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The First Two Weeks: Helping Your Student Find Their Feet in Texas Forest Country

By
Lee Allen Miller
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0

The largest single wave of our districts opened their doors Wednesday. The hard part usually isn’t day one — it’s the stretch that comes after, when the newness wears off and the routine hasn’t set yet. Here’s what actually helps.

If you drove through Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Huntington, Jasper, or Woodville on Wednesday morning, you saw it: brake lights three deep in the car line, a grandmother taking a picture on the sidewalk, a kindergartener in stiff new shoes holding somebody’s hand a little tighter than usua

August 12 was the biggest single start date across Texas Forest Country. Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Hudson, Huntington, Central, Jasper, Woodville, Warren, Chester, Goodrich, Shepherd, Center, Garrison, Woden, Douglass, Chireno, Cushing, Martinsville, Broaddus, Hemphill, West Sabine, and Lovelady all started that morning, among others. Diboll and Big Sandy (Dallardsville) went back the day before. Corrigan-Camden, Latexo, Leggett, Livingston, Onalaska, Apple Springs, Groveton, Zavalla, San Augustine, Kennard, Crockett, Trinity, Colmesneil, Joaquin, Shelbyville, Timpson, and Tenaha got a head start earlier in the month. Wells ISD started today. Brookeland is still a few days out, and Central Heights doesn’t go back until next Wednesday.

So by the time you read this, most of our kids have somewhere between two days and two weeks behind them. Which means we’re walking into the part nobody puts on Facebook.

Day one has adrenaline behind it. New backpack, new shoes, everybody’s excited, the teachers are running icebreakers, and there’s no homework. Day four is different. The novelty is gone, the schedule is real, somebody has already had a hard moment in the cafeteria, and a kid who was fine Wednesday morning may come apart Monday night.

That’s not a sign anything is wrong. That’s the normal shape of a transition. And there’s a lot you can do about it.

First, the Thing Most Parents Get Backwards

Here’s the instinct almost every loving parent has when a child says my stomach hurts, I don’t want to go:

Fix it. Reassure it away. Or, on a rough morning, let them stay home just this once.

The first two are worth doing carefully. The third one is the trap.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is blunt about this in its guidance on school avoidance: the physical symptoms are real — headaches, stomachaches, nausea, dizziness, hyperventilation — and the child is not faking them. They’re anxiety showing up in the body, and the child can’t consciously control them. The tell is that they arrive on school mornings and evaporate on Saturday.

And here’s the part that matters: the longer a child stays home, the harder going back gets. Avoidance feels like relief in the moment and it teaches the brain that school was, in fact, dangerous — because look, we escaped it. Every skipped day raises the price of the next one.

The AAP’s recommendation is to insist on prompt attendance even when there are complaints, to rule out actual illness with the pediatrician, and — if the anxiety is severe — to work with the school on a gradual reentry rather than an all-or-nothing standoff.

That’s not coldness. It’s the kindest thing available, because the alternative gets more expensive every week.

So: take the feeling seriously, and send them anyway. Those two things are not in conflict, and holding both at once is most of the job.

Emotional Support: What to Actually Say

Validate the feeling before you solve anything

The fastest way to make a nervous kid feel worse is to tell them there’s nothing to be nervous about. They know there’s nothing to be nervous about. That’s part of what’s embarrassing them.

Try the plainer version instead:

“Yeah. New year, new teacher, new hallway. That’s a lot. I’d feel weird too.”

Nervous is not a malfunction — it’s the standard-issue human response to walking into a room where you don’t yet know how things work. Naming it out loud does more than a pep talk, because it takes the second layer off: now they’re only anxious about school, not anxious and ashamed of being anxious.

Then, once they feel heard, you can move.

Walk the day, step by step

Anxiety runs on unknowns. The single most effective tool for a child under about twelve is narrating the day out loud until it stops being a fog and becomes a sequence.

“Mrs. Rachel picks you up at 7:25. You’ll sit in the third seat like yesterday. You get off at the gym doors, you go to Room 12, you put your backpack on the hook with your name. Breakfast is in the cafeteria. Then reading. Then recess. Then lunch — you’ve got your card, and if you lose it, Miss Kim in the line will help you. Then math, then specials, then the 3:30 bell, then Dad’s truck in the second row of the pickup line.”

Do it Sunday night. Do it at breakfast. Let them recite it back to you. What you’re doing is handing them a map, and it is remarkable how much smaller a hard day gets when a child can predict its shape.

For older kids, drop the narration and ask instead: what’s the part of tomorrow you’re least looking forward to? Then problem-solve that one specific thing — the locker that sticks, where to sit at lunch, what to do if they can’t find the right hall — instead of the whole vague dread.

Model the calm you want to see

Kids read parents the way we read weather. If you’re visibly anxious at drop-off — hovering, re-explaining, coming back for one more hug — you’re broadcasting this place is not safe no matter what your words say.

Warm goodbye. Short goodbye. Confident face. Cry in the truck if you need to; a lot of us have.

The same goes for how you talk about the year in general. If the household narrative is ugh, summer’s over, back to the grind, that’s the frame they’ll adopt. You don’t have to be artificially cheerful. Just be steady and matter-of-fact: this is what we do, you’re going to be good at it, tell me about it at supper.

