Category Archives: Texarkana

Alcohol at Chuck-E-Cheese

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Hope Hawley

As some of you may have heard, the local Chuck-E-Cheese has put in an application  to serve beer and wine at its location at Central Mall in Texarkana. I wanted to write about this from the perspective of a college student.

First let me just say I do not have kids but I do have nephews and nieces whom I love to take to Chuck-E-Cheese, so with that being said, I say not just no but Hell no. Chuck-E-Cheese is not designed for adults; it’s known as “A place where a kid can be a kid.” How are you supposed to be a kid if you have a drunk parent running around? This just puts the establishment, employees, and other customers in danger. Now I know people are saying, well, beer and wine isn’t hard alcohol; you are correct, it is not, but it is to light- weights who can’t handle it or who can’t cut themselves off. Chuck-E-Cheese is simply not a place for adults to be drinking. I mean, why would you want to, anyway? If you are bringing your children there, it should be about their having fun, not you. As a college student I understand the struggle of having nothing “fun to do” in Texarkana but as a mature adult I also have enough common sense to know that mixing alcohol with a kids establishment is just flat out crazy.

There are plenty of places for adults to go and have a drink around town. Multiple restaurants, bars, clubs, and even the bowling alleys serve alcohol. At the bowling alley you can have fun bowling and drinking, which makes far more sense than playing games at Chuck-E-Cheese with two- and three-year olds running around while you’re sipping on a Budweiser. Some places that you may want to look into to have a good time while drinking that are adult friendly: Fat Jacks, Holiday Bowl, College Bowl, Stages, Buffalo Wild Wings, AppleBees, Electric Cowboy, Club Primetime, etc.

Yes, this is just the opinion of a college student and a young adult who likes to drink. Even I realize how crazy it would be to have a drunk person running around at Chuck-E-Cheese. Their slogan has always been “A place where a kid can be a kid,” but when you mix alcohol in, it’s taking that completely away. There are not many places in Texarkana where young kids can simply run around and be a kid so don’t take one of the few spots that are still around.

Seeing No-bunny

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Allison Hall

Have you ever wanted to be involved with a seemingly insane man and his imaginary bunny? Well has Arkansas High got the show for you! Coming this spring, a carefree and charming, family friendly comedy about a high society man and his 6 foot tall mystical companion named Harvey hits the stage of Texarkana’s own Arkansas High School. More specifically, Harvey (1941), written by Mary Chase, is the second show of the year for Mr. Wyatt Hamilton, Arkansas High’s theater director, and his students. This show is centered around a Mr. Elwood P. Dowd, played by James Hodges and Victor Vargas, and focuses on a central message of wholesome friendship, or, as Mr. Hamilton puts it, “love your friends for who they are and all of their quirks”.

For this 2015-2016 school year, Mr. Hamilton has chosen to run with a fall drama and spring comedy as opposed to Arkansas Highs prior fall play, spring musical due to lack of male interest of the musical form. Even the smallest of theatrical musicals require an abundance of strong, dedicated, and interested patrons. In addition, Hamilton has chosen to employ two full casts for a sum of four shows as opposed to the prior two. He believes that not only will this open up more opportunity for show attendees, but also for performers in being able to have 21 students involved in a 12 role script. The push for this show seems to be individual creativity and involvement, which will promote positivism and encouragement, a good note for the modern age teenager or anyone else for that matter.

Among things that are remaining the same are ticket prices, show times, location, and concession. Tickets with be on sale at the door for five dollars and concessions with be available, namely sodas, chips, and brownies, at varied prices. The play will take place in Arkansas High’s Student Union (a.k.a cafeteria) from April 21-24 with a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday showing at seven o’clock p.m. and one Sunday showing at two o’clock p.m. Harvey is expected to run approximately two hours, including a 10 minute intermission. It is also worth noting that the Arkansas High theater department plans on more fundraising for show support. If you have any questions or ideas for fundraising endeavors, you can contact Wyatt Hamilton at (870) 774-7641 or email him at Wyatt.Hamilton@tasd7.net.

