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Texas Arbor Day To Be Held In Nacogdoches

By
Grace Baldwin
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Congratulations to the City of Nacogdoches, Texas, for being selected as the Texas Arbor Day 2016 host city.

Arbor Day is celebrated the first Friday in November each year in a different Texas City. This year, the City of Nacogdoches celebrates being the Oldest Town in Texas with its 300th birthday and will host fellow Texans in a statewide celebration of trees.

The community has roots in traditional forestry as the home of the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks and the Arthur Temple College of Forestry. But Nacogdoches, a Tree City USA, also values urban and community forestry having recently been named the Garden Capital of Texas by the state legislature.

“We would be proud to host the rest of the state and join in celebrating our forestry heritage and growth in urban forestry,” Nacogdoches City Planner Larissa Philpot said.

To commemorate this historical milestone, the Garden Capital of Texas Committee members plan to plant 300 trees in the community, with the ceremonial 300th tree being planted on Arbor Day at Millard’s Crossing Historic Village.

According Philpot, the city also plans to celebrate Nacogdoches’ historic and champion trees by highlighting their histories with photographs and seedlings grown out from these trees.

The celebration while still in the planning phase, will also feature a ceremony, educational activities and giveaways. The events are free and open to the public.

Everyone is invited to participate either by attending the festivities Nov. 4, 2016 in Nacogdoches, by planting a tree in their own communities, or by just taking a minute to enjoy and celebrate trees and the vital resources they provide for us every day.

“Arbor Day, above all, presents a tremendous opportunity to teach fundamental lessons about the stewardship of our natural resources and caring for our environment,” Paul Johnson, Texas A&M Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator said. “This is a great opportunity for families to come out and learn about trees and how they protect and affect us.”

Texas first observed Arbor Day in 1889, celebrating the benefits that trees provide over a lifetime. Today, the state Arbor Day celebration is a collaborative effort among Texas A&M Forest Service, the Texas Forestry Association, the Texas Chapter of the international Society of Arboriculture, the host city and numerous non-profit organizations.

Please mark your calendars and check this website for evolving information about this historic event.

Guy Davis Tournament Wraps Up On Saturday

By
Gary Stallard
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Joe Mareno drives the ball off the tee during Saturday’s Ninth Annual Guy Davis Golf Tournament held at Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin. The tourney, hosted by the Roadrunner Foundation, featured more than 200 golfers and provides funds for both Angelina College athletics and scholarships for area students. (AC Press photo by Mo Oliver)

More Than 200 Golfers Converge on Crown Colony to Benefit Angelina College Athletics

By the time Kenneth Williams sank his birdie putt on the 13th hole at Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin, darkness had descended following a long rain delay that put the conclusion in doubt.

But at the end, Crown’s head golf pro Ben Burns proclaimed to the gathered crowd, “We got it in.”

With bad weather casting doubt as to the possibility of completing the tournament, the Roadrunner Foundation placed more than 200 golfers converging on the course, all in an effort to benefit the Angelina College athletics programs.

Proceeds from the Ninth Annual Guy Davis Golf Tournament go toward scholarships for area students and AC athletics.

The tournament, played in a five-person scramble format, consisted of 43 teams, meaning the tourney has expanded every year since its existence.

For information on joining the Roadrunner Foundation, contact Steve Hall at steve@jrdmail.com.

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

Sounds Of Gospel, Comedy Show Comes To Lufkin

By
Grace Baldwin
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A gospel and comedy show produced by Ice Productions Inc. is coming to the Lufkin Civic Center Friday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. The Sounds of Gospel and Comedy Show will feature gospel artist Earnest Pugh, Pastor Keith Warner, Worshipers United, and comedian Ali Siddiq.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and praise and worship starts at 6:45 p.m. with Worshipers United.

Earnest Pugh is a Dove and Stellar Award nominated recording artist. “The WIN (Worship in Nassau) Experience,” his newest CD, was No. 1 on the Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart in fall of 2015. Pastor Keith Warner will be a soloist for this event.

Worshipers United will provide the praise and worship portion of the evening. They are a band of musicians dedicated to bringing people from different cultures, countries, and languages together to pursue the one true and living God relentlessly. They began with 10 worship leaders in 2009 in Dallas, Texas. They now travel around the country leading worship.

Ali Siddiq is a comedian who began his stand-up career in prison. He has won Comedy Central’s Up Next competition, as well as appearing on Showtime’s Ladies Night Out Tour, Centric’s 2014 All Star Taping, BET’s Comic View, and HBO’s Def Comedy Jam. He has four released albums.

For ticket and location information, visit this page.

 

3 Tips for Keeping Your Kids Drug-Free this School Year

By
Misty Boggs
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All parents want to feel confident that their children are happy, healthy and focused on the future. The unfortunate reality is that drug use can derail these goals and put a strain on families.

