By Matthew R. March, MNRDPolk County Extension Agent In July I had the opportunity to attend the National Association of County Agricultural Agents Annual Meeting in West Palm Beach, Fla. The week was full of professional development programs where I met and learned from other extension agents from across the country from Alaska to Florida. One of…

Military veteran J. Barnes launched the podcast “Stay in Step.” Courtesy photo By Jan Whitejan@hccourier.com Jonathan Barnes, “J” as his friends know him, is a Crockett High School graduate who has recently developed a program to help veterans transitioning from their time in the military back into civilian life. Because J spent more than 10 years…

By J.R. ReavisGuest columnist The process of turning ground and surface water into safe water can be a complex process. By the time water reaches a tap, many factors can influence the water’s color, taste or smell. Those changes typically are harmless and do not cause health-related issues. Where water is sourced is a factor that can impact color,…

B.A. SteinhagenFAIR. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.28 feet below. Bass are fair on topwaters over grass at sunrise, and with dropshot and crankbaits along grass ledges later in the day. Crappie are fair using minnows and jigs on deeper main lake structures and brush piles. Catfish are good moving shallow biting cut and cheese bait.Bob SandlinSLOW.…

Assessments such as quizzes and exams help educators recognize areas where students are excelling and where they might need a little extra help. In addition to tests in the classroom, high schoolers generally take standardized testing for state or provincial assessment purposes,. Testing may come easier to some students than others, but having…

Bite By Bite Conquering My Culinary Bucket List One Dish at a Time By Emily Banks Wooten We recently had the opportunity to travel to San Marcos to attend the 142nd annual Texas Press Association (TPA) Convention & Trade Show. This was the second year that I’d taken Hubby and Daughter with me. It’s an opportunity to get them out of the house and…

With the drought and record high temperatures in East Texas, caring for plants and ensuring they stay healthy takes special attention. Additional work is involved during extreme heat and drought. Retired forester Joe Pase spoke recently at the Texas AgriLife Extension Center in Lufkin with tips to help home gardeners. “The most important thing is…

By Jan Whitejan@hccourier.com Admit it. At least once in your life, you’ve had one of those neighbors. You know the one we’re talking about. The one that doesn’t maintain their yard or has that yappy dog with the high-pitched bark that drives you nuts. Or has those cute kids that decide to play right beside your window when you’re trying to take…

B.A. SteinhagenFAIR. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.45 feet below. Bass are fair on topwaters over grass at sunrise, and with dropshot and crankbaits along grass ledges later in the day. Crappie are fair using minnows and jigs on deeper main lake structures and brush piles. Catfish are good moving shallow biting cut and cheese bait. BobSLOW. Water…

“Summer cooking implies a sense of immediacy, a capacity to capture the essence of the fleeting moment.” – Elizabeth David It’s been an exceptionally hot, sweltering summer and if you’re like me, the heat often diminishes the desire to cook, especially if it involves turning on the stove. We’ve basically been eating salads, fruits, sandwiches,…

By Jan Whitejan@hccourier.com According to the Handbook of Texas Online, “Droughts have been a problem in Texas since the Spaniards explored the area.” Records from as far back as the 1500s indicate that Texas is no stranger to drought. European explorer Cabeza de Vaca noted that near the site of what is now known as Presidio, he found a…

Sam “Lightnin’” Hopkins ready to play another groove. By Jan Whitejan@hccourier.com Featured on another of the downtown historical banners, created by Robin Ogg, is the iconic blues singer Sam ‘Lightnin’ Hopkins. Although Hopkins was not born in Crockett, he is tied to the town by both a bit of notoriety and his love of playing and singing the…

Record temperatures push limits of plant survival By Adam RussellAgriLife Extenstion Summer is always a challenging time for Texas ornamental and vegetable gardens, but a record heat wave and drought have made it especially difficult to keep plants from turning brown and crispy. So, how can we manage our gardens until rain and cooler temperatures…

One white Pecan Nut Casebearer egg and an adulut Pecan Nut Casebearer By Matthew R. March, MNRDPolk County Extension Agent I receive almost weekly inquiries from individuals wanting to increase crop yields on their pecan trees. I understand landowners’ frustrations; they have what looks like healthy and happy pecan trees that fail to produce a…

