December 2022 ALT Magazine

From the Publisher..

There are so many traditions for Christmas that differ from family to family. However, the one most have in common is spending time with loved ones. The sights and smells remind of us Christmases past, while we contemplate how we can help others during this season of goodwill. With so much turmoil going on throughout our country, it’s a reminder that the enduring power of Christmas brings out the best in everyone.

Throughout the Texarkana area, there are children in need –whether it’s clothing, food, or even school supplies. There are seniors in need of a helping hand, especially those who have few family members to spend time with them. Time for a visit means so much to those who would love to chat and tell about their Christmases past – and it costs the giver nothing. Talk to your own relatives who are older and can share what happened in years past. Christmas will be gone quickly and there’s no better way than to learn about the past and its treasured traditions.

This month, take a moment to revel in the company you host at your home and rekindle the feeling you had of those earlier years in life. Decorating the tree with your children and grandchildren will bring back wonderful memories of times past.

The best of us is brought out in the spirit of giving. This month we highlight several non-profits that could benefit from just that. While our economy and your family may be struggling, any small amount helps those who need it. The spirit of Christmas is in everyone. Share that spirit and you will be blessed more by giving than by receiving.

Merry Christmas! May God bless you and yours,

BE THE CHANGE

Life of Allie Graves

BY: ANNE GRANADO

Allie Graves proves that true beauty is much more than a person’s outer appearance. Instead, real beauty comes from the light and passion within ourselves to love people and to leave the world a better place, and Allie Graves demonstrates this every day by her desire to share her story and inspire others.

Allie is a student at Ouachita Baptist University and a graduate of Texas High School, where she was involved with Texas Highsteppers, Rosebuds, and Tigervision. She is a Christian, loves dogs and singing, and is the current Miss SouthWest Arkansas. Allie is planning to compete for Miss Arkansas in the summer of 2023. When she takes the stage, one of her goals will be to inspire the audience, judges, and other contestants with her personal story as an advocate for fostering and adoption. “I was adopted at only six years old, and pageants provide opportunities for me to spread awareness of the prevalence of stories like mine and inspire people to become foster and adoptive families,” Allie says. “Also, it gives me opportunities to grow as a young adult and vocalist, as well as earn money and scholarships for school!”

Allie began competing in pageants in eighth grade. Since then, she has competed in a dozen local pageants, and her titles over the years have included Prestonwood Polo Club, Texarkana, North Texas, and Lone Star. She ended her last teen year with the state title, Miss Texas’ Outstanding Teen 20192020. Last summer, she competed for a Miss title in Arkansas and is looking forward to Miss Arkansas this summer. “Naturally, I am a little bit nervous because this is my first time competing in a different state, and as a Miss contestant,” Allie says, “But even then, I’m

Allie’s “why” stems from her childhood events and the incredible story of her own adoption. Allie was left at a church when she was born, and after entering the foster system, she was placed with Mark and April Graves and their three sons: Jordan, Aaron, and Adam. “The Graves were raised in the conviction that Jesus is our Savior and that people are to be loved. They are just as real as the next family, but in the early 2000s, they met a little girl who was abandoned by her biological family,” Allie says. “I lived with them from three months old to seventeen months old. At that time, I was ordered to be placed with my biological family.”

Allie’s removal was devastating for the Graves family. However, four years later, Allie’s caseworker called and let the Graves family know that Allie had been removed from her biological family due to abuse. She was being put back into the foster care system, but the Graves still wanted Allie to be a part of their

just gonna trust in my training and stay rooted in why I compete!”

family. They officially adopted her when she was six years old. “At this time, my brothers had been old enough to remember me as a baby, so they were just as much a part of the decision-making as my parents were. The boys were intentional about spending time with me, and they wanted me there with them,” Allie says. “Adoption is two-fold. It is a new life for a child who has seen too much of an ugly world, and it is a new life for the family who provides the love and light that the child didn’t receive before them. It was an amazing experience to finally know what love is.”

After graduating from Texas High, Allie decided to attend Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) because her brother, Adam, was also a student there. At OBU, Allie serves on the Panhellenic Council for the women of Tri Chi and on the Tiger Serve Day Leadership Team. “Also, Ouachita held lots of big connections but had a small-town feel,” Allie says. “Therefore, when I moved in, I felt at home but also able to figure out essential things as a growing adult.”

