KAYCE THREADGILL AND THE WOMEN OF FIRE CONFERENCE

from East Texas Review, the community newspaper everyone should read

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COMMUNIT Y, EDUCATION, BUSINESS, POLITICS & RELIGION NEWS

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October 4, 2019

Longview High School Tieraney Beall Recently Attended Education by Design Chamber Of Commerce Ribbon Cutting

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NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION

Longview Police Officer Michael Bynum Attends Longview Regional Medical Center Annual Luncheon for Local Law Enforcement

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Kayce Threadgill: Campaigns for Christian Unity Slates “Ignite” Women’s Conference October 19

By Joycelyne Fado j utimi/ ET R

school spotlight Longview High School

Longview Regional Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Keith Ellison Attends LRMC’s Annual Luncheon for Law Enforcement

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Ladies of Fire USA got started essentially by accident. Kayce Threadgill was one of a group of five Longview women who originally came together meaning only to study the Bible on a weekly basis, but under the Holy Spirit’s direction the group became much more. They drew closer to their Savior and to each other as they explored the Scriptures together. Last April, Threadgill felt the Lord calling her to organize a women’s conference in Longview to share in her prayer/study group’s spiritual growth. The others in her tiny circle enthusiastically supported the proposal, saying that for some time they had felt moved in this very direction.

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Zamiyah Henson

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Ayanna Harris

Fighting Fire

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Technology is Cool

Yadira Contreras, Diana Pitman, Kayce Threadgill, Carmela Sapp, Jacqueline Manning, Jessica Izquierdo, Martha Gonzalez, Maria “Lupita” Rodiguez and Eileen Julieth Burbano

LRMC NICU holds reunion

Ladies of Fire: Carmela Sapp, Kaycee Threadgill and Jacqueline Manning

Contd. on Page 2

Survey Findings: Texas Interest in CBD Outpaces National Average

Whenever a family welcomes its newest, newborn member it is a cherished, blessed event. Sometimes, though, this happiness is tempered by uncertainty and outright fear when a newborn has special needs. Tiny ones with health problems are a great trial both for their loved ones and the medical professionals tasked with caring for the frail little ones.

Contd. on Page 5 A new Texas-wide survey shows that approximately 40% of all respondents currently, or have previously, used Cannabidol (CBD) products, compared to the national average of 14% reported by Gallup in August.

“Ignite” was the name they selected to call the movement, and they sensed the Lord had also chosen a name for the women who would form and drive this new movement--Ladies of Fire.

“He is going to use us to ignite a flame of love in their hearts for Him and for one another and to tear down the religious stronghold that keeps us so divided,” she says. “He said Ignite is for every women, and [for us] to get a place big enough.”

The embryonic group secured 1000-seat Pine Tree Auditorium to use in their quest to tear down denominational divides, wake up the bride of Christ, eliminate racial and cultural divisions and “Change our area through unity in the Body.”

The objective of Ladies of Fire is to unite women in prayer, teach and disciple them in the Word, and encourage them in the gifting God has in mind for their lives. The Ladies of Fire Team (LOFT) uses members’ individual God-given gifts to advance the movement. Each feels the calling to serve in an evangelical capacity. Threadgill feels what she calls a “burden for the church.” This motivates her to reach out to all church members and encourage them to be fruitful missionaries who lead many lost souls to salvation. LOFT member Brittney yearns to reach out to those with no church affiliation and lead them to Christ. Emily seeks to enable others to see their identity in Christ. Shana encourages women to embrace God’s providence in their lives and Jacqueline desires that everyone find intimacy with Jesus, our Hiding Place.

“We all have part and perspective in the ministry that is different, but useful and important,” Threadgill says.

She and husband Cory are the Worship Pastors at Risen Life Church, where they have been members since its inception in 2015. For Kayce, her present crusade is not a new direction. She has been serving in this direction since her 2005 graduation from Teen Challenge in Houston. She and her spiritual sisters founded the Ladies of Fire crusade earlier this year. She does not see her life’s work as something she decided on for herself.

“God chose it for me. He burdened my heart to put aside differences for the sake of unity,” she says. “To see the importance that each member brings. Each is gifted, and each needs to do his/her part for the entire body to function and grow and be healthy.” She strives to impress on those around her that God dearly loves each of them, and how easy it is to totally love Him in return. “He is better than anything or anyone,” she says. “He thrills my heart. He is the song of my life, and my very best friend. He is everything.”

Since it is still so new, the Ladies of Fire movement has little in the way of a daily routine. The members keep their ears

and hearts open to all divine influence. They hope for revival meetings at least as immense as the Great Texas Balloon races held periodically at the airport. Such gatherings would provide great mutual support as throngs of both the faithful and unsaved assemble to worship, pray and hear loving, fruitful presentations of the message of Christian salvation. A central theme of Ladies of Fire is that we are all part of the body of Christ. Talking negatively about and judging others is condemned in accordance with the Biblical explanation that the hand cannot judge the arm that carries it. Along these lines, Threadgill’s Christian philosophy is simple and powerful.

