Election "Trumps" final months

Last week, we revisited some of the big news stories from the first half of 2016. This is the continuance of that article, highlighting the big news from July through December.

July

July began with the sniper-style shooting of Law Enforcement officers in Dallas. Although not directly in the Steel Country Bee readership area, the story affected LEOs in the area, as well as the community. Local Police chiefs spoke out on the situation, and almost all of them discussed the difficulties of the job, and that they would try and prepare themselves, as best they could, to handle similar situations.

The Lone Star Police Department began preparing for the possibility of an active shooter situation. Using the old Lone Star Elementary school building, the department took part in an active shooter drill, where their goal was to stop the shooter, all the while protecting themselves. Although paint-filled rounds were used, it gave officers the feel of continually staying alert in order to diffuse a situation.

Officers were not the only ones in the area who were affected by the Dallas incident. Members of the local community rallied behind law enforcement, hosting a “Back the Blue” event where they fed officers and donated water and Gatorade to the local departments to help during the hot Texas summer. Several area businesses and individuals donated for the meal, and all area Law Enforcement offices were invited to attend. Also, Sheriff Jack Martin organized a prayer vigil, held on the courthouse lawn on the same day, where more community members came to show their support for local law enforcement officers and agencies.

August

August saw a refreshing sight, as buildings that had been left empty when Wal- Mart abandoned their Neighborhood Market stores began to be refaced. The building had been purchased by Brookshire’s Grocery Company, and would become the home of their new line of Spring Market stores. The Hughes Springs store was the first to open on Aug. 8, while Lone Star and Naples both saw their stores open shortly thereafter.

August also saw a continuation of a story that began in April, when Hughes Springs hosted the artist Karl Wilkes. Wilkes’ print, entitled “History Lesson, #5,” was found by local shop owner Sandy Lanier, who set up the week-long residency by Wilkes. His artwork, which focus on African-American history, was on display in The Legacy in downtown Hughes Springs.

In a continuation of the events from July, local churches gathered community members and law enforcement together for a round table discussion. The event was open to all members of the community, and gave residents opportunities to ask questions regarding situations and circumstances that could possibly arise. It served as a conduit to open dialogue between the community and law enforcement officials.

September

August ended with a record-breaking event that was covered in September, due to when it actually occurred. Area schools returned to session the last week in August, and that week culminated in the first high school regular season football game of the season. In what was dubbed the “Six-Mile Showdown,” Hughes Springs visited Daingerfield’s Mickey Mayne Tiger Stadium in Coach Mike Waldie’s first game as athletic director and head football coach. Hughes Springs shut out the Tigers’ for the opening game win. The recordbreaker? According to information received by The Steel Country Bee, this was the Mustangs’ first win over Daingerfield in 65 years.

Though not as long as the streak broken by Hughes Springs to open the football season, John Bryan’s resignation from the Northeast Texas Community College Board was no less surprising. After serving on the board for 20 years, Bryan stepped down, effective Aug. 30. During his time with the board, Bryan had served as Chairman and Vice-Chairman, as well as serving as Chairman of the Board for Texas Heritage National Bank and numerous other community-centered boards and causes.

In other September news, a major find occurred at the border of Morris and Cass Counties when several agencies uncovered a marijuana grow that was found by alert hunters. The grow, which included 4,406 plants, was found by hunters preparing their land for the upcoming hunting season. Several agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, Drug Enforcement Agency, Texas Game Wardens, and the Morris County Sheriff ’s Department all were involved in the confiscation of the plants, which held an estimated value of two million dollars.

Also in September, The Daingerfield Alumni Association held their annual Distinguished Alumni Dinner. In 2016, the Association honored Gilbert Betts, Theda Cook, Ted French, and the late Richard Woods with the honor after the four were nominated for the awards.

October

October began on a low note, following the shooting death of a Paul H. Pewitt high school student, DeAdrian Webster. Police were called to the Webster home on the evening of Oct. 1, where they found Webster and his mother both suffering from gunshot wounds. The mother suffered a non-life threatening injury to her thumb, while Webster was pronounced dead at the scene. On Oct. 5, Webster’s father, Kennie Arness Webster, Jr., was arrested and charged in the younger Webster’s shooting death.

October saw a day of revelry and fun, as the city of Daingerfield once again played host to the Annual Daingerfield Days Fall Festival. Following the parade, the city park was abuzz with activity, from a newly added kid’s area, to the old favorites of corndogs and lemonade, visitors had the opportunity to spend the day and do some shopping, as well. There were also numerous opportunities to benefit local groups, from the Lion’s Club pancake breakfast and the annual Firemen’s steak dinner, to church dunking booths and a “jail,” sponsored by the Community theatre of East Texas, based in Hughes Springs. The Chamber of Commerce is already looking towards and planning for 2017’s event.

On Oct. 16, thieves broke into the maintenance building at Daingerfield- Lone Star Independent School District, stealing property and vehicles totaling $105,000. School Police Chief T.J. Frazier worked with several neighboring law enforcement agencies to track down the four stolen vehicles. His investigation concluded in the arrest of multiple individuals, as well as the recovery of all four vehicles. (Although recovered, two of the four vehicles were not salvageable, as they had been stripped and parted out.)

