Trinity County News - Breakout

Write a comment

For the children in Trinity, I hate to write these words. It is only two weeks before the new school year starts on Tuesday, Aug. 8. Last week, nearly all the local churches had completed their Vacation Bible School programs signaling that summer fun was over.

Meet the Teacher nights have been announced, and the free supplies and backpack giveaways are on the horizon.

First, sites for school supplies.

Prayer in the Park, Saturday, July 29, is a summer conference for the ROTC, which presents free backpacks and school supplies from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Trinity Community Center, 640 S. Robb St. Many local churches are participating with free food, supplies, music, and door prizes. This is the third summer conference celebrating Prayer in the Park, and for more information, please call Karen Dixon at (936) 581-6531.

Also on Saturday, July 29, Lone Star Missionary Baptist Church at 502 W. Main St. is hosting its annual School Supply Drive from 11 a.m. until supplies run out. School supplies given out are free for grades Pre-K through eighth grade. For more information, please call Charlotte at (936) 662-5947 or Pastor DeBose at (936) 355-1967.

Second, Meet the Teacher Night at Lansberry Elementary School on Maple Street is Aug. 3, with the event starting at 5 p.m. and ending at 7 p.m.

Third, Meet the Teacher Night for Trinity Middle School and Trinity High School is Aug. 4 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Also at this time, students can get school physicals for extracurricular activities, but there are specific prerequisites, so, please call (936) 594-3560 for details.

Again, please call each campus for age-appropriate information or the Trinity Administration Office at (936) 594-3569 who will direct you to the proper adviser or administrator.

•Giant newsbreak. Extra, extra, read all about it.

The Trinity Community Fair Association has announced that the fair and livestock show this year will be the third weekend in September instead of the last weekend of September. The carnival we use was already scheduled for the 29th and 30th of September and the association elected to go earlier than later in October.

•More Breaking news. Watch this space for Christmas at the Crossroads 2023 Show’s location has been changed. The date will always be the same, which is the first Saturday in December (the date this year is Dec. 2), but the location has been changed to the Trinity Community Center for better parking, restroom facilities, and vendor accommodations.

I will send applications to all past vendors, but you can call or text me at (936) 537-8171 if you have a change of address to report or have never participated in the Christmas show and would like to have a booth or vendor spot this year.

•As you know, I love Trinity Community, and I always try to host fundraisers whenever I can to help with the various organizations who also try to help our community. This year at the Trinity Fair I will operate two booths for the Martin Senior Service Center to raise money for their food program and meal delivery.

To do this, I have received memorabilia from over 30 years of promotions produced by the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. that I plan to sell at my booths. These articles include magnets, ornaments, openers, signs, dishes, glasses, coke bottles, crates, pictures, cards, stuffed animals, cookie jars, throws, utensils, tins, puzzles, and much more.

These items will be priced to sell to make money for the Center, and friends who support the Center will be promoting this booth with their volunteerism, and love for this community also. So, please come by and donate to a worthy cause that helps our senior citizens on Sept. 22-23 at the 74th Annual Trinity Community Fair Association Event at the Trinity Community Center.

•With school starting so early, and the weather so hot, it is hard to think about Christmas, or any event occurring outside in this heat. However, Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce is already advertising its Fair on the Square the first weekend in October; and, in the first weekend in October, the Subdivision of Westwood Shores is having its second garage sale of the year with the Westwood Shores Civic Club in charge. Watch this space for details.

•Now back to August:

On Friday, Aug. 4, Methodist Church of Trinity is hosting a free movie night. The movie will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at 131 North Elm Street. The name of the movie is “On a Wing and A Prayer”. The public is invited to attend. For information, please contact Yvonne Hastings at (936) 594-3826.

Congratulations to the wonderful VBS that the Methodist church had this past week regarding the children enjoying splash day, a Bouncy House, Water slide, snow cones, hot dogs for all, and wonderful activities and crafts.

•On Saturday, VFW Post 6899 is hosting the Ed and Maxie Dance from noon until 4 p.m. Performing this afternoon is the Joey Ward Country and Western Band, and the cost is $12. The cantina and snack bar will be open at this time. For more information, call Dawn at (936) 219-2204.

