The Palestine Public Library now has a self-check machine which can make checking out items at the library a breeze.

Even if you owe late fees, the machine is capable of taking both money and credit card information.

Due to the threat of icy roads, some area schools and colleges have altered their normal schedules for Wednesday.

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, here is the information we have on the delays.

Be sure to check your local radio station Wednesday morning to see if other schools have announced delays, as some are making their decisions then. KYYK 98.3 is updating their weather list at www.youreasttexas.com

An all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 31 at Applebee’s in Palestine. Proceeds will benefit Elmwood Volunteer Fire Department. The cost is $5 per person.

As we all know, volunteer fire departments depend on donations to operate, as well as volunteers who give of their time — day or night — to lend a hand to help keep our community safe.

Fund-raiser such as the pancake breakfast (as well as the barbecues, fish fry events,etc.) can make it easier for the VFDs to pay for their expenses.

TENNESSEE COLONY — A hamburger lunch and bake sale benefit will be held Saturday for 15-year-old local teen Colby McLeod.
McLeod had a four-wheeler accident on Nov. 26, 2008 and was life-flighted to Tyler with severe brain injuries. He was at Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler until Dec. 30. He was then transferred to TIRR, a rehabilitation hospital in Houston. He is now in an outpatient rehab program. He is doing a lot better, but has fluid building up in his brain and may have to undergo another surgery.
McLeod, a sophomore at Grapeland High School, is the son of Keith and Kelley Dyess and Jerry Wayne and Lenora McLeod.
The benefit will start at 10 a.m. at Tennessee Colony Community Center. Burger, chips and drink are $6 and dessert for $1.
A silent auction and drawing also will be help, thanks to the support of local businesses.
“All prayers and donations are greatly appreciated,” a family member said.
Anyone interested in making a donation may contact the Dyess family at 903-928-2630.

What: The Voice of Elvis & Legends Texas Tour

When: March 13 at 6 p.m.

Where: Palestine Civic Center

For more information: 903-723-3014

Jesse Aron, considered by his peers to be one of the top 3 Elvis Tribute Artist's in the Country continues his Texas Tour. Jesse is an International Champion and a two time Grand Prize Winner of Milwaukee's Casino Event. He will take you through the 50's, 60's and Vegas years Elvis!

His wife (Tarie) will host the event as Marilyn Monroe and there will also be a special tribute of Roy Orbison.

To see and hear why Jesse is known worldwide as "The Voice of Elvis" visit www.jessearon.com

For more details contact Steve Fountain at 832-623-4812 or send an email

Miss Texas Rebecca Robinson competed in the Miss America pageant which was broadcast live on TLC Saturday from Las Vegas. Mario Lopez was the host.

To become Miss Texas, Robinson competed in the Miss Texas pageant as Miss Longview. She graduated from Buffalo High School and then attended Texas A&M University.

She also took part in TLC's reality show Countdown to the Crown, which final episode aired Friday — the day before the pageant.

Her platform issue: Beyond the Bell: Afterschool Programs for America's Youths

Her talent: Tap dance

Her goals: To obtain a doctorate degree in Luso-Brazilian Literature; and to become a translator for the United Nations

You can visit Miss Texas here.

Congratulations Rebecca!

Diane Davis will be the focus of the Neighbor's feature in the Monday, Jan. 26 edition of the Palestine Herald-Press.

Palestine Community Fitness Fair
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31
Palestine Civic Center

Cost: Free. The event is funded by the Governor’s Fitness Grant and sponsored by the City of Palestine, Palestine Regional Medical Center, the Palestine YMCA, Palestine ISD, Westwood ISD and the Palestine Resource Center for Independent Living.

Listen: Dr. Tom Chick, Dr. Michael Gorby, Klaus Kuehl, P.A. and others will be speaking about fitness-related topics.

Work Out: See how you stack up against others in ping pong, calisthenics, treadmill and jump rope competitions.

Watch and Learn: Check out demonstrations of youth fitness activities, clogging, square dancing, yoga and chair exercises.

