Tommie Ringo, a junior here at Texas A&M University – Texarkana, is a Psychology major with a minor in Sociology. Originally from the small town of Pineland, Texas, he was encouraged by a friend who was looking into coming to A&M. Ringo was initially undecided on where to go to college, but his friend and the A&M campus life made it an easy pick. He mentioned in an interview that he admires our campus and appreciates how clean and well kept the buildings and the grounds are. Ringo has had a wonderful time since starting college at A&M. However, this semester has been particularly challenging for Ringo.
Ringo looked forward to returning to campus for the Fall semester after working hard all summer. He anticipated getting back into the rhythm of day-to-day life before the COVID-19 outbreak, however, he is yet to see that happen. Due to Coronavirus, he says that the atmosphere is “A bit different than usual. A lot has changed in the UC.” The university looks vastly different without its many students heading to and from their classes. Like Ringo, most students are now taking online or hybrid classes this semester.
For Ringo, he mentioned that online classes can be a bit difficult for him. He would rather have all face-to-face classes, but says, “I understand the necessity for it…” With Ringo not being much of a fan of online classes, he has had to accept the impact COVID has made on the university concerning how classes are being held this semester. He is currently taking four classes, three of those being online and one face-to-face. It is the one face-to-face class with Dr. Murray that has made all the difference for Ringo.
Ringo is taking Intro to Sociology with Assistant Professor of Sociology, Dr. Murray. Ringo is enjoying the class very much. He mentioned that Dr. Murray has done a great job of handling the class amongst the challenges that the pandemic presents. He also says that she has helped to create “a sense of normalcy in the classroom” which he appreciates. He says that the interactions with his peers and the hands-on learning in the classroom are the highlights of going to class. Currently, Ringo is taking each day as it comes, which is probably the best way to handle a time such as this. Once classes return to normal he plans to get back to campus and enjoy being around other like-minded students.
A member of the local City Council, Mrs. Betty Williams of Ward 3, has been determined elected for another term. Williams was unopposed for her seat on the council for the November 2020 election. She will be serving another three-year term on the council.
Williams, a retired public school teacher, was selected by a previous council member to join Texarkana’s City Council. She has held the position since January of 2017. This is when the City Council term-limits were changed from two years to three. She says her time on the council has been, “a learning process. I’ve never done anything like this before.” Although her educational background has helped with her current position. She says, “Being a former educator has helped me to be a good listener to understand the needs of others.”
In the interview, she emphasized what a pleasure it is to be a part of the City Council. She says,” I will say that I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve only missed one meeting in four years and that just shows you that I care about this position and it is a pleasure to serve my community.” She is excited to be serving another three years on the City Council. She especially emphasized how excited she is to be able to do more for her ward.
Williams works hard on the council taking calls from her constituents and determining anything regarding her ward and anything that is brought forth to the council. The City Council determines policies, plans, enacting local legislation, and the city’s budget. These topics are discussed at the local city council meetings.
According to The City of Texarkana’s website, “City council meetings are normally held the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of Texarkana, Texas City Hall, 220 Texas Boulevard, Texarkana, Texas.”
These meetings are open to the public so anyone is free to attend. Williams encourages citizens to get involved in the community in any way they can. She says, “It’s the only way to bring about change.” Anyone can get in contact with the local councilmembers. The contact information is available on the city’s website.
Williams is currently spearheading the removal of substandard housing in Ward 3. She mentioned, “This will encourage new development, help our tax base to grow, and help maintain property values.” Williams also mentioned what she would like to see for the city of Texarkana by saying, “My wish for our city is that everyone would take pride in their property by removing litter from their curbs and alleys. We also need to have a push to discourage littering. Our schools and community organizations could certainly help raise awareness and educate people to be more environmentally responsible.”
