A Diboll woman is in a Tyler hospital with life-threatening injuries after her husband allegedly beat her unconscious with a crowbar late Thursday according to a press release from Angelina County Sheriff Tom Selman is currently being held in the Angelina County Jail on a charge of first-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon Deputies responded to a report of an assault in progress in the 200 block of Roy Street Munoz-Ruiz opened it “with a bloody metal crowbar in his hand and blood all down the front of his shirt,” the release states Munoz-Ruiz reportedly dropped the crowbar upon deputies' orders and was placed into hand restraints lying in a bedroom with a large pool of blood around her head “Tovar had been beaten in the face with the crowbar and was unconscious but breathing,” the release states Tovar had very serious trauma-related injuries that were believed to be life-threatening at the scene as well as a partially severed finger She was transported by air ambulance to UT Health in Tyler for treatment As evidence indicates that Munoz-Ruiz appears to be unlawfully in the U.S. he is also being held on an Immigration Detainer issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the Department of Homeland Security has determined that probable cause exists that he is a removable individual Stacy Faison's email address is stacy.faison@lufkindailynews.com Email notifications are only sent once a day there are no recent results for popular commented articles Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist  Get a link to the latest e-Edition delivered to your inbox on our publication days Start your morning with the top headlines each day Get the latest breaking news from The Lufkin News newsroom. Sign up today!  college and national sports headlines delivered to your inbox every morning Get the latest local and national police reports every day in your inbox Receive the daily weather forecast and the weekly outlook in your inbox each morning Receive the most recent obituaries every afternoon Receive monthly updates on the latest issues of Charm East Texas magazine Sign up to receive emails about our exciting Deals Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account How to watch Texas high school baseball: Diboll vs May 3Data SkriveDiboll High School hosts Orangefield High School at 6 p.m How to watch Orangefield vs. Diboll baseballOrangefield and Diboll will hit the diamond on Saturday, May 3, at 6 p.m. CT. Don't miss out on any of the action with NFHS Network The NFHS Network gives you access to live high school sports around the country Follow your favorite team and never miss a game Want to track your alma mater, local team or family member's school throughout the playoffs? NFHS Network has high school baseball streaming live plus on-demand replays and highlights of all the action from thousands of schools across America Watch Diboll vs. Orangefield on NFHS Network! All NFHS Network events are available to watch online at NFHS Network and through the NFHS Network Mobile Apps for iOS and Android and TV Apps for ROKU The Diboll Lumberjacks golf team will compete in the Class 3A state tournament at Jimmy Clay Golf Course in Austin Monday and Tuesday Members of the team are (from left) Tristen Morado After back-to-back Top 5 finishes at the Class 3A state golf tournament Diboll is hoping the third time will result a state championship trophy The Class 3A Region III champs are making their third straight appearance as a team at the state tournament and will play Monday and Tuesday at Austin’s Jimmy Clay Golf Course The Lumberjacks made it to the state tournament in 2023 and finished fifth and again in 2024 finishing in a tie for fourth place with Gunter Diboll will look to improve on those performances with four of the team’s top five players returning to the tournament for the second time and junior Hunter Houl back for the third straight year The four players that competed in the state tournament last year were Hunter Houl and his brother senior Ray Williams and junior Eli Terrell Morado was part of last year’s group that finished tied for fourth Head golf coach Nancy Lee said this is a great group of kids and they are easy to coach they’ve all got really good personalities and they take care of business out here and in the classroom,” Lee said don’t have to push grades or worry about them behavior-wise.” During a practice round on Thursday at Diboll’s Neches Pines Golf Course it was easy to see how well the group gets along and also the competitive nature Senior Ray Williams said the guys feed off of each other “I think the biggest part of our success is the dynamic we have with two sets of brothers that have grown up together and there’s Eli “The biggest contribution to our success is when Hunter and Logan are playing well and that’s what often gives all of us a lot of momentum.” Hunter Houl was a freshman on the Lumberjacks’ team that placed fifth in the state 3A tournament in 2023 and finished in fourth place Logan Houl was Diboll’s top individual when the team finished tied for fourth in 2024 Having siblings on the team brings out the group’s competitiveness “All of us older brothers want to beat up on the little brothers all the time but there’s mutliple tournaments where Logan has beat Hunter and Carter has beaten me,” Williams said Lee said the guys on the team don’t have to be made to practice and with four of them living right next to the golf course “They’ll just come over and play and I don’t have to worry about how much they practice because this is what they do,” Lee said “They push each other even though it may sound like they’re arguing and fighting all the time checking on each other and checking the scoreboard When it really counts they are all about it and they definitely flip a switch once the tournament starts.” Williams talked about the wins at district and regionals and the expectations the team has for the state tournament ‘Don’t you wish you weren’t nervous?’ But if you don’t have those nerves “I think with the success we’ve had this season our confidence is at an all-time high heading into state it’d be great to win a state championship.” Edwin Quarles’ email address is edwin.quarles@lufkindailynews.com Diboll High School will host Orangefield High School How to watch Orangefield vs. Diboll baseballOrangefield and Diboll will face off on Friday, May 2, at 4 p.m. CT. Don't miss out on any of the action with NFHS Network Watch Orangefield High School all season long on NFHS Network! Diboll High School baseball scheduleMay 2 vs. Orangefield High School: 4 p.m. CT | TBA, TX | NFHS NetworkMay 3 vs. Orangefield High School: 6 p.m. CT | TBA, TX | NFHS NetworkWatch Diboll High School all season long on NFHS Network! Team schedules reflect available data from NFHS and may not include every upcoming game A team of volunteers from Georgia-Pacific poses amid a service project on White Oak St Warm spring weather was unable to melt the spirits of more than 150 volunteers who participated in the annual Operation Clean Sweep the Diboll Civic Club’s communitywide day of service Saturday Focusing on helping senior and disabled homeowners get a fresh spring start volunteers completed 31 projects around town handicap ramp construction and landscaping Debra Buster of the Civic Club said the event tapped into the generosity and talent of the community We want our residents to feel like Diboll is home,” Buster said and city departments in an effort to improve the quality of life of residents who are unable to do it themselves Buster also specifically thanked everyone who pitched in to fix breakfast and lunch for both volunteers and homeowners William Lanigan’s email address is william.lanigan@lufkindailynews.com The Dairy Queen on North Temple Drive in Diboll closed its doors this week and the contents of the store are listed for auction There are two dozen fewer things to like about Texas now as a number of Dairy Queen locations statewide — including the one on North Temple Drive in Diboll — closed their doors this week while the contents of the stores were listed for auction Lufkin’s last operational Dairy Queen and the one on U.S. Highway 69 south in Huntington are the only two Angelina County stores currently listed on the location tracker at dairyqueen.com The Dairy Queen in Nacogdoches also closed this week "Multiple Dairy Queen locations are closing their doors and must liquidate the assets," online auction website localauctions.com states "Bid on a large variety of restaurant assets and related items that need to be removed from the location." A manager at the Lufkin Dairy Queen said he could not address the situation as he is only over the North John Redditt Drive store but confirmed Saturday night that the business is currently open Bidding in the multi-location restaurant liquidation auction is underway and ends at noon Thursday at online.localauctions.com/auction/11465/bidgallery The high bid for the contents of the Diboll store — minus the fountain drink machines tea brewers and IT equipment — stood at $200 as of 9 p.m Lufkin had a number of Dairy Queen locations in addition to the one on North John Redditt Timberland Drive and South First Street and one in the Lufkin Mall The Dairy Queen locations listed for auction are: Two Diboll residents have been charged in a human trafficking and prostitution investigation launched by the Diboll Police Department in response to tips it received in September according to a press release from the agency The investigation — in which “it was quickly determined that one of the victims was under 18,” the release states — identified Tabatha McFarland as the suspect involved in human trafficking She was arrested