News

Tara Torres hails from Wichita Falls, Texas, and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art and Education.

As kids in the area have been restless due to the stay-at-home orders in place, neighborhoods all around town have been working to creatively engage residents while maintaining social distance and safety.

Texas voters are concerned about the coronavirus and believe it presents a serious crisis, and they are deeply worried about the economy, unemployment and the health care system. But they also think the disease could be contained enough to return daily life to normal within a few months, according to the latest University of Texas/ Texas Tribune Poll.

On a vacation/anniversary trip, compliments of our “boys and their families,” nearly two years ago, we took a tour of the city of “Hot Springs” and heard the story about “tunnels” under their city. The tour information stated that the Arch and Tunnel system was painstakingly and classically crafted; it was actually designed to safely carry stormwaters/floodwaters away from and out of the city proper. It also was used for other, more “hidden” things!

Growing up in small-town Forney in the 1950s, my sister and I were quite often “playmates,” since the neighborhood was not large. Needless to say, since we were fairly close in “years on earth,” we quite often “needled” each other about who had more various abilities. I let her know that since I was the first-born and a boy, I was the “special heir” and the oldest and wisest. She let me know that girls were supposed to be the “favorites” of the family and that being “left-handed” from birth made her part of a “special smarter/more creative” group of people!

I’ve limited my outdoor outings to one per week lately. With turkeys gobbling all across the state and blue catfish action red hot in the shallows, I simply cannot resist getting ‘out there’ in the woods and on the water. Not to worry though, I’m avoiding contact with large crowds; wearing latex gloves at the gas pumps and mask during those once a week trips to the grocery. As far as I know, social distancing with wild turkeys and blue catfish is still acceptable. After all, a camo face mask is necessary in the turkey woods and at the fish cleaning station, wearing gloves is always a good idea!

As the nation continues to shelter in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is urging Texans to shop online or practice strict social distancing measures for in-store purchases during the sales tax holiday for emergency preparation supplies. The primary intent of the law that established this holiday, which begins at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, and ends at midnight on Monday, April 27, is to help Texans prepare for events like hurricanes and turbulent spring storms.

A side-benefit of the Shelter in Place orders we’re currently living through is that families are seeing more time gathered around the dinner table than we have in the past three or four decades. It would benefit us to take advantage of this unusual blessing.

Forney ISD and the Fine Arts Department is excited to welcome Cody Newman as the new director of bands at Forney High School. Newman has served as the Poteet High School director of bands for the last 9 years, where he has earned the UIL Sweepstakes award each year, been a consistent qualifier to the UIL State Marching Contest, was a 2017 finalist in the Texas Music Educators Association Honor Band, and placed 5th overall in the 2017 UIL State Marching Championships.

Classes may be a little different these days with Forney ISD teachers working virtually with their students, but the District’s outstanding teachers are still working hard to make sure their students continue to get the education and attention they deserve.

For the sixth straight year, Forney ISD has been honored with the SupportMusic Merit Award from The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM).

In the midst of our current charge to socially distance ourselves and stay at home, many people feel lonely or are simply unable or too scared to go out, even for necessities. Jeremy Prather, Campus Pastor of Lake Pointe Forney, wants you to know that you don’t have to weather this storm alone.

This week Forney ISD took another step toward creating an in-house police department by hiring Joseph Sanders as the Director of Safety & Security. Sanders will transition to Chief of Police once the department creation process is completed with TCOLE.