News

District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley announced September 2nd the conviction of Stanley Gerald Champ of Scurry, Texas of the offense of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 14 which is a 1st degree felony. On September 1, 2022, following a fourday jury trial before the Honorable Casey Blair in the 86th District Court of Kaufman County, a jury found Champ guilty and sentenced him to LIFE.

They called us the TV generation. Because that was pretty much all we had. No smartphones. No computers. No internets.

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer mainly occurs in middle-aged or older women. In fact, the median age at the time of a breast cancer diagnosis is 62. Though it’s possible for women far younger than 62 to be diagnosed with breast cancer, the ACS reports that only a very small number of women younger than 45 are diagnosed with the disease each year. Despite the average age of onset being over 60, breast cancer is highly treatable. The World Health Organization notes that breast cancer treatments routinely achieve survival probabilities of 90 percent or higher. However, those probabilities decline considerably in lower-income countries where access to screening and other medical services is limited. For example, the WHO notes that five-year survival rates for breast cancer routinely surpass 90 percent in highincome countries like the United States and Canada. However, those rates are as low as 40 percent in South Africa, where early detection of the disease is less likely than it is in wealthier nations. That disparity in survival rates underscores the need for greater resource allocation in lowerincome countries, but also highlights the effectiveness of screening and other measures in high-income countries where women are taught to report any abnormalities with their breasts.

On Tuesday September 13th, the City of Forney will be hosting an open house to discuss the following propositions in the upcoming Bond Election: Proposition A ($45.8 million) | this proposition includes expansion of the existing Fire Station 2, construction of a new Fire Station 1, and construction of a new Fire Station 3.

Ask Paige Vadnais, the new student regent for Stephen F. Austin State University’s Board of Regents, to list the things in life most important to her, and she will quickly respond, “My family and my dogs, whom I also consider family.”

Mayor Daniel Alemán, Jr., expressed his sympathy today for the loss of life and thanked City staff for their response in this statement today.

May commencement ceremonies return to the Ferrell Center for the first time in two years.

Students Honored on the Dean’s Academic Honor List at Baylor University

With the school year comfortably underway, the Forney Education Foundation has “started” school as well. Not that FEF took the summer off for vacation. Instead we were busy helping the students in Forney ISD. The Foundation was involved in the Summer STEAM camps by providing lunch to camp instructors and student workers every Thursday for 6 weeks, as well as reimbursing 83 students who qualified.

As we traverse through life, I think most of us ponder and wonder about our purpose - the reason for our experience on the planet at this particular time. What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of me? (Gulp.)

I love a good euphemism. Before I launch into the matters at hand today, let’s dive into the legend of ‘ole Sam Hill and try and ascertain, as Cotton Eyed Joe would say, “Where did he come from? Where did he go?” Yes, I know the title reads Scam and not Sam. We’ll get there. It’s as clear as mud, right? In the center of downtown Prescott, AZ, there stands a building on Montezuma Street. These days, it’s a wedding venue, but back in the early to mid 1800s, it was a mercantile owned by….yep, Sam Hill. Oh, but the oddities Sam sold. The town folk were so enamored of Sam’s strange wares, he became an expression! See an animal you’ve never seen before? “What in the Sam Hill is that?” Get stuck waiting for your husband to pick you up from town in the horse and buggy? “Where in the Sam Hill have you been?” So, Sam Hill hails from the old west, then, as American as the OK Corral or a journey toward a gold rush. But, wait. Maybe the meaning is far more macabre. Essayist and journalist Henry Mencken swore the expression stemmed from the name Samiel, the character of the devil in a German opera, Der Freischutz, performed in NYC in 1825. The popularity of this opera had everyone and their momma proclaiming “What in the Samiel” on the streets of the big apple. See, back in 1825, one dared not use the term devil, for fear of an actual summoning. Samiel, probably once it hit Texas, land of adding all vowels to words whether they need them or not, turned into Sayom Heiiul. So, Sam was a demon. Here’s the real truth. Who knows? See, Sam Hill was also a legislator in colonial Connecticut from 1727 – 1752. Also, he was a famous Michigan surveyor AND a Pacific Northwest millionaire in the roaring twenties. What he wasn’t, however, so far as I can tell, was a guy with a fake office set up in his living room who called around and threatened folks for money. Let me tell you about my run in with a scam artist.

Are You Properly Insured?

By Carey Kinsolving (Part 2 of 2)