“My faith is in Christ alone. My life is His,” she says. “It is no longer a matter of what I want to do in a ministry, or if I want to pray, or if I want to provide for someone else,” she says. “But rather, does Christ want me to do those things? We live for the will of Our Father in heaven.”

The Ladies of Fire are presenting a program they call Ignite 2019 on October 19 in the Pine Tree ISD Auditorium. Continued on Page 3

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This will be a citywide bi-lingual women’s conference that day from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in hopes of igniting Christ’s daughters throughout this area with a passion for Him. This would propel them into active Christian service before His Second Coming. For all who attend, this will hopefully be a springboard for heralding the Gospel.

This assembly will enable local women to minister to each other according to talents and needs, and without regard to denominational, cultural and racial differences.

“We are expecting God to heal women of past hurts and offenses as we choose to put aside our differences so that we might exponentially spread the Gospel in our cities,” says Threadgill.

Local ministries will set up tables at the gathering to share information on available Christian resources and services both for those in need, and for those wishing to serve their Lord. It will be an extravaganza making it possible for every woman who comes to connect with a local body of believers dedicated to spiritual service. The main objective is creating new avenues for hands-on work in support of the Gospel throughout East Texas.

“As the Lord leads, we will be starting new ministries,” says Threadgill.

October 19, 2019 doors open at 9 | 9:30a - 4:30p SATURDAY

invite your friends, ladies MAKE IT A GIRL’S DAY

we are not able to provide childcare LADIES ONLY bring cash for food trucks, or pack a sack lunch (indoor lunch location available) LUNCH ON THE LAWN bring a chair or blanket, for this free event at our Ladies of Fire REGISTER Facebook page or at the door from your church, family, co-workers, and neighbors

1701 Pine Tree Rd | Longview PINE TREE AUDITORIUM

Ladies of Fire: Carmela Sapp, Kaycee Threadgill and Jacqueline Manning

Vision Services Optometry & Optical Wellness Pointe accepts most medical and dental insurance plans, CHIP, Medicaid, and Medicare. Affordable payment options are available for qualified patients. Walk-ins and new patients are welcome at all locations!

Email us at etr@easttexasreview.com Call us at: 903.236.0406 Mission Why We Exist To continuously improve communication between the people of East Texas. Vision What We Want To Be One of the best community newspapers in the Nation. Provider of positive and edifying news about people, places, and businesses. Publisher/CEO Joycelyne Fadojutimi Contributing Writers Jessicah Pierre Kenneth I. Moch Graphic Artist Sho Labaco

The entire contents of the East Texas Review are copyrighted 2019. Any reproduction or use in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

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By Jessicah Pierre What the Felicity Huffman scandal says about America Low-income parents risk jail for putting their kids in better public schools, while the rich bribe colleges to shut the poor out.

Earl ier this year, several wealthy parents, celebrities, and college prep coaches were accused of offering large bribes to elite universities in order to get their children into schools they didn’t qualify for.

Federal prosecutors charged at least 50 people in the criminal investigation named “Operation Varsity Blues.”

Among those charged was actress Felicity Huffman, who was recently sentenced to 14 days in prison after pleading guilty to fraud. In Huffman’s case, she’d paid $15,000 to have someone cheat on an SAT exam for her daughter.

Many parents want a better education for their child — and higher education, after all, has long been considered a path to the American dream. But Huffman’s case shows an obvious bias in the system toward people who achieved it long ago.

Her light sentence is being compared to the five years given to Tanya McDowell, a homeless Bridgeport, Connecticut mom who was arrested and charged after enrolling her young son in a school in a neighboring ublic school district that posted better test scores.

For many low-income families, the promise of education providing a pathway out of poverty is slipping further out of reach. Many are mired in underfunded

public schools with few resources to provide a quality education.

It’s no surprise that many of these communities are also home to people of color. A new report released earlier this year found that nonwhite school districts get $23 billion less than white districts, despite serving about the same number of students.

As someone who grew up in a low-income household and attended public schools, I’m a product of that system. Each morning, my high school welcomed me with metal detectors and police officers. I was one of the very few lucky students that beat the odds, graduated, and made it through college. Most don’t.

These disparities force parents from low-income backgrounds and communities of color to take risks — like using the addresses of friends or family members to get their kids into better school systems. “I would still do it all over again,” said McDowell after serving her time. “My son exceeded all of my expectations” in the better district, she said.

On the other hand, for parents like Huffman — who have access to a plethora

of economic and social resources already — bribing colleges and universities to secure a slot for her children isn’t a means of survival. It’s an abuse of power and privilege.

