An arctic cold front that blasted through Polk County ushered in 2024 with temperatures plummeting to 20-30 degrees below normal, giving the area the coldest temperatures in years and creating hazardous conditions. The ice and cold weather closed school districts, county and city offices and some businesses in the area.
The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings stating that they received reports of tornados near Coldspring and Lake Livingston State Park. However, there were no confirmed reports of tornado touchdowns in Polk County.
The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas swore in its first-ever appellate court judges, including a tribal member who will serve as chief appellate judge.
Tribal member Jeremy Sylestine, who has extensive experience as a prosecutor and a criminal defense lawyer, was sworn in as the tribe’s first chief appellate judge on Jan. 8. He later swore in two other appellate judges – Alfred Urbina, the attorney general of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and Derrick Beetso, a professor of Indian law at Arizona State University.
The tribe swore in returning Tribal Council Member Yolanda Poncho for her second term, as well as new Tribal Council Member Tina Battise, who replaced longtime Council Member Roland Poncho.
U.S. Congressman Morgan Luttrell and a couple of his staffers met with Ron Hornsby, executive director of the SPCA of Polk County. They toured the local animal shelter, its kennels and cattery, and heard about the organization’s needs and its victories, even briefly viewing a surgery in progress.
The SPCA of Polk County is a 501(c)3 nonprofit no kill animal welfare organization that serves the residents of Polk County and surrounding communities. It is run primarily by volunteers and a few paid staff members and receives no city, county, state or federal funding, but relies solely on donations.
Coming right on the heels of an Arctic cold front was heavy rainfall and flooding that inundated the area. Water from the Trinity River began to encroach on Route 66, a low-lying area along the Trinity River just west of Taylor Lake Estates Subdivision in Livingston.
A voluntary evacuation order was issued for low-lying areas along the Trinity River below the Lake Livingston Dam. Residents who chose to evacuate were encouraged to first seek shelter with relatives or friends. For those in need of shelter, the county opened the Dunbar Gym and it was staffed by the American Red Cross.
Additionally, due to the heavy rainfall, a road washout occurred on the west side of Crystal Lakes Subdivision at Choates Creek and Crystal Lakes West located off U.S. Hwy. 190 East.
Color renderings of Livingston ISD’s new high school football stadium were released, illustrating plans for the long-awaited build. The stadium will be located on the high school campus and is expected to be constructed by the summer of 2026, with the first kickoff that fall.
The actual seating capacity compares closely to the current Lion Stadium. The visitors’ side is within 100 seats of the current stadium, with the home stands within 200 seats. Architects matched needs with current designs across the state, then provided details to make the new football palace a unique home.
The new stadium is expected to cost between $13 million and $14 million, but $16 million has been budgeted. Although there was thought of putting out a bond for the public to vote, the district’s responsible fiscal practices over the last decade allowed for the stadium to be funded outright without having a bond issue election.
Business excellence and individuals and organizations that have made contributions to the community were recognized during the 88th annual Awards Gala of the Livingston-Polk County Chamber of Commerce.
J.D. Coogler Jr. was honored as Outstanding Polk County Citizen of the Year. Jared Jernigan was awarded the community service award. The Livingston Lions Club was recognized as the Non-Profit Organization of the Year. The Director of the Year award was presented to Brandon Wigent in memory of Debbie Mayes and the Ambassador of the Year award was presented to Kaycee Hendrix in memory of David Burns. Georgia-Pacific was recognized as the Large Business of the Year and Crossin Moving & Storage was recognized as Small Business of the Year.
Corrigan-Camden High School Junior Yolanda Guzman-Carbajal was crowned Miss Polk County during the 47th annual Miss Polk County Pageant. She is the daughter of Paloma and Ruperto Carbajal. Livingston High School Freshman Luisa Perez was crowned Junior Miss Polk County during the eighth annual Junior Miss Polk County pageant. She is the daughter of Jeffrey and Maria Parmelly.
Fourteen high school juniors and seniors were vying for the title of Miss Polk County and seven high school freshmen and sophomores were vying for the title of Junior Miss Polk County.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office issued an Amber Alert on Feb. 15 for 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham who was last seen near her residence early that morning yet failed to catch the bus or attend school that day.
A search ensued by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Ranger Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Livingston Police Department, the Texas State Guard, and several local fire departments.
