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Ready, Set…Refresh! Quick Tips to Revitalize Your Most-Used Spaces

By
Statepoint
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Have the cold winter months left your home feeling a bit dirty, drab or disorganized? Are you feeling the urge to purge? Then it’s time for some spring cleaning. With a few simple tips and tricks, your home—and mood—can be refreshed and revitalized.

For the biggest payoff for your efforts, focus spring cleaning in the areas of the home that are used most: the kitchen and bathroom.

Clear kitchen clutter: According to research from the Mayo Clinic, de-cluttering can have a significant positive effect on your mental health and well-being.

To start your refresh, toss anything that’s expired or no longer being used. Use a wall-mount spice rack to free up shelf space and keep ingredients within easy reach. Add sanity to the silverware drawer by giving all gadgets their own spaces with Spectrum HEXA In-Drawer Organizers. HEXA organizers feature a unique, six-sided honeycomb base design that offers a sturdy foundation while allowing crumbs to fall through its base away from clean utensils. Simply, “lift and sift” to clean drawers.

Labels & liners: Add a new level of organization and personalization to cabinets, drawers and even wire racks with shelf liners. Available in a variety of colors and patterns, they offer a smooth top and grip bottom for easy sliding of items. Plus, the smooth surface catches messes and spills, making clean-up a breeze. Next, create custom labels for organizer bins with chalkboard or dry erase adhesives from Duck brand. For wire racks, add shelf liner to the bottom to hold items in place.

Get savvy at the sink: Next, move to one of the germiest areas of the kitchen: the sink. To keep this area neat and clean, add an organizer (such as Spectrum HEXA Sink Organizer, which has a built-in soap pump) to keep all cleaning essentials—sponges and brushes—upright and dry and help resist the growth of bacteria. Excess water is captured in the base, which can be easily removed and wiped clean. Finally, place a raised mat in your sink basin to encourage air and water flow for faster drying, and to provide extra cushion for fragile glassware.

Banish bathroom battles: From towels to toiletries, bathrooms collect a lot of “stuff.” Keep the daily-use items and purge the rest. If you have limited shower space, use a suction shower basket or shower caddy to hold shampoo and soaps. Add an over-the-tank toilet paper holder to store extra bath tissue and keep it out of the way. Just like the kitchen, utilize small baskets or HEXA in-drawer organizers to keep everything from makeup to medicine easily accessible and in the right place.

Conquer cluttery cords: Conquer cords and countertop clutter by utilizing vertical spaces. Add shelves to walls to hold towels or smaller items, and add over-the-cabinet accessory baskets to the insides of cabinet doors. These easy-to-install organizers keep items like your blow dryer, straightener and curling iron out of sight, but within arm’s reach, for a faster morning routine.

For more unique organizational products, visit www.spectrumdiversified.com and follow the conversation at #LiveLifeOrganized.

Soon, with a bit of cleaning and organization focused in key areas of your home, you’ll be feeling refreshed and revitalized this spring.

Nonprofit Registration Ending Soon for Regional Day of Giving

By
Joshua Blackwell
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Nonprofit registration for the sixth annual East Texas Giving Day concludes at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Nonprofits based in or serving one of the 32-counties in the East Texas Communities Foundation service area are encouraged to register to be a part of the online fundraising event.

“Nonprofits have had to adapt to so much over the past year in response to the pandemic,” said Holly McFarlin, Public Relations Director for East Texas Communities Foundation. “For over a year now, they have had to put off many traditional fundraising events like galas and luncheons. East Texas Giving Day takes place all online and provides a perfect fundraising opportunity for nonprofits because it allows a safe place for donors to come and feel that they are still part of a community wide event.”

Nonprofits wishing to participate in this year’s Giving Day can sign up online at www.EastTexasGivingDay.org. “Each nonprofit that registers to participate pays a fee of $125,” said McFarlin. “ETCF does not receive any portion of the registration fee instead; we use the registration fee to help promote the event regionally.”

