America's page 1, part 2

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3. Now 9 Welcome and introduction 9:15 The American reader and the newspaper 9:45 History and anatomy of page one 10:20 BREAK 10:30 Language of design 11 Modular design and designing modules Noon LUNCH 12:45 America’s page one – PART ONE 1:45 America’s page one – PART TWO 2:45 BREAK 3 Putting it all together 3:55 Wrapping it all up 4 Conclusion
4. America’s Page One
5. America’s Page One Your Successes
6. America’s Page One By Arthur Hahn arthur@brenhambanner.com Friends and relatives told Jim McIngvale he would never make it in the furniture business. But McIngvale went from selling furniture and mattresses on the side of Houston’s streets to becom- ing one of the city’s most recogniz- able faces. Known as “Mattress Mack,” Mc- Ingvale visited the Tempur Sealy mattress plant here Tuesday to thank the facility for helping him make his dream come true. McIngvale now has three lo- cations of his Gallery Furniture business in Houston, his success fueled by hammy TV commercials in which McIngvale promised to “save you monnnnnnneyyyyy” and same-day deliveries. Working as a grocery store bag- ger for $3 an hour in Dallas, the then-28-year-old McIngvale landed a job with a furniture store there, riding a bus two hours to work and two hours back home each day. McIngvale, with a desire to start his own furniture store, asked his em- ployer “where would be a good place in Tex- as” to open one. He was told, “Houston’s a boom town. Try Houston.” So with $5,000 in cash, he and his wife Linda did just that. But, McIngvale said, he had “an unfair ad- vantage.” “And that was de- sire,” he told Tempur Sealy employees. “You can do anything you want to do if you want to do it bad enough. “We started selling furniture and mattresses off the side of the road.” When they eventually got a lo- cation, McIngvale said they “slept at the store for the first two years, because we couldn’t afford for any- body to steal the inventory.” After 40 years in the business, McIngvale said he still enjoys going to work every day. “I’m still working lots of hours, because I like to work. I believe work is life’s greatest therapy, and I wouldn’t know what to do if I wouldn’t work,” he said. McIngvale said his business “had ups and downs,” but credited sup- pliers like Tempur Sealy with help- ing in his success. “Our number one vendor over the past 40 years, starting way back in the 1980s, has always been this plant right here,” he said. “I came HERE & THERE Happy birthday wishes today go to LILA STEELE ... TODAY’S VERSE “A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.” Proverbs 15:5 TONIGHT: Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 62. SSE winds shifting to WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Thursday: Abundant sun- shine. High 81. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. NEWS IN BRIEF © 2018 Brenham Banner-Press LTD SUBSCRIBE TO THE BANNER-PRESS CALL 979-836-7956 WEATHER SPORTS, 4A Brenham baseball playoff hopes take hit with loss. BUSINESS, 5A Two new businesses open downtown. 79 62 please recycle after reading Ringleader in dragging death to be executed today HUNTSVILLE (AP) — A man who orchestrated one of the most gruesome hate crimes in U.S. history is set to be executed today for the dragging death of James Byrd Jr. nearly 21 years ago. John William King, who is white and an avowed rac- ist, was put on death row for chaining Byrd to the back of a truck and drag- ging his body for nearly 3 miles along a secluded road in the piney woods outside Jasper. The 49-year-old Byrd, who was black, was alive for at least 2 miles before his body was ripped to pieces in the early morn- ing hours of June 7, 1998. Vol. 153 No. 82 | One Section, 10 Pages www.brenhambanner.com | $1 Readings for the 24-hour period ending at 7 a.m. today: MEDICAL ARTS DRUG CO. 207 E. Academy 836-3687 COMPLETE PRESCRIPTION SERVICE DRIVE-THRU PHARMACY • VITAMINS PUBLIC FAX Mon. -Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Sat. till 1 p.m. We Deliver Forever Young Resale Shop 702 E. Alamo Brenham, TX (979) 836-1430 Donations Welcome SERVING WASHINGTON COUNTY SINCE 1866 Wednesday, April 24, 2019 The Banner-Press WATER USAGE Lake Somerville full stage: 238.0. Lake level at 7 a.m. today: 239.88. City of Brenham water usage: April 23: 2.317 million gallons Rainfall this month: 4.41”. Rainfall this year: 14.15”. Average annual rainfall: 45.34”. BANNERPRESS THE BANNER-PRESS