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Scammers calling for missing jury duty

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There is a new scam that law enforcement is attempting to fight by getting information out to the public.

The Polk County Sheriff’s office has been made aware of a scammer that is calling citizens, claiming to be Detective Josh Sanders with the PCSO. He is telling victims that they have a fine for not attending jury duty, and will be arrested if they do not pay.

Detective Sanders nor any other law enforcement personnel in the Polk County Sheriff’s Office will contact anyone about missing jury duty or try to collect payment from anyone.

This is a scam, and the PCSO urges all to not give any personal information or payment. 

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Man arrested for child sexual assault

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Jorge DavalosJorge DavalosA Polk County man has been arrested this week, charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. 

The Enterprise received information on the arrest from law enforcement on a crime that occurred in early September. 

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to an incident involving the sexual assault of a child on Sept. 6. 

Detectives immediately initiated an investigation and quickly identified the suspect as Jorge Luis Davalos, 36, of Livingston. 

During the investigation, detectives subsequently obtained sufficient probable cause for an arrest warrant to be issued on Davalos.  

On Tuesday, Davalos was arrested on one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child.  He is currently booked into the Polk County Jail on a $75,000 bond.

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Local’s product to be featured on CBS Mornings

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RemoteRetriever

By Emily Banks Wooten
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Never lose your remote again with the touch of a button. The Remote Retriever, invented by Livingston’s own Pam Thiel, will be featured on CBS Mornings between 8:30 and 9 a.m. CST on Oct. 17. CBS features between 12 and 16 products a month and The Remote Retriever is one of them for the month of October.

“Make sure you add it to your calendar to watch. We can’t wait. I hope you all tune in and send us videos. Get the word out. Share it with everyone. Tell me where you are sharing from,” Thiel said.

A single mother of two sons, Dylan and Hayden, Thiel invented The Remote Retriever, an electronic accessory to help find lost or misplaced remote controls.

“In November of 2019, my nonverbal autistic son, Hayden, lost three remote controls. After purchasing new remotes at $60 each, I thought there has to be an easy way to find a remote. The following year while visiting my Dad, I found out that his remote was missing, too. I ordered him a new one and then another one a few weeks later. This is where the idea for The Remote Retriever was born,” Thiel said.

The Remote Retriever comes in both black and white and retails for $59.99. It is an electronic accessory that helps individuals find lost or misplaced remote controls quickly and easily with the touch of a button using Bluetooth technology up to a 150-foot range. The Remote Retriever includes two components called the base and the tag. The base is attached to the TV or another stationary object such as a TV stand, end table or coffee table and the tag is attached to the remote. Push the button on the base and the tag will emit a sound. Listen for the sound to locate the remote. Once the remote is found, push the button again to turn off the sound. If the button is not pushed after three minutes the sound will turn off automatically.

“The Remote Retriever finds your lost remote quickly, is easy to use and saves valuable time. Plus, it doesn’t require an app, a smart phone, a subscription, GPS or Wi-Fi,” Thiel said. “No matter how many times I see a review, or a video made and posted by a customer, it will always be surreal. I’ll never lose the wow, I did that feeling.”

To learn more about The Remote Retriever, visit the website https://TheRemoteRetriever.net. Thiel may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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World record alligator gar caught in Lake Sam Rayburn

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By George Hollenbeck

GarPhotoEven Kirk Kirkland, the world-famous alligator gar fishing guide from Trinity didn’t expect a lifetime event when he hosted Art Weston of Kentucky for a day of gar fishing on Lake Sam Rayburn on Sept. 2. In fact, only chance took Kirkland to Sam Rayburn that day – his usual “river monster habitat” is the Trinity River above Lake Livingston. But the water in Lake Livingston was so low he couldn’t get his boat in, and his mother lived in Lufkin so he suggested they go to Sam Rayburn. “Not as many fish, but some big ones,” Kirkland told Weston.

That fateful choice earned Weston and Kirkland a catch for the record books – they landed an eight-foot, four-inch gar with a girth of 48 inches, or four feet, weighing 283 pounds. To make this record even more impressive, Weston was using a six-pound test line. Not only was the fish the world record on six-pound test line, but it is also the world record alligator gar ever caught on a rod and reel. It took them two hours and 45 minutes to land the fish.

