Flamin' Hot Car Show

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Fire Museum of Texas docent James Noble (left) walks toward a 1923 Ford Model-T firetruck during the annual Flamin' Hot Car Show at the museum in Beaumont on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007.


Classic cars of all generations gather near the Fire Museum of Texas during the annual Flamin' Hot Car Show. The brown and tan building behind the museum from this angle is The Beaumont Enterprise.


Jim Pell of Silsbee looks up from his 1960 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe during the annual Flamin' Hot Car Show at the Fire Museum of Texas.


James Eaves of Lumberton closes the hood of his wife's 1957 Thunderbird during the annual Flamin' Hot Car Show at the Fire Museum of Texas in Beaumont.

Best PJ colleges and recruits 07

In 2005 and 2006 we tried to ascertain which colleges are best for PJ students. My answer is always the same:   The university doesn't make the best PJs. The best PJs make the most of their time at university.

For two years, this fact was proven when the College Photographers of the Year (Casey Templeton and Rick Gershon) were both lone wolves from their universities.

Last year's winner, Matt Eich, is from Ohio, the consistently top-rated (cumulative) university. Travis Dove, this year's winner, is also from Ohio University.

We now have three years of data to show us benefit-for-investment trends at different universities. Let's use the information we have and draw a few conclusions.

When looking at the winners list, let's ignore who won gold, silver, bronze and honorable mention. Instead, we'll look at how many individuals from different universities got any awards. Of these winners, we'll eliminate the universities with only one winner (no matter how many awards were won) and eliminate the redundancies.

Again, what remains is a solid guess at the quality of the PJ education at different universities. If nothing else, it shows a consistent ability to teach students to shoot and select quality images for competition.

There were additional multi-media categories introduced this year, so there are more awards to win and more data for our use.

Here's the breakdown by number of individual students who won any awards at this year's CPOY:

12 - Ohio University
08 - Western Kentucky University
07 - University of Missouri
06 - Brooks Institute of Photography
04 - San Francisco State University
04 - UNC Chapel Hill
02 - University of Nebraska
02 - Syracuse University

Although there are more awards this year, Ohio slipped by one. Western Kentucky gained one. Missouri gained two. Brooks slipped by one. San Francisco State doubled their wins. UNC Chapel Hill returned to the leader board; however, half of their wins are group entries. Nebraska held steady with two and Syracuse made it onto the leader board.

As stated before, universities with strong programs draw strong students. These students are frequently as demanding on one another as they are on themselves. The top four PJ universities continue to impress. All four have remained at the top of the leader board for the last three years. This means their students are producing consistently high-quality work from year to year.

Meanwhile, one driven PJ can still take all the marbles without cohorts. For instance, Dominic Nahr of Ryerson University kicked some major rump. Not only did he win CPOY Runner-up, he also took a Gold, Silver, two Bronzes and an Award of Excellence. Get down you funky Canadian.

With the introduction of multi-media categories this year, CPOY is positioning itself to match what's happening on the pro side of this biz. Other than a Gold to Jeff Giraldo of Western Kentucky University, Ohio and UNC swept the awards. This means these two universities, or at least their students, have a grip on industry demands.

Best recruits
The College Photographer Of the Year is the shooter with the best portfolio. This system is similar to the Pictures Of the Year (POYi) awards. Meanwhile, the NPPA regional photographer of the year is determined by points. This point system shows consistent commitment to excellence and competition throughout the year.

Since it's not possible to give the same points because the NPPA student competitions are held quarterly, we can use a different scoring system. We'll assess the following points:
6 - CPOY (Gold 4 + 2)
5 - CPOY runner up (Silver 3 + 2)
4 - Gold
3 - Silver
2 - Bronze
1 - Award of Excellence

Since we have three years of data now, we can crunch some numbers. Editors who get resume packages from these folks should take a serious look-see at the packages. These numbers indicate a consistent ability to perform at a high level in multiple categories over time.