Ask better questions at the end of the day

“How was school?” gets “fine” roughly a hundred percent of the time. Try:

  • What made you laugh today?
  • Who did you sit with at lunch?
  • What was the hardest part of the day?
  • Did anybody need help with anything?
  • What’s one thing you’d change about today?

And here’s a rural East Texas advantage worth using on purpose: a lot of our kids are on a bus or in a truck for twenty to forty minutes each way. That drive is the best talking time you will get all day — side by side, no eye contact required, nowhere to escape to. Kids will say things on a county road at 3:45 that they’d never say across a kitchen table. Leave the radio off sometimes.

Routine and Sleep: The Boring Part That Does the Heavy Lifting

If emotional support is the visible half of this, sleep and routine are the half that actually decides how the week goes. A well-rested child handles a hard moment. An exhausted one doesn’t, and neither do you.

Reset the sleep schedule — and yes, it’s late to start

The clean way to do this is fifteen to thirty minutes earlier per night in the two weeks before school. If you’re reading this on August 13, that ship has sailed. Do it anyway, starting tonight, and expect it to take a week to ten days to land.

The targets are not opinions. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, whose recommendations the American Academy of Pediatrics endorses, puts it this way, per 24 hours:

AgeRecommended sleep
3–5 years10–13 hours (including naps)
6–12 years9–12 hours
13–18 years8–10 hours

Run the math on a teenager who has to be in a first-period seat before 8 a.m. Getting eight hours means lights out somewhere around 10:00 p.m. That is a real bedtime for a real fifteen-year-old, and most of them are nowhere close to it.

A few things that make it stick:

  • Screens out of the bedroom, or at least off an hour before lights out. This is the whole ballgame for middle and high schoolers. The phone in the bed is the reason for the 1 a.m. bedtime, and no amount of talking about it substitutes for the phone being in the kitchen.
  • Same bedtime on the weekend, within an hour. Sleeping until noon Saturday and Sunday means Monday morning is jet lag, every single week. The technical term is social jet lag and it is exactly as miserable as it sounds.
  • Wind-down beats lights-out. Nobody goes from full speed to asleep. Build in thirty quiet minutes — shower, reading, a chapter out loud with the little ones.
  • Watch the caffeine. The energy drink after football practice at 6 p.m. is still working at 11.

Do the night before, the night before

Almost every bad school morning is a logistics failure, not a discipline failure. The fix is to move the decisions to the previous evening, when nobody’s rushed:

  • Clothes laid out. All of them, shoes included.
  • Backpack packed, zipped, and by the door — not in a bedroom where it can be forgotten.
  • Homework and signed papers back in the folder, in the backpack, not on the counter.
  • Lunch made or lunch money confirmed.
  • Water bottle filled and in the fridge.
  • Anything special for tomorrow — practice clothes, an instrument, library books, picture day money — set out with the backpack.
  • Phones charging outside the bedroom.
  • Alarms set, including yours.

Ten minutes at 8 p.m. buys you a completely different 6:45 a.m.

Give the morning more room than it needs

Out here, mornings have variables that suburban parenting articles never mention. Fog on the bottoms. A gravel road that got rutted in the last rain. The train through downtown Lufkin at exactly the wrong moment. Log trucks on 59 and 69. A twenty-mile drive to the campus. A car line that has not yet found its rhythm because half the parents are new to it.

Set the alarm fifteen minutes earlier than you think you need to. The goal is a morning with margin in it, because a rushed morning hands your child a jolt of stress before the school day even starts — and that stress rides with them through first period.

An unhurried morning also buys you the small rituals that turn out to matter more than they should: breakfast at the table instead of in the truck, a real goodbye instead of a shouted one, thirty seconds to say you’re going to have a good day.

Protect the routine from the calendar

Here’s a mistake a lot of well-meaning families make in weeks two through four: they say yes to everything at once. Fall ball, church league, band, FFA, 4-H, tumbling, youth group, hunting season on the horizon.

Let the school routine set before you stack anything on it. Give it two or three weeks. There is a whole year for activities and exactly one window for establishing that this house has a bedtime.

Practical Habits

Walk the campus if you haven’t

If your student is at a new school this year — moving up to junior high, transferring in, or starting kindergarten — familiarity with the building is worth more than any conversation about it.

Most campuses will let you walk in and find the classroom, the cafeteria, the bathroom, and the bus loop if you call the front office first. If you can’t get inside, drive it. Park in the lot. Show them the door they’ll go in and the spot you’ll be waiting in at pickup. Walk the bus stop at the end of the driveway and stand there together.

It sounds almost too simple. But a child who can picture where they’re going is carrying a much lighter load than one who can’t.

Feed them like it’s a workday, because it is

Blood sugar does a lot of the emotional regulating in an eight-year-old, and a kid who skipped breakfast is going to have a hard 10 a.m. regardless of how the year is going.

