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ETCOG Happenings – November 2026

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ETCOG Happenings newsletter cover for November 2026, featuring a presenter, a military color guard, and two women using a tablet

Workforce Solutions East Texas’ Largest Hiring Event of the Year is Next Week!
Hiring event flyer for "Hiring Red, White & You!" statewide hiring event, Tuesday, November 10, 10 a.m.€to“1 p.m., at Workforce Solutions East Texas in Tyler.

TWC-led Statewide Initiative Connects Veterans and Employers

Workforce Solutions East Texas will host the region’s largest hiring event of the year as part of the Texas Workforce Commission’s (TWC) 15th annual Hiring Red, White & You! statewide veterans job fair. The East Texas event takes place on Tuesday, November 10, at the Tyler Workforce Center located at 1421 S. Beckham, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. It will kick off with an opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m., honoring our veterans.

 

More than 100 employers are expected to participate, offering opportunities for veterans, transitioning service members, military spouses, and other job seekers.

 

“East Texas is blessed to have so many vets to call our neighbors,” said Doug Shryock, Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.), Executive Director of Workforce Solutions East Texas. “Knowledge, skills, and abilities—hard-won across the country and around the world—make our communities stronger and more vibrant. Please join us to share a valuable resource with our local employers: YOU. They need you and are anxious to enlist your talents. They just don’t know it yet.”

 

Throughout the month, TWC is hosting the event series with nearly 30 hiring events across the state from Nov. 2-20 to connect veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses to Texas employers.

 

“Texas is the best place for veterans and military families,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “More than 1.4 million veterans call our great state home. Their skills and leadership make our economy stronger. These hiring events put their talents to work.”

 

“Texas is proud to be home to more than 1.4 million veterans, whose unmatched leadership, dedication, and technical skills make them invaluable assets to our state’s economy,” said TWC Chairman Joe Esparza. “The Hiring Red, White & You! initiative is our way of thanking these brave men and women by directly connecting them with world-class career opportunities in Texas.”

 

TWC partners on the events with Texas Workforce Solutions, Texas Veterans Commission (TVC), and the Texas Medical Center.

 

“As a Navy veteran, I know firsthand the value veterans bring to the workplace,” said Texas Veterans Commission Chairwoman Laura Koerner. “Hiring Red, White & You! creates important opportunities for veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses across Texas. We’re grateful to the Governor, our friends at TWC, employers and all of our partners who work alongside us to serve those who served.”
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ETCOG Honored with National Impact Award for Communications Workshop Series
Collage showing ETCOG staff and regional partners in a meeting, alongside a woman holding a 2026 NADO Impact Award.

Connecting Communities to Regional Solutions Through ETCOG 101 Workshop Series

ETCOG has recently been recognized with a 2026 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for Connecting Communities to Regional Solutions through its ETCOG 101 Workshop series.

The workshops have improved understanding of ETCOG programs and services among a wide range of stakeholders, including elected officials, local governments, legislative staff, community partners, internal staff, and the general public. More importantly, they have created a space for real-time problem-solving and collaboration. Since the workshop launch in January 2025, the series has reached more than 250 participants.

Presented annually, the NADO Impact Awards honor regional development organizations and their partners for strengthening communities, building regional resilience, and enhancing local economies through creative approaches to economic and community development. NADO is a Washington, DC-based membership association of regional development organizations that promotes programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities, and economies.

This year’s cohort included 94 impactful projects led by 58 organizations across 20 states. These award-winning efforts were recognized during NADO’s 2026 Annual Training Conference, held last week in Reno, Nevada. All selected projects are featured in an interactive StoryMap that showcases summaries, images, and key partners. The map is available at www.nado.org/2026-impact-award-recipients/.
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Help Share GoBus Information with Your Residents
Three GoBus Transit vehicles parked outside an ETCOG facility.
ETCOG is pleased to provide a GoBus Community Partner Media Kit for our member communities to use in local communications.

 

The kit is designed to make it easy for cities, counties, libraries, schools, health care providers, community organizations, and other local partners to share clear, consistent GoBus information with residents. Partners may download the materials and incorporate them into their own websites, newsletters, social media channels, community calendars, public-information displays, and resident outreach.

The media kit includes:

  • GoBus overview and core messaging
  • Contact, reservation, and website information
  • Ready-to-use social media posts
  • Website-ready copy
  • County-specific service schedule information
  • Information about who can ride, accessibility, fares, trip purposes, and how to reserve service
  • Key service details for demand-response transportation, regional connections, veterans’ transportation, ADA accessibility, and select local service options

By sharing these resources, member communities can help ensure residents know that GoBus is available to the public and can provide transportation to medical appointments, employment, education and training, grocery stores, pharmacies, government offices, and other important destinations.

Because service days, regional connections, and trip availability vary by county, communities are encouraged to share the county-specific schedule information included in the kit and direct residents to GoBus for reservations and current service details.

Download the GoBus Community Partner Media Kit and help connect residents to transportation, opportunity, and essential services throughout East Texas.

For questions about GoBus service or to schedule a ride, residents may visit GoBusTransit.com or call 903-215-8870.

