The Angelina Arts Alliance is proud to present Jackie Evancho live in concert on Friday, February 1, at the Temple Theater on the Angelina College Campus. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.

A worldwide sensation when she was only ten years old, Jackie Evancho has moved past the exuberant promise of a child prodigy vocalist, becoming a mature young adult with a clear direction as to where she, as a creative artist, is taking her career as a singer. A career that began with a little girl’s fascination with the film soundtrack of The Phantom of the Opera and has become an evolving and enduring musical phenomenon.

Since she first dazzled American television audiences at the age of 10 – gaining global recognition with her stunning debut on NBC’s America’s Got Talent – Jackie Evancho has released a string of platinum and gold albums, with sales of over 3 million in the US. Along the way, she has also made history – the youngest solo platinum artist … the youngest Top 5 debut artist ever in the U.K. … the youngest person to give solo concert at Lincoln Center … the highest-ranking debut artist of 2010. All seven of Jackie’s albums have hit No. 1 on the Billboard Classical chart. The magnitude of her success led Billboard twice (in 2010 and 2012) to include Jackie on its list of “music movers-and-shakers under the age of 21.”

Jackie Evancho’s meteoric rise is already a show business legend. YouTube video stardom led to her spectacular, against-the-odds appearance on America’s Got Talent in 2010 that delivered the heat and the promise of a new star, in a luminous performance of the beloved Puccini aria “O mio babbino caro.” Her breakthrough was transformed quickly into the basis for a serious career. In less than a decade, Jackie has made seven chart-topping albums and DVDs, headlined three PBS television specials, appeared in the film The Company We Keep at the request of her co-star Robert Redford, and tirelessly toured the world, singing for Presidents, other world leaders and her fans everywhere. In addition to her solo success, Jackie has recorded duets with such notable artists as Tony Bennett, Plácido Domingo, Barbra Streisand, Chris Botti, and Joshua Bell.

The success of the angelic little blonde girl from Pittsburgh has defied the odds. Her first major-label recording, O Holy Night, made Jackie the top-selling debut artist of 2010, with the EP album entering the Billboard 200 chart at No. 2 – the youngest solo artist ever to debut in the Top 5. With sales of more than a quarter of a million copies in its first week, O Holy Night was certified a platinum record, and Jackie Evancho became youngest performer ever to go platinum in the U.S.

Dream with Me was Jackie’s first full-length album for Sony Music, produced by David Foster, who first encountered her before her breakthrough when she was only nine. Debuting at No. 2 in the Billboard 200, the album confirmed the success of O Holy Night, featuring duets with Barbra Streisand and Susan Boyle and bringing Jackie a platinum record and international acclaim – the youngest album performer ever to debut in the Top 5 in the U.K. The success of Dream with Me established a benchmark for how her career would unfold, a multimedia blitz that took her to television’s best-rated programs, a PBS special and a distinctive tour of soldout top concert venues around the world.

The formula has also driven the success of Jackie’s albums that followed – Heavenly Christmas, Songs from the Silver Screen and Awakening – all expanding her repertoire, her collaborations with artists and writers, and her worldwide audience.

Jackie’s sixth album – Someday at Christmas – continued her unbroken streak of No. 1 titles on the Billboard Classical Album chart. Someday at Christmas brought together her favorite holiday tracks, including a remarkable collaboration with Plácido Domingo, as well as three new tracks including the Stevie Wonder title song and a version of “The Little Drummer Boy” with the group Il Volo.

Jackie’s most recent album Two Hearts, features popular hits both old and new, and classical crossover Italian songs, but also Jackie’s emerging gifts as a collaborative songwriter. With the release of Two Hearts, the amazing journey of Jackie Evancho reached an exciting new place, both creatively and personally. The album’s title says a lot about growth: Jackie’s heart is always in the classical crossover singing her fans love, but she is discovering another facet of her work, her range and, thus, her heart – a love of songwriting and a new, expressive pop sound.

Jackie is currently in the studio working on her next album – an album of contemporary theater songs. Songs from Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Waitress, Greatest Showman, Wicked, Rent, Spring Awakening. As an 18- year-old, Jackie wants to embrace what she considers the new American songbook. Jackie is the first recording artist to embrace this new and very popular emerging genre.

Jackie made her feature film debut in 2013 when Robert Redford cast her as his daughter The Company You Keep, a thriller that featured her in a cast that included Susan Sarandon, Shia LaBeouf, Anna Kendrick, Terrance Howard, Nick Nolte and Stanley Tucci. “I am so happy that Mr. Redford picked me to be in his film,” Jackie said at the time, adding, “and I am excited to learn from performers that are amazing at what they do.” The same year, GUESS owner Paul Marciano selected Jackie to star in the Fall 2012 GUESS Kids clothing campaigns.

