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Education Pioneer to Headline DETCOG Annual Meeting

By
Joshua Blackwell
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One of the America’s most accomplished educators will be the keynote speaker for Annual Membership and Awards Luncheon of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments and Economic Development District (DETCOG) May 23 in Lufkin. The event will be held at Noon at the Pitser Garrison Convention Center.

Dr. Ruth Simmons rose to become the first African-American President of an Ivy League University, serving as President of Brown University from 2001 to 2012. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal. In 2001 Time Magazine named her the nation’s best college president. Dr. Simmons was lured out of retirement to become President of Prairie View A&M University in 2017.

She also happens to be a native of Deep East Texas. Ruth Jean (Stubblefield) Simmons was born on July 3, 1945 in Grapeland, the youngest of twelve children whose parents were sharecroppers.

“Dr. Simmons’ story is even more inspirational because she is one of us,” said DETCOG President and Houston County Attorney Daphne Session. “She is a pioneer in the field of education and she leads by example. I know she will bring us a message of hope and inspiration – a very timely and meaningful message for our local government leaders, community leaders, and citizens to hear.”

Another highlight of the DETCOG annual meeting is the presentation of the Ralph W. Steen East Texan of the Year Award. The Steen award was named in honor of the beloved past president of Stephen F. Austin State University. It honors an individual who has played a major role in leadership and service to Deep East Texas. The recipient is chosen by those who previously received the recognition. Former Congressman Jim Turner, last year’s recipient, will make the presentation of the 2019 Steen Award. Several other awards will recognize DETCOG staff, board members and partners.

DETCOG, organized in 1966, is a voluntary association of local governments in the 12-county region encompassing all of Angelina, Houston, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity and Tyler counties. At 10,383 square miles, it is one of the largest rural councils of government in the nation.

DETCOG was established in November of 1966 as an Economic Development District under the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. In 1968 the organization also became a political subdivision of the State of Texas as a Regional Planning Commission under state law. Current membership includes 12 counties, 36 cities, 40 school districts, four river authorities, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, special purpose districts, and a number of other sustaining members.

“Above all, DETCOG is an organization of, by, and for the local governments of Deep East Texas,” said Executive Director Lonnie Hunt. “We exist to support our member governments and serve their residents.”

Luncheon tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door. RSVPs are appreciated, and reserved tables are also available. Anyone needing information may contact Cynthia Trowbridge at the DETCOG office in Jasper at (409) 381-5254 or (800) 256-6848 extension 5254.

Lady Roadrunners Strike First in Tournament’s Opening Round Cernosek Drives in Five Runs in Win over Galveston

By
Gary Stallard
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Emilee Cernosek Grand Slam Celebration: Angelina College’s Emilee Cernosek gets a home-plate greeting following her grand slam during Monday’s game against Galveston College. The Lady Roadrunners took an 8-1 win in the opening round of the Region XIV Conference Championship tournament at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex in Lufkin. (Gary Stallard/AC Athletics photo)

Early on Monday, Angelina College’s Emilee Cernosek promised an elderly gentleman a home run for his birthday.

She more than delivered, blasting a first-inning grand slam to lead the Lady Roadrunners to an 8-1 win over Galveston College in Monday’s opening round of the Region XIV Softball Conference Championship tournament in Lufkin.

Cernosek drove in another run later in the game to give her five RBIs for the game. Kaylee Ancelot added an RBI single in the fourth, and Nikki Whitehead drove in another run in the fifth to propel the Lady ‘Runners into Tuesday’s winners’ bracket.

Shelby Mixon pitched a complete game to earn the win in the circle, scattering six hits and allowing just one Whitecap run.

Cernosek fouled off several pitches before connecting on a 2-2 count for a long shot over the right-centerfield wall to stake Mixon to a four-run lead. Cernosek would score a run in the third after drawing a walk and crossing the plate on Rachel Agnello’s fielder’s choice.

In the fourth, Jessica Husband led off with a single and came around to score on Ancelot’s single. Cernosek then plated a run with her long double off the wall in right. AC capped its scoring day with Agnello’s double followed by Nikki Whitehead’s RBI single off the third-base bag.

In other tournament action, Tyler blanked Coastal Bend 8-0, San Jacinto shut out Bossier Parish 8-0 and Blinn beat Kilgore 9-0. The Lady Roadrunners will face the winner of the Blinn Colleg at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The e-mail address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu

AUSTIN/RAGUET STREET INTERSECTION TO BE CLOSED IN NACOGDOCHES

By
Rhonda Oaks
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The intersection of Raguet Street and FM 2609 (Austin Street) will be closed beginning Monday, May 20, as crews continue to move utilities for the current construction project that will widen Austin Street between Raguet Street and BU 59/North Street in Nacogdoches. The intersection at Raguet Street and Austin Street will be closed for up to three months.

