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June 13, 2019 - Mangum and Taylor Funeral Homes are honored to serve families during their time of need and also take great pride in supporting the community and its residents throughout the year.
For the second year in a row, Mangum and Taylor Funeral Homes have presented one senior from each high school in Shelby County with a $500 scholarship. The staff would like to wish each recipient the best as they pursue future endeavors.
2019 Scholarship Recipients are as follows:
Timpson High School – Tyciuna Earl, daughter of Rodergus and Roneshia Earl
Center High School – Axel Luna, son of Antonio and Ana Luna
Joaquin High School – Alaina Godinez, daughter of Linda Raybon
Shelbyville – Jasmine Osby, daughter of Mario and Teresa Osby
Tenaha High School -- Jaquavion Lloyd, son of Rhonda McCollister and Terry Harris
Rotary Club members with (front row) Adam Rameriz and his graphic design students. Edwin Morin is the student in the purple Roughrider shirt.
June 12, 2019 - Rotary Club of Center selected the winning logo for the 30th East Texas What-A-Melon Festival from eight entries submitted by Center ISD graphic design students. At the winning logo reveal, the designer was announced to be Edwin Morin who is now a 2019 graduate of Center HS.
The graphic design entries were submitted by the students of Adam Ramirez who teaches graphic design and illustration. He challenged his students to design the festival logo and the winning design received a $100 prize. Rotary Club President Hollie Adams presented the prize money to Morin during the Rotary Club meeting.
The artwork will be featured on the What-A-Melon festival shirts and festival promotions. The What-A-Melon Festival is set for July 11th, 12th, and 13th.
June 11, 2019 - Roma's Italian Restaurant on Shelbyville Street in Center is closed without any notice to the public. In a response to whether or not they were reopening at a different location, they advised they were opening a restaurant in Crocket and closing their location in Center.
June 10, 2019 - On Saturday, June 1, 2019, while attending the Lions Club State Convention in Waxahachie, District Governor Roger Doyle, of the Center Noon Lions Club, was presented with the Lions Club International Foundation "Helping Hands" award for his service to the Hurricane Harvey Task Force during the 2018-2019 year. Shown presenting the award to DG Roger are Past International President J. Frank Moore III from Daleville, Alabama (left) and Past International Director Sam Lindsey Jr. from Hilltop Lakes, Texas (right)
June 7, 2019 - Winners of the benefit raffle for Allison Harbison were drawn Friday, June 7, 2019 following the chicken sandwich fundraiser and bake sale which were a sold out success. The family of Allison Harbison extends their sincere appreciation on her behalf to everyone who helped by donating, volunteering, and buying plates and tickets.
The winners are:
Click image above for a larger version
June 6, 2019 - The 75th Anniversary of D-Day was recognized on Thursday, June 6th, 2019 by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 8904 and Auxiliary members.
The event was opened by Larry Hume, Post Quartermaster, and an opening prayer was led by Joy Hutto, Auxiliary Chaplain.
"We're here today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of one of the most important dates in our history that's commonly known as D-Day," said Larry Hume, Post Quartermaster. "Code named Operation Overlord D-Day was the turning point in World War II."
Post and Auxiliary members gathered before the Shelby County Veterans Memorial with community members on the Historic 1885 Courthouse grounds to lay a memorial wreath.
Hume thanked everyone for attending and gave a brief history of D-Day.
"D-Day was the turning point in World War II. June 6, 1944 saw the start of the largest air and sea operation in military history and remains so today," said Hume.
Hume stated, on D-Day the Allies landed around 156,000 troops of which 73,000 were Americans.
"It's hard to conceive the epic scope of this decisive battle that foreshadowed the end of Hitler's deam of Nazi domination," said Hume.
Hume described it was the largest air, land and sea operation before or since D-Day. It included over 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplaines and over 150,000 servicemen.
"After years of meticulous planning and seemingly endless training for the troops, the Allied forces it came down to this, the boat ramp goes down, then they jump, swim, run, crawl to the cliffs," said Hume. "Many of the first young men, most not yet 20 years old, entered the surf carrying 80 pounds of equipment, and they faced over 200 yards of beach before reaching the first natural feature offering any protection. Many were killed as they left the landing craft."
Hume explained they were blanketed by small arms fire and bracketed by artillery, they found themselves in "Hell."
"When it was over, the Allied forces had suffered nearly 10,000 casualties and more than 4,000 were dead. Yet, somehow due to planning and preparation and due to the valor, the fidelity and sacrifice of the Allied forces fortress Europe had been breeched," said Hume.
There is no official casualty figure and Hume said the total Allied casualties on D-Day are estimated at 10,000 and U.S. Forces lost over 6,600 that day.
In remembrance of those from Shelby County who were in Europe on D-Day or just after, their names were read aloud by members of the Post and community:
Laying the memorial wreath was Robert Hughes, followed by the playing of Taps presented by Gene Hutto, Post Commander.
June 7, 2019 - A BBQ, Bake Sale, and Raffle benefit for Shelby County Judge Allison Harbison is set for Friday, June 7th at 11am at Raymond Motor Company.
There will be plates which include BBQ chicken sandwich, chips, pickles, sliced onion and a drink for $8.
There will be baked items for sale at the benefit along with a lemonade stand.
A live benefit raffle will also be at the event.
