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At the Forney Education Foundation’s meeting on Tuesday, June 20, the Board of Directors set aside a portion of the evening to surprise one of its members. Billie Kasper, who has served as a Board Member since 2006, was honored with a plaque naming her as a Legacy Member of the Forney Education Foundation. Mrs. Kasper is the first female to be given the title of Legacy Member, joining Keith Bell, Robert Dobbs, Rick Wilson, George Brown, Gary Beene, and Wesley Wilson.

Texas-tough, versatile plant provides pops of flaming colors

It’s a long story. My cousin was over for dinner; we got to talking about mayonnaise. One thing led to another. The conversation got heated, and eventually we were shouting.

It’s a quiet night in Avondale. The sun is low in the western sky. The air is lit with lightning bugs. There are a few neighborhood kids, playing in front yards, trying to catch them with Tupperware.

As the summer break is underway, Crandall ISD teachers and staff are taking advantage of professional development opportunities to sharpen their teaching skills and bring creative ideas into their classrooms. Across the district, teachers and staff are participating in workshops, conferences, and collaborative learning experiences to focus on student engagement and innovative teaching strategies.

In a book I’m reading, the author relates a lesson taught by one of his teachers, who told him, “You can’t shut other people’s mouths.”

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) announces 515 more acres of pristine land and water in Central Texas will be protected and stewarded for future generations of Texans.

After a five-year longfought battle by Representative Keith Bell, the 88th Legislature approved in its state budget a total of $573 million in funding to construct a much-needed 250-bed replacement campus at Terrell State Hospital (TSH). Representative Bell began on this mission to improve the Terrell State Hospital immediately after being elected to office in 2019. After countless meetings and correspondence with officials from the City of Terrell, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), and other critical stakeholders, the funding for this capital project is finally appropriated.

Homeowners’ fasciation with a lush, green lawn is something that has developed over time and is still “growing” strong. According to a 2019 survey conducted on behalf of the National Association of Landscape Professionals, 81 percent of all Americans had lawns and 79 percent said a lawn is an important feature when buying or renting a property.

The first All-Star game in Major League Baseball was played on July 6, 1933. The game was an effort to make professional baseball more popular, and it remains a beloved event on the MLB calendar today. According to History.com, attendance at professional baseball games fell 40 percent between 1930 and 1933. That decline likely had little to do with the game of baseball and much to do with the Great Depression, which ultimately proved to be the longest depression of the twentieth century. The Great Depression began in 1929 and lasted a decade, and the fallout from the depression was felt in every corner and industry, including professional baseball. Many once-ardent baseball fans, who helped to establish record attendance in the 1920s, could no longer afford tickets during the Great Depression. Arch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, was tasked with devising a sporting event that could be held in conjunction with the 1933 World’s Fair. Ward ultimately proposed a game featuring baseball’s biggest stars, and fans were even encouraged to vote for who would play in the game. Several eventual Hall of Famers, including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmy Foxx, were voted into the game, which was played at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Nearly 48,000 fans attended the game, which ended with a 4-2 American League victory. Baseball owners and executives took note, and the game has been played nearly every year since 1933, with only war and a global pandemic preventing the league from hosting its annual Midsummer Classic.

During the summer, people tend to spend more time outdoors for longer periods of time, which can lead to a higher risk of a heat-related illness, such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a long-term lung disease that includes bronchitis and emphysema, is a leading cause of disability and death in the United States. More than 12.5 million people have been diagnosed, but millions more may have the disease without even knowing it.

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