  • Breakfast is not optional. If mornings are too tight, know that nearly every district in our region serves breakfast on campus — some in the cafeteria before the bell, some in the classroom after it. Find out your campus’s breakfast window and use it.
  • Protein and fat beat sugar. Eggs, peanut butter toast, yogurt, leftover sausage — anything that holds. A pastry and juice is a blood-sugar spike with a crash scheduled for third period.
  • Pack a real snack if the campus allows it, especially for elementary and for anyone with a late lunch period.
  • Water bottle every day. August and September in the Pineywoods are brutal, and a lot of our campuses have kids walking outside between buildings. Dehydration reads as crankiness and headache, and gets blamed on attitude.
  • Check the lunch account balance before it becomes a problem in front of other kids.

Set up the study zone before you need it

Homework in the first week is usually light. That’s exactly why this is the week to build the place where it happens.

Pick a spot that is: quiet, lit, consistent, and not the bed. A corner of the kitchen table is fine. A folding table in a back room is fine. What matters is that it’s the same place every day, so sitting down there becomes a cue.

Stock it once — pencils, paper, scissors, glue, a calculator, chargers — so nobody’s hunting for supplies at 7 p.m. Put the phone somewhere else during homework. And set a rough time: right after a snack, or after practice, but before screens, not after. Once the TV or the game is on, you’re negotiating uphill for the rest of the night.

Know how the phone rules work this year

Texas’s House Bill 1481 took effect June 20, 2025, and required every school district and open-enrollment charter in the state to adopt — by that September — a policy prohibiting student use of personal communication devices on school property during the school day. This is year two, so most of our campuses have their systems worked out — pouches, lockers, backpack-and-off — but the details vary district to district.

Two practical implications for the first weeks:

For your student: the social pressure valve they had all summer is gone during the day. For an anxious kid, that can cut either way — no doom-scrolling and no group-chat drama for eight hours is genuinely good for a lot of them, but a child who used a phone as a security object may need something else to hold onto. A note in the lunchbox, a bracelet, something in the pocket.

For you: know how to reach your child in an emergency, which means knowing the front office number and having it in your phone. The law’s exceptions cover IEP and 504 accommodations, a documented medical need backed by a physician’s directive, and device use required by a health-or-safety law or by the district’s own safety protocols — but the everyday route runs through the office, the way it did when we were in school. Program the number today, not the afternoon you need it.

By Age: What the First Weeks Usually Look Like

Pre-K and kindergarten. Expect separation crying at drop-off and expect it to stop within minutes of you leaving — ask the teacher, they’ll tell you. Expect a tired, brittle child by 5 p.m. and possibly a meltdown that has nothing to do with the thing it’s about. Keep the goodbye ritual short and identical every day. Consider moving supper and bedtime earlier for a few weeks.

Elementary. Watch for the friendship shuffle — last year’s best friend is in a different class and that’s a real grief. Stomachaches are common and usually anxiety. This is the age where the step-by-step walkthrough of the day pays the biggest dividends.

Junior high. The hardest transition in the whole K-12 run, and the most underestimated. Multiple teachers, changing classes, lockers, dressing out for athletics, a much bigger social pond. Kids who were confident in fifth grade can look like different people in sixth. Give it grace and give it six weeks before you conclude anything.

High school. They will tell you less. That’s developmentally correct, not a sign of trouble. Stay available rather than interrogating — the truck ride, the late-night kitchen, the drive to Whataburger. Freshmen in particular are often quietly overwhelmed and will not say so. Watch schedules and workload rather than asking about feelings.

First-time bus riders, any age. The bus is its own environment with its own social order, and for a lot of kids it’s scarier than the classroom. Walk the stop. Meet the driver if you can. Teach them the route number and the stop. Have a written plan for what to do if they get on the wrong bus — and tell them that if it happens, they are not in trouble.

When It’s More Than First-Week Nerves

Most of this settles on its own in two to six weeks. Sometimes it doesn’t, and it’s worth knowing where the line is.

Call the school counselor — every district in our region has one, though at the smallest campuses they may be shared or part-time — if you’re seeing:

  • Distress that’s getting worse rather than better after three or four weeks
  • Physical symptoms every single school morning that vanish on weekends
  • Refusal that turns into missed days
  • A child who stops eating, stops sleeping, or stops doing things they used to enjoy
  • Any mention of being bullied, threatened, or excluded

Call your pediatrician if school avoidance runs past a week, or if physical complaints are interfering with daily function. The AAP’s own guidance says to rule out illness first, then treat the anxiety — and that a referral to a mental health professional may be the right next step.

Know the local number. Burke is the mental health authority for twelve East Texas counties and runs a 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-392-8343. Their administrative office in Lufkin is 936-639-1141. Programming that number into your phone costs nothing and takes ten seconds. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available nationwide, 24/7, by call, text, or chat.

Reaching out early is not an overreaction. It’s the same principle as everything else in this article: small, early, unheroic action beats a crisis later.

And a Word for the Parents

Some of you dropped off a kindergartener Wednesday and cried in the parking lot. Some of you dropped off a senior and did the math on how many of these you have left. Both of those are heavy, and neither one gets much airtime because we’re all busy managing everybody else’s feelings.

Your own transition is real. Your schedule changed too. You lost the loose rhythm of summer and picked up car lines, practice schedules, homework fights, and a 5:45 alarm.

So: reset your own sleep along with theirs. Put the school calendar somewhere the whole household can see it. Say no to a few things in September. Find the other parent in the car line who’s got a kid the same age — that’s a resource, not small talk.

