12/19/15 Year in Review Photos by Sarah A. Miller
Read More
photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph
A vulture flies inside the now vacant Carlton Hotel building in Tyler Thursday April 2, 2015. Smith County paid $64,400 for a study on the feasibility of remodeling the old Carlton Hotel building and parking garage located on the corner of Elm Street and Broadway Ave. in downtown Tyler. The county hopes to utilize the space for District Courts and other county staff. The building is 16 stories tall and includes a basement. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph_
Erick Bradley's children Bobbie, 9, and Jesse, 2, play in their living room at their house in Tyler Thursday Dec. 18, 2015. Bradley performs as rapper Jest-E and has a home recording studio. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Rashunda Crowder, center, founder of Anointed Hands Studio, smiles with excitement as her youth dancers nail a new dance move during a practice Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Tyler. Anointed Hands Studio is a ministry of the church Higher Dimensions Ministry that teaches praise dance and other forms of dance. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Participants Shirley Pearson and Julia Kucsan laugh and sing together during the Wonderful Wednesdays Day Club at Shiloh Road Church of Christ in Tyler Wednesday July 1, 2015. The program is part of the Alzheimer's Alliance of Smith County and provides social and cognitive stimulation as well as lunch for people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph) SMIL/Sarah A Miller (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
A Texas state flag flies over Richard and Debbie Shurgot's home on N. Bois d'Arc Street in Van, Texas as their son Bryan Shurgot removes items from the destroyed home with help from Tyler Area Gays volunteers and Ft. Hood Army staff sergeant Lorenzo Luna. Volunteers from as close as Van and as far as California continued to help organize and remove debris Sunday May 17, 2015 from the tornado that hit Van, Texas last Sunday night. Two people were killed, dozens were injured and over 500 homes were damaged with about 90 being completely destroyed from the EF-3 tornado. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Kids from Cheer Knowledge perform a routine during the 4th Annual JAABS Kids Day in the Park at Emmett J. Scott Park in Tyler. The event was put together through donations from community members and included an Easter egg hunt, food, bounce houses and a dunk tank. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Hunter Carter of Babson Park, Florida competes in bareback riding during the Tops in Texas Rodeo Friday night. The Tops in Texas Rodeo continues with their final performance Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Jacksonville, Texas. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Donald and Kristen Tjernlund relax in their living room with three of their dogs and a goat named Zoe at the end of the day June 25, 2015. The Tjernlunds operate Tjernlund Goat Farm at their home in Grand Saline. Kristen Tjernlund uses their goat milk to make bath and body products which she sells online and at local farmer's markets and craft fairs. Zoe the goat has the privilege of spending her nights inside the Tjernlund's home because as a baby she was rejected by her mother and now feels more comfortable living as a pet than a farm animal. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Christi Wyatt Zimmerman, 37, takes her first ride on a mobility chair at Cumberland Academy Middle School Sept. 19, 2014. Two of Zimmerman's children attend the school which raised money for the chair that she would need once her ALS progressed and weekend the muscles in her legs. The chair is now affectionately called "Scoot." (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
LaTonya Carter's son Tyrell Glenn, 17, puts a donated jug of clean water on a drinking water dispenser in his home Tuesday in the Fairview community outside of Reklaw, Texas Tuesday Jan. 27, 2015. The Carter family is living without running water. A town hall meeting was held at the Reklaw Community Center Tuesday to gauge interest and volunteer participation in applying for a Small Towns Environmental Program grant to pipe water to homes that have never had running water. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Lindale's (33) Kale Rige goes for a basket as they play Wills Point during the WoodmanLife Classic basketball tournament held at Whitehouse High School Saturday Nov. 28, 2015. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Ivan Luna of Henderson, Texas loads car parts on his father Juan Luna's back as they prepare to make the 20 foot walk to the checkout at the "All You Can Carry" sale at Locos Gringos Pick-n-Pull in Tyler, Texas Saturday July 25, 2015. Customers starting lining up at 7:30 a.m. to collect self-service auto parts they wanted to buy at the low price of $75 per person. Each person had to carry their items 20 feet on their own to the checkout to utilize the $75 offer. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
