Latest news with #HoustonRodeo
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
East Texas State Fair hopes for economic impact from Pro-Rodeo
TYLER, Texas (KETK) – The East Texas State Fair made a historic move on Wednesday. 'For 113 years, the East Texas State Fair has been deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of Tyler and East Texas,' East Texas State Fair chairman Michael Stoltz said. East Texas 12-year-old sells record setting pig for over $500,000 at Houston Rodeo 2024 was a big year for the East Texas State Fair, not only did they move locations, but they saw more guests than ever before. 'We experienced record attendance days at the fair with overall attendance of over 100,000 visitors,' Stoltz said. Businesses around the new fair grounds like the CEFCO gas station down the road said more traffic has brought in more sales. On Wednesday, the fair announced they would be bringing in even more traffic by adding a pro-rodeo to their line-up. 'This first year, we're expecting over $100,000 payout, for a first year rodeo that's outstanding,' Pickett Pro Rodeo owner Cullen Pickett said. The fair plans to build a temporary 2,500 seat arena, and they hope to pack it every night. It will also be one of the last qualifying events for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Students present projects at Smith County Junior Livestock Show 'There's going to be a lot of world champions here, there's going to be a lot of decisions made about who goes to the National Finals Rodeo from this rodeo here,' Pickett said. When it came to choosing the dates for the rodeo, the president of the East Texas State Fair said the goal is to attract more people from start to finish. 'On the second weekend is when we really hit max capacity, so we know we are prepared to handle an additional 2500 visitors based on what we do in the second weekend of the fair,' East Texas State Fair president/CEO Cody Rosenbalm said. He added that the rodeo will bring extra weekend of business for the city. 'I know the impact of rodeo in East Texas is going to be phenomenal,' City of Tyler Mayor Don Warren said. The East Texas State Fair will run from Sept. 19 through Sept. 28, with the rodeo kicking things off during the first three days. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Andrews Behavior Health in Tyler announces new CEO
TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Andrews Behavioral Center in Tyler has announced their new CEO who has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Once current CEO Lynn Rutland retires this summer, Becki Mangum will take over. Mangum has more than 30 years of healthcare leadership experience. East Texas law enforcement participates in active shooter drills to stay prepared 'I am deeply honored to be stepping into the role of CEO this summer and building on the progress we've made under Lynn's leadership,' Mangum said. 'I look forward to continuing to 'move mountains' for mental health through service enhancement and collaborative leadership.' Prior to joining Andrews Behavioral Health, Mangum worked with the East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System (ETMC) as the vice president of physician services. Since coming to Andrews six years ago, Mangum has served as the deputy CEO and CFO and has been instrumental in building community relationships. Rutland credits Mangum for creating innovative programs in the organization as well as expanding community outreach. East Texas 12-year-old sells record setting pig for over $500,000 at Houston Rodeo 'Under Becki's leadership, the organization has made significant strides, including restructuring care models, launching innovative programs to foster internal cultural transformation, expand community outreach and drive continuous quality improvement efforts,' Rutland said. Andrews Behavioral Health, which was founded in 1968, offers a variety of different healthcare options, including outpatient services, crisis intervention and innovative programs. The organization serves more than 10,000 East Texans in five counties and prides themselves on offering affordable treatments to those who can not afford mental healthcare. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
This tiny school district has a chaplain, public prayers and a lesson for Texas
LOUISE — By the time school counselor April Cubriel huddled around a small table with a pair of eighth graders on a recent Monday afternoon, she had a good sense of what was on kids' minds at the Louise Independent School District, a 519-student district rooted in a Gulf Coast rice farming town unmarred by traffic lights. The high schoolers hoped for safe travels to the Houston Rodeo and a girls' powerlifting competition. The elementary crowd worried about a few bruising falls from the monkey bars. And everyone, it seemed, had test anxiety. But at the junior high, eighth graders Ava Tiller and Bristol Kulcak said, the problem was the drama, the shards of gossip and petty half-truths that splintered friendships. Cubriel nodded knowingly. Then she said something you don't hear from public school counselors. 'How can you turn that into a positive with a prayer?' Cubriel asked the girls as they fidgeted with their pencils, staring at the blank page where a plea to a higher power should be. 'Remember, when you're praying, you're asking God to help us to do better.' Prayer? In public schools? Cubriel might as well wear a button that says: 'It's OK. I'm a chaplain.' In a state that lets religious chaplains do the work of trained school counselors, Cubriel is that rare creature who is both. She has a master's degree in counseling and 24 years in public schools — first as a teacher and instructional coach, then the last 7 years as a counselor. Last year she earned her chaplain certification with the encouragement of the Louise school board, which saw a benefit in having that type of in-house support in the event of a tragedy. The district even paid for her certification. Cubriel, who is Baptist, is one of the few chaplains on any Texas school district's payroll since the Legislature passed the school chaplains bill in 2023. Related: Critics of the school chaplain bill rightly objected to the notion that lightly trained chaplains, no matter how sincere, could replace the mental health expertise of licensed counselors. Cubriel showed the measure could work another way: A licensed counselor could expand her toolkit with chaplain training, to provide spiritual support to those who want it. 'It is a small community, but we have families that are going through just as many things as you would in a big city,' said Cubriel, noting three school families have lost a parent in the past year, while two other fathers suffered debilitating work injuries. 