The five-day search came to an end on Feb. 20 when law enforcement officials located Cunningham’s body at the Trinity River under U.S. Hwy. 59.
The disappearance, search and death rocked the entire community, most notably affecting the Livingston ISD, whose faculty, staff and students knew the child personally. Superintendent Dr. Brent E. Hawkins announced the creation of the Audrii Cunningham Memorial Scholarship which would be included in the Green & White Scholarship Ceremony later that spring.
In what was considered a huge win for journalism, the Supreme Court of Texas on Feb. 16 reversed a lower court’s ruling, effectively dismissing a suit filed by former Polk County Assistant District Attorney Tommy L. Coleman against Polk County Publishing Company and Valerie Reddell, former editor of the Polk County Enterprise.
In March, the City of Corrigan celebrated its new designation as the Timber Products Capital of Texas. Corrigan Mayor Johnna Lowe Gibson wrote a proclamation and applied for the official state designation which recognizes and celebrates those who work within the industry.
Two sisters won grand champion market steer and reserve champion market steer during the 78th annual Trinity-Neches Livestock Show and Rodeo. The Grand Champion Market Steer was exhibited by Peyton Reeves of Big Sandy 4H and the Reserve Champion Market Steer was exhibited by Reagan Reeves of Big Sandy 4H. These two sisters have each won grand the past several years. They are the daughters of Amanda and Roman Reeves and the granddaughters of Jill Duke and the late Gary Duke, Roland and Donna Reeves and Ruth and Ernie McClendon.
Betsy Deiterman, curator of the Polk County Memorial Museum, hosted a solar eclipse viewing party on the museum grounds in April. Approximately 121 people attended, including students from Livingston Montessori School, some Escapees, some local home school students and an adult day care group. The Polk County Historical Commission provided a variety of celestial snacks and treats for everyone, including Sun Chips, Moon Pies, Starburst fruit chews, Milky Way candy bars, Orbit chewing gum and Sunny D orange drinks. Cloud coverage and unexpected rain showers precluded the partygoers from actually seeing the eclipse, but everyone seemed to have a good time anyway.
A hybrid bass stocking program was launched in April when two million fry were released into Lake Livingston by a Texas Parks & Wildlife Department fish-stocking barge. Hybrid bass are a cross between white bass and striper bass. Fry are baby fish that have just hatched and are a quarter to a half-inch long.
About three years in the making, the ambitious project could potentially result in a significant economic impact on the East Texas area in about five years. It is a joint effort of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Trinity River Authority, the Lake Livingston Fishing Club aka “The Happy Hookers,” Friends of Lake Livingston and local fishing guides Michael Richardson and Jeff Friederich.
The two million fry came from a fishery around Little Rock, Ark. and were released into the lake under a private permit issued to TRA for one million and a private permit issued to Michael Bischoff on behalf of the Hookers for an additional one million.
Specific impacts a fish stocking program such as this can have on surrounding communities are increased tourism, increased jobs, increased tax revenue and improved water quality.
Also in April, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas announced plans to build a brand-new casino resort on its tribal lands, with the goal being to not only provide significant economic benefits for those living and working in the region, but to also be a vibrant destination for visitors. The new resort will offer a variety of amenities including a state-of-the-art casino floor, hotel accommodations and diverse dining and entertainment options. The tribe engaged the architecture firm FFKR to design the new resort.
In late April, Polk County learned it was successful in obtaining a General Land Office Local Hazard Mitigation Plans Program assistance grant to update the Polk County Hazard Mitigation Plan. Upon completion, the updated multi-jurisdictional plan will offer practical approaches and examples so that the county and its communities can engage in effective planning to reduce long-term risk from natural hazards and disasters.
On April 22, a Polk County grand jury 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 in February. The first count stated that he caused the death by blunt force trauma to the head and the second count stated that he did it during the course of committing or attempting to commit the offense of kidnapping.
An era came to an end with the retirement of Kevin Foster, an athletic director and head coach of some of Polk County’s most successful athletic programs. After 29 years leading programs at Franklin and Big Sandy ISDs, and a total of 31 years in coaching, Foster reached the end of his career, commenting, “I think you just know when you know.”
The coach holds a 712-271 career record, with three state tournament appearances and 20 district or co-district championships. Twice his teams were state runner-up, and once a state semifinalist. Other finishes include seven regional tournaments, three regional championships, a regional final, and three others at the regional semifinals.
