Houston’s Southern Songstress: Dixie Trahan
“Mom, do you have a song for everything?!” says Dixie Trahan’s young daughter of mom’s ability to lecture in song. “I probably do,” replies Trahan as she flashes a coy smile.
Talking to Trahan is easy. Southern belle comes to mind, even; except Trahan writes music and can really serenade an audience. When she was nine, she toured North America, singing in churches with her family. Now a mother, she has instilled musical expression to her children; from Bluegrass to Rock, this modern-day Brady Bunch family has no boundaries for musical taste, Read more
Family Book Blast! at Katy Mills Mall
By Shelly M. White.
Magical reading adventure awaits kids of all ages at Katy Mills as the Simon Kidgits Club brings fictional favorites to life during its annual Book Blast! event on Saturday, February 28, 2009 from 3 – 5 p.m. With free fun for the whole family, this event is designed to introduce kids to the magical world of stories and books with delightful celebrity storytellers, engaging activities and great giveaways from qubo.
During the festivities, Katy Mills and Radio Disney will highlight the importance of literacy and reading as pathways for imagination and lifelong learning. Read more
Two Students Nominated for Presidential Scholar Program
From Katy ISD Communications:
Two Katy ISD students are among an elite 3,000 graduating seniors who have been selected as candidates in the 2009 Presidential Scholars program.
Inclusion in the Presidential Scholars Program, now in its 45th year, is one of the highest honors bestowed on graduating seniors. Scholars are selected on the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character and involvement in community and school activities. Read more
Shade Structure Dedicated at Woodcreek Elementary
By Susan Farb Morris.
Thanks to the PTA, industrious Firethorne mom Beverly Tucker and generous donors, Katy/Fulshear-area students at WoodCreek Elementary School now can play outside and still be protected from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. According to the school’s 2008-009 PTA President Diane Pharr, Tucker spearheaded the PTA’s campaign to raise $28,500 to construct a shade structure to cover the school’s playground at 1155 WoodCreek Bend Lane in Katy. Read more
Brain Muscles: Excercise Daily
In previous articles, I have written about using computerized games and very simple “every-day” ways you can work the “Noodle” to its max. In researching brain health, I have found so many interesting things pertaining to brain health and how we can stay “sharp” as we age, or even while we are young.
Although much remains to be discovered about learning and memory, scientists have already put together important pieces of the puzzle. For example, the brain appears to process different kinds of information in separate ways and then store it differently. Isn’t that amazing? We have different storage units in the brain, which, by the way, weighs approximately Read more
Foreclosure Crisis Remedy Critical to Financial Recovery
To help stabilize the economy and address the foreclosure crisis, President Obama announced the $75 billion Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan. An in depth analysis of the plan is available at Bloomberg.com.
The New York Times has a very helpful chart that outlines the plan without going into all the verbiage of the actual announcement. It can be found on the New York Times Business Page.
While this is a controversial approach, the National Association of Realtors has endorsed the plan. In an article analyzing the plan, NAR stated, “It is widely accepted that our economic recovery depends on a stable housing market.” Read more
Cutting Out Savings
When I was a kid, my mom was religious about clipping supermarket coupons. As an adult, I seldom followed this practice, but as the recession hits harder and harder, I may oil up the ol’ scissors. Are coupons making a comeback? If what I am witnessing at the supermarket each week is any indication, I would say a resounding ‘yes’.
I have noticed a huge surge in coupon use among Katy-ites. It used to be that you could get out of the check-out line relatively painlessly at any grocery store. The person in front of you would unload their groceries, the items would get scanned, bagged and loaded, and off they went. Read more
Katy, TX Rated #2 Boomtown in the U.S.
