News

The opener of the general whitetail season is right around the corner. This week, Luke's good friend Jeff Rice drops by to give a current northeast Texas whitetail update as well as some expert tips on videoing your next hunt. 

Commerce Mayor Wyman Williams says the City Council will consider a tax-abatement agreement in a special meeting tonight (October 22) for Huaru Group Holding, Inc. to open a manufacturing facility in the former Zurn Industries building at 116 Maple St. in Commerce.  Plastic pipe would be produced in the facility. The council will also consider a conditional-use permit to allow an expansion of the Fix and Feed store at 2500 Mangum St.

Wayne Bowman, Hunt County Master Gardener, says trees can be planted year round if they are planted from containers, with "ball roots" (covered with soil).  The hole should be about three times the size of the ball.  Wayne also says leaves should be raked into flower beds and gardens rather than bagged and sent to the landfill.

I played junior high football for the Fannindel schools in Ladonia. Our games routinely took us across all manner of country roads throughout Fannin County. One evening, as we travelled through the small city of Windom our coach/bus driver began telling us about the Bartley-Woods School. 

            Dr. David Graham Hall was born in 1858 in New Hampshire. Hall obtained a Harvard education and became a doctor, eventually setting up a practice in Dallas. This medical practice attracted attention that was controversial to say the least. Hall earned the nickname “Shooting Doctor” due to the large hypodermic needles he used. Additionally, there were incidents with an experimental typhoid vaccine that would turn the skin of patients blue. But it is not the medical practices of Dr. Hall that should be remembered, it is his charitable work.

Derek Price, author of the nationally syndicated "Cargazing" column that appears in the Herald-Banner, reflects on the rising popularity of electric cars in Europe, where sales of electric vehicles now amounts to 10 percent of all cars sold. 

Bert Cooper, director of Community Seeds in Lone Oak, says through the "Farmers to Famlies" program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Go Fresh USA, Community Seeds has given away more than 25,000 boxes of food since April.  Bert says the new incubator kitchen, which will allow entrepreneurs to prepare food products for commercial sale, will open in downtown Lone Oak around November 1.

This week Luke visits with Mr. Coy Hirth with Slappy's Hog Trapping. Coy has found a way to get the excellent meat from the wild hogs he traps to families that really need it. His 'model' works like this: He traps hogs that are tearing up farmers fields or the lawns of businesses, field dresses the animals and delivers them to Kuby's Game Processing in Dallas where for a nominal fee, the wild pork is processed. Hirth then arranges for the meat to go to families that need it.

Steve Killian, superintendent of Cooper Lake State Park, says the park is making plans to extend the trails in the South Sulphur Unit by about 10 miles, by connecting existing trails.  The park could use volunteers to help building the trails, he says.  The park continues to see an increase of 20 percent or more in attendance, Steve Says, and the park's 14 cabins are booked about a month in advance.

Dr. LaVelle Hendricks, associate professor of counseling at Texas A&M-Commerce and a faculty leader of the recent civility project, discusses the results of a survey on the campus engagement of the university's faculty, staff and administrators. the survey finds 26 percent disengaged, 44 percent partially engaged, and 30 percent fully engaged.

Sarah Latham, Rains County Agrilife Extension Agent, reflects on a study that says most children do not get enough sleep, leading to problems with being overweight and trouble in school.

Kim Saenz, the director of the Hunt Regional Emergency Centers in Commerce and Quinlan, says the Hunt Regional Board of Directors has tabled a proposal to convert the Emergency Center in Commerce into an urgent-care center, which would not be open 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week.  Otherwise, Kim says she believes many people continue to avoid seeking medical care during the coronavirus pandemic.

In southeastern Fannin County, between the cities of Ladonia and Honey Grove stand the remains of a little country general store. The business once had gas pumps and a blacksmith shop in addition to the main store. Today, all that is left is the main building, a small, A-frame, tin building and a sign proclaiming "Welcome to Bug Tussle."

Commerce's Grammy-Award winning music producer Brad Davis has opened a music-supply store, Brick Row Music, in his downtown Commerce recording studio.  Brad also says a tour is being planned with his long-time associate Billy Bob Thornton that would include Billy Bob and three other well-known singers in a group similar to the Highwaymen or the Traveling Wilburys.

This week, Luke visits with Lindsay Thomas with QDMA ( Quality Deer Management Association - www.qdma.com). and gives a good overview of what the organization is all about. If you are a whitetail hunter, make sure and tune in to this weeks show.  

Alice Reese, Herald-Banner movie critic, enjoyed two movies that have been released for theaters this week, "The War with Grandpa," starring Robert DeNiro, and "On the Rocks" with Bill Murray.

Sarah Latham, Rains County Agrilife Extension Agent, reflects on a Texas A&M Agrilife-USDA project to reverse a dramatic decline in the population of honey bees.  Scientists are attempting to improve the nutrition of the bees, which declined 40 percent in 2018-19.  Sarah also discusses an

Pud Kearns with Housewarmers of Greenville reminds us that the annual Bras for

Jim Ayres of the Commerce Rotary Club says the second "Waves of Glory" event, honoring veterans and, this year, first responders, with U.S. flags in City Park, will take place Saturday, Nov. 7 through Friday, Nov. 13, encompassing Veteran's Day.  Veterans and first responders, living and dead, can be nominated for recognition through Oct. 16 at commercewavesofglory.com.

Emily Glass, former Sulphur Springs mayor and co-owner of the Venue at two-nineteen, discusses the city council's decision to seek a $2.6 million grant for developing a heavy-industrial road serving the former Thermo mine property.  The road would be necessary for industrial development of the property, which is under consideration by the zoning board, although most of the property would still be developed as a recreational area.  Also, Emily says plans have been made for a drive-t