Tuesday Digest: Athens Police Chief finalists in town
Also: There's a big event on tap in Malakoff this Saturday
(Congratulations to Faith Fellowship Church for winning first place in the Athens Christmas Parade Saturday night.)
Happy Tuesday, friends. As I write this email there are just 17 days before Christmas. Who else is ready?
What's Happening - notes from the group and beyond
Congratulations to the winners of the 2020 Athens Christmas Parade: First place - Faith Fellowship Church; second place - Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center; third place - Flossie's Resale. If you missed it, you can watch a livestream of the parade here.
TVCC named its first-ever soccer coach and it is Athens native Antonio Ledesma. The college is scheduled to play a club schedule in the spring of 2021 and begin NJCAA-sanctioned competition in the fall. Ledesma is 2000 graduate of Athens High School. He holds the distinction being the first collegiate player for the AHS soccer program, which was established in 1996. You can read more here.
Staying with TVCC, this Saturday will be the annual Cardinal Football Combine. The combine is designed to give high school seniors an opportunity to be a part of the recruiting process. The combine is schedule to begin at noon with the registration process at the Cardinal field house. The event will then move to Bruce Field at 1:30 p.m. for drills and testing. The cost of the combine is $25, due at the time of registration. For more information, contact the football staff at 903-670-2628.
Vistra, the parent company of Luminant, announced last week that Henderson County is getting a solar power facility. The facility will be one of seven new sites built by the company and is part of a $1 billion investment it is making in clean power in Texas. The facility will be built at the 12,000-acre Forest Grove location about 5 miles south of Eustace. The land was originally scheduled to be used for a lignite plant that was never built. Learn more about this announcement here.
The Athens Hornets had a tough night against Chapel Hill Friday, falling 66-45. The Lady Hornets didn't get to play because of COVID-19 issues with the other team. Both Athens squads are set to play Eustace tonight; the boys will be at home and the girls will be playing in Eustace. I am going to cover the Lady Hornets, so watch for that.
Athens Police Chief Finalists
The five finalists for Athens Police Chief have been announced. They are:
Brian Windham, Police Chief, Ovilla PD.
Frank Ramirez, Administrative Lieutenant, Port Arthur PD.
John Densmore, Platoon Patrol Lieutenant/Traffic Lieutenant, Cedar Hill PD.
James Hines, Major, Fort Bend Sheriff's Office.
Rodney William's III, Interim Police Chief Athens PD.
The finalists will be in Athens on Wednesday, Dec. 9, for a series of interviews with the City's management staff, a committee composed of area law enforcement officials, and a citizens committee. The five finalists will introduce themselves to the public during a Meet & Greet at The Texan 6 p.m. Wednesday night.
Thursday, Dec. 10, the finalists will be back for a last interview with the City Manager and City Council.
You can find more information about the finalists here.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations Decline
The Henderson County Trauma Service Area's (TSA) COVID-19 hospitalizations have been trending down after reaching a record peak last week. The TSA has been below the key 15 percent hospitalization rate for the past five days and total COVID-19 hospitalizations have fallen four out of those five days.
These numbers are important for the local economy. In October, Gov. Abbott issued and order declaring seven consecutive days at the 15 percent level will trigger an automatic reduction for some businesses from 75 percent to 50 percent.
Big Event in Malakoff
There will be a Holiday Stroll in Malakoff from 4-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. If you haven't been to downtown Malakoff in while, go and check out the new specialty shops and enjoy the atmosphere.
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