Wednesday on charges of trafficking of a child and promotion of prostitution of a person 18 or younger was also identified as a suspect in the investigation He was arrested Wednesday on charges of possession of child pornography multiple drug offenses and a warrant out of Harris County for assault causing bodily injury/family violence “The Diboll Police Department would like to show its gratitude to both the Lufkin Police Department and the Texas Rangers for assisting with the investigation of this case,” the release states McFarland and Ruth remained in the Angelina County jail late Friday with collective bonds set at $150,000 and $1,024,388 Anyone with any information that may assist investigators is asked to contact DPD Lt The Diboll City Council approved a variance request for an accessory building located at 1103 Cypress Street during its regular meeting Tuesday evening The council’s decision came following a public hearing in which residents expressed frustration and accusations of inconsistent code enforcement and selective permitting by city officials Former District 3 councilwoman Benita Sheffield Duffield was among those voicing concerns arguing that the city had approved construction that violated existing ordinances “This building is completely out of compliance,” Duffield said alleging the city’s approval showed preferential treatment “You cannot keep making exceptions for certain people in certain neighborhoods.” Duffield argued that city leaders have displayed preferential treatment in approving the structure She pointed to other examples of property owners who were forced to relocate or remove buildings that violated ordinances saying the city’s enforcement has not been consistent “Arnold called out to a church across the street and told them to move a storage shed in a vacant lot that had been grandfathered in since 2010 and they removed it; this sounds like discrimination,” Duffield said “Everything knowingly was done incorrectly and it will be a shame if the city council approves this building.” chair of the Diboll Planning & Zoning Commission “I really found it disappointing that the Church of the Living God was told that they needed to tear down their building after it was grandfathered in we let another building come up right across the street Diboll City Manager Jason Arnold acknowledged the accessory building was out of compliance with city ordinances but explained that the situation arose from a genuine error by city staff “We made a mistake; we’ve admitted it from the get-go,” Arnold said “There was obviously no diabolical scheme by the city to frustrate anyone; it was an oversight Arnold said the property owners originally approached the city properly and secured a permit for the storage building He said the building was mistakenly approved to be placed on a vacant lot rather than behind the main building Arnold further explained that the city had explored options to correct the oversight including moving the storage building to an appropriate location or having the owners replat the property Estimates to relocate the storage building averaged around $2,000 and would not guarantee that there wouldn’t be a crack in the building’s drywall “The building is out of compliance by being on a vacant lot without a main dwelling there’s no arguing; it’s out of compliance as it is,” Arnold said “We would have to either put it in 1101 (Cypress Street) approve this variance request for this particular property.” Mayor Trey Wilkerson mentioned a previous case involving a home in Diboll’s Deer Trace neighborhood as an example of the council granting variances in special circumstances Wilkerson said the newly constructed home was built approximately 18 inches too close to the street Instead of requiring the owner to undertake the considerable hardship and expense of physically moving the entire home to comply Wilkerson argued that the decision was made because it was an “innocent mistake” and it was done with “no ill intent,” noting that special cases demonstrate the intended flexibility of variances when strict enforcement would be unnecessarily burdensome made a motion for the city to cover the expense of moving the building to ensure its compliance his motion did not receive a second from fellow council members Councilman Luis Maldonado made the motion to grant the variance request allowing the building to remain at its current location The motion was seconded by Councilman Ruben Terrazas and passed by a majority vote with Williams opposed and Mayor Pro-Tem Daniel Lopez abstaining Wilkerson said he believed city officials and the property owners acted in good faith despite the mistakes made “My thought is no matter what we decide to do I do not believe that anybody here operated in bad faith I have seen zero evidence that our co-compliance officer did anything but make a human mistake so I don’t see any intent in that regard,” Wilkerson said • The financial statement for February 2025 • The 12-month attendance record for February 2025 • Canceling the May 3 general election due to unopposed candidates for council positions • A primary depository relationship with Southside Bank Ruben Ibarra Jr.'s email address is ruben.ibarra@lufkindailynews.com Special Olympics Diboll Lumberjack athlete Alexandria Davis crosses the finish line in the 400 meter relay at Lumberjack Stadium Friday in Diboll Eight schools from East Texas with more than 140 athletes participated Special Olympics athletes enter Lumberjack Stadium Friday in Diboll Special Olympics athletes leave the finish line in the 400-meter relay at Lumberjack Stadium Friday in Diboll Special Olympics Diboll Lumberjack athletes Daniel Magana and Rey Rameriz run the 50 meter dash at Lumberjack Stadium Friday in Diboll Special Olympics Diboll Lumberjack athlete Owen Quarles and Ariel Webb prepare to run the 50-meter dash at Lumberjack Stadium Friday in Diboll Special Olympics Diboll Lumberjack athletes gather for the playing of the National Anthem at Lumberjack Stadium Friday in Diboll Special Olympics spectators cheer on the athletes at Lumberjack Stadium Friday in Diboll celebrate victory in the 400 meter relay at Lumberjack Stadium Friday in Diboll Special Olympics athletes compete in the softball throw at Lumberjack Stadium Friday in Diboll DIBOLL — “It’s the best day of the year,” was a repeated phrase Friday morning at Diboll High School’s Lumberjack Stadium It was a day for student-athletes to show off their skills and compete with eight area schools participating in the fourth annual Diboll ISD Special Olympics Center and the Nacogdoches Co-op participated in multiple track and field events “We’ve grown from four schools to eight schools and this is definitely the best day of the year,” Diboll ISD Special Education transition coordinator Megan Baldree said “Just seeing the kids show off their skills is great not only for our special education students but for our general education students to be hands-on with these guys It’s built a bond in our school and you see it in the classrooms.” Diboll high school students helped at the event doing everything from getting student-athletes lined up for races to competing in the tennis ball throw to escorting the winners to the medal stand Diboll sophomore Erin Robbins enjoyed helping the kids have a good experience “I’m able to help someone else out and help make this a good experience for the kids out here,” Robbins said “It’s something that most don’t get to experience I got to work with the kids in the tennis ball throw and encouraged them to throw farther The kids have a lot of heart and they were all excited to be out here and participate in this event.” who has helped at the event since her freshman year got to lead participants to the medal stand after each of their events “I’ve come out here every year and I love to see the smiles on the kids’ faces,” Webb said “All the kids are excited to be included in something so big Seeing all these schools come together just does something in my heart I love seeing the excitement and the smiles.” The event began with a torch run with students from each school participating Students carrying the torch around the track were Diboll’s Owen Quarles JaMichael Rather with the Nacogdoches Co-Op Zavballa’s Danny Elvaker and Diboll’s Alexander Reppond student-athletes participated in numerous track and field events throughout the morning Diboll ISD’s campus coordinator for Special Olympics “This day is brought together by a host of volunteers “It’s a day for the kids to be able to participate in sports because oftentimes they don’t get to be included in regular school sports “This is an opportunity for them to compete and this event is my heart it’s my heart and I really enjoy this event.” edwin.quarles@lufkindailynews.com Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Two people died and two others were hospitalized with possibly life-threatening injuries after a two-vehicle crash early Saturday on FM 1818 according to a report from the Texas Department of Public Safety and a 13-year-old boy whose name has not been released were pronounced dead at the scene by a justice of the peace Smith was traveling eastbound in a 2015 Ford Expedition on FM 1818 during a period of heavy fog when he tried to pass the vehicle in front of him but failed to do so safely striking a westbound 1997 Ford Ranger head-on identified as 45-year-old Bradley Leverett and a 16-year-old female passenger were transported to St Luke’s Health-Memorial for treatment of their injuries The 13-year-old boy was also a passenger in the Ranger and no further information was available Sunday evening Stacy Faison's email address is stacy.faison@lufkindailynews.com the Diboll Civic