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According to the World Health Organization, males are more likely to be involved in road traffic crashes than females. The WHO notes that 73 percent of all road traffic deaths occur among young males under the age of 25. In addition, male drivers under the age of 25 are nearly three times as likely to be killed in road traffic crashes as female drivers under 25. The WHO acknowledges that various factors can increase drivers’ risk of being involved in road traffic crashes, and distracted driving may be one of the biggest threats facing today’s young drivers. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute notes that, in 2017, 40 percent of high school students reported texting or emailing while driving in the 30 days prior to being surveyed. Parents also may unknowingly contribute to teens’ distracted driving, as the CHPRI notes that teen drivers receive more calls from their parents while driving than any other group of motorists.

Drones continue to attract hobbyists across the world. In mid-2017, 8 percent of Americans said they owned a drone, and nearly 60 percent had seen one in action, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The Federal Aviation Administration predicted sales of drones would reach seven million units by 2020.

The Forney Community received some heavy news last week, as First Baptist Church of Forney announced that its long-time pastor has died. Dr. Jimmy D. Pritchard had been the Senior Pastor of FBC Forney for nearly 27 years. “It is with great sadness that we must share with you the passing of our beloved Senior Pastor, Dr. Jimmy Pritchard,” the church said in a statement via Facebook on Wednesday, February 24. “He lost his brief but hard-fought battle with COVID Pneumonia at approximately 5:25 p.m. today.”

Forney ISD has partnered with Kaufman County and the Terrell Fire Department to provide a drive thru COVID vaccine opportunity for the public. Appointments will be assigned through the Kaufman County registration system beginning with those in DSHS categories 1A and 1B. Registration is through the Kaufman County website at www.kaufmancounty.net.

Sigmund Freud believed that our psyche, the entirety of our being, was related to, formed by, and permeated beyond escape from our childhood. I think he was on to something. As a whatever comes after middle aged woman (sadly, I can no longer be considered middle aged unless I figure out how to make it to 106 – gulp), I spend the majority of my time trying to figure out how to better something: myself, the world, my finances, the environment, my city, the lives of my grandchildren, all the animals, etc. These are noble thoughts. I have worked hard to get to this point. Yet, in times of distress and anguish, I still see myself as a vulnerable child. There is a dark corner I retreat to when I can’t take the ills of this life any longer. In my childhood bedroom, the one with the scratchy indoor/outdoor red carpet from the unclaimed freight store, there is a waterbed covered by a purple and lavender afghan, crocheted with a zig zag stitch. On the far side of that bed, there is a 2 ft space between the base of the bed and the golden oak paneling, right under the aluminum window with the diamond panes. That is where I hide when things go badly. I can still feel the prickle of those red carpet fibers. I can still smell those waterbed chemicals. For all the things I have accomplished and for all the things I continue to strive to do, at my core, I’m a little girl hiding where no one can find me. And, I had a great childhood. This is why, midway through the pandemic, I began something called innerchild work.

“We can learn that God can rescue us from yucky darkness,” says Mollie Mae, 6.

The shelves of Texas grocery stores were seriously picked over, if not empty, for the second time in less than a year, said a Texas A&M AgriLife expert. But winter storm-related supply chain shortages are different than those consumers experienced during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a real event and happened close to a year ago in neighboring Seagoville, Texas, at the Federal Low Security Prison (fewer than 2,000 male inmates) just off C. F. Hawn Freeway in the southeastern area of Dallas County. When a “friend” first told me about this, I “disbelieved” him and thought he was just repaying me for various jokes and tricks I have perpetrated the past fifty or so years; however, after sporadic research and casual questions at the post office, I do now totally believe the event took place in March of last year.

A week after a brutally cold winter storm left millions in the state without power and water for days, the Senate Business and Commerce Committee began the process of figuring out what happened and how to prevent it from happening again. By early morning on February 15th, nearly half of Texas’ generation capacity had been knocked out by the storm, and it wouldn’t return to previous levels until the 20th, according to data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the company that manages Texas’ independent, deregulated, electric grid. An estimated 4.5 million Texans were without power, some for days, without heat and light during one of the worst winter events to ever hit the state. “We were devastated - and I know I speak on your behalf as a committee - at the events that occurred, at the loss of life,” said committee chair and North Richland Hills Senator Kelly Hancock as he began Thursday’s hearing.

Let’s look at some “longbelieved” ancient pronouncements. They just have to be factual, since they have been repeated as “guaranteed truths” for so long by such knowledgeable folks!

Remembering teachers that left an impact on your life helps to carry on their legacy. There are many fine teachers in Forney ISD, and my family has had the blessing to have had them as instructors through three generations of Forney ISD students. And even though I never attended school in Forney, I, too, was blessed to have many excellent teachers in my school career. One of those teacher/mentors was Mr. Jim Johnson at Texas A & M. Sunday, February 28, 2021 was a celebration of Mr. Johnson’s life as he had passed away in May 2020 and due to COVID, the memorial was postponed to the later date.

Due to the February 12, 2021 disaster declaration by the governor, certain properties within Kaufman County may qualify for a temporary exemption under section 11.35 of the Texas Property Tax Code.