20 - Andrew Henderson - Western Kentucky University
20 - Yoon Byun - Ohio University (Boston Globe)
18 - Matt Eich - Ohio University
18 - Dominic Nahr - Ryerson University
16 - Travis Dove - Ohio University
14 - Benjamin Reed - University of Missouri
14 - Tim Gruber - Ohio University
12 - Chris Detrick - U. of Missouri (Salt Lake Tribune)
11 - Casey Templeton - James Madison University
11 - Matt Mallams - Brooks Institute of Photography

This year's top three draft picks are:

16 - Travis Dove - Ohio University
14 - Dominic Nahr - Ryerson University
12 - Tim Gruber - Ohio University

I expect the folks who are still in college will drive up their numbers in the next few years. The folks who graduated two years ago may not have done as well as they would have if I had the whole data set. Nonetheless, the top 10 above are all strong recruits for newspapers and magazines. Of these, we again see Ohio as the top school.

Enough for now,

Please see the 2008 update.
 

BISD Boogie

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Subas Jones, 14, of Beaumont (left) and Jonathan Doucet of Port Arthur (right) compete for points on a Dance Dance Revolution video game at Tilt in Parkdale Mall in Beaumont on Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. All BISD elementary and middle schools plan to implement the DDR program for physical education classes.

Please read "Dance Dance Revolution..." by Emily Guevara.

BISD bond election results

© Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com

Supporters of the $388.6 million Beaumont ISD bond await election results. The Southeast Texas business community considers this bond and other area school improvement bonds critical to the area's ability to create, attract and keep qualified workers.

Please read "BISD bond ..." by Ryan Myers

Preacher in red

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

John Obadiah Franklin kneels beneith a cross near the corner of Calder Avenue and MLK Parkway in Beaumont on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007.


John Obadiah Franklin kneels beneith a cross near the corner of Calder Avenue and MLK Parkway. The traveling preacher began his street ministry from Shelbyville, Tenn. three years ago and has taken his message to every state in the continental United States. To learn more about his mission, visit mapjesus.com.

Reach for the sky

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Sabine Pass' Justin Nguyen (No. 3, left) and High Island's Miles Loop (No. 24, right) battle for a pass during a high school football game in High Island on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007. The homecoming game was the first played on the field since Hurricane Humberto. It was played during the day because the stadium's lights haven't been replaced.

Support free press in Afghanistan

Freedom of speech and press are part of our American culture. We often don't like what we hear or read, but we understand the right of others to write and speak. The same isn't true in Afghanistan.

Reporting - particularly with a camera - is potentially deadly in Afghanistan.

Consequently, Fayrouz and I would like you to meet an authentic defender of press freedoms. His name is Nasim Fekrat and his English-language blog is titled Afghan LORD. He literally puts his life on the line each day by using his real name to establish his credibility as a working journalist based in Kabul.

His blog is the winner of the 2005 Freedom of Expression Blog Awards of RSF (Reporters without Borders - France). He's been reporting independently and in earnest for more than two years. He's working to develop a professional press network in his country. Read the Mideast Youth campaign statement on Fay's blog.

This is why I'm asking for your help. I've added the widget below to this blog to support his cause. They aren't asking for much, so five or 10 bucks would go a long way and would show Fekrat a little love (number of contributors). It's hard to do any job when you think you're the only one who cares. It's even harder when everyone wants to kill you.

Fay and I donated 10 percent of a recent freelance commercial gig to his project. I challenge other working PJs to do the same. If it's impossible to come up with a few bucks for his cause, at least place the widget on your own blogs (there's a copy button) and support freedom of the press. I'd like to see him make his goal soon.





Enough for now,

Media boycotts Australian cricket

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Crickets fry in a skillet during Free Family Arts Day at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas in Beaumont on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007.



Major media outlets including Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Agence France-Press (AFP) and many Australian newspapers are joining forces to boycott a cricket Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka. Cricket Australia (CA) is attempting to manage rights and demand payment for media access credentials.

For once, the organizations are doing this the right way. They won't cover any press conferences or any other organization-staged events. Appropriately, the history books won't include this event.

This is quite possibly the single worst attempt at a rights grab I've seen. Not only does this organization want to be paid for images shot by various media professionals, they want to claim intellectual property rights. I suppose they'd also like the managing editors to carry their babies, but they can't figure out how to legally word it yet.

If the CA holds a press conference in the woods ... who cares?