Varsity Blues has been deemed the largest college admissions scandal in U.S. history. For sure, it highlights how the inherited advantages of our country’s wealthiest people have shaped our education system. Even more than that, though, it’s part of the bigger scandal that so many more have so much less.

As wealth continues to concentrate at the top, the extremely wealthy are using it shut out students who are already hundreds of steps behind on the road to success — all to give the already affluent another boost along the way.

By Kenneth I. Moch Scientists can beat alzheimer’s. Will short-sighted politicians stand in their way?

More than 120,000 Americans will lose their battle to Alzheimer’s disease this year. This debilitating condition is the nation’s sixth-leading cause of death.

Nationwide, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s disease every 65 seconds. Nearly 6 million Americans currently live with this devastating condition. By 2050, that number could skyrocket to nearly 14 million, costing the country well over $1 trillion annually.

To avoid this societal tsunami, we need to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, our leaders in Washington are considering policies that would make it nearly impossible for scientists to develop such treatments. The path to discovering the next Alzheimer’s breakthrough is paved with peril. Innovative companies of all sizes have tried, but not one of nearly 90 programs launched over the past 15 years has succeeded. The cumulative estimated cost of developing a new Alzheimer’s drug is nearly $6 billion -- twice the cost of developing the average drug.

Despite these astronomical costs and disheartening odds, many are striving to conquer this disease. For example, my team at Cognition Therapeutics, a clinical-stage neuroscience company in Pennsylvania, is working on a novel approach to protecting and restoring synapses -- the brain’s electrical circuitry -- in Alzheimer’s disease.

There are approximately 70 clinical-stage

Alzheimer’s research programs underway. These trials seek to stop, prevent, or slow the progression of the disease. Small biotech companies like mine account for almost 80 percent of these programs.

Several government proposals threaten to stifle these advances.

The Trump administration wants to tie Medicare reimbursements for certain drugs to the reimbursement rates in other developed countries, where government officials use price controls to keep drug costs artificially low.

Meanwhile, some in Congress want to overhaul how Medicare pays for drugs. Right now, Medicare drug prices are set through negotiations between drug makers and insurance companies. These intense negotiations work extremely well in driving down costs for patients and taxpayers. It’s why the Medicare prescription drug program is so popular with seniors and has come in under budget.

However, under a proposal popular on Capitol Hill, the Secretary of Health and Human Services would be empowered to directly negotiate the price for hundreds of drugs. The federal government would likely set prices well below a drug’s fair market value, and its decisions would be final and legally binding.

These policies would prove disastrous for Alzheimer’s researchers, who already struggle to attract funding for their projects.

From 2008 to 2017, U.S. biotech startups that research Alzheimer’s drummed up just onesixteenth as much venture capital funding as startups researching cancer, even though Alzheimer’s currently costs our healthcare system over twice as much as cancer.

It’s important to ensure that medicines are affordable. But there won’t be any breakthrough medicines if we adopt policies that dissuade investors from funding risky research projects.

Brilliant scientists are working tirelessly to deliver new treatments to patients in need. Painting these innovators as villains may be good politics, but it hinders their ability to save and improve lives.

We also can never lose sight of the needs of our family and friends who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease -- or will in the years to come. There are millions of people who, like me, have watched as the essence of a loved one slips away.

We are on the cusp of medical breakthroughs that will benefit current and future generations — as long as our leaders don’t discourage scientists and investors from tackling the world’s most devastating and debilitating diseases.

Kenneth I. Moch is president and CEO of Cognition Therapeutics.

In addition, of the 40%, an overwhelming 85% reported that CBD had improved their condition. The survey, conducted by The Hemp Know, was presented Thursday, September 19 during the Texas African-American Chamber of Commerce (TAAACC) annual conference in Austin, Texas.

CBD is one of many chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant and can be extracted from hemp or marijuana. Texas HB1325, signed by Governor Greg Abbott in April, allows existing retailers to sell nonconsumable hemp products, such as hemp-derived CBD, that contains no more than .3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical responsible for most of marijuana's psychological effects. CBD containing greater than .3% THC is illegal in the state of Texas.

While CBD was officially green-lighted less than six months ago, the survey shows that 68% of respondents are familiar with CBD and approximately one in three have or currently use CBD. Of this group, the most common conditions for use were anxiety (49%), pain (48%), stress (43%) and sleep/ insomnia (33%).*

The survey also reveals that the opportunity and demand for CBD is ever-growing. Off the 63% that have not personally used CBD products, 60% are interested in learning more and 29% stated they are likely to try a CBD product in the next 12 months.

“Throughout Texas, there’s an influx of retailers adding CBD to their product portfolio – from small shops to large chains.

