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June 30th, 1922- Texas fiddler performs on first commercial country music recording

By
Aaron Ferguson
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On this day in 1922, legendary Texas fiddler Alexander (Eck) Robertson, along with fiddler Henry C. Gilliland, made what most country music historians consider the first commercial recordings of country music. The duets included the famous “Arkansas Traveler” and “Turkey in the Straw.” The following day, Robertson returned to the studio without Gilliland and recorded six additional tracks solo, including the popular “Sallie Gooden,” as well as two tracks that were never released. The Victor Talking Machine Company issued a limited release of “Arkansas Traveler” and “Sallie Gooden” in September 1922, but not until April 1923 was the disc in wide circulation. Two other recordings of Robertson were released later in 1923 and 1924. Robertson set the trend for future performers, as fourteen Central Texas fiddlers succeeded him by recording commercially in the years shortly following his first recording.

There are additional records of Robertson having recorded other singles with sound companies in Dallas as well, but it is unclear what his sales figures looked to be back at that time.

Robertson died in Borger, Texas in 1975, with his tombstone engraved, “World’s Champion Fiddler.”

Office Of The Governor, UT Head Football Coach Tom Herman Release New COVID-19 PSA: “The Power of Teamwork”

By
Joshua Blackwell
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The Office of the Governor and University of Texas Head Football Coach Tom Herman today released a new public service announcement (PSA) titled, “The Power of Teamwork.” In the PSA, Herman urges Texans to work together as a team to stop COVID-19 by washing their hands regularly, social distancing, wearing a mask, and staying home when possible.

The video is available for download at this link and can also be viewed on YouTube.

Great Ways to Take the Fun to the Backyard

By
Statepoint
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If you’ve been spending a lot of time indoors lately, you may be ready to get outside for some fresh air. Here’s how to make your backyard the center of family fun.

• Set up an outdoor theater: There’s no need to spend the day indoors, even if your family wants to binge-watch favorite shows. Whether you’re viewing a movie, video chatting with friends, or looking at a slideshow of old family photos, a portable projector can quickly transform the backyard into a home theater. Those from Casio are particularly versatile, offering speedy set-up and the ability to transition from daytime to nighttime viewing.

• Be sure to get comfy: Your home theater will get more use if it offers the same amenities as the living room. Luckily, these days, it’s easy to find weather-resistant furniture as comfortable as your favorite couch.

• Make music: Host a socially distanced block party with your neighbors and offer to provide the music. All you need is a portable keyboard to set the tone. Not only do Casio keyboards have the ability to hook up to a laptop or tablet so you can play any song from your library, if you put the keyboard on Dance Music Mode, you can add beats, sounds or filters to anything you want.

• Get ready, get set, go: Keep everyone busy and active with a decathlon. Feature all-age friendly events like a potato sack race, Frisbee toss, long jump, and more. Whether you keep score or play just for the fun of the game, you can make a day of it — and add a little gravitas — by including opening and closing ceremonies.

With the right tools and ideas, the backyard can become your go-to destination for relaxation, entertainment, competition and fun.

Governor Abbott, HHSC Extend Deadline For Pandemic Food Benefits For Families Affected By COVID-19 School Closures

By
Joshua Blackwell
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Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is extending the application deadline for the federal Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer program (P-EBT) to July 31. Extending the deadline will help ensure eligible families have time to apply for this one-time food benefit.

P-EBT is a one-time benefit of $285 per eligible child and can be used in the same way as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits to pay for groceries. Eligible families include those with children who lost access to free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) due to school closures.

“The extension of the P-EBT deadline helps ensure that Texans have time to apply for this program and provide nutritious food to their families as the state continues to combat COVID-19,” said Governor Abbott. “Ensuring access to healthy food in our communities is an important part of our response to this pandemic.”

“We remain committed to ensuring access to healthy and nutritious foods for eligible Texans, and P-EBT provides that to those who need it most,” said HHS Access and Eligibility Deputy Executive Commissioner Wayne Salter. “This extension provides more time for families to apply for this emergency assistance.”

More than three million children in Texas were certified to receive free or reduced-price meals at school during the 2019-2020 school year. Families who are eligible for P-EBT were notified by their school districts in May. After completing the online application, families receive their benefits on a new Texas P-EBT card in the mail.

HHSC partnered with the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas Education Agency to launch the $1 billion federal program on June 1 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, nearly $700 million in P-EBT has been issued to families, benefiting more than 2.5 million children.

Visit hhs.texas.gov/pebt to learn more about P-EBT. For questions regarding eligibility or to learn more, people may also contact the P-EBT Call Center at 833-613-6220, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central Standard Time. When applying, it is especially important to include a valid phone number on their application. HHSC staff may need to call families to get additional information to approve P-EBT benefits.