Cricket means as much to Americans as the Super Bowl means folks in Tajikistan, but both are important to some sports fans. With this said, it's basically meaningless to cover either event without use.

There won't be any less newspapers sold. There might be a few less clicks on news sites, but the entire news industry isn't going to collapse because we didn't cover a freaking cricket match.

If anything, those same shooters can put their talent and skill to work with fine local atheletes, who don't typically get enough page space. The latter could sell one additional paper and generate a few clicks as well.

Although it's not discussed often (if ever), at the heart of this mess is the core mission of this job. PJs and sports shooters get in this low-paying biz to have our work seen by others. If we must PAY to have our work stolen by a sports management company, it's not worth it.

PJs make images because we love the work itself. If others are greedy enough to want to steal our labor and limit where and when we can display our work, it's nothing I want to shoot. There's plenty of other stories that need my attention.

There is no acceptable access contract. We don't need managed sports or entertainment to make images. We make the images.

If self-serving, greedy people would stop trying to limit who sees the images we make, it would be a much better world.

Enough for now,

Jacks and Jills

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Celena Loeb, 13, of Houston (from left to right); Kimberly Branch, 15, of Friendswood; Danny Fowler, 17, of Beaumont and Athon "Drew" Branch, 18, of Friendswood assemble a tricycle as part of service project during a Jack and Jill of America, Inc. regional conference at the MCM Elegante in Beaumont on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007. The parents' group trains their children for social and civic leadership.

Adventure Kingdom construction

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Jimmy Boggins of Gulf Coast Electric (left) talks with Adventure Kingdom owner Marlon Quibodeaux (right) at the center off U.S. 69 near Lumberton on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007.


Warren Bartlett with Art Attack from Palm Bay, Fla. tests one of the obstacles at Adventure Kingdom off U.S. 69. The Medieval-themed center will open in about two weeks and features an 18-hole putter golf course, bumper cars and swan-shaped paddle boats.

Pink Duck Derby

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Numbered ducks wait to swim during the first annual Pink Duck Derby at Paradise Water Park near Lumberton on Saturday, October 6, 2007.


Margai Bass of Kountze (right) counts ducks before the first annual Pink Duck Derby at Paradise Water Park. The event was sponsored by the Relay for Life of Hardin and South Jasper Counties and benefits the local American Cancer Society.


Cancer awareness brochures were available during the first annual Pink Duck Derby at Paradise Water Park. More than 700 ducks were sold with prizes awarded to owners of the first three numbered ducks to cross the finish line.


Volunteers release ducks during the first annual Pink Duck Derby at Paradise Water Park.


Rhonda Brown of Buna collects ducks after the first annual Pink Duck Derby at Paradise Water Park.

Albert Williams is out for the season

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

West Brook High School's Albert Williams (No. 25) runs during a Beaumont Bowl football game against Central at Cardinal Stadium at Lamar University in Beaumont on Friday, Sept. 7, 2007. West Brook won the game 34-17.


West Brook High School seniors Ricky LaBeaux (No. 7, left) and Joshua Powdrill (No. 2, right) pay homage to Albert Williams during a football game against Memorial High School in Port Arthur on Friday, Oct. 26, 2007. Williams, also a senior, had knee surgery on Nov. 2 and is out for the season. He suffered a ligament tear Oct. 6 during a game against Kingwood.

See other images of Williams in action.

Sabine search for missing boaters

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Eric Bruno (from left to right), Mandy Ardoin and Jeff Melancon search for Craig Phelps, 27, and Roger Frank, 18, near the Sabine River Bridge (I-10) in Orange, Texas on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007.


Craig Phelps' friends and family members gather under the Sabine River Bridge (I-10) as officials continue to search the Sabine River near Orange. The Frank family searched from a different location. Craig Phelps' 3-year-old son, Kenneth Phelps, was found alone in a stranded aluminum boat hours after Phelps had gone to search for Roger Frank. Frank's canoe overturned on Tuesday.


Officials continue to search for missing boaters near the Sabine River Bridge (I-10) on the Louisiana side of the Sabine River near Orange, Texas.


A Coast Guard helicopter flies over the Sabine River Bridge (I-10) as the search for two missing boaters continues in Orange.