After completing her major in Community and Family Services and graduating in December of 2023, Allie has dreams of attending the University of Arkansas to receive her Master of Science in counseling with an emphasis in school counseling. “I’m in the generation of families finally opening up about trauma and abuse, and there is a huge need for counselors. I think I have a helpful perspective as someone with trauma herself,” Allie says. “I want to be the listening ear, as well as the therapeutic and safe environment that children, youth, and adults need in times of crisis and conflict. I see this career as a way of giving back and continuing to heal myself through lifelong learning.”

Through her prospective career, work in pageants, and daily interactions, Allie hopes to change people’s perceptions about adoption and

foster care. “I believe people who are not traumainformed adopt traumatized children and expect them to be like their biological children. This can result in horror stories of ‘bad’ children, and willing and able parents are scared away from adopting,” Allie says. “In order for people to shy away from false realities in adoption and unrealistic expectations, I must speak up. I share my story and give them my perspective. As an adopted child, I needed a sacrificial family, not to feel like a project. So, I educate adoptive and foster families on the stories children and youth will have coming into homes. I also advise families that they must be willing to see that these children are in desperate need of a healthy home; therefore, families must change accordingly.”

Allie had to grow up much faster than some of the children her age, and these experiences have helped give her a clear vision for her future. Though she is young, Allie is already focused on her dreams and goals to help families. “Though this may seem like a ‘small’ goal to the world, I hope to be everything my biological parents couldn’t and wouldn’t be. I hope to be a lifelong learner, stand up for those who are oppressed, and love children (whether biological or not),” Allie says. “I also hope to focus on reversing the trauma in my own family and life so that the cycle will continue to break and not just stop with my story.”

To accomplish these goals, she wants to build her life on the foundation of her Christian faith and lean on God to help her be a light to others. “I don’t mean the ‘American Christianity,’ but the kind that brings me to my knees daily, finding my identity not in what I have but whom I’m becoming,” Allie says. “I hope to accomplish these goals through prayer and the Holy Spirit, whom I know can change the bitterness of these experiences to hope. Every human is complex and requires patience only God can provide, but all of that has already begun to happen within me.”

Not only can the Holy Spirit work in her own life, but also it can help heal the lives of the people who hear Allie speak and even her future patients. “I know that people can only see the darkness they are in sometimes. But, I hope that I can make a difference in the lives of those around me,” Allie says. “I also hope that by choosing to go into counseling, not for money or recognition, but simply for the purpose of helping others, I can help raise a generation, or even one person, out of trauma, addiction, and hopelessness.”

If our readers feel called to help with foster and adoption agencies in our community, there are several organizations they can contact for more information on how they can get involved. First, according to their website, the CALL was started in 2007 after a group of individuals came together looking for a way to provide for children in foster care in Pulaski County by working together with the Division of Children and Family Services. In 2010, the CALL became a statewide organization and is now active in 44 counties around Arkansas. The CALL’s goal is to become active in all 75 Arkansas counties so that whenever and wherever a child comes into foster care, “that child will not have to be sent off to another county, but will find a welcoming foster home in their own community.”

This nonprofit organization mobilizes local churches to serve children and youth placed in foster care and provide a way for Christians to invite the mission field into their homes. The CALL partners with the Division of Children and Family Services to recruit, train, and support foster and adoptive families. To find out more about them, call their Miller County office at (870) 2602577 or follow them on their Facebook page. You can also email the County Coordinator, Holly Carver, at hcarver@thecallinarkansas.org.

The second organization in Texarkana is For the Sake of One. Their website says that their mission is “to share God’s love with local children and families by providing emotional, physical, and spiritual support while serving as a hub to connect, equip, and empower all stakeholders in the child welfare community.” They provide many resources and supplies to foster and adoptive families because they believe that “helping children from hard places shouldn’t be so intimidating and confusing” and they want to “support you every step of the way.”

For the Sake of One began in 2014 when Samuel and Angela Coston felt God calling them to do something in Texarkana to bring awareness to the foster care crisis. They were both teachers, foster parents, and members of Beech Street First Baptist Church, and they felt God guiding them to form a church ministry. They launched For the Sake of One with a school supply drive for 25 foster children in Texarkana, TX. Beech Street embraced the ministry, and it grew over the next three years. Then, in 2017, Angela felt called by God to quit her teaching job and step out on faith to launch For the Sake of One as a nonprofit organization. Since the 2018-2019 year, they have served 1,098 clients and had more than 15 churches partner with them. They continue to serve foster families, adoptive families, kinship families, struggling families, case workers, and foster children in Miller, Little River, Bowie, and Cass counties. To find out more about them, call (903) 329-0566, check out their Facebook page, or email FSOTXK@gmail.com.