Once a nonprofit has submitted their registration, ETCF staff review the nonprofit’s status and verify that they are a 501(c)(3) public charity in good standing with the IRS. When the nonprofit is cleared to participate, they are encouraged to begin sharing the news with their current donors through social media outlets and other traditional means.

East Texas Giving Day will be held Tuesday, April 27, 2021 from 6:00 a.m. until midnight. East Texas Giving Day is a crowd funding event that happens online at www.EastTexasGivingDay.org and is powered by East Texas Communities Foundation. The purpose of an area-wide Giving Day is to bring the region together on one day and as one community, enthusiastically raising money and awareness for East Texas nonprofits.

“Last year we had a donor refer to the online site as the ‘Amazon of giving’,” said McFarlin. “The platform is a one-stop-shop for donors to go to, find the organizations they want to give to and check out using a single credit card transaction. The convenience it offers is very attractive to donors.”

Ongoing updates about the event will be posted on ETCF’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SimplifiedGiving and the foundation’s website www.etcf.org.

My five cents…

By
Senator Robert Nichols
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Texas Independence Day is celebrated on March 2nd and commemorates the creation of the Republic of Texas in 1836 after our declaration of independence from Mexico. Sixty men signed the Texas Declaration of Independence including the legendary Sam Houston, who would go on to be president of the Republic of Texas, a US Senator after Texas joined the United States, and later the governor of Texas. His birthday also happens to fall on March 2nd.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. Governor Abbott announces end to statewide mask mandate, other pandemic restrictions

The governor announced a new executive order that rescinds most of his earlier pandemic-related orders, including the statewide mask mandate and restrictions on business capacity. Businesses may make their own decisions about mask requirements, capacity limits, and other safety measures in their establishments. If COVID-19 hospitalizations rise above 15% of the hospital bed capacity in any of the state’s 22 hospital regions, a county judge within that region may implement additional health safety strategies. These new orders go into effect next week on March 10. This all comes as the state is administering almost 1 million vaccines a week. By the end of March, the goal is for every senior who wants a vaccine to be able to get one. Additionally, teachers have been included in the group now eligible for the vaccine.

2. Data Privacy bill filed

This week I filed SB 15, a bill dedicated to ensuring your private, personal information stays private. Over the interim, I found out that governmental entities are selling, disclosing, and allowing the resale of personal information, in particular the information attached to motor vehicle records and drivers licenses. That information includes your name, address, and driver’s license number. The bill I filed fixes that by restricting the disclosure of personal information to essential government agencies, and forbidding re-disclosure or resale of personal information to entities such as marketing and technology companies. This bill has been named as one of the Lt. Governor’s priorities this session, and I’m hopeful it will be signed into law.

3. Texas Parks and Wildlife saves sea turtles from frigid waters

Thousands of sea turtles were rescued from freezing waters by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and other organizations during the winter storm event last month. The Texas Game Wardens pulled at least 141 sea turtles out of the water and onto the decks of the PV Murchison in the Brownsville Ship Channel. The sea turtles become “cold stunned” in the water, meaning they become lethargic and unable to move into deeper water. This can result in stranding or drowning. The TPWD and other organizations transported the turtles to a proper facility to be cared for until the water temperature warms and they can be safely returned back to the ocean. A big thanks to our game wardens and other officials for watching over our nautical friends!

4. Texas wins Governors Cup for ninth year in a row

Site Selection Magazine announced that Texas won the Governor’s Cup for the ninth year in a row, a new record. The Governor’s Cup is awarded to states with top performance for job creation and capital investment. It’s based on any new or expanded corporate facilities in the state. Texas has seen growth and continued investment from large businesses and industries despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Several large companies are moving their headquarters to the state and investing in new campuses and offices for that move. I’m proud to live in a state that attracts job creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs; Texas continues to foster a business environment that empowers people to succeed.

