Pictured back row, from left: Parker Robbins, Rand Teer, Hannah Tatum, Harrison Kyle Nerren, Amanda Garcia, Emily Mettlen, Emmah Jones. Middle row, from left: Maxwell McCarty, Jose Calderon, Breasha Watts, Kourtney Gesford, Peyton Stephens, Kara Peikert, Rehma Naqvi, Britney Day, Morgan Little. Front row, from left: McKenzie Crager, Haley McGaughey, and Myrka Lila.
The Drug Free All-Stars is a group of high school seniors throughout Angelina County that are hand selected to serve as role models for their community by living a tobacco, drug, and alcohol free lifestyle. Members attend monthly meetings and learn to influence their community for the better as well as learning how their community works.
For their December monthly meeting, the Drug Free All-Stars were able to tour the Angelina County Jail to see what the lifestyle is like for the inmates whose life choices have led to their stay in the county jail.
To find out more about the Drug Free All-Stars, contact Maria Morales at (936) 634-9308 or by e-mail at mcaldera@angelinacoalition.org. You can also visit our website at www.angelinacoalition.org or follow us on Facebook at The Coalition.
Here is a simple recipe for a healthy take on pancakes!
Ingredients
½ cup egg whites
8 ounces container of plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 small packet of Stevia
Directions
Grind oats in a food processor. Combine all ingredients in bowl, mix, and cook on griddle or skillet. Makes several small or 1 large pancake. Serve and enjoy!
I started working for Texas Forest Country Living in October of 2015 as an intern working on an associate’s degree in journalism at Angelina College. I became a paid employee in December of 2015, and I have learned so much since then.
Working at TFCL has given me invaluable experience in the journalistic field, allowed me to meet incredible and interesting people, and taught me more about the depth of the human experience.
My first big project was a story and picture assignment on the lighting of Rudolph the Red Nose Pumping Engine by Lufkin Industries in December 2015. It was an important story to the public because it was unsure at the time if Rudolph would continue to be lit every year after General Electric bought Lufkin Industries. I remember stepping out of my car about a half a mile across the large Lufkin Mall parking lot into a cold, windy afternoon and seeing other families walking excitedly together towards the festive reindeer.
Despite the cold and slowly descending sun, people of all ages were able to find happiness and laughter as they took part in the festive activities. They ate cookies, took pictures in a sleigh, played games, and more while waiting for the main event, the lighting of Rudolph. It was moving to be able to capture moments of emotion among the celebrating that Rudolph would continue to light Christmas for East Texans another year.
I met small business owners and published authors, experienced and new to their fields. I learned there is more to a story than what is on the surface. I learned that people affect one another in immeasurable ways, often without realizing it. I realized East Texas has more depth to offer than I knew and that I could help expose that depth.
When Creative Producer Megan Whitworth came on our team in June 2016, we started several new initiatives to make TFCL better. One of those initiatives included a feature story a week on the people of East Texas. My first feature story for that initiative highlighted Jessica Knight’s winning battle against cancer and her journey to help others both prevent and overcome cancer, as well. It was an emotional moment for all at that table in Standpipe Coffee House when she spoke about her best and worst moments, her love for her son, and her hope for being a part of creating a better, healthier life for individuals who find themselves with breast cancer.
Knight’s story was only the beginning of my journey to understand how to interpret people’s stories and fluidly tell them in a truthful, artful, and entertaining way. Those factors must all be balanced or the story is not what it needs to be. If the facts are not all correct or if they are not told in a way that people can understand or be moved by, the story is not where it should be. I have had my fair share of failure and success attempting to tell people’s stories correctly, and the failures and successes have been essential to my growth as a writer and a person.
Two more feature stories helped me realize how much a journalist can help or hurt the community.
The first was a three part story about bullying. The first part was from the educator’s perspective, the second from the church’s perspective, and the third from the staff at TFCL’s perspective. While doing research, I found stories that skirted the topic or only covered one side of it. The majority of the stories advocated the child’s plight but avoided how to truly change things. I wanted my stories to both show how dangerous bullying is and how it can be prevented, and I wanted it to be local and relatable.