About the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of families in need, so they can purchase healthy food and move toward self-sufficiency. In Texas, SNAP benefits are put onto the Lone Star Card (EBT card), which can be used just like a credit card at any store that accepts SNAP. Texas Health and Human Services administer the federal program throughout the state. P-EBT follows the same program rules as SNAP, including foods and purchase options.

About the School Meal Programs, The federally funded School Meal Programs include the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and NSLP. The School Meal Programs serve over 5 million meals a day to Texas children in school and residential child care institutions. The School Meal Programs serve nutritious, low-cost or free meals to students in public and non-profit private schools in Texas. Meals must meet federal nutrition guidelines. The Texas Department of Agriculture administers SBP and NSLP in Texas.

DETCOG June 25, 2020 Board Meeting Brief

By
Joshua Blackwell
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The Deep East Texas Council of Governments confirmed its officers for the coming year during an online meeting held Thursday June 25. The new officer terms begin July 1.
Sabine County Judge Daryl Melton will serve as President. Nacogdoches City Councilman Roy Boldon will be President-Elect. Shelby County Judge Allison Harbison will serve as Vice President. San Augustine County Judge Jeff Boyd was elected to serve as Secretary. Bill Holder of the Trinity River Authority is completing his year as President and will remain on the Executive Committee as Immediate Past President.

Also during the meeting, Dr. Lila Valencia, Senior Demographer for the Texas Demographic Center, gave an update on the progress of the 2020 Census and its response rates in Texas and the Deep East Texas region. Valencia explained the purpose and importance of the census, such as how the government uses it for allocation of representatives, funding and other purposes. In the past, she said Texas has been undercounted, and projections state as many as 500,000 people could be undercounted in the 2020 census in Texas.

As of June 25, 2020, 56.4 percent of households have responded to the census in Texas, which is below the national average of 61.7 percent. All counties In the DETCOG region are below the state and national response rates, with Angelina County having the highest response rate per household at 52.9 percent.

Dr. Valencia explained that Deep East Texas response rates are lower because the Census Bureau chose not to mail forms to most rural households. Instead, the plan was to hand deliver census packets to the rural residents; however, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed that and many residents of Deep East Texas are just now receiving their forms.

Census coordinators are moving back into the field across the region to keep promoting the importance and ways to respond to the census. DETCOG is reminding all residents that you don’t have to wait until a Census worker delivers the form to your home. You can respond online at www.2020census.gov or by calling toll free 1-844-330-2020. Spanish speaking residents can call 1-844-468-2020.

In other business, members of the DETCOG board approved a ranking of the top four engineering firms for broadband network design in the Deep East Texas region, and authorized DETCOG to begin contract negotiations with the firms based on ranking. A seven-member evaluation team reviewed proposals from seven firms and interviewed four of the responders.

Magellan Advisors LLC was the top ranked firm. SkyHelm Technology was ranked second. Fujitsu was ranked third, and Cobb, Fendley and Associates was ranked fourth.
The Board heard a review of the annual audit report from Axley & Rode, Certified Public Accountants. Eric Carver of Axley & Rode noted the firm had issued a “clean, unmodified opinion” which he said was the highest assurance that can be given.
At the end of Fiscal Year 2019 DETCOG’s total net position was $2,661,313 and total fund balances were $1,777,178. Much of the agencies funding is restricted for use in specific grant programs. The unrestricted net position was $688,692 and the unrestricted fund balance in the administrative fund was

$449,098.
In other business, the DETCOG Board:
• Approved the PHA Housing Plan. This plan provides the policies and procedures of the Deep East Texas Regional Housing Authority which operates a HUD Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program for families in the region. The plan may be viewed online at www.detcog.gov.
• Approved revised bylaws and the 2020-2021 Risk-Informed Methodology and Procedures as recommended by the Emergency Preparedness Task Force.
• Approved revised bylaws and procedures as recommended by the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee.
• Authorized issuance of a request for proposals for grant application and management services.
• Approval of DETCOG Membership Due Structure for 2020-2021. No changes were made in the current dues structure.

DETCOG’s next board meeting is set to be held on July 23, 2020.

Governor Abbott Secures Extension Of Federally-Supported COVID-19 Testing Sites In Texas

By
Lee Allen Miller
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AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the federal government has granted his request to extend operations of Community Based Testing Sites across Texas. The federal government will maintain support for the program while surging resources to Dallas and Houston in order to support testing needs within the community.

“The State of Texas remains unwavering in our efforts to secure access to testing in communities across the state,” said Governor Abbott. “These federally-supported testing sites are a vital component of this commitment. I thank our federal partners for extending these operations in Texas, and for their flexibility in allocating their resources to the communities of Dallas and Houston that are experiencing a high number of COVID-19 cases right now. By continuing to increase testing and remaining vigilant against outbreaks of COVID-19, we will mitigate the spread of this virus and keep our communities safe.”

