By Connie Pinkham Several times in scripture a council is spoken of. The Sanhedrin in our New Testament was the Jewish council made up of chief priests, scribes, and elders. This council handled the religious governance of the Jewish population. That council was involved in the trials of Jesus. (Matthew 26:57 ff) Acts 15 tells about a council meeting in Jerusalem. The apostles met with leaders of the Christian community to resolve some disputes about Gentile believers expected to adhere to Jewish traditions and requirements of the Jewish ceremonial law. Today, there are councils that are instrumental in governing our cities and hearing the wishes of citizens. Our schools have student councils that serve to give students a voice. To be sure, neither of them are always effective. Councils can easily get sidetracked and caught up in power plays. The Sanhedrin sure did. They didn’t want to lose their political power and position to a so-called Messiah who was not a conqueror. Jesus didn’t play by their rules so they wanted to get rid of Him. Imagine that. I have been churched my entire life. I seldom remember when I was not in the building if the church was assembled for any reason. I have read the Bible from cover to cover, more than once. I have done dozens of Bible studies independent of church. Yet, I continue to find out how little I know. Recently, I came face to face with a divine council spoken of in scripture. In all my reading and studying, I had not noticed what I now plainly see. Now, do not misunderstand. I am not a scholar. I do not pretend to have answers and explanations for all things scripture. On the other hand, I am fascinated when something in the pages of my Bible seem to just jump off the page, and I am not intimidated nor hesitant to search it out and inquire of The Writer of those scriptures for His illumination. You would easily agree that there are, in fact, angelic beings. Right? God’s angels announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, we see that depicted every Christmas with one little angel. But scripture tells us, “… a large group of angels from heaven also appeared.” (Luke 2:13 NIrV) The spiritual realm is not sparely populated. 2 Kings 6:15 and following teaches us that the hills around the prophet Elisha were full of “…horses and chariots…”, the hidden angel army of God, obviously involved in the battle that was being fought. In Joshua 5:13-15 we see Joshua encountering the “commander of the Amy of the Lord…”. The original Hebrew word is tsaba meaning a mass of persons organized for war. Matthew 26:53 records Jesus speaking about how His Father could “… provide Me with more than twelve legions [more than 80,000] of angels?” (Amplified Bible) And of course Revelation speaks at length about the armies of heaven. Yep. God’s heavenly realm is full of His angelic servants. I knew that in my head. Yet I never thought about how involved they are in God’s activities. “When Your holy angels gather together… Who among the angels is like the LORD? God is highly respected among His holy angels. He’s more wonderful than all those who are around Him.” (Psalm 89:5-7 NIrV) Gather together, around Him? What a meeting! “God (capital G) standeth in the congregation of the mighty; He judgeth among the gods (little g)” (Psalm 82:1 KJV capitalization added by me) That word translated God/gods is the Hebrew word elohiym and is a word that carries the idea of authority and strength. It indicates a divine being. Who are these little-g gods? “Now there was a day when the sons of God (elohiym) came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” (Job 1:6-7 NASB) Present themselves? Elohiym? And Satan (accuser) also came? Looks like it is assembly day in heaven, and what a scene!! These sons of God and the adversary is in the presence of the Creator Elohiym God, discussing humans. Wow. Let me be clear. Godoes not need opinions and advice from angels. Nor does he need it from me, or from you. But we know He desires a connection and bond with us…a relationship. He went to great length to make that possible in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is obvious that He has often chosen to use His angelic beings in His activities, just as He might choose to use humans like you and me. Some are tasked with small things, some greater. Some even involving nations. Time and again scripture tells of them appearing in human form, (always male by the way). In the book of Daniel we even read of conflict between angelic forces. Daniel needed help but the coming help came against resistance. “…your words were heard, and I have come in response…the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days, then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.” (Daniel 10:12-13 NASB) Prince? Who are these princes? The prince of Persia standing in the way, Michael the archangel coming to assist? What’s going on in the unseen realm of Daniel 10? The Hebrew word sar is translated as prince, it has the idea of someone in charge. It seems there are princes in the angelic realm on both sides! Galatians 3:19 tells us that because of wrong-doing, law was given to address and define what wrong-doing actually was/is, and it was added and…ordained thru angels! Acts 7:53 and Hebrews 2:2 both speak of angels being involved in human affairs. There IS a spiritual realm. There ARE angelic divine creatures. They are NOT at my disposal. I have more questions than answers, but my Creator God just gets bigger and my reality gets smaller each time I study and realize how infinite is His realm, and what a minute place I occupy. Yet, “He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 2:13-14 NASB) Hallelujah