'Just being able to talk about their faith and pray with them and just be there to support them, that's really how I've used this (chaplain) certification.' What did your district decide? But it's no surprise that the Louise district, situated halfway between Houston and Corpus Christi, took a bold approach when the Legislature put out the welcome mat for school chaplains. As Texas lawmakers once again press for a greater religious presence in public schools — with bills this session to put the Ten Commandments into classrooms and provide dedicated prayer time for students and teachers — Louise ISD is practically there. Take prayer in school. The Louise district has included student-led prayers with the daily announcements for years, long before Cubriel became a chaplain. The elementary students offer their own prayers at the morning assembly in the cafeteria. The junior high and high school students read prayers they've written over the public address system, after the U.S. and Texas pledges. "Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for the health and protection of all students and staff," 11th grader Kennedy Long-Brown said on a recent Monday. "I pray you keep us protected with all the sickness going around. I pray everyone is safe on their way to their game. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen." As chaplain, Cubriel helps the young volunteers reflect on what they want to say. 'At their sports events, they had students leading prayers before games. When our students travel, the coaches usually do a prayer before they leave,' Cubriel told me. 'This is a very conservative area, and that is very important to them. And it really wasn't a question of, 'Are we going to do (school prayers)?' It was, 'This is what we do. Come on in.'' Dale Carpenter, a constitutional law expert at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, told me the district is 'flirting with an unconstitutional practice,' given Supreme Court rulings dating back to the 1960s finding that public schools cannot lead students in prayer. Even student-led activities have limits: In the 2000 case Santa Fe ISD v. Doe, the court found that student-led prayers before high school football games still amounted to an improper government endorsement of religion, as the school district provided the platform and the loudspeakers for the invocation. But conservatives are hoping today's Supreme Court, having affirmed a Washington football coach's right to silently pray at the 50-yard-line, will be even more permissive the next time a school prayer case comes its way. In the meantime, Carpenter suspects prayer in school 'is quietly going on all around the country, in little school districts where nobody's there to object.' 'It takes a lot for students and their parents to speak up,' Carpenter noted. Especially in a small town. Louise school Superintendent Richard Wright knows school prayer is controversial, but he's not exactly worried about state officials stepping in. "I mean, they're putting the Ten Commandments in school," he told me. "That pretty much says everything." And while Wright said prayer would be problematic for more diverse school districts, he said it's woven into the cultural fabric in Louise, where he estimates 85% to 90% of the families attend church. 'We're very homogeneous in terms of our Christianity," said Wright, who became superintendent this school year. "So the community embraces that, and it's a positive thing.' In his view, that's the test that matters: What the community wants. If, for example, a new plant came to town and drew a bunch of new families with different backgrounds, Wright said the district would reevaluate whether its practices were accepted or causing division. But he said it should be up to the local school board to decide. 'We're in a time these days where everybody wants to force their opinions and their values on other people,' Wright said. 'Let Louise ISD govern itself, have our own set of values, our own set of guiding principles that are good for us.' Of course, he saw the irony. With the 2023 school chaplain bill, the Legislature required every school district in Texas to vote on a policy. With the Ten Commandments bill this session, such classroom displays would become mandatory. Religion should never be legislated. Yet lawmakers have found it makes for irresistible politics. None of which interests Cubriel. As a counselor, and now in her added duties as a chaplain, she finds joy in helping students find their way. She said she doesn't get into any religious doctrine. She just speaks of God's love and support with those who believe in those things, too. Cubriel's guiding question for those writing the school prayers — 'What do you think your classmates need help with?' — is about getting people 'to think outside of themselves,' she said. Which, for all our differences, should be a welcome lesson anywhere we can find it. Grumet is the Statesman's Editorial Page Editor. Her column contains her opinions. Share yours via email at bgrumet@ or via X or Bluesky at @bgrumet. Find her previous work at This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Louise ISD shows chaplains as counselor is possible in Texas | Opinion
Fox News
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
On The Road With Abby Hornacek
FOX Nation host, Abby Hornacek and Janice, discuss making time for loved ones in between their busy and unconventional schedules. Abby describes her upcoming trip to Texas for the iconic Houston Rodeo, and the perfect accessories to complete your rodeo look. Abby also provides a behind-the-scenes look at the new season of PARK'D, traveling to different national parks and even trying a back flip while bungee jumping.
Axios
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
How to work remotely at the Houston Rodeo (yes, really)
Is it possible — or an absolutely unhinged idea — to work remotely at the Houston Rodeo? Don't knock it just yet. With some eager determination and a lax work day, it might just be doable. Why it matters: Blink three times, and you'll miss it. Houston goes full rodeo mode for three weeks, and then it's all over by Sunday. The big picture: People might give you a look, but hey — work hard, play hard. This is a similar mentality of working remotely on vacation — just with a smidge more stimulation than a quiet hotel room. Why you'd even consider this: You can beat the evening traffic by coming in a few hours early. You'd make the most of your limited PTO. Your lunch break? Filled with odd and delicious concoctions. Active workday — 10,000 steps easy. How it works: You can bring a laptop as long as it fits within the bag size limit (24"x15"x18"). WiFi is available in some spots, including NRG Center and Champion Wine Garden if you want to work outdoors. On a less crowded day, WiFi holds up. Definitely good for emails and even a Zoom call if the Wine Garden crowd is minimal. Pro tip: Plop down on the second floor of NRG Center, which is your best bet for getting actual work done. It's calmer, air-conditioned and full of people taking a break rather than wrangling with a crowd. Reality check: Obviously, this works only if you can work remotely — preferably on a day when you've already knocked out the heavy lifting, or you know you're not going to be stressed and sweating deadlines. The bottom line: It's physically possible. Whether you should do it — or whether you'll enjoy it — is a whole other question.