5. TCEQ says nearly 12 million Texans were on a boil water notice due to winter storms

Nearly 12 million Texans were put under a boil water notice during the winter storm last month due to water levels dropping dangerously low. That means roughly 1 in 3 Texans had no access to clean water. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said approximately 590 public water systems in 141 counties were reporting disruptions in service, leaving Texans with no potable water after enduring days of freezing and below freezing temperatures. The water quality issues were related to a lack of electricity at water treatment plants, frozen and broken water lines, and residents dripping faucets to prevent pipes from bursting. This is just another facet of the crisis the winter storms threw us into. The legislature is working diligently to solve these problems and ensure our electric grid is reliable and can endure extreme weather events.

ROAD CLOSURE SCHEDULED IN LUFKIN NEXT WEEK

By
Rhonda Oaks
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Road work. Orange traffic cones in the middle of the street.

A road closure inside SL 287 in Lufkin is scheduled next week for work planned by Angelina and Neches River Railroad.

A&NR has scheduled work to replace the crossing on FM 2251 (Spence Street) inside SL 287 beginning Monday at 8 am through Friday at 5 pm, weather permitting.

M&M Sales and Service LLC, Timpson TX, is contracted to perform the work and Area Wide Protective, Austin TX, will provide traffic control. Scheduled work includes re-planking and rehabilitating the railroad crossing.

Motorists are urged to obey all signage and traffic control in place and choose alternate routes throughout the week. For more information on closures and road conditions statewide, visit drivetexas.org. For more information on this and other Lufkin District projects, contact Rhonda.Oaks@txdot.gov or call (936) 633-4395.

Doctors’ Tips About the COVID-19 Vaccine

By
Statepoint
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More than 500,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and there have been more than 28 million cases nationwide. Doctors say it’s vital that Americans get vaccinated when it’s their turn, and continue to take precautions against infection.

“Vaccinations are safe, effective, prevent illness and save lives. They offer an incredible opportunity for us to help defeat COVID-19 and regain normalcy,” says American Medical Association (AMA) president, Susan R. Bailey, M.D. “But with more contagious variants of the virus circulating throughout the U.S., now is not the time to let your guard down or scale back on the measures that we know will work to prevent further illness and deaths, such as wearing masks, practicing physical distancing, and washing hands.”

To protect yourself and your loved ones, the AMA offers the following guidance:

• At some point, likely in the next few months, it will be your turn to get the vaccine. Talk to your physician about the vaccines, and ask any questions you may have.

• Any and all COVID-19 vaccines authorized will meet the highest standards of quality, safety and effectiveness set by the FDA’s rigorous regulatory review process.

• Be prepared to get vaccinated. Know that vaccines can have minor side effects, including lethargy, mild fever, body aches and pains. When these side effects occur, they typically last a few days. If you have any questions or concerns about side effects, contact your physician.

• Understand that public health measures like masks and physical distancing will still be required until the population is broadly vaccinated.

• Science and ingenuity have given us an opportunity to control or even defeat COVID-19, but wide acceptance of the vaccine is necessary for it to be effective. Encourage loved ones who are eligible for the vaccine to schedule an appointment.

For more information about COVID-19 and getting vaccinated, visit ama-assn.org or getvaccineanswers.org.

While the roll-out of the vaccine is encouraging, doctors say we’re not out of the woods yet. Continuing to practice COVID-19 safety measures and getting vaccinated as soon as it’s your turn will help protect you and your loved ones from illness.

Using Play to Combat Your Child’s Stress and Loneliness

By
Statepoint
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With the pandemic continuing to disrupt routines, you may have growing anxieties about how the extended crisis will affect your child’s social and emotional health long-term.