Parents can do a lot to curtail their child’s risk. Here are three tips to help keep kids drug-free this school year and beyond.

1. Get kids active in extracurricular activities.

Adolescents aged 12 to 17 who participate in extracurricular activities are less likely to use alcohol, cigarettes and illicit drugs, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

Many extracurricular activities are known to have positive effects on students’ grades, attention span and behavior. Afterschool activities will keep kids engaged in something positive while they are outside the classroom and also provide an incentive for staying healthy. If your school lacks a particular activity in which your child expresses interest, investigate offerings at local community centers.

2. Open the lines of communication.

The importance of communicating with your child can’t be overstated. A regular, open dialogue will make children more likely to talk to you about peer pressure and stress—the kinds of factors that can lead to drug use.

You can foster communication by regularly sitting down to dinner as a family and checking in on homework and school projects. Encourage children to invite friends over, so you know more about others with whom they spend their time.

3. Test your child.

If you suspect your child is experimenting with drugs, there are tools that can help you find out for certain in the privacy of your own home. Seventy-five percent of high school students have used addictive substances, according to CASAColumbia. Additional research by NSDUH showed that 1.8 million adolescents had used marijuana in the past month since the time of the study.

Home drug testing kits are readily available at your local pharmacy so you can get answers quickly and confidentially. For example, First Check home drug tests detect up to 12 of the most commonly abused drugs in five minutes with over 99 percent accuracy. Testing tips and resources for parents can be found at firstcheckfamily.com.

Be proactive. You have the power to help kids make healthy choices this school year and beyond.

TxDOT Urges Drivers To Plan For A Sober Ride For Labor Day Holiday

By
Rhonda Oaks
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As celebrations are finalized to mark the last days of summer, the Texas Department of Transportation urges drivers to make a plan leading up to the Labor Day holiday — a plan for a safe and sober ride home.

“Drinking and driving remains a big problem in Texas,” said TxDOT Executive Director James Bass. “If you plan to drink, you must plan ahead for a safe and sober ride home. It’s a plan that could save a family — even your own — from the heartbreak of losing a loved one.”

TxDOT’s “Plan While You Can” campaign kicked off Tuesday in San Antonio and runs through September 5 to coincide with Labor Day and increased DWI enforcement in Texas. During the Labor Day holiday period in 2015, there were 359 alcohol-related crashes that led to 12 fatalities and 36 serious injuries.

The campaign is a multi-city tour featuring an interactive dodgeball game that uses gaming technology to educate the public about the effects of alcohol on a person’s reflexes. As participants play, virtual drinks are added and the players’ on-screen avatars become less able to dodge incoming “dodgeballs.” The game demonstrates how even one drink can slow reaction times.

As always, TxDOT strongly encourages everyone to plan for a sober ride before going out. In addition to potentially life threatening crashes, drivers under the influence of alcohol could face up to $17,000 in fines and fees, jail time and loss of their driver’s license. Visit SoberRides.org to find alternatives to drinking and driving, such as:

  • Calling a taxi or using a transportation app on your smartphone.
  • Using mass transit.
  • Asking a sober friend or family member for a ride home.
  • Stay where you are and spend the night.

IHOP To Offer $1 Shortstacks To Fight Child Hunger

By
Grace Baldwin
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IHOP and No Kid Hungry will come together again in the fight against child hood hunger. IHOP restaurants nationwide will offer a short stack of their world-famous buttermilk pancakes for just $1 with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting No Kid Hungry. Please help IHOP, the pioneer of breakfast all day, every day, reach its goal of serving one million pancakes to make an impact in the lives of hungry children across America.

For close to six decades, IHOP has been the leader in bringing guests a freshly made breakfast served any time of day, every day ― but at least one in every five children across the U.S. struggles to get the food they need to grow and thrive. No Kid Hungry works to connect our future leaders with a healthy breakfast by delivering food to where kids live, learn and play.

So, IHOP will be serving short stacks for $1 on Tuesday, August 23 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

MEDIA RSVP:

Media is invited to join in the activities. If you would like to coordinate a visit to your local IHOP to take photos and interview and IHOP representative please contact Seffrah Orlando at sorlando@willscom.com or call (310) 376-6600.

Project To Begin On Nacogdoches SL 224 East

By
Rhonda Oaks
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A construction project on SL 224 in Nacogdoches County is set to begin in coming days that will rehabilitate the roadway and enhance safety.

Moore Brothers Construction, contractor for the $789,787 project, is scheduled to begin work this week that will extend for about 2 miles from FM 2609 (Appleby Sand Road) to FM 2259 (Woden Road).

The project includes placing a thin overlay of hot mix onto existing pavement. The resurfacing is designed to enhance safety by smoothing the roadway and decreasing the chances of ponding during rainy weather. The project is scheduled to be completed by mid-September, weather permitting.

