These videos about Cartmell Home for Aged's groundbreaking for its expansion project were taken on Thusday, Feb. 26 by the Herald-Press. The first video is Cartmell Home CEO Tim Kozik explaining to the Cartmell residents (wearing special hard hats) about the expansion.

The second video is Kozik thanking various people and entities during an afternoon groundbreaking ceremony on the Cartmell grounds.

The last video is Kozik explaining the nuts and bolts of the expansion project.

I don't know about you, but I think Sammi wants to play. A large female hound mix, she is available for adoption at BARC, The Humane Society. Here are a few more photos of her:

Be sure to check out Pet Talk each Saturday in the Herald-Press to learn about pet care, upcoming BARC, The Humane Society events and see a few of the pets available for adoption. Read this week's Pet Talk on "Taking a More Proactive Role in Your Pet's Dental Care."

Cartmell Home for Aged residents wear special hard hats during a ceremony Thursday morning in celebration of Cartmell reaching the construction stage of its expansion project.

Jesse Aron sings two of Elvis' songs "A Little Less Conversation" and "All the Kings Men" in these two videos below.

Aron will be performing in Palestine during the Voice of Elvis & Legends Tour on Friday, March 13 at the Palestine Civic Center.

Also featured will be Roy Orbison, Marilyn Monroe and Connie Francis' tribute artists.

Showtime is from 6 to 9 p.m. For tickets, call 903-723-2026.

In celebration of Mardi Gras, Dogwood Trails Assisted Living has crowned its royal subjects — Dudley Vice as King of Krew and Queen Juanita Gurganus.
our King of Krewe and Queen and the royal subjects

On the Royal Court are: Mary Kate Derrington, Marian Luly and Hazel Elrod.

It's my job each week to pick out the pet pictures for the BARC, The Humane Society's weekly column Pet Talk. I go to the Humane Society website and try to pick out a variety of pets to feature. While the dogs and cats are ALWAYS adorable, I found that this week's group of pets were just TOO CUTE. Check out the top dog Rascal, an Akito mix. His face is full of personality. Below we have Brandi (beautiful dog!), playful Chiquita, Jaidyn and Duke. These dogs look like such characters!

If you are looking for a pet for your home, please consider BARC, The Humane Society.




Don't forget to spay and neuter your pets to help with the pet population problem!

The East Texas-based doo-wop group Shake, Rattle & Roll performed Feb. 12 at Cartmell Home for Aged as a special Valentine's Day treat to the residents. The group performed several hit songs from the '50s and '60s.

Here is a link to photos from the event on the Palestine Herald-Press Photo Gallery.

Residents of Cartmell Home's Sarah Center were treated to a Valentine's party Friday afternoon. During the festivities Erma Jane Baskin and Lawrence Motheral were crowned Valentine King and Queen for 2009.

The Red Hat ladies visited Dogwood Trails Assisted Living recently. I always love seeing photos of these ladies because they are just so colorful and always look like they are having a good time!

Anderson County has several Red Hat groups — does anyone know which group is in this picture? If so I will fix the caption when I get the name.

Thanks, Cheril Vernon, Community Editor (community@palestineherald.com)

Woodrow Watts and Hazel Elrod were crowned this year's Valentine's Day King and Queen at Dogwood Trails Assisted Living in Palestine. In the background are last year's winners Clyde Pool and Marian Luly.

They always say if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

A local resident called the newsroom today and said he got a call from a guy with an Arabian voice claiming to be a representative of the IRS. He told the resident he needed his name and other information so that they could send him $1,000 because the government is overpaid.

While these scams may be clearly scams to some of us, others may fall for it. Be careful what information you give over the phone. Do not give out your bank account number or credit card numbers. We know the IRS doesn't call us to offer us money. The IRS has information on Tax Scams and How to Avoid Them.

UPDATE: Here is a link to a story we published in Thursday's paper about local scams — Scam artists prey on citizens.

Palestine Independent School District Parent Involvement Coordinator Craig Harris will present a parenting conference for parents of high school and middle school students at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the cafeteria.

Harris will talk about parenting issues like being consistent, helping children make good decisions, discipline versus punishment, and helping children think with their upper brain functions.

“A lot of new research is coming out about the different parts of the brain,” Harris said.
The conference is free to all parents of high school and middle school students in the district. Snacks will be provided and there will be a special ensemble performance by the award-winning Palestine High School Band.

Harris will present parenting conferences at Story Elementary School on March 26, Southside Primary School on April 16 (tentative), and Northside Early Childhood Center on May 14. All conferences are free to the public and will begin at 6:30 pm.

Mrs. Trahan's Theater Arts classes presented puppet shows to the first-grade classes at Slocum School. Theater students created their own puppets and wrote their own puppet skits. Each skit included a moral or lesson: No back talking, no stealing, pay attention, no bullying, and treat other people nicely. The first graders really enjoyed the skits and the theater students enjoyed presenting them.