And go to the things. Meet the Teacher, open house, the first home game, the parent meeting for whatever they’ve joined. Not because attendance is graded, but because a child who sees their parent inside the building understands that school is something the family does together rather than a place they get dropped off at alone.

The Bottom Line

The first two weeks of school are not a test your child either passes or fails. They’re a settling-in, and settling in takes as long as it takes.

Tell them nervous is normal. Walk them through the day until it’s a map instead of a fog. Move bedtime up. Pack the backpack the night before. Leave fifteen minutes early. Feed them breakfast. Pick a homework spot. Send them even when it’s hard — especially when it’s hard. Ask what made them laugh.

None of it is dramatic. All of it works. And most of it takes ten minutes at the right end of the day.

By October, this will all be routine and you won’t remember which morning it clicked. That’s what success looks like here — not a perfect first day, but a Tuesday in the fall when nobody thinks about it at all.

Give the new teachers a little grace this month, too. They’re finding their feet the same as everybody else.

Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics / HealthyChildren.org, “School Avoidance: Tips for Concerned Parents”; American Academy of Sleep Medicine, “Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations” (endorsed by the AAP); Texas Education Agency, HB 1481 implementation guidance to administrators (July 31, 2025); Texas Education Code §33.002 and §33.901; Burke; district and regional back-to-school calendars for Deep East Texas.

Governor Abbott Announces Meta Commits To Comply With His Data Center Standards

By
Diana De Leon Bon
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0
By Avery Foster

AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today announced that Meta will comply with the standards and guidelines he established for data centers.

“I established clear guardrails to ensure data centers protect our electric grid, conserve our water, respect our neighborhoods, and pay their own way,” said Governor Abbott. “They must not pass costs on to Texas families or interfere with their quality of life.”

Earlier this summer, Governor Abbott established clear, commonsense statewide standards to ensure data center development does not come at the expense of Texas families or communities. The Governor directed the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to ensure data centers:

Pay for their electric infrastructure instead of shifting costs onto Texas families and small businesses.

Reuse their own water.

Reduce the cost of electricity for Texans.

Do not disrupt residential neighborhoods to preserve Texas’ quality of life.

Pay their own way and eliminate reliance on outdated taxpayer-funded incentives.

In addition, the PUCT and ERCOT will examine each data center project and how they will:

Pay their own way by disclosing all taxpayer-funded incentives, grants, abatements, and other public financial assistance tied to the project.

Provide their own power by detailing projected electricity demand and plans for on-site generation or other measures to reduce reliance on the ERCOT grid.

Protect Texas water resources by identifying water sources, projected water use, water reuse procedures, and water-efficient cooling technologies.

Outline measures to reduce impacts on neighboring property owners and communities, including noise mitigation, light controls, setbacks, traffic improvements, emergency response coordination, and other community protect measures.

Provide full transparency by disclosing project ownership and controlling interests.

The PUCT and ERCOT must receive and audit this information before data center projects can move forward.

“The PUCT and ERCOT cannot make decisions to guarantee grid stability and reliability based on substantially incomplete information,” Governor Abbott continued.

Any data center company that fails to comply with ERCOT’s audit process will be subject to having it’s approval denied.

Since Governor Abbott issued these commonsense directives, the following companies have responded:

Diode announced that it failed to meet the Governor’s standards and will not pursue a proposed data center in Henderson County.

Amazon sent a letter stating they are committed to working with the State of Texas and embracing the Governor’s standards.

Google welcomed Texas’ standards and committed to work with state leaders to ensure data centers increase affordability, protect resources, and create new jobs.

QTS announced they committed to comply with the standards and guidelines the Governor established and will work with elected officials, regulators, utilities, and local communities to ensure that data center investment benefits Texans.

Click to edit this placeholder text.

Lunch & Learn: Planning for Your Family’s Future (Angelina County)

By
Diana De Leon Bon
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0

August 18 @ 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Planning for the future doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Join us on Tuesday, August 18, for an informative Lunch & Learn, presented by Moore Accounting Services, LLC.

Emily Corbett, Callie Morgan, and Hilary Haglund Walker of Southside Bank will walk through practical strategies for protecting your assets, preparing for life’s unexpected moments, and building a plan that gives you and your family confidence for the future. Whether you’re just beginning or revisiting your existing plans, you’ll leave with helpful insights and actionable next steps. Lunch is generously provided by Southside Bank.

Register online >>>bit.ly/LL-0826

Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce

View Organizer Website

Pitser Garrison Convention Center

Related Events

Bubbles and Blooms (Angelina County)

By
Diana De Leon Bon
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0

August 27 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

Treat yourself to an evening of creativity, laughter, and new friendships at Bubbles & Blooms, a special Women’s Networking experience in partnership with Champagne Monday and The Flower Loft. Enjoy bubbly while learning how to create your own beautiful floral arrangement during one of two hands-on sessions.

With only 50 spots available, split between two intimate classes of 25 participants each, this exclusive event offers the perfect opportunity to unwind, learn something new, and connect with other women in our community. Reserve your spot early because this one is sure to fill up quickly >>> bit.ly/WN-0826

Women’s Networking series is presented by Southside Bank.

Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce

View Organizer Website

1615 S. Chestnut, Lufkin

Related Events

Angelina College Athletics Weekly Update

By
Gary Stallard
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Hey, sports fans,

We actually got to see some game action this week. OK, they were scrimmages, but we were more than ready to see our teams compete as we head into the new season.

We also held our Soccer Media Day this past week, and both the Lady Roadrunners and Roadrunners have their new rosters available online – complete with headshots and bios. Check the links below to view the rosters. 

This coming week, we’ll have another Lady Roadrunner Soccer scrimmage at home, and we’ll host the 19th Annual Guy Davis Golf Tournament the weekend of August 14-15.

Finally, we want to welcome a couple of new members to our AC Athletics staff. We’re happy to have Jordan Hall (Head Athletic Trainer) and Maryane Pala (Specialist of Athletics and Soccer Operations) as part of our Roadrunner Family. I’ve included the links to their bios as well. 

We are AC, and we’re ready to Run ‘Em.  

Here’s a quick rundown of recent events, along with what’s coming up next: 

Meet the Lady Roadrunner and Roadrunner Soccer Teams

As mentioned above, we held our annual Soccer Media Day at AC, and our new rosters for both the Lady Roadrunners and Roadrunners are available on our AC Athletics website (angelinaathletics.com). I’ve also attached rosters for both teams to this email.

Lady Roadrunner roster link:

https://angelinaathletics.com/sports/wsoc/2026-27/roster?view=headshot

Roadrunner roster link:

https://angelinaathletics.com/sports/msoc/2026-27/roster?view=headshot

Welcome Aboard! AC Athletics Staff Adds Two New Members

AC Athletics is thrilled to introduce our two newest members of our staff. Jordan Hall joins AC Athletics as our Head Athletic Trainer, and Maryane Pala takes on the role of Specialist of Athletics and Soccer Operations (she’ll be handling all our Athletics social media accounts as well as serving as an assistant photographer).

Make sure to give them a ‘Runner welcome when you see them at our athletics events. 

Click the links below to read their full bios:

Jordan Hall bio link:

https://angelinaathletics.com/information/directory/bios/Jordan_Hall

Maryane Pala bio link:

https://angelinaathletics.com/information/directory/bios/Maryane_Pala

19th Annual Guy Davis Golf Tournament Registration Open

Angelina College’s Guy Davis Golf Tournament has become one of the area’s biggest draws for golfers over the years, and in August the tourney will tee off for its 19th year of existence.

With the backing of numerous local sponsors, the tournament – including the hosting Roadrunner Foundation – has served as a fund-raiser for AC Athletics, and the overall growth of the event has provided a major boost for those programs and athletes. 

Participating golfers come from all around the country, with many of them former AC athletes arriving to pay tribute to Davis, who served as AC’s head men’s basketball coach and Athletic Director for 46 years. In addition, golfers get the opportunity to meet and mingle with current Angelina College athletes and coaches assisting with the tournament. 

The golf tournament itself will take place on Saturday, August 15 at the Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin. The tournament’s Welcome Party takes place starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, August 14, also at Crown Colony.

Here’s the link for registration and other info (also, see attached flyer with QR code):

https://angelina.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2026-27/releases/20260722itewl7

Potential Schedule Changes:

As always in East Texas, the potential exists for schedule changes because of inclement weather. We try to put out the word as soon as we get it, but the quickest way to confirm game days and times is to visit the AC Athletics website (angelinaathletics.com) to view the most updated schedules. We’ll also send out word on social media (AC Athletics Facebook and Instagram, etc.), but the on-line schedule will always serve up the most recent updates. 

Upcoming schedules: 

Wednesday, August 12:

Lady Roadrunner Soccer vs. LSU-Alexandria(scrimmage), 5 p.m., Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus. 

Friday, August 14:

“Welcome Banquet” for the 19th Annual Guy Davis Golf Tournament, 6 p.m., Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin. 

Saturday, August 15:

19th Annual Guy Davis Golf Tournament, Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin.  

For any other information, contact Sports Information Director Gary Stallard at gstallard@angelina.edu. 

We’ll see you at the games.

Gary Stallard
Email: gstallard@angelina.edu.
Phone: (936) 465-4614

Lufkin District Construction Updates

By
Diana De Leon Bon
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0

Good afternoon,

Below is a description of the work planned for Aug. 10 through Aug. 14 in the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Lufkin District.

Project timelines are subject to change due to weather conditions and material availability.

With students returning to campuses across the district in the coming days, be sure to stay alert for pedestrians and school zones. Check the Lufkin District’s social media for school-zone awareness messages. 

Area Office Projects

Lufkin Area Office (Angelina, Houston, and Sabine counties)

Angelina County

  • US 59, Redland Project.
    Contractors will lay hot mix and set bridge beams. A flagger will direct traffic on the northbound frontage road while beams are lifted into position. Concrete paving will occur overnight.  
  • Business (BU) 59/First Street, resurfacing and striping Hot mix and final striping operations will occur overnight. Drivers should stay alert for lane closures.  
  • FM 324, bridge replacement and roadway rehabilitation.
    Bridge shafts will be drilled and dirt work will occur behind concrete barriers. Intermittent lane closures are expected and traffic will follow a pilot car.  
  • US 69, cable median barrier.
    Cleanup work is planned on US 69 south of Zavalla and crash cushions will be removed south of Livingston on US 59 South. Lane closures will occur.  
  • State Loop (SL) 287, auxiliary and turn lanes.
    The contractor will perform ditch work and stripe the westbound main lane, which will require a moving lane closure. The Feagin ramp will remain closed. 

