Happy first birthday to Cardinal Publishing! We started this journey a year ago, and what a year it has been. Our initial intent was to be a monthly printed publication, hence the name Texarkana Monthly, but 2020 had other plans. It inspired us to step outside the box, transitioning our debut from print to a digital weekly correspondence, Talk Tuesday. Our team had lots of laughs about our name being Texarkana Monthly. “Texarkana Digital Weekly” would have made more sense because the print magazine did not officially become a reality until November.
Volunteers are not paid—not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless. With most of us leading busy lives, the idea of volunteering may seem impossible. How can we fit anything else into our already … jam-packed schedules? Why would we do that? Despite all the other important things that compete for her time, Joan Carter, our own hometown treasure, has made it her mission to do exactly that. She is a woman who has made it her mission to lighten the burden for thousands of Texarkana residents for over five decades now.
For some of us, music is a getaway from the real world. For others, it’s just fun. But for many, it is a passion from the very first day they pick up an instrument. … Bryan Jefferies is a guitar-maker, musician, photographer, and more, bringing art in multiple forms to our community. Along with music, which is “his main diet,” he also runs two media businesses, Fresh Focus Films and Over the Edge Studios, where he does event and commercial photography and video work. His projects include music recording, writing and performing, which he says are his true loves in life.
Five things to do during April! … It’s hard to believe that only five years ago this month I was sitting in Central Mall, on a purple Easter egg shaped throne, with a giant yellow duck towering over me, holding crying, screaming, adorably dressed babies in my lap. I was slowly, but surely, losing every ounce of hydration in my body because of my overactive sweat glands, mixed with an Easter bunny suit that reached temperatures of at least 100 degrees. Fifteen minutes in that suit would beat an hour of yoga any day. Good times! … This is how I will forever remember the month of April.
Anna Beth White Gorman … Executive Director, Women’s Foundation of Arkansas … “I lived in Texarkana from the early 1980s, until graduating from College in 2004—When I first was recruited to work in Arkansas, I spent three months training in Texarkana.” … What is your favorite Texarkana memory? … Four States Fair and Rodeo. I would look forward to the fair and rodeo every fall as a child and well into my early adult years.
Put me in, Coach! … Ah, “sports-momming,” it is not for the faint of heart. It’s a non-stop, full-throttle, adrenaline-inducing race to get your child to every practice, warm-up and game whatever the sport of the moment. For some, it is a calling. For others, it is a tolerance. But for all, it is what we do on the “reg” for our precious sports-loving offspring. … Personally, I cannot claim to enjoy all aspects of the sports momming life. While I have many extroverted tendencies, I also value A LOT of time in my domestic domicile.
Survey Says… … I have always been a sucker for mindless television. I look forward to my “me time,” watching reality television, especially those centered on housewives, after the kids go to bed. I think it makes me feel grateful that my life seems a little less complicated and a lot more joyful than those I see on the screen. As my kids are getting older, though, we are looking for more family-friendly shows we can all enjoy. America’s Funniest Home Videos has been a huge hit and we have also been dipping our toes into Family Feud.
Ashlyn and Austin Harvey are high school sweethearts that prove with hard work and perseverance, focus, and a little hustle, life might just lead you to a perfect black cabin in the woods. As newlyweds, they lived in a modest duplex and set their sights on saving money to build the perfect starter home. They set a goal and a budget and began looking for just the right place to call home. “We lived in a super-duper cheap duplex in Nash. And we pinched pennies for two or three years to save up enough to have a decent down payment,” Austin said. “We almost gave up even.
A suburb outside of Texarkana, Texas, the city of Nash has seen consistent growth in recent years. New and old businesses alike have brought vital economic opportunity to the region and rebranded the city as a hot spot in Bowie County. … Nationwide commerce has taken a hit since the introduction of COVID-19. Despite the pandemic, however, Nash’s business activity was ultimately unaffected because many of its businesses are industrial or production based.
There are ten standing committees in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Many of these committees are familiar to you, and by the committee’s name are self-explanatory in purpose, such as Education, Transportation and Public Health. Each committee accomplishes good work for the people of Arkansas and often touches the lives of Arkansans.
