Natalie Wych.

Jasper

Charlotte Lemoine.  

Livingston

Jessica Harrell, Austin Carl Pena, Laney Rustin and Sabrena Saldana.

Lovelady

Erin Sample. 

Lufkin

 Emma Airington, Ezekiel Alanis, Chase Arriola, Kayteen Carreon, Daniela Cortes, Serio Diaz, Emma Ellisor, Felicity Estrada, Shelby Finch, Devin Garcia, Marjorie Kelley, Breanna Lipscomb, Adisen Massie, Tena McQueen, Trenton Mosby, Carlos Moya, Alexander Nieto, Reynaldo Perez, Brent Pigg, Wendy Ramos, Jared Reese, Krystin Risby, Jayla Simmons, Madilyn Simmons, Evelyn Solis, Johnny Trapp, Dustin Ulrichson and Cynthia Vick. 

Nacogdoches

 Alyssa Cain, Naomi Faullon, Guadalupe Juarez, Sergio Montoya Caballero, Presley Slatter, Nathan Smith, Matthew Sorenson, Brandee Tarver and Blake Wilson. 

Onalaska

Contessa Sanford. 

Pollok

Winfred Lewis and Jonathan Shepherd. 

San Augustine

Kordale Oliphant.

Shelbyville

Amber Wilburn.

Trinity

Lindsay Jones.

Woodville

 Sean Netterville, Theresa Speaks. 

LUFKIN DISTRICT PREPARES FOR HURRICANE SEASON

By
Luis Ruperto
-
0

Lufkin District supervisors met Monday for the annual hurricane preparation meeting and outlined actions to take should the East Texas area experience a hurricane or evacuation from the Gulf Coast in the event of a hurricane there.

The 2021 hurricane season begins June 1 and concludes Nov. 30. The Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to be a busy season, with 17 predicted named storms, including eight hurricanes and possibly four major hurricanes.

TxDOT urges the public to be ready as hurricane season begins. Determine if you live near a hurricane evacuation zone. Evacuation routes through the Lufkin District include US 59 also designated as a contraflow corridor, US 69, US 259, US 87, US 287, US 96, SH 146 and SH 21. In the case of evacuations from the Gulf Coast, residents should be prepared for an influx of traffic and changing traffic patterns should evacuation routes become active.

“We urge the public to prepare not only for possible evacuation through East Texas should it be necessary, but to also prepare for their own personal safety and make a family safety plan now should we experience the impacts of a hurricane locally,” said Rhonda Oaks, public information officer.

The public is encouraged to make a safety plan including a list of items and supplies they might need in their own homes to stay safe through hurricane-related weather conditions. Suggestions to include are:

Keep adequate supplies of food and emergency supplies in your home.

Keep fuel and a working generator in case of power outages.

Know the closest evacuation route in case of a severe weather event locally.

Keep emergency information, important phone numbers and documents in a safe place. Federal and state emergency phone numbers are available at https://www.txdot.gov/driver/weather/hurricane.html as well as emergency resources and evacuation maps. Additionally, local law enforcement agencies can provide local assistance information. In case of an emergency, always call 911.

For more information, contact Rhonda.Oaks@txdot.gov or call (936) 633-4395. Follow all Lufkin District alerts and announcements on Facebook at Texas Department of Transportation (Lufkin) and on Twitter at TxDOT Lufkin.

Governor Abbott Proclaims Small Business Week in Texas

By
Lee Allen Miller
-
0

Governor Greg Abbott today invited all Texans to celebrate the unique role small businesses play in the economic resurgence in communities throughout the state of Texas as he issued a proclamation officially designating May 9–15 as Small Business Week in Texas.

“An amazing 99.8% of businesses in the Lone Star State are small businesses. They are the heart of every Texas community, and their continuing resilience drives local job creation and fuels our mighty economy,” said Governor Abbott. “Men and women willing to take a risk, to dig deep into their own pockets and stake their future on an idea, have long written the story of Texas. That pioneering spirit in our small town downtowns to our big city centers still fuels our shared prosperity today. As we unleash the Texas economy, I am proud to celebrate small business growth in Texas. When small businesses succeed, Texas succeeds.”

Governor Abbott announced the next Governor’s Small Business Webinar, “Starting a Business in Texas,” Thursday, May 13, 2021, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., CT. For more information and registration, visit: https://gov.texas.gov/business/event/governors-small-business-webinar-start-a-business-in-texas

Governor Abbott also announced additional resources available through the Office of the Governor for aspiring entrepreneurs and for existing small business owners looking to expand and grow jobs.

Clearing up muddy pond water

By
Cary Sims
-
0

It’s a common complaint, “My farm pond is muddy, and we’d like to enjoy clearer water. Do you have a solution?” Indeed, we do, but it may require habitat management or a bit of chemistry.

Muddy water is often a problem in Texas farm ponds because it inhibits the growth of natural fish food and is just not aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, the reduced visibility in ponds limits feeding of sight-feeding predators such as large mouth bass.