All in all, Harvey will be a great experience for people of all ages and worth a viewing. You can’t beat five dollar entertainment. If nothing else you will get a good laugh, and who doesn’t need that from time to time?

 

The Commencement of the Rest of Your Lives

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Alyssa Bertrand

“May all the students of the class of 2015 please stand” is what everyone will hear at a graduation. These words mean more to each person than the people of the audience. These words will last forever in their minds. They know they were able to complete one-step of their lives and are now able to see what the rest of their lives has in store for them. Graduation is a special ceremony for all the students that have completed the required elements. There are some items that people fail to mention, when speaking about graduation, and that is the behind the scenes work that the staff does in order for graduation to run smoothly.

Texas A&M University-Texarkana has two main people in the graduation department. Kristie Avery and Karen Dukes are the ones who put in a ton of hours outside the office. To make sure the processing and the real ceremony is correct and able to run as it is supposed to. More staff members help of course. Avery and Dukes are the women behind the curtain. The process is long but these woman are the best in town.

Applications start flowing in at the start of the semester, and some before that. From the moment the first application is sent, the physical time of TAMU-T staff is filled. Avery has expressed that she spends many hours on graduation work outside the office, however she would never miss an important event with her family. She makes sure she is still able to help her daughter with homework, or make it to school events.

When it begins, there are many items that one must to keep in mind, when processing the application. First, one has to make sure the application is correct and every part is filled out. The next step is when the hard part starts to happen. After printing the application, they first look at the major of the applicant and print out the individual’s DegreeWorks. One must make sure that they have all the credits they are supposed to have and look at how many upper level division hours one has. The credits are important, but making sure one has all the classes one needs is harder than finding the credits. Sometimes, one may have the correct number of credit hours, but may be missing one or two classes. The graduation staff have to make sure that the applicant has the correct number of residence hours, which is the number of hour and time spent enrolled in the university.

After checking, the application, the reviewer, will call if they have a question about the application. The staff will work and try as hard as possible when making sure that every detail is in place. There have been times when a student may have all the credits but are missing one class. In this case, they will either try to put them in that certain class or look at the DegreeWorks and see if the student has taken a previous class that would equal the class needed.

DegreeWorks is an online processing page that allows someone to get access to his or her classes. It makes it easier to see what classes one needs to take and tells them what they already have taken as well. This site will also allow the student to see the percentage they are to their degree and how many credit they are lacking. Avery says, “I didn’t have DegreeWorks when I graduated (Web for Students was just really getting started and there wasn’t an email program like Ace Mail when I graduated). DegreeWorks works, so that’s one thing that makes the process easier.”

A graduating student must consider their GPA in three different parts they will need to see if there is any hold on the accounts and see if there are any outstanding balances on their accounts as well. There could be a part that will need a transcript so one will have to see if one will need to be sent to the graduation office.

Elaine Willis has recently graduated from TAMU-T; she explains that it is very stressful but would not change that for the world. Her friends from the university helped and motivated her to help finish the class she needed and she did. She says the process was long and stressful to make sure everything is okay with the application. One part being incorrect or have a missing part it could mean you either graduate or do not. Now, she could not be happier with her life. She wears her class ring every day.

Willis and Avery both have graduated from TAMU-T and they both wish there was a way to make the process easier and better to work with. Right now, the process must be completed by hand. If the process were available electronically, it would make it faster and easier for the students and the staff. “Just making students more aware of their graduation status and prohibiting the phrases “I didn’t know…. ” Or “No one told me…” this is the one thing that Avery wants to happen in the future.

Student by Day, Worker by Night

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Alyssa Bertrand

What is free time? What does time to relax actually feel like? For many, this is time to have fun or be able to just sit around the house and not really worry about anything. To an average college student, one may be able to experience this thing called free time. They can go out when they do not have class or have to worry about how they will study for a class. Being a full-time student and a full-time worker, is a different story.

Full time student means someone is taking 15-24 hours in one semester. A full-time worker is working 35 plus hours a week. With these times joined, time is very limited. Priorities is the key word. People have to make a list and know what MUST come first. To the people who are struggling, do not stress too hard.