Hope For Texarkana

Tom Greer - Founder and Executive Director

In 2020, while living in Grand Prairie, Texas, Tom Greer was introduced to Blessing Boxes by a friend who regularly took food and toiletry items to the box at her local church. The box was open 24 hours a day/7 days a week, and it sat at the edge of the parking lot with a sign that said, “Take what you need, Leave what you can. Above all, BE BLESSED!”

Tom began taking things to the box, and as his family began making preparations to move back to his hometown of Texarkana, he felt inspired to bring the Blessing Box concept home with him. “I began reaching out to friends I felt would want to be a part of this process and ultimately founded the nonprofit Hope For Texarkana,” Tom says. “I recognized a need in the Texarkana area, and while there are already many great groups in town doing amazing things, I felt like this organization could do even more.”

The mission of Hope For Texarkana is “to empower individuals, families, and communities by giving hope to those in need,” and the organization desires to see the quality of lives enhanced in every way. “We believe it takes a community working together to provide food, resources, mentorship, and educational opportunities to create transformations for those who need support,” Greer says. “It has inspired me because I see daily how the Blessing Boxes we have placed around the community reach people who have immediate needs for food items and toiletries.”

Hope For Texarkana celebrated its first anniversary this past summer and is proud to say that there are now 18 Blessing Boxes scattered all over Texarkana, TX, and AR, as well as Fouke, AR, and Genoa, AR. “The nonprofit sponsored several of them, but it also partnered with some other great organizations, including Cowboy Church, Bridging the Gaps of Arkansas, and several local churches,” Tom says. “While many churches offer a food pantry for those in need, it is only open certain days of a month and certain times. A Blessing Box allows them to help anytime, day or night.”

For Tom, the most inspiring aspect of the mission of Hope For Texarkana is that it strives to be a

good neighbor and reach out to those who have an immediate need. “While the organization is not classified as religious, it does represent the Bible’s second greatest commandment to ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’” Tom says. “Based on personal experiences, my family has been blessed so much as we strive to reach out and bless others.”

Though Tom serves as the Executive Director, he is also employed at Liberty-Eylau ISD as a teacher for students with severe disabilities. “As an educator for over 25 years, I always share with my students that ‘What goes around, comes around,’ and it is a strong lesson,” Tom says. “I tell them that doing good to others and putting others first will always bring good back to them.”

While the nonprofit does not have any paid employees at the moment, there are volunteers who check boxes regularly and will add items or let the leadership know if a box is empty. “These volunteers believe in our mission and that helping others is a good thing,” Tom says. “Recently, the nonprofit reached out to some area schools and other groups to start a monthly drive for specific items. Schools can receive lesson plans to support their collecting, and the students can be eligible for prizes. Arkansas Middle School, St. James Day School, and Liberty-Eylau Middle School students are currently collecting. Other schools are encouraged to contact Hope For Texarkana for an easy way to begin reaching out more to the community.”

In the future, Hope For Texarkana has a vision far above the Blessing Boxes around town. The boxes are meant to provide support for an immediate need, but as part of the new 100 Families Alliance group, people sometimes go through struggles that take time to repair. “We have located a building with some land that we envision as the Hope Hub for the organization. This is where we could store extra food and toiletry items, provide caseworkers to help with housing needs, job training, educational support (tutoring, GED, citizenship, etc.), sponsor an AA program, and so much more,” Tom says. “The land sits on a major road in town that is well traveled, and the vision is for some type of business,

perhaps a drive-thru coffee shop/shaved ice shop, that would bring in revenue as well as employ some who are trying to build a work-reference resume.”

Tom says that the purchase of the land and building, along with some basic renovations, will cost around $100,000, with half of that being the price of the building and land. However, if volunteers could provide materials and labor for renovations, that amount could go down substantially. “I want readers to know that we are a group of people who are striving to live our lives to help others in any way we can. We are professionals from all walks of life who recognize our blessings and want to bless others,” Tom says. “Like most everyone these days, we recognize that taking a risk is not easy, but we have a vision and know that we can reach many others. However, it will take the support of our community to help. We gladly accept donations from $1.00 to $100,000.00 and will provide you with documents to claim on taxes.”