If heavy rainfall causes your pond to get muddy, but then clears up in a few days, you may simply need to alter the habitat surrounding the runoff that empties into your pond. The first step is to inspect the watershed and shoreline for signs of erosion. Grass should be established upstream of the pond on any exposed, bare soil. In our area, it is hard to beat using common bahiagrass. If you want a more attractive grass, try using common bermuda. Both seed can be found easily (for a very reasonable cost) at your favorite local feed store.

If it is not the erosion of soil into your pond but heavy rainfall or unwanted fish are the cause of muddy pond water, the root cause is negatively charged clay particles. Much like when you couldn’t get the negative ends of two magnets to touch when you were a kid, the same charged soil particles don’t want to touch and therefore will not settle out of a pond. We can easily remedy this with the addition of positively charged particles that will bind with the opposite charged soil and settle out.

Pond owners have a couple of options to help: agricultural limestone, gypsum, and alum. Our East Texas ponds are typically a little on the acidic side of the pH scale, so I always recommend starting off with the addition of agricultural limestone. Liming a pond, just like liming a garden or hay meadow, raises the pH (lowers the acidity), and can often help to clear up muddy water.

Be sure to add agricultural limestone as it works slowly and will not kill the fish. There are several forms of lime available, and they certainly work much faster than agricultural lime. However, changing the pH too quickly will cause tremendous stress on the fish in your pond and likely kill them.

Go slow and use agricultural limestone.

Now if the agricultural limestone did not clear up the muddy water to your satisfaction, I next recommend using gypsum. Gypsum is a naturally occurring soft mineral and is the major component in the sheet-rock that covers the interior walls of most buildings.

Available in a bulk, gypsum does a tremendous job of binding with the negatively charged, suspended clay particles in your water. Once bound with the clay particle, it precipitates out onto the bottom of your pond.

To determine exactly how much gypsum you would need, you need to take some measurements. First you need to determine the volume of water in your pond. We measure this in “acre-feet”. One acre-foot of water can be visualized as 1 acre (think of a football field) that has one foot of water on it. To determine this on your pond, multiply your pond’s surface area by the average depth.

Next, in several 1-gallon containers that has your muddy pond water, add 1 tablespoon of gypsum to one, then continue incrementally adding gypsum until you find the minimum tablespoons of gypsum it takes to clear up a gallon of your muddy pond water in 12 hours. For every tablespoon of gypsum to a 1-gallon container, add 80 lbs. of gypsum for each acre-foot of water in your pond.

This may seem difficult at first but can be very simple to execute. If you wish to learn more about farm pond management, the Angelina County office of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host a farm pond management seminar on Tuesday, May 18 at 6:30 pm. There is no fee for the seminar.

Governor Abbott, TDEM, and TMD Launch State Vaccine Call Center To Connect Organizations, Businesses With Mobile Vaccine Teams

By
Luis Ruperto
-
0

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), and the Texas Military Department (TMD) today announced the launch of the State Mobile Vaccination Team Call Center. Beginning tomorrow at 8:00 AM CT, Texas businesses or civic organizations can call 844-90-TEXAS and select Option 3 to schedule a visit from a state mobile vaccine team to vaccinate employees, visitors, or members. To qualify for a visit, a business or civic organization must have 10 or more employees, visitors, or members who voluntarily choose to be vaccinated. Homebound Texans are also encouraged to call the hotline and select Option 1 to request a state mobile vaccination team to visit their home.

“Vaccines are the most effective tool in Texas’ fight against COVID-19, and we are committed to making COVID-19 vaccines even more widely available to Texans across the state,” said Governor Abbott. “The State Vaccine Call Center will help connect businesses and civic organizations with these life-saving shots and ensure that more Texans have an opportunity to get vaccinated. I urge organizations and businesses to call 844-90-TEXAS and schedule a visit from a state mobile vaccine team. Here in Texas, COVID-19 vaccines will always be strongly encouraged and always voluntary.”

Governor Abbott and TDEM originally launched the State Mobile Vaccine Pilot Program in January 2021 to ramp up COVID-19 vaccination efforts in underserved areas of Texas. Since the program’s initial launch, the responsibilities of State Mobile Vaccine Teams have been expanded to meet various COVID-19 vaccination needs of communities across the state. These teams are made up of members of the Texas National Guard and coordinated by TDEM. 

My five cents…

By
Luis Ruperto
-
0

At the end of this week, we’ll only have three weeks left in this year’s legislative session. These last three weeks are some of the most intense weeks, with long hours and lots of bills to read. A number of deadlines begin to crop up during this time. For example, May 26th is the last day for the Senate to consider all bills and joint resolutions, whether they originated in the House or Senate. We adjourn Sine Die, the last day of session, on May 31st. 