Soon the city council will begin discussing the budget for the next fiscal year. Williams mentioned, “It will soon be time to start the budgeting process for the next fiscal year. Every city has an unlimited number of needs and a limited amount of resources to meet those needs. Developing a budget is a process of ascertaining your needs, prioritizing your needs, and reaching a reasonable compromise with the resources available. Because of the impact the Coronavirus has on the local economy, it’s made it more challenging to project revenue from sales tax and etc. Every aspect of the budgeting process will be more challenging for the coming year. It should be noted that we also solicit the help of leading business people, in our community, with the budgeting process.”
Additionally, Williams has dedicated much of her time to the community after her family relocated in 1980. Coming from a family of teachers, she has an impressive 34 years of experience working in the public education system as a teacher herself. Williams has spent 20 years working at Highland Park School. She soon began volunteering at Highland Park right after her retirement in 2000 and has continued to do so until this year due to COVID. She mentioned how the school feels like home to her. Adding, “I just love going to that school.” Additionally, she is a member of the Literacy Council. She says, “I’ve been involved with the literacy council for 20-25 years. I still have a student I read with every weekend.”
During this pandemic the city of Texarkana has chosen to only shelter in place in Bowie county until April 13th. While the shelter in place is in order in our city, many businesses in our city are still in operation or have been deemed as essential to the community.
Some places in town I feel are very important and need to remain open during this time of the pandemic are our parks and recreation areas and country clubs. I feel all of these places need to remain as essential businesses in our city. Both Northridge and Texarkana Country Clubs are remaining open during this pandemic. But during this time they are strongly enforcing social distancing regulations.
It is essential for people to be able to be outdoors during this pandemic. Not very many people can spend days on being forced inside. People in our city still need to be able to get exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Our parks in Texarkana are remaining open, but it is encouraged to not use the playgrounds due to their not being disinfected as often as they may need to be during this time. Places such as these are staying open to help encourage our city to be outdoors during this pandemic.
What can I do outdoors during this pandemic?
Go for a walk
Have a picnic
Do outdoors activities (golf, soccer, football etc.)
The Competitive Gaming Association (CGA) at Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) is having its largest tournament. On April 4-5th, gamers from all over Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas will gather to face off in tournament style combat.
CGA members train relentlessly to make sure their skills put TAMUT on the gaming map and draw gamers and students from near and far. Founded by Gerven Pennington late of 2019, CGA has been at TAMUT not even a year yet and they have already hosted a successful tournament drawing in a crowd of over 60 not including nearly 30 players.
Tournaments are a new concept to the university that should add more productive activities to student life on and off campus.Tournaments include games such as Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Tekken 7, Rocket League, Apex Legends, and many more. These games are just the tip of the gaming iceberg that this organization is working towards to get rolling into this tournament. The near future holds games that are played in the largest tournaments in the world, such as, League of Legends, CS:GO, and Modern Warfare. We hope to see all gamers alike to gather April 4-5th at TAMUT for an epic gaming tournament.
More fire keeps coming down on the Houston Astros. Their cheating scandal has been the hot take of the fall, but with spring training getting started, people don’t intend on slowing down the onslaught of comments towards coaches and players.
Other players around the league have made their comments known, saying the players deserve “beatdowns” and for their 2017 title to be stripped away. Of the scandal information known, the banging of the trash can is especially popular now with fans who wish to troll the team. Last week during an Astros batting practice, a fan drug a large trash bin behind the home plate fence and banged on it during every pitch thrown. The team used a trash can in the dugout to signal to hitters what pitch was coming. The number of hits on the can would tell the hitter what pitch was coming.
With opening day coming on March 26th, the Astros will see if they can focus on the year to come or if their past will continue to run with them.
Eagles Baseball opened up its season two weekends ago against Evangel. Winning the series 3-1, Jaylen Prince was named Red River Conference Player of the week. He hit an outstanding .455 batting average with a double and five RBIs.
The following weekend, our Eagles hosted Friends University for another four-game series. Again winning this series 3-1, Kealen Martin came up big with a grand slam home run to set up a 6-3 win. “They brought in a new pitcher during my at bat, so with him coming in, I went in looking for a fastball and didn’t miss.” said Kealen.