Club is coordinating the “Operation Clean Sweep” event The event has been held annually for nearly four decades Debra Buster with the club said roughly 150 volunteers are set to do all kinds of work around the community “Volunteers from six different clubs at Diboll High School will be participating in the event this year in addition to Georgia-Pacific employees,” Buster said Crews of volunteers will spend the day painting homes Lopez Pressure Wash and the city’s firemen even pitched in to participate earlier in the week the volunteer fire department actually re-did someone’s roof and Lopez Pressure Wash volunteered their services to power wash multiple homes,” Buster said William Lanigan's email address is william.lanigan@lufkindailynews.com Diboll’s Kyna Rios signed to continue playing volleyball with Dallas College-Richland Friday afternoon at Diboll High School Diboll’s Karter Wilson signed to continue playing baseball with Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake Diboll’s Brody Finley signed to continue playing football with Mary Hardin-Baylor Friday afternoon at Diboll High School DIBOLL — Diboll held three college signings Friday afternoon in front of packed stands in the high school gym Lady Jacks’ volleyball player Kyna Rios signed with Dallas College Richland Brody Finley signed to play football with Mary Hardin-Baylor and Karter Wilson signed to play baseball with Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake Rios said on her visit to Dallas College Richland that she was drawn by the community atmosphere and how helpful their coach was their campus is beautiful and their coach has already helped me a lot,” Rios said “She’s just a good person and she helped me fit in She’s just in her second year there and is turning the program around and I didn’t think I’d be able to go somewhere that far away and continue my education.” Lady Jacks’ coach Meredith Ruby talked about what Rios has meant to the program “Over the past few years I’ve got to watch Kyna grow not only as a player but as a teammate and her passion has been truly inspiring,” Ruby said “She has consistently given her all whether it was in practice or games Her drive and determination have set the standards for others to follow and her impact on our program will be felt in the future I have no doubt she will bring the same heart skills and determination to the next level.” Rios talked about her time in Diboll and what her coaches have meant to her in her growth but they’ve always helped the program grow They’re just great coaches and they’ve helped me throughout with my education and in sports,” Rios said who has played both on the offensive and defensive line with the Lumberjacks and is a multiple all-state selection will take his talents to Mary Hardin-Baylor “The school has all the factors you would want in a university that you would choose to take your talents to to get an education,” Finley said Diboll head football coach Blake Morrison said that Finley graduating is a big loss for the program “What I’m going to miss about Broidy are the intangibles and what I’m talking about is his leadership you can count on him and whatever you ask of him he will do,” Morrison said “He’s been a part of some historical seasons for us and he’s received all-state recognition and played a lot of games for us We’re losing a great player and one thing I do know is that he is an exceptional person and he will be an exceptional player student and man when he gets out of college.” Finley talked about how much the coaches at Diboll have helped him “I’ve had a great four years and I can’t thank Coach Morrison enough for giving me a chance to have this opportunity and all the great O-line coaches D-Line coaches and all the position coaches I’ve had,” Finley said “They’ve been so great being mentors and role models for me It all led to this decision and I wouldn’t be the man I am today without them.” is taking his talents to Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake “What sold me on going there was their development of players They’ve developed a lot of players and had multiple Division I guys commit That’s my goal is to go DI and I felt like it was best if I went there that they would develop me and get me better,” Wilson said “The area there is beautiful and a lot different than Texas.” Diboll head baseball coach Brett Thronell talked about Wilson’s work ethic and getting to the next level “Coaching Carter the last few years has been a pleasure and he comes to work every day,” Thornell said “Everything he’s done in the weight room and in practice has helped him accomplish his goal to get to the next level and we’re very excited for him.” Wilson talked about all the people he’s met in Diboll and how they’ve helped him get to this point and I’ve met a lot of good people that helped me get here,” Wilson said “I’ve met a lot of good friends and the coaches have been great and helped me develop.” A Diboll woman died early Tuesday in a one-vehicle crash on FM 1818 west of Huntington was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Pct Luke’s Health-Memorial Lufkin for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries Izquierdo was southbound in a 2006 Ford pickup when entered the barrow ditch and struck a tree and no further information was available late Thursday The Diboll Lumberjacks golf team won the Class 3A Region III tournament in Brenham this week with a two-day total of 634 Diboll’s boys’ golf team took first place at the Class 3A Region III golf tournament in Brenham this week to advance to the state tournament next month in Austin had a good showing on the first day at regionals sitting in first place with a team score of 311 and that pushed everyone’s scores a little higher The Lumberjacks were able to hold on to their lead and finished first with a two-day total of 634 and qualified for the state tournament at Jimmy Clay Golf Course in Austin May 5-6 Igor Gusyakov has been named the line finalist for Diboll's Superintendent of Schools The Diboll Independent School District Board of Trustees has announced Igor Gusyakov as the lone finalist for superintendent of schools G) currently serves as the assistant superintendent at Lumberton ISD some capital projects and other district functions He will take over for former Diboll ISD superintendent Brian Bowman who recently took the superintendent position at Henderson ISD Gusyakov was unanimously approved by Diboll ISD's Board of Trustees Arrow Educational Services was the search firm that was used in the search process after Bowman's resignation Gusyakov has successfully led numerous district initiatives including the development of the Teacher Incentive Allotment implementation of a district-wide four-day calendar and the management of construction and renovation projects expanded CTE programs and streamlined resources while enhancing educational quality Gusyakov spent 10 years at Nacogdoches ISD where he served as a Spanish teacher as well as a high school administrator of different levels Gusyakov has international experience running a private language school and international baseball camps in Ukraine Gusyakov holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership a master's degree in Early Childhood Education and superintendent certification from Stephen F Austin State University and a principal certification from Lamar University His background also includes conducting school district audits across the United States to recommend improvements and enhance school effectiveness They are excited to join the Lumberjack family and to become a part of the community Following a 21-day waiting period required by state law the board anticipates officially welcoming Gusyakov as superintendent Josh Havard's email address is josh.havard@lufkindailynews.com Diboll PD would like to thank the public for their assistance in locating her Diboll Police have been in contact with a female claiming to be Brynn by phone She has been asked to go to a local law enforcement agency to confirm it is her and that she is safe Until then,  Diboll PD will treat this issue as a missing person and will update the public when an officer can attest that they have seen her in person and she is safe The Diboll Police Department has released the name of a person of interest in the case of missing Diboll resident Brynn Maxwell Maxwell was reported missing almost a week ago Cathcart is under a court order to stay away from Maxwell One hour after Diboll PD posted the missing information on Facebook a person who claimed to be the wife of one of Anthony Cathcarts' lawyers This is suddenly a fast-moving story after a week of no contact from the missing woman This information was placed on the Diboll Police Department's Facebook page at around 1 pm The social media sluths are out in full force Though someone might be trying to downplay this missing woman the Diboll Police Department believes Brynn is in danger They are actively trying to ensure she is okay but we have no clothing description from the last time she was seen or any information about a vehicle used by either of the parties involved If you have already solved this missing persons case call the Diboll Police Department and speak with Lt Reid or Assistant Chief Hopper at 936-829-5586 Gallery Credit: Dan Patrick After a week of no contact, a Diboll missing person case is moving quickly. Police have named Anthony Cathcart as a person of interest.