Many students are also full-time workers and it is hard. It puts everything to the test. Your strengths and your weakness. What is more important to yourself as well as the other people around you. Free time is a rare gift that one gets to experience. This gift is something that is cherished dearly. Between work and school, the free time one gets is actually spent with a date with their bed. It is very exhausted when you go from work to school or from school to work.

Do not think that working and going to school is a bad thing or even the worst thing that could happen but it is actually a privilege. Even though the stress level increases daily, or not having much time to have fun and relax, but it shows the drive in someone. The most important part is to be motivated. The motivation that gives you the extra push is what one needs to look at all the time. Whether it is your past, the current struggle, or family that pushes you to succeed.

Take the no time as a good insight of what the future holds. If you are working and going to school, it means you are trying to make oneself better. The future is bright. Take it a roll with it. It will all pay off when the goal is reached.

ArkLaTeXmas!

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Laney Davis

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It is time to enjoy your friends and family amongst the beautiful Christmas spirit atmosphere. There are many opportunities in and around the Ark-La-Tex to enjoy the Christmas season.

December 7 on Main Street in Downtown Texarkana starting at 4 there will be music, food, and shopping. There will also be an opportunity to see and pet camels and the Express Clydesdales. Starting at 7, the 31st Annual Christmas parade “A Magical Christmas” will kick off. Before the parade, there will also be the “Festival of Trees Competition” on Front Street, and the winner will be announced before the parade begins. As well as Christmas lights filling the streets of downtown there will also be horse drawn carriage rides throughout December.

Starting November 25 through December 31st, Tuesday through Sundays, Marshall, Texas, will host the “Wonderland of Lights”. They will offer beautiful lights, outdoor ice-skating, a carousel, Santa’s Workshop and Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen, carriage rides, and train rides. On December 5, there will be a Jingle Bell run. The “Wonderland of Lights” will not be open on Mondays or Christmas Eve.

For more opportunity to enjoy the beautiful Christmas lights you can visit Hot Springs, Arkansas. Hot Springs will hold a Christmas parade on December 7 starting at 6:30. You can also stopover at Garvan Woodland Gardens for the Holiday Lights exhibit. Enjoy over 4 million bulbs across the 17 acre garden.

The Shreveport-Bossier area will offer a firework show with included activities on December 5. There will be a beautiful 40 foot tall Christmas tree at the Boardwalk offered all of December. If you still would like to appreciate some Christmas lights view the “Holiday Trail of Lights” November 14 through December 24.

Lastly, Ashdown, Arkansas, will be offering their Christmas Parade, “A Christmas Story,” December 5 starting at 6. The Kansas City Southern Holiday Express is making its way to Ashdown on December 4 and will arrive at 4.

These are a few ideas of what is going on in the Ark-La-Tex this holiday season. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

For more information on the events provided:

http://www.mainstreettexarkana.org/2015-christmas-parade-a-magical-christmas/

http://www.marshalltexas.net/public/warrants/wonderland-of-lights

http://www.hotsprings.org/events/event/1612/

http://965kvki.com/check-out-all-the-holiday-events-in-shreveport-bossier-this-christmas/

http://kkyr.com/the-kcs-holiday-express-is-coming-to-town-with-santa-claus/

Black Friday = The Purge?

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Alyssa Bertrand

Every year, the country undergoes this big event called black Friday. Black Friday is the day everyone gets out at the crack of dawn to score the best deal. People will be in line waiting for the doors to open. Some people will take part in together as a family and some will go alone. The ones that go alone have one goal in site and they plan on reaching that goal.

If you have never experienced this big event, you might not fully understand the process. I have not gone black Friday shopping, but I have worked in retail for it for the past three years. Each year new things amaze me. Sometimes I wonder what these people are actually after. I watch the people around town and think about what is so necessary for them to fight over. Then I see people come into the store I worked in and see that some people will do anything for that five dollars they will be saving.

Fighting is another problem. All over the country there are many fight that break out on the big Friday of the year. One can look online and see fight after fight. Some of the videos that are put on the Internet have little kids involved. When I see those videos, I get sick in my stomach. How could some act that way and have a good conscience after one will throw someone on the ground to gain the upper hand on a toaster or crock pot. The fighting is beginning to get out of control.