Motorists are urged to be alert to work convoys and heavy equipment as the overlay is set. Obey all traffic control devices, flaggers or signs through the work area. Fines double when workers are present. Work schedules are subject to change in inclement weather.

For a complete list of closures and projects throughout the Lufkin District and statewide, visit drivetexas.org.

Angelina County Extension Office Holds Seminar On Winter Pastures

By
Cary Sims
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This Monday evening at 6:30 pm, the Angelina County Extension office will have a guest speaker to discuss preparing and utilizing winter pastures. Dr. Vanessa Olson, Assistant Professor and Forage Extension Specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience for livestock producers in our area.

It is well known that feeding through the winter is the most expensive part of raising livestock. Either we cut, rake and bale excess grass for the winter months, or we buy hay from those who do. Regardless, stockmen then feed back the hay all through the winter months when summer pastures are not growing.

A winter pasture could be clovers, ryegrass, or small grains such as wheat, oat, or rye. Winter pastures are planted in the fall and typically provide very high quality grazing during a time where poorer quality hay is fed.

The cost of many winter forage options can be very competitive with the price of hay. You could easily budget as much as $50 to $100 an acre for seed, lime and fertilize. And that acre should then produce superior forage for up to two cows. Using the rule of thumb of three bales per cow per winter at an average cost of $40-60 for a round bale of hay, the economics weighs in favor of the winter pasture.

Winter legumes (clover) can provide excellent grazing in March, April, and May, before summer pasture starts its growth. The seed cost of establishing legumes can range from $15-40 per acre. New releases of some clovers may provide longer season grazing than other legumes. The longer season clovers can also add extra nitrogen. On total, these clovers provide about 3 tons more dry matter per acre to the total forage produced during the year.

Over seeding legumes can contribute to the overall production of summer pastures. Crimson or Arrowleaf clover can contribute in the range of 50-200 lbs. per acre of nitrogen for summer pasture. Depending on the current cost of nitrogen, legumes may return a net value of $30-120 worth of nitrogen per acre.

Another common forage option available to producers this fall is a cool season grass or grain. Grains include rye, wheat or oats. Ryegrass should not be confused with cereal grain rye.

Rye is the most winter hardy of the annual winter pasture forages. Compared to other annual winter grains, rye produces more fall and winter forage. It matures early in the spring – usually peaking in early April. Rye is the most productive cool season annual grass on soils low in fertility, well-drained, and sandy in texture.

Many producers use no-till drills with good results on bahiagrass sod. No-till drills are sometimes available for rent through the dealers. Drills differ in the amount of tillage they do. Some drills have straight cutting coulters in front for cutting through the sod. Other no-till drills have coulters that act more like off-set harrows and cut and remove more sod out of the seed furrow. There are many no-till

drills on the market that have advantages over others. All no-till drills can do a good job if moisture is adequate and the sod is cut or grazed short before planting.

Ryegrass is another popular choice by many. It gets a later start than many other options and must be kept short either by grazing or baling when summer pastures start to come along.

The drawback to any winter forage program is that must do your homework and prepare before planting any seed. Getting soil pH corrected with lime, and bringing nutrient levels up with fertilizer will greatly enhance production.

If we have a dry fall, that too is often discouraging to producers. Seed planted in too dry a soil will have difficulty germinating and taking root. Adequate moisture at planting is key to the success of any winter annual forage program.

The cost for tomorrow evening’s seminar is $10. The Angelina County Extension office is located at 2201 S. Medford Drive on south loop 287 near the intersection of Hwy 69 south and next door to the Farmers Market. For more information, call 936.634.6414 or email cw-sims@tamu.edu .

Rep. Ashby’s Capitol Update

By
Rep. Trent Ashby
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Ready or not, the start of a new school year is officially here!  I want to thank all of our school faculty members and administrators who have been working feverishly to prepare for our students’ return.  So, as the hallways, classrooms, school buses, and stadiums once again come to life, let me wish all of our students the very best and much success as they embark on a new school year and write a new chapter of their life.  Continuing on this theme, I wanted to update you on the discussions surrounding public education at your State Capitol. . .

House Interim Charges: Public Education

The House Public Education Committee has been meeting since last fall and has been having discussions on how we might improve the quality of education in Texas. Chief among those discussions are how we can effectively and efficiently finance our schools, something I’ve mentioned in previous columns. As our state continues to thrive, and the population continues to grow, many of our school districts are growing faster than what their infrastructure and facilities can handle. In these cases, the Committee has taken a dive into the appropriate role for the state to play in making sure that facility needs are met, without districts having to call for large bond elections or increasing the property tax burden on the community.