By Pam Kumpe Across from the shelter, a weathered van sat with both side doors rolled open. A black dog stood at the entrance like a faithful guard, though his open mouth and wagging tail made him look more like he was welcoming visitors than warning them away. Inside, a short, stocky older man covered in faded tattoos looked up at me. “Hi, I’m Pam.” I smiled. “Would you like a cold Gatorade?” He shook his head. “Nah. I don’t drink those sports drinks.” I held one up, beads of condensation sliding down the bottle. “This one has your name on it. It could cool you off in a hurry.” He raised an eyebrow. “That cold?” “So cold it’ll make you forget this Texas heat for a minute.” A grin finally appeared. “Well… all right. I reckon I’ll give it a try.” He reached over the dog to take the bottle. “Thank you. This heat’s been wearing me out.” As he twisted off the cap, I noticed a neatly made bed tucked into the back of the van. A few shelves held everyday necessities. It wasn’t much, but it was home—for him and his dog—as they wandered from one highway to the next. The dog leaned against my leg. “Who’s this handsome fellow?” “Thor,” the man said proudly. “His name means thunder.” “He doesn’t seem much like thunder.” Blue chuckled. “No. He’s mostly sunshine.” “I can believe that.” As if joining the conversation, Thor lowered his head into a food bowl and proudly emerged with a worn tennis ball clamped between his teeth. He nudged it toward me. Blue laughed. “Go ahead. Throw it. He’ll catch it before it ever hits the ground.” I tossed it across the grass where it did bounce, but it was my throw that made that happen. Thor exploded after it, soaring through the air with surprising grace. Seconds later he was back, placing the ball neatly at my feet, ready for another round. Again. And again. For the next several minutes, the three of us forgot about the blazing head in the afternoon. We simply laughed while one happy dog chased the same ball with the same enthusiasm every single time. “He’s amazing,” I said, rubbing Thor’s ears. “I could fall in love with this dog.” “He’s my best buddy,” Blue replied. “We travel all over the country together. I get my Social Security check every month, and when money runs low, we stop near shelters for a few days. Then we’re back on the road. Mississippi’s our next stop.” I looked toward the group gathered beneath a nearby tree. “They warned me your dog might bite.” Blue smiled. “He only bites people who give him a reason.” “So…I passed the test?” “You scratched his ears before you asked anything from him. Dogs notice things like that.” I laughed. “I’m not always easy to figure out.” “Neither am I,” he said. “I just love the road. I guess I always will.” Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out one of the Scripture cards I carry. “I’d like you to have this.” He read it aloud. “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.”—Psalm 37:3 He slipped the card carefully into his pocket. “Thank you.” “I’ll be praying the Lord watches over both of you.” Before I could turn away, Blue stopped me. “Would you pray for Thor and me right now?” “I’d be honored.” So beside an old van, with one hand resting on a black dog whose tail never seemed to stop wagging, I prayed that God would protect them, guide every mile ahead, and remind them they were never traveling alone. Walking back to my car, I couldn’t help counting my own blessings—a bed waiting at home, air conditioning, a refrigerator full of food, and a little miniature schnauzer, Annie Grace, who would soon greet me at the door. Then I noticed the slobber covering my left hand. I laughed because maybe that’s what kindness looks like sometimes. A little messy. The Lord has a way of reminding me that contentment isn’t found in how much we own but in recognizing His goodness wherever we are. Blue had a van. Thor had a tennis ball. Together, they had joy. I want to keep noticing the lonely hearts God places within my reach. I want to keep tossing kindness the way I tossed that tennis ball, trusting Him with whatever comes next. And if I come away with a little dog drool on my hand every now and then ...well, that’s probably a small price to pay for a lesson I’ll never forget.