Wander: Visit a variety of booths offering fitness-related information, including the YMCA, PRMC physical therapy, Palestine Public Library, Curves, Relay for Life, FITNESS Challenge and Texas Roundup, Greatest Loser contest, Dr. Michael Gorby’s office, Jamie’s Therapeutic Touch and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

Win: Drawings will be held at 11:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. for two Wii’s. You must be present to win and have attended for at least an hour.

Munch: Palestine High School athletic director Booker Bowie will have his barbecue pit fired up to serve barbecue.

Take Part: Register to compete in the Palestine FITNESS Challenge, either as an individual or part of a team from work or church.

Surf: Learn more online at the Governor’s Fitness Challenge Web site (www.texasroundup.org)

Aubrie Coleman, 6, caught this respectable bass (without assistance) at a private pond north of Palestine during last weekend's brief warm spell. Aubrie attends Christian Academy Heritage in Palestine. She is pictured with her father Clayton Coleman.

Click here for more information on how to submit Smile Page photos to the Herald-Press.

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Susan Combs gave some Anderson County residents and business owners a brief glimpse of the Texas economy Friday morning during a stop in Palestine. Read the full story here.

In the newspaper, we have been following the story of local resident Elizabeth Hutchinson, who at age 88 has attended every presidential inauguration since 1952 when she witnessed Dwight Eisenhower being sworn in as the country’s 34th president.

In Friday's paper, we have the story about Hutchinson's experience at the Inauguration.

Here are some links to Hutchinson as she talks on National Public Radio (audio file) and a video of Hutchinson on FOX News in Washington the day before the Inauguration.

The video on FOX News is quite entertaining as Hutchinson attracts a lot of attention with her Texas-style gold boots.

If you didn't read our first story about Hutchinson's celebrity status due to the Inauguration, be sure to catch up on that as well.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" received 13 nominations from the Academy Awards including Best Picture, while "The Dark Knight" garnered seven nominations — but not Best Picture.

Up against "Button" for Best Picture is "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "The Reader" and "Slumdog Millionaire."

The late Heath Ledger earned a supporting-actor nomination as expected for the blockbuster "The Dark Knight." The movie also picked up seven other nominations for technical achievement, cinematography and visual effect — but nothing in the major categories such as directing or screenplay.

The 81st Oscars will be held Feb. 22 at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre and broadcast on ABC.

Click here for a complete list of Oscar nominees.

It is pretty simple to submit a photo for the Smile Page — especially if you have e-mail and digital photos.

Simple attach the photo that you want to submit to an email to community@palestineherald.com along with caption information — and you're done!

You also can bring a photo in to the Herald-Press reception desk at 519 N. Elm St. with the caption information as well as mailing it to: Palestine Herald-Press, Attn: Smile Page, P.O. Box 379, Palestine, TX, 75802.

The Smile Page is published on Mondays in the Herald-Press. This is a good place for photos that you think are worth sharing that don't fit in another spot.

We print photos on a first-come, first-serve basis. Sometimes we have TONS of photos, and sometimes, like now, we are low on photos. So submit a photo if you are interested!

Here are a few ideas for how to utilize the Smile Page:

• Send in five generation photos.
• Clubs and organizations can send in donation photos or even a photo of their new officers.
• Garden clubs have utilized the Smile Page in the past for tree planting photos or presenting awards to area youth.
• Nursing homes and retirement centers can send in photos of their residents and their activities.
• Send in photos of your kid's recent school or after-school activity
  

PHOTO: Lori Barnett submitted this photo of Joey Barnett and Alyssa Barnett with some catfish they caught on jug lines at Lake Tawakoni earlier this month. The photo will be printed in the Monday, Jan. 26 edition.

More inauguration coverage at www.palestineherald.com

Here is a video clip from Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Palestine. Be sure to look for future videos on the Palestine Herald-Press home page in the Multimedia section.

Coming up in Monday's newspaper:

• A Neighbors feature on Michael Davis, a 1995 graduate of Palestine High School, who is now an attorney for Jim Parson's law office.

• A feature about Navy Seaman Joseph C. Moore who will play a role in the inaugural parade. (This story will be published on Monday or Tuesday.)

Watch a video that relates to the Navy's role in the inaugural parade.


