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A Free Medical Clinic Opened in Rural East Texas. Thousands Poured in for help.

Dr. Doug Curran treats a patient at the East Texas Community Clinic’s original location in Gun Barrel City in November. The clinic has since moved into a bigger building down the road. Credit: Blaine Young/Public Health Watch

A Free Medical Clinic Opened in Rural East Texas. Thousands Poured in for help.

By Kim Krisberg and David Leffler, Public Health Watch Gary Reaves, who owns a plant nursery in the nearby town of Malakoff, sometimes dropped by with lunch for the front-desk staff. His home shares a fence line with Curran’s ranch.

It’s Fall Y’all
It’s Fall Y’all

It’s Fall Y’all

Crispy cool mornings, soft pjs, ludicrously priced mum pots that never bloom all the way, pumpkins in pastel colors, high school football, the smell and color and taste of cloves and cinnamon: These are a few of my favorite things. Don’t misunderstand. I am a summer girl through and through. Cold natured to my core, you will never hear me complain about the heat. But, I cannot deny the excitement I feel when that first temp dip hits hard. It’s easier to breathe. It’s easier to linger outside at night with a few less mosquitos lying in wait. The stores burst at their seams with plaid and houndstooth and muted dark colors. Pumpkin everything is king. There is, of course, a meme I love to reference that perfectly details the metamorphosis of a southern woman in fall. There’s this pug. That’s already funny seeing as… it’s a pug. She’s swathed in a chunky fall scarf. She’s got a Starby’s cup and Ugg boots. She has long, luxurious hair. The caption reads “five minutes after I see a leaf hit the ground.” Sure, our days may flirt with the 90s for a bit longer, but our nights are the stuff of dreams.

OUTDOORS

The season for catching trophy class blue catfish is underway. Lake Tawakoni guide Tony Pennebaker (front) shows off a big one landed by Jeff Rice.

OUTDOORS

WITH LUKE CLAYTON

Local Student Named
Local Student Named

Local Student Named 2023 National Merit Semifinalist

Emily Quentin, daughter of Chris and Kindra Quentin, was recently named a National Merit Semifinalist. Quentin, a senior this year, has been a homeschool student for the last nine years. This prestigious honor is a result of scoring in the top 1% of all students who took the Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSATNMSQT) in their junior year of high school. With qualifying as a Semifinalist as her goal, Emily studiously prepared for the exam with a tutor as well as taking the SAT two other times in preparation. Out of nearly two-million testtakers nationwide, the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program recently announced the names of over 16,000 students across the U.S. who qualified as semifinalists, with Texas boasting nearly 1600 of those students as residents. Ultimately, each of these young scholars is vying for a chance to be awarded scholarships, and the Program is expected to distribute nearly $28 million in scholarships to Merit Scholars in 2023.

A Free Medical Clinic Opened in Rural East Texas

Glen Robison, CEO of the East Texas Community Clinic, in his Athens office in November. Robison is in charge of securing the clinic’s long-term funding. Credit: Blaine Young/Public Health Watch

A Free Medical Clinic Opened in Rural East Texas. Thousands Poured in for help.

By Kim Krisberg and David Leffler, Public Health Watch Juanita Franklin, 58, the woman who had seen the clinic’s sign on her way to volunteer at church, was among the clinic’s first patients. She and her husband, Kevin, had spent eight years trying to find consistent care for his prostate cancer.

Crandall ISD Celebrates Teachers for

Crandall ISD Celebrates Teachers for World Teachers Day, October 5

Teachers cultivate the minds of their students and help guide them through aspects of life. Wednesday, October 5th is World Teachers Day. It is a day when international teachers are given a big thank you for all their hard work. World Teachers day has been celebrated since 1994 and it is a day to recognize all that teachers have done to transform education as a whole. It is a day of celebration for all of their hard work and the change that has come from it. Every year a theme is attached to the day. This year the theme is “teachers at the heart of education recovery” and the focus of the day is how can school districts and the community partner with their teachers to help make the recovery process easier. There are always so many webinars that occur on World Teachers day as well, so everyone can listen and learn from professionals on the best ways to help teachers. Often teachers will be asked to share their stories so everyone can get an inside look. There are so many resources online where you can find these stories and webinars. Teachers are teaching students not only how to think for themselves but also to help get aspects of education back on track. CISD is so thankful for everything our teachers do!

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