A parking lot filled with classic cars and car enthusiasts is reflected in the window of Whataburger store 730 in Tyler, Texas Thursday July 9, 2015. This Tyler Whataburger "Hot Rod Cafe" hosts a cruise night car show the second Thursday of each month from March through October. The shows feature cars predating 1976 and each show has a theme such as convertibles, 1950s, Mustangs or Corvettes. This is the 26th year for the Whataburger cruise nights. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Team Girls Gone Nuts from Malvern, Arkansas competes in the Oklahoma Land Rush division, a 600 foot straight dash, Friday during the 1836 Chuckwagon Races at Diamond B Ranch in Neches, Texas. The 1836 Chuckwagon Race is an annual event that takes place the first weekend in March every year to celebrate Texas Independence Day. There are five classes of wagon races as well as Bronc Fann'n, a cowboy style match race, pasture team roping, cowboy mounted shooting and other western culture demonstrations. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Theresa Boyd of Palestine, center, water skis in a device for people who use wheelchairs with the help of two volunteers Saturday on Lake Palestine in Bullard, Texas. People with disabilities were invited to participate in Lake Palestine Adaptive Aquafest which is held annual by Texas Adaptive Aquatics. "It's a really fun experience. You're getting a chance to do something everyone told you you would never get to do," Boyd said. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Sam Velis of Honeygrove, Texas and Whitney Whited of Bonham, Texas ride through a mud pit for fun at the High Lifter ATV Mud Nationals Thursday March 26, 2015 at Mud Creek Off-Road Park in Jacksonville, Texas. High Lifter ATV Mud Nationals is an annual event that draws thousands of people of all ages from across the country to camp, ride all terrain vehicles and participate in and watch various ATV competitions. Mud Nationals continues Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Shoppers rush in the door to take advantage of Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving Day at Kohl's Thursday Nov. 26, 2015 in Tyler, Texas. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Children enjoy a ride at the East Texas State Fair in Tyler, Texas Thursday evening Oct. 1, 2015. The fair closes Sunday night. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Women religious Francesca Witkowska, Beata Czyl, Corona Molenda and Michaela Tomkowiak meet lady-in-waiting Alexandria Gowin and to have their photo taken with her costume "Hurricane" at the Texas Rose Festival Queen's Tea held Saturday Oct. 18, 2015 at the Rose Garden Center in Tyler, Texas. This year’s theme is “Royalty of the Under Water Realm.” The Texas Rose Festival is an annual event held in Tyler in October celebrating the area's historic involvement in the rose industry and features young women dressed in ornate themed outfits designed by Winn Morton. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Kathy Keaton of San Angelo dresses as Piccolo at the Big Top Superstar Extravaganza at the Texas Clown Association Convention at the Holiday Inn in Tyler, Texas Saturday Oct. 3, 2015. The extravaganza was an event for the clowns to perform under a circus tent for special needs children and adults. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Sisters Andrea Mast, 3, and Nora Mast, 5, react as they the Heart Throbbers jump rope team perform tricks at Woldert Park after the annual Community Faith-Based Health Walk to promote living a healthy lifestyle Saturday Oct. 10, 2015. Nearly 200 people completed the one and a half mile walk starting and ending at Woldert Park in Tyler, Texas. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Nikhil Karkare, center in red, dances with friends during the Celebrate India Diwali Banquet held at the Cascades Country Club in Tyler Saturday Nov. 21, 2015. The event was hosted by the Indian Association of East Texas (IAETX), a nonprofit organization. The highlight of the banquet was the cultural program featuring music and dance performed by community members. Also known as the "Festival of Lights" Diwali is a Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Brayden Boudreaux, 10, of Rusk, and Cerra Proctor, 10, of Overton, rest on a trailer filled with hay between activities at Cowboy Day Camp Saturday Aug. 8, 2015. Cowboy Day Camp is an annual event at Trail to Christ Cowboy Church in Jacksonville that teaches children about Christianity through western culture activities such as riding and grooming horses, making a brand, working with leather and sorting animals. "It's an opportunity for us to direct the message of God's love to our young people. It's our version of Vacation Bible School," pastor Mark Norman said. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)