The East Texas Pool League consists of men and women pool teams from Longview, Kilgore, Tyler and other East Texas towns.
The League has played competitively for over 10 plus years on a monthly basis according to Winsell Coleman, tournament director.
Most importantly, the League periodically donate funds to charities in the community. This year already, the League has made a donation of $510 to the Greater East Texas Community Action Agency that serves Gregg county. According to Coleman the funds came from the director’s memorial fund.

Stewart Middle School will host its second annual “Souper Bowl Challenge,” a canned soup drive, starting January 17 and ending January 31.
The canned soup drive benefits People Attempting to Help People, or PATH, an organization that provides programs to the economically disadvantaged in Smith County.
Students will compete against teachers to see who can collect the most cans of soup during the “Souper Bowl Challenge.” Last year the teachers won, and the school collected more than 600 cans of soup to donate to PATH.
People in the community are also invited to donate cans of soup. They can drop off their donation in the front office at Stewart Middle School during school hours.

The City of Longview Partners in Prevention Mentoring Program is celebrating National Mentoring Month by raising awareness about the important role mentoring can play and the positive effect it can have on young lives.
Partners in Prevention Mentoring Program started 17 years ago as a pilot program on two school campuses in Longview and Pine Tree Independent School Districts. Today, the program can be found in eight school districts in Longview and five surrounding counties. One hundred and sixty-eight children are currently being served in one-to-one mentoring relationships.
Lyndell McAllister, Director of Mentoring, states, “We are one program of many across the nation providing mentors to young people. This is a special time of the year that we take the opportunity to raise awareness of how mentoring can positively impact children, and to thank our many volunteers for their time and service. Statistics show that young people with mentors are 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs; 53% less likely to skip school; and 33% less likely to hit someone. Our mentoring theme this year is “All American Stars for the Future.” Through mentoring, young people can build their own future story with the support and encouragement of a mentor.”
Partners in Prevention Mentoring Program would like to thank the many mentors who have served throughout the years. If you have a caring heart and one hour per week, you are invited to attend a mentor training on January 20 or February 8 from 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., or February 2 from 5:30 – 8 p.m.
Please call 903-237-1019 to register for a training session and schedule a time to visit with the mentoring staff. For more information, visit PIP.LongviewTexas.gov.

The Longview Fire Department is currently reviewing internal procedures to ensure all employees maintain current licenses and certifications. On December 27, 2011, the Longview Fire Department learned that an employee had allowed their paramedic certification to lapse. The Fire Department immediately conducted an additional audit that revealed another employee had similarly neglected to renew their certification. One certificate had lapsed by five months and the other by four months. The certifications are issued through the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
It is the employee’s responsibility to keep track of certification expiration dates. The Fire Department encourages employees to renew Texas DSHS certifications at least three months prior to expiration date to ensure a smooth recertification process.
Both employees were immediately placed on unpaid suspension in accordance with Longview Fire Department policy. During their unpaid suspension, both employees completed the necessary steps to reinstate the certification and were cleared to return to active duty. One employee returned to work on Thursday, January 12, and the other returned to work on Friday, January 13.
According to Fire Chief J.P. Steelman, “Both of these employees have a good track record with the Longview Fire Department, and they had received all the necessary training to remain up-to-date in their knowledge and skills. However, each employee is required to file the appropriate paperwork to renew their license, and they failed to do so in a timely manner.”
The Fire Department is currently reviewing existing procedures for certification tracking. According to Assistant Chief Curtis Shaw, “I would estimate that in addition to continuing education, Fire Department employees maintain a collection of over 1000 certifications with unique expiration dates and renewal criteria. Even though it is ultimately the employee’s responsibility to renew certifications, it is important that we continually monitor the status of those certifications.”
Since learning of the certification lapse, the Longview Fire Department has been in contact with the regulating agency Texas DSHS. On January 10, DSHS requested additional information about the incident including related paperwork and dispatch reports. The Longview Fire Department continues to investigate the incident and is working to provide a full response to DSHS.
Chief Steelman states, “It is our standard operating procedure to provide two paramedics on each call, so I don’t believe patient care was ever jeopardized during the time of the employees’ certification lapse. Furthermore, although the expiration of the license was unacceptable, I am confident the employees were still competent in their skills.”
For more information, please contact the Longview Fire Department at 903-237-1210.