The $2.9 million construction project will widen Austin Street from two to four lanes and include the construction of sidewalks and a traffic signal at Raguet Street.

“This project is progressing well and we are to the point of relocating utilities in this intersection,” said Rhonda Oaks, public information officer for the Lufkin District. “Because of the depth of excavation required to relocate underground utilities, the road will be impassable.”

Motorists are advised to take alternate routes during the course of this work. Austin Street will continue to remain closed to through traffic.

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

Save the Date: Angelina College Hosting Crime Conference July 16 & 17

By
Nancy Reynolds
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Angelina College, along with Harold’s House, the Family Crisis Center, and Texas Mutual Insurance Company, will host a Coordinated Crime Conference July 16-17. The cost for the event is $25 and breakfast and lunch each day will be provided.

Sessions include Understanding Targeted Violence, Dynamics of Domestic Violence, Evidence Collection, The Dark Web and Social Media, Child Abduction Investigation Strategies and Considerations, SHIELD (Resilient Mindset), Strangulation, The Use of DNA Evidence, and a case study, Live to Tell: The Jennifer Schuett Story.

This event is recommended for those in law enforcement, emergency responders, attorneys, counselors, nurses, victim advocates, Child Protective Services employees, and social workers.

Go to Eventbrite.com to register. For more information about the conference contact Doug Conn, Angelina College Police Chief, at dconn@angelina.edu; or Danielle Garrett of Harold’s House at (936) 634-1999 or dgarrett@haroldshouse.org.

Angelina College Vocational Nursing Program Ranked No. 3 in State

By
Nancy Reynolds
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The vocational nursing program at Angelina College was recently ranked number three in the state according to PracticalNursing.org.

Nursing programs were assessed on several factors which represent how well a program supports students towards licensure and beyond. We analyzed past and present first time National Council Licensure Examination-Practical Nurse “pass-rates” weighted by year. PracticalNursing.org is comprised of nurses helping future nurses. The organization was built to guide those interested in pursuing the exciting career in healthcare.

For more information about nursing programs at Angelina College, contact the Health Careers I main office at hc1@angelina.edu or (936) 633-3200.

Roadrunners Place Six on All Conference Team Bergeron, Meek, Munoz Earn 1st Team Honors

By
Gary Stallard
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The Angelina College Roadrunner baseball team landed six players on the Region XIV East Zone All-Conference list, with three of those players earning 1st Team nods.

Sean Bergeron, Rylan Meek and JoJo Munoz were the three Roadrunners named to the zone’s 1st Team, while Euro Diaz and Wes Gafford earned 2nd Team honors. Eric Worden earned Honorable Mention honors.

Bergeron capped a stellar sophomore season with two outstanding starts in his final two regular-season games. Bergeron no-hit Northeast Texas Community College on April 26 and tossed a two-hit shutout against Paris College in his final start. The Crosby, TX product struck out 97 hitters in 69 innings pitched and finished with a 3.26 ERA.

Meek, from Deer Park, led the team in homers (7) and RBI (32) while hitting at a .386 clip. Munoz, from Los Fresnos, hit .340 with a homer and 20 RBI while stealing seven bases. Diaz, from Pasadena, hit .302 on the year while scoring 26 RBI and 32 runs scored.

Gafford, a freshman from Georgetown, alternated between the bullpen and a late-season starting role to earn 2nd Team honors. Gafford finished the season with a 3.29 ERA, striking out 41 hitters in 41 innings.

The versatile Worden, a freshman from Austin, posted stats in both the hitting and pitching categories. Worden hit .400 for the year, driving in 12 runs and scoring another 15 in just 27 games. On the mound, Worden posted a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings pitched. The Roadrunners finished the season with a 31-19 record.

The e-mail address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.

Roadrunners Battle Past Blinn in Opening Round of Tournament Mead’s Mound Work Sends AC to Winners’ Bracket

By
Gary Stallard
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Angelina College’s Sam Gotlieb (6) watches his three-run homer leave the park during Sunday’s game against Blinn College. The Roadrunners topped the Bucs 12-9 in the opening round of the Region XIV Conference Tournament at Lamar University in Beaumont. (Shanna English/AC Athletics photo)

Angelina College pitcher Jacob Mead may have expected just a little work in Monday’s game, but he couldn’t have known his work day would start as early as it did.

