Tyler County News - Breakout

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By Chris Edwards
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TYLER COUNTY – Twenty twenty-three began with a rash of serious rainfall in the region. Tyler County Emergency Management made residents aware of a flood watch, which was issued on Monday and remained in place until noon on Tuesday.

The flood watch affected Tyler, Hardin, Jefferson, Orange and the northern and southern parts of Jasper and Newton counties.

The downpours, which continued into early Tuesday morning in Tyler County, were part of a massive storm system that doused the entire southern region of the country, and in some areas, included damaging tornadoes.

Texas was affected by the storms with flash flooding and hail, and Gov. Greg Abbott activated emergency state response resources on Monday night.

“The State of Texas is proactively working to ensure Texans and their property remain safe from severe weather threats that could impact eastern regions of our state today and early tomorrow,” Abbott said in a statement.

Among the state agencies that the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) requested to be on standby during the storms were the Texas A&M Forest Service; Texas Parks and Wildlife and TxDOT. Abbott encouraged Texans to make a plan and build an emergency supply kit.

The impacts on the county included excessive runoff, which, Emergency Management warned, could result in the flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and flooding in poor drainage situations.

Some parts of Tyler County received between five and six inches of rain through the past seven days, according to NWS reporting.

According to AccuWeather reports, the storms affecting the multi-state region were affected by a “potent frontal system” powered by jet stream air currents flowing out of the Rocky Mountains.

At least four potential tornadoes in the South were reported by the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center since Monday.

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District Judge Delinda Gibbs-Walker swears-in the new Tyler County Judge Milton Powers. Powers’s wife Carol was on hand to hold the Bible as he was sworn-in. MOLLIE LA SALLE | TCB

By Mollie LaSalle
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WOODVILLE – The Honorable Earl Stover, III, of the 88th District Court officiated at the swearing in ceremony for newly elected (and re-elected) Tyler County officials, Tuesday, Jan. 3 in the District Courtroom of the Tyler County Courthouse.

Stover welcomed everyone in attendance, and introduced newly elected county judge Milton Powers, who gave the invocation, followed by the pledge of allegiance to the American and Texas flags by Atley Joy Heckman and Brodie-Ann Williams.

After recognizing several dignitaries in attendance, Stover welcomed State Representative Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin), who is District 57 representative in the Texas House, and who recently took over Tyler and Polk counties when James White retired and redistricting eliminated House District 19..

Ashby gave warm welcoming remarks before turning the program back over to Stover.

 

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By Mollie La Salle
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WOODVILLE – The Friends of Allan Shivers Library and Museum held a raffle for a Champion propane gas grill, Wednesday, Dec. 21. Felina Pence, president of Friends of the Library, along with Stanci Hensarling, vice president, and Carolyn Williams, head librarian and Roschelle Springfield, museum manager, were on hand to draw the winning entry.

Pence drew the winning ticket and announced that the winner was Allison Wilson. A total of $885 in sales from the raffle tickets were donated back to the Library and Museum by Pence.

This was the Friends of the Library and Museum’s first new fundraiser this year, and it was deemed a big success. The Friends of the Library and Museum are active supporters of the local library and museum. Opportunities to help include programming for children, teens, and adults, fund raising, volunteering, financial support, and community awareness. For more information on how you can help, or to volunteer, call 409-283-3709.

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By Chris Edwards
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LUFKIN – Residents within the Deep East Texas region are being asked to help verify a broadband availability map released recently by the FCC.

According to a news release from the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG), the map which can be viewed or downloaded at https://broadbandmap.ffc.gov/home, was designed with information available from regional internet service providers.

The federal government released the map showing what it believes is the type and speeds of internet service in the region, according to Mickey Slimp, who serves as DETCOG’s Broadband Project Manager.

“Rural leaders from throughout Texas have voiced concerns that the map exaggerates the actual service that is available,” Slimp said.

The process for individual households as well as communities in the region to challenge the map data can be found through the state’s Broadband Development Office, which was established in the last legislative session, as the process for providing reliable broadband, statewide, has been a priority item to the state legislature, as well as the regional COG.

The Broadband Office, which can be accessed online through: https://comptroller.texas.gov/programs/broadband/communities/maps/fcc, contains the information for challenges to the data to be filed.

Challenges can be based on several criteria, according to Slimp, including facts that providers have denied requests for service or demanded excessive connection fees. The deadline to submit a challenge is Jan. 13, 2023.

“More than $40 billion from the federal government will soon be sent to states to expand internet,” Slimp said, stressing the importance of the map’s findings. The FCC map will determine how that money is allocated among the states, with funding based on the number of unconnected homes on the map.

DETCOG has made broadband access its primary goal in recent years, and in a news release, stated that it will help ensure that Texas receives its fair share of the $40 billion, which is part of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure package. Biden announced in.

May that about 40% of the U.S. population is eligible for free internet, under a program dubbed the Affordable Connectivity Program, which was part of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law passage.

“If only one percent of [the FCC’s map] is inaccurate, 100,000 or more Texas homes could remain unserved,” Slimp said, and added that the problem is thought to be greater in rural areas, where the map inaccuracies could be as high as 25%. In Deep East Texas, that could equate to in excess of 31,000 homes.