Trinity County News - Breakout

Write a comment

TCNS staff

Trinity County school districts will face some new opponents in sports and academics after the University Interscholastic League realigned the districts.

The changes to fall sports were released Feb. 1

The school districts in The UIL changes districts every two years based on a school’s student count to, according to the UIL, balance the competition by putting districts of similar size together. The new alignments will take effect in the 2024-25 school year and run for two years.

For Apple Springs, the opponents in District 1A Region 3 six-man football will be Burkeville, Chester and High Island.

In volleyball, the Region 3 district opponents include Kennard and Oakwood.

In basketball, Apple Springs is in Region 4, and those opponents include Broaddus, county rival Centerville, Kennard, Laneville, Martinsville, Wells and Zavalla.

Centerville was not listed on football or volleyball lists.

The realignments for other sports as well as academics have not yet been released.

For Groveton, the 2A Region 3 District 12 football opponents include Centerville, Corrigan-Camden, Hearne, Jewett Leon and Normangee.

In basketball and volleyball, the district includes Centerville, Grapeland, Jewett Leon, Latexo, Lovelady and Normangee.

For Trinity football, the district now includes Anderson-Shiro, Kountze, New Waverly, Newton, Warren and Woodville.

For Trinity basketball and volleyball, the district includes Anderson-Shiro, Coldspring-Oakhurst, Crockett, New Waverly and Onalaska.

Write a comment

I am thankful that this is the last week of January, and that it was saved by the Trinity County Crime Stoppers Cowboy Mardi Gras Gala held last Saturday night.

More than 300 people ate, danced, and purchased items to take home to celebrate the law enforcement agencies of Trinity County, and to honor their service.

Besides the beautiful decorations and the thoughtful donations from our local citizens, the students of TISD were the stars of the show. The sixth- and seventh-graders of the Trinity Beta Club under the direction of Ms. Ramirez and Ms. Evans earned more than $1,000 for their school projects and UIL trips.

•In two weeks, these students will perform again at the Boys and Girls Club Valentine Dinner and Dance at the Trinity Community Center on Feb. 9 at 5:30 p.m. The seventh annual Valentine’s Fundraiser will open its doors at 5:30 p.m. and the Beta Club will serve a ribeye steak dinner at 6:30 p.m.

The cost of tickets is $50, or a table for eight costs $400.

We are fortunate to have the Allbright family handling the grill and Matt Warren and his culinary crew serving the compliments. Pictures, sangria, and treats await your pleasure as you are escorted to your table.

The gift donations to purchase for your Valentine sweetheart are unbelievable. People have been so generous this year, and the gifts wrapped by the Trinity Florist and Gifts are beautiful. These are a few of the baskets we have for you to purchase to support the Boys and Girls Club of Trinity; the traditional Valentine candy baskets, a pet basket, a gnome basket, an Easter basket, a St. Patrick’s Day basket, an automotive basket, glamour baskets, wine baskets, concert tickets, a Messina Hof wine tour for six, stained glass lights artwork, and much more.

The live auction has a homemade rocking chair porch swing, a homemade work bench, two Adirondack chairs and table, a picnic table, a The Way You Live basket, and the Taste of Trinity wheel of fortune. If all that is not enough, then you can dance the evening away starting at 8 p.m. to the music provided by McLaughlin and Driskell, a duo from Lovelady. The public is invited to buy tickets until Feb. 7.

•On Saturday, the VFW is having two events this weekend. VFW Post 6899 is located at 400 Caroline St. The first event is the Eddie-Maxie afternoon dance at noon. The Bootleg Country Band is performing at this event. The second event is a Celebration of Life for Tom McCrory in the Annex Room of the VFW hall at 1 p.m.

Tom McCrory was a past member of the VFW and served on the Wall of Honor Society for the past 12 years along with other Trinity County Veterans. He was a real asset to his community, owned our favorite fish store, and will be greatly missed by family and friends.

•The third Annual College and Career Day will be held Monday at the Trinity High School Gym from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for all parents and students. For more information, contact Misty Coleman or Toni Thomas at TISD.

•Ash Wednesday is Feb. 14.

•Feb. 12-15 is Communities in School week. Adrean Davis, the TMS advocate, is requesting help to celebrate this week. If you can donate prizes for raffles, food, or other appreciation gifts, Adrean would be grateful for this support from the community for her staff. They work hard with the at-risk children of Trinity.

•On Feb. 22-24, First Methodist Church of Trinity will host a church rummage sale from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the fellowship hall at 131 N. Elm St. For more information, call Laura at (936) 594-3826.