THEBANNERPRESS @BP_1866 Panel begins work on budget AUSTIN — Members of the House and Senate have begun the process of reconciling the two chambers’ version of the budget Both proposals allocate identical amounts, $9 billion, towards state leaderships’ top priorities for the session — property tax relief, school funding reforms and an increase in teacher salaries. “This process is made easier by the fact that both chambers are prioritizing three key issues, that’s certainly property tax relief, edu- cation reform and teacher salary,” said Flower Mound Sen. and Fi- nance Committee chair Jane Nel- son, Finance Committee chair and a member of the budget conference committee. “The good news is that both chambers have demonstrated their commitment to our top prior- ities.” Her counterpart from the House, Appropriations chair and Rich- mond Representative John Zerwas was also optimistic. “I know without a doubt that this group will be able to consider the differences in our budgets and make the smart and reasonable de- cisions for what is best for Texas,” he said. Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) is also a member of the conference committee. In raw totals the two versions are very close, with the Senate budget appropriating only $300 million more than the House’s $116.5 billion in non-dedicated state revenue over the next two years. Including fed- eral and all other funds, the bills are about $3.4 billion apart, with the Senate proposing to spend that Senate passes treatment center bill State approves legislation to reform licensing process of youth reform facilities AUSTIN — The Tex- as Senate has passed Sen. Lois Kolkhorst’s legislation on the li- censing of youth treat- ment centers. The Senate on Tuesday passed Kolk- horst’s SB 781, a major bill to reform the pro- cess of how youth cen- ters are licensed and operated across the state. Passage comes only a few days after a youth being housed at the Bluebonnet Haven treatment facility in Brenham left the campus and used a pipe to threaten a Brenham police officer. That youth was charged with aggra- vated assault of a public servant. Kolkhorst said she wrote SB 781 to strengthen the requirements necessary to obtain a license to open any new facili- ty and requires a public hearing so that a community is fully informed and heard as a facility seeks a license. The legis- lation also lists specific violations that will lead to a facility’s license probation, suspension and ultimately revocation. To avoid the challenges that have faced Austin County with the now-defunct Five Oaks center and the newly opened Bluebonnet Haven in Washington Coun- ty, Kolkhorst said that under SB 781, all proposed centers will be required to cre- ate a community engagement plan. The plan must include both an opera- tional plan and an educational plan that take into consideration local community review and feedback, including impacts on local schools and law enforcement. Another sweeping change will be to require collaboration between the Tex- as Education Agency (TEA) and state health officials to collaborate before a center is licensed. “As the chair of the Senate Commit- tee on Health and Human Services, I am dedicated first and foremost to the safety of every child in our CPS and foster care system. Texas must see that the system does not fail either our children or our communities,” said Kolkhorst (R-Bren- ham). “That’s why I am proud that the Senate has passed SB 781 with bipartisan support. Kolkhorst’s legislation now heads to the Texas House where District 13 Rep. Ben Leman (R-Iola) will push for pas- sage. ‘Mattress Mack’ praises plant here EMS director: CPR is proven lifesaver By Arthur Hahn arthur@brenhambanner.com By almost all accounts, Mike Ant- kowiak shouldn’t be alive. Or as Kevin Deramus, director of Washington County Emergency Medical Services said Tuesday, “He should not be here today.” Deramus gave a presentation to Washington County commissioners on the latest “lifesaving” event, tak- ing advantage of an opportunity to promote the value of knowing cardio- pulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. Antkowiak, he said, is alive and well today because of the combined ef- forts of a neighbor, well-trained emer- gency dispatchers Julie Neville and Jerod Hartfield, an EMS crew that provided expert medical care when they got to the scene and the efforts of Scott & White Hospital in College Station. Deramus recounted the incident for commissioners: Antkowiak was on his