With starting pitcher Sean Bergeron – the staff workhorse all season – on the mound, the ‘Runners anticipated Bergeron’s usual seven or eight innings. Instead, Bergeron left after 2 1/3 innings with a sore arm, causing head coach Jeff Livin to summon Mead from the bullpen much earlier.

Mead then pitched one of his best game of the year, taking the game into the ninth inning of the ‘Runners 12-9 win over Blinn College in Sunday’s opening round of the Region XIV Conference Championship tournament in Beaumont.

Mead finished with 5 2/3 innings pitched, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs while striking out four Bucs. Dalton Roblin pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to help the ‘Runners into Monday’s winners’ bracket.

AC got three homers on the day, with Dillon Nesbit going deep with an opposite-field shot in the first, Trent Brown adding a solo blast in the second and Sam Gotlieb ripping a threerun bomb in the sixth. The ‘Runners also benefited from four unearned runs in the third inning. AC finished the day with 12 runs on 12 hits.

The Roadrunners (32-19) will play the winner of the Galveston/Navarro winner at 5 p.m. on Monday in Beaumont.

The e-mail address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu

Cattlemen’s Seminar this Friday in Hemphill

By
Cary Sims
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Recently I’ve been able to travel to Georgia and study agricultural production there. They have a climate very similar to ours with as much rainfall as we typically get. Different from East Texas, there is a large variety of farming operations, in addition to raising cattle.

However in East Texas, it is apparent that we have a huge emphasis on cattle and hay production. Make no mistake, raising cattle is big business in East Texas. Indeed the number one business of private, non-industrial landowners is cattle.

As such, a large part of the Extension offices educational effort is geared to our cattlemen. This Friday in Hemphill, several county Extension agents are holding a joint county program aimed at helping cattlemen from across the region.

Dubbed the Pineywoods Cattle Congress, the day long program will be at the R&W Ranch on 8:00 am until 3:00 p.m. at Welden and Rita Elliott’s R&W Ranch, located at the dead end of Alfred Smith Drive, off of FM 1592, two miles northwest of Hemphill, in Sabine County, Texas.

Welden Elliott, the host for the Pineywoods Cattle Congress has employed a number of unique and innovative practices that will be discussed.

One of the unique things that the R&W ranch does is utilize wood ashes as a liming agent and fertilizer. While lime sometimes difficult to obtain, Elliot has turned to the use of wood ashes as an effective lime substitute. Used extensively by home gardeners as a soil enhancer, wood ashes can be applied in bulk over pastures to the same effect.

Another practice that has gotten recent attention this past year from our wet weather and local salesmen is haylage, ensiled hay or “baleage”. Most folks will simply recognize the product by the white plastic-wrapped hay bales. The economics of this will be analyzed and discussed as there is a lot of misinformation on this practice.

Dr. Vanessa Corriher, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist for Forages serving all of East Texas will be the lead speaker on wrapped hay. Despite the cost, wrapping hay can fill a certain need for cattlemen who need to harvest hay without waiting on good hay-baling weather and who will be using it in a much shorter time frame than regular hay.

Cattle handling practices will also be a major point of discussion. Dr. Ron Gill, Professor and Livestock Specialist, will discuss and demonstrate low-stress cattle handling practices. Working gentle cattle is a priority for a number of producers. The manner in which stockmen handle cattle in the pens and chute will benefit the cattle as well as the workers.

And with the care and precision needed for field applications, Darren Rozzell, of Rozell Sprayer Manufacturing of Tyler, will explain and demonstrate the ins-and-outs of using GPS guided systems for spraying, fertilizing, seeding, etc.

Various local tractor and equipment dealers will have equipment on display and will provide demonstrations in the afternoon, for those that are interested.

Individuals with Pesticide Applicator licenses with the Texas Department of Agriculture will receive three CEUs.

The Pineywoods Cattle Congress will be held on Friday, May 17, 2019 from 8 am to 3 pm. Early registration is $20. After May 13, attendees may pay $30 at the gate, the day of the event, but are asked to provide the courtesy of a call or text to Sabine County extension office at 409-594-7400, to help plan for the program and the lunch meal.

The Pineywoods Cattle Congress, it is a non-profit, non-political, educational event organized by Extension offices in Angelina, Nacogdoches, Panola, Sabine, San Augustine and Shelby counties.

