Four States Living Magazine

12/03/2025

A SKY FULL OF DREAMS
John Veon turned his lifelong hunting hobby into a career in ecology research
By Greer Veon

For my little brother, John Veon, the duck blind is where great ideas are born, where someone can witness overhead a sky full of dreams. He spent his childhood trapping insects in our backyard and rolling his red wagon to the neighborhood pond to fish. Since he was young, John has had a natural tendency to obsess over different organisms and their environment.

John is now a PhD candidate at the University of California–Davis doing, more or less, what he has done his entire life: studying ecology. His research focuses on waterfowl and wetlands, which is fitting, because anyone who knows John would tell you that the first thing they associate with him are ducks. Growing up in Texarkana, he was one of the many kids around town who spent their holiday breaks in the duck woods of Mercer Bayou, around Millwood Lake, or in a blind at Anderson Wright’s family farm. Now, his apartment in California is decorated with vintage wooden decoys, including a 1950s Victor Majestic Mallard, which was found in the Cache River bottoms. One might assume that John has pursued this career all his life—and in some ways, he has. But, like the ups and downs of a duck population, John’s career path has not been so linear.

Read John's full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2025/12/1/a-sky-full-of-dreams

12/02/2025

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Olivia and Caleb Coleman celebrate having both of their babies home for Christmas, after 80 days in the NICU
By Madeline Haak

For some, the biggest holiday conundrum is deciding on the appropriate time to put up the tree and bring out the Christmas decorations. Olivia and Caleb Coleman, Texarkana natives and new parents to twin girls, have been facing much bigger challenges as the holiday season approaches.

When a pregnant Olivia’s water broke at 27 weeks, she was taken to Little Rock, admitted to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), and prescribed six weeks of inpatient bedrest. At 33 weeks, On August 31st, 2025, she gave birth to her premature girls. Margot arrived at four pounds and six ounces, while Winley May weighed just three pounds and eleven ounces.

Read the Coleman's full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2025/12/1/home-for-the-holidays

12/02/2025

THREE BOYS, UNLIMITED BLESSINGS
Heather and Adam Balmain reflect on their foster care and adoption journey
By Sarah Vammen

Family movie nights, loud gatherings, and little feet pattering down the hall were always part of Heather and Adam Balmain’s shared vision of family. They are now able to live out these dreams with their three sons, whom they adopted through the foster care system.

Heather, a medical coder for UAMS Little Rock, and Adam, a lineman for Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative and youth pastor at Myrtle Springs Baptist Church, married in 2009 and live in De Kalb, Texas. “We knew pretty much from the beginning of our marriage that we wanted children,” Heather said. While the idea of adoption came up occasionally, Heather and Adam didn’t seriously consider it until they had been married about eight years and had not yet had children. “We did always have a heart for adoption, and as time went on, God continued to grow our heart for it and reveal that plan to us,” she said.

Read the Balmain's full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2025/12/1/three-boys-unlimited-blessings

12/02/2025

SEASON OF JOY
Texarkana native Klancy Johnson-Barlow and her husband, MLB pitcher Scotty Barlow, share news of their daughter, Bronwyn Lake
By Phoebe Warren

Local Klancy Johnson-Barlow met her husband, Scotty, while he was visiting family in Texarkana. When the two were introduced, they hit it off immediately. “Of course I noticed how tall and handsome he was,” Klancy said. “I was even more impressed by his wit, sense of humor, and plethora of knowledge.”

The instant spark was mutual. “Her beauty caught my eye first-off,” Scotty said. “Then, as we got to talking, I fell in love with her personality and sense of humor.”

Though they began their relationship long-distance, the connection deepened quickly. “Scotty and I talked everyday, nonstop, and never ran out of things to talk about,” Klancy said. “We’re different people in so many ways, but those differences somehow fit together like puzzle pieces.” They dated for nearly two years before getting engaged in January 2017 and married that November, at Garrison Gardens in Texarkana.

Read the Barlow's full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2025/12/1/season-of-joy

12/02/2025

DRIVEN TO GIVE
The members of the Horton family talk donation drives, caregiving, and raising compassionate children
By Ellen Orr

Last school year, 12-year-old Charlie Jack Horton noticed something troubling among his classmates at Texas Middle School. “I would see a bunch of kids that didn’t have backpacks, and so they would carry all their stuff—their folders, binders, Chromebooks,” he said. “They would carry them around to every class, and stuff would get lost. I thought that, if they had a backpack, then it would lower the chance of stuff getting lost and help with moving from class to class.”

Last summer, with the help of his mother, Amanda, Charlie Jack recorded a video. “Each year, my fellow classmates start school in need of a backpack. Chromebooks, binders, and supplies are very heavy,” he emphasized in the video. “I’m putting together a backpack drive to help those in need.” Once the video was shared on social media, donations began pouring in. Charlie Jack collected around 40 backpacks, which were then distributed by TISD staff before the start of the 2025–2026 school year.

Read the Horton's full story here:
https://www.fourstatesliving.com/feature-stories/2025/12/1/driven-to-give

12/01/2025

It’s great to see the Texarkana area build and grow. Thank you, Jake McDonald for choosing Four States Living to showcase your business!

12/01/2025

12/01/2025

12/01/2025

December has arrived and brought the cold weather. So stay inside, grab some hot cocoa and a comfy blanket, and flip through our December issue! Pick one up today. If you can't wait, you can always see the digital version on our website.

https://www.fourstatesliving.com/

11/11/2025

We are grateful to the veterans in our community, and across the country, whose service and sacrifice protect the freedoms we cherish. Thank you for your strength, bravery, and commitment.