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LISD employee arrested for carrying gun

STOCK PHOTO From Enterprise Staff A Livingston ISD employee was arrested without incident Thursday for possession of a firearm at the district’s transportation facility. According to police reports, Russell David Hogue, 62, of Livingston was arrested around…

Texas state parks present prime viewing for total eclipse

. Special to the News-Times AUSTIN — Less than a month remains until the highly anticipated total eclipse adorns Texas skies. On April 8, a total eclipse will shade 31 Texas state parks along the path of totality. With the exception of Old Tunnel and Lyndon B. Johnson State Parks, where visitors will gain entry on a first-come, first-served basis,…
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Sheriff aids in multi-agency pursuit

Police agencies from a three-county area were involved in a high-speed pursuit of a robbery suspect on March 18. Courtesy photo From SJNT Staff The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office helped end a multi-county vehicle pursuit with the arrest of a robbery suspect from Porter. On March 18, SJCSO was notified of a vehicle pursuit coming northbound on…
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Former cop pleads guilty to indecency charge

STOCK PHOTO By Chris Edwardsnews@tylercountybooster.com WOODVILLE – Johnathan Broussard Dees, a former law enforcement officer and Doucette resident, who is currently serving time for multiple sex offenses against children, pleaded guilty to another charge on Monday in District Court. Dees was charged with Indecency with a Child by Exposure.…
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Harmon named to DETCOG leadership position

By Chris Edwardsnews@tylercountybooster.com LUFKIN – Last Friday, the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) and Economic Development District announced Tyler County native Andrew Harmon to serve as the new Assistant Executive Director. Harmon will work under DETCOG’s executive director Lonnie Hunt and said “I’m thrilled to announce my…
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Texas files Colony Ridge suit for fraudulent practices

Residents of the Houston-area development, who were maligned by Republicans last year, have complained about the developer for years. By Alejandro Serrano,Texas Tribune HOUSTON — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday sued Houston-area developer Colony Ridge for committing deceptive trade practices and real estate fraud against homebuyers…
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Trinity County site of future movie

AI Image Created with Adobe Firefly By Tony Farkaseditor@trinityconews.com TRINITY — The city of Trinity and surrounding areas, including Groveton, could be the site of a future movie. At the Thursday Trinity City Council meeting, writer-producer-manager Terry Weaver said he plans to produce a film in the county, “The Beast of Trinity, Texas,” and…
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Woman faces felony charges for grade changing

By Tony Farkaseditor@trinityconews.com GROVETON — An employee of the Groveton school district was arrested Wednesday for allegedly altering grades. Breanna Faye Abshier, 35, is facing a third-degree felony charge of tampering with a government record. She is listed on the Groveton ISD website as the registrar for the junior high and high schools.…
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TxDOT to clear memorials from Trinity River bridge

AI Image by DALL-E 2 From Enterprise Staff Crews from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will clear the right-of-way near and beneath the Trinity River Bridge on Monday. There was an outpouring of condolences and sympathy from friends and family of Audrii Cuningham, the 11-year-old Livingston student who was abducted and murdered in…
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Local ranch wins at Houston Livestock Show

Casaray Ranch cattle were big winners at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Red Brahman competition. Courtesy photo from the Brahman Journal Special to the News-Standard HOUSTON — Casaray Ranch of Groveton’s Casaray SF Noble Pasco won Grand Champion red female at the 2024 ABBA International Brahman Show at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, held…
Casaray Ranch cattle were big winners at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Red Brahman competition. Courtesy photo from the Brahman Journal

Corrigan named timber products capital of Texas

STOCK PHOTO From Enterprise Staff For more than 200 years, the City of Corrigan has been recognized for its rich and diverse timber industry. From the lush southern yellow pine forests and timber harvesters, to log truck drivers and wood manufacturing facilities, Corrigan’s economy has been, and continues to be, driven by the forest products…
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Warren ISD investigating threat

STOCK PHOTO By Chris Edwardsnews@tylercountybooster.com WARREN – An incident being described as “a possible terroristic threat” within the Warren Independent School District was reported on Friday. In a statement from the district, Warren ISD acknowledged awareness of the threat, which was directed toward the district’s junior high campus. “It is…
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Mobile home damaged in fire

Firefighters from Trinity Fire & Rescue examine the scene of a fire. TCNS staff TRINITY — Trinity Fire & Rescue responded to a structure fire Thursday afternoon at approximately 3:40 p.m. at 114 Creekside Court. Fire Chief Keith Johnson said the first unit on the scene reported smoke billowing from a single wide mobile home. Two neighbors were…
Firefighters from Trinity Fire & Rescue examine the scene of a fire.