Monetary donations are just one need Hope for Texarkana has this holiday season. Nonperishable food items and toiletry items are always needed and can be dropped off at any of the 18 Blessing Boxes, or an arrangement can be made for a volunteer to pick them up from you. “Consider how easy it really can be

to change the destination of a neighbor in need. When at the grocery store, grab an extra can of corn, beans, or soup. Your family loves mac and cheese, and so do many others, so grab an extra box to bless somebody else. It’s really not that difficult to do,” Tom says. “We love those who currently give to Hope For Texarkana and appreciate everyone who stops by and checks on our boxes. You truly are making a difference!”

To find out more about Hope for Texarkana, like them on Facebook, where you can keep up with any upcoming events as well as celebrations and other exciting news.

Also, their website, www.hope4txk.org, provides a map of all Blessing Boxes, a monetary donation link, and more information about what they hope to accomplish in the near future.

Pathway Resource Center

Laura McDowell - Founder, Board Member and Volunteer

Pathway Resource Center’s mission is to share the love of Jesus Christ while providing life skills, risk avoidance education, and lifeaffirming pregnancy services to prevent or alleviate a lifestyle crisis. Pathway wrote its youth life skills and risk avoidance curriculum and was incorporated as a nonprofit in June 2020. They opened their pregnancy center in the Washington Community Center and began offering free pregnancy services this past April. “After a couple of years of promoting our curriculum and getting it out to various church youth groups, homeschool co-ops, and afterschool programs across the nation (and even in another country), God opened the doors that allowed us to start providing free pregnancy services in a beautiful office space located inside the Washington Community Center,” Laura says. “Jesus told His followers to go and make disciples of all people groups. Pathway consists of a group of Christian volunteers from many denominational backgrounds doing just that. Our priority is to share the Gospel through the many services we provide.”

Pathway Resource Center offers a variety of free services to the community, including youth life skills and risk avoidance curriculum/ classes; pregnancy services such as testing and ultrasounds; childbirth, baby care, and infant CPR classes; baby boutique; Community Vacation Bible School; making life disciples training information for churches; abstinence education for schools or churches; and post-

abortion support. “The founders of Pathway all have backgrounds in providing crisis pregnancy services, and we wanted to write and present a curriculum for youth that would help them better understand the issues they were facing and equip them to make better choices in order to prevent a lifestyle crisis in the first place,” Laura says.

Within the first six months of opening, Pathway was able to serve 53 pregnancy center clients; 51 children attended their Community Vacation Bible School, and 129 students have been instructed in the Pathway Life Skills and Risk Avoidance curriculum for youth. In all, 233 clients and youth have heard the gospel or were prayed with. “We are very excited about teaching our curriculum to the Texas Middle School ACE after-school program students this past fall and plan to begin teaching again in January,” Laura says. “We have also taught youth at the Texarkana Arkansas Recreation Center, the Washington Community Center, and the Arkansas High Flex program.”

This holiday season, Pathway would benefit from having more teachers for the life skills and risk avoidance curriculum. Opportunities to teach are continuously arising, and they would like to reach as many youths as possible. If you are interested, please request a volunteer application. “In addition, monthly financial support would also help for budgeting purposes. We have a variety of services and, therefore, various costs to accomplish what we

set out to do. Visit our website for an easy way to donate online,” Laura says. “We also have a three-day Christmas Vacation Bible School coming up during Christmas break. It will be held at the Washington Community Center. Please contact us if you would like to get involved with our organization or help in any of these ways.” If you want to learn more about Pathway, please visit their website at www.pathwaytxk. org or call (870)-779-BABY (2229). You can also visit their location at 1900 Marietta St., Texarkana, Arkansas. The pregnancy center is open Monday from 4-7 p.m. and Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pink Behind the Thin Blue Line

Chasity Russell - President

Pink Behind the Thin Blue Line (PBTTBL) was started by Officer Jason Sprague’s wife after he was killed in the line of duty here in Texarkana. When she moved away from the community, Jason Sprague’s wife asked Chasity Russell, the organization’s current president, to take over. Chasity was a natural fit for the position because of her status as a board member and her strong ties to the law enforcement community. Chasity’s husband is a police officer, her brother-in-law is a correctional officer, and her best friend is now the Chief of Police. “I originally joined PBTTBL to have some comradery with local police families because the odd hours, tough job, and stress are so different from other professions. Little did I know that I joined PBTTBL at the peak of the negative press for police officers, and as the years have gone on, the hatred and fear of police seems to have gotten worse,” Chasity says. “Through this organization, we want to show our local officers that they have support in the community. I figured if we could reach one child and change their perception of officers, it would be worth it. Our officers are people too, and they joined the force to help others.”