US Coast Guard petty officers Chris Coleman (bow) and Felix Bultron pass an Orange County Sheriff's boat as both search for Craig Phelps and Roger Frank near the Sabine River Bridge (I-10) in Orange, Texas. Phelps was searching for Roger Frank when he was reported missing as well.


US Coast Guard petty officers Chris Coleman (left) and Felix Bultron (right) search for Craig Phelps and Roger Frank near the Sabine River Bridge (I-10).


US Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Chris Coleman searchs for Craig Phelps and Roger Frank on the Sabine River, which is the border between Texas and Louisiana.

Please read "Treacherous Sabine River torments two families" by Mike D. Smith.

Homer Halloween

Shianne Wilson explains her costume and favorite book during a literacy costume contest at Homer Elementary School in Beaumont on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007. Students were invited to dress like literary characters. Wilson won 1st place in the 3rd grade competition.

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Racing with Passion

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Eddie Frederick poses for a portrait with the 1971 Camero at Frederick's home in Mauriceville on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. Frederick and his car have won top points this year in drag racing at a strip in Evadale.

Please read, "Passion for racing, ministry" by Greg Hayes.

There is justice

Church ordered to pay $10.9 million for funeral protest

I hope other families do the same and drain this group's financial ability to spread hatred and dishonor. I also hope other media outlets learn to focus on what's important.
 

Smokin' screen

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

West Brook High School junior Christine Michael poses for a portrait at the school in Beaumont on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007. West Brook has worked on screen pass execution to get defenders out of position.

Rebounding Cardinal

Lamar University sophomore basketball player Ashton Hall stands at the top of an embankment on U.S. 96 where his cousin's car overturned in June near Silsbee on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007. Hall suffered neck and shoulder injuries, but will be ready to play for Lamar this year.


Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise


Ashton Hall poses for a portrait with remaining pieces of his cousin's car where it overturned near Silsbee. He's suffered through months of rehab to be able to play basketball again. He hasn't completely recovered, but he gets stronger each day and has earned the respect of teammates.

Please read, "Cardinal baller rebounds from terrifying accident" by Perryn Keys.

Choose the right video editing software

Mid-summer through November is when most photo departments turn in their wish lists (budgets) for the next year. Often, decisions must be justified because we're talking about thousands of dollars multiplied by the number of shooters per department.

Judging from how rapidly digital video hardware is progressing, I'm certain the software editing side will be drastically different next year. But, we've got to start somewhere.

PJs and future VJs need to know the direction their newspaper is going to make a valid video editing decision. If a paper plans to use video as an online novelty, then Photoshop CS3 Extended could work. If the company wants to eventually move to HDV for online and still image capture from video (where the industry is heading), Final Cut Pro (FCP) is the best option.

If budget is the issue, I suggest purchasing FCP as the best way to handle video and keep current versions of Photoshop for still images. If it's a serious issue, get FC Express and upgrade to FCP Studio next time.

CS3 can handle both still and video, but the array of plug-in programs to get it up to video standard could be staggering. For instance, Apple Shake 4 is a add-on program. It would be required for CS3. The newest version of FCP has a similar program incorporated into the software.

While CS3 has included a color correction program valued at $2,000 in the CS3 Extended, FCP has included the movie industry premium program valued at $25,000 and is already equipped to do everything required for video (sound, color, transitions, text, etc.).


Apple Final Cut Studio 2
This is the industry standard video editing program.

Pros:
Open format timeline (can include different speed videos).
ProRes 422 codec (good reproduction after effect rendering).
SmoothCam stabilization plug in (corrects for hand-held camera shake).
Color correction improvements over previous version. Color, the program, was a $25,000 application before Apple acquired the company.
High-quality sound production tools including surround sound.
Stable program doesn't crash.

Cons:
Doesn't edit photos. Still need to keep some version of Photoshop for photos.
Expensive, but considered a bargain by including Color.
Requires a lot of computer horsepower (MacBookPro is enough).

Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended [Mac]
This is the industry standard for photo color correction.