Governor Abbott Takes Executive Action To Contain Spread Of COVID-19

By
Lee Allen Miller
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Limits Certain Businesses And Services With Link To Infections

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today issued an executive order limiting certain businesses and services as part of the state’s effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. This decision comes as the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 and the number of hospitalizations have increased and the positivity rate in Texas increased above 10%, which the Governor previously stated would lead to further preventative action. The targeted, measured directives in the executive order are based on links between certain types of businesses and services and the recent rise in positive cases throughout the state.

The order includes the following:

  • All bars and similar establishments that receive more than 51% of their gross receipts from the sale of alcoholic beverages are required to close at 12:00 PM today. These businesses may remain open for delivery and take-out, including for alcoholic beverages, as authorized by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
  • Restaurants may remain open for dine-in service, but at a capacity not to exceed 50% of total listed indoor occupancy, beginning Monday, June 29, 2020.
  • Rafting and tubing businesses must close.
  • Outdoor gatherings of 100 or more people must be approved by local governments, with certain exceptions.

“As I said from the start, if the positivity rate rose above 10%, the State of Texas would take further action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Abbott. “At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars. The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health. We want this to be as limited in duration as possible. However, we can only slow the spread if everyone in Texas does their part. Every Texan has a responsibility to themselves and their loved ones to wear a mask, wash their hands, stay six feet apart from others in public, and stay home if they can. I know that our collective action can lead to a reduction in the spread of COVID-19 because we have done it before, and we will do it again.”

View the Governor’s Executive Order.

TxDOT COMMISSIONERS APPROVE FUNDING FOR NEW PROJECTS AND MAINTENANCE

By
Rhonda Oaks
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Texas Transportation Commissioners on Thursday met in Austin and approved more than $601.5 million in new construction and highway improvement projects statewide, including more than $5.7 million for the Lufkin District.

Four new construction projects were approved in Houston, Nacogdoches, Sabine and San Jacinto counties and include:

  • SL 304 in Houston County: A $2.4 million project that is designed to rehabilitate and reconstruct the roadway just west of SH 19 to just east of SH 21/SH 7.
  • US 59 in Nacogdoches County: A $1.1 million project designed for intersection improvements with right and left turn lanes located 1.2 miles south of Spradley Street to CR 524.
  • FM 1 in Sabine County: A $764,437.24 project designed to replace guardrail from the San Augustine County line to SH 184 and on SH 7 from just east of FM 227 to the Angelina County line in Houston County.
  • SH 150 in San Jacinto County: A $1.5 million project designed to replace guardrail from east of SH 156 to US 59, on FM 945 from SH 150 to FM 2025 in San Jacinto County and SH 146 from US 190 to the Liberty County Line in Polk County.

Also approved was more than $50.5 million statewide for routine maintenance contracts and includes $4.2 million for the Lufkin District designated for roadway materials for routine maintenance throughout the nine-county district.

Commissioners also approved $27.3 million for airport improvements statewide and included $262,500 designated for the Angelina County Airport in Lufkin and Houston County Airport in Crockett. The improvements are funded through the Aviation Facilities Grant Program and include:

  • Angelina County: $150,000 for engineering and design improvements.
  • Houston County: $112,500 for the installation of an automated weather observing system.

Commissioners also approved $1.5 million designated for the construction and rehabilitation of buildings and included $284,283.20 for the Lufkin District designated for the replacement of emergency generators in the Nacogdoches Area Engineers/Maintenance offices.

For more information, contact Rhonda.Oaks@txdot.gov or call (936) 633-4395.

Throwback Thursday: The Television

By
Luis Ruperto
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What we know today as the television ranges across a wide variety of services, subscriptions, and devices which have its own unique set of features. The word television has undergone a transition for a more digital minded era. Long gone are the days of the box television sets and the old rabbit ears, now they are smaller, sleeker, and optimized for the digital age complete with all of your favorite streaming apps, Full HD resolution, and with more colors than you ever thought possible.

The television is one of those commodities that no one knows how it came to be or who was the man behind it, it wasn’t a thing one day and then it was invented the next with all pieces of history and credit slipping into obscurity.

The idea of being able to transmit images from point A to point be was not unheard of, in fact, such attempts can date back to the mid-1800s. The first still image was transmitted through wires thanks to Abbe Giovanna Caselli in 1862 and later in 1873 scientists discovered that they could transform images into electronic signals. All of this and later discoveries and experiments would set the stage for Philo T. Farnsworth.

