Shelby County Today

September 15, 2015 - The Texas Attorney General’s Office Child Support Division set a record by collecting more than $3.9 billion in child support for the state fiscal year that ended Aug. 31. The $3.9 billion in collections benefitted 943,000 families and topped the previous year’s record by $186 million.

"The efficient and effective collection of child support is of benefit both to Texas families and to Texas taxpayers, helping provide security for children and ensuring that noncustodial parents support their children – not the state," Attorney General Ken Paxton said. "Our state is blessed by the dedication of the hard-working men and women of our Child Support Division, who once again have raised the bar when it comes to protecting the financial well-being of Texas children."

“By ensuring that parents financially support their children – rather than taxpayer-funded public assistance programs – the Child Support Division saved taxpayers an estimated $1.76 billion in state fiscal year 2014, as child support payments reduced the need for TANF, food stamps and Medicaid,” said Deputy Director for Child Support Mara Friesen.

The Texas Attorney General’s Child Support Division ranks first nationally in the amount of child support collected, a position it has held for the past eight years. Texas also ranks first in collections per child support employee and cost effectiveness. According to the federal government’s latest annual report, collections per Texas child support employee averaged $1.4 million in Fiscal Year 2014, compared to the national average of $565,000 per employee. In addition, by collecting $11.34 for every dollar spent, Texas is first in cost effectiveness, besting the national cost effectiveness ratio of $5.25 by 216 percent.

The $3.9 billion collected in state fiscal year 2015 helped more than 240,000 families who once received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families maintain their self-sufficiency without public assistance.

Under state and federal law, the Office of the Attorney General can assist families who request child support services and must serve families who currently receive or have received public assistance. Services offered by the Child Support Division include locating absent parents; establishing paternity for children born to unmarried parents; establishing, enforcing and modifying child and medical support orders; and collecting and distributing child support payments.

The Attorney General’s Child Support Division is the most successful and cost-effective program in the nation. The division currently administers 1.5 million child support cases, serving 1.7 million children. The division collects $11.34 for every $1 spent to operate the program and collected $3.7 billion in child support in Federal FY 2014.

September 14, 2015  - State Highway 7 East in Moodyville was the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Friday, September 11, 2015.

According to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Keith Jones, at 1:20pm a red 4-door Ford Focus riven by Eva Gamble, 71; Eva Law Gamble, 93, and a third female passenger, age 73, were traveling west on State Highway 7 through Moodyville.

At the same time, a silver Subaru Forester driven by Collin Kathleen Bush, 30, of Center was traveling west when Bush turned left into a private driveway and failed to yield right of way to oncoming traffic, which caused the Focus to strike the right side of the Forester head-on.

ACE EMS transported all three occupants of the Focus from the scene to Nacogdoches Medical Center - Center Emergency Department for treatment and all were later released.

Bush was issued a citation for failure to yield right of way turning left. Trooper Jones was assisted at the scene by Trooper Sgt. Kevin Hussey.

Child deaths on Texas roadways up 25 percent in 2014

September 14, 2015 - AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Transportation offers free child safety seat checks at the agency’s 25 statewide district offices and encourages all caregivers to make an appointment as part of national Child Passenger Safety Week, Sept. 13-19. TxDOT reminds all Texans that properly restraining their children while riding in vehicles is an everyday, year-round responsibility. It’s also the law.

“We’re not going to stop until every child in Texas is buckled into the correct safety seat for their age and size,” said TxDOT Executive Director LtGen Joe Weber, USMC (Ret). “It’s not only the law, but it’s also unacceptable for any child to die or be injured on our roads – especially if those deaths and injuries could have been prevented with the proper use of a safety seat.”

In 2014, crashes on Texas roads killed 81 children younger than 8 years of age. In 2013, that number was 67. Texas law requires all children under 8 years old – unless they are taller than 4 feet 9 inches – to be in a child safety seat whenever they ride in a passenger vehicle. Failure to properly restrain a child can result in a ticket up to $250.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports most parents are confident they have correctly installed their child’s safety seat, but 59 percent have not. Common child safety seat errors include: installing the seat too loosely; putting the harness straps through the wrong slots; leaving harness straps too loose; positioning the chest clip incorrectly; and using the wrong seat belt path.

Drivers should refer to their specific child safety seat manufacturer’s manual for instructions on how to install the safety seat. The vehicle owner’s manual also includes information on the proper placement of the safety seat and proper use of the seat belt or LATCH system.

To schedule a free child safety seat check with a nearby TxDOT Traffic Safety Specialist, text the word “seat” and your ZIP code to 876526. Drivers also can visit www.SaveMeWithASeat.com to learn if a child should be in a rear-facing seat, forward-facing seat or booster seat.

During Child Passenger Safety Week, two TxDOT safety demonstration vans will travel the state to show caregivers how to choose and install the correct safety seat for their child. The demo vans will appear at safety seat check events and media outlets.

For more information, contact TxDOT Public Information Officer Rhonda Oaks at (936) 633-4395 or Rhonda.Oaks@txdot.gov.

The information contained in this report represents reportable data collected from the Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report (CR-3). This information was received and processed by the department as of Sept. 1, 2015.

September 14, 2015 - The Piney Woods Photographic Society (PWPS) will be holding their monthly meeting this Saturday, September 19, 2015 in the basement of the First United Methodist Church, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Anyone interested in learning more about photography or just how to work their camera is invited to come. The monthly workshop will be "Photoshop Tips and Tricks" to help with fine tuning your pictures on your computer. The monthly Challenge is "Barns".

Billie Jones will also be accepting entries for the East Texas Poultry Festival Photography Contest during the meeting. Bring you entries to the basement of the First United Methodist Church from 9a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Anyone with questions or needing help can contact me at 935-598-7778 or 936-591-2426. Entry forms are available on SCT, Chamber of Commerce, Farmers State Bank and at the PWPS meeting.