Houston County

  • SL 304 overlay.
    Slope and shoulder work will continue, requiring intermittent lane closures. Traffic will need to follow a pilot car near the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge where concrete work will take place. 
  • FM 2076, rehabilitation and roadway widening.Contractors will pulverize the road, bring in flex base and treat cement. Daily lane closures will occur. A pilot car and flaggers will direct traffic.   

Livingston Area Office (Polk, San Jacinto, and Trinity counties)

Polk and San Jacinto counties

  • US 59, cable median barrier.   
    The contractor will level and repair concrete throughout the project area.   

Polk County

  • US 59, Corrigan Relief Route.
  • Workers will tie steel and prepare to pour bridge deck for the US 287 main-lane bridge, the north railroad bridge and other locations. Railing will be installed at the southbound US 287 bridge entrance and exit ramps. Prime coat will be applied to the south tie-in main lanes. Shoulder work and culvert installation is planned at the north tie in and turnaround area. Concrete cutting will occur at various bridge-deck locations. Shafts will be drilled for signage and lighting structures. 
  • FM 2610 at Menard Creek.
    Crews will prepare to seed the area.  
  • County-road bridge projects.
    • Piney Creek on Carmona Road: preparation for bridge columns will continue. 
    • Long King Creek on Old Bearing Road: crews will set reinforcing steel and build bridge-rail forms.
    • Piney Creek on Nine Bridges Road: excavation and rock placement at bridge abutments is planned.   

San Jacinto County

  • US 59, Shepherd to Cleveland upgrade to interstate standards.
    Crews will install main-lane U-turn deck panels. Rebar bridge forms will be built and lighting will be installed on high-mast structures. Retaining wall dirt work will be performed.     
  • SH 156, Stephen Creek bridge replacement.
    Bridge column prep work is planned.   
  • SH 150 sidewalk project.
    Riprap will be installed. 

Nacogdoches Area Office (Nacogdoches, San Augustine, and Shelby counties)

Nacogdoches County

  • US 59, intersection improvements at SL 224.
    Newly constructed lanes are expected to open near SH 7. Overhead signage at the south end of the project will be installed, resulting in periodic traffic stoppages. Northbound traffic is encouraged to seek alternate routes.   
  • BU 59, SH/BS 7, SH/BS 21 and FM 2259 striping. Night-time striping and shoulder work is planned.

Sabine County

  • US 96, road rehabilitation
    Subgrade treating is planned and will require daily lane closures.   

Shelby County

County road bridge projects. 

  • Seeding will occur at the CR 3689 and CR 1440 bridges.
  • Guardrail work will be performed at various county-road bridge locations.

Reminder to Motorists
Drivers are urged to remain alert in work zones, obey posted traffic controls, and watch for construction crews and equipment. Remember to move over or slow down to 20 mph below the posted speed limit when passing or approaching TxDOT vehicles, law enforcement, and other vehicles with activated overhead lights on the side of the road.

Please remember to buckle up, stay sober, and Drive like a Texas: Kind, Courteous, Safe.

Tim Monzingo
Public Information Officer
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Lufkin District

timothy.monzingo@txdot.gov | 936-208-5651 | TxDOT.gov

Connect with the Lufkin District on Facebook, X, Instagram, and NextDoor

Should You Use Landscape Fabric?

By
Cary Sims
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A gentleman from Hudson stopping in and asked me this week if he should put down landscape fabric around his fruit trees as a mulch. My answer surprised him.

For most trees, shrubs, and flower beds, my answer is usually “no.” That immediately grabs people because almost everyone has been told the opposite.

Landscape fabric is excellent for certain uses and it is poor for others.

Let us look at why many folks buy it. Many gardening advertisements promise fewer weeds, less maintenance, and longer lasting beds. 

Sounds wonderful. But here is what really happens: The leaves fall. Dust blows in. Grass clippings accumulate. Pine needles collect.

Then a couple years later…You’ve created soil on top of the fabric.

Guess where weeds germinate? Right there above the fabric. Worst case is that now their roots grow through the fabric and pulling them becomes harder than if no fabric had been used.

So, they add another layer of fabric to cover that mess and in time, the same problem occurs. 

Meanwhile, the organic matter that has naturally accumulated on top will break down but provides little to no advantage to the soil below. 

Organic mulch keeps improving the soil as it breaks down and is incorporated into the ground. I don’t care if you use ground wood chips, pine bark, shredded leaves, or pine straw.

All of these are ‘organic’ and they conserve moisture, moderate soil temperature, feed earthworms, add organic matter, and improve soil structure as they decompose. 

Landscape fabric doesn’t do those things.

The hidden problem is the roots. Many shrubs naturally have shallow feeder roots and those roots eventually grow into the fabric. Those roots may live happily under the fabric but if the fabric is working as intended, then those roots cannot reach the newly developed organic matter that lies just above it. Conversely, if the weed barrier tears or becomes compromised, you will have root intrusion and when you work on the beds, you’ll likely damage the plants they were meant to protect. 

