Now_Staff_Writer


Where the Healing Begins

WAXAHACHIE, TX — When entering the Ellis County Children’s Advocacy Center, children and their non-offending family members are greeted by a plethora of stuffed animals. They have access to toys and a child-friendly movie is playing in the lobby. The calm atmosphere offered here allows children to relax, offering a quiet location for them to […]


Something to Buzz About

WEATHERFORD, TX — Most of us run from them. We swat at them. We spray harsh chemicals at them in the hope they will fly far away from us, never to return. But this isn’t the case with Jason Smith. Jason keeps bees on his property. For Jason, it’s a family tradition. His grandfather […]


Throwing for the Future

WAXAHACHIE, TX — One event is all it takes to change someone’s path in life. Tochi Nlemchi never dreamed she would discover a hidden athletic talent that would land her a full-ride scholarship to Southern Methodist University’s track team. It all began during a physical education lesson in junior high where Tochi was encouraged to […]


Women with a Mission

CEDAR HILL, TX — Women like to celebrate other women, especially those who have overcome. The women at Point of Light Church in Cedar Hill are having a wonderful time doing just that. And to make it even more fun, they wear hats — after all, they are the H.A.T. Sisters, and they celebrate in […]


Purple Power

RED OAK, TX — What started with one man running around a track for one day has come to be known as Relay for Life — today inspiring more than 4 million people in over 20 countries to raise funds for cancer research. Last month, on May 10, a group of local volunteers, including Fawn […]


Sculpting a Body

MIDLOTHIAN, TX — “Are you ready to do the workout?” challenged a perfectly trim and toned Jane Fonda from the workout video. Answering, “Yes,” on the other side of the screen with her body poised to work her little heart out was 10-year-old Karyn Birdwell. “Growing up, I always struggled with my weight and […]


The Amazing Guitar Master

MANSFIELD, TX — When he was a young boy growing up in France, Philippe Bertaud, along with his older brother, Jean Paul, spent his summers working at local farms on the outskirts of Nice. For a time, Philippe imagined he would spend his life as a goatherd. “I love goats,” he grinned. “They’re very smart.” […]


Riding for a Longer Life

GRANBURY, TX — At 81 years old, Hank Stewart enjoys riding one of his many bicycles for miles along scenic routes in the local area. While living in Minnesota, he started biking in his late 40s when his oldest son, Bob, a teenager at the time, urged him to give it a try. Bob wanted […]


Where Faith Leads

ENNIS, TX — A community leader combines the grace of religion and the might of the law in her dual role as a private practice attorney in Dallas and pastor of Ennis’ First Christian Church. Reverend Rosemary Redmond, a doctor of jurisprudence, has spent 43 years in the legal profession, 30 of them devoted to […]