A new survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of the The Genius of Play — a national movement to educate parents and caregivers about play’s vital role in child development — examined the concerns of parents with children ages 2–18. Here are some of the findings, along with tips to counteract the negative effects of quarantine:

Social Skills

Seven in 10 parents believe spending a year in quarantine will have a lasting effect on their child’s growth and development. Among those parents, the top concern is that it’ll be more difficult for their child to connect with people in-person in the future (52%). Tied for second and third were concerns that it’ll be more difficult for their child to play (44%) or make friends in the future (also 44%) after being separated from their peers.

“There are numerous playtime activities that boost communication and social skills, which can be adapted to this new reality,” says Anna Yudina, senior director of marketing initiatives at The Toy Association.

During a period when travel is limited, Yudina suggests playing “International Menu” to help kids learn about the world. To play, pick a location and discuss its local dishes. Then, give kids Play-Doh to create them. Have kids play restaurant with their new DIY meals. Using action figures and toys, try other roleplay games that encourage interaction and communication skills that kids may not have practiced for awhile. Classic board games with questions and answers – like Guess Who? – can also help kids build and retain their social skills.

Loneliness

Four in 10 parents worry about their child’s mental health as a result of the pandemic. What’s more, 72% of respondents say they believe that during 2020 their child was lonelier than ever before. That’s a feeling extending to parents themselves — 58% said they, too, were lonelier than ever.

“Whether building a furniture fort, solving a puzzle or using a science kit, collaborative play gives us an opportunity to connect and combat loneliness while keeping children happy and entertained,” says Yudina. “Playing together also offers parents insights into their child’s world and what may be causing their stress and anxiety.”

An arts and crafts session presents an opportunity to connect with friends and family who your child may be missing. Break out the paper, stickers, markers, and safety scissors to create cards to send to loved ones.

Be sure to organize virtual playdates, too. The latest apps are making it easier for kids to read, draw, act out plays, and watch movies virtually with friends.

The Bright Side

Despite its difficulties, parents indicated that this period has had silver linings. When asked what positives have resulted from spending more time at home over the past year, the top response was being able to spend more time playing with their child (46%).

To get inspired to fill in all those additional hours with play, visit thegeniusofplay.org, a great online resource for parents offering tons of play ideas.

“The long-lasting effects of the pandemic are yet to be determined,” says Yudina. “In the meantime, all this extended time at home is an excellent opportunity for families to connect and play, keeping both kids and adults social and active.”

Tips to Stretch Your Dollar When Household Shopping

By
Statepoint
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Running a household on a budget? Smart shopping strategies can help your family save on favorite foods, wellness essentials and more.

To help make your next shopping excursion a success, check out these tips from the experts at Dollar General.

• Cleaning Supplies: Streamline spring cleaning — and save money and space – by opting for a multi-purpose cleaner that can be used throughout the home. Enjoy additional savings by purchasing extra of your favorite cleaning supplies when they’re on sale.

• Groceries: At the beginning of each week, create a meal plan for your family. Mapping out your meals can help you avoid purchasing more than you need or items you don’t want. Discount retailers, like Dollar General, are a great place for all the essentials, including spices, dairy, grains, bread, eggs, frozen and canned vegetables and proteins. Consider shopping with brands like Clover Valley that provide a 100 percent guarantee. Organize your visit to the store in advance by checking out DG.com/easymeals to discover affordable recipe ideas and to create your shopping list on the brand’s mobile app.

• Wellness Items: Self-care doesn’t need to be costly. Before heading to a grocery store or pharmacy for wellness products, visit a general retailer first. From remedies for combatting spring allergies to over-the-counter medications, vitamins, skincare and hair care products, the items you restock most frequently can be found for less at a general retailer than you might expect at a pharmacy or grocery store.

• Digital Savings: While physically clipping coupons may no longer be as common as it once was, additional ways to save are here to stay in the form of digital coupons. Take advantage of the savings opportunities digital coupons provide by visiting coupons.dollargeneral.com to enroll or digitally clip coupons.