Extension agents like myself see this constantly.

Now, landscape fabric does have many excellent uses. They work great under gravel paths, decorative rock, erosion control, with French drains, and in many, short term, commercial nursery situations.

It’s the wrong product under living landscape beds.

Now when applying organic mulches, let us be sure to do that correctly. Never pile up bark in a ‘volcano’ shape up against the trunk of trees or shrubs. You may like the way it looks but it creates an environment for disease and insects to thrive that the bark of the trunk has a difficult time repelling.

Mulch should be applied no less than two inches and up to four inches deep is just fine. I have heard the application to look like a ‘donut’ or even the top of a bagel. We want that mulch to be applied liberally and in a wider circle than most folks imagine. 

Nature has been mulching forests as long as there have been trees. Our gardening grandparents mimicked that and used what they had at hand. Healthy soils are built from materials that eventually become part of the soil.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cary Sims is the County Extension Agent for agriculture and natural resources for Angelina County. His email address is cw-sims@tamu.edu.

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, national origin, genetic information, or veteran status.  The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.  

Governor Abbott Announces Over $3.3 million in Grants to East Texas Area Veteran Service Organizations

By
Diana De Leon Bon
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AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today announced that $3,307,000 in Funds for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA) grants have been awarded to 13 organizations in the East Texas region as part of the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Grants Across Texas Tour. Administered by TVC, the funding will provide services to an estimated more than 1,900 local veterans.

“Texas will always honor the sacrifices of our veterans and their families,” said Governor Abbott. “These grants will provide home modifications, financial assistance, clinical counseling, and other crucial services to the brave men and women who served in our nation’s military.”

“We’re incredibly thankful for the organizations across East Texas that show up every day to support Texas veterans and their families,” said TVC Deputy Executive Director and Army veteran Shawn Deabay. “These grants help strengthen that work. It’s great seeing the community give back to those who served.”

The FVA grant recipients and their services include:

Andrews Center: $150,000 for Clinical Counseling
Camp County: $385,000 for Housing for Texas Heroes

Cass County:
$400,000 for Financial Assistance
$400,000 for Housing for Texas Heroes

Deep East TX Council of Governments & Economic Development Dist.:
$198,000 for Financial Assistance

Disabled American Veterans of Texas Service Foundation:
$93,000 for Pet Lodging and Veterinary Care
East Texas Council of Governments: $175,000 for Transportation Services
East Texas Veterans Community Council (CampV): $200,000 for Financial Assistance
Habitat for Humanity of Smith County: $200,000 for Housing for Texas Heroes
Northeast Texas Habitat for Humanity: $200,000 for Housing for Texas Heroes

Polk County:
$235,000 for Financial Assistance
$100,000 for Housing for Texas Heroes
Tender Loving Care Center for Children: $200,000 for Financial Assistance
The Salvation Army – Lufkin: $82,000 for Financial Assistance

Trinity County:
$189,000 for Financial Assistance
$100,000 for Housing for Texas Heroes

In May, TVC Commissioners approved 190 grants totaling more than $40.8 million to 160 organizations across Texas. These grants are anticipated to provide direct services to more than 125,600 veterans, their dependents, and surviving spouses across Texas.

Since 2009 through the current 2026-2027 grant cycle, over $400 million in grant funding has been awarded through 1,790 FVA grants.

The grants support a wide range of services from emergency financial assistance to transportation, legal services to family support services, and home modification to rental and mortgage assistance.

Veterans in need of assistance can find organizations providing help in their area and how to contact them at the Grant Services Directory.

The Immunization Partnership Launches Back-to-School Vaccine Campaign Across Six East Texas Counties

By
Diana De Leon Bon
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The Immunization Partnership Launches E. Texas Back-to-School Vaccination Campaign Billboards and digital ads will reach families in six counties as Texas school vaccine  exemptions rise 26% 

LUFKIN, Texas (July 28, 2026) — The Immunization Partnership (TIP) has launched a 10-week  back-to-school campaign across East Texas encouraging parents to schedule their children’s  annual well visits, review vaccine records and talk with a trusted pediatrician about vaccine  questions or concerns. 

The Ask. Learn. Protect. campaign targets families across Angelina, Orange, Panola, Jasper,  Tyler and Sabine counties. Seven outdoor boards are located across five counties, while  advertising on Facebook, Reddit and other digital channels extends the campaign throughout all  six. One school outdoor board shows students walking toward school with the message, “Back  to School Starts with Vaccination.” Families can learn more at ImmunizeUSA.org/ask-learn protect. 

The six counties were selected because of their higher vaccine exemption rates and contiguous  geography. Vaccine-preventable diseases do not recognize county lines or ZIP codes and can  spread quickly between neighboring communities. All six East Texas counties reported notable  increases in nonmedical vaccine exemption rates from 2024-25 to 2025-26. (See the county  data table at the end of the release.) 

The TIP back-to-school effort follows a recent digital campaign in the same counties encouraging  parents to schedule well visits and consult their children’s pediatricians before summer  activities. New messages such as “One more thing before the first bell” encourage parents to  add a well visit to their back-to-school checklist. 