tractor in a remote area of southwestern Wash- ington County, off FM 2502, when it became stuck. While attempting to free it, he suffered a massive heart attack. Antkowiak’s son Jon and a neigh- bor, Chuck Buechmann, saw this un- fold and rushed to help. Because of spotty cell phone service, Jon Antko- wiak drove to a higher location to call 911 and guide responders to the scene while Buechmann began CPR. Within 33 seconds of receiving the call, Neville and Hartfield has dis- patched EMS and also said advised that CPR should be started (it had been). In another 40 seconds, an am- bulance roared from the station. Because of the remote location, it took the ambulance about 13 minutes to arrive. In the meantime, Buech- mann was performing the CPR the whole time. That proved to be the State Senate, House start budget proposal reconciliation process Program set on shooter ‘behavioral red flags’ By Arthur Hahn arthur@brenhambanner.com A free program to teach “behav- ioral red flags” of potential mass shooters will be held here Saturday. “A Look Inside the Mind of a Public Shooter” will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Cowboy Church of Brenham, 4400 Highway 105. The training is being sponsored by the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The speaker will be retired Texas Department of Public Safety inspec- tor Marx Howell. Howell has more than 50 years of law enforcement experience, in- cluding 32 years with DPS. He is a graduate of the FBI National Acade- my and is and considered one of the leading authorities on the forensic application of hypnosis in the police field. Steve Westbrook, executive direc- tor of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas and a Brenham resident, said the training will be beneficial not only law enforcement personnel. “It’s for everyone — churches, schools, teachers,” said Westbrook. The program will provide in- struction on understanding and recognizing behavioral indicators to identify a potential threat by an angry person. Mass shootings have been in- creasing in Texas, In November 2017, 26 people were killed when a rifle-wielding gun- man entered Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church near San An- tonio. At Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, last May, a student killed eight students and two teachers. Lunch will be provided for Satur- day’s program. People wanting to attend or asked to call or text 830- 5605 so an accurate meal count can be determined. Kolkhorst Arthur Hahn/Banner-Press Jim McIngvale praises employees of the Tempur Sealy plant here for their production standards. Arthur Hahn/Banner-Press Roy Finke, plant manager of the Tempur Sealy facility here, points out some of the produc- tion aspects for Jim McIngvale (center) of Gallery Furniture. PLANT continued on A3 BUDGET continued on A3 CPR continued on A2
7. America’s Page One
8. America’s Page One P. O. Box 548 • 2024 Highway 71 • Columbus, TX 78934 • (979) 732-2304 • publisher@coloradocountycitizen.com WINDSHIELD XPRESS AUTO GLASS 2035 Milam • 979-732-6269 “Where quality makes the difference” $1.00 Vol. 162, No. 15 coloradocountycitizen.com Wednesday, April 10, 2019 Remember to thank a Veteran and Serviceman every day! 24 pages, 2 inserts LAGRANGEFORD.COM 800.375.6461 | 979.968.6461 1605 W. Travis St. | La Grange, Texas NMLS#799658 CHS Golf teams take district Sports, 13 A Look Back ..............................................3 Applause ..................................................5 Around Columbus .....................................8 Around Weimar .......................................16 Around The County ...................................6 Arts & Leisure ..........................................12 Church Page ............................................11 Classifi ed ...........................................21-22 Courts & Police ........................................17 Obituaries .................................................2 Sports ...............................................13-15 Viewpoints ...............................................4 Quilt up for grabs A quilt made by the St. Paul Lutheran Church Quilters is one of several items available in a silent auction bene ting the church’s childcare center, 8 High Fashion comes to Live Oak High fashion came to Live Oak Art Center last week with their fashion show and salad supper, 12 AROUND COLUMBUS ARTS & LEISURE ALSO INSIDE New Bielau community center seeks land The New Bielau-Content Community Center asked the Weimar Independent School District Board of Trustees for a gift of land near their existing community center, 16 AROUND WEIMAR COLORADO RIVER at Columbus BANKFULL FLOOD STAGE FLOW Levels are as of 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, April 9, 2019. 