For more information contact me at 936-634-6414 x 2 or the Sabine County Extension office at 409-594- 7400.

An Update from Trent Ashby

By
Rep. Trent Ashby
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This past week was Teacher Appreciation Week, and I would be remiss if I didn’t start this column by expressing my sincere gratitude for the dedicated service our teachers provide to our students. While every week should be teacher week, I hope you will take time in the coming days to hug the neck of a teacher who has made a positive impact on you or a member of your family. God bless our teachers for their selfless devotion to our students and our state.

With that, here’s an update from your State Capitol. . .

Legislative Update: With the school year wrapping up, teachers and students from around the state will cap off the year by taking the dreaded STAAR Test. One of the most common complaints I receive from teachers, administrators, and parents is the high-stakes nature of this assessment. School districts and students are often penalized for underperforming on the test, which studies have shown to be an ineffective barometer of student achievement. While I would be in favor of doing away with highstakes testing altogether, the Texas House recently passed legislation that would greatly reduce the number of standardized tests, as well as remove the requirement for a student to pass the STAAR for grade promotion. It’s past time that we remove the burden of a looming test date, and instead focus on increased classroom resources to allow our teachers to teach their students with more focused instruction to ensure their success in and beyond grade school.

I also want to provide you with an update on some of the legislation I’ve filed this session. I’m pleased to report that all of my bills have made significant progress over the last several weeks, with several reaching the Governor’s desk for final approval. One I’d like to highlight, House Bill 3217, will allow institutions of higher education to offer a bachelor’s degree in education, and eliminates the 18 semester credit hour cap on the amount of education courses allowed for a degree. This bill will ensure that students interested in pursuing the teaching profession will have the opportunity to take more courses to better prepare them for the classroom. Another bill awaiting the Governor’s approval, House Bill 1066, will help cut red tape in the groundwater permitting process by aligning operating permits with production permits, which will help create a more sustainable framework for landowners and groundwater districts to manage resources.

Reminders: The mobile office is on the road this month and looks forward to seeing you on the following dates, in the following locations: May 15th from 9am – 11:00am at the Houston County Courthouse in Crockett or from 1:30pm – 3:30pm at the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton. You can also come see us on May 22nd from 9am – 11am at the San Augustine Courthouse in San Augustine.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact our office if we can help you in any way. Our district office may be reached at (936) 634-2762, or you can call my Capitol office at (512) 463-0508.

Suspect pleads guilty to second degree felony timber theft in Cherokee County

By
Joshua Blackwell
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A suspected timber thief plead guilty this week to a Second Degree Felony of Unauthorized Harvesting of Timber valued between $100,000 and $200,000. 

Thomas Curtis Fields, 49, of Frankston, Texas, harvested timber on private property near Jacksonville, Texas in Cherokee County without the landowner’s knowledge or permission.

“Unfortunately there are criminals out there who take advantage of landowners and steal valuable timber without the landowner’s knowledge,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Investigator Colton Covington.

The landowner had met with Fields to discuss an estimate on the harvest a few months prior to discovering the theft of timber. No agreement had been made nor contract drafted on the sale of the timber.

The conviction brings this case nearly to a close with the restitution hearing to be set at a later date. The complaint was originally received in November 2017 and submitted to District Attorney Andrew Webber in January 2018. The case was presented to the Grand Jury in Cherokee County in April 2018 with an indictment and felony warrant issued. The suspect was arrested and bonded out in September 2018. 

“Our law enforcement department works diligently with local officials to help bring those responsible to justice,” said Covington. “Timber theft is more common than most people think.”

Recent significant TFS investigations have resulted in close to $289,000 being recovered and paid back to affected landowners.

Texas A&M Forest Service recommends ways landowners can protect themselves from becoming victims of timber theft:

  • Visit your property frequently.
  • Have someone you know and trust report any cutting on your land immediately.
  • Never sign a contract without checking several references of the buyer.
  • For the best price, insist on getting bids for your timber.
  • Mark all property lines to assure cutting on adjacent property does not encroach on yours.
  • Utilize trail/deer cameras on your property that can record suspicious activity or individuals.

If you are unfamiliar with selling timber, you are urged to contact your local Texas A&M Forest Service office. Our field staff will assist you with securing the assistance of a professional resource manager to help select trees for harvest, estimate values and find potential buyers.  

For more information, please visit https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/lawenforcement/reporttimbertheft/ 

To report suspected timber theft activity call the Timber Theft Hotline 1-800-364-3470.

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