“I have had so much fun and done so many challenging things,” Jackie said at the end of that year. “But while I really enjoyed all the traveling and the acting and had such a great time posing in all those great clothes for GUESS, singing is still the thing I love the most.”

Jackie Evancho sang for Pope Francis I during his US visit and, a few years before, performed at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., where she sang for – and delighted – President Barack Obama and his family. Two months later, she was again invited to perform for the President and Congressional leaders during the National Prayer Breakfast. She was also invited to perform on Oprah Winfrey’s farewell special.

In early 2012, Jackie was selected to represent the US in Russia at the opening of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. She performed in front of 100,000 people prior to the Forum’s opening, singing with two international opera stars, Russia’s Dmitri Hvorostovsky of Russia and South Korea’s Sumi Jo. Jackie’s fan base also extends to Japan, where she was invited to perform for the Royal Family at the Imperial Palace, as well as sold-out performances with the Tokyo Philharmonic.

Jackie Evancho is in many ways a typical young adult: she splits her time between Pittsburgh and New York so that she can be closer to the creative community while at the same time being close to her family. She is continuing her education in the midst of touring and recording. And her heart opens itself to more than music: Jackie is a proud supporter of her transgender sister Juliet and the struggle for transgender equality.

“The Angelina Arts Alliance strives to bring the best in touring entertainment to Lufkin! It’s how we fulfill our mission to enrich, entertain and educate by presenting and promoting the performing arts. Don’t miss this show!” said Jennifer Allen, Executive Director of the Angelina Arts Alliance.

Ms. Evancho will perform with an eight piece string section comprised of musicians from Stephen F. Austin University.

For more information and to purchase tickets visit the Temple Theater Box Office on the Angelina College Lufkin campus, Monday through Friday 11 am – 5 pm or call (936) 633-5454, or go online at www.angelinaarts.org . Details and video clips for this performance and the entire new season are on the Arts Alliance website. Follow Angelina Arts Alliance on Facebook for late-breaking news, photos, videos and ticket giveaways.

Angelina College offers FREE RUSH tickets to every AC student (with a valid student ID) for all Performing Arts Series performances this season. Students may obtain their free tickets by arriving at the box office no earlier than one hour before show time. All AC Faculty and Staff receive a 15% discount on all Performing Arts Series performances.

The Angelina Arts Alliance is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to present a wide array of diverse, quality performing arts, along with educational and family performances which collectively enrich, engage and educate the community.

The Board of Directors of Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) will hold their first meeting of the New Year in San Augustine. The meeting will be held Thursday, January 24, 2019 at the San Augustine County Expo Rodeo Center located at 1109 Oaklawn Street (off State Highway 147 North) in San Augustine. A luncheon will be served at noon with the board meeting to follow.

Welcoming members and guests to San Augustine County will be County Judge Jeff Boyd; San Augustine Mayor Leroy Hughes; San Augustine County Commissioners, Tommy Pickard, Edward Wilson, Joey Holloway and Rodney Ainsworth as well as San Augustine County Minority Representative Musetta Hosey.

DETCOG’s President, Houston County Attorney, Daphne Session, would like to extend an invitation to the meeting to all interested parties. Anyone needing further information may contact the Deep East Texas Council of Governments Office at (409) 384-5704 ext. 5254.

Was your home damaged by Hurricane Harvey? Assistance may be available through the Texas Homeowner Assistance Program.

DETCOG is teaming up with the Texas General Land Office to spread the word so that homeowners in the affected area are aware of the recovery resources that may be available to them. The program offers qualified homeowners assistance to repair, rehabilitate, or rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

Homeowners in Jasper, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto and Tyler Counties within the Deep East Texas Region may be eligible for assistance through the Texas Homeowner Assistance Program and are strongly encouraged to submit an application for recovery assistance online or in-person at one of the program’s Homeowner Assistance Centers.

“We feel like there are many residents of our region who qualify for this help who have not made application,” said DETCOG Executive Director Lonnie Hunt. “This program is totally different from the FEMA programs that you may have received help from. If you live in one of the disaster counties and your home was damaged by Hurricane Harvey, I encourage you to call or go into one of the intake centers and make application to this program.”

If you have any questions, please call 1-844-893-8937 to speak to a program representative who can assist you further or schedule an appointment for you. You may also email the program at cdr@recovery.texas.gov and you’ll find more information on the website recovery.texas.gov/hap.