The East Texas Community Chorus is seeking singers for spring 2012. Rehearsals will be held 7 to 9 p.m. each Monday at First United Methodist Church in downtown Longview beginning Jan. 23.
The chorus is open to all singers high school age and older.
The chorus will hold two concerts this spring.
The first concert, “Nymphs, Woodlands, Mermaids and Such,” is set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, at First United Methodist Church in Longview.

The second concert is the annual KC Masterworks Concert, set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Longview.

The Masterworks Concert will be a performance of Carl Orff’s “Carmina burana.”

For that concert, the ETCC will join the KC Chorale to form a mass chorus to perform with orchestra and soloists.

The ETCC is run through the KC Continuing Education Department, and is directed by Jim Taylor, KC’s Director of Choral Activities.

“My vision is for the ETCC to create truly artistic music for the Kilgore/Longview area,” Taylor said. “I want to provide enthusiastic singers an opportunity to sing repertoire beyond the reach of the church choir, and to be a place of inspiration where local music professionals can participate and get recharged.”

Potential singers are invited to come to one of the Monday night rehearsals up to the middle of February.

For internet links to music selections and pictures online, or for more information about the ETCC, contact Taylor at (903) 983-8122 or e-mail him: jtaylor@kilgore.edu.

Daingerfield resident Fredia Thomas claimed a $1 million Powerball® prize yesterday at the Texas Lottery® claim center in Tyler.
Thomas’s ticket matched all five numbers (16 – 26 – 35 – 52 – 58), but not the Powerball (2) drawn on October 19. Since Thomas added the Power Play® option to her ticket for $1extra, what would have been a $200,000 5-of-5 prize increased to a guaranteed $1 million.
The winning ticket was purchased at the Rite Track #15 located at 1304 Linda Drive in Daingerfield.
The claimant requested minimal publicity.
For more information about the Texas Lottery, please visit www.txlottery.org.

In honor of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., The MLK Planning Committee, City of Longview, and other community sponsors will present the annual MLK Citywide Celebration with events planned leading up to Monday, January 16.
Under the theme “The Dream, From the Community to the World,” several events have been planned including an essay and art contest; jazz concert, parade, festival, humanitarian celebration, worship service, and a memorial march.

According to Community Services Coordinator Dietrich Johnson, “As, always, the City of Longview is excited to be a part of this significant celebration. These events coming together are great examples of Dr. King’s legacy A diverse group of volunteers from throughout the community working together to make it all happen hand in hand.”

To register for the MLK Parade, please contact the Broughton Recreation Center at 903-237-1276.

Please note that City offices will be closed on Monday, January 16, in observance Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Spokesmen for Longview’s Good Shepherd Medical Center (GSMC) have revealed that the hospital’s A600 Progressive Care Unit has earned an Excellence Through Insight award for “Overall Patient Satisfaction of an Inpatient–Step-Down Unit.”
GSMC representatives will accept the award March 8 at HealthStream’s Customer Summit 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee.
The traditional GSMC commitment to excellence won this prize.  In order to qualify, hospitals must have been a HealthStream patient satisfaction-tracking client in 2011, scored in the 75th percentile or higher, and received optimum endorsements from at least 100 surveyed patients.  The Progressive Care Unit’s clients gave it glowing marks for exceeding all industry standards.  HealthStream CEO Robert Frisk,Jr. was as impressed as the patients.
“We applaud Good Shepherd Medical Center’s high-level commitment to excellence in healthcare, and we are pleased to recognize their achievement through our presentation of an Excellence Through Insight award,” he said.
This is one of many honors GSMC has won in recent years.  Last October the hospital earned eight Top 100 national rankings for Medical Excellence, and four Top 100 national rankings for Patient Safety.
“Good Shepherd is extremely grateful to HealthStream for giving us this opportunity to again recognize our hard-working staff,” said GSMC President and CEO Ed Banos.  “We are immensely proud of all the team members on our A600 Progressive Care Unit for working tirelessly to consistently deliver quality, compassionate care to our patients daily.”
To learn more about Good Shepherd and its services please call (903) 315-4747 or visit www.GoodShepherdHealth.org.