This Tuesday, our men traveled up to Lyon College, ranked 21st in the nation in NAIA, for a midweek exhibition. Using an array of players to get work in, our Eagles fell in a nail biter 8-6.
This weekend, our baseball team travels up to Point Lookout, MO to face off against College of the Ozarks. With baseball all over the place, feel free to come out to support or college athletes. The schedule is posted on the TAMUT website under Athletics. You will not be disappointed.
As the winter break approaches many people have their sights set on Christmas but I decided to get a head start on New Years’ Eve and try to figure out what my resolution would be. During this time of year it is hard not to think about classes, finals and, honestly, what I could have done better as a student so I decided to run with that.
Here are some tips I found on how to be a better and more successful student.
Set Realistic and Achievable Goals
Set both short-term and long-term goals
Set goals from the very beginning will help keep you motivated and focused
Make sure that your goals are realistic is important in ensuring that you do not set yourself up for unnecessary frustrations
Focus on Time Management
Procrastination is many people’s worst enemy so staying on top of due dates is a great way to keep yourself from slipping into that habit
Stick to a schedule. If you want to make sure you have time for your social life as well as your studies, try and spread out your workload so you don’t feel overwhelmed with trying to do all your homework in one night
Remember that you don’t have to wait until the due date to submit your assignments, you can work on them ahead of time and get them out of the way so you don’t have to worry about them later
Take Care of Yourself
Make sure you get an adequate amount of sleep is important to make sure your brain can take in all of the new information you will be learning in class
When you are well rested you can pay attention in class more easily than when you can hardly keep your eyes open
Going to class sometimes feels like the most laborious task of all time; if you are well rested it’s less likely to seem that way
Although these are just a few tips on being a better student, I’m sure that once you apply them, you will definitely see a difference. If you would like to see more ideas on how to be a better student, click here.
The Holiday season is upon us once again. Christmas parties, tree lighting ceremonies, Santa Meet-n-Greets, festivals, craft fairs, fantastic light displays, and other festivities abound. These activities are treasured traditions for many. Whether we do them with family, friends, or coworkers, traditions can be a wonderful thing. They are a great way to make memories, and bring people closer together. However, it can be nice to step outside of tradition and try something new. If you and yours are looking for something new this year, look no further! This weekend, TexRep will bring Greater Tuna back to Texarkana for A Tuna Christmas.
Michael Cooper (L) and Christopher Polson (R) in TexRep’s 2011 production of Greater Tuna.
(Photo taken from TexRep’s online production archives)
Greater Tuna is the first play in a series of four comedies by Jason Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard. One of the things that make these plays so humorous is that the entire cast of twenty characters, of all ages and genders, are played by just two men. Michael Cooper and Christopher Polson starred in the Texarkana Repertory Company‘s production ofGreater Tunain 2011. These masters of costume quick-changes will once again take us back to Tuna, Texas to reprise their roles and introduce new characters in A Tuna Christmas. Much like Texarkana, there is always something going on in Tuna. The big to-do is the town’s annual Christmas Yard Display Contest. The contest soon comes under attack from the “Christmas Phantom”, a vandal who is out to shake up the competition. This and various other hilarious subplots make this a show a real knee-slapper.
In addition to playing over twenty-four roles, Cooper and Polson also double as TexRep’s artistic director and set designer (respectively). This show is incredibly challenging for many reasons, but if anyone can handle it, this dynamic duo can. However, they aren’t tackling this monster alone. It truly takes a village to put on a production like this, and a village they have! A crew of nine assist the pair in lightning-quick costume changes, moving set pieces, running lights, operating the soundboard, and wrangling the six different Christmas trees used in the show. In addition to its impressive role-to-cast-size ratio, this show is also unique in that the crew gets to bow at curtain call with the actors, which is only fitting since it would be impossible without them. As previously mentioned, one of the things that lend to this play’s crazy energy is the outrageous number (and short duration) of costume changes. While each crew members serves multiple purposes, the bulk of their work is helping the actors change their costumes. Cooper says that, while he isn’t sure exactly how many changes there are, he is certain it is upwards of fifty. Each actor plays twelve roles apiece, he explained, which makes some of the costume changes almost instant. In fact, there are some scenes that require an actor to exit as one character and then immediately reenter as completely different character. There are also multiple scenes in which one of the actors plays a single role, while the other plays as many as five characters over the course of a single scene. Naturally, some changes are more difficult than others. Cooper says that some of the most difficult changes to pull off are the female characters. “[They] tend to have more pieces, from wigs to shoes to garments to underwear,” he continued, “It’s all an adventure.”