By Kenny Mitchell kenny@westbowiepost.com Bowie County leaders have taken the first step in the direction of what they see is the most viable way to protect our most valuable resource, as they have approved a resolution to join with other counties across Texas to form a Regional Water Conservation District. At last Monday’s meeting of the Bowie County Commissioners Court, the county leaders approved a resolution that will see the county join with neighboring counties to ask the Texas legislature in January to create the district. State Representative Cole Hefner spoke at the meeting and is scheduled to introduce the bill needed to create the district when the legislature convenes in January of 2027. Republican frontrunner for Texas House District 1 State Representative Chris Spencer told the West Bowie Post, “Our region needs a Groundwater Conservation District. No one wants government overreach, but this is an example of a true public necessity. Protecting our groundwater from entities deep drilling into the aquifer and diverting for profit. I am grateful for Representative Cole Hefner's leadership in this legislative initiative, and as State Representative I will co-sponsor this legislation in the next session.” The enacting portion of the approved resolution reads, “The Commissioners Court of Bowie County hereby supports the creation by the Texas Legislature of a regional groundwater conservation district encompassing appropriate portions of Northeast Texas overlying the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer…The proposed district should be structured to provide for responsible regional groundwater management, conservation, monitoring, and protection of the aquifer utilizing sound science, local representation, and regional cooperation…The Commissioners Court supports a user-funded structure for the district utilizing production fees, permit fees, and other lawful revenue sources authorized under Texas law, with no ad valorem property tax imposed by the district.” Precinct 4 Commissioner Mike Carter told the West Bowie Post after the meeting, “I thought the meeting went really well. Everyone was very supportive of forming it, with most seeing it as a way of stopping these data centers. It could mean a small charge to individual water users but will not mean any new taxes on local citizens.” Carter has joined the ranks of Bowie County citizens who have grown very concerned about the negative impacts of proposed AI data centers, most notably, the potential for them to use millions and millions of gallons of water and be a drastic strain on the aquifers that lie beneath Bowie County lands. Carter also said of the data centers, “I will not vote to wave ad valorem taxes for these data centers. They need to pay their fair share.” The measure is directly related to the fact that much of NE Texas is one of the few places in the state to not have a water conservation district and counties have no control over their groundwater. So, what is groundwater, and what will the proposed district do to protect it. As its name suggests, groundwater is water found in the ground. It is not like a lake or a river, but rather water that lives in the various layers of the soil like sand, gravel and porous rock, like the water in a sponge. In Northeast Texas, while there are many minor aquifers, the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer is one of the nine major aquifers in the state, and it replenished itself with the rainfall that naturally occurs across the region. The counties joining together to hopefully create this district for Northeast Texas see it as a way to provide a framework to protect the groundwater in the region from those who would want to drain millions of gallons daily from the aquifers for industrial use, like a data center. The push for a district is not without opposition. Across the state, lawsuits and opposition to water conservation districts is based on the belief that a district is a direct attack on private property rights, especially farmers and ranchers that need access to water for irrigation purposes and to water their livestock. In the State of Texas, what is known as the “rule of capture” basically says that if the water is beneath your land, it is yours and you have the right to pump as much of it as you need or want. Thus, private landowners often oppose water conservation districts and their restrictions and need for permits based on the belief that they violate the constitutional rights of land ownership. One such lawsuit involves ranching operations to the east of our area where Dallas area billionaire Kyle Bass is suing the Neches & Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District based on its moratorium on large scale water extraction projects. Bass owns two separate ranch properties that had asked for permits for 43 water wells that could pump billions of gallons of water in the future out of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. Similar lawsuits across the state pit water districts against private landowners in a debate over who actually owns the groundwater, and who has the right to control its use. Cass County Judge Travis Ransom, who is at the forefront of the effort to create the Northeast Texas Regional Water Conservation District says, “By working together, Northeast Texas counties can share technical expertise, administrative costs, scientific resources, and legal guidance. Regional cooperation creates economies of scale while ensuring that decisions remain close to the people who depend upon the resource every day.” Much like the data centers that connect industry and water, the district is an ongoing story. We will look at other facets of the issue in an upcoming series on the subject in future issues of the West Bowie Post.

By Kenny Mitchell kenny@westbowiepost.com A chance visitor at the office last week spurred a conversation with an old friend and it was nice to just sit and talk for a few minutes with someone else who truly cares about the community of Bowie County. People are so busy these days just trying to keep paddling that it is a rare thing to have a few minutes in the still to just sit and talk, but it was definitely a surprise pleasure for yours truly when my buddy Tommy Crouch came by for a few minutes. It was a fairly deep conversation for a couple of old country boys like us, and it left me with a lot of thoughts bouncing around in the ol’ noggin’ and a few questions to pose to all of you. Our conversation centered around change. Change can be a good thing, and it can also be hard. And change is often what we need the most. When people talk about change, it is often about changing our leaders in government. Whether it be on the national level, or the local, one way to impact real change is to change those who call the shots. We are a government by the people and for the people, so when our elected leaders aren’t listening to the people, we have the ability to get new leaders. The problem with that these days is there is a pretty shallow pool of people to choose from when it comes to those willing to step up and be a leader. We have become a society filled with followers, not leaders. Even worse, we have so many in our world who want to criticize and rail on those who are in a position of leadership, while they hide behind a keyboard on social media. Tommy and I spoke about all kinds of changes. With all of the info flying around about data centers, water concerns, and a mixed bag of other things, the question of whether we need some changes in local leadership are valid. Here in Bowie County, we have had the benefit of having a really good county judge for several years in Bobby Howell. He has done well for the people he was elected to serve. In January, a new judge will step in, and I believe, in fact, I know Josh Davis will continue that trend. As far as county leaders and city leaders around the area, perhaps there are some changes that need to be made. My thoughts on that are to sit back and see how they handle the issues that are at the forefront these days. Personally, while data centers seem to be at the front of the line, I believe protecting our water, both on the surface and under the ground, should be a top concern. If we sit back and let folks take our water, whether it be Marvin Nichols Reservoir or a water starved cooling tower, water is going to be like liquid gold in our very near future, even more than now. Now, let me say this about my friend Tommy, and is family. There has been a lot said recently about our prized FSJ going up for sale on the real estate market. This has definitely been a subject for keyboard warriors, and I am going to share my opinion about that here. Anybody that believes Tommy and Ashley, along with Ted and Suzanne, have not earned a break from the 16-hour days, day after day, week after week, year after year, then you are quite simply ill informed. Unless you are one that does what they do and have done it for the 40 plus years that they have, then you just don’t know. As one who has devoted himself to his chosen craft for years, at often the expense of missing things with family, there is no doubt to me that all of those folks at the Junction have served our community diligently for decades, and if anybody around here deserves a chance to step back, take a break, and enjoy life for a change. Now, let me say, I will definitely miss a perfectly fired ribeye from Tommy’s grill, or maybe the amazing goodness of rattlesnake pasta, there are other places to get a good steak. Who knows, maybe the new owners will make an even better one. (nah, not likely) Regardless, change is inevitable. We can do all we can to help the changes that come to our advantage, and we can work to make lemonade out of them all. That is always up to us.