To put that record in perspective, we consulted Dan Daugherty, Inland Fisheries Senior Research Scientist at the Heart of the Hills Fisheries Research Center in Mountain Home.

“Yep ... I heard all about the Rayburn gar ... fielded a few reporter’s questions about it. This goes without saying, but alligator gar over eight feet in length are exceedingly rare.  Over the years, we have handled thousands of alligator gar – six-footers are pretty abundant, seven-footers aren’t unexpected, but we’ve only seen a few in the eight-foot class,” Daugherty said.

We asked Dan, ‘How old is that fish?’

“A reporter asked me that exact question a few days ago. We have very little data on the age of fish this size and the only way to tell exactly is to kill the fish … something nobody would do. With that said, the data we do have suggests this fish is likely 80-100 years old or more.” How long ago is that? One hundred years ago, Calvin Coolidge was elected president of the U.S.

Kirkland has been catching big gar for 40-plus years. He has been featured on the TV show River Monsters, and many of his clients come from around the world. Kirk specializes in big gar. He considers a 100-pounder a nuisance that takes up time and bait that could be spent on a big gar. He has caught six 200-pounders this year but nothing like this.

As Lake Livingstonians know, thanks to a great spawning year in 2015, the lake now harbors lots of gar in the 50-pound class, and some bigger. The good news is that although gar look like alligators, their diet is not game fish but mostly “trash” fish, and there is no known recorded incident of a gar attacking a human.

Look for lots of publicity and articles about Art and Kirk and this record fish. Congratulations to Art and Kirk! Kirk’s website is www.alligatorgarfishing.com.

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Texas fish art contest now accepting entries

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From Enterprise Staff

The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) is excited to announce the 2024 Texas division of Wildlife Forever’s Fish Art Contest is open for submissions. The Fish Art Contest, which is accepting entries until Feb. 28, is part of an international conservation education program designed to foster youth interest in fisheries and fishing.

“The Fish Art Contest does a tremendous job of exposing students across Texas to the wonders of fish and fisheries resources through the nexus of art,” TFFC Director Tom Lang said. “We always look forward to this time of year when we are once again amazed by the outstanding work and artistic interpretations of these young Texans.”

Participants must submit a completed entry form and an original illustration of a wild fish found in Texas. Participants in grades 4-12 are also required to submit a one-page creative writing piece. Once the entrance form is submitted, applicants must mail their artwork to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, 5550 FM 2495, Athens, TX, 75752. Dimensions for the physical artwork must be between 8X10” and 9X12”, be landscape orientation and postmarked by Feb. 28, 2024.

This program is part of Wildlife Forever’s national contest and Texas winners will be automatically entered into the national contest. Texas students may choose to enter national specialty awards with fish not found in Texas, however, they will not be eligible for Texas state awards due to the one entry per student limit.

“We have a unique opportunity to celebrate the talents of our Texas students and the beauty of our diverse fish found in Texas,” Kate Barkalow, Education and Interpretation Coordinator at TFFC, said. “In doing so, we also recognize the amazing efforts of our teachers and biologists who support them. To complete their piece of art, students research their fish, its habitat and conservation efforts being made to protect the species, forging a connection between the student and fish.”

Educators who wish to have their students enter the 2024 contest can find entry forms, rules, guidelines and more online. A lesson plan offers interdisciplinary curriculum including lessons and activities, a species identification section profiling each state fish, a glossary and student worksheets. Learn more at www.wildlifeforever.org.

The Fish Art Contest is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and is sponsored by Wildlife Forever, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Rapala, U.S. Forest Service, Bass Pro Shops, Wonders of Wildlife, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, National Fish Habitat Partnership and Western Native Trout Initiative.

Located in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Wildlife Forever is a nonprofit multispecies conservation organization dedicated to conserving America’s wildlife heritage. Working at the grassroots level, Wildlife Forever has funded conservation projects in all 50 states, committing millions of dollars to “on-the-ground” efforts. Wildlife Forever supports habitat restoration and enhancement, land acquisition, research and management of fish and wildlife populations.

For more information, visit the TFFC Texas Fish Art Contest website.

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