The mission of PBTTBL is to “bridge the gap between our officers and the community they protect and serve.” Volunteers work towards this goal behind the scenes by helping both community members and officers in need. “Most of our activities are not ones we publicize due to their personal nature; however, we have assisted officers in giving back to the community in many ways,” Chasity says. “We are currently working on a free hygiene store at the Washington Community Development Center, and each year,

we help Texarkana Arkansas Police Department (TAPD) with PRIDE week. We also assist with the Shop with a Cop event and the Cops and Kids Dinner with the Orphanage and Watersprings Ranch kids.”

The PBTTBL volunteers are especially fond of the Cops and Kids Dinner. “It’s one of the few times that we get to see the results of our hard work,” Chasity says. “We decorate the event hall, buy and wrap all of the presents, help run the event, and then break everything down and store it for next year.”

However, PBTTBL does not just support events; they also provide resources for officers to meet needs in the community. “Once, an officer called and said he had a grandmother raising her two grandkids and doing her best, but the kids were sleeping on the floor. PBTTBL purchased two mattress sets, bedding, a dresser, and some decorations and gave it to the officer to deliver,” Chasity says. “One time, we had an officer call and said, ‘I have this kid in College Hill who has a 2-foot tree stump with a rusted-out bicycle tire rim that he is using for a basketball goal. Is there anything we can do?’ So, we purchased a portable basketball goal and two basketballs, and again, the officer delivered them to the kids.”

PBTTBL also helps support officers and their families as needs arise. For example, they helped with several all-male, all-police-officer beauty pageants pre-COVID that raised money for local officers and families battling cancer or other health issues. “Also, there are times when we have been made aware of officers having a challenging time financially, and we were able to provide help for

the family. Honestly, anytime we help an officer, it has never been the officer that came to us; instead, it has always been another officer or a community member making the request," Chasity says. “We have held prayer vigils and fundraisers and paid for training and counseling for needy officers. We have not had to turn an officer away that has come to us with a request, and we hope to keep our funds to where we never have to turn one away.”

Working with this organization has inspired Chasity to see the best in everyone and think more about the unknown struggles that many of our officers and community are facing. “Most things that we do are not publicized, and, if they are, we usually wait many years after the incident to protect the privacy of everyone involved,” Chasity says. “Our PBTTBL volunteers are happy to be in the shadows, working behind the scenes to help build a stronger bond between our officers and the Texarkana community.”

This holiday season, the community can best support PBTTBL’s efforts by donating funds or

volunteering their time to help with the Cops and Kids’ Dinner event on December 13, 2022.

“If anyone wants to come help decorate for the event, we will do it the week before. Please call me and let me know if you want to help,” Chasity says. “Also, we are always taking donations for the FREE Pink Behind The Thin Blue Line Hygiene store at Washington Community Development Center. We also need donations for the Police, Fire, and EMS Snack Bar at the center for any on or off-duty first responder to come in, have a snack and a cold drink, and visit with the kids.”

For ways to get involved with PBTTBL and its mission, please contact Chasity Russell at 903-319-4752.