By Kenny Mitchell kenny@westbowiepost.com A 6th grade student at Hooks Junior High has made it her mission this year to make the world a better place with simple acts of kindness. Katelyn McElroy was crowned earlier this year as Young Miss Hooks and she has decided to use her platform as a member of the Miss Hooks court to help her community and bring it together by simply being kind. Katelyn says, “When I became Young Miss Hooks, I wanted to do something to help people by spreading kindness. I want to bring our community together by helping each other.” And Katelyn will kick off the effort in earnest in August when school returns, with a series of themed months that will run through next March when she hands her crown to the next Young Miss Hooks. In August, Hooks Hearts will focus its attention on school staff of all kinds with plans to include teachers, cafeteria workers and many others. Katelyn will get the community involved by asking Hooks residents to offer kind words for Hooks ISD staff and then she will take those comments and place them on some kind of keepsake that can be given to those staffers at the end of the month. After August, McElroy plans to include a different group each month to include senior citizens, first responders, neighbors down the streets of Hooks and various other groups to be focused each month through March, with each month labeled with its own heart theme. Katelyn told the West Bowie Post this week that she is inspired to do things like Hooks Hearts by those she loves most-her family. The family includes mom and dad, Rashad and Hali McElroy and Katelyn’s big sister, Kadence. Rashad works at Red River Army Depot and Hali is an account manager for a marketing firm. Katelyn notes, “My family inspires me most. They taught me to always be kind, especially my sister.” Katelyn’s sister Kadence is a 16-year-old junior at Hooks High School who was herself Young Miss Hooks in 2022, the same year Katelyn was Little Miss Hooks. The two joined together that year as they served on the court to hold a school supplies drive to help fellow students and families, with all of the supplies and funds donated going to help students across all of the campuses at Hooks ISD. While this year’s Young Miss Hooks is going into the 6th grade, she does have plans for the future and hopes to one day be an orthodontist. Mom Hali says of her daughter, “She has been involved in pageants for several years and It is always her decision and her initiative to do something other than just wear a crown and to actually do something for people while she serves. From a young age she has always been about serving other people and showing kindness, and she finds ways to do that all on her own. As an 11-year-old she prefers to help other people always and use her pageant titles as a way to show kindness, and that impresses me. It has always been just who she is. We are really proud of her.”