Pros:
Less expensive than FCP.
Runs natively on MacBookPro.
Fast import and effect rendering.
Seamlessly transports to PC-based systems with same software.
Incorporates non-destructive adjustment layers (for color correction and effects).
Allows for animation features and graphic design as well as a 3D animation slider from multiple points.
Exports as QuickTime, MP4 and Flash Video.
Bridge editing software is included to do keyword searches for all images on a computer.
More realistic B&W tone control.
Quick Selection tool isolates humans with one touch for color correction or cutouts (see Cons below).

Cons:
If anything, it's overly powerful on the digital manipulation side. In other words, digital manipulation is both easy and flawless without much training and could lead to ethical breaches.
Doesn't offer near the editing functions as FCP.
Will require the following additional programs: Shake, Soundbooth CS3, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 video editing software.

Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Production Premium suite includes: After Effects CS3 Professional, Premiere Pro CS3, Encore CS3, Photoshop CS3 Extended, Illustrator CS3, Flash CS3 Professional and Soundbooth CS3. It gives more editing power, but the combination of elements costs far more than FCP Studio and isn't as good.

Apple Final Cut Express HD 3.5 (Mac)
Work for low-budget use.

Pros:
They've made some significant improvements in the latest version and made it useful for most Web-based applications.
It's the least expensive of all the pro options.
It's a good training platform to eventually jump to Final Cut Pro.

Cons:
By all accounts, this program isn't sufficient for professional use. The program lacks too many features to make it acceptable for long term use.


Apple iLife '08

If there isn't any budget. The basic starting point is iLife. It includes iPhoto, iWeb, iMovie, GarageBand and iDVD. It's a great starting point and dirt cheap.

Don't let the price fool you. There's some serious horsepower under the hood. It's not top-of-the-line professional, but it's simply amazing for the price (particularly GarageBand).

If a PJ already has iMovie HD, don't change to '08 until the bugs are fixed. Although it features color correction tools, the current edition's timeline is difficult to understand, it has no FX and some other major issues.

Enough for now,

Trinity bridge inspection

Traffic continues to cross the Trinity River bridge as TXDOT engineers inspect it in Chambers County on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007. A new bridge is under construction to replace the aged bridge.

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise



TXDOT engineers inspect the Trinity River bridge in Chambers County. The tragic bridge collapse in Minnesota has prompted officials to inspect all bridges currently in service.



Guard rail damage is evident as TXDOT engineers inspect the Trinity River bridge in Chambers County. The Trinity River bridge is the southernmost connection from Southeast Texas to the Greater Houston metro area.

Incomplete pass

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

West Brook's Chris Pinson (No. 17, left) leaps for the ball as Baytown Lee's Michael Mahan (No. 4, right) lets it slip through his fingers on the goal line during a high school football game at West Brook High School in Beaumont on Friday, Oct. 12, 2007.

Bella Cucina

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Johnny Carrabba, co-founder of Carrabba's Italian Grill (right), and Wayne DaSilva, proprietor of the Beaumont restaurant (left), demonstrate how to cook a restaurant specialty in the Dishman Art Mueum at Lamar University in Beaumont on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007. The program was part of the annual La Dolce Vita: Bella Cucina cooking demonstration and wine pairing.

Spook-Tacular Book Sale

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Joseph Scott of Nederland (left) and Cliff Rees of Groves (center) shop during the opening day of the Spook-Tacular Book Sale at the Groves Public Library in Groves on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007. The sale is sponsored by the Friends of Groves Public Library and continues through Saturday during library hours.

Help add PJ blogs

I've been blogging for several years. When I started, there weren't many other bloggers. So, I linked to any blogs of interest to me.

As some PJs got blogs, I moved those into a separate sidebar category. Those later became staff, freelance and collegiate (and high school) categories. TV PJs were added a little later. Photoblogs and Info links absorbed most of the early sidebar items. VJs (video journalists and multi-media) are the most recent.

Since I started, the blogging world has exploded. In an ironic twist, blogs went from being reasons to terminate PJs to required items on a resume. The former is why many of the early bloggers still don't have their names, publications or other info on their blogs. The latter is why there are a lot of new blogs.

What I need
I sweep through the blogs for new links occasionally, but I can't keep up with everything in real time. So, please send me PJ, VJ and TVPJ blog links and the minimal info listed below. I'll put them all on the inside page (there's unlimited space). If one is a daily PJ blog, I'll add it to the sidebar.