10430 18.96 34 30 Religious leaders say Christians should advocate for Skull Creek, 18 Clean Harbors worries intensify in wake of TCEQ inaction, ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Environmental leaders say TCEQ’s revolving door failing Colorado County, 10 Damming creek proposed as solution to pollution by Inland, 9 EDITORIAL: Time for immediate Sunset Review for TCEQ, 4 OPINION: Stand up for your rights (or sit down), 4 SKULL CREEK: TWO MONTHS LATER, IN WAKE OF THIRD INCIDENT “Conditions ... an imminent threat” to health, environment BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ vince@coloradocountycitizen.com The Texas Commission on En- vironmental Quality determined as early as Feb. 12 that the sub- stance found in Skull Creek fol- lowing a Feb. 8 discharge created conditions that “are an imminent threat and substantial endanger- ment to human health and/or the environment,” according to a letter from a TCEQ official to owners of Inland Recycling, LLC. A copy of the letter, from Houston Regional Office Di- rector Nicole M. Bealle, was ob- tained by The Colorado Coun- ty Citizen this week. The letter indicates it was hand delivered to David Polston, owner of the company, on Feb. 12. The letter also deems Inland Recycling as the responsible party for the contamination in the creek, and demands the company take “immediate ac- tion” to rectify the incident, saying, “any delay will allow further impacts to human health and the environment.” Inland has previously de- nied any responsibility for the incident. STILL NO ANSWERS ▪ MEMO, 9 BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ & MICHELLE BANSE STO KES BORDEN – As state three state agencies punt the issue of which has control of the water at Bor- den Lake along US 90, the Wei- mar Lions Club believe they’ve found, at least for the moment, a solution to water being si- phoned out of the lake by a pri- vate contractor. The Colorado County Citizen learned of the siphoning last Monday afternoon when the newspaper’s publisher noticed a Brenham-based water well drill- ing company siphoning water from the lake while visiting the roadside park surrounding part of the lake. “I visited with them and we got everything straight between us,” said Julius Bartek, President of the Weimar Lions Club. “He was just misinformed by the person in TxDOT in Colum- bus,” Bartek said of the private well contractor. “He was thinking it was just a holding pond or collection pond and they could suck water out of there,” Bartek said. Bartek said when the Lions ad- opted the roadside park through the Texas Depatment of Trans- portation about a decade ago, the lake was nearly dry. “It was a mud hole. The wa- ter wasn’t three foot deep,” he said. He said he and the Lions took heavy equipment in and cleaned out the lake, ensuring it was between 9-12 feet deep in most places. In the fall of 2017, after Hur- ricane Harvey ravaged much of the South Texas Gulf Coast, the lake was stoked with over 800 fish by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department because the original lakes the fish were destined for had been too dam- aged by the storm and flooding in Harvey’s wake. Bartek said officials with Co- bra Water Well Drilling, LLC, the Brenham company caught siphoning water out of the lake last week, have agreed to spon- sor refreshments for the Wei- mar Lions Club’s upcoming Kid Fish day in late May. “He’s apologized, he was just under the wrong impression from TxDOT,” he said. Last week, James Untermeyer, maintenance supervisor for Tx- DOT’s Columbus office admit- ted to giving the company ac- cess to the lake across TxDOT’s rights of way. BORDEN LAKE State agencies punt jurisdiction Lions say situation seems resolved ▪ BORDEN, 7 FEB. 6: TCEQ takes a complaint alleging In- land Environmental is taking waste without proper permits. FEB. 8: TCEQ receives a complaint alleging the initial fi sh kill and foreign substance in Skull Creek. FEB. 9: TPWD, RRC, and TCEQ make a site visit to conduct an investigation. FEB. 10: TCEQ says a spiil from Inland was observed downstream of the facility resulting in a fi sk kill and that it resulted in an imminent threat of discharge to the Colorado