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(Editor’s note: The latest editions of Greater Port Arthur The Magazine have arrived.)

The stories and, more importantly, the people behind them make the March/April edition of Greater Port Arthur The Magazine one of our best.

We will receive the latest editions Tuesday and have them available for the public to come by and pick up from our 2349 Memorial Blvd. office on Wednesday (March 11).

Throughout the following week, we’ll deliver hundreds of copies to various locations across Port Arthur and Mid County, making sure to alert our readers to where they can pick some up.

Our cover story features a spotlight conversation with Kary Vincent Jr., a 2017 graduate of Memorial High School.

Vincent’s last couple of months have been pretty eventful.

He helped lead the LSU Tigers football team to a national championship, visited the White House, pondered early entry into the 2020 NFL Draft and ultimately decided to return to school for his senior year and college degree.

Today, he is enduring intense LSU track practice, with a goal to capture another national title. Thankfully, he took a break — on Mardi Gras, no less — to speak with Greater Port Arthur The Magazine.

The result is a worthy story that takes readers into the mind of a champion.

Kary Vincent Jr. clearly knows about heightened expectations and pressure. That kind of feeling can derail many, but some thrive under those conditions.

Such is the case for Al Judice IV. The man comes from generations of successful and hard-working grocers and restaurateurs. He knows the pressure of launching a new venture.

He did just that in August, opening Judice’s 1927 on Nederland Avenue in Nederland.

The project took a little longer than expected but it delivered on the goal of opening an upscale take on Cajun classics while showcasing a family feel.

Now, Judice and chef Jon Hersey are focused on inviting more people to share in their vision, which could include expansion of the Judice’s 1927 brand across Southeast Texas.

Speaking of food and pressure, have you ever tried to talk to a baker when she is working?

Let me add to that.

Have you ever tried to talk to a baker, who is also the bakery owner, during the busiest time of the year?

I don’t recommend it, but Greater Port Arthur The Magazine did just that, interviewing Angela Cook of Sugar Momma Confections in the days before Valentine’s Day.

We were lucky she didn’t chase us out with a rolling pin. She actually welcomed us and let us leave with a recipe.

Thank you, Angie, for fitting us in and letting us share sweet treats for all.

When it comes to time to spare, James Gamble has some. But not as much as you would think for an educator who retired as the most successful high school basketball coach in Southeast Texas.

Gamble recently took Greater Port Arthur The Magazine for a tour of his old stomping grounds, Abraham Lincoln Middle School. It was a high school when Coach Gamble manned the sidelines, leading team after team of Bumblebees student-athletes to glory.

Thankfully, he still enjoys giving back, and did so for readers as the centerpiece of our magazine’s “Why I Love Port Arthur” spotlight.

We’re not even halfway through the magazine highlights, but we need to wrap up this column.

Other stories include:

• An in-depth conversation with Andrew Landry, the Port Neches-Groves and University of Arkansas graduate who has found professional golfing success. Andrew lets readers in on how the death of 4-year-old Port Neches inspiration Austyn Halter and the birth of his own son, Brooks, profoundly changed his life.

• Nederland High graduate Dave Dial talks about his amazing top-45 Boston Marathon finish as a teenager and the near maniacal path to 40 years of running and logging 200,000 road miles.
• The East Texas and Gulf Rail Modelers Association share their passion of toy trains and design. The local members have created immaculate and intricate setups that would make most engineering professors blush.
• Plus, take a look through dozens of photos from the recent Port Arthur Education Foundation State of Education Luncheon, Rotary Club of Port Arthur Taste of Gumbo and Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce’s 120th Annual Banquet to see who was “Scene.”

Stephen Hemelt is publisher of Greater Port Arthur The Magazine and the Port Arthur News. He can be reached at 409-721-2445 or stephen.hemelt@panews.com.