He can arguably be credited as the inventor of the television with his successful demonstration on September 7th, 1927. At 21 years old he demonstrated that moving images can be coded onto radio waves and then transformed into a picture on a screen. In that same year, he filed a patent for the first electronic television system that he called an Image Dissector at the time.

Back in that time, people would tune into the radio for news and entertainment so the idea of watching something unfold on a screen to tell a story was a pretty wild and revolutionary concept and the next big leap in how we communicate and share information.

By the late 1930s the first television license was issued, as well as the first broadcast TV commercial and about 200 television sets are in use worldwide. There continued to be improvements to the foundation of the television and its early components, but the next biggest breakthrough was the introduction of color television.

Like before the idea had been in development a few years prior but CBS began color broadcasts in June of 1951 and RCA Laboratories invented the first electronic color television system in 1953 and by the 1980s almost all of the black and white television sets had been replaced with color.

We have come a long way from black and white, from big and clunky and we still have a long way to go, every day we are finding new ways to push the limits of technology to get the best picture, sound, and colors but did you know that even the newest of television still can be plugged into a regular antenna output? No? Well, give it a try, turn off Netflix, and dust off the rabbit ears. Oh, and you will need to buy an analog converter box if you don’t have one lying around since television signals went digital back in 2009. So, while you won’t be able to enjoy tv in all its fuzzy and snowy glory anymore you can at least give your TV its ears back.

My five cents…

By
Senator Robert Nichols
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This upcoming month we will celebrate two important holidays. The first being the Fourth of July to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The second is National Pecan Pie Day on July 12. Pecan pie also happens to be the State Pie of Texas. So while you shoot off fireworks and eat pie, I hope it is with those close to you, as I know mine will be.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. Operation Connectivity

Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) have launched a statewide initiative called Operation Connectivity. The purpose of this initiative is to provide online connectivity solutions and device solutions for school districts, families and students in Texas. Lack of access to broadband internet has long been an issue in many parts of the state, especially within rural areas. However, as many students are studying from home now due to COVID-19, the lack of resources has become even more apparent. I have been asked to serve on the Policy and Advocacy Workgroup, where our goal is to determine the changes needed in federal and state laws and regulations related to connectivity. I have and will continue to do my part in advocating for the needs of Senate District 3, which I represent.

2. Work-Search Requirements

In March, due to COVID-19 and the restraints it placed on businesses and employees, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) temporarily removed the work-search requirement to qualify for unemployment. Beginning on July 6, TWC will reinstate this requirement, which is a federal requirement. To qualify for unemployment benefit payments, an individual must prove they have engaged in at least three work-search activities. Those who are self employed, must show proof they have taken at least three steps to reopen their businesses. Individuals may utilize online resources to search for a new job, and do not have to take the first job offered to them. You can find jobs posted and other resources at www.workintexas.com.

3. DPS Appointment System

Select Department of Public Safety (DPS) offices have reopened across the state, but they are currently only providing services for the following:

· Applying for an original Texas driver license or identification card (ID)

· Applying for a Texas learners license

· Driver license services requiring a skills exam, and;

· Applying for a commercial driver license (CDL) or taking a CDL skills exam

If your driver license, ID, or CDL expired on or after March 13, 2020, you will be granted a waiver for the expiration date up to 60 days after DPS notifies the public their offices have resumed normal operations. If you qualify for any of the services listed above, you can visit the following link to schedule an appointment and/or to find if your local DPS office has reopened www.dps.texas.gov/driverlicense/appointments.htm. You may also find information on renewing your license online.

4. Operation Safe Open

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) under ‘Operation Safe Open’ is monitoring businesses to ensure that they are following safety protocols including monitoring indoor capacity and enforcing social distancing measures for large groups of customers. At the beginning of June, the state allowed bars to open to 50 percent capacity and restaurants to 75 percent, as long as they abided by the state health guidelines which include social distancing between customers. If TABC determines that establishments are in violation of these measures and a threat to public health and safety, they could have their license suspended for 30 days on the first violation, and up to 60 days on their second violation. In the first three days of the operation, 12 establishments across the state had their licenses suspended. To find out more about these violations and the guidelines restaurants and bars must follow, please visit www.open.texas.gov.

5. Nursing Homes

Throughout this pandemic, many Texans have been separated from their loved ones who reside in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and state supported living centers. If you or your loved ones are having difficulty finding out information during this time, or have concerns about their quality of life, a Long Term Care (LTC) ombudsman is available to you. LTC ombudsmen are volunteers or employees of an agency that is free standing from the care facility. Their services are free and confidential and there to serve Texans in need. To find an ombudsman for a nursing home and assisted living facility you can call 1-800-252-2412. For those living in a state supported living center you can call 1-877-323-6466

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