As technology continues to play a greater role in our society, public schools must adapt to the new age. Many innovative schools around Texas are embracing technology and incorporating it into how they teach students. Others, however, have trouble providing broadband to all of their campuses and don’t have the resources to provide new technology to all students. In light of this, we have been studying how the state might provide scalable broadband to each district and what funding may be available to help with this.

One benefit of having so many people move to Texas is the growing workforce. As you know, not all graduates desire to continue their education after high school and we must ensure that those students possess the necessary skills to enter the workforce immediately. The Legislature will be examining partnerships between other institutions of education, as well as private businesses, to determine how to better provide students with meaningful internships, vocational training, and career technical skills. This initiative is needed, but is not possible without some assistance from our Texas Legislature. Currently, laws exist which limit employers from hiring students for these opportunities and we’ll need to address those issues next session, as well as how to better incentivize businesses to invest in our youth.

In addition to these exciting challenges that come with growth, there continues to be a strong push by some to allow the use of public dollars for students at non-public institutions of learning, commonly referred to as a voucher system.  While traditionally not a popular idea in rural Texas, the Committee nonetheless is studying the issue and reviewing the outcomes of such programs in other states, what accountability, testing, and mandates should be included, and lastly, the costs, both direct and indirect, associated with this type of program.  

Reminders

The mobile office is back on the road for the month of August, and looks forward to seeing you around our district.  As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you in any way. My district office may be reached at (936) 634-2762, or you can call my Capitol office at (512) 463-0508.

Paul Johnson, Crusader: Changing how we talk about trees

By
Misty Boggs
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ISA Awards committee Chair Lauren Lanphear, Forest City Tree Protection Co Inc. and Paul Johnson, Texas A&M Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator.
ISA Awards committee Chair Lauren Lanphear, Forest City Tree Protection Co Inc. and Paul Johnson, Texas A&M Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Texas A&M Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator Paul Johnson has discovered that it is not enough for communities to sustainably manage and care for the urban forest. In order to make a lasting difference, individual people have to get engaged, educated and enthused about trees. And Johnson has made it his life’s work to spread the word.

Aptly coined the @treevangelist, Johnson’s moniker on Twitter is no accident. Johnson spends a large percentage of his time reaching out to others in both conventional and inventive ways — converting all who will listen into advocates of the treasured, renewable resource: trees.

All who will listen — Johnson’s audiences — are vast and varied. But he is especially interested in reaching the general public. Urban and community forestry — tree population management, and the field of arboriculture — single-tree management, are lesser known outside of the forestry and horticulture disciplines in which the fields developed. Johnson chooses to speak beyond the proverbial choir, and his messages are far-reaching.

“Trees are the largest, longest-lived, and most important part of our landscapes,” said Johnson. “It is vital that more people understand the role of trees in our lives. Trees are key to healthy, happy communities.”
Johnson is arguably as much of a people-person as he is a tree-person. With a long and active history of making state and national public appearances, he has presented more than 500 programs covering 75 subjects including Team Lorax – Speaking for Trees and Why Invest in Community Trees. Johnson also has presented a tree talk at TEDx San Antonio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-1eBgNOjP0&sns;=em.

Taking advantage of communications technology, Johnson’s communications campaign also has strong social media components.

Johnson hosts Tree Chats on Twitter each week. Chats garner approximately 50 participants, translating to around 500 tweets, retweets, replies, links and pictures — resulting in approximately 1.5 million impressions and up to 145,000 users.

Although his Tree Chats seem prolific, it is from his former experience as a radio show host that Johnson may have found his niche in the weekly podcast Trees Are Key. The tree-themed podcast provides insights and advice through an easily accessible platform at www.treesarekey.com. Texas A&M Forest Service celebrates the success of the podcast this week as the series has reached more than 15,000 listeners from 23 countries.

It is for his positive impact on the urban forestry industry in and around his community, and for his innovative outreach efforts, that Johnson has been named a “True Professional of Arboriculture™” by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). Johnson was recognized at the opening session of ISA’s 92nd Annual International Conference Monday, Aug. 15, in Fort Worth, Texas.

His home agency, Texas A&M Forest Service is quite proud.

“Paul is a passionate, innovative leader in urban forestry and his ‘tree-enthusiasm’ is contagious both here in Texas and across the country,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Director Tom Boggus. “His recognition by ISA is well-deserved as he strives to reach the masses about the many benefits our urban forests provide — and the number of his converts is growing!”

Johnson has been an urban forester with Texas A&M Forest Service since 2004, becoming the program’s coordinator in 2012. Under his leadership, urban and community forestry outreach has helped increase public awareness of the value of urban trees; set quality standards for tree planting and care; and provided guidance for communities toward sustainable tree care management.

For more information, see the International Society of Arboriculture’s original news release on Johnson’s award at www.isa-arbor.com.
#ISAfortworth, #TreesAreKey
@TXForestService, @treevangelist, @ISArboriculture, @ISA_Texas

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