The fighting every year, the very dangerous night, and the injuries that occur lead to the thought that Black Friday could actually be considered as The Purge. The Purge is the event in a recent thriller that is 24 hours each year during which murder is legal. Nothing would be against the law for only those 24 hours. Much like Black Friday, it is a full day event, people get hurt, and one can find that people will steal even when the prices are extremely low. Which leads to the question, is it really Black Friday or could we consider it a mini Purge?

Veteran’s Day Rewards

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Anthony Hamilton

Once a year, in early November, there is a holiday set aside for America to honor those of us who basically “wrote a blank check, payable to the United States of America for an amount up to, (in some cases) our lives.”

Fact is, even though you may agree with the President’s views, as a servicemember, you have still taken an oath to defend the country whether you agree or not with what the country is trying to accomplish, courtesy of your service, at any given time.

Veteran’s day is a wonderful time to be a Veteran. Here in Texarkana, if you are a vet, you will have every opportunity to eat well, as most of the restaurants basically roll out the red carpet for us on Veteran’s day.

The benefits reaped vary by restaurant; some like Outback, Longhorn and Buffalo Wild Wings offered a free snack. Hooters offered a free entrée, yet others, such as Applebee’s and Texas Roadhouse offered veteran’s menus that consisted of full-meals. Golden Corral offered vets a buffet.

Yes, personally I love to eat, and for the first time in over 10 years, I celebrated Veteran’s day by making the rounds. I visited Hooters early for some chicken wings, Texas Roadhouse in the afternoon for a steak dinner, and a nightcap courtesy of Golden Corral where I happened to run into our veteran’s representative Robert Hernandez. It was definitely a welcome break from having to cook.

Another great thing about these meals is running into people that you may have served with and for whatever reason, you haven’t seen for years. It’s always fun to reminisce a little, as there are fun times in the military along with hard work.

As someone who spent almost 24 years in the United States Navy, I don’t always feel as though my service is appreciated. I’ve been homeless on more than one occasion for long periods of time, and despite having been healthy when I arrived at MEPS Shreveport back on March 9, 1985. I have a slew of medical problems now, and it’s always a stomp down, drag out affair when a claim is put in for disability. However I applaud them for giving me this opportunity to get (educationally) rehabilitated.

Despite all of the negative things I endure, the Veteran’s Day rewards are a reminder that there are those who appreciate all the family events missed, marital strains that many of us endured, all the way to not being at the bedside of a dying relative, also the nonsense bureaucracy that a wounded vet is guaranteed to go through upon returning home. To REALLY understand the commitment of America’s veterans you must wear the boots, or be a wife or child of a vet to understand the toll that it can take on them.

I am personally thankful for the Veteran’s Day rewards, because that’s the one time of the year when I realize that many really do appreciate our service.

High School District Champs

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Alyssa Bertrand

Becoming district champs is a good feeling to have for the local high school, Liberty-Eylau. Friday night, November 6, 2015, LE took on the Princeton football team and won the title district champs as well as having the honor of carrying the traveling trophy for the city.

This last Friday night, LE hosted Princeton at Harris field. For the first half, the crowd was afraid the leopards were going to lose the title, but maybe they realized what was at stake and the team put themselves into overdrive, and pull through and able to take the win. On one of the last plays, a leopard runs the ball all the way to the end zone and flips to make the last touchdown good.

LE is one of the local high schools that have had a rough time over the years to gain the respect of rest of the town. Lately, the community has come together to support one of the local high schools.

After a big win for a school district, everyone says that is takes a good five years to build the team back up to where they are a good solid group. I believe that this is their year. The players work as a team and the coaches are guiding them to victory.

The LE leopards will be traveling to Pine Tree to battle Van for the next stop in playoffs. All local schools are actually made it to the first round of the playoffs this year.

If you can, make your way to Pine Tree to support a local school fighting to make it to the next round.

