Good News: Week of Jan. 6

Baby New Year

Meet Hendrix, the first baby born at CHRISTUS Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth in 2022! Hendrix was born to joyful parents Alex and Ashley at 7:21 a.m. on Jan. 1, weighing 8 pounds and measuring 20 and a quarter inches long. Hendrix was delivered by CHRISTUS Southeast Texas physician Dr. Angela Thompson.

ShareLunker in swing

The month of January begins a new year and with it the beginning of the 36th season of the Toyota ShareLunker program, as anglers across the state, and for that matter the nation, cast their lines and fish for largemouth bass in Texas’ world class fisheries. The Toyota ShareLunker program has played an integral part in making Texas a destination for hundreds of thousands of anglers in search of this prized sport fish.

Last year saw multiple milestones reached and memories made by anglers and the dedicated Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Inland Fisheries staff. Anticipation is high for what 2022 could have in store.

During the first three months of the season (Jan. 1 through March 31), anglers who reel in a 13-plus pound bass can loan it to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the ShareLunker selective breeding and stocking program. These anglers can call the ShareLunker hotline at (903) 681-0550 to report their catch 24/7 until April 1.

Anglers who catch and donate one of these 13-plus pound “lunkers” earn Legacy Class status, receive a catch kit filled with merchandise, a 13-plus pound Legacy decal for their vehicle or boat, VIP access to the Toyota ShareLunker Annual Awards event and a high-quality replica mount of their Lunker fish from Lake Fork Taxidermy. These anglers will also receive entries into two separate drawings – a Legacy Class Drawing and the year-end Grand Prize Drawing. Both drawings will award the winner a $5,000 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree and an annual fishing license.

The year-round Toyota ShareLunker program offers four levels of participation. Anglers who enter data for any Lunker they catch greater than 8 pounds or 24 inches during the calendar year 2022 also receive a catch kit, a decal for their vehicle or boat and an entry into the year-end Grand Prize Drawing to win a $5,000 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree and annual fishing license.

For more information or updates on the Toyota ShareLunker Program, visit TexasSharelunker.com.

Fiscal excellence

Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to Beaumont’s Spindletop Center for its annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2021. This is the second consecutive year Spindletop Center has been awarded this certificate.

“The financial services department of Spindletop Center is highly efficient and dedicated to accuracy in all reporting and processes,” said Denise LeBlanc, Spindletop Center’s chief financial officer. “Although this is recognition for excellence in financial reporting, it is only achieved through the commitment of all the staff of Spindletop Center to provide their best to our organization, our clients and our community.”

Art contest

Ready the crayons, color pencils and markers, because Jan. 4 marked the first day of the Take Care of Texas Kids’ Art Contest, which runs through March 4 and encourages children to learn how they can help protect the state’s environment and to share that knowledge with others.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality staff will select one winning entry per level, from kindergarten through fifth grade. One grand prize winner will receive a laptop, and one winner from each other grade level will receive a tablet.

Each student must submit artwork demonstrating ways to keep the state’s water and air clean, save water or energy, or reduce waste. Each entry must contain the slogan “Take Care of Texas. It’s the only one we’ve got.”

Entries can be submitted electronically via the Take Care of Texas website or via mail. Winners will be announced on April 15.

Artwork and entry forms can be mailed to:

Take Care of Texas: Kids Art Contest, MC 118

Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality

P.O. Box 13087

Austin, TX 78711-3087

For more information and official rules, visit the Take Care of Texas website or email educate@tceq.texas.gov.