•On Feb. 23-24, SOAR 24 the Way of the Eagle will perform with special guest Kerri Oles, sponsored by the Liberty Christian Center. Early bird tickets are $30. For more information, call Dollie Barker at (936) 355-3399.

•On Feb. 27, Dinner with Friends will be served at Trinity Methodist Church from 4-7 p.m. in the fellowship hall. The public is invited to attend, and donations are accepted. Games, food, and music are the agenda for the evening.

•On March 2, the Friday Buyers Group is hosting a fundraiser at the Friday Community Center beginning at 5 p.m. serving a Spaghetti Dinner for the student’s county fair projects; then followed at 6 p.m. with an auction of crafts, baked goods, and other merchandise. The public is invited to attend.

Below is a recap of more March Activities.

•The catfish Lenten dinners are Feb. 16 and 23, and March 1, 8, 15 and 22, held at Most Holy Trinty Catholic Church Fellowship Hall, Highway 19 North, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

The cost is $12 for adults and $5 for children. The dinners support the THS Senior Scholarship program and other charities. You can dine in or take out dinners to go from 5-7 p.m.

•Trinity County 356 Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a barbecue and bingo fundraiser on Saturday, March 3, from 11 p.m. until 3 p.m. They are located at 12427 FM 356. The cost is $14 for each person. In addition to the barbecue and bingo, there is a 50/50 raffle, and you can purchase more bingo cards at $1 each or 6 for $5. Donations are welcome.

•March 9 is the Trinity Middle School Cheerleader’s Tryout.

•March 11-14 is TISD Spring Break.

•March 14-16 is the Trinity County Fair and Livestock show in Groveton.

•On March 16, The Circle of Brothers is hosting a fundraiser for T.J. Allbright at the Trinity Community Center Pavilion, 640 S. Robb St.

The event starts at 11 a.m. and the live auction will start at 3 p.m. Larry Pelter will perform the live music and BYOB is allowed. For more information, call Bob at (936) 662-2911 or Tinman at 577-9102.

•March 17 is the first quarter blood drive sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, to be held in the Brookshire Brothers parking lot from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Other dates are June 2, Sept. 22 and Dec. 8. See you there.

Write a comment

Special to theNews-Standard

Crockett Resource Center for Independent Living’s Independent Living Services program helps people with disabilities achieve greater independence in the home and community.

The eligibility criteria for this program requires that the applicant has a significant disability who has been diagnosed by a licensed practitioner and resides in Texas.

If you are a person with a hearing or communication disability and need services or assistive technology to maintain your independent living, you could be eligible for hearing devices, cochlear implant components, and assistive devices such as alarms, doorbells, speech generating devices, watch/clock, mic/amplification system or an fm system.

CRCIL’s IL Services Program area includes 45 counties, including San Jacinto County.

If you are a person with a disability who is interested in the IL Services Program, contact CRCIL at (936) 544-0522 for more information.

Write a comment

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

GROVETON — The Groveton City Council intends to seek help from the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office for police work in light of its own department being temporarily unstaffed.

At its regular meeting on Jan. 22, council members gave their blessing for Mayor Ralph Bennett to approach the county to discuss the possibility of a contract.

Bennett said the idea was born after the city could not find qualified applicants to fill the open chief and officer positions.

The former officers were dismissed on Oct. 30 by Bennett.

The plan is to pay $150,000 a year for two deputies’ salaries and benefits, while the county would furnish vehicle and fuel. The annual budget for the Groveton Police Department is just under $250,000, and Bennett said the money that is saved, about $65,000-$70,000 a year, will be used to improve the department and its equipment.

“It is still our intention to have our own department; we’re not disbanding it, but we need new vehicles, other equipment,” he said. “One vehicle burned up in the parade, and we’re down to one. We don’t have the tax base that the county has, so this will give us time to upgrade.”

The contract will run for two years, and the funds paid will allow the Sheriff’s Office to put on two additional deputies who will cover an area within a 5-mile radius of Groveton. All tickets will come to Groveton Municipal Court, and the city will amend ordinances to allow the deputies to enforce nuisance ordinances, such as property cleanup.

“We want to make sure our residents are taken care of,” Bennett said. “We will have 24/7 police coverage; however, this is not a permanent solution. It helps us and it helps the county, gives us protection, and gives them two additional officers for their department.”

In other business, the council:

•discussed treatment of wastewater lagoons, but took no action and will study the matter further;

•discussed possible grants with Communities Unlimited;

•proclaimed February as Black History Month;

•approved an agreement for an election to be held in May. Three council members — Joe Don Kennedy, Billy Jones and Mayor Pro Tem Steven Casper, are up for election; and

•approved a $8,702.46 payment to Inframark for water and wastewater services.