Trinity County News - Breakout

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Special to the News-Standard

LUFKIN — Students are about to begin a new school year and TxDOT is calling on everyone to be extra cautious in school zones and around school buses to help keep them safe.

Drivers are reminded to stay alert in school zones. They are chaotic before and after the bell rings each day and traffic congestion increases. Children might dash in and out of traffic, and unfortunately, crashes can and do happen. In the nine-county Lufkin District in 2022, there were 6 traffic crashes in school zones, with no serious injuries. Across the state, there were 746 traffic crashes in school zones, resulting in 23 serious injuries. The most common causes were driver inattention, speeding and failure to yield the right of way.

Driving near a school bus also requires close attention on the driver’s part. Across the state, there were seven people killed and 51 seriously injured last year in the 2,305 crashes involving a school bus. Driver inattention and speed were also the top factors in those crashes.

“We all experience increased traffic in the mornings and afternoons when school begins each year,” said Rhonda Oaks, public information officer. “We urge drivers to reduce speed and stay alert in a school zone and near a school bus. Excited children don’t think about moving vehicles near the school or when they are exiting a school bus.”

TxDOT urges drivers to slow down, pay attention and follow all traffic laws to keep children safe and avoid costly fines and tickets as parents, teachers and students prepare for a new school year. Be aware of these safety tips:

Tips for Driving in School Zones

•Traffic patterns around schools may have changed since last school year due to construction or new facilities.

•Stay alert and put your phone away. Using a handheld electronic device while driving in an active school zone is against the law.

•Stop and yield for people in crosswalks.

•Always obey school zone speed limit signs. Remember, traffic fines increase in school zones.

•Drop off and pick up your children in your school’s designated areas, not the middle of the street.

•Keep an eye on children gathered at bus stops.

•Watch for children who might dart across the street or between vehicles.

Tips for Drivers Sharing the Road with School Buses

•Follow at a safe distance, keeping in mind that school buses make frequent stops.

•Always stay alert for children around buses and remember that they may not always look for vehicles before crossing the street.

•Stop for flashing red lights or a stop sign on a school bus, regardless of which direction you’re headed. Continue your trip once the bus has moved, the flashing lights stop flashing or the bus driver signals it’s okay to pass.

Violations can lead to a fine of up to $1,250 for a first offense.

Tips for Children Walking or Biking to School

•Use sidewalks. If there’s not a sidewalk, walk on the left side of the street, facing traffic.

•Cross the street only at intersections or marked crosswalks. Look left, right, and left again before proceeding.

•Always obey crossing guards.

•Make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street. Never assume a driver sees you.

•Look for traffic when stepping off a bus or from behind parked vehicles.

•Always wear a helmet when riding a bicycle.

•Don’t be distracted by electronic devices that take your eyes and ears off the road.

•Follow all traffic rules, signs and signals.      

“Be Safe. Drive Smart.” is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel to help end the streak of daily deaths. Nov. 7, 2000, was the last deathless day on Texas roadways.

For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (936) 633-4395.

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This week starts all the new preliminaries for the TISD School year of 2023-2024. Some of these events will be listed in time for you to participate in this week, some will not, but in for the next three weeks, or the rest of this quarter, September, October, November, and December, Trinity will be hopping and a popping.

This week, back to school events like Meet the Teachers Night and “Meet the Tigers Night” will be Aug. 3, and Aug. 4, at different campuses.

The first Meet the Teacher Night is Aug. 3, from 5-30 to 8 p.m. at Landsberry Elementary on Maple Street.

The second Meet the Teacher Night is Aug. 4 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the gym at Trinity High School Campus located on East Caroline Street.

Meet the Tiger Night is Aug. 4 in the Gym at Trinity High School on East Caroline Street starting at 7 p.m. (physicals then also.)

Fun events ending the summer will be held Friday and Saturday nights to celebrate back to school days at various churches and organizations, with school athletic practices starting this week, Aug. 1.

•Now for fun. The River of Life Church is sponsoring a Night of Worship Friday, Aug. 5, at 2390 S. Highway 19, which starts at 6 p.m. Praise, worship fellowship and pizza will be served, and the evening will include a guest speaker, Bryan DeShaun, for inspiration. For more information call the church office at (936) 594-6262.

Next, Lone Star Memorial Baptist Church is hosting a youth fun night on Friday, Aug. 19, to celebrate back to the 2023 new school year. They are located at 502 W. Main St. Music, games, snow cones, and activities will start at 5 p.m. For more information call Pastor DeBose at (936) 594-2741.

•This weekend, I attended the Lions Club International District 2-S1 summer meeting at the Angelina Campus Community Service Building on July 29, and the setting made you forget it was 101 degrees outside. Giant picture windows depicted a green wooden forest with gentle breezes blowing and looked as if the temperature could only be 70 degrees.

