The Hunt News Update

        Image created in Canva   T he presidential race is now between candidate Joe Biden for the Democratic party and President Donald Trump for the Republican party. With the upcoming 2020 General Election, what way are Hunt county citizens going to lean? A&M-Commerce political science Assistant Professor Ayal Feinberg pointed out that Hunt County will likely continue to vote red due to Hunt County political trends.      " The data doesn’t lie. In the last 20 years, over the prior five presidential elections, the Republican candidate never received less than 66% of the vote in Hunt County," Feinberg said. "Donald Trump earned 75.8% of the county’s vote in 2016, the highest of any Republican candidate ever."      He also points out that while Commerce is considered to be a part of the Dallas Fort Worth area, Hunt County is a rural community. Rural areas, particularly white working and middle-class demographics has historically offered significant support for P

     With a push for more and more young adults to get out and vote in their local elections, what is its impact on Commerce? I asked Graduate Research Assistant and former A&M-Commerce College Democrats leader Meredith 'Grace' Slayter about the impact of the youth vote in Commerce.  It is no secret that there has been a struggle to get young voters motivated to participate in local elections, (a Washington Post article as recent as March 2020 examined this). In fact, Commerce is considered a " Go Texan Certified Retirement Community ." Taking this into account, there is the question of how active young Commerce voters are? How big of a desire is there to support local elections? According to Slayter, students are motivated to vote, but it varies.       " There are some that want to vote and are motivated to the point that they will find out how and inform themselves," Slayter said. "There are some that are motivated, but get overwhelmed with the nu

    Image created in Canva                  Today, we are going to be discussing COVID 19 and how it impacted Commerce, from both a student and a resident's perspective.  With Commerce ISD (classes begin Aug.4) and A&M-Commerce (classes begin Aug. 24) set to open back up for the Fall semester, what is the concern students may hold for those returning to classes and how will this impact the future of A&M-Commerce? Though A&M-Commerce junior Lindsey Wiley does not know much about how COVID-19 has been handled in Commerce, she is concerned about the return to A&M-Commerce will go. “I think as far as school goes, I am definitely concerned about returning,” Wiley said. “I haven’t seen much that makes me confident about how this next semester is going to go. I wouldn’t be surprised if many other students feel the same way.” COVID-19 cases in Commerce have decreased , with recovery numbers going up day by day. However, there have been cases of COVID 19 rising after se

Image created in Canva What Exactly Is CrowdFire? Much like Hootsuite, CrowdFire offers a way for you to track your social media analytics, make and schedule posts as well as find articles and images to recommend for your audience. This can be done from your Android, IPhone, or your computer. Founded in 2010, this app allows you to link your social media accounts along with being able to see how many times you have been mentioned. By being able to monitor the analytics of this site, I can see what works for my intended target audience (aka anyone who is reading this).   How Can This Help You This app is also incredibly helpful for aspiring struggling influencers.  For $9.99 a month (or a 14-day free trial, you can get benefits like being able to schedule 100 posts an account, the ability to see your post analytics, social analytics, and advanced analytics. This can offer a way for anyone who wishes to also be an influencer can watch their engagement and what makes it grow or fluctuate.

Image created in Canva|courtesy of Brianna Patt  We are going to be discussing the recent George Floyd protests and their impact on the A&M-Commerce campus. A&M-Commerce and Black Lives Matter   After the death of George Floyd on May 25 ,   a protest was held on June 3 , including student organizations such as the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity , the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and even faculty members such as A&M- Commerce President Dr. Mark Rudin were in attendance. The march began at Gee Lake and went throughout the campus, ending in downtown Commerce. The protest began at 11 am and lasted until 3 pm. Student organizations such as the A&M-Commerce branch of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity posted links to change.org petitions for both George Floyd and Breonna Taylor . The A&M- Commerce branch of the NAACP also released a statement directed towards A&M Commerce officials asking that future prospective student whose racist behavior is uncovered have their adm

                                            A synopsis of COVID-19 and its impact on Hunt County.  The Background of Hunt County and COVID-19                         According to the Herald-Banner, o riginally, Greenville Mayor David Dreiling was against an early COVID-19 declaration. He stated that there were no known cases in Hunt County. Mayor Dreiling also argued that the guidelines may be hard for a local law to properly enforce. Despite orders to stay inside, not all Hunt County citizens have been following the rules. Fox 4 reported July 6 that a Hunt County COVID 19 patient had not been following guidelines, repeatedly leaving their home despite being warned several times not to, resulting in them being sued. Fox 4 also reported that Hunt County funding for COVID 19 patients was raised. The Numbers (Where We Are Today)             The Herald Banner reported that a s of July 18, there have been 850 COVID- 19 cases. 444 of these cases are recoveries, with eight death