San Jacinto County News - Breakout

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Karaoke with Ken Janik and Gregg Cones.

Last week, on April 21, we celebrated the 187th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. This victory for Texas was a turning point in our state’s history and was celebrated with the Texas flag being prominently displayed around the Courthouse.

If you are a golf enthusiast, Trinity River Food Bank will be hosting a fundraiser tournament on June 10. This event will be at the New Grand Oaks Reserve Golf Course Country Club. Registration forms are available online at http://www.trinityriverfoodbank.org. You can call (713) 791-2325 or (281) 592-5000

•Coldspring Chamber of Commerce welcomes new members All Curb and Ferguson Flats RV Resort. All Curb will have their ribbon cutting on May 11. Ferguson Flats RV Resort has 50 spaces and is located off Hwy 3081. Owners Michelle Smith and her family are planning a camp for children and those with disabilities. The ribbon cutting and more details will follow shortly.

Shepherd Chamber of Commerce welcomes The Den Bar and Grill, located at 3510 US-59 North. This restaurant offers a wide variety of drinks as well as food and has a karaoke evening every Friday, closes at midnight. The ribbon cutting will be announced soon. Call (936) 628-3387.

•The Master Gardeners of San Jacinto lost one of their own on March 24. Shirley Baker, who was the current president, passed away at her home in Evergreen. Shirley loved cooking and worked diligently to edit the two wonderful SJC Master Gardener Cookbooks. These funded the recently completed outdoor Junior MG Classroom space at COISD. She will be missed by all who knew her and loved her.

•The Coldspring Garden Club will meet at 10.30 a.m. on May 4 to take a trip to Lucy’s Country Store and Tea Garden at 11 County Road 2177. Lunch can be ordered for $15 beforehand if desired. Call (832) 799-1310 to order a sandwich.

•On Fridays, Senior Citizens of San Jacinto County in Coldspring holds a karaoke session with long time DJ Ken Janik. Last Friday was a fish dinner, hosted by Tractor Supply of Coldspring, and it was delicious. The center won Best Non-Profit Organization at the award ceremony held recently by Coldspring Chamber.

Administrator Charline Smith won the Citizen of the Year award. The room was packed, and everyone enjoyed the food and entertainment. Gregg Cones, my husband, joined Ken and sang a selection of country and ballads.

While you eat at the center, you can also pop into the Sales Room. While we ate two ladies at our table bought furniture. One liked the rocking chair on display, and it was gone before dessert arrived. The sofa was also sold while we were eating. There are some terrific bargains there. Clothes, jewelry, home decor and furniture are some of the items to browse through.

Also eating lunch was Billie Trapp. This lady is an artist and historian and has given many talks to the different organizations in our area. She told me that she is now 93 1/2 years old. Ms. Trapp is still as sharp as ever with a great sense of humor.

•Vendors forms are now available online at the website for Shepherd’s July 4 event, which will be on Saturday, July 1. Call the Chamber if you have questions or visit http://www.greatershepherdchamberofcommerce.org

Contact the Shepherd Chamber at (936) 628-3890 or the Coldspring Chamber at (936) 653-2184.

Yvonne Cones is president of the Greater Shepherd Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Coldspring Chamber of Commerce.

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Special to the News-Times

ATHENS — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Angler Recognition Program exists to recognize fishing excellence in Texas, and to further that purpose, TPWD staff recently completed a revitalization initiative for the program.

The ARP was established in 1971 and maintains the fish record lists for all public and private waterbodies across the state, inspiring anglers to get outside and enjoy the water.

“I have seen how this program inspires and brings joy to people, and I know from personal experience the fond memories that fishing can provide,” said Grace Simms, TPWD Angler Recognition Program coordinator. “My dad started taking me fishing when I was a young child, and he and I still fish together.  Seeing people of all ages with such passion and joy for this program makes me feel privileged that I get to work with these amazing anglers.”

The Angler Recognition Program, which is now housed at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens, features multiple award categories, including rod and reel, fly fishing, bow fishing and the new state record all-tackle category. In June 2021, the all-tackle category replaced the state record/other methods. The all-tackle category recognizes records for largest fish by species caught by any legal means.

Records are registered based on weight or length at the state level as well as for individual waterbodies. The ARP accepts length-only record applications for the catch and live release of selected species in Texas public waters. This record provides an opportunity for conservation minded anglers who don’t have a certifiable scale available to weigh a record fish before returning it to the water.

Anglers can also be recognized with a First Fish Award, Big Fish Award, Elite Angler Award and Outstanding Angler Award. The First Fish Award acknowledges the first fish caught by an angler of any age. The Big Fish Award is handed out for multiple freshwater and saltwater species based on length requirements. Anglers then achieve Elite status by earning Big Fish awards for five different freshwater or saltwater species. The Outstanding Angler Award is a catch that does not qualify for any other type of award but still deserves recognition.

“Unless a catch is found to have broken the rules, every catch will receive an award, even if they do not set any records or qualify as a big fish,” said Simms. “Every catch that is submitted to us is special and represents fond memories and a joyful experience. It therefore deserves recognition.”

Anglers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with program rules and how to submit their catch prior to heading out to the water. Anglers are advised to pay close attention to the requirements for proper weighing and length measurements along with photos to accompany the application. Fish must be weighed on certified or legal-for-trade scales within three days of the catch date. However, anglers may also weigh their fish on their own personal scale and then get that scale certified within 30 days of the catch date.

Once the Angler Recognition Award application is complete with all supporting documentation, it must be submitted within 60 days of the catch date. The application and documents can be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or sent via mail to Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, 5550 FM-2495, Athens, TX 75752.