Photos: LEFT: U.S. servicemembers and civilians take part in the full-dress rehearsal for President-elect Barack Obama's Inauguration in Washington, D.C., Jan. 11, 2009. RIGHT: Navy Seaman Joseph C. Moore is one of more than 700 members supporting the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee, a joint-service organization formed to coordinate all military participation and support for the 10-day period of Inaugural events. (Photos by Cecilio Ricardo)

In Sunday's edition:

Eighty-eight-year-old Palestine native Elizabeth S. Hutchinson becomes an instant celebrity as the inauguration approaches. The Jan. 6 story in the Herald-Press about Hutchinson's intentions to attend the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama has made state and national news — and now news organizations are planning to be by her side as she watches the historic event. Hutchinson has attended every inauguration since 1952.

Watch this video of Hutchinson on FOX 5 in Washington, D.C.

In Saturday's edition:

• Meeting Michelle Obama: Commissioner recalls chance encounter
• Goody's begins liquidation sale at Palestine location
• Preinaugural celebration banquet planned Monday

If you are thinking about adopting a dog or cat in the future, you might want to stop by the BARC, The Humane Society adoption clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 at the new Petsense store (in the Palestine Plaza on Crockett Road).

Humane Society volunteers will have a selection of dogs and cats available for adoption. Though adoption clinics are currently held about once a month, since opening Petsense has allowed BARC to place a few of the cats available for adoption in the store.

Life happens. That's what I learned this week shortly after getting this blog going.

My teenage son had an emergency health problem come up on Monday and before I knew it he was put in an ambulance in Tyler and sent to Children's Medical Center where we spent the rest of the week.

Thanks to prayer and wonderful medical treatment, he is now back home and 95 percent better.

Needless to say, I had to use my sick time to be with my child and wasn't able to keep the blog going this week. But I'm back to work now as of Friday night and hope to post frequently in the future.

Today, I feel very blessed to have such wonderful family, friends and co-workers who have really stepped up to help me in various ways during a very stressful week.

——— Cheril Vernon, Community Editor

Check out the Monday paper for the Neighbor's article about Neches native Josephine Woodard.

Deadline is Monday (January 12) to order the January food packages offered by Angel Food Ministries.

The Angel Food Ministries provides monthly packages of food at a savings to everyone, regardless of income status.

The January regular box for $31 includes: ribeye steak (4x 6oz.), chicken leg quarters, beef patties, cheese-filled manicotti, pork rib strips, chicken breast fajita strips, ground turkey, broccoli, peas, oatmeal variety box, Borden’s shelf stable 2% milk, blueberry muffin mix, white corn tortillas, pinto beans, chicken-flavored rice vermicelli, one dozen eggs and dessert items.

Other boxes include the senior box for $28 which has 10 complete meals and a dessert.

Food orders may be placed from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday with extended hours starting Jan. 8-12 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cash, Lone Star, Visa, MasterCard or debit cards are accepted. To place orders, call 903-731-9270.

The Basics of Life Storehouse is located at Lacy and Magnolia streets.

Deadline to place orders and pay for the January food box is Jan. 12.

Pickup date is from 7 to 10 a.m. Jan. 24 at First Baptist Church, 5700 N. Loop 256 (next door to the Palestine YMCA).

In case you do want to know who won the Golden Globes, here is the list of winners.

• The Texas State Railroad is planning tons of fun events for 2009.

• Find out who won the Palestine Library Friends' Friend of the Year award.

• Did you know that January is School Board Appreciation Month?

• We at the newspaper would like to say thank you to everyone who helped us with the Stocking Stuffers Toy Drive!

• The City Council will meet Monday. See what's on the agenda.

• The Commissioners Court also will meet Monday.

• Here's a link to some of the local briefs.

Welcome to the brand new Palestine Herald-Press blog!

With this blog we hope to keep readers informed of upcoming events, stories in progress, special news related to our local area or fun or useful things our readers might find entertaining.

But this also will be a place to sit back, relax and just enjoy life. We might share a recipe, a favorite photo, (or yours!), a funny video — you never know! So check back often as we hope to post daily.