November

November saw a new business come to Daingerfield, in the form of a local entertainment and event hosting center. “The Postmark,” owned by Chris and Denise Smith, opened in downtown Daingerfield, giving residents in town options for gatherings, parties, and the like. The Smiths chose the name “The Postmark” due to the buildings history as the first post office for the city. The Smiths are working to make a list of local vendors that are available to work events at the center, including catering and disc jockeys. Their goal is to keep as much business local as possible.

In August, students at Daingerfield-Lone Star high school had the opportunity to register for a Criminal Justice course, taught by district Police Chief T.J. Frazier. In November, the students in that class had the opportunity to take part in an active shooter drill, where they played the part of law enforcement in charge of making sure an active shooter was disabled and threat cleared. Thanks in part to the Lone Star Police department, the students had the chance to feel what it truly is like to be in extremely tense situations, where a perpetrator is shooting, and yet know they would make it out unharmed. Although no one was injured in the drill, there were some students who said the activity helped them to see that law enforcement was not the career for them.

Daingerfield resident Sondra Fowler was chosen to replace John Bryan following his resignation from the Northeast Texas Community College Board of Trustees. Fowler was chosen from three candidates, and will fill the vacated seat until the next board election in 2018.

As was the rest of the country, Morris County waited for the results of the Nov. 8 general election. Although most county seats went uncontested, there was plenty to keep an eye on, as everyone waited to see who would become the next President of the United States. In the two contested Morris County races, Democratic incumbents Dennis Allen and Michael Clair both retained the seat as commissioner. The big news of the evening, however, was Republican Donald Trump’s victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Although Clinton won the popular vote by close to 2 million votes, Trump garnered more than the required 270 Electoral College votes required to be named the next President. Trump gathered 279 Electoral College votes, to 228 votes for Clinton. With the Trump win, Republicans gained control of the House, Senate, and White House for the first time since 2006.

Earlier in the year, The Steel Country Bee shared a story of a local student at Daingerfield Junior High School who deals with diabetes on a regular basis. Kelbi Byrd was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on Nov. 29, 2009. In the time since, she has lost her ability to tell when her blood sugar reached unsafe levels, so her family began looking into the possibility of obtaining a Diabetic Alert Service Dog. On Kelbi’s birthday, which was Nov. 12, she learned that her service had been completely paid for. Most of the funds came through efforts by her classmates, as well as various community organizations, which held many different fundraisers on her behalf. Although it will take approximately six months for the dog to be delivered to the Byrds, Kelbi can take comfort in knowing that help is on the way, thanks to a giving community.

December

The early part of December brought a news story to The Steel Country Bee that actually concluded a story from Oct. 1. Kenneth Webster, Jr., was sentenced to 15 years in prison aft pleading guilty to manslaughter in the death of his son, DeAdrian. Judge Danny Woodson sentenced Webster to “one year for every year of his son’s life,” stating that, although there was no intent to kill the younger Webster, DeAdrian was dead due to the negligent actions of his father. Thanks to the work of the Morris County District Attorney’s office, Naples Police Department, and Texas Rangers, the case was completed in a mere 46 days.

The end of November also held a poignant, somber tone, as the Hughes Springs community mourned the death of two in a house fire. Al and Shanice Rushing were killed when their house burned during the night of Nov. 20. They were at home with two of their children, ages 10 and six, at the time of the blaze. The elder daughter was hailed a hero by the community, after she discovered the fire and was able to awaken her sister and get her out of the house safely. The community outreach spoke volumes, both of the character of the parents and the heroism of the young lady, as everyone reached out to help the girls and their siblings in any way possible.

No child desires to spend time at Ronald McDonald House, which is set up to help families with lodging when children have medical needs that necessitate multiple hospital visits. However, two local siblings were honored by the Ronald McDonald House in Dallas when they were chosen to serve as “Kid Conductors” for “The Trains at Northpark.” The “Trains at Northpark” is a fundraising effort for RMHD and is an intricate configuration of 1,600 feet of track and more than 750 railcars set among notable American Landmarks. Each year, children are chosen as “conductors” for the display. This year the honor went to Daingerfield’s Owen and Tatum Whitmore, who were the first siblings to be chosen.

They say that “The show must go on.” In December, this rang true for the Community of Theatre in East Texas. Following the final performance of opening weekend for Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, their lead actor, Vic Morris, fell extremely ill. Director Mandy Gammill felt the only thing to do was cancel the following Thursday’s performance, giving Morris more time to recover. Well, it is also said that theatre is a close-knit community, and that also was proven true, when a classically trained actor, Alan Brent, offered via Facebook to fill the role until Morris recovered. Brent, whom Gammill had met during the summer at Medieval Times, received a portion of the script 21 hours before Thursday’s show time, and performed with the company for three performances, proving that “the show really must go on.”

We hope you have enjoyed this look back through some of the top news stories of 2016. We know there were other notable stories during the year, but would not be able to include everything. Here’s to a news-filled 2017.