\nRead More The Diboll Police Department has released the name of a person of interest in the case of missing Diboll resident Brynn Maxwell Boise State’s Herbert Gums goes up against Wyoming during action at War Memorial Stadium in this file photo Diboll graduate Herbert Gums lines up against Oregon State in this file photo Diboll graduate Herbert Gums goes up against a San Jose State player earlier this year In a season in which their only loss came early on to the Oregon Ducks the Boise State Broncos kept moving up the rankings as the season went on after that second-week loss 7-0) went through the Mountain West Conference undefeated knocking off UNLV in the championship game 21-7 in what could be described as a must-win for the Broncos the win kept the decision of whether they made the playoffs out of the hands of the selection committee plus the close 37-34 loss at Oregon resulted in the Broncos getting the No For Diboll High School graduate Herbert Gums the Sunday the playoff bracket was announced was the result of the mindset and hard work put in by the team after the early-season setback We never thought we’d be in the position,” Gums said “We just kept our heads down and kept going through the season It’s a great feeling to be one of the first teams in the college football playoffs It’s a dream come true for most people and for me.” Gums said that the 37-34 loss at Oregon showed them what kind of team they had The Ducks won the game on a 25-yard field goal as time expired “We could kind of tell where we were after that game We just didn’t get the job done,” Gums said “It told us a lot about what we could accomplish the rest of the season we all sat down and set a goal we wanted to achieve We watched that game and went over how great we could be.” the Broncos have won 11 straight games and are set to face Penn State in the quarterfinals of the CFP There were a couple of close games in that stretch including a 29-24 win at UNLV that was won on an Ashton Jeanty one-yard touchdown run in the fourth period With a berth in the 12-team CFP most likely on the line and the conference champion getting an automatic bid the Broncos and UNLV met again in December “We had played them early in the season and we almost beat ourselves in that game,” Gums said they knew us and it was all about our mentality in getting the win.” The Broncos jumped ahead early and defeated UNLV 21-7 securing a spot and keeping the Broncos ranked ahead of Clemson 3 spot in the playoffs with a bye through the first round the road to Boise began with a move from New Orleans to Diboll According to a story in the Idaho Statesman in 2022 Gums and his family were living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina demolished the city in August 2005 His family moved to a small town in eastern Texas — only to be displaced by Hurricane Rita a month later It was a big change our parents made for us to get out of New Orleans,” Gums said “It helped us and helped me see what is my why and my purpose of what I want to do in my life.” Gums started out at running back and linebacker and was a force on the field from the beginning including a 200-yard plus effort against Orangefield in 2017 Diboll head coach Blake Morrison gave him some advice that stuck with him “I was at running back and I was just out there running around like a little kid,” Gums said “We called timeout and coach pulled me to the side and told me to quit running like that Gums finished that game with 233 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 35-14 win Gums’ high school career suffered a setback in his junior year when he tore his right ACL Coach Morrison played a big role in Gums’ recovery from the injury He took me under his roof and took care of me until I was able to walk again,” Gums said and I’m very thankful for him and what he did for me throughout my years in Diboll He mostly taught me how to be a man and things like that.” Gums recovered from the injury and was named the District 11-3A MVP his senior year at Diboll and at his size at 6-foot-1 and 300 pounds But another setback happened as Gums tore his left ACL his freshman year Gums persevered and he’s been a significant part of the Broncos’ defense the last four seasons “I came here in 2020 and went through a rough patch and I tore my ACL my first year here,” Gums said “I started building bonds with guys and Coach D (Spencer Danielson) has been here the whole time Gums said his mindset going to Boise helped “Coming from Diboll to Boise wasn’t a big change It’s all about being able to stick through it and the mentality you have,” Gums said it was a little different because I was homesick he’s made a home for himself at nose tackle for the Broncos “My role is to get everybody on the same page as a defensive front and knowing everybody’s role and what they do,” Gums said make an impact on the defensive front and help set the tone from the first snap to the end.” Gums plays a big role off the field for the Broncos as well “It’s about getting guys comfortable with other position groups and getting along with everybody on the defensive side of the ball and the offense,” Gums said “It’s about building relationships between everybody and keeping our goals as a team.” The Broncos have reached their goal of making the CFP and are set to face Penn State in the quarterfinal round on New Year’s Eve at the Fiesta Bowl “We’ve been preparing and had a goal for this since last spring We wanted to be one of the first teams to make the playoffs But we first had to get through the games we had and the (conference) championship,” Gums said “We’ve been working so hard for this opportunity and to be ready for this opportunity ahead of us.” While Gums and the Broncos have the playoffs ahead of them and Gums plans to get ready for a Pro Day and continue his playing career at the next level he says he’ll never forget what Diboll and the people there mean to him “I’m very thankful for Coach Morrison and what he did for me throughout my years in Diboll He’ll be in my mind and be here for me throughout my life “The people in Diboll taught me a lot of things I didn’t even know about Moving from New Orleans to Diboll was a big change I will never forget the town and I really call that my home from now on.” Huntington's Riley Whitley winds up to throw a pitch in action against Diboll Friday night in Diboll The Devilettes defeated the Lady Jacks 20-1 Diboll's Lexi Contreras (7) dives safely back into first base as Huntington's Rylee Burns (9) takes a throw in the first inning Friday night in Diboll Huntington’s Aubrie Bumstead rounds the bases in the second inning against Diboll Friday Huntington hit six home runs and scored 18 runs in the final two innings to take a 20-1 win over Diboll Friday night in district play Chesney Bearden and Megan Aldava each hit three-run homers Maecie Sebek hit a two-run homer and Natalie Mullins and Riley Whitley each hit solo shots The Devilettes scored single runs in the first and second inning and held a 2-0 lead through four innings Whitley kept the Lady Jacks scoreless in her four innings in the circle allowing just two hits with five walks and eight strikeouts Whitley led off the top of the fifth with a solo homer and Aldava hit a three-run homer later in the inning as the Devilettes upped their lead to 7-0 Huntington got four home runs in the sixth with Raeley Sebek hitting a grand slam Maecie Sebek hitting a two-run shot and Mullins hitting a solo homer The Devilletes got 13 runs in the inning to make the final 20-1 allowed a pair of baserunners in the bottom of the sixth before striking out the final two batters to end the game Hitters in the game for Huntington were Raeley Sebek with a homer Mullins with a home run and single and Alyssa Anderson with two singles Maecie Sebek and Aldava each had home runs Jaidyn Maddox and Keeley Smith each had doubles and Presley Murphy had a single Hitters for Diboll were Lorena Castillo with a double and Lexi Contreras with a single 7-0) will host Woodville Tuesday while Diboll (8-10 Newton 2 — The Lady Bulldogs took a 23-2 win over Newton Friday night in District 21-3A play Lilly Smith pitched three innings while allowing two runs on no hits with four walks and four strikeouts three RBIs and scored four runs to lead the Central offense and Ryann Brooks had a single Other hitters for Central were Hailei Fontenot and Rylee Brooks each with a double and Brooke Kee Skyler Beathhard and Braylee Lowery all with singles single and four RBIs to lead the Lady Hornets to an 11-5 win over Rusk in district play Friday night in Hudson Kaisyn Schmidt had a triple and two singles pitching six innings and allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits with five walks and 10 strikeouts Balistir McCain pitched an inning of relief and struck out three Hailey Lovelady and Ariel Webb are the candidates for Diboll Day Queen The Diboll Booster Club recently named this year’s candidates for Diboll Day Queen Hailey Lovelady and Hannah Jones are set to vie for the coveted title during the 70th Diboll Day celebration Oct Webb is the daughter of Delana and Josh Webb; Rios is the daughter of Ashley and Raul Rios; Lovelady is the daughter of Kaleena and Josh Mayo; and Jones is the daughter of Jana and Donald Coulter “A highlight of Diboll Day is the crowning of the Diboll Day Queen This cherished tradition goes beyond the pageantry to focus on leadership and community service," a post on the Diboll Day Facebook page states the Diboll Day Queen and her team lead fundraising efforts that support local organizations and community projects These efforts help to ensure that our town continues to grow and thrive bolstered by the spirit of generosity and cooperation." Diboll Day occurs every two years in the city with a parade that begins on Hines Street near First Methodist Church of Diboll and goes down Village Drive parallel to U.S The day’s events will be held after the parade at Old Orchard Park The coronation of the new Diboll