Polk County News

Write a comment

From Enterprise Staff

The Polk County Enterprise was one of several Polk County Publishing Company-owned newspapers that received recognition in the 2024 Better Newspaper Contest at the 86th annual Texas Gulf Coast Press Association Convention held April 18-20 in Galveston.

The Polk County Enterprise earned first place honors for general excellence, special section, editorial writing and community service. Judges’ comments are in italics.

“Attractive layout and strong pictures with a majority of the articles. Interesting and in-depth articles that flowed well. I especially appreciated all of the highlights of individual students in the sports section,” the judges commented on the entry for general excellence.

The special section that garnered first place was the 2023-2024 Polk County Welcome Guide, a full-color 123-page magazine. “Rather lengthy, but important to the community with great pictures, impressive stories about separate areas, exceptional design.”

First place honors in the editorial writing category were for two editorials written by Editor Emily Banks Wooten. One, in the Jan. 12, 2023 issue, was called “Keep legal notices where they belong,” and the other, in the May 28, 2023 issue, was called “Preserving the past can enhance the future.”

The first-place award for community service – the Farris Block Memorial Community Service Award – was for the newspaper’s coverage of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas and its impact on East Texas both economically and educationally. Wooten compiled the coverage which included articles, photos and explanations. “Compelling work of historic significance, a wonderful celebration of diversity in your community.”

The Polk County Enterprise received second place honors for serious columns, humorous columns, feature photos and display advertising.

The two entries entered in the serious columns category were “Harrowing events illustrate steep price of progress” in the March 2, 2023 issue and “Community journalism is not dead yet” in the Sept. 2, 2023 issue, both written by Wooten.

The two entries entered in the humorous columns category were “Like sands through the hourglass … so are the songs of summer” in the June 29, 2023 issue and “I’m thankful for our four-legged family member” in the Nov. 23, 2022 issue, both written by Wooten.

The entries for feature photos were two photos taken by News Director Brian Besch. One, called “Bluebonnets 1, other flowers 0,” was a photo of a field of bluebonnets at the Livingston ISD softball facility that ran in the March 26, 2023 issue. The other, called “Beautiful display of freedom,” was a photo of an American flag backlit by fireworks over Lake Livingston that ran in the July 9, 2023 issue. “Fireworks photos are hard, this one is incredible.”

The second-place award for display advertising was for three advertisements designed and built by Graphic Design Editor Amy Holzworth. One was an advertisement for First State Bank that ran in the Aug. 17, 2023 issue. Another was an advertisement for Bloodworth Law Firm that ran in the Oct. 8, 2023 issue. The final one was an advertisement for Vickery that ran in the Dec. 28, 2023 issue. “This is the hardest category I’ve judged. They are all great.”

The Polk County Enterprise earned five third place awards – for news photos, sports photos, sports coverage, feature writing and news writing.

Besch took the news photos that garnered third place. One, “Tons of cardboard,” was a photo of a flatbed tractor-trailer loaded with bales of cardboard from the Polk County Recycling Center that ran in the April 16, 2023 issue. The other, “Holding the line,” was a photo of a fire off Hwy. 59 South that ran in the Aug. 6, 2023 issue. Entries in the sports coverage and sports photos categories were also created by Besch.

The third-place award for feature writing was for two stories written by Besch – “Coast to coast – Local runs marathons in all 50 states” that ran in the May 4, 2023 issue and “Polk County Youth Rodeo rich in history” that ran in the July 6, 2023 issue. “The marathon article was interesting to read and flowed well.”

The third-place award for news writing was for two stories written by Wooten – “Citizens coalition formed to petition PUCT for rate review” that ran in the Sept. 17, 2023 issue and “‘A great cornucopia of opportunities’ ahead for LISD” that ran in the Oct. 15, 2023 issue. “Citizens coalition story was good, cornucopia was confusing in spots.”

Other newspapers owned by Polk County Publishing Company that placed in the contest were the Tyler County Booster, the San Jacinto News-Times and the Trinity County News-Standard.

The Tyler County Booster won first place for general excellence and special section, second place for serious columns and display advertising and third place for humorous columns and news photos.

The San Jacinto News-Times won third place for serious columns.

The Trinity County News-Standard won second place for general excellence and sports photos and honorable mention for news photos.

3 Comments

From Enterprise Staff

Polk County is now home to the Umbriel Solar Facility, a contracted solar resource that will provide power to Entergy Texas’ customer base.