The program offers in-person assistance at Homeowner Assistance Centers and Mobile Intake Centers located throughout the region. Applications take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Locations and hours of operation are detailed below:

Jasper Homeowner Assistance Center

710 S. Wheeler St.

Jasper, TX 75951

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m

Shepherd Public Library Mobile Intake Center

30 N. Liberty St.

Shepherd, TX 77371

Hours: Mondays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Tri-County Community Action Office Mobile Intake Center

1201 Cardinal Dr.

Woodville, TX 75979

Hours: Tuesdays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Polk County Courthouse Mobile Intake Center (2nd Floor)

101 W. Church St.

Livingston, TX 77351

Hours: Wednesdays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Deweyville Senior Center Mobile Intake Center

43435 state Highway 87 South

Orange, TX 77632

Hours: Thursdays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Kirbyville First Baptist Church Mobile Intake Center

105 N. Barrow Ave.

Kirbyville, TX 75956

Hours: Fridays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Be safe and enjoy the ride!

I hope 2019 is off to a great start for you, even though getting back into the daily schedule after the holidays is tough on many of us. Many of you, like me, may already be struggling to keep those resolutions we made on New Year’s Eve.

This is always a great time of year to remind the community of a couple of resolutions that should never be forgotten. And just like any other change we make, they have to be worked at daily until they are like second nature to us.

TxDOT has resolved to continue to provide you with the best transportation system and to daily enhance the safety of our roadways so that when you drive, your experience is such that you can easily choose to keep your resolutions about safe driving. Those should be not talking or texting when you drive and designating a driver if you are drinking.

Distracted driving and alcohol-related crashes continues to be the top causes of fatal crashes in East Texas. I really want to see those statistics change and I know you do also. The thing is, the only way those statistics will ever change is if we resolve to change them and we make a clear choice each day to drive safely.

The thing is, I don’t think improving state statistics will motivate you to make a needed change in your driving habits. It has to be more personal than just numbers. If someone you know was involved in a crash last year, would that motivate you to stop and think? What if the crash involved a member of your family, or your teenage driver? Maybe the crash wasn’t their fault. Maybe they were an innocent victim.

None of us would intentionally cause a crash that could inflict pain and suffering on another person. And I know there is not a parent alive who hands the keys to a teen driver who doesn’t say a prayer when that teen pulls out of the driveway. The truth is we can never be sure what the ‘other driver’ will do. All we can be sure of is what we will do. But remember, to everyone else, we are the other driver.

Will you resolve this year to put down your phone when you drive? Will you resolve not to let anything distract you from keeping your eyes on the road in front of you? Will you resolve not to drink and drive and make a plan before you go out for the evening? Because even buzzed driving is drunk driving.

This is a good time to sit down with teen drivers, and even the younger and older adult drivers in your family and talk to them about safe driving. Because this time next year, I want to be able to say the statistics have improved and that they improved because we were all motivated to drive safely. I hope I can also say that none of us lost a loved one in a crash because of distracted driving or alcohol. If the safety of your loved ones doesn’t motivate you to drive safer this year, all the resolutions in the world definitely won’t. Be safe and enjoy the ride.

The Angelina College Nonprofit Leadership Center will host the second annual Nonprofit Leadership Conference Thursday and Friday, Feb. 7-8 on the AC campus. The cost is $50 per person and includes breakfast and lunch both days. Register at Eventbrite.com. Space is limited. Contact Donna Busler, Nonprofit Leadership director, at (936) 633-4532 or email dbusler@angelina.edu. The conference agenda is available at angelina.edu on the Community Services Division page.

Dr. William Brown will speak on the topic of board roles and responsibilities Thursday. This session will provide nonprofit leaders with an intensive look at improving governance and leadership of their organization. Dr. Brown is a professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, and holds the Mary Julia and George Jordan Professorship. He serves as the director of the Center for Nonprofits & Philanthropy. Dr. Brown’s research focuses on nonprofit governance, strategy, and organizational effectiveness. He holds a Ph.D. in organizational psychology from Claremont Graduate University.

Dr. Kenny Taylor will speak on the topic of authentic leadership in public service Thursday. This session will introduce participants to the Authentic Leadership theory, its constructs of self-awareness-transparency-ethical/moral-balanced processing, and how

public sector and nonprofit leaders who employ these behaviors have the opportunity to excel in their roles. Dr. Taylor is an assistant professor of the practice at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and holds the Younger-Carter Endowed Practitioner-in-Residence. He serves as the director of Outreach and Professional Development for the Center of Nonprofits & Philanthropy. His research focuses on the link between leader behavior within nonprofit organizations and its impact on employee job satisfaction. Dr. Taylor holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Our Lady of the Lake University.

Dr. Steve Wilke will present a session instructing participants about how to improve internal and intentional leadership Thursday. Participants will learn strategic and intentional development strategies and practices which transform good leaders into great leaders. Dr. Wilke and his wife, Dr. Rebecca Wilke, are co-founders of LEADon, Inc., a company dedicated to equipping organizations to improve their performance through internal and intentional leadership. They will present another session Friday, “Essentials to Develop High Emotional Quotient Leadership.”