Day Queen will be at noon “We’ll also have a tug-o-war with various teams from businesses around town a petting zoo for the kids and a working dog show,” he added Cheshire said several thousand people usually attend Diboll Day “Diboll Day is not just a festival; it’s a celebration of who we are as a community It's a time when we gather to honor our roots and showcase the strong bonds that make our town unique,” said organizers on the Diboll Day Facebook page The city received its name from timber salesman .C. Diboll after he sold land to Thomas Lewis Latane Temple. Temple built Southern Pine Lumber Company close to the railway, and this began the development of Diboll, according to cityofdiboll.com According to angelinacounty.net the Village Shopping Center was built in 1951 and the commissary closed city council and a population of 2,500 residents public housing projects and community centers The Lottie & Arthur Temple Civic Center The History Center was built to preserve Diboll’s past The City of Diboll website says the city now includes almost 5,000 residents It includes 66 acres of pine trees at Old Orchard Park and is home to Georgia Pacific Borden Chemical and more than 100 other businesses and Sergio Zapata recently qualified for state competition Diboll High School junior Zander Smith recently qualified for state competition Diboll High School senior Mario Menendez recently qualified for state competition Diboll High School senior Sergio Zapata recently qualified for state competition Three Diboll High School band students recently qualified for state competition according to DISD director of bands Erasmo Herrera Seniors Mario Menendez (euphonium) and Sergio Zapata (tuba) and junior Zander Smith (clarinet) competed against more than 10,000 high school band students from across Texas in 22 different regions for a place in each all-region band They have tremendous drive and passion for what they do,” Herrera said “We work hard to make sure our band students enjoy the process of making music These boys took their passions and ran with it!” This is Menendez and Zapata’s second time earning All-State honors The top chairs in each region advanced to one of five auditions with only a limited number selected to compete in the All-State Bands The Association of Texas Small School Bands will meet Feb A concert will be presented starting at 9 a.m 15 in the Lila Cockrell Theatre of the Henry B the ATSSB Concert Band is composed of about 150 high school musicians from 3A “The Symphonic Band is a band of equal size composed primarily of 4A students These 300-plus members are selected from thousands of student competitors who enter every year,” Herrera said Diboll band students perform in concert in May and December at Angelina College The Diboll High School Band includes 92 members and more than 230 students in grades 6-12 “The benefits that music has are boundless Our students get to refine so many of their soft skills These skills are so important in our constantly changing society,” Herrera said Diboll's seniors are shown on Friday night The Lumberjacks celebrated Senior Night by wrapping up a playoff spot with a 28-0 win over Crockett FAIRFIELD — The Diboll Lumberjacks came up with the big plays when they needed them most and Tyrece McMillan sealed the game with a 102-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 34-14 win over the Fairfield Eagles here Friday night Diboll never trailed in picking up a crucial district victory headed into the final two weeks of the season The ‘Jacks got on the board first when Latavian Forney hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Sonny Rodriguez less than three minutes into the game for a 7-0 lead The ‘Jacks’ defense followed with a three and out to put the ball back in the offense’s hands Diboll kept up the pressure with Michael Mosley running in for a 6-yard touchdown run that upped the lead to 14-0 midway through the first quarter Fairfield got back in it on the following drive when Kohl Collins hit Finn Smith for a 6-yard touchdown pass that cut the margin to 14-7 late in the first quarter It was once again the Diboll defense that came up with a big play in the second quarter when it recovered a fumble That helped set up a 9-yard touchdown pass from Rodriguez to Mosley on fourth down that made the score 20-7 just before the break Fairfield made it a game in the third quarter when Collins hit Smith for a 38-yard touchdown pass that made it 20-14 Diboll got its first highlight play of the second half when Forney made a spectacular grab that turned into a 52-yard touchdown making it 27-14 with 7:08 left in the game Fairfield appeared to be on the verge of cutting it to a one-possession game on the following drive before McMillan made the big play to send Diboll home with the win The Diboll boys’ track team took first place in the area track meet Wednesday in Diboll Top four finishers in each event advance to the Class 3A Region III meet in Huntsville Pineywoods Community Academy’s Elijah Bennett placed second in the long jump at the area track meet in Diboll Wednesday Pineywoods Community Academy’s Sean Burke finished second in the 3,200 meters and third in the 1,600 meters at the area track meet in Diboll Wednesday Central's Hunter Kent finished 5th in the high jump at the area meet in Diboll Kent got moved up a spot due to a scratch from another competitor and will compete in the Class 3A Region III meet next week in Huntsville Diboll’s boys’ track team took first place in the area meet Wednesday in Diboll and Huntington’s Gabriel Guajardo was the high-point individual with first-place finishes in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters Diboll’s Joseph Sutton won a pair of first places in the shot put and discus Sutton won the shot put with a throw of 46’ 8’ and won the discus with a distance of 145’ 4” Other top four finishers and regional qualifiers for the Lumberjacks are: Huntington’s Guajardo finished first in the 1,600 meters in 4:48.37 and first in the 3,200 meters in 10:29.54 Teammate Brandt Kovar placed first in the 800 meters with a time of 2:01.15 Other top four finishers and regional qualifiers for the Red Devils are: Pineywoods Community Academy had a pair of regional qualifiers with Sean Burke advancing in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters and Elijah Bennett qualifying in the long jump Burke finished second in the 3,200 with a time of 10:29.86 and third in the 1,600 meters in 5:53.53 Bennett was second in the long jump with a distance of 21’ 5 1/2” Central's Hunter Kent 5th in the high jump at the area meet but got moved up a spot due to a scratch from another competitor and will advance to the regional meet Regional qualifiers will compete in the Class 3A Region III meet in Huntsville Friday and Saturday This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page With the iconic red and black lumberjack once proudly displayed the silver water tower that has stood guard over the city of Diboll for decades is being dismantled The vacant tower once served as fire suppression for Georgia-Pacific’s Diboll Lumber and Diboll Particleboard DIBOLL — The sky is the limit when it comes to an ongoing beautification initiative in the city of Diboll From clearing vacant lots and demolishing dilapidated structures to landscaping and litter removal Diboll is hoping its beautification efforts will promote business and continue to be a place that people are proud to call home Georgia-Pacific joined the city’s call to action by agreeing to dismantle an inoperable water tower that once served both of the company’s two building products facilities in Diboll “We have made significant strides over the last year when it comes to our beautification efforts,” said Jason Arnold “Our strategy to clean up the city has been very deliberate and we are committed to the ongoing process or polishing our already beautiful city.” the silver water tower has stood guard over the city for decades But today — decades later — the water tower is being dismantled “For years the water tower was critical to mill operations specifically the fire suppression systems at both facilities,” said Yana Ogletree Georgia-Pacific Public & Government Affairs Manager for Texas the Diboll facilities have relied on fire ponds for protection; therefore the water tower has stood vacant and unused.” Efforts to dismantle the water tower began earlier this year with the removal of electrical and water lines as well as testing paint and piping to make sure there were no environmental concerns “There was a significant amount of time and effort that went into this project to ensure a safe demolition,” Ogletree said “Once our due diligence was completed and we were confident that we could proceed safely we contracted with Arcosa Construction Services to schedule the demolition.” the water tower was safely dismantled Wednesday the entire process is expected to take a couple of days as workers take apart the tower and prepare the material to be recycled “Having a community stakeholder in Georgia-Pacific is an absolute blessing,” Arnold said “Georgia-Pacific plays a major role in our community and always answers the call Georgia-Pacific is truly a partner of the City of Diboll and is an absolute joy to work with.” Diboll’s Zander Arambula (2) slides in safe at home plate underneath Central’s Dillan Hatcher (13) in the first inning of the Lumberjacks’ 4-1 win over the Bulldogs Tuesday night at Central High School Diboll’s Brody Finley gets hit by a pitch in the first inning of the Lumberjacks’ 4-1 win over Central Tuesday night at Central High School Davian Compean struck out 12 and picked up a complete-game win as Diboll took a 4-1 victory over