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Lifestyle

Cotton, Deceit and JFK

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He might be considered West Texas' Bernie Madoff, except that Madoff's Wall Street ponzi scheme was child's play by comparison to his elaborate array of cons that made him legendary in the annals of white collar crime throughout Texas and the U.S. Not since Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker had a Texas criminal become such a household name.

An entire World War II generation knew that name, and most of their Baby Boomer children had heard it in the most unflattering terms. And it was always, always, uttered in three words.

He was Billy Sol Estes.

The Uptons -- A Family Tradition in Farming

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Cotton farmer Wayne Upton, his sons Allison, Anderson, and Gregory, along with their grandsons Jonathan and Addison, are continuing a family tradition of farming in Gaines County which began in 1912.

The Grapes of Giesbrecht

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It’s 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning and William Giesbrecht, with assistance from his wife and mother-in-law,  have set out donuts and orange juice for over 40 youngsters and teenagers who will harvest the second set of grapes from the couple’s small West Texas vineyard outside of Seminole. Grapes from the first section of the vineyard were gathered on the previous Saturday.

“Actually, I never was a farmer but I stumbled upon grapes, and I love growing things and living off the land. I have a banana tree, pecans, and all kinds of stuff,” Giesbrecht said.  

2017 'Peanut Farmer of the Year' Paved His Path to Success

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Seminole resident Peter Bergen, the Gaines County Ag-Oil 2017 Peanut Farmer of the Year, says that in order for someone to be successful in life they need to have a drive, determination, and self-ambition. 

To be at the top of your game in farming, he added, one must love both the soil and nature.

Bergen, who can’t imagine being anything but a farmer, said that there is nothing more mind-blowing than watching a tiny, bright green plant slowly worming its way out of the ground. 

Following in Dad's Footsteps

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When Seminole resident Benny Teichroeb was named as the 2017 Farmer of the Year at last year’s Ag-Oil luncheon, he had no idea that he was being honored.  In fact, until his oldest daughter’s name was mentioned, he assumed the honoree for the event was one of his brothers.

“I was very surprised and I did not expect it,"Teichroeb said.  "That day my wife asked if I would go with her (to the luncheon) since she had never been.  We weren’t that busy then so I decided to get ready for it and go."  

Royston Plays Many Roles in the Agriculture Industry

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One word that could be used to describe Springlake-Earth native Ben Royston is busy.  Whether it’s at his job as manager of Pioneer Gin in Seminole, an auctioneer in both West Texas and New Mexico, a Seminole ISD School Board member, or the owner of a trucking company, Royston seldom sits still.

Woman in the Mirror: "What Do I Have to Lose? -- Part II"

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As long as I can remember, I have had a trust issue.  So, trusting to have someone reinvent my current hairstyle was not an easy thing for me.  Oh, and did I mention that I also have a slight bit of a vanity problem?

That’s What She Said... ‘So, I Became a Firefighter’

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When Seminole resident Tabatha Sierra was working as a dispatcher with the Gaines County Sheriff's Office, she received a call that would change her life.   

Early that morning she responded to a structural fire and while assisting the resident on the other end of the line, he died from smoke inhalation. 

“It got to me," she said. "That was pretty much my first time dealing with a death in my profession.  After that, I felt that I wanted to help others. So, I became a firefighter."

Seminole PD’s Carrasco, ‘Oso’ Team Together to Protect and Serve

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It's going on three years now since a playful, curious two-year-old German Shepherd/Lab mix named "Oso" became the town's newest resident and took a job with the Seminole Police Department.  Now approaching middle age, at five, Oso and his handler, K-9 officer Gavin Carrasco, have become a valuable part of the Seminole Police Department's drug interdiction effort. 

Strutting Their Stuff

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The Seminole Memorial Health Care Center was packed Saturday afternoon as relatives of staff and residents competed for the titles of Little Miss and Little Mister, along with additional awards, at the center’s annual children’s pageant.

Under the direction of staff members Rhonda Davis and Brenda Cramer, a “wall-to-wall” crowd of attendees witnessed the crowning of Chrisalyn Mendoza, age 3, as this year’s Little Miss. Theodore “Teddy” Martin, age 2 ½, was named Little Mister.