“No new supply agreements, reservation capacities or participation contracts have been made beyond those already existing with the Member Entities.” By Kenny Mitchell kenny@westbowiepost.com With the organized opposition to the construction of proposed AI data centers in Bowie County, much has been said about where the water will come from to supply the water thirsty cooling towers that come with them. Opposition leaders have raised the issue of water consumption and water costs repeatedly and say that their questions have fell mostly on deaf ears, under what they have considered a veil of secrecy with many calling for county and state leaders to step in and legislate a moratorium on data center development until answers to their questions are forthcoming. In an effort to lift that veil of secrecy and get answers to the questions concerning water usage, the West Bowie Post spoke with Riverbend Water Resources District Executive Director Kyle Dooley. Last Thursday, on a day that saw Riverbend receive approval of an additional $248M in funding from the Texas Water Development Board to advance their new Johnny Branson Water Treatment facility, Dooley took great pains to answer some of those burning questions posed by the data center opposition, and by local water customers. Dooley told the West Bowie Post, “In recent months, Riverbend Water Resources District, just like everyone else, has recognized the community conversations and concerns surrounding data centers and water use in Northeast Texas. It’s clear that everyone is passionate about preserving and protecting our region, but we’ve also noticed some confusion or misunderstanding on this issue that warrant further discussion. Citizens deserve clear and transparent access to facts about their water and other community resources.” Many in the area are unaware of Riverbend’s purpose and mission and Dooley addressed that by noting, “Riverbend is a conservation and reclamation district, and as such our top priority is to deliver a clean and reliable water supply to our participating Member Entities (Local Communities and Water Supply Corporations) and their local end users. We are charged with ensuring adequate supply is available to meet our region’s growing water needs now and for many decades to come. Sustainable water supply management takes intentional planning. That’s why our Strategic Plan included the Riverbend Regional Water System Improvements Program to assess, plan and provide for the current and future water needs of our growing region. The program’s proposed system updates have been designed to expand our ability to deliver treated water to participating Member Entities and their users.” Dooley then answered one of the most burning questions posed by Bowie County residents in regards to data centers and their water requirements, while also clarifying that Riverbend had no current contracts or finalized agreements with any of the proposed developers. Dooley sated, “Some citizens have expressed concern that private customers, like data centers, might get inequitable access to our region’s water or favorable rates at the expense of local water customers. It’s important to clarify that no such agreements or commitments have been or will be made. Riverbend has Water Supply Agreements with our participating Member Entities that specifically outline safeguards to protect and benefit the members and their customers. Member rates are calculated based on the direct capital, operating and maintenance expenses required to meet their capacity requirements. Additionally, the raw water that would be required by these industrial customers cannot be delivered within the current infrastructure. System upgrades have been designed with future development options, including raw water capacity. However, capital projects to distribute raw water would be fully funded by the requesting private customer. The cost would not fall to the Member Entities or their local end users.” In addition, Dooley answered questions about the future of water in the Northeast Texas counties that Riverbend serves and painted a clear and optimistic picture of their ability to meet the water needs for the region for many years to come, while also confirming again that Riverbend has not entered into any supply agreements with incoming industrial developers. Dooley said on the future, “With our Regional Water System Improvement Program, we are moving toward sustainable water infrastructure in the region. For that reason, Riverbend often receives preliminary inquiries into supply capacity and raw water rates from private entities exploring development in our region. These discussions have been strictly informational, and standard practice is to provide factual response as part of routine economic development. These discussions are not binding or contractual in any way. Riverbend serves under the direction of our Member Entities, and any new water supply agreement must follow due process as outlined by the district’s bylaws and state requirements. No new supply agreements, reservation capacities or participation contracts have been made beyond those already existing with the Member Entities. We invite citizens to visit our website, www.rwrd.org, for full access to district policy documents, meeting minutes, rate projections, infrastructure updates and other resources.” Dooley finished by declaring, “We appreciate the community’s active interest in ensuring Northeast Texas is a thriving, sustainable region for generations to come. Riverbend remains committed to fostering collaborative relationships with our Member Entities and providing transparent, accurate information for their local end users every step of the way.” While more questions remain as to the actual water requirements will be for the proposed data centers, and what local entities like TexAmericas have discussed with those developers, Dooley’s remarks do answer the questions of who will foot the bill for those water needs and that there are currently no agreements to provide that water. TexAmericas’ Scott Norton has said in previous statements that the Project Big Pine developer has committed to a closed-loop water system, but the specifics on exact water usage would not be available until there was an end user. With the push now on for Governor Gregg Abbott and Texas lawmakers to legislate a moratorium on data centers until their impact can be more transparent, questions will remain. Look for more on this continuing story in next week’s issue of the West Bowie Post.

By Rylee Freeman Welcoming an exchange student into the family can create lifelong relationships while introducing new cultures to both the student and the host family. Foreign Links Around the Globe (FLAG) was founded by former Brazilian exchange student Mazi Cunha and his American host mother. Local coordinator Laura Shaw recruits host families willing to welcome an exchange student during the school year and treat them as part of the family. Shaw manages both families and students through monthly reports and check-ins during the school year. Shaw brings 10 years of experience in exchange student management and has hosted 11 students of her own, all of whom still return to visit. FLAG's mission is to give exchange students and host families the opportunity to experience each other's cultures. Shaw described a great host family as “somebody that loves kids, that is willing to take one and just treat them like their own.” Whether a family's ideal evening is watching movies and eating pizza or traveling together, Shaw said anyone with a servant's heart and a love for young people can become a host family. Families interested in hosting begin by completing an application and passing a background check. The organization then conducts a home visit and takes photographs before the student's school approves the placement. Shaw said host families receive training, orientation and ongoing support throughout the process. Hosts are responsible for three meals a day, while students arrive with spending money and their own health insurance. Shaw said hosting an exchange student often feels like gaining another child. “They become family, and then you have a lifetime friend,” Shaw said. Beyond cultural exchange, Shaw said that the program is a Christian ministry. “You get to show these kids the love of Christ,” Shaw said. For more information about hosting, contact Laura Shaw at (903) 701-5320 or lshaw@flag-intl.org.