Central Tuesday night in District 21-3A play 8-2) scored three runs in the first inning and made that hold up as they kept their hold on second place a game behind Central Heights and a game ahead of Huntington Zander Arambula led off the game for Diboll with a walk Brody Finley was hit by a pitch and Brayden Wilson followed with a double to right to move Finley to third Back-to-back walks to Karter Wilson and Zack Hernandez pushed a run in and put Diboll up 2-0 A sacrifice fly to center by Grayson Ward scored Brayden Wilson and made it 3-0 Central answered with its only run of the game in the bottom of the first Dillan Hatcher reached on a dropped third strike and Wyatt Graham got a two-out single to put two runners on base Diboll got that run back in the top of the second Rylie Arambula and Zander Arambula got walks to start the inning Zayne Cortines hit into a double play and Rylie Arambula came in to score and push the lead to 4-1 Central loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with Jake Matthews getting hit by a pitch Graham getting a walk and Molandes was safe on a bunt attempt Compean got a pair of strikeouts and a fly out to right to end the threat Central got a pair of baserunners on with two outs in the seventh but Compean got a fly out to left to end the game Compean allowed just four hits and walked three to go with his 12 strikeouts Brayden Wilson had a double and single for Diboll and Hernandez and Compean each had singles Central had four hits with Hatcher getting a double and Matthews Graham and Pryce Weiblinger all getting singles Diboll will host Woodville Friday night while Central will be on the road at Central Heights Editor's note: This story originally contained incorrect information from a press release issued by Henderson ISD The T.L.L Temple Foundation did not give Diboll ISD a grant during Brian Bowman's tenure as superintendent and the Full-Service Community Grant from the U.S Department of Education was a grant to Partners for Rural Impact Diboll ISD has begun the search for a new superintendent following the departure of Brian Bowman who was formally hired in February as superintendent at Henderson ISD According to Diboll ISD human resources director Mark Kettering the district has contracted with Arrow Educational Services to lead the search process and the Diboll ISD Board of Trustees has selected six candidates for interviews “Arrow Educational Services sent a survey to employees and community members to seek input on what characteristics they would like to see in our new superintendent,” Kettering said “We should get more information once those interviews are complete.” who served as Diboll ISD’s superintendent since 2023 was named the lone finalist for superintendent at Henderson ISD in January Following the required 21-day waiting period the Henderson Board of Trustees formally approved his hiring Feb this new role represents more than just a new opportunity — it’s a return to the East Texas region I call home “With children and grandchildren in the area this is more than just a professional move; it’s a chance to reconnect with a community that has always been special to me and my family.” Bowman oversaw several school safety initiatives including the implementation of the Guardian Program an initiative intended to enhance crisis response With the search for a successor now underway Diboll ISD has not announced a timeline for naming a finalist “We greatly appreciate the hard work he put in for the students and staff of Diboll ISD,” Kettering said Diboll FFA Ag Mechanic students shave the head of teacher Eric Crager The Diboll FFA Ag Mechanic show teams recently brought home awards from multiple state contests according to Diboll Ag Mechanics teacher Eric Crager Crager said students began the show season by entering five projects into the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo Jr and one of the students received fourth place in class Students entered eight projects in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Ag Mechanics Show and one received reserve grand champion in its division Diboll also entered nine projects in the Angelina County Fair Crager added that seven placed in its division “I'm incredibly proud of each of them," Crager said He said that some people think the projects are just welding but there is actually more that goes into each one if they have additional features or systems Crager said the students have to be able to speak with visitors and judges He said it is a “huge accomplishment” for the students because they are competing at the state level “Cruso Crager getting reserve grand out of 120 trailers is an incredible achievement," Crager said "I’m glad that we were showing some trailers otherwise I’m not sure how we would have gotten all their prizes home." If they placed at least third in class at a major show also had to win division champion or higher “When we arrived back at the school and took pictures of all their prizes they brought out some pig clippers and said it was time to collect on the bet Angelina County Fair and 2025 Houston Livestock Show Ag Mechanic Results: Cruso Crager (12th) — 24' equipment trailer Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo — First in class and reserve grand champion in division Angelina County Fair — First in division and grand champion overall Wyatt Jones (12th) — 12'-9" utility trailer San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo — Fourth in class Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo — First in class Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo — Fifth in Class Graham Ward (10th) — 4'x8' shop/fabrication table Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo — Fifth in class Matthew Hooks (9th) / Mackenzie Nash (10th) — Shop Dumpster Joey Arellano and Chris Seelbach are set to open The Yard — an indoor baseball/softball training facility — in Diboll Former Lufkin Panther and major leaguer Chris Seelbach and Lufkin Pro Tees owner Joey Arellano have teamed up to open a baseball/softball-skills facility in Diboll named “The Yard,” is set to open next week and will feature indoor batting cages Arellano said The Yard will open from 6-8 p.m Tuesday for people to come and see the facility with food provided and door prizes to be given out The Yard will also offer plans for monthly memberships Arellano said he’s had the idea for a facility like this for a while and it started to come together after a conversation last fall and I thought it would be cool if we could open up something for kids because there’s so many travel teams around here,” Arellano said “We want a place where kids can go in and hit and work out and even have some things like a PlayStation and basketball goal outside to do while they’re here I was thinking about people that I respected and had a good reputation I thought about a couple and I was talking to one of my buddies and we were talking about Chris he gave pitching lessons and I knew a little about his background and when I told him what I was planning on doing “I was basically going to him for a trainer that took a lot of pressure off me and when you go into something as partners 50/50 you know they’re going to care more and do more because their name’s in it.” who pitched in the Major League for Atlanta and in Japan for a couple of years moved back to the Lufkin area in September of 2022 “When I came back I was trying to figure out what I was going to do and I’ve done some different stuff after I finished playing and I’ve been doing pitching lessons since I’ve been back and worked with a bunch of kids the last year and a half,” Seelbach said “Joey called me and we talked about it and figured it out and I really didn’t want to do anything with baseball The biggest reason I didn’t was when I finished playing I would have people approach me when I was living in South Carolina about doing this but I didn’t want to do that because most of the time this business is after kids get out of school and I didn’t want to be away from my kids I’ve got all the time in the world and the timing of it was really good for me and with Joey.” Seelbach knows how big baseball is in this area “Coming back home and knowing how important baseball has always been around here It was just kind of an easy thing to do,” Seelbach said “We worked out a deal that was beneficial to both of us and here we are.” located on North Temple Drive in Diboll in what was formerly JR’s Barn pitching lanes and a workout area with weight machines “Not only has there not been a place like this where you are offering sport-specific training for baseball and softball but people with kids in other sports want something around here for sport-specific training for other sports and eventually we want to have knowledgeable people that can train for other sports,” Seelbach said “Parents are willing to do whatever it takes to get their kids to the next level So at the end of the day it’s to be able to offer everything to everyone.” Subscribe now to get new articles and updates in your inbox » INTEREST AND AWARENESS around native plants has been trending in recent years But of course natives are the original plants of an area and even in certain specialty corners of the nursery industry they’ve been around far longer than they’ve been making headlines Just ask today’s guest, Neil Diboll, who has operated Prairie Nursery in Wisconsin for 42 years since long before phrases like “pollinator garden” were fashionable He’ll share some of his favorite species you may not know and also some advice on what to expect over time managing meadow- and prairie-style plantings in case you’re among those gardeners considering transitioning part of your lawn Neil