To stay organized and within budget during the spring cleaning season, adopt savvy shopping strategies.

East Texas now noticing freeze damage on forest trees

By
Lee Allen Miller
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TFS Photo

LUFKIN, Texas – Over a week after severe winter weather in East Texas, many landowners may just now be seeing signs of freeze damage to forest trees with concern that trees may not make it.

“The most common sign of freeze damage on trees is the turning of needles and leaves from a dark green to a strange reddish-gray color,” said Eric Taylor, Texas A&M Forest Service Silviculturist. “Other than the strange color, the crowns of these trees seem to be fully intact and show minimal breakage from ice loads.”

Typically ice loads during winter storms bring physical damage to our trees. February’s storm was a different story though. Only rarely, in confined areas, were mechanical breakage or severe bending of forest trees found. Texas A&M Forest Service conducted an aerial timber assessment survey last week over 509,000 acres in East Texas and found no significant damage to the timber resource.

The extreme cold triggered a normal physiological response in the trees of East Texas. Needles and leaves of trees showing signs of freeze damage were impaired likely from the formation of ice crystals inside the leaf cells causing the cell’s walls to rupture. However, native trees are adapted to this and responded by shutting off (abscising) leaves (needles) that were no longer functioning causing a discoloration of leaves. Fortunately, trees are resilient and have the ability to leaf out again when the initial growth is damaged or destroyed.

Landowners may see freeze damage symptoms on some trees, but not all. Tree species differ when it comes to freeze tolerance as some can tolerate extreme cold better than others.

With pine species, longleaf and slash seem to have less tolerance for freeze than loblolly. Shortleaf pine is more resistant to freezing temperatures and seems to be much less affected than the other pine species.

In addition, trees along the forest edge and/or those trees that are taller than surrounding trees, with their crowns fully exposed, may also experience freeze damage to a greater extent than those with crowns somewhat protected by other trees. Most trees in East Texas will survive the freeze damage though.

“This is another example of how it pays to proactively manage forests,” said Taylor. “There will likely be some losses, but if the tree was relatively healthy before the freeze, it should have enough available, stored carbohydrates (food) to set new buds and form new leaves (needles) this spring.”

If the tree was unhealthy prior to the freeze, then it may not be able to recover or might be the target of insects and disease later this year. There is always the worry that trees become so stressed from these events that they are lost to insects. However, the freeze also severely impacted and reduced insect populations which should provide a period of respite and time for trees to recover their leaves and needles.

Texas A&M Forest Service foresters are asking landowners not to panic.  Damaged trees may have only suffered a temporary setback and healthy trees should produce new growth within a few weeks.  

If you are a homeowner with a freeze-damaged tree near your home or other buildings on your property, you may wish to contact a Certified Arborist for a closer inspection. A Certified Arborist will assess whether a tree poses a safety hazard, needs corrective pruning, and the overall health of the tree.

To find an arborist near you, visit Texas A&M Forest Service’s My Land Management Connector app at: https://texasforestinfo.tamu.edu/MyLandManagementConnector or search online at https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist.

Texas A&M Forest Service Contacts

Jacob Donellan, East Texas Operations Department Head, 936-564-9276, jdonellan@tfs.tamu.edu

Texas A&M Forest Service Communications Office, 979-458-6600, newsmedia@tamu.edu

Governor Abbott Lifts Mask Mandate, Opens Texas 100 Percent

By
Joshua Blackwell
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Governor Greg Abbott today issued an Executive Order (GA-34) lifting the mask mandate in Texas and increasing capacity of all businesses and facilities in the state to 100 percent. The Governor made the announcement at Montelongo’s Mexican Restaurant in Lubbock in an address to the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce. 

