Yearly Archives: 2016


Flying High

Dawn is just rising on the eastern horizon, and from a distance a slight roar is increasing in volume as seconds are counted. Suddenly, prop planes appear flying in formation. No, it’s not one of those post WWII black and white movies about that period. On May 14, 2016, WWII vintage aircraft will again […]


Blue Bounty

With the arrival of April, the days become longer, temperatures get warmer and the cold sting of winter begins to fade. It’s during this time of year that Ennis morphs into a bounty of beautiful blue thanks to Texas’ state flower — the bluebonnet. Each year, Ennis welcomes over 100,000 visitors during bluebonnet season, […]


Where She’s Supposed To Be

What is art? Merriam-Webster says it best: “Art is something that is created with imagination and skill that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings.” Rae Whitehead, Ninth Grade Academy’s visual arts teacher, is art in the human form. She takes the dictionary’s definition out of the book and brings it to […]


Tending to Others

  Whatever the need is for the senior citizens of Parker County, Ann Durant is there to fill it. At 72 years of age, she isn’t slowing down in her efforts to daily serve and care for the hundreds of seniors who pass through the doors of the Parker County Senior Center and even […]


More Than a Crossing Guard

  Some people have a knack for taking the ordinary, everyday routines of life and turning them into something extraordinary. Bonnie Lloyd is one of those people. She is a native of Waxahachie and a graduate of Waxahachie High School. Since 1995, she has worked for the Waxahachie Independent School District. After a few […]


Reason to Ride

There are a lot of ways people deal with grief. It can be paralyzing to lose a family member or a truly close friend who knows your heart better than anyone else. In one moment, they are standing alongside you, and in a second, they are gone. When such things happen, we don’t understand […]


Once in a Lifetime

The walkie-talkie conveyed the distressing news, “Mrs. Robertson, we need you at the big playground. There is a kindergartener loose.” Actually, there was no crisis, just part of a ploy to surprise Mt. Peak Elementary School’s kindergarten teacher Elisabeth Pearson. This surprise was months in the making, since the first month of school. After […]


A Smart Alternative

This coming July, while many students are getting bored with their long summer vacation, a group of students from Mansfield ISD’s Ben Barber Career Tech Academy will be competing to be the first to cross the finish line in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during the Solar Car Challenge. “We spend a lot of time designing, building […]


Life-size Dollhouse

Imagine a Victorian-style dollhouse, filled with dolls. Many little girls dream of receiving such an extravagant gift. Few ever consider making that dream life-size. Barbara Williams dreamed of filling a house with dolls. She joined forces with her sister, Jane Sharp, and Jane’s best friend, Kathy White, to realize their dream. Jane and Barbara […]


Steely Determination

Perched comfortably atop a high chair at the American Legion hall in Ennis, Joe Zhanel is in his element. With his wife, Samantha, beside him and near the felt-topped tables he loves, Joe chatted about playing pool since he was 5, winning a trip to Las Vegas with his cue stick and life in […]