Teacher Cathy Edwards and her first-grade class.

Slocum students Gina Lively, Gavin McClain, Dylan Catron, Andee Magee and Kolton Prine.

Here are a few photos from Westwood ISD we wanted to share:

Many of Westwood’s staff and students participated in a district wide Talent Show on Feb. 3.


Mrs. Dunnam’s American History classes recently studied about the Louisiana Purchase. Each student also created a journal of the events in the view of Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea, or any other person who was part of the expedition. Students created the journals using paper, feathers, tea, and a variety of other objects.
Westwood Junior High’s 7th and 8th graders were treated to brownies and ice cream if they made A’s and B’s on their report cards. A’s, B’s and C’s received packets of M&M’s at lunch, while all A students enjoyed a trip to Mazzio’s.

Here are a few photos Elkhart ISD has sent in that we wanted to share:
Above, Mrs. Wallace's second-grade class had a visit from local EMTs from Palestine. Mr. and Mrs. Warren are the parents of one of the second grade students. The students were allowed to explore the inside of an ambulance while learning about the skills required to do the job. They were given safety tips and advice for emergency situations. They were introduced to CPR and allowed to practice their skills.

Mrs. Neel's first graders had a fun winter day making "Snowman Snot." The thought sounds a little bit disgusting but all the kids had a blast. What a terrific way to teach about fractions and measurements.

Be sure to look for several Elkhart ISD photos on the Palestine Herald-Press Photo Gallery!

If you would like to contribute a photo or group of photographs to be added to our photo gallery, please e-mail them to photos@palestineherald.com

Believe me, we are so lucky that Valentine's Day falls on Saturday this year.

This gives the majority of people the day to figure out a gift for the special person in their life. This is so much better than falling on a weekday when there is so much hustle and bustle that it's hard to get anything done.

So if you haven't found the perfect Valentine's Day gift yet, stroll out around town and see what you can find. Remember - unique is always better.

For some super romantic ideas, see this The Romantic.com's Creative Ways to Celebrate Valentine's Day Ideas

Here's a giant round-up list of Valentine ideas if you need more help.

Here's a list of Worst Valentine's Gifts to give you an idea of what to avoid.

But PLEASE, PLEASE, don't forget about Valentine's Day. Women take this holiday very serious. If you are low on cash, be creative. It truly should be the thought that counts.

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
(For this event there is a special price to fill the Civic Center —
Jesse Aron did his very first concert in Palestine)

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

Watch another video here.

Winning by one vote, El Toro won the Best Mexican Restaurant Award on the Herald-Press Blog's virtual poll.

Runner-up was Little Mexico.

Those of us who live in and around Palestine know we are fortunate to have many great Mexican food restaurants to try.

Purely for fun, be sure to vote on future polls on the Herald-Press blog.

El Toro please take a bow and download your virtual trophy!

Well-known singer Michael Martin Murphey will host the Texas Music Awards which will be held for the second year in a row in Palestine.

The event is set for April 26 and will include a performance by Murphey during the after-show.


Here is a peek at a new music video "Close to the Land" from his new album "Buckaroo Blue Grass."

Close To The Land (Michael Martin Murphey) from Sammy Passamano on Vimeo

The Palestine Public Library will hold a really cool program at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday as part of the last day of the “VANISHED — German-American Civilian Internment 1941-1948” exhibit.

Michael Luick-Thams, scholar and the director of Traces, a non-profit educational organization TRACES Center for History and Culture based in St. Paul, Minn. that created the exhibit, will give a talk at the library. Accompanying him will be Heidi Gurcke Donald who lived in one of the camps as a child and wrote a book about it called “We Were Not the Enemy.”

I had the opportunity to talk to both of them on the phone Saturday, and I am really excited about this program.

Heidi Gurcke Donald tells such a fascinating story (Read the Gurke family history here) that I know everyone is going to enjoy listening to her story.

Photo: Heidi Gurke Donald's family photographed at Camp Crystal Citiy in 1943

It sounds like she's reading a script, but this video is still good — two easy fudge recipes!

Kaylee Webb, Slocum ISD Homecoming Queen, and her escort sophomore Jacob Bowman.

Captain Steve Harden and Brian Rucker with Pre-K and Kindergarten classes.

Here are a few pets available for adoption currently at BARC, The Humane Society:

Are You Environmentally Conscious?

Have Access To Video Equipment?

Know How To Upload Video To The Internet? (You Know You Do!)

Then The CW Wants To See How You “Green Your World”!

The CW Network is looking for environmentally conscious video enthusiasts interested in potentially winning $10,000 in a new “Green Your World” contest as part of its on-going Free 2 Be Green campaign. As part of this new contest, viewers are encouraged to produce their own video (maximum 2 minutes in length) explaining how they are actively working to “green their world” and upload that video to www.cwtv.com/greenyourworld. All submissions must be received by Feb. 16, 2009 to qualify.