By Kenny Mitchell kenny@westbowiepost.com In these dog days of summer, many are in the middle of preparing for another school year, and that is surely the case for the folks at Plentiful Harvest in New Boston as the efforts are in full swing for their 9th annual Back to School Bash. This year’s event is set for Saturday, August 1, from 11 a.m. til 2 p.m. at the church, located at 500 N. Merrill. As always, the much anticipated event will bring the community together to provide essentials for students that will be returning to area school campuses in August. The event will include free haircuts, shoes, clothes, school supplies and backpacks for area school children, plus fun activities for all ages. Activities will include face painting, balloon art, a bounce house and free food for all who attend. There will also be an opportunity to help the community, as the Lifeshare Blood donation bus will be on hand, along with various information booths hosted by local businesses and organizations. A new feature this year includes a partnership with the New Boston Juneteenth organization. New Boston Juneteenth Presidet Patricia Thompson told the West Bowie Post, “When you work together it is not about I or me, it is about us. It allows us to make a bigger impact than we can alone. When we saw an opportunity for the organizations to unite, we just knew it was the right thing to do. It is about putting the needs of the children first. Every child deserves to start the new year with purpose and dignity. We are all in this together.” Thompson stated that the partnership is an opportunity to show the community who we are. Our mission is to create opportunities and to foster unity in the community. When we come together, instead of competing, it shows community unity and benefits the children. The New Boston Juneteenth organization hopes to partner with other community organizations like Glow Walk, Let’s Battle Cancer Together and the local Jeep Club, to do more for the community and bring the community together. Plentiful Harvest’s Beth Little told us, “This is about the kids, and we get kids from all over our area/ We would love for churches and organizations from around the area to come be with us and share their ministries or what they do to minister to our area children. We want to help all that we can, and the more that join with us, the more we can help.”

By Allyson Pebsworth allyson@westbowiepost.com There’s no crying in baseball, a quote most people are familiar with. However for some people it’s more than just a quote the way playing ball is more than just a game, regardless of age. Harper Hankins, daughter of Jacey and Michael, has been playing ball since she was 5 years old, starting with t-ball and quickly jumping up to play on teams with kids much older than herself. Watching the Women's College World Series with her mom, Harper expressed her desire to play saying “she wanted to be like that.” At only 6 years old, Justin Arsenault with the New Boston Youth Sports Association, was putting a team together for district 44 to play in the State Tournament. Several members from the t-ball team and some of Harper's best friends played together and won the championship. Although she had started out playing in the outfield, she was transitioned to third base during the tournament and from there her in-field play began. She started taking pitching lessons and played throughout the summer while she was six and seven years old. Even getting the opportunity to get some field and batting help from the softball team at Texas A&M University - Texarkana as her pitching coach was an assistant for the team at the time. “They really slowed down and helped her. It was really inspiring.” They met Coach Mike Simpson, who has now become more of a family member than a coach, and he saw her potential. Playing a huge hand in Harper’s softball journey so far, Coach Mike would even be there for the family off the field when they needed it. The next spring, Harper competed in travel ball and built really great relationships with all the girls and their families, many of which were from New Boston and DeKalb. When she turned eight, she was looking forward to playing with the 8u team, however the team didn’t have enough players, so she was then placed with the 10u girls team. During her time playing, was was at one point on multiple teams during one season. Playing with the 8u teams, the Wildcats of Texarkana and the Ballers of New Boston, one team went undefeated in district while the other got second. “She showed up to play ball that day, she didn’t strike out all day…the girls were like a well oiled machine,” Jacey said with pride when speaking of Harper’s time on the field. However, when she was nine, a slam in the car door took Harper out of the game for a few weeks due to a broken thumb. She was out of lessons and had to go to a specialist in Tyler, but after her release was excited to return to the field. Kevin Grady, who is Harper’s pitching coach now, told Jacey that with the holidays approaching and cold weather incoming, drills would resume after the first of the year (January 2026). Then the flu hit in November and caused a bit more of a wait. Close to Christmas, Harper contracted conjunctivitis in her eye. One night while having dinner at Harper’s Sassy’s (Paula Cole) house, the family was looking at Harper and noticed her eye was a bit swollen and protruding from the socket. Jacey made an appointment with the eye doctor, who Jacey says later was one of the main reasons Harper can see today, and the doctor informed her that more testing was needed and to seek care at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. At 4:30 a.m., the world changed for the Hankins family, as the emergency room doctor told them that Harper had a silver dollar mass behind her eye. “It was just a mass at that point, but all sense of rationality goes away when you hear something like that.” Harper could tell something was wrong, but her parents tried to shield her as much as possible. The anxiety set in. Harper, diagnosed with ADHD as a young child struggles with anxiety and has found a saving grace in her