John Mark Dempsey

Alice Reese, Herald-Banner movie critic, says while many movies scheduled for release have been put on hold by the coronavirus threat, some are being released for online viewing.  One she highly recommends that would have opened in theaters this weekend is the romance "Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always," although the cost will be a pricy $20.

Commerce Mayor Wyman Williams says he is concerned that some young people, with school not in session because of the coronavirus threat, are congregating in groups and not observing the social-distancing recommendations to stop the spread of the virus.  Also, the mayor says Commerce citizens are lagging behind the state average in completing the 2020 Census, and he's

Cynthia Beacom, Hunt County Master Gardener, says gardening is an excellent activity for people who are forced to stay home because of the coronavirus.  Gardening can burn up to 300 calories an hour.  On another topic, Cynthia says crepe myrtle bark scale is becoming a problem.  It is not fatal to the trees, but reduces their blooms and covers the trunks with a dark scaly substance.

Commerce Chamber of Commerce manager Paul Voss says the chamber has a Facebook page called "Commerce To Go" that provides information on take-out food services offered by Commerce restaurants. Paul says the city's businesses have risen to the occasion during the coronavirus crisis.

Commerce ISD superintendent Charlie Alderman says the cancellation of school due to the threat of the coronavirus was accompanied by the cancellation of many events involving students, including the Commerce High School robotics team, coached by Earvin Larry, going to Iowa to compete in a national contest.  The superintendent says students will not be required to take the STAAR test this year because of the virus situation.

Dr. Dale Funderburk, Texas A&M-Commerce economics professor, discusses the effect of the coronavirus on the economy.  Dr.

Kaylie Daniels, Texas A&M-Commerce Athletics nutitionist, says most of the tips she provides to Lion athletes would also be helpful to average people.  Kaylie says it's important not to try to make too many changes at once.  Making steady, gradual changes works best.  March is National Nutrition Month.

Dr. Bob Johnson, founder of the Commerce Community Action Program and a retired professor of social work at Texas A&M-Commerce, says C-CAP has distributed a fact sheet on ways to maintain good mental health during the coronavirus outbreak.

Dr.

Jeremy Gamez, our personal technology commentor, discusses the demands placed on computers when we are required to work from home.  Jeremy is employed by the Division of Business and Administration at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Commerce Mayor Wyman Williams says when the City Council meets next month on April 15, they expect to meet by video if the coronavirus situation is still the same.  The city is developing the capability to conduct a video-conference meeting, which is permissable by law if the public can participate, the mayor says.  The council met this week and received a report on how Hunt Regional Healthcare is dealing with the disease outbreak.  The mayor says

Charlie Alderman, Commerce ISD superintendent, says while school is closed because of the coronavirus threat, food packets are being distributed in a drive-thru fashion from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. for breakfast and from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for lunch at the A.C.

Tim McMurray, Texas A&M-Commerce athletic director, says the Lions will open the 2020 football season at home at 6 p.m., Saturday, September 5 against Simon Fraser, an NCAA Division 2 team from British Columbia, Canada.   The Lions will host perennial Division 2 playoff team Bowie State from Maryland, at 6 p.m. Saturday, September 19.  The homecoming game will be at 4 p.m., Saturday, October 24 vs. West Texas A&M.  The Lions host six home games during the 2020 season.

Kim Saenz, director of the Hunt Regional Emergency Centers in Commerce and Quinlan, says Hunt Regional has been holding meetings to make plans for dealing with the coronavirus.  She says visitors to the emegency centers and Hunt Regional Medical Center in Greenville are being screened at the door for possible coronavirus or other infection.  Kim says, to her knowledge, one person had been tested for coronavirus in the Greenville facility as of late last week.

Alice Reese, Herald-Banner movie critic, says the faith-inspired "I Still Believe," based on the story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp, will be a hit with the audiences that made "I Can Only Imagine" a major hit.  It is the work of Jon and Andrew Erwin, who made the previous movie.  Alice says "The Hunt," a highly controversial satire that portrays the hunting of humans for sport that was delayed from its planne

Dr. Karri McCreary, co-owner of the Greenville Animal Hospital, says it's not always easy to tell when a pet is in pain.  Pets' instinct may be to hide the pain, she says, because, in nature, it would be dangerous for them to show a weakness.

Penny Stark, organizer of the Freedom Folk Music Festival at the Texan Theater in downtown Greenville at 2 p.m. Saturday (March 14).  Among the performers is Hannah Kirby of Sulphur Springs, who gained a great deal of fame from a successful run on the NBC television program, "The Voice."  KETR's Matt Meinke, the host of "Notably Texan," will be the master of ceremonies.

Hunt County Master Gardener Wayne Bowman shares his early-spring gardening tips.

Tim McMurray, Texas A&M-Commerce athletic director, discusses the participation of the A&M-Commerce women's basketball team in the NCAA Division 2 regional tournament at Lubbock this weekend.  The Lions are the no. 2 seed and play Eastern New Mexico at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Dr. John Ballotti, Sherry Johnson and Debbie Patterson visit the Blacklands Cafe, representing the Commerce Community Action Program, or C-CAP.  Sherry discusses the planned bus trip to the Choctaw Casino in Durant, Okla., Wednesday, March 18.  The deadline to make a reservation is Thursday, March 12.  Debbie discusses the "We Care Fair" for non-profit organizations Saturday, April 25.  And Dr. Ballotti says the Community Garden, on property behind the First United Methodist Church, is ready for spring gardeners.

Steve Killian, superintendent of Cooper Lake State Park, says the park will be full of campers and other visitors the next two weeks for spring break.  Steve says about 50 percent of the park's visitors come from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Carol Taylor, Hunt County Historical Commission chairman, reflects on the arrival of the 2020s, 100 years after the "Roaring '20s" of the 20th Century.  Carol says the 1920s weren't so "roaring" in rural parts of Texas.

Our personal technology commentator, Jeremy Gamez, reflects on an article predicting the tech world of 2030.  Jeremy is space planning and utilization manager for the vice-president of business and administration office at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Dr. LaVelle Hendricks, associate professor of counseling at Texas A&M-Commerce, says a diversity, equity and inclusion meeting for A&M-Commerce students, faculty and staff will take place at 12 noon Tuesday in The Club of the Sam Rayburn Student Center. 

Alice Reese, Herald-Banner movie critic, says the latest adaptation of a Jane Austen novel, "Emma," is one of the best, with beautiful cinematography and witty dialogue.  Alice says she's surprised by the success of "Sonic the Hedgehog," the live action/animated comedy-adventure based on a popular video game.

Paul Voss, manager of the Commerce Chamber of Commerce, says the Chamber is involved in the community in many ways that are not obvious to most people.

Carol Taylor, chairman of the Hunt County Historical Commission, says a project is underway in cooperation with the Deparment of History at Texas A&M-Commerce to collect oral-history interviews with people who experienced integration during the 1960s in Hunt County.  The oral-history recordings will serve as a resource for future historians and other writers.

Pud Kearns with Housewarmers of Greenville says the Reecy Davis Sr. Recreation Center in Greenville has recently enjoyed some facility improvements.  The center, located at 4320 Lee Street west of downtown, offers senior citizens the opportunity for walking and other exercise activities.  A game room is open daily and line-dancing classes are offered on Wednesday morning.  Also, Pud reports that the AARP is offering tax-return help at the W.

Emily Glass, vice president of the Alliance Bank in Sulphur Springs and former mayor, says a recent report commissioned by the city of Sulphur Springs shows the land on the Thermo Mine property donated to the city is free of contamination.  She says the city is considering industrial development on the property as well as use of the property as a recreation area.