News

From owning a business to being a published author, the freshman with the highest grade point average in Forney High School has her hands quite full. Katherine Spiller, daughter of Andrew and Maggie Spiller, gracefully balances more ventures than many adults, while remaining a humble soft-spoken young lady on top of it all.

One of the busiest gardening months of the year is here. March weather can be very fickle – it could still freeze since average last freeze in Kaufman County is around March 30, and yet it still could be very balmy and pleasant most of the month. Freezing weather mainly affects the timing of planting cold-sensitive plants, like tomatoes or begonias. If you decide to take chances with tender plants, be prepared to give them a protective covering. Keep in mind – the old wives tale states that if it thunders in February, it will freeze in April. We had thunder in February…so be cautious about planting too soon.

Forney High School graduate and current freshman at the University of South Carolina Upstate, Bracie Vaughn, is setting records. She recently clocked a new fastest time for USC Upstate in the 60m hurdles at the Big South Indoor Track and Field Championships in Winston-Salem, South Carolina. In the preliminary round, Bracie placed third with a time of 8.56, an achievement that advanced her to the finals and simultaneously broke her school’s record. In the finals round, she placed 6th, finishing at 8.60.

The Forney High School Highstepper Elite Team recently competed at the National Dance Alliance (NDA) Nationals in Orlando, Florida and won several trophies.

The “KAUFMAN COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICT #6” will be there to help, but you may be wondering the following: “Just what is this organization or group; what types of help can be provided; who are the providers?”

The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) released its Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 sharing numerous accomplishments as it continues to deliver vital water, wastewater and solid waste services in the North Texas region. All services continued without interruption despite the ongoing global pandemic, the historic winter storm, and an increasing population of the 2,200 square-mile area served by NTMWD.

Texas Game Wardens are currently accepting applications for summer internships across the state. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department encourages college students of all backgrounds and fields of study to apply for these 12 available openings.

Kaufman County East Young Marines accepted the invitation to volunteer for the BONEFROG Navy Seal Obstacle Course Challenge held on March 05, 2022, at COUSINS Paintball of Forney, TX. This amazing 3+ plus mile run with over 20 obstacles was a first for the 6 participating Young Marines. The Young Marines formed a buddy system of 3 teams of two and placed among themselves in this order.

Members of the Crandall High School band competed at the Region 3 UIL Solo and Ensemble competition this past Saturday, Feb. 26. Almost 120 students claimed individual awards at the event, hosted by Garland ISD.

The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) will temporarily change the disinfectant in its water treatment process from March 1 through March 29, 2022. The annual, routine change is necessary to maintain the regional system and yearround water quality for the more than two million customers NTMWD serves in a 10-county region in North Texas in a 2,200-square-mile service area. NTMWD provides a capacity of more than 876 million gallons of treated water per day through more than 610 miles of transmission pipelines.

The support of a community for a school district is necessary for the success of its students. The Forney community’s support for Forney ISD and the Forney Education Foundation has again shown itself to be amazing.

The long-running coronavirus pandemic has fueled a lot of anxieties – including financial ones. But some people have had far fewer worries than others.

I love hunting wild hogs as I’m sure most readers of my column have learned through the past several decades. I even wrote a book on the subject a few years ago. There is something very exciting about sitting over a corn feeder, whether during the day or at night, and first hearing a sounder of hogs coming through the woods and then having them appear.