•The new Vape Shop is open, the watermelon stands are still selling, and Brookshire Brothers will now be open every night until 10 p.m. Dollar General has a new sign on their store, a big green DG, and the Family Dollar Store has a new paved parking lot. Subway remodeled its facility several months ago, and it looks like green of all shades is the in thing for décor this year.

•Thanks to the new president of the Trinity Peninsula Chamber of Commerce who is encouraging people to repair or clean up their establishment, Trinity is looking good.

•The VFW is still having bingo games every Monday, Thursday, and Friday nights at the hall on 400 Caroline St. The doors open at four o’clock, but games start at 6 and 7 p.m. Don’t forget they have home cooked meals every day except Tuesday for $5 served from 5 until 8:30 p.m. For more information, please call Dawn at (936) 594-9467.

•Don’t forget to support Martin Senior Service Center when you can on Monday through Friday to help feed our elderly and shut-ins. The cost is $6 except Thursday, the price is $5 each person.

•The Good Will Store is happening, and the Southern Nutrition Shop has relocated to the Hortman Country Store across from Brookshire Brothers on Brantley Street, and Mexican food is the peoples’ choice at all three restaurants in town.

•Joseph’s Place is doing well and watch for a possible 42 Tournament being held there during the week of the 74th Annual Trinity Fair.

•We have a new Principal for the Middle School who hails from New Waverly. More about him later. Congratulations for now.

Write a comment

Liberty Christian Center, Dorcas Wills Baptist Church, and the Methodist Church of Trinity hosted their Vacation Bible School programs this week, and there are just a couple left to be fulfilled in August. Can you believe August is almost here and school starts in less than three weeks.

I had someone ask me about school supplies and clothes for their children today, and it took me a few minutes to realize time was flying past, and they needed these articles in less than three weeks.

I remember how expensive it was to clothe two boys even though they could wear the same shirts, but the Levis and shoes were never shared and were so expensive. The sneakers that everybody had to wear were $100 each pair, and heavens to Betsy that my boys could wear anything but Air Jordans.

I saw the new application, financial responsibilities, and parental guidelines that must be addressed to attend the Boys and Girls Club of Trinity for the coming school year, and it was overwhelming. This is a result of the change in the number of days to be attended by students in the school week for TISD. For more information, please Call David LaVasseur at (936) 594-0778.

•I do not know how successful the fundraiser for the cheerleaders and football youth league Saturday was, but there were a lot of cars, and it looked like everyone was having a good time despite the heat. Of course, with water spraying everywhere it was probably a lot cooler, and children love getting wet when they are not dressed for it.

•I have great news for people who would like to know more about how to maintain their lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, and gardens, especially during this heat and year-round. The AgriLife Extension Agent, Stacye Tullos, is offering a Trinity County Master Gardener Program for the County of Trinity.

Master Gardeners are members of the local community who take an active interest in their lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, and gardens; and they are enthusiastic, willing to learn and help others, and able to communicate with diverse groups of people, according to information from the Texas Master Gardener Program-Texas A&M site.

The program offers a minimum of 50 hours of instruction that covers topics including lawn care, ornamental trees and shrubs, insect, disease, and weed management; soils and plant nutrition, vegetable gardening; home fruit production, garden flowers; and water conservation.

The training is offered at various times during the year at various locations across the state. The County Extension office in Groveton, at (936) 642-1421 will give you specific locations, dates, and times.

We are very fortunate to have a Master Gardener, Larry Grant, who will gladly tell you about the program and its objectives. Please contact Larry at (936) 662-1502 if you would like to help, volunteer, or become a Master Gardener through the AgriLife Extension Agency.

The Master Gardener Program is a volunteer development program offered by Texas AgriLife Extension Service and is designed to increase the availability of horticultural information and improve the quality of life through horticultural projects.

Program objectives are implemented through the training and “employing” local volunteers, known as Master Gardeners (like Larry), who aid the AgriLife Extension Agent by conducting school garden projects, answering telephone requests for horticultural information, maintain and establishing demonstration gardens; working with special audiences in the community; and designing and implanting community improvement projects, as well as coordination Master Gardener projects.