service dog Maggie. Maggie is a black german sheppard who is trained to notice Harper’s anxiety set in before even Harper does. Maggie was able to stay with Harper during the majority of her hospital stays, testing and appointments. Once admitted, Harper saw the mass doctor at Children’s and they conducted a “rabbit hole” of testing. On Christmas eve morning, the family got the news that it was not cancer, however it was a large hemangioma sitting behind her eye. The family got home at 6:15 Christmas eve night with a whole new journey on the horizon. Her first appointment with the Ophthalmologist, Dr. John Pemberton at UAMS was in January 2026 and the testing showed that the mass was not cancerous, but still growing and for unknown reasons. Harper was immediately put on a high dose of steroids for treatment and was told the worst news for a nine year old softball player, no strenuous activity. No running. No playing. No pitching. No anything other than sitting and being careful with everyday life. For any child, this would be near impossible, but for Harper who was used to being active 24/7, this was devastating. When speaking of her time at home, Jacey said it was “Very hard to watch the downhill and not just the physical but the emotional and mental.” She continued getting worse and steroids weren’t making things better, instead she was overrun with a multitude of new symptoms from the medications. “When you are so used to being at practice or games, or keeping up with siblings and animals at home, then you have to literally do nothing. It’s heartbreaking.” Then in April, something was even more wrong. The optic nerve went from the size of a needle to the size of a No. 2 pencil in the span of four weeks. Pressure levels were high and color vision was dropping. When she could normally see a 10 out of 10, Harper could now only see 4 out of 10. She couldn’t read anything out of her eye and the mass was close to the nasal cavity causing her to not be able to turn her eye. “It hurt so bad.” Her eyelid wouldn’t even close all the way. The doctor said she needed to come back, it’s getting bigger and she has the possibility of going blind. It was a Thursday and they quickly scheduled her to come to the hospital the next Monday. Going back for appointments every four weeks then such a quick turn around for admittance, the family leaned on each other and other family members like Mike and Holly Foster, to help take care of the other children and animals. There were always many people helping behind the scenes and one quote Jacey hung onto through the experience was said by her supervisor “Although we are in the dark, there is one person that will never be in the dark about anything that is going on in your life.” Being on the Oncology floor during her time in the hospital made the experience much more humbling. While there, the teams were perplexed because Harper could still see and there was functionality in her eye but the mass was growing. The infectious disease team came in and ran an abundance of tests to no avail. The amount of tests, pokes, information, and uncertainty were almost too much to bear at times, but Maggie was there to help ease the tension. Maggie is a true valued member of the family who although is trained to pick up Harper’s anxiety, had started tuning in to other family members during the hospital stays. Maggie cues in before overstimulation becomes a problem. The medical team ordered more testing that finally showed something they could do. The doctor called and said there was no blood flow to the mass, but then scheduled for surgery the next day. Only 42 minutes passed from walking into the room until the doctor came in to tell Jacey and Michael the surgery was a success. When they extracted the mass, they found it was bigger than her eye and her eye socket was overloaded, thus pushing the eye out. The doctors told them during recovery they had to wait and see if Harper would have blood flow to the eye and how her vision was. Harper was nervous, but glad to finally have answers and get the treatment she needed. They found out that the best medical opinion was that the mass was caused by a blood vessel behind her eye that got clogged and filled due to the conjunctivitis she had the previous year. Dr. Pemberton told the family, “Never in my entire career seen anything like this.” There were 43 people on her medical team and just two other people in the world have ever had something like this. Harper is the youngest patient on that list, and after some time will receive a book full of all her records. “The weight that was lifted, I can’t even describe the feelings. The whole week was so intense, then it was just relief.” Jacey was emotional when speaking about the experience and how she has witnessed her daughter go through very trying times and still come out with a positive outlook and determination to play ball. While the weight was lifted to a degree for the adults and all those around her, Harper said about it set in about a day later, she “cried I was so happy.” After the surgery, Harper experienced swelling and bruising, but had no vision issues or lasting effects. In May she was released from the doctor for light activity and just a month later she was allowed to pick her passion back up. July 7th, Dr. Pemberton fully released her to live life to the fullest as she was back within her pre-mass parameters. Jacey spoke of how the experience opened her eyes to how blessed the family is to have the support system they have, “I’ll forever be grateful to every single person who donated, prayed and thought of Harper throughout her journey.” Although there were some confidence issues after being off for seven months, Harper has now shown everyone that her resilience and determination are unmatched. She is already back to competing and taking pitching lessons only three months after a life-changing surgical event. The frustration and downheartedness most adults would be dealing with, Harper has dealt with at such a young age. Going through this experience, she has also proved God is watching over her and paired with her fortitude, she will be unstoppable.