As y'all encounter working, pro PJ (staff or freelance), VJ, TVPJ or student PJ blogs, please let me know (e-mail) the following:

Blog address
Blog name
Blog author
Author's city, state
Author's publication or status (staff, freelance, VJ, TVVJ, student)

Link organization
My organizational method may seem random, so I'll explain how it works. Let's start with the inside pages because they're semi-automatic.

Inside links
The inside link pages contain links by category. The links are sorted by blog title or PJ's last name. I'll link to any working PJ's or PJ students' individually-owned or team blog. However, it must contain original work. Return links are NOT required, but they're always appreciated. :-)

Inside link blogs that haven't posted in more than a year may be removed unless there's some really compelling reason to keep it.

Photoblog links are different. They either A)   comment regularly on this blog. B)   have quality images in my opinion (at least when the blog was added) or C)   linked to this blog when there weren't many blogs.

Sidebar links
The sidebar links employ a lot more judgment on my part. The most important factor is post frequency. If I ever click on the link and it's more than a month old, I take the link off the sidebar.

I also don't place R-rated blogs on the sidebar because I have a "safe" status with schools and several kiddos visit this blog when it's time for research papers.

Otherwise, the sidebar blogs are sorted the way I prefer to read them. This doesn't always mean the best are on top. I value quality PJ work, but I also reward frequently-updated blogs.

The reason I blog daily is to force myself to shoot better every day. Each night I sift through my recently published images. Often, I dislike my options. However, I still post a new image each day.

I think some people return here because they know I'll have something new. When I visit a blog and it hasn't been updated since the last time I visited, I feel like my download time was wasted. This is another reason I reward high-frequency blogs with better sidebar placement.

Enough for now,

South Hampton Resources expansion

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

South Hampton Resources, Inc. president Nicholas N. Carter poses for a portrait at the plant in Silsbee on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007. The petroleum solvent plant plans a $12 million expansion. In addition to the construction jobs, the plant plans to add 40 permanent jobs.

Please read, "Silsbee plant plans $12 million expansion" by Amy Collins.

Lumberton traffic

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Traffic struggles to move during the evening rush hour on Highway 69 in Lumberton on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007. About 20,000 autos commute through the area. Area growth and urban sprawl are affecting smaller cities in Southeast Texas. To some, this is considered a "good problem."

Please read "U.S. 69 congestion..." by Editorial staff.

Eastman moves to SETX

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Eastman Chemical Company's Norris P. Sneed, senior vice president of human resources, communication and public affairs, (left) and Marc R. Ramsdale, vice president of developing technologies operations, (right) talk about the company's future plant while visiting the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce in Beaumont on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007. The company plans a $1.6 billion chemical plant on Texas 347, within the BISD taxable area.

Fountain Plaza opens

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Diners visit Pei Wei Asian Diner, which is open for business in Fountain Plaza off Dowlen Road in Beaumont on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2007. Fountain Plaza is the newest of several planned upscale retail outlets in Beaumont's West End.


The centerpiece fountain awaits installation as shops are opening for business in Fountain Plaza off Dowlen Road in Beaumont. While most of the country faces financial woes, Southeast Texas is entering a construction boom period, which is expected to last about four years.

Fair-well

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Fairgoers take in the rides and food during the last weekend of the 2007 South Texas State Fair at Ford Park in Beaumont on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007. Sunday is the final day of the fair.

Award Winner:
2nd Place, Feature Photo, Texas Press Association

Battlin' Buna

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Buna assistant coach Kenneth Riendinger (right) pumps up the team before a high school football game against Hardin in Buna on Friday, Oct. 19, 2007. Both teams entered the game undefeated.


Buna's Blanton Craft (No. 7) runs through Hardin's defense for a touchdown during a high school football game in Buna.



Buna's Ryan Sheppard (No. 5, left) tries to fend off Hardin's Tyler Townsend (No. 17, right) during a high school football game. The game ended 49-32. Buna left the field undefeated.

Please read "...battle cry" by Perryn Keys. It's a great example of quality sports journalism with detail and vision. It brings a casual reader (non-sports junkie) into the locker room scene and emotions.