Local Interest

The enduring power of the “Love and Rockets” comics by Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez lies in the storytelling.

Critics have focused on particular aspects – the influence of Mexican-American culture, the influence of punk rock, the drawing styles, and of course, the now-venerable reaction of “Boy, those are some mighty grown-up themes for a comic book!” But the readers keep coming back because, 34 years after “Love and Rockets” started, they still love the stories.

An official Texas State Historical Marker - the first of its kind in Chinese - was unveiled at the birthplace of Lt. Gen. Claire Lee Chennault at 1509 Monroe St. in Commerce on Oct. 14. About 300 people attended the dedication ceremony, which was broadcast live on KETR.

In a press conference Thursday, October 1st, Texas A&M University-Commerce president Dr. Dan Jones introduced Tim McMurray as his choice for Director of Athletics at the school, a position left by Ryan Ivey early in the fall.

On the October episode of The President's Perspective, Jones and McMurray talk about Lion Athletics, how to take a program from "great" to "even better," and details about McMurray's own history and personal life.

Texas A&M University-Commerce is honored to host Dr. David Montejano, Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California-Berkeley, on Tuesday, Sept. 29. He will be speaking in Ferguson Auditorium on the campus of A&M-Commerce at 2 p.m.  Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

Former Dallas Cowboys All-Pro Guard Nate Newton has some words for parents who have casually allowed their child to play football until high school, at which point they become concerned about head injuries.

“If you’re not going to teach kids how to tackle properly in Pop Warner and you’re not going to teach them how to tackle properly in middle school – and then you start worrying about it in high school, it’s a little bit too late,” Newton said.

 The City of Commerce along with assistance from Texas A&M University-Commerce has been testing mosquitoes for various diseases by trapping them and sending them to the Department of State Health Services.  On August 12, 2015, emergency management officials released information notifying citizens that a positive test was received for the West Nile virus. Although the areas that tested positive on August 12 are now testing negative, the City has received two additional tests that have come back with a positive reading for West Nile virus. 

Luke visits with Lake Fork Fishing guide Seth Vanover this week to discuss catching big coolers full of good eating channel catfish.

On a Sunday afternoon in late May, thirty-three college students and one Dr. LaVelle Hendricks of Texas A&M University-Commerce boarded a charter bus bound for Birminghim, Alabama - a city that has played host to some of the most significant events in American civil rights history.

The week long journey would take the group through Selma and on to Montgomery before the week was out.

  In May of 2015, the Texas House of Representatives voted 98-47 in favor of a bill that would allow Texas' concealed-carry license holders to carry weapons onto state and private university campuses, which Texas' governor Greg Abbott quickly signed into law.

  To tournament volunteer coordinator Adam Miller, young Craig "Monster" Bowers was "one of these all-American kids - a high school athlete whom everyone loved." 

This week, Alice Reese gives high marks to the dazzlingly creative comedy "Inside Out" and the touching drama "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl." Another drama, "Aloft," also merits a thumbs-up.

There have been at least two dozen deaths from recent flash flooding in Texas.

Some of those helping state teams search for flood victims work in UT-Southwestern’s emergency medicine department.

There was a slow turnout for the Friends of Doctors Creek Park annual Catfish Tournament on Cooper Lake on Saturday, May 9. However there were lots of big catfish weighed in. First place winner was Brian Dorner weighing in stringer of five fish at 73.40 pounds. Second place winner was Johnny Ward stringer weighing 56.50 pounds and third place was Jason Barrett with stringer weighing 42.10 pounds. Female catching the biggest fish was Carol Larkin with fish weighing 33.00 pounds winning a super fishing rod donated by Skinner's Tin Top Bait Shop.

The Holocaust is memorialized on a number of different days in countries around the world. In Israel this year, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, begins at sundown on April 15 and continues until sundown on April 16.

Aleksandra Goode's story of enduring and surviving the Holocaust continues today in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Keller, where she works with International Guardian Angels Outreach. Goode co-founded the organization, which assists orphaned children in Russia.

RJ Mitte, 22, made his way to Texas A&M University-Commerce to speak at the Mayo Prestigious Speaker event.

On Wednesday local artist Hannah Kirby was not saved by America’s votes but by her coach, Blake Shelton on NBC’s “The Voice.”

With the Spring brings more weekend events in Delta County. For this weekend the Masonic Lodge #1240 will be hosting their annual egg hunt on Saturday morning, April 4 at 9 a.m. at the City Park in Cooper. There were will be hundreds of eggs for children to hunt and maybe even a surprise visit from the Easter bunny too!

Since coming onto the Dallas music scene with their debut, crowd funded album in 2013, Dead Flowers continue to evolve and mature, as heard on their latest "His Blues" album. With members from diverse backgrounds and influences, they continue to find new ways to implement wildly different sounds into their rock-oriented recordings.