Dr. Wayne Lawrence will present “Essentials of Board of Director Development” Friday. Dr. Lawrence is the executive director of Neighborhood STRONG and has an extensive background in policies, procedures, communication, and development of boards of directors. He worked with Ward Burke to launch what is now the Burke Center, and many of his systems are still used today.

Aimee C. Slusher will present “Essentials of Nonprofit Bylaws” Friday. Mrs. Slusher is a partner in the law firm, Skelton, Slusher, Barnhill, Watkins, Wells, PLLC.

She has served Angelina County in multiple ways, including as a United Way board member, and has a deep understanding of the challenges of nonprofits in East Texas.

Maria Belschner and Brad Busler will present “Essentials of Human Resources” Friday. Mrs. Belschner is the Human Resources manager at Georgia Pacific, Camden. She has 23 years of employee relations generalist experience. Mr. Busler has more than 30 years of employment and labor relations experience, earning the Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from the HR Certification Institute in 2004. Currently, Mr. Busler is the Human Resources director at Drewery Construction, Inc. He serves as the district chairman for the Five Rivers District of the Boy Scouts of America and is the committee chairman for Troop 136 in Lufkin. He is also an advisory board member for the Blood Center – East Texas. Formerly, he was the Human Resources director with Temple-Inland Building Products, and served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Karen Gray will present “Essentials of Policies and Procedures” Friday, explaining the importance of accurate alignment of bylaws, policies and procedures and their application. Mrs. Gray is a nonprofits specialist with a professional background in law. She is a former Lufkinite, who has served nonprofits in Lufkin and other communities. Mrs. Gray was instrumental at The Mosaic Center, Inc. in many ways which have led to the success and sustainability of that organization.

Jessica Grenier and Renee Robertson will present “Essentials of Fundraising Philosophy and Execution” Friday. Mrs. Grenier is the Communications coordinator for The Mosaic Center Inc., and has led a successful fundraising team for three years for both the annual gala and the letter solicitation fundraiser. Mrs. Robertson is a former professional fundraiser specialist and board member of The Mosaic Center, Inc.

For more information about this event, contact Donna Busler, Angelina College Nonprofit Leadership Center director at (936) 633-4532 or dbusler@angelina.edu. The conference agenda is available at angelina.edu on the Community Services Division page.

The Texas Forestry Museum invites you and your family to come enjoy the colorful new art posts on the Urban Wildscape Trail. The art work provides a visually stimulating experience for trail walkers. The museum is grateful to Denise Davis and her students in the Lufkin High School Art Department for creating these wonderful pieces of art for the museum.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is beginning enforcement efforts across the state focusing specifically on violations of the state’s Move Over/Slow Down law. These periodic enforcement operations by DPS Troopers are planned throughout the year at various locations in Texas, with several operations planned in January. One of those operations will take place in Beaumont District throughout the day on Wednesday, January 16. The Department of Transportation will be participating in a non-enforcement capacity.

The law, originally passed in 2003, requires motorists to move over or slow down when certain vehicles – including police, fire, EMS, Texas Department of Transportation vehicles and tow trucks – are stopped on the side of the road with emergency lights activated.

“Our Highway Patrol Troopers and other offices risk their lives every day for the people of Texas, and their safety is particularly vulnerable while working on the side of the road, where the slightest mistake by a passing motorist can end in tragedy,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “While our officers are serving and protecting Texans, we’re asking drivers to do their part by adhering to the law – simply move over or slow down.”

Specifically, Texas law states that a driver must either:

 Vacate the lane closest to the applicable vehicles stopped on the side of the road (if the road has multiple lanes traveling in the same direction) or

 Slow down to 20 mph below the speed limit. (If the speed limit is below 25 mph, the driver must slow down to 5 mph)

Drivers should only move over if they can do so safely and legally; otherwise, they should slow down.

“In light of the numerous vehicle crashes that occur in Texas and across the nation on a daily basis, and the unfortunate fact that many still violate the state law that has been in effect over 15 years, we are increasing our enforcement and education efforts related to this law,” said Director McCraw. “In addition to complying with the law to protect those who work on the side of the road, we encourage motorists to show the same courtesy to fellow drivers stopped along the roadways. Let’s all get home safely.” 2

Violations of the law can result in a fine of up to $200; the fine increases to $500 if there is property damage. If violators cause bodily injury, they can be charged with a Class B misdemeanor, resulting in possible jail time and a maximum fine of $2,000.

Preliminary data from January through December 2018 shows that DPS issued more than 41,000 warnings and citations to motorists violating the Move Over /Slow Down law.