has been president and consulting ecologist for Prairie Nursery in Westfield, Wisc., since 1982. Last year, in collaboration with garden designer and horticulturist Hilary Cox, he published “The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants” (affiliate link) a comprehensive guide to using prairie plants in gardens and larger restorations Plus: Comment in the box near the bottom of the page to enter to win a copy of the book I don’t know if you can be both things at the same time Margaret: So we did a recent “New York Times” garden column together but that wasn’t the first time I met you I met you 30-something years ago when I was working on a book called “The Natural Habitat Garden” with Ken Druse and we came to visit you and learn about all things prairie from you you reminded me when we worked on the recent Times piece were more likely to be considered weeds than fashionable [laughter] Let’s just say we were a little ahead of the curve on this So there was some pretty hard years trying to convince people to use natives when they weren’t accustomed to knowing anything about them but it feels somehow to me—I guess because I get a lot of reader and listener questions—it feels to me like in the mainstream horticulture marketplace the research and development and marketing efforts have been really to invent flashy new forms of natives and sell sell them maybe more than to educate the customers And I know you think education is one of the most important parts especially when 40 years ago we had a product that nobody knew about And in order for people to use your product properly you need to make sure they understand them and how they interact with each other people can create mini-ecosystems or plant communities and that’s really a radical concept because now you’re not just plunking in a plant like this or a plant like that but you’re actually using a native ecosystem as your model for a garden And so rather than recreating nature in our own image we are using nature’s principles to create a model of nature it’s a more of a nature-centric model And that really helps to inform gardeners as far as how to use these plants and how to use them to create low-maintenance Margaret: And just to that point that you’re making we would buy our hostas and our astilbe and our this and that they’re essentially in the same place that they used to be [laughter] and this will look pretty over there,” we’re creating communities And that’s a whole different mindset So I get a lot of questions from people who are thrown off by and many gardeners know their plants phenomenally well And so what we’re seeing now is that serious gardeners are getting to know native plants and applying ecological principles in how they design with them Especially beyond just the use of the plants as something aesthetic for human beings and what I call a joint venture with nature And rather than spraying everything to keep the bugs off if I don’t have holes in the leaves of my plants I’m an utter failure as a gardener because I’m not supporting pollinators The insects that form the foundation of the food chain that feed everything up and that’s why half the reason why those plants are there I have hostas and they’re still in the same place where I put them and I could have put them there 30 years ago But with let’s say… and maybe we should tell the difference between what’s a meadow versus a prairie planting because that’s sort of hot now is to make a meadow or transition some lawn to meadow or to prairie What is the distinction from your ecologist’s point of view a meadow is viewed as a more cool-season grass with various wildflowers that are more predominant in the Eastern part of the United States And a prairie is really the description of the Midwestern tall-grass prairie which was encountered by early French explorers in the 17th And they found these massive meadows with these tall grasses and the word they used to describe them was prairie which of course is the French word for meadow meadow usually refers to a lower-growing profile but a short prairie is still 1 to 5 feet tall depending upon the constituents So it’s still generally a taller plant community and typical of the Midwest rather than the East Some members of that community that they thought was going to stay static And let’s look at the two different ways you can use these plants You can create a prairie garden with transplants where you can select long-lived plants if you want it to be more static And then short-lived perennials three to five years and then mid-successional perennials five to 10 years and then later successional perennials 10 to 20 and then finally the Methuselah plants that live 20 I’ve never seen the life expectancy listed in any book about plants That’s a keeper that’s staying around I think this is really important for gardeners and of course you’re referring to a seed mix where being a biennial it’s just quite dominant in a second year and it might hang on for another couple of years And this is really important for people to understand ecological succession usually the first year it’s all weeds They’re just dormant seeds in the soil and you control them by keeping everything mowed back usually to about 6 inches in the first growing season And then you have biennials that show up in a second year like the black-eyed Susan and weedy biennials And oftentimes you’ll have to mow those in the second year the more rapidly maturing perennials of the prairie flowers and grasses start to show up if everything’s going according to plan And then what’s interesting is the actual diversity of total number of prairie plants usually peaks around year 12 or 15 And then it starts to drop slightly as the early successional and mid-successional perennials give way to these longer-lived plants that live 10 to 20-plus years So it is kind of disappointing sometimes when you see some of your favorite plants maybe going by the wayside But with disturbance… and this is really important but the one we usually use is controlled burning you are able to kind of set succession back and keep what we call gap-phase succession where you have open soil where some of these other species that would be shorter-lived can recede and continue to maintain as much diversity as possible So burning is really an important aspect of this a lot of people can’t burn or don’t want to burn It’s actually very easy to burn if you set up your landscape correctly And it’s really a lot of fun as you know Margaret: There’s a whole section in your book about it you couldn’t wait to bring me and Ken Druse to your home where you were creating a prairie You had a young prairie garden in your front yard and you wanted to show us a controlled burn I love that you said that we could use some of these plants as sort of specimens “I’m going to make a bed of these prairie plants not a community.” So we could do that and control it more but when it’s more like a meadow or a prairie the succession is going to take hold and so forth it’s going to be an evolutionary process but it kind of reaches more of a stasis after about 15 years or so You still have lots of flowers and beautiful grasses so there’s just some species that may fall by the wayside over an extended period of time And that’s an important component because just choosing a whole lot of flowers is not going to hold it all together and create that community because these were plants that are accustomed to having partnerships with grasses and so you really can’t have one without the grass and people that have attempted to plant just wildflowers but it’s a little trickier for a number of reasons it is the fibrous roots of the grasses that help to deter weeds because they do not allow any open soil on the surface of the ground And so that’s where most weeds get established There are always going to be weeds that can blow in and cause problems but you will greatly reduce that hazard by having sufficient quantity of grass in your meadow or garden So they’re really kind of your weeders I don’t want to go out there and weed I’m going to design this garden or design this prairie seed mix so it’s going to have sufficient grass in it to keep weeds out as best as possible it’s almost impossible to lose it if you do it right And one really simple trick is just before you burn it just cut everything down and all the fuel is on the ground Margaret: I’m sorry that the house wren outside my window—even though I’ve closed the window the house wren is insistent on being on this program today It’s nice to have a partner on the show Margaret: [Laughter.] A little bossy creature So we were talking about making this living mulch in a sense by having the component of grasses with the wildflowers The other question I get asked a lot is when weeds do come through especially in the early years that I don’t want should I pull them out because then that may open up another space in the soil Should I pull them out and try to do the least opening of soil possible or put something on it Is there any weeding advice at all for these kind of communities you’re talking about a seeded meadow when I first started doing this back in 1977 I was looking at plantings that someone had done at the university where I went to school and it was a very new planting so all I found were weeds you look at them as the species that will cause problems in a grassland which show up mostly in the first year and the second year as well Now we’re talking about herbaceous plants and you have perennial rhizomatous grasses and perennial non-rhizomatous grasses and those are also divided into rhizomatous and non-rhizomatous with the rhizomatous species being the real problem children those are the ones