News

Despite wet weather, and not having a cook-off or a pageant this year, Edna’s ninth annual Juneteenth festival brought a great time to many of Edna’s citizens. The kids enjoyed sliding down the two water slides that were set up, pelting each other with water balloons, and getting their faces painted, as the adults conversed, and cooked, while Hogg Booma’s music filled the air.

By Millie Diaz
Staff Writer
“When I found him laying on the ground, I immediately thought, ‘I have to help him.’”
Cameron Pesek’s day changed on June 19 when a Central Freight Line truck crashed into the back fence behind Edna Pawn Shop in the early afternoon. Without a second thought, the 14-year old fled into action with chest compressions when he realized the truck driver needed resuscitation.
Misti Glaze, a worker at Edna Pawn, said a co-worker washing cars outside suddenly ran into the shop exclaiming a truck had hit their fence out back.
“So we lock up the store and go outside,” Glaze said. “I saw a man standing outside the truck, but then he fell to the ground in the next moment. I had just reached my boss Tommy Pesek to tell him what was going on, but when the man fell, I hung up on him and called 911,” Glaze said.

The identified driver in a rollover accident Wednesday mid-afternoon was Delbert Warren Nowlin III.
The 48-year old was pronounced dead at the Jackson County Hospital within an hour of the crash. His 2014 Chevrolet Silverado vehicle had rolled into a culvert on Farm-to-Market Road 234 in El Toro.

The Townhall Players of Ganado performed their first play of the season, Steel Magnolias, in the Ganado ISD auditorium. Jonel Knuppel directed the Sunday matinee on June 18 with an outstanding cast of six women, and Shelby Macha directed the Saturday performance, though the casts will exchange performance days this weekend, June 24-25.
For any who haven’t seen Steel Magnolias, where have you been for the past 20 years? But just in case, the story is about a group of women dealing with the joys and hardships of life who frequent Truvy’s Beauty Parlor in southern Louisiana. The play is something of the same, except all the scenes acted out happen within Truvy’s Parlor, though it still opens with the sounds of Drum (M’Lynn’s husband) trying to shoot the birds out of the tree to prepare for his daughter’s wedding.
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“An average of 22 veterans a day commit suicide, It’s a big number.”
McLean Raybon of Edna is a veteran who suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder. But his life was drastically changed when he was introduced to his service dog, Merrick.
“There for a few years, I shut off, I kind of stuck to myself,” he said. “Merrick has allowed me to go out in public more and do more things – little things like grocery shopping. And I was also able to host my own veterans’ event. I went from being scared of people to having over 500 people around at one time.
“Merrick’s helped me sleep at night. That was my weakness, stupid night terrors. He wakes me up as soon as I go in to it. He wakes me up and then I’m able to go back to sleep and I’m done with it, I don’t have another one. I’ve been getting more sleep and that makes me more productive during the day.”

By Jessica Coleman
Contributing writer
Before Jarrett Parker died, he made a deal with a young boy and his sister. The boy, Jermaine Zikuhr, was having trouble with bullies at school, and Parker sat down to talk to him and his sister Alexis.
When they parted ways, Parker said, “Next time, we’ll get snow cones,” according to the children’s mother, Faith Zikuhr.
Robert Mabe, a friend of Parker’s family, arranged the gathering when he read Faith Zikuhr’s social media post about the promise. In no time, the time and date were set, and plans were made to make sure the pair got their icy sweet treats.
On Saturday, June 11, almost thirty friends and family gathered with the children and their mother to fulfill that promise, taking the Ganado residents to the snow cone stand on Third Street, complete with a motorcycle escort.

On June 13, at approximately 2:20 AM Edna Police responded to a convenience store in the 600 block of S. Wells for a report of a robbery. The caller reported that a masked man entered the store while she was not looking and pointed a hand gun at her. The man then ordered her to give him the money from the register. As the clerk was moving to comply the gunman hit her in the back of the head with the gun. The clerk opened the register. The gunman took the little cash that is kept in the register at that hour of the morning and fled the store. Jackson EMS transported the victim to the Jackson County Hospital where she was examined and released. The suspect is described as a notably short white, possibly Hispanic, heavy set male. The man was wearing a dark “hoodie”, long pants, gloves, and a white mask. Anyone with information about the identity of this criminal is urged to call Chief Clinton Wooldridge at the Edna Police Department at 782-5271..

By Michael Brooks
Staff Writer
Another break-in at the Edna city pool and Little League concession stands happened the night of May 31. Brad Ryan, City of Edna’s Director of Public Works, reported at the June 1 city council meeting this is the second time within a month a break-in has occured.
“There was no vandalism, it was just theft. Gatorade, chips, candy bars,” Ryan said.
“Kid stuff,” Clinton Wooldridge echoed. “Summer hasn’t started if the pool hasn’t been broken into.”
Ryan said stronger precautions have been made to hopefully prevent a future break-in. “We have tightly secured the area where they have been breaking through, and the police will be making more rounds,” Ryan said.
The pool is open 12-6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturdays, but Ken Barton, pool manager, said it can be reserved for private parties.

Shiloh Baptist Church, Edna, will hold Kingdom Kids Summer Camp M-F, weekly through July 28 for ages 4 to 14. Cost is $6 per day and lunch is provided. For more information call Alice Prince at 361-532-9987.

Edna Cowgirl softball all skills camp will be held Monday to Thursday, June 12-15, at Shelby Park for incoming fourth through ninth graders. Fourth through sixth, 5-6:30 p.m.; seventh to ninth grade, 6:30-8 p.m. The cost is $25 (cash only please) with a $10 optional t-shirt. Registration will be accepted until the first day of camp. Call Coach Chovanec 361-781-2351.

The grand jury indicted Amber Sorensen in the murder of Jarrett Parker. More information to follow as it becomes available.