News f A letter was recently sent to Fayetteville ISD students and parents from Dr. Harvey outlining numerous facility enhancements and security measures in preparation for the new school year.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the studies showing religiosity is on the decline in the US. This is so of most denominations. Professor Ryan Burge of Eastern Illinois University writes in the journal Religion in Public, the average Episcopalian’s age is 69––and rising. Weekly attendance is dropping. Church attendance in the parishes of the 100 Episcopal dioceses has fallen from 725,000 in 2009, to 547,000 in 2019. That’s a 25% decline. But not all the news is dire. Take Fayette County, for example. Here our churches are more likely to form partnerships than quarrel. Bill Bishop has written convincingly in these pages of the soaring success of the Second Chance Emporium, a product of a consortium of many of our local churches. Now there’s a new kid on the block: the expansion of the successful St. James’ Preschool into the footprint of her cohort First Presbyterian. These two churches have a history of working together–– at Second Chance, at AMEN, and more. When St. James began the expansion and remodeling of its church and school offices, First Presbyterian offered Laurie Krupala, the school director and the driving force behind the preschool’s growth, the use of their classroom wing. Laurie joked with preschool board member and First Presbyterian member Seth Gunn, “This is working so well, you may not be able to get rid of us.”This generous arrangement persisted until COVID shut down school operations in 2020.

The Little Miss and Mister Contests have been set. These nine will vie for the title of 2022 Little Miss and Little Mister Fayette County. The contest is judged on personal and onstage interviews, there are also most photogenic and best personality contests. You can come out on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. to catch the Little Miss, Little Mister, Junior Miss and Queen’s Pageant at the Marge Rosenberg Main Stage at the Fayette County Fairgrounds. In addition to the contest, the opening ceremonies will be held at 6:30 p.m. along with pageant entertainment by Brianna Adams and Marley Jane. Parking and admission to the grounds is free on Thursday.

C Carmine News Correspondent A blood drive will take place Sunday, Aug. 28 from 9:30 a.m.

The Tri-County (Colorado, Fayette, Lee counties) Aggie Moms Club will host the annual HOWDY Party on Monday, Aug. 22 at Sengelmann Hall in Schulenburg to kick off our 25th year of proudly serving our Tri-County area Aggies The HOWDY Party will begin at 6:30 p.m. All Aggie Moms, including Ring of Honor Moms, in the Tri-County area are invited to attend this evening of socializing and information for the upcoming year. We look forward to welcoming our freshmen moms to our service organization. This year, all Tri-County Aggie Moms Club memberships that are paid in full and submitted by Aug. 22, will be entered in a drawing for a Jon Hart clear tote valued at $175. Being anAggie Mom makes you a part of a remarkable service organization that connects you with thousands of women across the world who are interested in supporting our Aggies, the University and each other. Since 1922, Aggie Moms have been coming together to serve our Aggies, and no other University in the USA has such an organized and exceptional group like Aggie Moms Clubs.

As millions of Texas children head back to school, the Texas Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to stay focused and drive safe in and around school zones and bus stops. This includes adhering to a new Texas law that requires drivers to stop and yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.

Local nonprofits do great things for our community although, at the same time, they need access to information and resources to help them lead quality organizations and maintain their impact. Rural organizations, many led by volunteers, must travel an average of 100 miles and spend an average of $750 to attend the professional development conferences and often do not have the capacity to do so. To meet this need, the Fayette Community Foundation has partnered with the Stanzel Family Foundation to bring “Rural Philanthropy Day” on November 4, 2022. Held at Blinn College, Schulenburg Campus, this professional development conference aims to provide the education our local nonprofits require to raise their internal capacity, making them more effective and ultimately more sustainable as they become more successful.

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La Grange Police Chief David Gilbreath reports on the following incidents his department responded to during the week of July 31 through Aug. 7.

The Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court Annunciation No. 1962, held their monthly meeting on May 23, at 6:30 p.m. in the Msgr. Harry Mazurkiewcz Parish Center. After the opening prayer, the CDA State Scholarship winners Alessandra Solorzano, Brynn Mikulenka, Kelsey Polasek and Abigail DelaRosa, were presented their scholarship certificates.