The Tyler Parks and Recreation Department is launching an exciting program for girls in grades 5-12 to help equip them with the tools they need to grow into strong young women.
Starting Jan. 11, the S.T.A.R.S. (Sophisticated, Talented, Amazing, Respectable Sisters) Program will meet on Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Glass Recreation Center, 501 W. 32nd Street.
With a motto of “I promise to respect myself first and then others, believe in myself and know that I am a shining S.T.A.R. in the sky!” the S.T.A.R.S. Program will empower young girls to make positive decisions throughout their lives. Instructor Lashundria Minix, a certified school teacher, will lead programs on high achievement, relationships, etiquette tips, fashion and much more.
Middle School and High School students will meet every other Wednesday evening; middle school teens will meet the first week of the program and high school teens the second week. The cost to participate in the S.T.A.R.S. Program is $15 per month; family discounts are available if more than one sibling participates.

By Todd Staples, Texas Agriculture Commissioner

Texas agriculture faced one of its most difficult years in 2011. As the worst one-year drought blanketed the Lone Star State, farmers and ranchers were forced to reduce cattle herds and take losses on crops that yielded half their normal harvest.
Last year also threw many financial challenges at Texans. Despite the fact that Texas has been noted as a national leader in economic recovery, our Legislature was forced to make many reductions to crucial programs, including a state funding reduction of about 40 percent here at the Texas Department of Agriculture, which resulted in cuts or elimination of some programs.
In the wake of these decreases in funding and staff, we must continue to provide critical services to Texans, such as ensuring they get what they pay for at the pump and grocery store; helping farmers and ranchers expand operations to grow more food; assisting rural communities in enhancing economic opportunities; and ensuring schools serve nutritious meals to children.

Fortunately, we have a great team at TDA that is ready and willing to see these challenges as new opportunities that can be met with innovative solutions – new ideas and strategies that will enable us to better serve all Texans more efficiently and effectively. We demonstrated our ability to do this in 2011 when we began or enhanced several initiatives for Texans, including:

•        Border Security – Especially in light of reduced government spending levels, we must remember that government’s primary responsibility is to protect its people. After hearing from many farmers and ranchers who had been threatened and even assaulted by dangerous Mexican drug cartels, I launched a website called, ProtectYourTexasBorder.com and commissioned two high ranking retired military Generals to conduct the study, “Texas Border Security: A Strategic Military Assessment,” that both include testimonies from Texas farmers and ranchers about the dangers they face due to our porous border. These efforts were started to garner the much-needed attention of our federal government and demonstrate a need for increased federal protection to secure our border and protect all Texans.
•        Disaster Assistance – With last year’s drought killing most of the forage around the state and fueling an unprecedented number of wildfires, I instructed my team to enhance our Hay Hotline to better assist Texas ranchers in locating hay and utilize the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund (STAR Fund) to help ranchers, through private donations, rebuild fences that were destroyed by the wildfires. To date both are helping our state’s livestock producers hold on to their herds, which is important for our domestic food supply.
•        Economic Assistance – With the legislatively-directed transfer of the Texas Department of Rural Affairs to TDA, our state has consolidated an array of federal assistance programs to help rural communities flourish. Additionally, our Young Farmer Grant Program made numerous awards to assist a younger generation of Texans in either creating or expanding farming operations to ensure an affordable and abundant domestic food supply.
Despite the trials and tribulations of 2011, we managed to ring in the New Year with more hope and anticipation. Rain again is falling on our great state; let’s pray we receive plenty more so our stock ponds fill up, crops sprout and dreams grow.