The second was the story of a family struggling to help their son as he fights a cyst on the center of his brain. The child’s name is Kohner Thompson, and his mother, Ashley, told me their story. It was one of the hardest stories for me to write because there is no happy ending yet. The family is dealing with pain and financial burdens along with their son’s sickness. Yet, they are fighting with love and faith and community to support them.
Kohner’s story taught me that a story doesn’t need to be resolved before it is told. Life is not about happy endings or beginnings. Life is about everything that happens in between the beginning and end. It is about the little moments and choices just as much as it is about the bigger, revolutionary decisions. My decision to write Kohner’s story may have inspired someone to give to that family, or it may have simply given he and his family hope during a dark time. I am satisfied with either result.
I have learned my job as a journalist is more than meets the eye. I have a responsibility to readers to provide information both needed and wanted, with information that would improve lives. From how-to’s to public safety announcements, from in-depth feature stories to the latest community event, the goal remains to produce true content that enriches people’s lives, and I am excited to spend another year doing the same thing.
Each year about this time and earlier, I get calls about lady bugs in houses, sheds, vehicles and other areas. Honestly, they should have been there for a while, long before earlier freezing temperatures.
Lady bugs are also referred to as “lady beetles” or “lady bird beetles.”
Lady beetles are considered one of our most beloved insect. While there is a native lady beetle, you are probably seeing the multi-colored Asian lady beetle which is native to Asia but has a long history of being released throughout the United States. This beneficial insect was released in the United States a century ago, as early as 1916! More lady bugs were released in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. It has taken years for the populations to spread, but now large populations are found in many areas of the south, northeast, Midwest, and as far north as Oregon and Washington.
The Asian multi-colored lady beetles were imported and released to help control tree-feeding aphids. The reasoning behind this was native lady beetles were not as effective in controlling tree-feeding aphids because so many of our ornamental and fruit trees were from other areas of the world. Now the Asian lady beetle thrives in many parts of North America. During spring and summer, each Asian multi-colored lady beetle will consume over 300 aphids per day of more than 50 species of aphids.
Lady beetles are insects that are considered beneficial and are not invading your home to cause problems, only to stay warm. You should know the lady beetle are not interested in eating your walls, furniture, carpet, or human food, and they do not lay eggs in homes.
While they cause no harm, their overwintering inside people’s homes causes them to be somewhat of a nuisance. At night, like most insects, they are attracted to light. They may cluster against a structure and find a nook or cranny to enter wall spaces. Many scientists believe they can become disoriented; the beetles believing spring has arrived during warm days of late winter can invade a living space as they are looking for an outlet. This phenomenon could also be due to the warm interior temperatures or lighting.
The lady beetle also has a defense mechanism. If agitated or disturbed, the beetle’s reaction is to “reflex” bleed in which a yellow fluid with an unpleasant odor is released from the leg joints. This reaction helps prevent predators, such as birds, from eating the lady beetle.
This fluid can sometimes stain walls and fabrics.
The lady beetle is attracted to lighter colors such as whites, grays, and yellows. They enter homes through cracks and crevices. During warm winter days and early spring, the lady beetle may become more active searching for an exit.
No “control” of these beneficial insects is warranted. The lady beetle is an effective and natural control for harmful plant pests such as aphids, scale, and other soft-bodied arthropods. One adult lady beetle may eat over 5,000 aphids during its lifetime.
Prevent them from entering the home by caulking exterior cracks and crevices. Sweeping and vacuuming are effective means of removing these insects from living areas.
As 2016 is coming to a close, Content Producer Grace Baldwin and I took a trip back through the year to see the photos we shot that touched our lives the most for Texas Forest Country Living. We have broken it up into two parts. First, Grace Baldwin took you into a look into the photographs that she shot this past year yesterday. Now I am sharing what 2016 has meant to me in photos at TFCL.