“Parents deserve clear, trusted information as they make decisions for their families. A well visit  creates space to ask questions, learn the facts and work with a pediatrician who knows their  child’s health history,” said Rekha Lakshmanan, executive director of The Immunization  Partnership. “Our goal is to make that conversation part of every family’s back-to-school  routine.”

The campaign also includes community outreach. TIP participated in the Healthy Texan Week  event June 4 at the Angelina County & Cities Health District in Lufkin and will participate in the  Splish Splash Breastfeeding Bash on Aug. 14 in Henderson and Aug. 25 in Carthage. 

The campaign launches as recently released Texas school vaccination data show that  nonmedical exemptions increased from 132,904 students in the 2024-25 school year to 155,710  in 2025-26. That represents a 26% increase in one year, even as statewide enrollment declined  from approximately 5.68 million to 5.29 million students. Most kindergarten vaccination rates  also remain below the 95% level public health experts associate with community protection  against highly contagious diseases such as measles. 

The data follow the 2025 West Texas measles outbreak, which resulted in 762 confirmed cases,  99 hospitalizations and the deaths of two unvaccinated school-aged children. The United States  has recorded more than 2,300 measles cases in 2026, reaching its highest level in more than  three decades.  

About The Immunization Partnership 

The Immunization Partnership is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting  Texas children and families from vaccine-preventable diseases through education, advocacy and  public awareness. Learn more at ImmunizeUSA.org. 

East Texas K-12 Nonmedical Vaccine Exemption Rates 

County 2024-25 rate 2025-26 rate Change 

Angelina 2.50% 3.80% 52% increase
Jasper 4.93% 5.96% 21% increase 
Tyler 3.08% 4.52% 47% increase 
Sabine 5.11% 6.79% 33% increase 
Orange 5.05% 6.70% 33% increase 
Panola 4.34% 5.42% 25% increase 

Capitol Update: Supporting Students, Teachers, and Texas Families

By
Rep. Trent Ashby
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With the arrival of August, it’s back-to-school time for many families across East Texas!  Recently, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts announced the 27th Annual Texas Sales Tax Holiday, which will take place from August 7th to the 9th this year. 

This widely celebrated holiday exempts sales tax on purchases of qualified items, such as clothing, footwear, school supplies, and backpacks, priced below $100.  Meaning hardworking Texans get to keep more of their money in their pockets.  As the start of the new school year draws near, please consider taking advantage of this savings opportunity to stock up for the new school year.  For a full list of qualified items and FAQs, please visit: www.comptroller.texas.gov

With that, we’ll dive back into our examination of House interim charges. . . 

House Interim Charge: Public Education

The House Committee on Public Education has jurisdiction over Texas’ public school system, including school finance, accountability, educator certification, and policies affecting more than five million students. The Committee also oversees the Texas Education Agency, the State Board of Education, and other entities responsible for public education. 

Over the interim, the Committee will monitor implementation of several landmark education bills passed during the 89th Legislature. These include House Bill 2, which made historic investments in public education and teacher compensation, and House Bill 8 from the Second Called Session, which reforms the state’s accountability and assessment system.  Additional legislation to be reviewed includes addressing school discipline, student cell phone use, and school safety. Lawmakers will evaluate how these reforms are being implemented and whether they are delivering the intended results. 

The Committee will also study the overall state of public education by examining student achievement, school finance, educator recruitment and retention, special education, and middle school outcomes. Members will review ways to improve school operations, strengthen the teacher pipeline, and ensure students across Texas continue to have access to a safe, high-quality education. 

House Interim Charge: Higher Education

The House Committee on Higher Education has jurisdiction over Texas’ colleges and universities, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and other institutions responsible for preparing students for successful careers while supporting research and innovation. The Committee works to ensure higher education remains affordable, competitive, and responsive to the needs of Texas’ growing economy. 

This interim, the Committee will monitor implementation of several major bills enacted during the 89th Legislature affecting college admissions, coordination among public institutions, and student access to higher education. Members will also examine enrollment trends, workforce demands, and ways to improve college affordability while ensuring state investments deliver strong results for students and taxpayers. 

Additionally, the Committee will review strategies to strengthen research competitiveness, protect higher education from foreign adversarial influence, increase credential completion, and better align degree programs with Texas’ workforce needs. These efforts will help ensure Texas colleges and universities continue preparing students for high-demand careers while supporting long-term economic growth.

The mobile office is on the road again in August, and our District Director looks forward to seeing you on the following dates, in the following locations: August 5 at the San Augustine County Courthouse from 9:30-11:30 am,  August 15 at the Polk County Commissioner’s Court Room in Livingston from 9:30-11:30 am, or at the Tyler County Courthouse in Woodville from 1:30-3:30 pm; August 19 at the Houston County Courthouse Annex in Crockett from 9:30-11:30 am, or at the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton from 1:30-3:30 pm.

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, and my Capitol office at (512) 463-0508. Additionally, I welcome you to follow along on my Official Facebook Page, where I will post regular updates on what’s happening at your State Capitol and share information that could be useful to you and your family: https://www.facebook.com/RepTrentAshby/.

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