DeKalb Physicians Clinic

Texarkana's Top Distinguished Lawyer JIM HALTOM Haltom & Doan

Education

• B.B.A. – University of Texas at Austin

• J.D. – University of Texas School of Law

Licenses and Certifications

• Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

• Certified Mediator

• Texas State Courts

• Arkansas State Courts

• District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

• District Court for the Northern District of Texas

• District Court for the Western District of Texas

• District Court for the Southern District of Texas

• District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas

• District Court for the Western District of Arkansas

• District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma

• Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit

• Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit

• Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit

• United States Supreme Court

Memberships

• American College of Trial Lawyers (Fellow)

• American Board of Trial Advocates

• Texas Bar Foundation (Life Fellow)

• State Bar of Texas

• Arkansas Bar Association

• Northeast Texas Bar Association

• Southwest Arkansas Bar Association

• Eastern District of Texas Bar Association

• Bar Association for the Fifth Federal Circuit

• Texarkana Bar Association

• Defense Research Institute

• International Association of Defense Counsel

• Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel

• Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel

• Texas Association of Defense Counsel

2022 Texarkana’s Top Lawyer Josh Thane Haltom & Doan

Education

• B.S. – University of Arkansas

• J.D. – University of Arkansas at Little Rock Licenses and Certifications

• Arkansas State Courts

• Texas State Courts

• District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

• District Court for the Northern District of Texas

• District Court for the Western District of Texas

• District Court for the Southern District of Texas

• District Court for the Western District of Arkansas

• District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas

• Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

• Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit

• United States Supreme Court Memberships

• Litigation Counsel of America (Associate Fellow)

• State Bar of Texas

• Texas Bar Foundation (Fellow)

• American Bar Association

• Arkansas Bar Association (House of Delegates Member 2016-2017)

• Eastern District of Texas Bar Association

• Northeast Texas Bar Association

• Southwest Arkansas Bar Association

• Harrison County Bar Association

• Defense Research Institute

• Texarkana Bar Association (President, 20132014; Vice President 2012-2013, Secretary 2009-2011)

• Texarkana Young Lawyers Association

• Graduate of Arkansas Bar Leadership Academy

•

Texarkana’s

•

•

•

PLLC

• District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

• District Court for the Western District of Arkansas

• District Court for the District of South Carolina

• 2015-2019 Chair of the Board of Advocates, Secretary and Faculty Liaison of the Student Bar Association, Secretary of the Criminal Law Society, Vice President of the student section of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association, Woman’s Law Student Association, W.B. Putman Inn of Court

James N. Haltom

Jennifer H. Doan

Darby V. Doan Joshua

TEXARKANA'S TOP LAWYER WINNERS 2022

WINNER: Jim Haltom Haltom & Doan

FIRST RUNNER - UP: Winonia Griffin Roberts The Corcoran Law Firm

NOMINEES: John Mercy Cary Patterson Damon Young

WINNER:

FIRST

TEXARKANA'S TOP YOUNG LAWYER

FIRST

FIRST RUNNER - UP: Randy Roeser Holland & Hart LLP

FIRST

FIRST RUNNER - UP:

John Pickett

Young Pickett Law Offices

NOMINEES:

Peter Corcoran

John Delk

Jeff Harrelson

DUI/DWI DEFENSE

WINNER: Jeff Harrelson

Harrelson Law Firm

FIRST RUNNER - UP: Josh Potter Potter & Marks

NOMINEES: Jason Horton

ELDER LAW

WINNER: Lisa Shoalmire Ross & Shoalmire PLLC

FIRST RUNNER - UP: Cole Riddell Haltom & Doan

NOMINEES:

Jon Beck Jim Haltom Ben King John K. Ross, IV

EMPLOYMENT LAW

WINNER:

Louise Tausch

NOMINEES:

Jennifer Doan

Mark Elliott David Glass Marshall Wood

FAMILY LAW

WINNER: Peter Corcoran

The Corcoran Law Firm

FIRST RUNNER - UP: Brent Langdon Langdon Davis LLP

NOMINEES:

John Delk

Michael Friedman Howard Mowery

HEALTH CARE LAW

WINNER:

Paul Miller Miller, James, Miller, & Hornsby LLC

FIRST RUNNER - UP: Darby Doan Haltom & Doan

NOMINEES: Mike Brock David Glass

INSURANCE LAW

WINNER: Mark Burgess Mark Burgess Law Firm

FIRST RUNNER - UP: Greg Giles Moore, Giles & Matteson LLP

FIRST RUNNER - UP: Greg Giles Moore, Giles, & Matteson LLP

NOMINEES:

Jim Cook

Darla Crawford

Kyle Davis

Errol Friedman

Matthew Soyars

LABOR LAW

WINNER:

David Glass

The Glass Firm PLLC

FIRST RUNNER - UP: Greg Giles Moore, Giles & Matteson LLP

NOMINEES: Louise Tausch

MEDIATION

WINNER:

David James Miller, James, Miller, & Hornsby LLP

FIRST RUNNER - UP: John Mercy Mercy Carter LLP

NOMINEES: Ralph burgess

MEDICAL MALPRACTICEDEFENDANTS

WINNER:

Jennifer Doan Haltom & Doan

FIRST RUNNER - UP:

David Carter

Mercy Carter LLP

NOMINEES: Darby Doan Paul Miller MEDICAL MALPRACTICEPLAINTIFFS

WINNER: David Carter Mercy Carter LLP

FIRST RUNNER - UP: Mike Unger Unger Law Firm

NOMINEES: David Glass Matthew Golden

FIRST

FIRST

FIRST

CHRISTUS St. Michael Foundation Gala

October 22, 2022

Bertha & Bobby Ship

Chris & Sheree Potter, Pam Beck

Darby & Jennifer Doan

Jeanna & Mike Rogers

Dr. Bret & DeAnna Craytor

Don & Louise Thronell

Josh & Rachael Potter

Katie & Josh Andrus

Kristen & Derick Giles

Mike Richardson & Dr. Betty Feir

Mary Catherine & Dr. Milburn Haynes

Mark & Keeley Bledsoe

RETIREMENT & LONGEVITY

Consider using tax-advantaged accounts to help lower your tax bill.

Review retirement plan contribution limits for 2023 financial focus

Even in the wake of complex tax provisions, a key to lowering your tax bill is really quite simple: report lower taxable income.

Since few of us actually want to earn less, the next option to consider is to stash as much income as you can into tax-advantaged accounts. If you haven’t contributed the maximum amount to a qualified retirement plan at work, consider adding money while you can.

• Contribution limits for 401(k) and other retirement plans for the 2023 tax year are $22,500 or $30,000 if you’re 50 or older (2022: $20,500 and $27,000).

• Consider making additional salary deferrals if you are eligible to participate in an employer supplemental employee retirement plan (SERP). This will enable you to further maximize contributions to reduce your taxable income now and defer more compensation into later years when your tax rate may be lower

• You can accumulate funds on a tax-deferred basis to pay for healthcare expenses through a health savings account (HSA) or flexible savings account (FSA). Your workplace may offer one, both or neither of these options, so check with your employer. HSA contribution maximums in 2023 are $3,850 for self-only and $7,750 for families, with an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution allowed for individuals age 55 or older (2022: $3,650 and $7,300). The limit for individual health FSA contributions is $3,050 (note that dependent care FSAs have a higher cap of $5,000); employer contributions do not count toward this maximum.

Once you maximize employer retirement plans, consider contributing to an IRA (still a $6,500/ year limit, or $7,500 if you’re 50 or over). Traditional IRA contributions are tax deductible if your modified adjusted gross income is under $83,000 for individuals (phase-outs begin at $73,000) or $136,000 for joint filers (phase-outs begin at $116,000). You must establish a new IRA account by April 15, 2024, for 2023 contributions, and you have until then to make 2023 contributions to an IRA.

If you work for yourself, consider contributing to a solo 401(k) retirement plan, SEP IRA or SIMPLE plan.

Please note, changes in tax laws may occur at any time and could have a substantial impact upon each person's situation. While we are familiar with the tax provisions of the issues presented herein, Raymond James financial advisors do not render advice on tax or legal matters. You should discuss any tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional. Contributions to a traditional IRA may be tax-deductible depending on the taxpayer’s income, tax-filing status and other factors. Withdrawal of pre-tax contributions and/or earnings will be subject to ordinary income tax and, if taken prior to age 59 1/2, may be subject to a 10% federal tax penalty.

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Suzie TK SnippeTS

By: Suzie Tyler

LIFE IS FLEETING

It’s funny how our perspective changes with age!

When I was young, the world stood still, and I thought my birthday and Christmas would never come. At eighteen, I thought I was indestructible and would live forever. In my thirties I thought the world was so bad, it could not possibly last another year. By fifty, life was going by so fast, that when Christmas rolled around it felt like we had just celebrated a few months ago.

This November, I added another birthday, but the world still stands! Turning the big double forty was not as bad as I thought. Some friends think I will live forever while others are surprised that I’m still here, but most thought age would have given me wisdom and wondering “what happened.”