River. FEB. 1114: TCEQ receives multiple air and water pollution complaints related to the initial contamination incident. FEB. 12: TCEQ, hand-delivers a letter to Inland Environmental demanding they take imme- diate action and that they have determined the company to be the party responsible for the contamination in the creek. TCEQ declares contamination at the creek “an imminent threat and substantial endangerment to human health and/or the environment.” MARCH 7: TCEQ tells The Citizen they are investigating In- land Environmental in connection with contamination in Skull Creek. MARCH 22: TCEQ receives complaint of a second incident of contamination at Skull Creek. APRIL 2: TCEQ, RRC, TPWD, OEM offi cials meet with county offi cials and provide no answers on water sample results. BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ vince@coloradocountycitizen.com COLUMBUS — In the wake of a third contamination inci- dent at Skull Creek occurring sometime over the weekend, Colorado County Commis- sioners Monday morning vot- ed unanimously to authorize the county judge to exercise enforcement power available to the county under Chapter 7 of the Texas Water Code fol- lowing an executive session lasting just under an hour. Chapter 7 of the Texas wa- ter code, among other things, allows counties to institute civil suits against those who violate provisions of the wa- ter code in the same manner as the authority exercised by the Texas Commission on En- vironmental Quality. Counties are not allowed to exercise enforcement powers under the Texas Water Code to remedy violations of either the water code or the Texas Health and Safety Code un- less the commissioners court adopts a resolution authoriz- ing the exercise of its enforce- ment powers. The resolution adopted by the commissioners court al- lows the exercise of enforce- ment powers for “past, exist- ing, or future” violations of the Texas Water Code. The resolution authorizes the county judge to take any actions necessary to exercise Commissioners ok authority to fi ght polluters under water code in wake of Skull Creek incidents ▪ FIGHT, 9 REMINDER: CANDIDATE FORUM TOMORROW The Colorado County Citizen will conduct a candidate forum for candidates for Columbus ISD Board of Trustees at 6 p.m. in the meeting room of Nesbitt Memorial Library in Columbus. Call 979-732- 2304 for more information. FOOD TRUCKS AT CITIZEN THURSDAY Sandtown Catering will make a return appearance at The Citizen from 10:30 a.m. until 1:45 p.m. Thursday with their award winning barbecue. R&R Shaved Ice will be at The Citizen from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. This week, a portion of proceeds will bene t the Columbus Elementary School Teacher Activity Fund. Skull Creek after the first contamination incident and fi sh kill. A turtle covered in an oily, black substance after the second incident at Skull Creek. Special To The Citizen | Cheryl Rose Dark black water fl ows through Skull Creek late last week after the third incident of contamina- tion was reported.
9. America’s Page One BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ vince@coloradocountycitizen.com Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two- part series wrapping up 2018 that will ap- pear in The Colorado County Citizen. Next week, we will announce our Newsmakers of the Year for 2018. In the annals of history, 2018 will go down as an important year for Colora- do County. Water features prominently in the top 20 stories of this year: 2018 was the year local officials stood up (for the second time in two decades) to defend the coun- ty’s groundwater supply from a hazardous waste, and that two cities continued to grapple with water quality issues. Too, 2018 was a year of renewal and hope for the county, which suffered dev- astating flooding in September 2017 in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. In 2018, Columbus showed it had re- covered with a better-than-ever Magnolia Days Festival, which served as a com- ing-out-party of sorts for the city that was beleaguered with three major floods in the span of three years. Case Beken, the young Weimar man who battled brain cancer and made it to the Col- orado County Fair to see his steer, Casper, named Grand Champion, also offered coun- ty residents a glimpse of renewing hope. Those were just a few of the major sto- ries from 2018. Here is a recap of the top 20 stories of the year in Colorado County for 2018, as compiled by our staff. P. O. Box 548 • 2024 