Texas is the fastest growing state in the nation, and with rapid growth comes an increased demand for electricity. As the demand for power grows in Southeast Texas, many homeowners and businesses are requesting cleaner energy options to help support their climate and environmental goals.

“Generating electricity from renewable resources plays an important role in building a cleaner energy future, and Entergy Texas is seeking ways to diversify its generation portfolio and support the growing energy needs within our communities,” Abigail Weaver, Entergy Texas director of resource planning and market operations, said. “By listening to our customers and understanding their sustainability needs, we are leading the way for adding more low-emission and carbon-free resources to the generation mix here in Southeast Texas.”

The Umbriel Solar facility is Entergy Texas’ first contracted solar resource that was selected through a renewables-focused request for proposals. The facility is owned and operated by Longroad Energy, a U.S.-based renewable energy developer. Located in Polk County, Umbriel Solar generates 150 MWac (202 MWdc) of electricity, which is enough energy to power more than 30,000 homes. The renewable energy generated helps avoid approximately 250,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. To put it more plainly – the addition of this new facility is equivalent to taking approximately 55,000 cars off the road each year that the facility is in operation.

Longroad finished construction of Umbriel Solar in November 2023, which is when Entergy Texas started receiving solar energy via its long-term power purchase agreement with the project.

“Longroad commends Entergy Texas on responding to the dual demands of generating more power and meeting customers’ desire for clean, renewable energy,” Adam Horwitz, vice president of origination and development operations for Longroad Energy, said. “We are proud that Longroad’s Umbriel Solar reached commercial operations, and has the distinction of being Entergy Texas’ first large-scale, solar energy resource.”

Entergy Texas customers can directly benefit from Umbriel Solar by enrolling in the company’s Green Future Option program. The voluntary program provides the benefits of solar generation without the burden of owning solar panels. Under the new program, customers have the option to subscribe to a specified amount of renewable power and receive Renewable Energy Credits and bill credits based on their subscription level.

While the bulk of Texas is served by ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), Polk County is served by MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator). Umbriel is Longroad’s sixth greenfield renewable energy project in Texas to reach financial close and its first project in Texas’ MISO footprint.

During operations, the project is projected to generate over $9 million for the Livingston Independent School District, and over $4 million in tax revenue to Polk County.

Write a comment

By Emily Banks Wooten
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A Polk County grand jury met Monday and indicted Don Steven McDougal, 42 of Livingston, on a two-count capital murder indictment in conjunction with the death of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham of Livingston, according to the Polk County District Attorney’s Office.

Count 1 of the indictment states that McDougal on or about Feb. 20, 2024 intentionally and knowingly caused the death of an individual, namely Audrii Cunningham, an individual 10 years of age or older but younger than 15 years of age, by blunt force trauma to the head with an object, unknown to the grand jury.

Count 2 of the indictment states that McDougal on or about Feb. 20, 2024 intentionally caused the death of an individual, namely Audrii Cunningham, by blunt force trauma to the head with an object, unknown to the grand jury, and was in the course of committing or attempting to commit the offense of kidnapping.

An Amber Alert was issued for the Livingston fifth grader on the evening of Feb. 15 after it was discovered that she had not boarded her school bus that morning or attended school that day.

A five-day search that involved law enforcement officials and first responders from all over Southeast Texas came to an end Feb. 20 when law enforcement officials located the 11-year-old’s body in the Trinity River under the U.S. Hwy. 59 Trinity River bridge.

While the case has been assigned to the 411^th Judicial District Court, no court dates have been set at this time.

Write a comment

From Enterprise Staff

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has asked the public’s assistance on multiple crimes involving vehicles in the area.

The office received a report Friday that a silver 2015 Ford F150 pickup with black rims and a black ranch hand bumper had been stolen from the area of FM 942 and FM 350 North.

While investigating the stolen vehicle, it was reported that multiple vehicles in the area had been burglarized as well.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s assistance in locating the vehicle pictured and suspects involved.

One of the suspects appears to be armed with a pistol, and the public is warned to not approach these individuals. However, those with information in reference to this case are asked to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 936-327-6810. An anonymous tip may also be submitted at p3tips.com, the P3 App, or by calling Polk County Crime Stoppers at 936-327-STOP, where tipsters can remain anonymous and may collect a cash reward for information leading to an arrest.