Now_Staff_Writer


On Top of the Game

ENNIS, TX –“My dream is to be an Olympian,” said the soft spoken fifth grader. Paige Lemonia, an A honor roll student, attends Dorie Miller Intermediate in Ennis, and she loves playing sports. Her list of extracurricular activities is dizzying. She plays tennis and basketball, and participates in gymnastics. Paige is also a track […]


Behold the Vision

KERENS, TX — Visitors to last October’s Kerens Cotton Harvest Festival enjoyed events in a venue, which holds both wonderful memories and yet boasts of a beauty and a spirit of community that has been reignited in this former railroad town. With a location in the heart of Kerens, the Garden Park is an […]


Hope on a Harley

BURLESON, TX — Tattoos are something many children see from the witness stand while giving testimony in a courtroom. As they look at the Harley Davidson motorcycle-riding men and women in leather vests, they aren’t fearful or intimidated. In fact, what they feel is quite the opposite — comfort, reassurance and friendship. That’s because […]


Gift of Music

WEATHERFORD, TX — Many are filled with the Christmas spirit once they see the first Christmas display of the year, while others catch it the moment they embrace a visiting relative. For Rob Laney, the spirit of Christmas comes when the Parker County community gathers at Weatherford College for the annual performance of Handel’s […]


Holiday Haven

WAXAHACHIE, TX — Another big year for the Waxahachie Junior Service League’s Christmas Market, which is always held the first Saturday in December, has come and gone with attendance and proceeds rivaling 2011’s phenomenal turn out. The annual event to raise funds for worthy organizations across Ellis County is now in its 26th year, […]


A Musical Inheritance

CEDAR HILL, TX — Music runs in the Marantz family’s DNA. Sara Marantz grew up on St. Simmons Island in Georgia surrounded by woods, history and wealth. She remembers water ballets on nearby Sea Island set to music like “Moon River.” Sara studied piano with Helen Morgan Lindsay, organist at the famous Christ Church. […]


Santa’s Helper

RED OAK, TX — Since he cannot be everywhere at once, the real Santa Claus employs many helpers to assist him as he prepares his Naughty and Nice list. In Red Oak, the No. 1 assistant to Christmas’ famed man in red is Jim Watterman, who first began reporting to the North Pole four […]


Thinking Futuristically

MIDLOTHIAN, TX — Midlothian would be a different community today if not for the industriousness, creativity and hard work given to it by a certain group of students called the Problem Solvers. Manna House, the Senior Citizens Activity Center and the town’s storm sirens, which warn the community of approaching danger, have all had […]


The Thumps-up Girl

MANSFIELD, TX — Dr. Marcelle Petry is as diverse and intriguing as her native country. Guyana, her place of birth, is one of the few Caribbean countries that is not an island and is the only country in South America where English is the official language. With one of the largest rainforests in South […]


Angels in Leather

GRANBURY, TX — The rumble of motorcycles broke the small town quietness of the Granbury square. While surrounded by festive Christmas decorations, shoppers stopped and looked. Six or seven tough-looking bikers roared along the streets. The leader, David Kimbrow, wore a Santa hat with a tail so long it flowed well past his rear […]