that creep all over the place Things like Canada thistle and field bindweed and horse nettle and you want to get them out as soon as you possibly can It’s so difficult once you have an established population of it Or what you can do is you can kill it all off If you have a long-term problem with the seed bank you can kill everything off with whichever method you want to use whether it’s smothering or repeated tilling or herbicide or whatever until there’s absolutely none of that perennial weed left and none around the edges where it can creep in topsoil over that which will bury the weed seed bank and then you can seed or plant your plants into that fresh soil assuming that it does not have any other problematic weeds it’s not going to work on a larger area But when you have a problem site with a longterm history of really nasty by completely eliminating the weeds and then putting 3 inches of good you need to know who you’re up against So as far as pulling weeds in the first year of a seeded prairie invariably bring up clumps of soil and there go your prairie seedlings with it And you might as well go in there and spray it with Roundup That’s why we keep everything mowed to 6 inches if any of those prairie seedlings are going to grow more than 6 inches in the first year if we have problem weeds with biennials like burdock a lot of these guys can really be a problem which then stops the seed formation process Neil: And kills the plants with the exception of Queen Anne’s lace which is an indeterminate bloomer and will require constant cutting back of the flowers Margaret: I was going to say strategic depending on what plant you’re up against “The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants.” It’s also on our website So there’s lots of resources here where people can get to know these plants and what to do you have to know who you’re up against and know how to strategically control them we talked about how even though everyone virtually coast to coast knows purple coneflower which incidentally isn’t native coast to coast but I even see it sold in catalogs selling in California But there’s so many everywhere it seems [laughter] But there’s so many great prairie natives for the Eastern half or two-thirds of the country And I thought it would be fun to just take a few minutes to call out so we don’t run out of time Take a few minutes to call out some that you wish you knew better because it’s not just purple coneflower and Rudbeckia hybrid coneflowers combining genetics of Echinacea purpurea and E And people are oriented toward the showy flowers And let’s not forget that the English were planting purple coneflower in the 19th century So that plant’s been popular for a long time But let’s look at some other plants that perhaps are a little more muted or are good partners for some of the showier plants And I really like a lot of the white-flowered plants, and white-flowered plants also particularly good for bees and parasitoid wasps, which help to control pests in your garden. One of my favorites is Culver’s root, Veronicastrum virginicum [top of page] It has beautiful whorled leaves up the stem and these pure white spires of flowers as long as you give it a good garden soil or even a slightly damp soil but actually there’s lots of different colors White is the second most common color of prairie flowers And so rattlesnake master also is pollinated almost exclusively by wasps And I had a client who had terrible problems with tomato hornworm in his vegetable garden He planted a 1,000-square-foot prairie from us with a quarter-pound of prairie mix And after the rattlesnake master started blooming “I had no more problems with tomato hornworms.” And there is a parasitic wasp that attacks the tomato hornworm by laying eggs on its back and basically eats it from the inside out and emerges like “Alien.” So where do you think they got that idea for the movie “My prairie is my pesticide.” And so a lot of organic gardeners will use these plants to attract parasitic wasps to keep Margaret: And we all know… That’s one example the more layers of the food chain are being supported the more help there is at every level for any possibility Neil: So if you plant a prairie mix with 20 80 percent of that and you get a wide diversity of flowers you’re also feeding birds because they eat the insects The only wasps you really have to worry about are yellow jackets Those are the only ones that will attack you if you are not bothering them cicada killers won’t bother you unless you bother them they’d just as soon sting as look at you But they generally don’t come to the prairie because they eat doughnuts and hamburgers and soda cans Neil: That’s where they go, they’re not coming to your prairie. So rate, another good choice are the mountain mints, genus Pycnanthemum and we couldn’t give these away 20 years ago they’re super popular because of the interest in pollinators and it is amazing at how many different species it attracts Margaret: And there’s several different mountain mints All of these are really good choices for attracting pollinators and they’re pretty adaptable species Neil: That’s a great plant for a dry If you have a patio with sand in between the stones And it actually is dioecious: It has separate male and female plants It’s hard to tell the difference unless you get up close and personal But it sends up these little flower stalks about 4 inches tall and these beautiful whitish-green leaves and they specifically have these little white hairs to reflect sun because they grow in very dry environments super-difficult sites like sandy hillsides and places like that So you want to have a really good-draining soil But when you have these spots that are real hot spots like up against the south side of a house that get just burned up And there’s some other really wonderful dry-tolerant prairie plants that reach taller heights as well for those kinds of troublesome situations Margaret: The last one I want to ask you about is there’s a petunia which creeps by rhizomes and will grow in very difficult soils So these are really good choices if you want some low-growing plants Margaret: Well, I will include some links to some of the educational stuff on your website education’s been a really important part of working with a product that people didn’t really even when I’m not at your house and you’re not setting your front lawn on fire to terrify me [laughter] and we’ll do an anniversary prairie fire I’LL BUY A COPY of “The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants,” by Neil Diboll and Hilary Cox All you have to do to enter is answer this question in the comments box below: Have you added any native plants to your landscape in recent years Just say something like “count me in” and I will I’ll pick a random winner after entries close at midnight Tuesday (Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) 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Thank you for sharing this discussion with Neil He is an old friend whose path has not connected with mine in awhile I would love to have a copy of this new book I put a whole native plant garden in this year I added several types of milkweed (with the great reward of Monarch caterpillars and butterflies) Would love to enter your contest to win Mr I have gardened my whole life but really have become obsessed since retiring a few years ago My husband and I recently moved to Cleveland We recently dug out a very large rain garden of heavy wet clay and planted exclusively with natives I sit on our HOA landscape committee and am in the process of convincing our neighbors to convert all of the mowed grass area around our neighborhood retention pond to a prairie landscape with nothing but native flowers and grasses The expense is high so I am hoping to convince them that this step back to a native landscaping will allow them to do their part in supporting bugs birds and other wildlife- a small step towards saving the plant I have been adding native shrubs recently (some from Prairie Nursery)—elderberry plus native plants where ever I can —most recently—geranium maculatum (thanks to your program) One of the native plants that is bringing joy to my toddler right now is the wild strawberries I planted a year and a half ago now taking over a section of the yard and producing delicious fruit I just try to keep the worst of it mowed down When we moved in 7 years ago it was all turf grass We have gradually created native gardens in 3 foot borders along both sides of the walk to the front porch converting the “parkway” (the space between the city sidewalk and the city street) into a mix of natives (silver weed false Solomon’s seal and Pennsylvania sedge It is so much prettier and filled with all kinds of flying things I won’t feel done until all the turf grass in the front yard is gone I especially love adding flowering native shrubs like Bottlebrush Buckeye and lots of Clethra and Itea and native Viburnums and our own Hydrangea arborescens… Loved this interview iwth Neil the best being the quote:”If I don’t have holes in the leaves of my plants I’m an utter failure as a gardener because I’m not supporting pollinators I just built a house and am researching natives for a large portion of my yard A WAY TO GARDEN is the latest horticultural incarnation of me birthed in March 2008 with my own words as its primary DNA mingled with ideas shared in weekly expert interviews I have been the garden columnist for “The New York Times,” where I began my journalism career decades ago I host a public-radio podcast; I also teach online plus hold tours at my 2.3-acre Hudson Valley (NY) Zone 6A garden and always say no to chemicals and yes to great plants Design by Purr.