From all of the submissions, 5 lucky finalists will be selected to each produce a series of 4 (one per week) video blogs (or vlogs) about their contributions to the environment and making their communities a better place for everyone. One of the 5 finalists will ultimately be selected as the overall winner of the contest, earning the $10,000 prize and the chance to be featured online at cwtv.com and possibly be featured on-air on The CW Network during Earth Week.


No video equipment, no problem, as viewers can also submit a written essay (maximum 150 words) to www.cwtv.com/greenyourworld about their work and dedication to helping the environment and greening their world.


For complete details, guidelines, rules and restrictions regarding the “Green Your World” sweepstakes, please go to www.cwtv.com/greenyourworld.

Take a tour of the 2009 HGTV Dream Home. Every year HGTV gives away a home worth more than $1 million. Click here to enter the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway.

This year's home is located in Sonoma, California in the wine country. You can enter once daily through February 19.

In this short video, Monica Pedersen takes you on a quick tour of the home. But if you visit the HGTV Dream Home website, you can take an even better look at the home room by room.

What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial? Send us the link to the YouTube video in the comment section and we will post it.

The East Texas Chapter of the Romance Writers of America will hold an online writing workshop the week of Feb. 9-14.

The workshop will be led by published author Tracy Garrett, who will discuss “Rejection! When They Say Your Baby (manuscript) is Ugly.”

Workshop Details

Writers all know that feeling — the elation when a letter or email arrives, sporting a publisher's or agent's return address.. The thrill, the jolt of excitement, the anticipation. The punch in the gut when you read that word "unfortunately. " Rejected. The balloon deflates, sometimes taking the inspiration and energy with it.

When a writer receives a rejection, the toughest thing to do is step back from the manuscript, take an objective look, and try to see what the editor/agent/ contest judge saw.

As writers, we have to make a decision: ignore them, take their word and fix it — or toss it under the bed and move on to something else.

In this class, participants will look at the rejections they've received. What comments are you getting? Has more than one letter mentioned the same thing? Are you not sure what the editor/agent meant by a comment? And what can you do to locate that elusive Muse and drag her back to the keyboard? By reviewing the comments with objectivity, you can find your inspiration, make your manuscript stronger – and maybe change that “Not right for us” to “We want it right now!”

About the Author

Garrett is an active member of Romance Writers of America, Published Authors Network, Dallas Area Romance Authors , Published Authors Special Interest Chapter and Hearts Through History Romance groups. Her first novel is titled “Touch of Texas.” Her western historical, “Touched by Love,” was released in November, 2008.

More Details

Cost of the online workshop is $15 for RWA members and $20 for the general public.
You can register online and pay by Paypal online at http://easttexasrwa.com/html/workshops.php

Registration fee and form (which can be downloaded at http://easttexasrwa.com/html/workshops.php can be mailed to: RWA-ETC, P.O. Box 131322, Tyler, Texas 75713
For more information, contact Sarah Castleberry at sarahl castleberry@gmail.com or Cheril Vernon at cherilvernon@yahoo.com

Please note the online writing workshop is set up through a special Yahoo Group where those in the class are invited to the loop. Each day during Feb. 9-14, Garrett will provide a “lesson” on the topic and then takes questions from the class members.

Those taking the class can log on to the group site or they can receive individual messages directly to their email address. Class members do not have to be online at the same time, but should check for messages daily during the class.

You do not have to write romance to benefit from this class — as it is for all fiction writing genres.

On ebay, I found a listing for this circa 1908 view of a marching band postcard with a long line of men marching behind them in downtown Palestine. The postcard is in good condition with usual bumps and wears on the corners and edges. It is available for purchase for $39.95.

If you do a search for "Palestine, Texas" while on ebay, you will find many other postcards as well as other Palestine "items" of interest. You never know, you might find a real treasure.

Housing discrimination does not always mean having a door slammed in your face or a bigoted remark directed your way. Unsuspecting renters or home buyers may be politely turned away from the housing of their choice, even though they are qualified. Housing discrimination is a nationwide problem and often is severely under reported.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that more than two million instances of housing discrimination occur each year, however, less than one percent are reported. Many individuals are unaware that they have been victims of housing discrimination as they do not fully understand which activities are illegal under the Fair Housing Act.

Palestine Resource Center for Independent Living (PRCIL) will be hosting a Fair Housing workshop on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. Naomi Hubert, Housing Coordinator with United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) will be addressing fair housing accessibility and home ownership laws and how they affect individuals with disabilities. She will also be discussing UPC’s First Time Home Buyer Program.
PRCIL is located at 421 Avenue A in Palestine.

For more information contact PRCIL at 903-729-7505.