I was honored to hitch a ride with Past District Governor Bubba Hirsch from our district, and what a storehouse of knowledge of Trinity history he knew, and the people who pioneered this history. He also cooks beef enchiladas, and he will share the recipe if you ask him for it, but don’t expect to get invited to dinner.

Dr. Bubba Hirsch retired from TDCJ on his 80th birthday, and he and Lanora Ainsworth share the same birthdate, which is Feb. 2, and she too is a walking encyclopedia of Trinity history. They both are kin to about half the people in Trinity County either by marriage or osmosis.

I asked Dr. Hirsch a lot about Marty Hirsch, his partner for life, and I was so happy to learn of the fun they shared during her remaining years. Not everyone has that opportunity, with illnesses, to say goodbye, and show love, but he did.

This made me thankful that I can relate to you about a service that Dorcas Wills Memorial Baptist Church is going to provide to you at their church from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31 every Tuesday from 2-4 p.m. Grieving a loss? Please contact them at (936) 594-3822.

The DWMBC is located at 201 N. Robb St. For more information, please call Paul or Care Rawlings at (281) 799-9767 or (713) 201-6542 to register for this program. The registration fee is $20, and they do provide scholarships if needed. Register at griefshare.org/findagroup.

•VFW Post 6899 has announced its Eddie-Maxie Afternoon Dance schedule starting from August through December for your information. The cost is $12 per person for admission. They are located at 400 Caroline St. and the dances are held at the VFW Hall. The snack bar and cantina will be open at this time, and the dancing starts at noon and ends at 4 p.m. The schedule is:

•Aug. 5, Joey Ward Band from Orange

•Sept. 2, Good Timers

•Oct. 7, Bobby Enloe and Texas Country Band

•Nov. 4, Bootleg Country Band

•Dec. 2, Al White and the Chaparral Band

The 2023 Trinity FFA group has announced its monthly meetings to be held on Monday for the next six months. The monthly meetings for August through December are:

•Aug. 14

•Sept. 11

•Oct. 9

•Nov. 13

•Dec. 11

All Monday meetings start at 6:30 p.m. in the Trinity High School Cafeteria.

I believe I should tell you, so you can plan, TISD Homecoming week is Aug. 28 through Sept. 1. Trinity High School always has a week of activities planned for the students to participate in during this week, and I will list them below so you can prepare your child or grandchild for this fun.

The activities planned are:

•Aug. 28, Sports Day,

•Aug. 29, Superhero Day

•Aug. 30, Dress up as the first letter of your name

•Aug. 31, Dynamic Celebrity Duo

•Sept. 1, Orange Day

•The VFW will have a fundraiser Sept. 16 to help raise money for the veterans of the post. This is a huge family event and offers something for everybody. The public is invited to attend. Food, music, games, and activities are planned.

The cost of the barbecue plate for each person is $10. There will be a cornhole contest that you can sign up individually or with a team and win big prizes. The entry fee is $25 a person. Also, there are meat and other raffles along with auctions and door prizes. There will be a beer garden with live music starting at 8 p.m. performed by Jessie Rose and music ending at 11 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased now at the VFW Hall, and for more information contact Dawn Bray at (936) 355-9634 to help, donate, or purchase tickets in advance.

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Special to theNews-Standard

TRINITY — Kayla Kembro, daughter of Brian and Kimberly Kembro, has been crowned the 74th annual Trinity Community Fair Queen for 2023.

Kayla has a brother, Drew.

She is a seventh-generation Texas rancher in the “little hometown” of Trinity and has attended the Trinity Community Fair since she was born, and of her many goals made throughout her 12 years in school was to become Fair Queen.

Kayla said her parents instilled the importance of life, love, happiness, hard work, and truthfulness in her and her brother, and that true blessings come in many forms.

“It is such an honor to be crowned the 74th Annual Trinity Community Fair Queen,” she said. “It may be my last time at the end of a show halter as an exhibitor, but I will be back with a bidder’s number as an auction buyer supporting our youth for years to come.”

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Retired District Judge Joe Ned Dean was honored on Friday with a portrait hung at the Trinity County Courthouse Courtroom. Speakers at this event were current 258th District Judge Travis Kitchens Jr. and 258th District Attorney Bennie L. Schiro. Also recognizing Judge Dean were Judge Robert H. Trapp, Former Judge Kaycee L. Jones, Joe Scott Evans and Retired County Attorney Joe Werner Bell. Judge Dean retired in 1998 as District Judge and 2012 as District Attorney. His family was in attendance and his great nieces and nephew did the unveiling as well as a host of friends.Photo by Martha Mericle