Highway 71 • Columbus, TX 78934 • (979) 732-2304 • publisher@coloradocountycitizen.com WINDSHIELD XPRESS AUTO GLASS 2035 Milam • 979-732-6269 “Where quality makes the difference” $1.00 Vol. 161, No. 52 coloradocountycitizen.com Wednesday, December 26, 2018 Remember to thank a Veteran and Serviceman every day! 24 pages, 4 inserts LAGRANGEFORD.COM 800.375.6461 | 979.968.6461 1605 W. Travis St. | La Grange, Texas Four gridiron players named All-State SPORTS, 8 Sidney Frey: One of the Greatest Generation ▪ TOP 20, 21 COLORADO RIVER at Columbus A Look Back ...............................................3 Amusements ...........................................15 Applause ...................................................5 Around The County ....................................6 Church Page ............................................17 Classifi eds ...............................................22 Sports .................................................8-10 Obituaries .................................................2 Police & Courts ..................................16-17 Viewpoints ...............................................4 MLK Day celebrations set in Columbus The date of the 2019 Martin Luther King Day March has been set in Columbus, 6. BGC Shops with cops The Boys & Girls Club of Champion Valley’s Columbus Club recently got to shop with a cop, 15. The crowning of Mr. and Mrs. CHS and snow in Eagle Lake top this week’s look back at Colorado County history, 3. COMING EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTY A LOOK BACK ALSO INSIDE A month-by-month look back at the news of 2018, 20. 2018 RECAP 1. Fighting For Our Water 2. Case Beken Gives Us Hope, Leaves A Legacy 3. Colorado Materials Comes And Goes 4. Uproar in Eagle Lake 5. Water Improvements Take Center Stage 6. Discord in Oakland 7. Weimar Grapples With Manufactured Homes 8. Rice CISD Passes A Bond 9. Weimar Works For Aff ordable Housing 10. Beason’s Park Reopens 11. Etta Moten Barnett Honored 12. Area Schools Move To Turf Fields 13. Magnolia Days Survives Another Day 14. County Gets Two New Athletic Directors 15. School Threats & Safety 16. Columbus Boys & Girls Club Gets New Home 17. Cities Grapple With Mental Transport Changes 18. Weimar Puts Reins On Horses 19. Election 2018 in Colorado County 20. Gambling raids in Garwood and Eagle Lake n n n n Want liquor on New Year’s? BY BOB LOWE Special To The Citizen Sidney Frey was the only child born to Peter and Illian Frey of Colorado County, in their farmhouse, in 1925. Their farm was located just north of today’s Interstate 10 and less than a mile east of FM 949. During his youth, Sidney helped his mother and dad grow cotton, corn, peanuts, and raise cattle. He attended Mentz School for grades one through seven, and then Bernardo School for the eighth grade. Next, he attended Columbus High School, but dropped out before the summer of 1944. Sidney turned 18 as World War II was at its peak and all eligible young men were need- ed for the war effort. He joined the Navy rather than waiting to be drafted. In late 1944, Sidney was sent to Boise, Id., for 7 weeks for his basic training. After a leave to visit home, he was or- dered to Solomon, MD, where he was assigned to a landing craft infantry ship, (LCI 1069). Solomon was located near the Chesapeake Bay and noted for its shipyards where Naval ships were built and amphibious in- vasion forces were trained. His LCI was 150 feet long and manned by a crew of 34 sailors. BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ vince@coloradocountycitizen.com Those wishing to celebrate the New Year’s Day holiday with a favorite cocktail may wish to stock up prior to the holiday, as liquor can’t be sold in Texas package stores on New Year’s Day, thanks to a law passed by the Texas Legislature in 1979. Texas also bans the sale of li- quor on Christmas Day—one of 25 states to do so. The sale of liquor in Texas on Christmas Day has been banned since 1967. Staff at area liquor stores are encouraging local residents who TOP TWENTY OF BANKFULL FLOOD STAGE FLOW Levels are as of 3:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 4752 14.53 34 30 AREA LIQUOR STORE NEW YEAR’S EVE HOURS COLUMBUS: The Vintage Shop: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. WEIMAR: Main Package Store: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. EAGLE LAKE: Liquor Barn: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Stock up early ▪ NYE, 7 ▪ FREY, 7 Sid ney aboard LCIR 1069.
