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Sergeant First Class Willie B. Thomas
Sergeant First Class Willie B. Thomas

Sergeant First Class Willie B. Thomas

Mr. Willie Thomas was born and raised in Forney, delivered by Dr. Christine Walker at his grandfather’s house. Growing up, his grandpa instilled in him a strong work ethic to “do the best you can at everything you do”. Never one to shy away from hard work, Willie eventually attended Forney High School and practiced football daily, while working a couple of jobs washing dishes and helping at the cotton gin in the evenings and at night and still pitching in on the farm. All in all, he was giving his best, and that was what his family had hoped for from him. “My grandpa – he was also named Willie Thomas – was who raised me,” Thomas recounts. “And he was really proud of me.”

Forney Parks and Recreation Department Offering Adult Softball

Forney Parks and Recreation Department Offering Adult Softball

The City of Forney Parks and Recreation Department is excited to now offer adult softball leagues for community members. The Co-Ed and Men’s league seasons will begin on March 15 and run through May 3, 2021. Co-Ed games will be held on Monday nights and Men’s leagues will be held on Friday nights, with all games being held at Mulberry Park Field #1.

Prescribed Burn of Dormant Vegetation at NTMWD Wetland n
Prescribed Burn of Dormant Vegetation at NTMWD Wetland n

Prescribed Burn of Dormant Vegetation at NTMWD Wetland

The North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) will be performing prescribed burns to address brush and excessive vegetative thatch at the East Fork Water Reuse Project (Wetland) in Kaufman County. The prescribed burns will be conducted over multiple days beginning in December 2020 through February 2021. The timing and conclusion of the prescribed burns will depend on local weather conditions.

AMMO SCARCE? Try air as a propellant!

Drew Clayton taking aim with his Texan big bore airrifle. Photo by Luke Clayton

AMMO SCARCE? Try air as a propellant!

As a lifelong hunter/shooter I’ve been purchasing ammo since I was a teenager. I’ve never seen the need to ‘stockpile’ ammo. Through the years, I’ve usually bought no more than six or eight boxes of centerfire rounds and maybe twice that many shotgun shells. This has always sufficed for my target practice and hunting.

Anglers Bag Two More Toyota ShareLunker Legacy Class Lunkers and Two Tournament Titles on Final Weekend of January
Anglers Bag Two More Toyota ShareLunker Legacy Class Lunkers and Two Tournament Titles on Final Weekend of January
Anglers Bag Two More Toyota ShareLunker Legacy Class Lunkers and Two Tournament Titles on Final Weekend of January
Anglers Bag Two More Toyota ShareLunker Legacy Class Lunkers and Two Tournament Titles on Final Weekend of January

Anglers Bag Two More Toyota ShareLunker Legacy Class Lunkers and Two Tournament Titles on Final Weekend of January

The 2021 Toyota ShareLunker season continued its hot start after anglers reeled in two more Legacy Class Lunkers during the final weekend of January. That brings the total to four this year, equaling the amount caught during the 2020 season with two more months still to go. In addition, both anglers went on to win their respective tournaments due in large part to landing the Legacy Lunkers.

4 Ways Black Women Can Prioritize Self-Care for Improved Heart Health

4 Ways Black Women Can Prioritize Self-Care for Improved Heart Health

High blood pressure -- the leading risk factor for heart attack and stroke -- continues to disproportionately affect communities of color. Addressing this health inequity is especially important right now, as people with hypertension and serious heart conditions are at an increased risk for more severe outcomes if they acquire COVID-19.

New FISD Facilities Provide Outstanding Opportunities for Forney Students
New FISD Facilities Provide Outstanding Opportunities for Forney Students
New FISD Facilities Provide Outstanding Opportunities for Forney Students

New FISD Facilities Provide Outstanding Opportunities for Forney Students

Forney ISD continues to raise the bar with state-ofthe-art facilities. Thursday, January 28, the FISD Board of Trustees and Forney Superintendent, Dr. Justin Terry, officially cut the ribbons on two more distinctive training centers for local students made possible by a bond approved by citizens in November 2019.

Representative Keith Bell Files Pro-Life Legislation Providing Conscience Protection for Healthcare Workers

Representative Keith Bell Files Pro-Life Legislation Providing Conscience Protection for Healthcare Workers

Thursday, January 22, State Representative Keith Bell (R - Forney) filed House Bill 1291 on the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, requiring notice of the right to object to participation in an abortion procedure for health care personnel of a hospital, medical school, or health care facility.

Lydia’s Son
Lydia’s Son

Lydia’s Son

Lydia Polite was a Gullah-Geechee enslaved person in South Carolina. There is really no way for us to know what her given name was, as Gullah slaves were assigned names by traders and never known by the language of their West African mothers. The surname of Polite could’ve been a subliminal sales tactic used by the trader to fetch more money at the slave auction. “This one is so polite that’s what we named her.” By the late 1830s, Lydia had worked her way from the fields into a house servant role. She was enslaved by Henry McKee. In addition to being the wealthy landowner of the Ashdale Plantation on Lady’s Island, historians have also pegged him as the probable father of the child Lydia Polite brought into this world in 1839, in a cabin behind the main house, at the age of 43. How is that for an opening? See, the Gullah-Geechee culture is incredibly interesting. From their folk beliefs, to their story telling, to their beautiful language, dubbed Sea Island Creole, this culture owns a tapestry of beautiful lineage wrapped in the bloody and disgusting gift paper of human enslavement. They are also why I have a haint porch. And, the reason I come to you with this story today is simple. It’s officially black history month. While

Laymen’s Corner

The holy Bible is so written so that a “saved person” can learn how to live a GODLY life studying it, but the “lost” cannot understand it because it is foolishness to them. As natural humans we rely on what we can see with our human eyes and touch with our other senses. To believe the gospel about Jesus Christ is unnatural and cannot be done without the aid of the Holy Spirit opening their understanding. That is when their decision must be made.

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Forney Messenger

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 936, Forney, TX 75126
Physical Address: 201 W. Broad St., Forney, TX 75126
Phone: 972-564-3121
Fax: 972-552-3599