Keep scrolling to see the many photos I have captured this year!
Travel Writer Sarah Shaw holds a Cuvier’s dwarf caiman named Caiman when visiting Gator Country near Beaumont.Three young girls scream loud to wake up Santa Claus during the lighting of Rudolph, the Red Nose Pumping Unit, in November 2016 in Lufkin Mall parking lot. A photo of Big Al, a 13 foot 4 inch alligator at Gator Country.Trout Primary Teacher Megan Frederick, back right, poses with her class as they celebrate the grant she was awarded in December 2016 from the Prize Patrol.Santa Claus greets children at the 50th lighting of Rudolph, the Red Nose Pumping Unit in November 2016 in the Lufkin Mall parking lot.Volunteer Photographer Micky Dupre holds Pete at Kurth Memorial Animal Shelter and Adoption Center. Pete has been adopted since this photo was taken.Jessica Knight is a breast cancer survivor.Laura Lockhart holds her three-month-old baby, Everly.Tryce Adams plays the guitar to his sister Maddie Adams.Tryce Adams, left, and his sister Maddie Adams show off flannel shirts during a styled shoot in October.Maddie Adams twirls in a laced vest and black dress.A photo of Lindsey Davis.A photo of Kaelan Whitworth.A photo of Bearded Beauty Brent Burt.Maddie Adams models downtown Lufkin.A photo of Ashley Berry.
Is this the best week for customers to buy a car? Forbes seems to think so, and many local dealerships do, too.
Jaclyn Trop reported in an article for Forbes that many dealerships use the week after Christmas to slash prices and make their year-end quotas happen.
Trop used Herb Chamber BMW, a BMW dealership out of Boston, to demonstrate how this week benefits both dealerships and customers. The dealership’s general manager, Melissa Steffy, said they make as much or more money during this week than they do from Dec. 1-24.
Fortunately for East Texans, the deals run locally, as well.
We asked associates from several dealerships across East Texas for their opinion on whether or not this week was truly the best time to buy a car.
JM Chevrolet Cadillac in Lufkin
“What you find is that it’s a big new car month,” General Sales Manager Cory Robertson said. “A lot of people hold out for this time. What happens is, the previous year models, the 2016s, the major car brands really incentivise to get these off the lot, and it makes for really good deals for customers.”
Robertson also said JM Chevrolet Cadillac’s sales often run into early January. Currently, they have up to $12,000 off on the Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab Motor Trend Truck of the Year.
Clifton Chevrolet in Corrigan
John Clifton, owner of Clifton Chevrolet, said he feels like the sales will be the strongest sales of the year for most dealerships because there is a lot at stake for manufacturers.
“Traditionally, December is a good month for us,” Clifton said. “We sell a lot to commercial type customers, and, typically, those customers buy a lot in December for tax purposes.”
December and January months are the best times to shop for a new car.
Raceway Motors in Lufkin
Sales Manager Ross Williams took a different approach on this week than other associates.
“The best time to buy a car is when your current vehicle is not doing what you need it to do,” he said. “It could be any time. The majority of our customers come to us with a problem, and we help them get a nicer, newer model.”
Williams said that most dealerships do try to meet quotas at the end of every month, especially at the end of the year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean those will be the best times of the year for customers to find the best deals.
“Is this a great time to buy a vehicle? Absolutely. Is this the best time? Maybe not. When a customer comes in, no matter what time comes in, it’s the best time for them,” Williams said.
Currently, Raceway Motors is doing a deal where customers can get their credit approved for $7 down, and they will have a new deal for the month of January.
Loving Toyota in Lufkin
“I most definitely think this could typically be the best time for deals,” said General Manager Trae Gerard. “Our Toyotathon in December is the biggest sale we do, and we are trying to get to our year end quotas.”
Gerard said the Toyotathon offers the dealership’s biggest discounts, rebates, and incentives of the year, and the deals will be extended untilJan. 3, 2017, to offer customers more time.
