News

By Rev. Andrew Schroer
    I am tired. This year’s Vacation Bible School at our church is officially over.
    The week of VBS is a tough week for me as a pastor. After three hours of hanging out with energetic, exuberant children all morning, I need a nap in the afternoon. Then, with what’s left of the day, I have to squeeze in my normal visits and sermon preparation.
    VBS week is stressful. It used to be so simple, but now we’ve got videos and music, scenery and skits to prepare. Trying to find helpers and volunteers is a headache because everybody is so busy. Schedules in the summer quickly get filled with vacations and camps, conferences and work.

    Gunner, left, is a one year old yellow lab who was found in the 500 block of Progress St. with no tags, no microchip. He is a friendly dog who loves water. Katniss, right, is a young mixed breed who is super cute and friendly and also likes water.

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    “I swear to God I love this city, but I wonder if this city loves me,” wrote Baton Rouge Police Officer Montrell Jackson on his Facebook page, in response to the controversial shooting of Alton Sterling just days before. Just two weeks later, the officer who had pleaded with his Facebook friends “don’t let hate infect your heart” was gunned down along with two other Baton Rouge officers, Officer Matthew Gerald and Deputy Brad Garafola, on July 16. 
    Edna’s Trey Ganem, who makes custom caskets in a shop on East St., is known for his philanthropy and has donated many caskets in the past to families in need. After the shootings of five Dallas Police Officers on July 7, Ganem began work on a casket specially designed for law enforcement.
    “It was like, ‘in all this tragedy we need to have a blue line casket,’” said Ganem, “so I designed one.”

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    Few organizations are as surrounded by mystery and folklore as Freemasons. It is well known as the oldest fraternity in the world and is steeped in traditions that may seem archaic to some. 
    They still use titles like “Worshipful Master,” and they still have a member, called the Tiler, guarding the door of their closed sessions with a sword. 
    Many of these traditions go back centuries. The the first Grand Lodge was formed in 1717, and some believe masonry to be at least 300 years older than that. 
    The oldest masonic document is dated 1390 A.D. Because the fraternity values privacy, centuries-old traditions, and symbolism, it is often surrounded by rumors and conspiracy theories.

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    Few organizations are as surrounded by mystery and folklore as Freemasons. It is well known as the oldest fraternity in the world and is steeped in traditions that may seem archaic to some. 
    They still use titles like “Worshipful Master,” and they still have a member, called the Tiler, guarding the door of their closed sessions with a sword. 
    Many of these traditions go back centuries. The the first Grand Lodge was formed in 1717, and some believe masonry to be at least 300 years older than that. 
    The oldest masonic document is dated 1390 A.D. Because the fraternity values privacy, centuries-old traditions, and symbolism, it is often surrounded by rumors and conspiracy theories.

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    A Poké fever epidemic has swept the nation, and Jackson County is no exception.
    The real world met digital gaming when Pokémon Go entered the scene, using Google and mobile users’ cameras to place Pokémon in real-world locations, getting players out of the house to explore public sites and historical markers, in order to “catch ‘em all.”
    It became available in the U.S. on July 6 and quickly rose to the top of both the App Store and the Google Play Store – so quickly, in fact, that in the first week it had 15 million downloads nationwide. The number of daily active users just keeps climbing. Reminiscent of the Pokémania of the late 90s, induced by a wildly popular trading card game, suddenly everyone seems to be trying to catch these mythical critters. 
    Marcos Ramirez of Edna, a Pokémon fan since the 90s, had been anticipating the game for almost a year. 

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    A Poké fever epidemic has swept the nation, and Jackson County is no exception.
    The real world met digital gaming when Pokémon Go entered the scene, using Google and mobile users’ cameras to place Pokémon in real-world locations, getting players out of the house to explore public sites and historical markers, in order to “catch ‘em all.”
    It became available in the U.S. on July 6 and quickly rose to the top of both the App Store and the Google Play Store – so quickly, in fact, that in the first week it had 15 million downloads nationwide. The number of daily active users just keeps climbing. Reminiscent of the Pokémania of the late 90s, induced by a wildly popular trading card game, suddenly everyone seems to be trying to catch these mythical critters. 
    Marcos Ramirez of Edna, a Pokémon fan since the 90s, had been anticipating the game for almost a year. 

By Chris Lundstrom
Publisher/Editor
    District Attorney Bobby Bell is realizing his life’s dream. On Saturday, Republican precinct chairs from six counties overwhelmingly voted Bell to succeed former District Judge Skipper Koetter. This will be the first time a Jackson County citizen has sat on the bench as a district judge.
    It has been a long and arduous process. When Koetter retired last March, it was expected that Gov. Greg Abbott would appoint someone to fulfill Koetter’s term. Instead, Gov. Abbott handed the decision to the precinct chairs in the district that Koetter represented. Since late spring, those representatives have been meeting with their county chairs and the local attorneys interested in the position. 
    On July 16, 43 of the 80 precinct chairs supported Bell for the nomination on the first ballot.
    Jeri Browning, a precinct chairman from Jackson County, participated in the process. 

    The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture board of directors has hired Merrill Ulbricht of Edna as its Executive Director.
    Ulbricht, originally from Uvalde, graduated from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville with a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences. After graduation she worked in sales and marketing. She and her husband, Adam, have two sons and are the former owners of Fireflies in Edna. 
    Ulbricht’s duties include planning Chamber events and activities and member support services.
    “I know and understand the challenges and rewards of owning a business in our community and am excited to join the Chamber in helping serve our community,” Ulbricht said. “I am looking forward to expanding the Chamber’s services and growing our membership.”  

By Jessica Coleman
Staff Writer
    A dedicated fireman, Wesley Hendry continued serving with the Lolita Volunteer Fire Department even after he was diagnosed with cancer. In January, Wesley finally succumbed to the disease after a long fight, and now his family and fellow fireman have found a relevant, special way to honor his memory.
    “Anything anyone needed, Wesley was there,” said his mother, Betty Hendry, “He loved to volunteer.”
     Wesley Hendrey was known countywide as someone who could be called when anyone needed help. He was a volunteer firefighter, a peewee football coach, an umpire for baseball, and much more. Wesley, according to his mother and many others, was a giver.
    “His main interest was the kids. He always wanted to make sure the kids were taken care of.”