Here are five things happening around your state: 

  1. Comptroller releases update to Biennial Revenue Estimate 

This week, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar released an updated projection of the state funds available for the current biennium and the next biennium. Both estimates increased, with the current biennium finishing with an added $725 million and the next with an added $3 billion. The $3 billion increase for the next biennium’s budget brings it to a total of $116 billion available. These estimates do not include any federal funds available to the state, including any of the federal coronavirus relief funds sent to Texas. We’re currently hard at work hammering out the details of next biennium’s budget and shoring up the final touches on the current biennium’s budget. The Comptroller’s initial estimate in January for this biennium had the state suffering a $1 billion shortfall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the updated estimates are welcome news. 

  • Senate sends prescription drug price transparency bill to Governor’s desk  

The Texas Senate voted unanimously to pass House Bill 1033 this week. Senator Kelly Hancock sponsored the legislation that would protect consumers from bad actors seeking to obscure prescription drug prices or increase prices for life-saving medication. This bill requires pharmaceutical companies to report the cost of prescription drugs, including the research and development costs, to the Texas Department of State Health Services annually. Manufacturers that do not comply will receive a penalty. 

  • Senate Resolution asking PUC to lower price caps passes Senate  

This week the Texas Senate passed Senator Schwertner’s resolution that asks the Public Utility Commission to significantly reduce the high system-wide offer cap and evaluate changes to the market structure. Many Texans received massive electricity bills after Winter Storm Uri hit. That was due to the PUC issuing an order directing ERCOT to start using the high system-wide offer cap that raised the cap for energy prices to $9,000 per megawatt hour. This was the highest price cap in the nation and it remained in place for four days. Utilities and retail electric providers were charged at that rate and face billions of dollars in charges after the storm. In an effort to avoid future situations that may produce the same results, the Senate is urging the PUC to reduce the max rate that utilities and retail electric providers can be charged during a high system-wide offer cap. 

  • Senate passes House Bill 139 to help military spouses, veterans

When active duty military and their families move to one of the many bases in Texas, their spouses can have a difficult time transitioning their occupational licenses from out of state. One such barrier is some licenses require the licensee to be a resident of the state of Texas. House Bill 139 seeks to aid military spouses by expediting the process for them to acquire Texas residency for purposes of attaining an occupational license or educator certification. This provision will also apply to any military veterans who have recently moved to Texas and need their residency expedited to get an license. 

  • Senate Bill 1063 would allow students to take personal finance class  

Currently, high school students are required to take an economics course, but that course doesn’t typically cover personal financial planning or financial literacy. This session Senator Alvarado introduced legislation that would change that. Senate Bill 1063 would allow school districts to offer and high school students to take a hybrid course that would consist of both economics and personal financial literacy. Students taking this course would fulfill the existing economics credit requirement. This course would teach students about money, investing, securing wealth, and navigating other important financial matters. Many students graduate without an understanding of what investing means or what credit is or how it works. This class would give students the freedom financial literacy brings and empower them to be financially independent after graduation. Senate Bill 1063 passed the Senate unanimously and is currently working it’s way through the House. 

Nichols requests applications for Texas Armed Services Scholarship

By
Luis Ruperto
-
0

Today, Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) request qualified students to apply for a Texas Armed Services Scholarship. 

“This scholarship is a way to encourage and reward students interested in military service,” said Nichols. “It provides a unique opportunity for students to pursue higher education and take advantage of preparation from the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs at universities in Texas.” 

The scholarship is offered by the state and rewards students who commit to four years of ROTC training and military service after graduation. Each state senator and representative may select a student to receive a scholarship of up to $10,000 per year. 

Evidence of qualifications and essays must be received between May 15, 2021 and July 15, 2021.

To be eligible, must meet two of the following requirements:  

  • Be on track to graduate high school, or have graduated, and complete the curriculum requirements of the Distinguished Level of Achievement Plan or International Baccalaureate program.
  • 3.0 or higher GPA
  • Rank in the top one-third of graduating class.
  • Achieved a college readiness score on the SAT (1070) or ACT (23) 

To receive the scholarship applicants must:

  • Submit an essay explaining why you believe military service is important, how you would fulfill the requirements of the scholarship and which you university you would like to attend
  • Submit a resume, which must include your contact information, including your full name, mailing and physical addresses, Social Security number, phone number, and email address
  • Submit up to 5 recommendation letters
  • Enroll in an eligible Texas institution and an eligible ROTC program
  • Commit in writing to:
    • Remain in ROTC for four years.
    • Graduate within six years.
    • Enter Guard service or accept a commission with the armed services  within six months of graduation from college.

Scholarship recipients who fail to complete the required criteria must repay the scholarship amount.

If you live in Senate District 3 and are interested in this scholarship, please send the required material to robert.nichols@senate.texas.gov. Applications must be received no later than July 15,2021.  For questions please call my Jacksonville office at 903-589-3003. For more information and details on the application please visit www.hhloans.com. 

1...319320321...759Page 320 of 759