“With the medical advancements of vaccines and antibody therapeutic drugs, Texas now has the tools to protect Texans from the virus,” said Governor Abbott. “We must now do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans by opening Texas 100 percent. Make no mistake, COVID-19 has not disappeared, but it is clear from the recoveries, vaccinations, reduced hospitalizations, and safe practices that Texans are using that state mandates are no longer needed. Today’s announcement does not abandon safe practices that Texans have mastered over the past year. Instead, it is a reminder that each person has a role to play in their own personal safety and the safety of others. With this executive order, we are ensuring that all businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own destiny.”

During his remarks, the Governor discussed the incredible advancements that Texas has made that allow the state to open fully and lift the mask mandate—noting the rapid increase of vaccines. Nearly 5.7 million vaccine shots have been administered to Texans, and the state is now administering almost one million shots each week. By next Wednesday, about 7 million shots will have been administered in Texas and over half of seniors in Texas will have received a vaccine shot. By the end of March, every senior who wants a vaccine should be able to get one. The vaccine supply continues to increase so rapidly that more and more Texans will soon be eligible to receive a vaccine.

The Governor noted that Texas has a surplus of personal protective equipment and can perform over 100,000 COVID-19 tests a day. The state has invested in a variety of anti-body therapeutic drugs that have kept thousands of Texans out of hospitals. Texans have also adopted daily habits that reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure and infection. More than 2.5 million Texans who were lab confirmed for COVID-19 have recovered since the beginning of the pandemic, and experts note the total number of Texans who have recovered from COVID-19 is likely 4-5 times that amount. The number of active COVID-19 cases is the lowest since November—meaning more Texans are recovering from COVID-19 than contracting it.

This executive order rescinds most of the Governor’s earlier executive orders related to COVID-19. Effective next Wednesday, all businesses of any type may open to 100% capacity. Additionally, this order ends the statewide mask mandate in Texas. Businesses may still limit capacity or implement additional safety protocols at their own discretion. 

If COVID-19 hospitalizations in any of the 22 hospital regions in Texas get above 15% of the hospital bed capacity in that region for seven straight days, a County Judge in that region may use COVID-19 mitigation strategies. However, County Judges may not impose jail time for not following COVID-19 orders nor may any penalties be imposed for failing to wear a face mask. If restrictions are imposed at a County level, those restrictions may not include reducing capacity to less than 50% for any type of entity. 

View the Governor’s executive order. 

Grant Writing Course Registration Ending Soon

By
Joshua Blackwell
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The Deep East Texas Council of Governments has teamed up with Grant Writing USA to sponsor workshops on Grant Writing and Administration.

The two-day Grant Writing workshop will be focused on finding grants and writing winning grant proposals. Beginning and experienced grant writers are encouraged to attend. It will take place March 9th and 10th from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Grant Writing USA is offering a special tuition rate of $425, a $30 discount off full price, when the code “Friends” is entered at registration. The fee includes two days of instruction, as well as downloadable PDFs of class materials.

These workshops will be for people that are wanting to learn how to find and write proposals for grants, as well as people that are wanting to manage and stay in compliance with grants that they have already received. Due to COVID-19, both workshops will be held in a virtual, Zoom format.

The Grant Management workshop focuses on managing grants that have already been received and staying in compliance with pre-COVID and new grant management requirements. It is a two-day class that is suitable for both beginning grant administrators and experienced grant administrators. This workshop will take place on March 30th and 31st from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Grant Writing USA is offering a special tuition rate of $565, a $30 discount off full price, when the code “Friends” is entered at registration. As with the Grant Writing course, the fee includes two days of instruction, as well as downloadable PDFs of class materials.

Register to attend both classes and receive $70 off your combined tuition. Groups of 5 or more receive a $50 discount per person.

If, for some reason, registrants can’t attend the Zoom classes on the dates mentioned above, they will still have access to on-demand replays for 30 days after the classes – grant writing through April 9, 2021, grant management through April 30, 2021.

For more information and to get registered for one or both workshops, visit: GrantWritingUSA.com. Registration links can also be found on the DETCOG website, detcog.gov.

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