Lakeside Apostolic Church destroyed in blaze

Lakeside Apostolic Church was destroyed by a fire on Saturday afternoon. CHRIS EDWARDS | TCB By Chris Edwardsnews@tylercountybooster.com DAM B – A weekend fire destroyed Lakeside Apostolic Church in Town Bluff. The cause of the fire is officially undetermined at present. According to reports, the fire broke out on Saturday afternoon at the church,…
Lakeside Apostolic Church was destroyed by a fire on Saturday afternoon. CHRIS EDWARDS | TCB

Fleeing suspect apprehended following tip

STOCK PHOTO From Enterprise Staff A tip of a possible sighting resulted in the apprehension and arrest of a Point Blank man who led multiple local law enforcement agencies on a high speed chase and subsequent manhunt. The Livingston Police Department on March 8 initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle stolen out of Houston. The driver refused to…
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TCSO makes arrest of felon with firearm

STOCK PHOTO By Chris Edwardsnews@tylercountybooster.com TOWN BLUFF – The Tyler County Sheriff’s Office made a recent arrest in the Barlow Lake Estates community of a convicted felon from Hardin County who was in possession of a firearm. According to Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford, on Wednesday, Feb. 14, deputies were patrolling the area at…
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TxDOT, students team up to prevent DUI crashes

Special to the News-Standard LUFKIN — As spring break approaches, TxDOT is teaming up with college students to make sure their celebrations don’t have catastrophic consequences. The Drive Sober. No Regrets. campaign is traveling to college campuses and spring break hot spots across the state to spread the message that there is always a safe and…
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Happy Days Diner & Tammy’s Country Kitchen

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EastTexan Winter2021 tammys 2EMILY WOOTEN | EAST TEXAN Fried steak fingers from Happy Days Diner.

By Emily Banks Wooten

“One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock, rock. Five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock, rock. Nine, ten, eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock, rock. We're gonna rock around the clock tonight.”

When I heard that song during my childhood and adolescence I knew it was Tuesday night and time to gather around the TV with my family to watch the beloved sitcom “Happy Days” and see what the Cunninghams were up to. Oh, how we loved that middle-class family from Milwaukee and their idyllic life in the 1950s.

While it’s not Al’s Diner and you won’t find Richie or Fonzie there, you will find some solid good food at Happy Days Diner in Shepherd, Texas. There’s a jukebox in the front corner and the walls are covered with pictures of Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Humphrey Bogart, as well as a few classic cars.

The menu is entertaining as all the dishes are song titles from the 50s and 60s.

On a recent trip there, my 13-year-old daughter and I ordered the “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” which was hand-breaded homemade steak fingers with cream gravy, a choice of French fries or mashed potatoes, a house salad and a dinner roll. She chose brown gravy for her mashed potatoes while I preferred the cream gravy for mine.

The plate arrived with four beautiful steak fingers that were each the size of the palm of my hand. I kid you not. They were first class. The meat was tender and the crunchy breading was perfect. I’d definitely order it again.

the “Ooo Baby Baby,” which was two center cut pork chops, fried or grilled, with choice of French fries or mashed potatoes, a house salad and a dinner roll. He ordered them grilled and was a little disappointed. While they were seasoned perfectly, he said, they were so thin that they’d dried out during grilling.

EastTexan Winter2021 tammys 3EMILY WOOTEN | EAST TEXAN Pork chops from Happy Days Diner.

Our first experience at Happy Days Diner was in August of 2006. I was three and a half months pregnant with our daughter and we’d stopped there for breakfast on the way to Houston for a day of shopping and a movie. I had two scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and hashbrowns with a side order of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and cream gravy. I ate and enjoyed every bite and didn’t think a thing of it. My sweet husband didn’t say a word but just smiled and continued drinking his coffee. Several days later, I accidentally overheard him telling my mother that he’d never given much thought to that whole “eating for two” thing but that he’d certainly witnessed an increase in my appetite as my pregnancy had progressed. We still laugh about that today.

We’ve had something of a family tradition evolve over the years at Happy Days. After we’ve placed our order, to pass the time as we’re waiting on the food to arrive, we each select our favorite picture of Elvis and Marilyn from the selection on the walls. There are plenty from which to choose and it’s not uncommon for our individual faves to change from one visit to the next.

And once you’ve satisfied your appetite at the Happy Days Diner, you may also do a little shopping. There’s a rack with a selection of T-shirts for sale, as well as a large array of hair bows and $1 hair scrunchies. You may also replenish your stash of Scentsy wax bars or Avon Skin So Soft.

Happy Days Diner is located at 6230 US-59 in Shepherd. It’s open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. They don’t deliver but they do offer take-out. The telephone number is 936-628-6515.

Some time back we received a circular in our local newspaper that was a menu for a place called Tammy’s Country Kitchen, east of Woodville. The menu touted the “best burgers in town” and “breakfast all day.”

My husband and I decided to drive over one Saturday and check it out. I’d studied the menu pretty closely and had a fairly good idea of what I was planning to order. On the way over, however, I decided to look it up on my Trip Advisor app and check out the reviews. There were plenty and one after another raved over the burgers.

EastTexan Winter2021 tammysEMILY WOOTEN | EAST TEXAN Cheeseburger and sweet potatoe fries from Tammy's Country Kitchen..

My curiosity was definitely piqued so I changed my mind about my order once there. I selected a cheeseburger and sweet potato fries and my husband ordered a hamburger and onion rings. Oh. My. Goodness. The reviewers had not overstated. That may have been the best burger I’ve ever had. I’ve wracked my brain trying to determine what it was that made it so good and I still can’t put my finger on it. I do know, however, that there will be more Saturdays in our future in which my husband and I will drive over there for no other reason than to get those burgers again. We enjoyed both the sweet potato fries and onion rings too.

Tammy’s Country Kitchen is located on 233 US Hwy. 190, one mile east of Woodville. Hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The telephone number is 409-331-9

While they don’t deliver, they do offer curbside pickup.

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