So, the East Texas auto consensus is if you want great deals and you are buying a new car for Christmas, the New Year, or if you can afford to wait until December and January to buy a new vehicle, this week is right for you. However, as Williams from Raceway Motors said, the right time for a customer to buy a car is when they need the car.
Leopard print is making a come back in this year’s winter fashion. It has consistently stayed popular throughout this fall and is continuing into this winter season.
If you just want a subtle hint of leopard print in your outfit, add a leopard print belt, scarf, or handbag. You can add it to a fun color like hot pink, turquoise, or yellow!
To incorporate leopard print into an outfit for work or other more formal settings, find a leopard print cardigan. Pair it with some nice black booties, jeans, slacks, or a pencil skirt and a basic black shirt. For a bolder touch, add a fun shirt like I did!
For an everyday look, find a comfy leopard print sweater (mine came from Target) and pair it with your favorite leggings, jeggings, or jeans! You can pair it with riding boots or booties.
If you want to go really bold with your leopard print, throw on a pair of black leggings, tall black booties or boots, and a loose leopard print shirt ( mine came from Rue 21). For even more fun, add a bold lip color. Or even, big brushed through curls in your hair!
You can have so much fun with leopard print! Don’t forget your award winning smile that makes every outfit come together!
As 2016 is coming to a close, Content Producer Grace Baldwin and I took a trip back through the year to see the photos we shot that touched our lives the most for Texas Forest Country Living. We have broken it up into two parts. First, Grace Baldwin will take you into a look into the photographs that she shot this past year. Then the second part will come tomorrow as I share what 2016 has meant to me in photos at TFCL.
Keep scrolling to see the many photos Grace has captured this year!
A child in the fourth grade proudly displays his creation during the Coston Elementary Christmas Party sponsored by Harmony Hill Baptist Church in December 2016.Two children request to take a “selfie” at the Coston Elementary Christmas Party.A dog lovingly looks at his owner during the Doggie Dinner held by Marco’s Pizza in Lufkin in December 2016. The dinner was held to encourage pet owners to have dinner with their dogs and to announce Marco’s Pizza’s new dog biscuits being offered to pet owners to help distract their pets from food bought in the drive through.Dream Catchers: Vendors from across East Texas display their wares at the Texas Blueberry Festival held in June 2016.Senior Beau Atkinson catches a pass to score the Lufkin Panthers a touchdown during the team’s first game against the Nacogdoches Dragons.The Lufkin Panthers celebrate a touchdown against the Nacogdoches Dragons.The dance team for the Congregation of Beth Simcha demonstrate a traditional Hebrew worship dance during the Heritage Festival in Lufkin in October 2016.People and pets alike bundle up for the 2016 Nacogdoches Christmas “Non-Parade” Parade. Due to bad weather, the first parade was cancelled, rescheduled for the following week, and titled “Non-Parade Parade” because the floats were parked in downtown Nacogdoches rather than moving down the streets.Jeremy Juarez poses for a Halloween appropriate photo in the Total Insanity Haunt Park held annually to fundraise for the Hudson Volunteer Fire Department.Main Street Skate Shop opened on Oct. 15, 2016 and offers skate equipment, boards, and attire for all ages. Unbeknownst to the Grumbles, the shop opened near the time when it was announced that Lufkin would be getting its own skate park.Abb and Jennifer Grumbles pose for a photo inside their newly opened store, Main Street Skate Shop in downtown Lufkin. Beaumont’s welcome sign waves in the fall breeze while Grace Baldwin writes and photographs the sites and sounds available in Beaumont for a story published on Oct. 5, 2016.
As if the freezing cold and generally overcast sky wasn’t enough…
The winter months have the tendency to cause itchy, irritated, and dry skin for both men and women.
SLUCare dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at Saint Louis University, Nicole Burkemper, M.D., has several tips for keeping skin healthy this winter season.