I do have a family legacy of longevity. Both my grandmothers lived to be ninety-eight and never went to the doctor, took supplements, or prescriptions. They did have a family member who cooked up some moonshine in the backwoods of Arkansas that they used as a hot toddy, and it cured everything!

One of my grandmothers was Cajun and had some strange home remedies! One ritual was drinking four ounces of Morgan David wine, (she pronounced it MO-gan David) every day at 4 pm! We kids did not have this knowledge until we became adults, because alcohol was taboo in our family.

Synthetic chemicals have been added to some home-remedies, and we purchase them as prescriptions for millions of dollars. I am ready to find an old-fashioned physician who prescribes natural cures for my ailments!

Oh my, did I just ask for a witch doctor or a wine doctor??

In the 1970s, we thought we would never reach the year 2000, certainly not 2023, but here we are again about to watch the ball drop in New York City bringing in another year!

I hope you will make new goals and dreams for 2023 and achieve all of them and when we return in twelve months, you will be healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Have a great New Year!

Fish Tales with Mike Brower

Winter Wonder Water

I love fishing in the late fall, winter, and early spring. The fish are pretty predictable and you just have to figure out how to make them bite. Fishing in the cold weather also means fewer people on the water to bother you while you try to put fish in the boat.

All fish move to somewhat deeper water, hang on drops, and tend to group up some. Bass don’t group up as much as crappie do but still are reasonably grouped in an area. The fishing tends to be somewhat slower like fishing a jig or slow cranking a crankbait but can require some real speed. For example, cranking a 3/4 oz Rattle Trap as fast as you can turn the handle on a 7:1 reel seems on its face to be counter to cold weather and cold water since most people think a fish slows down in water that is below 55 degrees, but it’s not true. Fish can move at high rates of speed in water that is below 40 degrees, which is obvious when you hook one.

Fish also become somewhat more selective in what they feed on and when they feed in cold water. When the water gets below about 50 degrees their digestion slows down and that little bream they ate this morning will likely still be digesting two days from now. In the case of bass, their diet of mostly shad in the fall and part of winter, then turns to bream and crawfish in mid-Winter as the females start getting ready for spawning.

So just remember to slow down in cold water and if that doesn’t work speed up. If nothing else the extra movement will create some body heat.

Monday, December 2nd - Tuesday, December 3rd

It’s the time to be jolly! Join us at the downtown Regional Arts Center for our annual Open House and Arts Market event! Regional artists and food connoisseurs sell their wares in booths all over the arts building. They range from woodmaking, pottery, jewelry, leather goods, goat cheese, and so much more! This is a great event to find unique holiday gifts for your loved ones! December 2 (10:00am5:00pm) and December 3 (10:00am - 2:00pm); located at 321 West 4th Street in Texarkana, TX.

Monday, December 5th

Come out for the annual Main Street Texarkana Christmas Parade, in two states, held the first Monday in December at 7pm. Live camels lead the parade along with the cities two mayors. Enjoy area high school bands, dance teams, and over 100 entries representing the two states of Texas and Arkansas in historic downtown Texarkana. Santa Claus rounds out the route from Broad Street to State Line Avenue, finishing at the historic U.S. Courthouse/Post Office. Businesses and art galleries are open late for shopping and serving hot chocolate. The Christmas Craft and Farmers Market will take place downtown at Kress Gap during the annual Christmas Parade. They will host a traditional Jamaican Holiday meal with Jerk Chicken, Spiced Christmas Cake, and more from 5-7pm.

Saturday, December 10th

Join Northern Hills Baptist Church at 6000 Sammy Lane in Texarkana, AR, for Sounds of the Season! This is free and open to the community. This instrumental holiday music special will begin at 7pm on Saturday, December 10th, and doors will open at 6:30pm. Come join in the holiday spirit with beautiful music!

Sunday, December 11th

A Texarkana Tradition! Join the TSO, members of the Texarkana Community Ballet, the Texarkana Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the TSO Chamber Singers, for this holiday concert for the whole family. Contact the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra at 870.773.3401 for tickets and more information.

Sunday, December 18th

Join Natalie Grant, Danny Gokey, Brandon Heath, Tasha Layton & Jon Reddick this Christmas season for an unforgettable night centered around the birth of our Savior at the K-LOVE Christmas Tour! You’ll hear the songs you love along with your favorite Christmas standards during this amazing night of music. Tickets on sale at www.etix.com/ticket/p/5158947