We’ve heard it before and we see it daily: Katy has been going through one long growth spurt. For those of you who have lived here your whole life, seen kids grow up here, etc., I’m sure you’re not surprised. What once was a quaint rice farming area at the lucky point of a railroad crossing, is now its own city, just over 100 years later. BusinessWeek recently ranked “America’s Biggest Boomtowns“, and Katy is number two. Read more
Faces365 Spa Coming to La Centerra
It seems as though more and more spas are popping up around Katy, especially with the recent surge of retail developments. While spa days are considered economic luxuries, it looks like there’s little concern for loss of business for owners in the Cinco Ranch area. Faces365, a franchise that began in California just 2 years ago, will be coming soon to La Centerra. Read more
Katy Naval Sea Cadet Jonathan Miera Recognized by American Legion
Katy Taylor High School student Jonathan Miera, who is also a Katy Naval Sea Cadet, recently received a Certificate of Commendation from the American Legion for his volunteer work at a flag retirement ceremony. American Legion Post 164 Commander William Miller, said “Cadet Miera proved to be more than helpful and participated in the entire flag retirement ceremony, leaving after the last flag was retired. Based upon my observation of this young man and that of others, we wanted to honor him and present him with our Certificate of Commendation as a thank you for his hard work.” Read more
KVPAC’s Princess Party
On February 27 at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm, KVPAC is having a Princess Party. A parent must attend with their child. Parents are free, $15 for the first child & $10 for siblings. Register online at www.kvpac.org. For more information, contact Lisa Connolly, KVPAC Marketing Director, 281-829-2787 or at lconnolly@KVPAC.org.
The Katy Visual & Performing Arts Center is located at 2501 S. Mason Rd #290, (located in the Great Southwest Equestrian) in Katy.
“Fix Housing First” Bill Moving through Congress
Last week, the Senate verbally approved the Fix Housing First Act, an important amendment to their version of the Economic Stimulus Bill.
The piece of legislation and the Stimulus Bill are still awaiting Senate and House negotiations, but could provide all home buyers of primary residences over the next year with a tax credit of $15,000 or 10 percent of the cost of the home, whichever is less. The credit will not need to be repaid unless the home is sold within two years of purchase. Read more
Why Is It Difficult To Accept Public Education’s Fraud?
By George Scott.
Every major financial or corporate scandal that has rocked the nation’s confidence from the foreshadowing of things to come represented by Enron to the current corruption de jour of Richard Madoff has a common denominator.
The victims were given numbers, charts, graphs, tables, and sophisticated data all designed to affirm that what they wanted to hear and what they were hearing purely represented the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Read more
Looking for a New Puppy? Avoid Heartache and Costly Mistakes
Puppies are cute and adorable, but if you don’t do your homework or if you don’t buy that puppy from the right source, you could be walking blindly into a sad and expensive situation. Did you know, for example, that AKC-registration has nothing to do with the puppy’s health, temperament, or sturdiness? Here are some tips for finding the right puppy for your family: Read more
Texas National Soccer Club Cleans Up at New Territory Tournament
Texas National Soccer Club had an excellent showing this past weekend. The U12 97 Boys, U15 94 Orange Boys, U13 96 Girls, and the U10 99 Girls, all won the championship in their respective age groups.
All four teams dominated their games with the Texas National 97 boys going undefeated and scoring 18 goals. Texas National 94 Orange boys won the final 1-0, beating the tournament host; Fusion. Read more
Understanding Short Sales — A Seller’s Perspective (Part I)
One of the hottest buzzwords in real estate right now is “SHORT SALE” . You can not turn on CNN, FOX News, or CNBC without a real estate story and SHORT SALE coming up. Today we will look at Short Sales from the perspective of the home seller. In a later article I will cover the short sale from the buyer’s perspective!
The term, in a nutshell, means that the property is being sold for less than the current loan amount and must have the banks blessing in order for the sale to occur. The term is not new, but it has become more common as banks attempt to stem the flow of foreclosure properties back on to the market. The foreclosure process is an expensive one for banks to undertake as well as time consuming and this is the main drive behind the concept of a “short sale”. Read more
Fellowship at Cinco Ranch Anniversary Celebration Continues
The Fellowship at Cinco Ranch’s month-long celebration of activities to commemorate 15 years in Katy continues this Saturday with a special Family Festival for everyone in the community. The fun-filled day begins at 10:00am and runs until 4:00pm. Among the many highlights will be a Chili Cook-Off competition with celebrity judges, food offered by Berryhill Baja Grill, Cici’s Pizza and Cinnabon and drinks, children’s activities including face painting and a Clown and Balloon Artist, a Rockwall, Read more
