News

Kansas City Southern (KCS) (NYSE: KSU) announced today that its subsidiary, The Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCSR), is investing approximately $13 million in 2016 on construction and improvement projects on its Greenville Subdivision.

Rail, cross tie and crossing improvements are planned between Leesburg, Texas and Blanchard, La., starting August 23 through September. Communities that KCSR will work through include Leesburg, Pittsburg, Cason, Daingerfield, Hughes Springs, Avinger, Jefferson, and Karnack, Texas and Blanchard, La. In total, the project work will include the replacement of 2.5 miles of rail and 64,000 cross ties, as well as improvements to over 80 road crossings.

Carol Hodges, owner of The Design Factory in Hughes Springs, recently gave a $500 gift to the Northeast Texas Community College Work Scholarship Program in memory of her late husband Bruce Hodges.

The Work Scholarship Program wrapped up its third summer this week, with around 40 students participating. The program gives hard-working students the opportunity to earn money to pay for their education at NTCC. Scholarships are funded by private donors, like Hodges.

Hodges said that her husband would have truly appreciated the Work Scholarship Program, because he shared her belief that when you work hard for your education, you value it so much more.

“Giving a scholarship is a simple way for an ordinary person to give back to the community and make a difference. When you help someone obtain their educational goals, you are helping them for the rest of their life,” Hodges said.

Coach James Fitch introduced his robotics team to the Hughes Springs ISD board at their regular meeting Aug. 8. Sisters Savannah and Cypress Wright, and brothers Justan and Phillip Campbell comprised the robotics team that competed in the UIL “First Tech Challenge 2016” in Austin July 28-29. The Award-team came away with “Division Finalist” standing, and brought their creation to the board meeting for a live demonstration. In the competition, the robot was required to perform a number of intricate tasks and maneuvers, all while on a 30-degree incline. The four kids and Coach Fitch spent most every day at school during the summer designing, building and testing their robot in preparation for the competition.

In other business, the board approved the purchase of 35 Riddell “concussion helmets” for the football team. The Booster Club donated $5,000 toward the total purchase price of $12,570.

 One of the most influential studies in the world of public health began almost by chance.

In the 1980s, Dr. Vincent Felitti was trying to understand why patients were dropping out of his obesity clinic program. So he developed a questionnaire for patients to get to the root of the problem.

He began asking patients things like “How much did you weigh in first grade?” “How much did you weigh when you started high school?” “How old were you when you married?”

Then one day, he misspoke. Instead of asking about age on this particular question, he asked a patient, “How much did you weigh when you became sexually active?”

“40 pounds,” she replied.

She had been sexually abused by her father at four years old.

Terry Giddens has joined the faculty at Avinger School as the new principal, and the Avinger ISD Board got a chance to meet him at their regular meeting August 11. Giddens has extensive experience in the education field, both as a teacher, and as an administrator. His resume includes school districts in the Dallas area and Tenaha, as well as Mt. Pleasant and Hughes Springs. Giddens’ area of special interest is Career and Technology Education, or CTE. “I believe that we should make sure that every child is prepared for the next step in life when he or she graduates -- whether that’s college, a trade, technology, the military or whatever.” Giddens is looking forward to getting to know the students and their families throughout the coming school year.

 Texas Heritage National Bank recently presented a Presidential Scholarship to Emmalea Shaw, a sophomore at Northeast Texas Community College. The gift will cover Shaw’s academic expenses at NTCC for the 2016- 2017 academic year. This is the first privately-funded gift of its kind that Honors Northeast has received.

Shaw had a stellar first year at NTCC. She won a third-place $150 Caldwell Award from the State of Texas, and a $200 poetry award. A journal of the Texas State Historical Association, Touchstone, accepted her article on integration in Northeast Texas for publication in 2017. She presented at the Great Plains Honors Council in March, and her work will be featured at the meeting of the National Collegiate Honors Council in Seattle in October. Emmalea is the daughter of Ron and Lori Shaw, of Omaha.

Texas Heritage National Bank has branches in Daingerfield, Omaha, Ore City and Sulphur Springs. To learn more about Honors Northeast, visit ntcc.edu/honors.

As the calendar moves closer to November, thoughts are turning towards the General Election. Not only will there be State and local offices on the ballot, the voters will also elect a new President of the United States of America. The final day to register to vote is October 11. This includes first time registrations and change of residence.

With all the changes in the Daingerfield coaching staff, one big tradition stayed the same, as the community gathered at Mickey Mayne Tiger Stadium on Friday, Aug. 12, in support of the Tigers.

With an overcast sky that kept the temperature more bearable, parents, school staff, athletes, fans, and more gathered for the annual event highlighting fall athletes and sports. Mayben Realty, from Pittsburg, offered their support of the Tigers, and passed out cold water to those in attendance. The Daingerfield- Lone Star ISD Athletic Department offered fresh watermelon for Tiger fans.

After fans took their seats, it was down to the business at hand. After Coach Jana McGoldrick welcomed everyone for coming, she began asking all junior high athletes who were competing in volleyball, football, or cross country to step forward. After these athletes stepped forward, and were recognized with applause from the crowd, McGoldrick proceeded to the high school athletes.

Daingerfield Police Department shows zero tolerance in its goal to end drunk driving This Labor Day weekend, families and friends will be celebrating the end of the summer. Sadly, this festive time has also become a dangerous time for America’s roads, as many drunk drivers get behind the wheel after celebrating. For this reason, Daingerfield Police Department is partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to stop drunk drivers and help save lives. The high-visibility national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, runs August 19-September 5, 2016. During this period, local law enforcement will show zero tolerance for drunk driving. Increased state and national messaging about the dangers of driving drunk, coupled with sobriety checkpoints and increased officers on the road, aim to drastically reduce drunk driving on our nation’s roads.

With all that is going on in the world today, sometimes it takes getting together and talking to sort things out, and get everyone on the same page. That was just what the Full Gospel Outreach Program and Sheriff Jack Martin intended to happen when they planned a Town Hall Meeting and Meet and Greet for Saturday, Aug. 6.