Trinity County News - Breakout

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By Tony Farkas
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GROVETON — The junior high/high school campus is relatively safe from intruders based on an audit conducted recently by ESC Region 6.

Superintendent Jim Dillard informed the Groveton ISD School Board at the regular meeting on Thursday that when the audit was done, and as soon as they were on campus, they were stopped by administration.

He told the board that ESC Region 6 will hold an audit at a later date for the elementary school campus.

The audit was part of an ongoing focus on school security, and schools across the state are complying with new requirements from the state, which include audits.

Dillard said there will be new ones coming from the next session of the Legislature.

In other business, the board:

•recognized the efforts of the girls’ cross country team in reaching the state tournament;

•discussed the district’s Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas rating, which was the highest score of 100, or superior; and

•discussed the method of evaluation of the superintendent, whose contract is up for review in December.

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We have lived nearly another year. I always wanted to live until 2026, never thinking how old I would be, and it is almost 2023. Why 2026? Because Jacklyn Kennedy Onassis was going to allow her memoirs to be published about her thoughts on the assassination of her husband, JFK.

Will that still happen? I don’t think so. She has been dead a long time. Her son, John, his wife, and his wife’s sister were killed in an unfortunate plane crash, and no one cares about the truth anymore, except maybe us 80-year-olds.

The older sister Caroline has not been in the national news for a long time nor any of the old family group. Fame is fleeting. My thoughts of that family came to mind when the Governor of Florida sent all those immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, and I wondered what they thought about that. Still no comments from the Kennedys.

The Christmas season is almost upon us. The stores started putting up Christmas items before Halloween was over, and now it is time for the festivals and donations for the less-fortunate. I am pleased to report on some of these events, but the first event I want to announce is the Trinity Peninsula Chamber of Commerce’s 25th Christmas Show.

The event will be held in the First National Bank’s parking lot on East Main Street on Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. The flyers went out this weekend to announce the activities of the festival, and the Little Miss Snowflake Contest details. If the weather is bad, we will go inside the Trinity Community Center for the vendor booths and activities. Watch this space for changes.

The age of Little Miss Snowflake contestants has been changed. The ages now for contestants is 9-13 years old. The sponsors for this event are Becky Hamilton Girouard and Chey Dilda. Registration packets can be picked up at the Vida Hair Studio located at 103 E. Main Street in downtown Trinity. Registration Deadline is Nov. 28. For more information, please call Becky at (936) 661-5743 or Chey at (936) 661-1846.

Martin Senior Citizen Center is hosting the Little Miss Snowflake event on Thursday night, Dec. 1, which is located at 400 Walker Street. The contestants will be interviewed and entertained with games and refreshments. The event will start at 6 p.m. The contest winners will be announced and crowned at the Christmas Show on Friday, 7 p.m. on the stage in the Bank parking lot on Dec. 2.

We will have the Tree Lighting Ceremony again this year and that will be held at 7 p.m. in the park after the lighted parade is over. The parade starts at 6 p.m., so please line up at 5 p.m. for judging. The THS marching Band and the THS Color Guard will lead the parade.

This year’s theme for the parade is “150 Years of Christmas Past.” For more information, please call Matt Budsize, who is the parade chairman, at (936) 661-4572. Santa is coming to town and the River Pointe Rehabilitation Health Center is decorating Santa’s float. Thank you so much for this endeavor, as this is a huge undertaking to decorate a 24-foot float.

We will line up at 103 Stadium St. beside McDonalds, proceed down Highway 19 North to the second red light downtown, turn left on (West Highway 94) or Caroline Street; proceed to Elm Street, turn left again headed toward West Main Street to the Trinity Volunteer Fire Station for disbursement, then back to the park for the tree lighting ceremony.

We are always happy that our local residents volunteer to make the Christmas Show a major event in Trinity. We will hear the Trinity Lions Club members, wives, and friends sing Christmas carols, Kelly Hartsfield sings her vast repertoire, the Sam Houston College Jazz Ensemble will be playing, Danny Cleveland will perform on stage, and the Trinity Tabernacle Pentecostal Church Choir and their Children’s Choir along with their puppet show will perform. Your children will love this show.