10. America’s Page One IMPACT Navarro will hold its inaugural “Battle of the Businesses” on June 25 at the IOOF Park. There will be opportunities for team build- ing, company pride and deep- ening friendships through 3 vs. 3 basketball, tug of war (rope pulling), bean bag toss- ing, scavenger hunt, sack races, push-up contests, wheelchair races, and egg tossing. “The overall organization winner will have its identity Mary’s Journey to the Cure Benefit for Barham scheduled June 4 at American Legion Passing out smiles and cheerful encouragement along with prescriptions, Mary Barham has worked as a phar- macy clerk at Brookshire’s Pharmacy for the last eight years. Regular customers loved it when Mary was there, and co-workers did too, because Mary knew what she was doing and things ran smoothly. Around the end of March, she began to feel bad, and thinking she might have bron- chitis, went to the hospital, where they kept her over the weekend, said her younger sis- ter, Rita Dickinson. “It was lung cancer,” Rita Turn out the lights Derrick Days over ‘til 2017 The Derrick Days 2016 Committee met at The Moontower Tuesday for its final meeting, to discuss what worked and what didn’t over lunch and enjoy some fellowship. President Brad Haynie led the meeting, and the first thing that was mentioned was prioritizing trash pickup around restaurants for next year. The team from the Parks and Recreation Department made up of Sharla Allen, Jeff Whitehead and Darrell O’Sullivan said their Spike-Out volleyball tournament was considered successful. “We liked our location, the only thing we needed was more bleachers, and we have more, we’ll bring them next year,” O’Sullivan said. “We will do something fun and exciting next year,” Allen hinted. “It may not be that, but it will be exciting.” One recurring theme with most committee members seemed to be a shortage of porta- potties, and/or placement thereof. “The Gospel Stage went really well, and people were still talk- ing about it a week later,” said Margaret Evans, assistant pastor with Single Believers Ministries. Wrenda Freeman with the Main Street Program reported there had been talk of next year putting all the food vendors in one long row all the way down See DERRICK, Page 14 See BENEFIT, Page 3 Battle of the businesses Event to raise funds for IMPACT Navarro See BATTLE, Page 5 Mary Barham, who has worked at Brookshireʼs Pharmacy for eight years, was recently diag- nosed with can- cer in her lungs, liver and bones. Mary is fighting valiantly, taking two kinds of chemo simultane- ously, and will also need radia- tion. A benefit will be held for Mary beginning at noon Saturday, June 4 at the American Legion. A live auction will start at 6 p.m. Courtesy photo By Deanna Kirk Daily Sun By Deanna Kirk Daily Sun By Deanna Kirk Daily Sun 1 The Surface Transportation Board is the regulatory authority on the matter. 2 Eminent Domain is a priority for both sides. 3 It is the first project of its kind in the U.S. 4 Texas Central claims the project will bring economic benefits. 5 Neither side is estimating a majority of travelers will opt to travel via the High-Speed Rail. Index • Classifieds Pages 11-12 • Lifestyles Page 6-7 • Local Beat Page 2 • Opinion Page 4 • Sports Pages 9-10 • Weather Page 2 GUEST COMMENTARY East Texans Say ʻNOʼ to Federal Government's Invasion of Texas Property Rights. Page 4 Thought for the Day >> “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” – Joseph Campbell Closed Memorial Day The Daily Sun offices will be closed Monday, May 30 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Corsicana Daily Sun corsicanadailysun.com May 28, 2016 $1.50 Weekend GC Baseball: Mildred dominates 18-3A team Page 9 Benefit for Mary American Legion, 632 N. Beaton St. Saturday, June 4 Noon, brisket dinner 3 p.m. games 6 p.m. live auction raffle tickets sold all day www.gofundme.com/26mcv7us By Jennifer Miller Daily Sun The debate over the Texas High Speed Rail continued last week with a 3,115 page filing by Texans Against High Speed Rail with the Surface Transportation Board on May 19. It contains 1,500 verified statements from landowners in more than 15 counties who are against Texas Central’s April 19 Petition for Exemption and Petition for Clarification, also filed with the Surface Transportation Board. Kyle Workman, president of Texans Against High- Speed Rail was the featured speaker at the May 19 Navarro County Board of Realtors INSIDE “It’s foolish to think these guys are not going to use our land as collateral...” — Kyle Workman, president of Texans Against High-Speed Rail See DEBATE, Page 8 Courtesy image Daily Sun graphic/ Michael Kormos Courtesy image 500 years of service Retired and still active law enforcement officers meet for breakfast the third Thursday of the month at Across the Street Diner for fellowship and laughs. The combined total of serv- ice years at the table May 19 was over 500 years. Courtesy photo CDS_05-28-16_A1,3-5,8,14:Layout 1 5/27/16 2:40 PM Page 1