In a typical season, which runs from May to February, TexRep does four full plays and a Drama Camp Showcase. A Tuna Christmas is a bonus show that was added outside of the regular season as a special fundraiser for TexRep. It is also special in that the production staff (those who design and direct the show) are donating their services for free. One might wonder why Cooper and Polson would ever subject themselves to this insanity again, but the answer is simple — Everyone enjoys it. When asked why this particular show was chosen for this slot, Cooper said, “Chris and I did Greater Tuna some years ago and it was received very well. People have mentioned that they would enjoy seeing it, or something of its ilk, again.” He added that the show is both fun and season-relevant. If you have never seen Greater Tuna, don’t worry! All characters are introduced or reintroduced, so you’ll feel right at home. If you have seen it, you’ll be delighted to know that — according to Cooper —A Tuna Christmas is even funnier than the first one.
If you’re still struggling to find a present for everyone on your list, the gift of laughter is one-size-fits-all (and they won’t want to return it). Whether you are returning to Tuna or visiting for the first time, this wild ride is a trip you won’t soon forget! Y’all come on out, and join the Texarkana Repertory Company for their production of A Tuna Christmas, ya hear?
Performances of A Tuna Christmas will be:
Thursday, December 12
7:30 p.m
Friday, December 13
7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 14
2:00 p.m. / 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 15
2:00 p.m. / 7:30 p.m.
(The theatre doors will open thirty minutes prior to showtime.)
If you are interested in supporting your local theatre, please consider a sponsorship, a membership, or simply attending a show. If you are interested in supporting TexRep in a more hands-on capacity, they are always looking for extra hands, whether it be auditioning/performing, ushering for performances, working backstage/in the booth, or helping with set construction.
For information, or questions, please visit TexRep online. You can also connect with them on Facebook, or follow them on Instagram.
As set designer Chris Polson always says, “See you at the theatre!”
It is crazy how times have changed. Marijuana growers used to have to hide their crops from authorities but now, many are able to not only grow it in plain sight, but also sell it in plain sight. Technically, medical marijuana dispensaries are a breach of federal law, but thanks to legalization of medical marijuana in a number of states, they are spreading across the U.S. in order to help those in need. Marijuana has now become one of the new wonder drugs for many ailments.
Marijuana dispensaries are popping up all over the United States, including Texarkana. A medical marijuana dispensary is a location permitted to legally sell medical marijuana to medically qualified patients for medicinal purposes only. In order to become a customer at a dispensary, a person needs to first consult their doctor who can inform them about what conditions may be treated with cannabis. If the doctor feels they are a candidate, he or she will write them a prescription. The doctor or a pharmacist can help a patient find a nearby dispensary.
There are also directories available on the Internet, listed by state. The medical marijuana dispensary currently open in Texarkana is Bloom Medicinals Cannabis Dispensary located at 410 Realtor Avenue. Red River Remedy Medical Marijuana Dispensary is set to open this month at 4423 East Broad Street.
“I have received mixed reactions about the new medical marijuana dispensaries,” said Texarkana, Arkansas City Manager Kenny Haskins. “If we roll out a plan and make sure we police it in a way that is efficient and effective, I think the community and those who are detractors will eventually evolve.” The city will require the two dispensaries to pay an annual permit of $11,000 to operate.
It is not easy to become a dispensary owner. One must follow the proper paperwork and procedures in order to become licensed by regional authorities. Just remember, medical marijuana dispensaries sell marijuana for medicinal purposes only. Recreational dispensaries will not be around any time soon.