B.A. SteinhagenFAIR. Water stained; 81 degrees; 0.17 feet below. Bass are fair along grass edges with Texas and Carolina rigged worms, or deep diving crankbaits. Crappie are fair using minnows and jigs on main lake structures and brush piles. Catfish are good moving shallow biting cut and cheese bait. Bob SandlinSLOW. Water clear; 92 degrees; 1.36…

By Jan Whitejan@hccourier.com We spend a lot of time designing a beautiful and relaxing space for our human family. But did you know that you can also create a friendly, welcoming space for that other important family member – your canine friend! According to the ASPCA, 23 million households in America welcomed a new pet into their family during…

Approximately 30 Texas teachers and members of the Texas A&M Forest Service tour Georgia-Pacific’s Camden Plywood Plant as part of the ForesTREE Experience. Courtesy photos From Enterprise Staff Imagine the smell of fresh cut trees, the sounds of lathes peeling logs and the sight of hundreds of employees working in tandem to produce one of the…

Bity By Bite Conquering My Culinary Bucket List One Dish at a Time By Emily Banks Wooten Although I don’t have a TikTok account, I’m not unfamiliar with it. Anyone with a teenager is familiar with TikTok. For those who may be in the dark, TikTok is a social media platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos. The app is used by young…

Pictured left-to-right: Linda Newsome Dyer, Gloria Newsome, and Allen Newsome. Gloria Newsome, formerly of Colmesneil, celebrated her 100th birthday on July 14 surrounded by friends and family. Courtesy photo by Wanda Smith By Sarah Reinemeyer This July longtime Village Volunteer, Gloria Newsome, turns 100 years young. Dozens of buses come from…

By Jan Whitejan@hccourier.com “Dog Days are approaching; you must, therefore, make both hay and haste while the sun shines, for when old Sirius takes command of the weather, he is such an unsteady, crazy dog, there is no dependence upon him.” – The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1817 “Dog Days of Summer.” You’ve heard the phrase all your life, but you…

BITE BY BITE Conquering My Culinary Bucket List One Dish at a Time By Emily Banks Wooten Things have been busy. There are several rather large projects I’ve been working on simultaneously. Research is underway for some upcoming columns that I’m excited about. However, I haven’t done much cooking lately. So this week, I’m going to cheat a little…

B.A. SteinhagenFAIR. Water stained; 81 degrees; 0.40 feet below. Bass are fair along grass edges with Texas and Carolina rigged worms, or deep diving crankbaits. Crappie are fair using minnows and jigs on main lake structures and brush piles. Catfish are good moving shallow biting cut and cheese bait. Bob SandlinFAIR. Water clear; 92 degrees; 1.15…

By Courtney ComstockPolk County Emergency Management Coordinator A burn ban is in effect for the unincorporated areas of Polk County. If you reside in a city limit, please contact your city hall for burn ban information. At this time, Polk County’s drought index is very high, and conditions will likely not improve anytime soon. On certain days…

By Jan Whitejan@hccourier.com Another Crockett native featured on the historic downtown banners designed by Robin Ogg is Lucille B. Smith. Smith is known as the first Black businesswoman in Texas. She was a chef, an educator, a community leader and a cookbook author who invented the first commercial hot roll mix and created a first-of-its-kind…

PSA From Texas AgriLife Extension Do you or someone you know have high blood pressure? The fact is approximately 29 percent or 1 out of 3 Texans report having high blood pressure. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a condition that overtime can lead to heart disease, stroke, heart attacks, and other chronic disease.…

By Tim Scallon, MS RDN LDRegistered Dietitian Nutritionist I recently had the opportunity to participate in an archeological field day in the Nacogdoches area where we did preliminary digging at a site not previously explored. It is the site of a Caddo Indian village probably dating before the 1600s. While standing on this hillside surrounded by…

Any bee aside from a honeybee is considered a native bee, such as these bumblebees. Michael Hodgins/pexels.com photo By Susan HimesAgriLife Extension A Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert wants people to better understand and appreciate our native bee pollinators. Two large bumblebees hover over a purple flower. The flower is a ball shape…

By Gary Borders Texas Press Association The Texas Education Agency has released the 2022 State of Texas Assessments of Academic ReadinessResults for grades 3-8, which showed across-the-board improvements in all grades and subjects, with especially significant gains in reading. “The investments that the state is making in reading academies and…