Raffle tickets are $20 each or 6 for $100. Big raffle items are a Women's basket valued at $1,500 and a Men's basket valued at $1,500. The women's basket includes a Louis Vuitton Graceful PM in Damier Ebene print and various gifts. The men's basket includes Browning .308 rifle and various gifts. Also, there are multiple individual raffles. For raffle tickets, contact Heather Harbison at 936-590-2055, Summer and John Koltonski, or Carriston Hendricks.
The Harbison family would like to thank the following businesses and individuals for their generous donations: Ray Jones Chevrolet - oil change; Hughes Florist - large candle; ACE Hardware - Yeti Roadie cooler; Raymond Motor Company - 2 oil changes; Center Glass - gift certificate; The Century Shoppe - 2 gift certificates; Jasper Corbell Loft - CA Jewelry; Ivan Smith Furniture - clock; White Cottage - gift basket; Lasting Impressions - makeup bag set and Kendra Scott earrings; Mooney's Emporium - candle and car scent set; Southern Seasons - jar of pickles, necklace, candle melts; Payne & Payne Home and Suchlike - notepad set; Elite Hair Design - T-shirt, cap, wet brush, hair product set; Covington Lumber - air and refrigerator purifiers; Napa Auto Parts - race car transporter; The Balcony - bath set; Wright Chrysler Dodge Jeep - 2 oil changes; Southern Lemonade - gift certificate; Double J Bar-B-Que; Parker Package Store - whiskey basket; Blake Furniture - home decor items; McAdams Propane - fish cooker; Pink Anchor Embroidery - monogram towels set; Philip Crelia - Day Bass Fishing trip to Rayburn Lake; and Sanford and Sons - engraved boulder valued at $500.
On April 1 Allison Harbison had a seizure. She was transported to Tyler by helicopter and the doctors found a brain bleed. She stayed at Christus Mother Frances in Tyler from April 1 to April 15, with most of her hospital stay being spent in ICU. She returned home and was making good progress when she had another seizure in April 26. She was again transported by helicopter to Tyler and the doctors discovered an aneurysm. Because of the size and type of aneurysm the doctors transferred her to UT Southwestern in Dallas on April 27. On April 28 the doctors were able to repair the aneurysm by placing a pipeline in her brain. As of now she is making steady progress but she is still in ICU in Dallas. Allison and her family would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support.
Judge Harbison has been a dedicated public servant of Shelby County since 2001. She was County Clerk for 14 years and has been County Judge since 2015.
June 6, 2019 - Farmers, ranchers and timber growers, have you filed a productivity appraisal with the Shelby County Appraisal District office? Under Texas law, agricultural producers are allowed to pay property taxes based on the productivity value of their land rather than on the market value. This means the land is taxed based on its ability to produce crops, livestock or timber – not on its value in the real estate market. This could mean substantial property tax savings. For more details, call the Shelby County District Appraisal office at (936) 598-6171.
June 5, 2019 - Five local high school students will be headed to college with a scholarship from Nacogdoches Medical Center (NMC). Each year the hospital awards deserving students $1,000 to help start them on their college journey. This year five exceptional students were selected from among dozens of applicants.
“We are pleased to be able to help support the future goals of our local students,” said Phil Koovakada, NMC CEO. “There are so many extraordinary young women and men in our community. These five stand out as the best of the best. We wish them much success in their college careers.”
This year’s winners are:
Applications for the NMC scholarships are available at all area schools.
May 31, 2019 - (Album1, Album2) - VFW Post 8904 and Auxiliary hosted a Memorial Day program at the 1885 Historic Shelby County Courthouse on May 27, 2019.
Leading the program was VFW Post Quartermaster Larry Hume. Opening the event with an invocation was David Mathis, First Baptist Church Minister.
VFW Post 8904 Sr. Vice Commander Newton Johnson, Jr. posted the ceremonial rifle with Kenneth Dickerson. This was followed by the National Anthem performed and led by Mathis.
Gold Star familes were recognized during the event. They included:
Following the presentations of Gold Star banners to the families, the First Baptist Church Trio performed "In Flanders Fields."
The Shelby County 4-H Heart to Hand Quilts of Valor members, accompanied by Dr. Jheri-Lynn McSwain, presented two Quilts of Valor. The first was to Mike Langford and was sponsored by Woodmen Life Chapter 250. The second was to Gene Hutto and was sponsored by Woodmen Life Chapter 250.
Quilts of Valor Hearts to Hand members include Michelle Gomez, Fatima Romero, Rena Clark, Victoria Warren, Michele Clark, Joshua Clark, Autumn Alford, Lynette Alford, Jenny Salter, and Margaret Smith.
VFW Post 8904 members read names for the Roll Call of Honor in rememberance of those who lost their lives in service. The names can be heard on a video by clicking this link.
Audience members assisted VFW and Auxiliary members in decorating the memorial wreath. Following the decoration of the wreath, Leigh Porterfield performed "Last Full Measure of Devotion," which was then followed by a moment of silence.
Newton Johnson, Jr. and Kenneth Dickerson then escorted the wreath to the Shelby County Veterans Memorial outside there courthouse where the wreath was placed, flags were raised and Taps were played as presented by Mike Langford.
VFW Post 8904 Memorial Day Program Opening, Gold Star Presentations
First Baptist Church Trio Performs "In Flanders Fields"
Quilts of Valor Presentations
Roll Call of Honor
Leigh Porterfield Performs "Last Full Measure of Devotion"
Wreath Escort, Wreath Laying