Henderson County Now

4-H offers plenty of opportunities for area kids

By Rick Hirsch/County Extension Agent

4-H is a national organization which helps young people develop life-long knowledge and skills to become engaged citizens. Youth of today should be preparing themselves to become leaders for tomorrow, and that’s where 4-H can play an important part. The 4-H project is the backbone of the youth development program. 4-H projects allow 4-H’ers to investigate areas that might be career opportunities for tomorrow.

Project opportunities are unlimited. Projects allow 4-H’ers to develop skills, ideas and knowledge to the fullest potential.

4-H clubs in Henderson County provide leadership, organizational, educational and recreational experiences. Through these clubs 4-H’ers learn the democratic process, self-expression, self-esteem and group cooperation – all essential elements in developing life skills. Continue reading “4-H offers plenty of opportunities for area kids”

Around the Town: Bartlett House porch fixed

By Loretta Humble/Around the Town

Great news! Remember that porch for the Bartlett House that we held that “O’Keeffe!” play to raise funds for? That we thought we didn’t make enough money to do it, and then Don, our parolee friend thought he would be able to do it for us, but the parole office over here would never let him out of his house arrest for enough time to do it before they made him move to Tyler? Well, Jon Adams, an amazing man who does good work for Jo Ann Surls when he is not traveling all over the country doing his real work, has done it for us, and has done a wonderful job at a remarkable price. We nearly went with a company who offer plastic decking uk , so it had to be shipped, as the material base as it would be very durable, but Jon had a lot of the materials to hand needed, so we went for that instead to be even more eco-friendly. I will tell you more about it and the place soon.

In my last column I told you we got our parolee friend Don some used woodworking tools from Ryker Hardware to use while he is confined to the apartment he shares with a friend in Tyler. He was overjoyed to get them. He has them all cleaned up and set up now. Since then we’ve been finding him a few more tools, and some wood. I had gone through a few table saw reviews to check for the best one to purchase at the moment. I did find one, and ended buying it too. Today Carl took him some weathered wood and some things he can turn into work table. I think he will get started on birdhouses this week. With the table saw I ordered (which is expected to arrive in two days) work is bound to take a topper gear. He is hoping to rope his roommate Glen into getting involved, too. Continue reading “Around the Town: Bartlett House porch fixed”

Obituary: Michael J. Williams

By Toni L. Johnson

In memory of my God Brother, my best friend, Mr. Michael J. Williams Esq.

Born: September 27, 1959
Eternal Rest: August 9, 2015
Mother: Ms. Leontine Nieves, whom precede him in death
Father: Mr. Boysin Williams, currently resides in Trinidad
Siblings: Michael was the fourth child of seven children, one which precedes him in death.
Education: John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York, Bachelor of Arts degree 1996
Law School: Southern Methodist University, Juris Doctor, LLM degree 1999
Employment: law offices of Michael J. Williams, Kiley Law Group in Massachusetts, Dallas County Assistant Public defender.
Practice areas includes: Family Law, Criminal Law, Personal Injury, Immigration, Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Driving While Intoxicated, Misdemeanors, Felonies, Homicide, Automobile Accidents, Wrongful Death, Citizenship, Visas and Deportation.

Michael was born in the city of Port-of –Spain on the Island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. Continue reading “Obituary: Michael J. Williams”

Back-to-School-Bash Saturday

Come enjoy a fun and free “Back-to-School Bash” Saturday, Aug. 15 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. at Athens High School. The event is open to all Athens ISD students and parents who want to kick of the school year with free food, face-painting, water slides, snow cones and more. There will also be informational booths. Athens ISD and the HELP Center will be supplying 450 backpacks for children who pre-qualified through the HELP Center. The event is sponsored by the Henderson County Healthy Teen Network, an outreach program of the HELP Center. Most of the activities will take place inside the AHS gym. (Toni Garrard Clay/AISD)

First State Bank donation to the Arboretum

First State Bank recently donated $3,750 to the East Texas Arboretum in Athens. The donation is part of nearly $75,000 the bank gives to non-profit organizations annually in the communities it serves in Henderson County. Pictured is Senior Vice President Michael Neill presenting the check to members of the Arboretum board. (Courtesy photo)