By Kenny Mitchell kenny@westbowiepost.com Members of the community in Avery have come together for a common purpose, and that purpose is to honor those who have served our country in the armed forces. An effort is underway to honor and all of the veterans laid to rest in the Avery Cemetery by placing a special commemorative wreath on their final resting place for Christmas this year. The work being done now is to identify all of the veterans in the cemetery and that is where the organizers need the help of the community. Volunteers are working to identify and mark each veteran’s grave on a master map so that no one is overlooked. They currently have nearly 300 veterans listed, but believe there are more. Some graves are marked with military headstones or footstones, while others have no visible indication of service. Organizers of the effort are asking the community to come forward if you have a family member buried in the Avery Cemetery who served in the military, but whose grave is not marked as a veteran. They want to ensure that every veteran laid to rest at the cemetery is honored. Organizer Cheryl Megason told the West Bowie Post, “It just hit me as a burden, and I thought to myself that we ought to be able to do this here for our veterans. It is like Wreaths across America. It hits home with our generation I believe. When I was thinking about it I knew I couldn’t do this by myself so I reached out to several of them that I thought would help, and they did, and with their help we have already received some donations. Prayerfully it will come to pass, and we can do this to honor our veterans.” Megason and the other volunteers hope to get the project done late November and have the wreaths on each gravesite for Christmas 2026. With that many wreaths to place, donations are needed to support the effort, and they have several different ways to make a donation. An account has been established at State Bank of DeKalb and you can make a donation to the cause there by telling the bank your donation is for the Avery Remembrance Project Account. You can also make a digital donation via several options including CashApp, Venmo and PayPal with the following information: Cash App: $Sondrarustgray Venmo: @sondrarustgray PayPal: @sondrarust Lastly, if you choose you can mail in your donation to Cheryl Megason at P.O. Box 197, Avery, Texas 75554 The organizers also plan to have a booth at the upcoming 4th of July festivities in Avery, and you can learn more about the project, volunteer to help, or make a donation in person.

By Allyson Pebsworth allyson@westbowiepost.com Bringing a lifetime of restaurant experience to Hooks, Don Baughman and wife Cheryl, are excited to continue serving customers in the area, this time with a variety of bar-b-que and sweet treats. Born in Texarkana to parents Charles and Yeda Moore, Cheryl met Don during her youth while living in California. After building a life that grew to include daughters Jena Reis and Kalen Baughman, Don and Cheryl moved back to Texas to be closer to her aging parents six years ago. Don started his restaurant career unexpectedly over 45 years ago and has never looked back. Once relocated to Texas, Don’s passion for the kitchen turned into a showcase of good eating at their restaurant, the Pully Bone in Nash, Texas. Last year after five years of serving the community, the Pully Bone closed its doors leaving Don and Cheryl to determine what God had in store for their lives. “We enjoyed our time at the Pully Bone, then the Lord put this in our space,” Cheryl stated when speaking about their restaurant journey. Visiting Ramage Farm when their children were young and traveling to Texas on vacation, they have always loved the building and the atmosphere, not knowing one day they would have their own restaurant through the same doors. While running the Pully Bone, Don was approached on multiple occasions for opportunities at the Ramage Farm building. The building and its possibilities were a subject that came up regularly and when speaking about how God guided their journey to Clementine’s, Don said “It (Ramage Farms) kept popping up and if you want us out there, can you get the hurdles out of the way?” For several years, the timing was not right. Then in 2025, with the help of investors, the couple were able to turn their dream into a reality. The hurdles seemed to dissipate and the journey was just beginning. The Baughmans hope to continue jumping any hurdles that may come their way to serve the surrounding communities for years to come. Plans for expansion by next year will see Clementine’s become a full service restaurant with a gift shop, and there are even talks of a “Crawcuzzi” in the Silos for upcoming crawfish seasons. The restaurant is currently open for take out meals Monday through Friday 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Plans to extend the dining area to include in house dining as well as a small gift shop are in the foreseeable future. Menu expansions are in the works, but for now diners can enjoy items such as bbq plates, loaded spuds, a variety of sides and homemade desserts. More information and updates can be found on the restaurant Facebook page.

DeKalb’s Zadie Kaye Bates came home with a long list of honors from the American Junior Simbrah Roundup held last week in Brenham, Texas. ZK earned Grand Champion in Public Speaking, Grand Champion in Skill-a-thon, Grand Champion in Sales Talk, Grand Champion in Livestock Judging, 3rd place in Cattleman’s Quiz, 3rd place in Showmanship, Reserve Grand Champion in her Division with her Simbrah show heifer and Overall High Point Junior. The future of FFA and 4-H is bright in Bowie County. Look for a monthly feature on area Ag students coming soon to the West Bowie Post.