Burkemper says taking care of your skin begins with your bathing routine.
In the winter, or anytime you need to treat dry skin, the following tips are recommended when bathing:
Shut the bathroom door to trap the humidity
Limit your time in the bath or shower to 5 to 10 minutes
Use warm rather than hot water
Wash with a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser
Only use cleanser to “strategic areas”-armpits, groin, feet
Blot your skin gently dry with a towel
Apply moisturizer immediately after drying your skin
As your day progresses, do not forget that winter sun is still dangerous to your skin. A broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 should be applied to exposed skin before spending lengthy portions of time outside.
If the skin on your face is irritating you, Burkemper recommends looking at the products you use. Ointments and creams, which are oil-based, tend to be more moisturizing and less irritating than lotions, which are water-based.
It is important to maintain the oils on your face and avoid moisturizers that strip them such as harsh peels, masks, alcohol-based toners or astringents.
“A moisturizer that contains ceramides – the main component of the natural skin barrier – can be especially helpful in the dry winter months,” Burkemper said. “Cerave Cream is one that I recommend and use myself.”
Those with dry skin on their hands should apply a moisturizing cream after each hand washing to prevent further irritation.
“Gloves are important, and leather gloves hold in warmth better than cloth or woven gloves,” Burkemper said. “You should also remove wet gloves and socks as soon as possible since the moisture can actually worsen dry, irritated skin.”
If these recommended steps do not help relieve dry skin, you should consider seeing a dermatologist.
“Severe dry skin may need a prescription ointment or cream and dry skin may be a sign of a skin condition that needs medical treatment,” Burkemper said.
Editor’s Note: I met Kathy Conn three months ago when I started working at MSGPR. She is our office manager; however, through conversation I learned she is also the other half of Dottie Loo – a photography and personalized monogramming business. The other half of Dottie Loo is her daughter Jennifer. Kathy showed me her work and I thought it was completely wonderful. I knew she was the next person I wanted to showcase in our Spotlight series. Not only is Kathy a talented individual, she is a positive, sweet, and one amazing woman. Keep reading to learn more about Kathy Conn!
The Spotlight series will feature one person each month who is making a difference in East Texas, and we will have the opportunity to get to know that person a little bit better. If you would like to nominate someone, please email us at info@TexasForestCountryLiving.com.
A photo of Kathy Conn.
TFCL: What is Dottie Loo? Kathy: Dottie Loo is photography, plus personalized monogramming and specialty items for children, baby, and adults.
TFCL: How did it begin? Kathy: My daughter and I love to craft and sew. I purchased my first embroidery machine five years ago and it has grown from there.
TFCL: What’s been your favorite design and why? Kathy: That’s so hard, because I love so many.
TFCL: How did you learn how to do your craft? Kathy: My mom had me sewing by the time I was nine when I made my first dress. She was the “real seamstress.” Doing the embroidery had always been a dream for me. After buying my embroidery machine my love for sewing has grown even more.
TFCL: What makes you laugh the most? Kathy: My grandchildren! I truly love being a Nana!
TFCL: What’s an ideal weekend for you? Kathy: Being at our farm with my husband, children, and grandchildren.
TFCL: What’s your favorite book/movie of all time and why did it speak to you so much? Kathy: “The Power of a Praying Wife” – It spoke to me about the importance of praying for your husband and how to effective in your praying.
Items embroidered by Kathy Conn.
TFCL: What has been the best phase in your life? Kathy: Being a Nana.
TFCL: If a genie granted you one wish right now, what would you wish for? Kathy: Health for me and my family.
TFCL: What are you most proud of? Kathy: My family.
TFCL: What’s your philosophy in life? Kathy: Life is short lived. Make the best of everyday you are given and have no regrets. I want to finish well.
TFCL: What is your favorite thing about the holidays and why? Kathy: I love the excitement you see in a child’s eye; I love family gatherings.
For more information on Dottie Loo, visit its by clicking here.