While early-adoption in Texas is impressive, retailers should not rely on this alone. For the next, and likely most sustainable wave of partakers, especially for older consumers, education is key,” said Founder and President of The Hemp Know Damon Logan. “As expected, there are still lots of unanswered questions about CBD. Is it legal, is it safe, what are the long-term effects, how to decide on the best product?”

“The opportunity for CBD retailers and manufactures is to educate the public. The responsibility of Texas CBD consumers is to do their research,” said Logan.”

“Education should be at the core of all plans for CBD retailers. In addition to educating about the proven benefits of CBD, it is important to help consumers understand what to look for and what questions to ask when purchasing CBD,” said Marcus Glenn President of Battle Buds Hemp, a CBD brand in Houston created and inspired by Glenn, whose father suffers from PTSD. “One misnomer, especially as more stores shelf CBD, is that all CBD is created equal. That is just not true,” said Glenn.

As consumer interest in CBD continues to grow, here are three key recommendations for consumers interested in trying CBD. 1. Know the laws associated with CBD. Currently, only hemp-derived nonconsumable CBD with less than .3% THC is legal in Texas. 2. Ask for the Certificate of Analysis (COA). CBD is not FDA regulated, which leaves little to no accountability for accuracy in labeling. In fact, a study published in 2017 found that 70% of CBD sold online was

inaccurately labeled. Find a reputable and knowledgeable distributor/ retailer and ask for the COA (simply put the CBD lab report). The COA is a comprehensive analysis of the chemical compounds in the product – including CBD, THC, metals and pesticides. COAs should come from an independent third party lab not associated with the retailer/distributor, include a QR code or alternative method by which you can authenticate the testing and be current. In addition, the chemical analysis on the COA should align with what is on the CBD label. If a COA is not available, select another retailer/distributor. 3. Hemp responsibly. While there are many documented – anecdotal and research-based – benefits of CBD, talk to a medical professional about your plans. Also, consider visiting a dispensary or CBD-focused retailer to learn more about recommended dosages and the different types of CBD products available. These outlets typically offer a wealth of knowledge. “We believe wholeheartedly in the benefits of CBD, but it is incumbent on both CBD retailers and consumers to hemp responsibly,” said Logan.

The survey was distributed via email and completed by 166 randomly sampled adults, ages 18+ living in Texas. The margin of sampling error is ± 8% at the 95% confidence level. The survey was administered to evaluate the adoption and awareness of hemp-derived CBD in the state of Texas. Visit thehempknow.com to request the complete report.

Best Practices to Prevent Child Identity Theft

Identity theft victims don’t necessarily have to be adults. Children and teenagers generally lack financial experience. This likely means they have clean credit, basically a blank slate which makes them ideal targets for identity thieves. By hijacking your child’s social security number, thieves can easily open up lines of credit. And since they typically do not start applying for credit until at least early adulthood, a theft is more likely to go undetected for many years which could create serious consequences.

“Minors face the same risks as adults do when it comes to identity theft,” Mechele Agbayani Mills, President and CEO of BBB Serving Central East Texas said. “And since most of these cases go undiscovered for years, your child could have sizable debts that could be impossible to pay off by the time they are ready to open credit lines.”

Schools and camps, for example, are often targeted by identity thieves, as they maintain voluminous amounts of student data, so it’s important to know details on how the information will be used. Also find out which other parties will have access to your child’s personally identifiable information, including sponsored school. Opt out if you feel uneasy.

Keep anti-virus software updated. Some identity thieves create viruses designed to search computers for documents containing your child’s Social Security number. Never store important and/or personally identifiable information or passwords on your computer.

To minimize the risk of your child’s identity becoming compromised, consider the following:

Contact each of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion). In an effort to reduce the occurrences of child identity theft, 19 states including Texas, now require the credit reporting agencies to allow a parent or guardian to freeze the credit files of their minor children.

Shred all personal documents which include your child’s personal information before you throw them out and delete computer files that you no longer need. BBB serving Central East Texas conducts several shredding events throughout East Texas which are free to the community. Go to bbb.org for more information.

Check your child’s credit report on or around their 16th birthday. This gives you enough time to fix errors before your child tries to obtain financial aid for college, a car loan, or rent an apartment.

If your child begins receiving any of the following, he or she may be a victim of identity theft:

• Credit card or loan applications • Phone calls or letters from collection agencies. • Notices from the IRS regarding

unpaid taxes or the child’s Social Security number was used on another tax return. If you believe your child has been a victim of identity theft, contact each of the three credit bureaus and check for errors. If your child has been victimized, place a fraud alert on their account and consider requesting a credit freeze.

For more tips on how to be a savvy consumer or to share your experience with a business, go to bbb.org. To report a fraudulent activity or unscrupulous business practices, call BBB at (903) 581-5704 or report it via BBB Scam Tracker.