Campus Police at the Ready

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Laney Davis

The bell above the door rang as Police Chief Gann pushed through. He had a slight grin on his face, bags under his eyes, and a badge on his chest. The hallway smelled of printer ink and coffee, and one could hear faint laughter in another room. His deep, stern voice rumbled through out the empty building. Officer Gann welcomed me into his office.

He tapped his pencil on the table as he went into detail about the crime rate on campus. “It’s very low. We probably have one actual crime a month. Last year we had maybe two or three thefts. Alcohol offenses, marijuana offenses, and minor thefts are what we mainly deal with. Most of the thefts that we have occur, happen at the dorm. Most of it is because kids leave things lying around. They do not lock stuff up like they should.”

The school has a security system now. There are surveillance cameras set up in every hallway of the dorm and in the main buildings. They can watch everything that is happening at their main headquarters in the Central Plant. They are attentive and thoroughly spying to ensure the safety of every person on campus.

campus

“It’s kind of hard to do something and get away with it,” Officer Gann jokes, “I like to think that part of that is due to us.”

The campus policemen are diligently working round the clock to guarantee the safety of every person on campus. Due to the low crime rate on campus, the officers do not always have much on their day-to-day agenda. The day shift and the night shift are very different from each other though. There is nothing set in stone for a day-to-day routine. The night shift officers are commanded to check every building and every door. To maintain protection all doors are locked. After all of this is done, they start making their rounds to the dorm where most of the activity occurs.

The daily routine for the “day shift officer” is much different. The officers have to be much more flexible. There is more traffic on campus then. “For the day shift guys,” Officer Gann pauses, “everybody is here so it is not so much checking doors. They unlock them for people who do not have keys. Of course they give rides (on campus police golf carts) back and forth to cars. They constantly check the dorms, and see if there is anything going on that needs their presence. You never know what is going to happen.” Officer Gann firmly states.

The officers at Texas A&M Texarkana are well trained. They have served at least 10 years for the city of Texarkana. Police Chief Officer Gann will not hire anybody that has not served as a cop before. They have already been through the Academy. In fact, every two years the campus policemen have to go back for at least 40 hours of retraining. Texas A&M Texarkana’s campus policemen are always ready for anything.

Not only are the policemen physically ready for anything on campus, but they also have certified federal military equipment ready for use. “We have a military hummer, a police car, police radios, golf carts, and, of course, guns. The department has purchased everything except for the hummer. We got it from the federal government. It is old military surplus that the military did not destroy,” Officer Gann explains.“ The government does not use it anymore, so they loan it out. The police department had to fill out federal paperwork to receive the hummer and pick it up in Louisiana. Texas A&M Texarkana is allowed by the government to keep it as long as they want. Since the school has acquired this bullet-proof and fully armored military vehicle, it has undergone a new paint job to enhance the school’s pride.

police

The campus policemen at Texas A&M-Texarkana will do whatever it takes to maintain the well-being of students and faculty on campus. Police Chief Gann recommends everyone be aware of where they are and what they are doing at all times. If anything is to happen at Texas A&M-Texarkana, the campus police will be fully prepared.

Eagle Open House

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Jamie Williamson

High school seniors from around the Ark-La-Tex came, saw, and conquered open house on Saturday October 10, 2015. Texas A&M University-Texarkana held an open house to show upcoming students why Texas A&M University-Texarkana is the best school to further their education. Students got the chance to tour the campus and talk to professors in major breakout sessions. The open house is a great way for upcoming students to see how college life works.

Tour Goup

The open house gave students and parents a chance to ask questions and talk to currently enrolled Texas A&M University-Texarkana Eagles. This was helpful for both parents and students because it set the parents at ease and helped the students feel a part of campus life. Upcoming students also got the chance to look at all the clubs the university has to offer to help make the most of their time at college. There were door prizes and a dance off for both students and parents.

Student dance offParent dance off

Eagle Open House was a great way for Texas A&M University-Texarkana to get its name out there as one of the best small town universities. Texas A&M University-Texarkana has the privilege of being a part of the best-known university system in Texas with the small town bonus where everyone knows your name.

ace the eagle