If you would like to become a Master Gardener of Texas, please contact Stayce Tullos at (936) 642-1421, Larry Grant at (936) 662-1502, or Dan Barnes at (936) 662-3067 for more information and where to get you 50 hours of training.

•Now for some information I know you want to have regarding the official 2023 flag flying days left to fly your flag at your home, business, or school. Only nine days left in this year to fly your flag officially and they are:

—Sept. 1, VJ Day,

—Sept. 4, Labor Day,

—Sept. 11, Patriot Day

—Oct. 9, Columbus Day,

—Nov. 7, Election Day

—Nov. 11, Election Day

—Nov. 23, Thanksgiving Day

—Dec. 7, Pearl Harbo Day

—Dec. 25, Christmas Day

•I am listing some of the next major events for Trinity community and will expound on some of these activities next week.

—Prayer in the Park, July 29, Trinity Community Center, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

—Trinity Community Fair Association, Sept. 29-30, 8-10 p.m.

—Pumpkin Patch, Oct. 16-31, Methodist Church vacant lot

—Oct. 21, SAAFE House Purse Bingo, Trinity Community Center

—Oct. 28, Trinity County Veterans Wall of Honor at Scheelbillie’s

—Oct. 31, Halloween Night, Elm and Caroline streets

See you at these events.

Write a comment

The Trinity County Sheriff’s Office Junior Deputy Program poses for a group photograph.

By Tony Farkas
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GROVETON — Several departments sought to improve pay disparities and request raises be put into the county budget during recent budget hearings.

At the July 11 Trinity County Commissioners Court meeting, both the precincts’ constables and justices of the peace sought to get increases in pay to levels approaching other similar positions in the county.

For instance, Constable Brian McMullen told commissioners that the base pay for his position is $23,712, which is lower than the national poverty level.

Additionally, his duties are almost identical to a deputy sheriff, which is $34,000 per year for entry level officers.

McMullen requested that constable pay be increased 8.4 percent, roughly $2,000 apiece.

For the JPs, Precinct 1 JP Mary Wallace requested that pay for that office be made commensurate with other county elected officials. Currently, the position pays $32,850 annually, while other officials, such as the commissioners and the county clerk and tax assessor/collector, are paid $46,029.

Wallace said that at the current pay level, the JPs are being paid less that some clerks working for the county.

She also asked that because of current workloads and backlogs, the clerks for each JP need to be made full-time employees instead of part-time.

All departments requested increases in postage to compensate for hikes in postal rates.

In a separate matter, the county delayed action on contracting ambulance service for the Groveton area.

County Judge Danny Martin said that of the three firms that submitted proposals at a county meeting, only two had submitted contracts for review, and he wanted to delay a decision for two weeks until the third came in and County Attorney Colton Hay had a chance to review them.

Commissioner Tommy Park expressed concern that the county was allowing bids to come in after the original three had been presented, which was illegal; since the matter was a contract concern, he said that half of his precinct has no ambulance service, and if one firm didn’t send one in, that’s not the county’s concern.

Park voted against tabling the measure, which passed 4-1.

In other business, the county:

•approved personnel action forms;

•appointed Nancy Shanafelt as designated representative to the Deep East Texas Rural Transportation Planning Organization; and

•approved an agreement with Lubbock County for public defender services in capital cases.

Write a comment

A home in Riverside burned to the ground on Thursday, and firefighters from several area departments, including Trinity, assisted in battling the blaze. COURTESY PHOTOSpecial to the News-Standard

RIVERSIDE — Trinity Fire and Rescue assisted with a house fire reported Thursday in Riverside.

Assistant Fire Chief Keith Johnson said the department was notified at approximately 2 a.m. July 12 about the fire in the Deep River Subdivision in Walker County.

When firefighters arrived the home, which appeared to be vacant, was fully involved.

Firefighters from Riverside Fire Department, Crabb’s Prairie Fire Department, and Trinity Fire Department worked together to extinguish the fire.

The home was a total loss, and no injuries were reported, Johnson said.