ETCOG to Host Free SAFVIC Trainings for East Texas Peace Officers
Close-up of a police vehicle’s flashing blue emergency lights at night, with blurred red and yellow lights in the background.
ETCOG will host three specialized Sexual Assault and Family Violence Investigator Course (SAFVIC) training opportunities in late November and early December for East Texas telecommunications professionals, peace officers, and prosecutors.

The courses will provide practical, trauma-informed instruction to strengthen the regional response to sexual assault, family violence, stalking, human trafficking, and strangulation-related offenses.

All participants must pre-register at www.safvic.org.

SAFVIC for Telecommunication Professionals

Texas 911 call-takers and dispatch professionals are often the first point of contact during an emergency. The Sexual Assault and Family Violence Investigator Course for Telecommunication Professionals is designed to help these critical first responders identify and appropriately manage calls involving sexual assault and family violence while supporting victim and officer safety.

Topics include:

  • Statistics and history of sexual assault and family violence
  • Dynamics of family violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking
  • Special considerations involving people with disabilities, older adults, military families, immigrant communities, and tribal communities
  • Victim-centered communication and safety planning
  • Best practices for handling sexual assault and family violence calls
  • Applicable state and federal laws

Participants who pass the final exam will receive eight hours of TCOLE credit.

Three-Day Sexual Assault & Family Violence Investigators Course
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Green Business Program Launch
Four hands cradle a young green plant growing from soil, symbolizing shared environmental stewardship.
East Texas businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations, and government entities can earn recognition for practical efforts that reduce waste, increase recycling, and support a cleaner, more sustainable region through the ETCOG Green Business Program.

The program recognizes organizations that voluntarily adopt environmentally responsible practices in their daily operations. Whether an organization is just beginning to improve its recycling efforts or has established a more comprehensive waste-reduction program, ETCOG provides resources to help participants evaluate their operations and build sustainable practices that are practical and manageable.

Turning Everyday Actions Into Meaningful Results

Waste reduction and recycling can create real benefits for organizations and the communities they serve. By reducing materials sent to landfills, businesses and other participating organizations may lower disposal costs, conserve landfill capacity, avoid greenhouse-gas emissions, and support markets for recovered materials.

The Green Business Program is designed to help organizations take meaningful steps without making the process overwhelming. ETCOG’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Toolkit includes practical guidance and evaluation tools that can help participants identify opportunities for source reduction, reuse, recycling, and organics recovery.

The program supports the goals of the ETCOG Regional Municipal Solid Waste Management Plan by encouraging organizations to:

  • Reduce the amount of waste requiring disposal through source reduction, reuse, and recycling
  • Create local markets for recovered materials
  • Develop strategies to recover organics from the waste stream
  • Increase awareness of landfill diversion and sustainable waste-management practices

Recognition for East Texas Organizations

The Green Business Program is open at no cost to qualifying businesses, governmental entities, schools, and nonprofit organizations located within ETCOG’s 14-county region. Organizations can qualify for one of two recognition levels.
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Open Enrollment Community Events and Certified Benefits Counseling Services Available
Medicare Open Enrollment events scheduled November 17 in Palestine, November 19 in Marshall, and November 20 in Quitman.
Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 until December 7, and people with Medicare will have more coverage options to consider. Plan costs and covered benefits have changed, so our Area Agency on Aging of East Texas (AAA) is offering benefits counseling assistance to encourage Medicare recipients to review their coverage choices and decide on the options that best fit their health needs.

The changes Medicare recipients can make during Open Enrollment include:

  • Joining a new Medicare Advantage Plan or Part D prescription drug plan
  • Switching from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan
  • Switching from a Medicare Advantage Plan to Original Medicare (with or without a Part D plan)

“Medicare Open Enrollment allows you the opportunity to review your healthcare plan and check on your financial well-being, which could also help save costs and coverage,” says AAA Director Adrian Cornejo. “Call us and talk to an unbiased, qualified Benefits Counselor. We are also your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and available free of charge to go over your options.”

For assistance, please call the Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-442-8845 to speak to a qualified benefits counselor. Appointments can be made over the phone, in a virtual meeting, or in person.

Local Open Enrollment Presentations:

Benefits counselors will also be available for appointments at these community events during the Open Enrollment period. To reserve your spot, call the Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-442-8845. Walk-ins will be accepted.
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News & Opportunities
Cat wearing a protective cone after surgery.
Animal Friendly Grant Applications Open

Funding is available to support low-cost spay and neuter services. Eligible organizations may apply by January 20, 2027.

Learn more: resources.hhs.texas.gov/rfa/hhs0017436
Apply to Become a Veteran Friendly Community” graphic featuring blurred service members in uniform and the Texas Veteran Friendly Community logo.
Veteran Friendly Applications Due Soon

 

Apply for the 2026 Veteran-Friendly Community Designation to show support for veterans and their families. Deadline: November 27.

Learn more: www.etcog.org/veteran-friendly-community
Downtown Texas street at sunset with the title “TxCDBG Community Development Fund.”
TxCDBG Funding Available

Eligible East Texas communities can apply for up to $750,000 for local improvement projects. Applications are due November 19.

Learn more: www.etcog.org/txcdbg-community-development-fund-27-28
American flag beside the message “Closed for Veterans Day, November 11, 2026,” with silhouettes of service members.

East Texas Council of Governments

(903) 218-6400

www.etcog.org
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East Texas Council of Governments | 3800 Stone Road | Kilgore, TX 75662 US
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