My crew is full of women—blood, step, adopted, and honorary. I’m the oldest of an all-girls family, and, at one point, even all of our pets were female. It’s always been loud, and my dad is always outnumbered unless his sons-in-law are around. You’d think that growing up around that much estrogen would be a tumultuous environment, but we’ve always thrived in it. My people are hilarious, genuine, and supportive. Our communal strength comes from years of cheering each other on, giving life advice, and being humbled in ways that only a sister can provide. These women shape how I see the world and myself.

One of the area’s largest and oldest service organizations began as a gathering of 28 likeminded women on February 26th, 1926. They were people of varying interests and talents who all held a strong interest in the social and cultural welfare of Texarkana. They became the charter members of the Junior League of Texarkana. Now, a century’s worth of women have followed in their footsteps, continuing their legacy of service and voluntarism.

Established in 1885, the Nash School closed its doors for good in 1963, when the area was incorporated into the Texarkana Independent School District. The school was on its third building: the first, a one-room schoolhouse, was destroyed by a cyclone in 1894. In 1904, a two-story structure was erected on Highway 82, and in 1924, it was replaced with a larger building to support more students.

Local entrepreneur Cody Peek had been eyeing the historic property for years when it came on the market in 2021. “The day the [for sale] sign went up in the front, I bought it,” he said. “I didn’t know what it was going to be, but I loved the building, and I loved the potential that the building had, and I hated the thought of it not being something cool.”

On any given day in Texarkana, you might pass a business with crisp new lines in its parking lot or notice that a once-faded pavement suddenly looks fresh again. More often than not, that transformation is the work of Kiteco Property Solutions, a locally-owned company that marks pavement, stripes roads, and mills asphalt.

But the story behind this business didn’t begin with heavy equipment or a growing team. It began with the determination of a first-generation immigrant and single mother who saw a gap in the market and decided to fill it.

“My style is rich, like a big piece of chocolate cake,” said Kyle Barrett, Texarkana/De Kalb native and president/cofounder of Barrett Bergmann Home. “I love the word ‘rich,’ but not in the form of money. I love for you to walk into a space, and it absolutely consumes you with good feelings. It makes you want to sit down with a glass of wine or an old fashioned. I love the richness of sitting in my wine room with six close friends, soaking up that fellowship—and I want everyone to have that feeling in their home. When you burn a candle or crawl into bed, I want you to feel like a piece of chocolate cake is being served in front of you. I want you to think, ‘Oh my, this is so rich.’”

You may or may not have heard that, in January, the US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services published the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which is typically published every five years. This version is for 2025–2030. 

As your dietitian for the next few minutes, I’ll walk you through what the dietary guidelines are and what updates were made in this version, along with my thought process as I interpret them. 

From a landscape once defined by military operations, TexAmericas Center is helping shape a new chapter for the Texarkana region. Under the leadership of Scott Norton, executive director and CEO at TexAmericas Center, the organization is steadily transforming historic ground into a vessel for economic growth.

This month, Four States Living Magazine spoke with Ana Willis, the new executive director for the Texarkana Museums System, to find out the latest news and future projects from TMS. 

“Texarkana needs a nice, upscale place to get a drink.” When Chris Fuller uttered these words to his wife, Melissa, a magic spell of manifestation took place. This was back in the fall of 2023, and the Fullers ruminated on the idea until inspiration struck and the plan slowly unveiled itself. 

For the past century, families across Texarkana have turned to Twitty Nursery for everything from backyard gardens to full landscape transformations. What began in 1925 as a small nursery founded by R.S. Twitty has grown into one of the region’s most beloved garden centers. Today, the nursery remains a family legacy, now entering its fourth generation of ownership.

As spring gets closer, many athletes get ready to start their seasons. One of these athletes is Aniya Arnold, the team captain and shortstop of Arkansas High’s softball team. Already committed to the University of Memphis, she has the drive to lead the Razorbacks to victory. 

“I’m . . . the encourager, and I make sure we stay on the right path during practice,” Aniya said. Being the team captain has given Aniya a lot of responsibilities, but she seems to be well prepared for them. “I double check to make sure everything’s cleaned up and just help our coaches out in the best way that I can,” she explained. It’s clear that she takes her role very seriously, which is necessary for the observation and extra time that being a team captain requires.

When I hear the word “business,” my first thought is: “none of mine!” That is to say, business is none of my business. 

I’m not exactly what you might consider a money-minded fellow. While I imagine that most people’s checking and savings account balances all graphed out look like gently rising slopes—as one might imagine snow-covered, ascending in a chairlift—my bank accounts more closely resemble the rise and fall of the stock market on a bad day: lots of jagged lines, with peaks and valleys. If it were the graph of an echocardiogram, a doctor would have me wheeled into the cath lab faster than I could spend a hundred bucks on Amazon.

Spring in Texarkana means it’s time once again for the highly anticipated Texarkana Home & Garden Show. Hosted by the Texarkana Home Builders Association, this year’s event will take place on Saturday, March 21st, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Crossties Event Venue, located at 324 E. Broad St. in downtown Texarkana, Arkansas.

For 774 days, Naomi Elizabeth Berry was a ward of the state of Arkansas. She entered foster care at just 2 weeks old, born into circumstances she did not choose. But on January 29th, 2026, surrounded by the family who had already loved her as their own, Naomi was legally made the daughter of Sarah and Bradley Berry and the sister of four older siblings.

Local businessman and philanthropist Tony Langford’s character has been shaped by years of commitment to his work, as well as time spent serving others in and around the community. As the owner of Tony Langford Roofing, he tries to use his job as a way to connect to people and lend a helping hand.

Harli White didn’t stumble into racing. She was raised inside the track. Long before she ever strapped into a car, she was in the shop with her dad, learning what most kids never see—how machines come apart, how they go back together, and how a race weekend is built on equal parts discipline and obsession.

As the first light of dawn breaks though the horizon, local homesteader Robin Proctor is already outside and ready for another day of hard work. She has had her morning coffee on the back porch, tucked her overalls into her red Muck boots, and set off across her property.

Even though I now live in Fort Worth, I love telling people about my time growing up in Texarkana: the post office in the middle of State Line, the cross-town high school football rivalry, the difference in sales tax that will make a Sonic drink on the Arkansas side more expensive than the Texas side. “Twice as Nice” ends up being pretty quirky, right? And I’ve always jokingly thought that I embodied Texarkana because I was born in the capital city of Arkansas on Texas Independence Day (which is March 2nd, in case anyone wants to celebrate). 

Maggie Tinajero’s love for horses developed the day her grandmother placed her, age 5, on a horse named Topper. “I remember [my grandmother’s] face as she begged us to slow down,” Maggie said. “My passion for horses never left.”

In a world where cities are constantly growing, it can be hard to remember how important agriculture is, but Texas High School junior Jenna Tyler has no such trouble. As a member of FFA, she goes to leadership events and career development events to test her knowledge on agriculture. Her love for the farms of America is contagious, and she makes it easy to remember how much farmers do for the country.