Each angler who submits an application to the program has a chance to be featured as the “Catch of the Month.” One interesting catch will be selected by TFFC staff, and the photograph and description of their fish will be showcased on the Angler Recognition Program website each month. Photos must be submitted in conjunction with an ARP application for any of the award categories. Photos may be mailed or emailed but must be high quality and clear.

Participation in the program is growing, and in 2022, anglers received more than 660 official records or awards for their catch. Anglers set a combined 41 new state records and 393 waterbody records during the calendar year. State and waterbody records are awarded in overall and junior angler categories for public and private freshwater fisheries along with saltwater fisheries in the state. The program also officially recognized 307 Big Fish, 51 First Fish and 91 Outstanding Angler awards.

A few notable catches entered into the program in 2022:.

•Andrew Ibarra caught a red porgy in the Gulf of Mexico with a rod and reel on February 20. The fish weighed 6.86 pounds and was 24.25 inches long. The catch is the new Jr. State Record and the new Jr. Water Body Record.

•Brodey Davis set the new O.H. Ivie largemouth bass waterbody record at 17.06 pounds. It was the biggest in 30 years and the seventh largest largemouth bass ever verified in Texas (private or public). It had a length of 27.25 inches and a girth of 23.25 inches. The fish was caught on February 24 and donated to the Toyota ShareLunker program for spawning purposes.

•Michael Springer caught a 12-inch Rio Grande cichlid with rod and reel on September 26. He was awarded a Big Fish award, State Release Record and the Water Body Release Record.

•Tim Kapp caught a bowfin at Lake Fork with a fly rod on May 4. The fish weighed 9.34 pounds and was 27.5 inches long. The catch set a new State Record and Water Body Record.

Spring is a great time to head out with the family and enjoy the outdoors, so check out the current records, grab a pole and make memories chasing an Angler Recognition Program award or new record.

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By Tony Farkas
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SHEPHERD — The Shepherd ISD Board of Managers voted to continue certain stipends in the next budget cycle but asked that the administration create a plan that would ensure those stipends were used to maximum effectiveness.

At the regular meeting on Thursday, the board readily approved continuing performance stipends, but were divided regarding retention and acquisition stipends.

Some members felt that the retention stipends were ineffective, while others felt that if the stipends were left off, it would send a negative signal to the teachers who expect it.

Board President Yvonne Johnson said that last month, the board sent a positive signal by approving a 5 percent raise for teachers, but member John Few was adamant that it was necessary to keep the teachers the district had.

Board Vice President Andy Reeves sought to table a vote on the retention and acquisition portion, but Few felt that if the money was there, then the board should get the vote out of the way.

Assistant Superintendent DeAnna Clavell said there is enough money left from the federal ESSER grant to provide one more year of stipends.

Superintendent Jason Hewitt said that the board could approve the stipends with the proviso that the administration come up with a plan that would be tied to a new contract. The board passed the measure 3-1, with Johnson voting against it. Member Melodee Arrendell was absent.

In other business, the board:

•discussed an audit of the school’s Special Education program, which was mostly positive but had room for improvement in areas such as policies, planning and practices regarding inclusion of students in the main student body;

•discussed a school safety audit, which the school failed because a door failed to close properly after a teacher entered. Police Chief Jeff Sparks said that his department is committed to student safety and will double its sweeps of entries;

•approved changes to board policies; and

•renewed the contract with Capturing Kids Hearts.

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Special to the News-Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Morgan Luttrell, Texas 8, spoke out in favor of the recent passage of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, which ensures that biological females compete against other biological females in women’s competitive sports, not against biological men.

“Biological men have absolutely no place in women’s sports — it is a scientific fact that men and women are biologically different,” Luttrell said. “Title IX established a level playing field for women, but, unfortunately, the Biden Administration is actively pushing a woke agenda that will take away opportunities for women who have worked extremely hard to be where they are, on and off the field. I am proud to support this commonsense legislation that stands up for the rights of female athletes by putting fairness, competition, and safety first.”

The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023:

•Clarifies that a recipient of federal education funding violates Title IX’s prohibition against sex discrimination if the recipient operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities and allows a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.

•States that sex in the athletic context must be recognized based only on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

•Clarifies that the bill’s provisions do not prohibit schools or institutions from permitting males to practice against women’s sports teams, protecting the long-standing routine of some women’s athletic programs of practicing or scrimmaging against males.

Elsewhere, during a Committee on Homeland Security hearing which included testimony from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Luttrell challenged Mayorkas on the fentanyl crisis that has been exacerbated by the Biden Administration’s open border policies, and the secretary’s use of millions in taxpayer dollars to prepare for possible impeachment hearings.

“(These crises) are two components of the same problem — a complete and total failure to secure the southern border,” Luttrell said.

“This … has taken a major toll on every state, especially Texas,” he said. “Illegal crossings, human trafficking, drug trafficking, drug-related deaths, and major crimes have all skyrocketed on their watch. Unfortunately, Secretary Mayorkas has done little but rub salt in the wound by spending 3 million in taxpayer dollars to protect his job that he’s failed to do.”

Facts About the Fentanyl Crisis:

•11,249 pounds of fentanyl have been seized so far in FY2023, with 71,238 fentanyl deaths in 2022.

•More than 1,500 people per week die from taking some type of opioid, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, making opioids by far the leading cause of fatal overdoses in the country. (Council on Foreign Relations)

•In 2021, the death toll surged to 80,411, more than ten times the number of U.S. military service members killed in the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Council on Foreign Relations)

•Most fentanyl in the United States is smuggled across the southern border. China is still the main manufacturer of the ingredients needed to create fentanyl. (Council on Foreign Relations)

•Drug cartels have been the leaders in fentanyl production. (Council on Foreign Relations)