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First graders at four Forney ISD elementary schools were recently given free ‘prevent tooth decay’ kits through the Fantastic Teeth Fan Club. Members of Brooklyn and Prairieville Masonic Lodges gathered to assemble and deliver more than 560 dental hygiene kits to the children at Blackburn Elementary, Clayborn Elementary, Crosby Elementary, and Lewis Elementary schools.

District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley announced Friday March 12th the conviction of Taylor Blake Craft, 26, for Trafficking of Persons: Continuous, a firstdegree felony offense, and Possession of Child Pornography, a third-degree felony offense. On May 31, 2019, a grand jury indicted Craft with Possession of Child Pornography and on December 13, 2019, a grand jury indicted Craft with Trafficking of Persons: Continuous. On March 11, 2021, after reaching a plea agreement with the District Attorney’s Office, Craft pled guilty to both offenses before the Honorable Judge Casey Blair in the 86th District Court of Kaufman County.

“So the story is that the religious leaders were planning to kill Jesus, but when the day came, nobody could find Jesus,” says Eli 10.

Last week the single remaining member of the board of the Texas Public Utility Commission was grilled by members of the Senate Jurisprudence Committee, including a rare appearance by the Lt. Governor, over billions in overcharges an independent watchdog said were assessed to power companies during the February winter storm. Arthur D’Andrea was the only commissioner left on the PUC after former chair DeAnn Walker and commissioner Shelley Botkin both resigned in the wake of the power crisis that left 4.5 million Texans without power, some for days. This week, both the Lt. Governor and 28 of the 31 members of the Texas Senate signed a letter asking D’Andrea to reverse these overcharges, which have left at least one public utility in bankruptcy. D’Andrea told the committee Thursday that he doesn’t have the power to do that, nor did he believe setting the price as high as it could go was a mistake. That didn’t sit well with lawmakers.

Spay Neuter Network is distributing up to 1,000 pet treats and 500 pet toys for its 4th Annual Easter “Bone” Hunt fundraiser.

District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley announced Friday March 12th the conviction of David Monroe Smitherman, 53, for criminal solicitation of a minor, a second-degree felony offense, and unlawful restraint of a child less than 17 years of age, a state jail felony offense. On August 14, 2020, a grand jury indicted Smitherman for both offenses. On March 2, 2021, following a two-day trial before the Honorable Judge Shelton T.W. Gibbs IV in the 422nd District Court of Kaufman County, a jury found Smitherman guilty.

The nation’s capital is a very different place than the rest of the country. People who spend too much time there often lose sight of what is actually happening across America. Unfortunately, President Joe Biden and his advisors have fallen victim to this.

Subtle moves give rise to big outcomes when education is involved. Sometimes it’s realizing which students’ personalities work together the best and the teacher then puts them on the same project. Sometimes it’s asking a few quick questions to begin the class that get the mind working. Sometimes it’s a few yoga stretches and mindfulness exercises that make for better concentration on difficult concepts.

Nearly 250 Angelo State University student-athletes and athletic training students, including Cassidy Hill of Forney, have been named to the ASU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll fo the fall 2020 semester.

More than 1,300 students were named to the Fall 2020 Dean’s List at Abilene Christian University. To qualify for the Dean’s Honor Roll, students must be registered for 12 or more credit hours and earn a GPA of 3.6 or higher. The following local students made the list:

Ruifeng Zhang is ranked among the top 2 percent of students in their college at Iowa State University.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is now taking public comment on the following proposed changes to the 2021-2022 Statewide Hunting and Migratory Game Bird Proclamations:

The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) will temporarily change the disinfectant in its water treatment process from March 1 through March 29, 2021. The annual, routine change is necessary to maintain the regional system and year-round water quality.