New this year will be a “Movie in the Park” sponsored by the Haley Burke Foundation starting after the Tree Lighting Ceremony is over. The movie will be announced later with more details and activities. I smell popcorn for sure.

We will also have s’mores for the children and a cornhole tournament before the parade. So, watch this space for details. The prices and drawings will be published next week as donations are being solicited now as we speak, to ensure people have fun and win prizes or money for their Christmas enjoyment or needs.

Of course, the best part of the Christmas show is the food vendors and the arts and craft people who set up each year to provide you with good food, and wonderful gift items. This year we already have more than 60 booth spaces filled, and more calls are coming to me at (936) 537-8171 for applications. If you did not attend Founders Day and get the next booth space free, you can still sign up for a space for only 15 dollars or two spaces for $25.

Trinity is awesome in providing food, clothes, toys, and gifts to families in need through various organizations and churches. We have very generous citizens year-round, not just at Christmas. Some special occasions are listed here.

•The Rollo Insurance Group is hosting a winter coat drive from Nov. 21-Dec. 12, and items requested are hats, mittens, scarves, boots, gloves, and socks as well as coats. Locations for items to be dropped off are Rollo Insurance Agency, Lovelady State Bank, River of Life, and First National Bank. For more information, please call Leslie Kelly West at (936) 594-3587.

•The Elf Station of Trinity located in Mickey’s House had already started collecting items for the Elf Station Celebration. Toy donations, gifts, and money donations are appreciated and need to be dropped off at 105 W. Main St. For more information, please call Sheran Casey at (936) 581- 1474.

•The Circle of Brothers Motorcycle group is collecting toys for the Trinity area children again this year. Drop off boxes are located around town, so please call Tim Kriner at (281) 793-3025 for more information.

•The Martin Senior Citizen Center will be closed Thursday and Friday for inside meals, so their employees have a Thanksgiving break with their families. Shut-ins will be served as usual.

•Liberty Christian Center Food Bank will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 24, for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

•Brookshire Brothers will be open on Thursday, Nov. 24, until 2 p.m. so their employees can be with their families.

I have more events to report happening during the month of Dec., but I will report on them in my next issue.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

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Woodville’s own powerhouse singer/songwriter Kim Cruse impressed the nation, yet again, on Monday night’s episode of NBC’s “The Voice.” Cruse covered Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind” during her part of the live performance for the Top 13 performers left in the competition. Keep those votes coming for her. You can vote at nbc.com/thevoice or by downloading “The Voice” app. Photo by Chris Edwards | TCB

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By Tony Farkas
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GROVETON — Trinity County’s new treasurer will be Orrin Hargrave, who won his election bid against Cheryl Boggs Savage, will now be captain of the county’s accounts.

Hargrave won 4,396 to 826 in the Nov. 8 general election, and replaces Bob Dockens, who lost in the May primary.

Audrey Young won re-election to State Board of Education District 8 with 4,481 votes over Rhett Rosenquest Smith’s 584.

In the race for State Senator for District 3, incumbent Robert Nichols won re-election with 4,417 votes over Steve Russell with 772 and Desarae Lindsey with 76.

Trent Ashby won re-election with 4,507, although his district in now designated District 9 because of redistricting. Opponent Jason Rogers received 741 votes.

In the Apple Springs ISD School Board election, all incumbents were re-elected. Daniel Murray received 256 votes, Tonya Odom received 212, Amanda Roden received 208, and Jenny Sanders received 167. A challenger, Melanie Aycock, received 158 votes; since candidates run at-large, the top four vote-getters were considered winners.

Unopposed candidates declared elected:

•Travis Kitchens, 258^th Judicial District Judge

•Danny Martin, County Judge

•Jullian Phillip-Steptoe, District Clerk

•Shasta Bergman, County Clerk

•Mike Loftin, County Commissioner Precinct 2

•Steven Truss, County Commissioner Precinct 4

•Mary Wallace, Justice of the Peace Precinct 1

•Lyle Stubbs, Justice of the Peace Precinct 2

•Keith Johnson, Justice of the Peace Precinct 3

•Richard Steptoe, Justice of the Peace Precinct 4