11. America’s Page One SECTIONS A - Front B - Sports C - Lifestyles D - Community E/F - Real Estate/Classifieds G - IT’S ON! Entertainment fredericksburgstandard.com TO SUBSCRIBE Get daily update email newsletter by sending request to: fbgnews@fredericksburgstandard.com Call 830-997-2155 facebook.com/fredericksburgstandard @fbgstandard INSIDE WEATHER Radio Post Fredericksburg Standard CRIME $1 2 MAGAZINES INSIDE Wine and lifestyle magazine of the Texas Hill Country ROCK Vine & Wine and lifestyle magazine of the Texas Hill Country ALL IN THE FAMILY The oldest winery on the Highway 290 corridor is also one of its top draws Whistle Pik’s artists draw from global inspiration FEBRUARY 2014 FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS Fischer & Wieser promote Fredericksburg Flavors. Local food and Texas wines on the menu at Cabernet Grill ROCK Vine & Wine and lifestyle magazine of the Texas Hill Country Three people accused of dealing methamphetamine in Fredericksburg were arrested this week by offi- cers working together from the Fredericksburg Police Department and the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office. Just under 10 grams of meth packaged for delivery were dis- covered during the execution of a search warrant by officers around midnight on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 21 Linda Drive, Apartment 4, off U.S. Highway 87, north of Fredericksburg, according Detective Terry Weed of the Fredericksburg Police Department (FPD.) Oscar Ramirez, 26, who reportedly lives at that sin- gle-bedroom apartment, was arrested earlier in the day on a Cont. on A12
12. America’s Page One 75¢ American Legion awards Page 12 Obituaries Page 4-5 Dru Williams John Yates Daniel McInnis Jewel Sellers Helping Hands needs help Page 3B H N amilton Herald- ews 143nd Year Volume Twenty-Six Thursday, June 28, 2018 75 Cents By Maria Weaver Hamilton’s lawmen will face off July 7 on the square for a bragging- rights battle. “I’ve been honing my skills,” said Sheriff Justin Caraway. “I’m ready to put the hurt on Isaac and Keith. They better bring tissues, be- cause there will be crying.” “Aw, I’m just gonna let him win,” said Police Chief Keith Madison. “That’s how I do all my children.” “I’m just gonna say good luck,” said deputy district clerk and re- serve officer Isaac Partain, “because they are both going to need it.” All seriousness aside, only one will be crowned Watermelon King of Hamilton County at Hamilton’s Independence Day/Junkin’ Journey celebration July 7. The event will include 281 Junkin’ Journey vendors, face painting, bal- loon twisting, children’s train rides, inflatables and free hot dogs. Vendors will be set up 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The watermelon contest will be at 10 a.m., and other activities will begin at 10:30 a.m. Brookshires donated the hot dogs, which will be served by Hamilton Police Department and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Uncle Sam will be there, and there will be fireworks launched from Pecan Creek Park’s amphitheater af- ter sunset, pending burn ban status. Free vendor spaces are avail- able. Call Hamilton Chamber of Commerce at 254-386-3216 or email hamiltonchambertx@gmail for more information. Lawmen to battle at Junkin’ Journey Hollingsworth announces for sheriff Editor’s note- Hamilton Herald-News allows office- seekers to announce their candidacy, and following is the announcement of Billy Joe Hollingsworth. My name is Billy Joe Hollingsworth Jr., a regis- tered Republican running for the office of Hamilton County Sheriff in 2020. I am a strong supporter of the Constitution of the United States and each amendment, particularly the first and sec- ond. I can and will make Hamilton County a safer and better place for all of us to live. When I say Hamilton County I mean every per- son in the City of Hamilton, Hico and every community throughout the county re- gardless of gender, ethnicity, political or religious affilia- tion. All people. I will always treat you with respect and dignity. I will treat every person the way I would treat my own family and extended family. I always try to see the good in people and not the bad until circumstances warrant it. My younger years were spent in Fairy, attending ele- mentary school and attending Hamilton High School dur- ing 1973-74. At that time, my grandparents, Raymond and Una Mae Perry, also lived in Hamilton County. In 1974, I moved to Dallas and in 1976 married Tammy K. Mosley and we moved back to Cranfills Gap to work for my grandmother in her See Page 5 smack-down smack-down Ban won’t stop fireworks That’s the question all over town this week as repairs to the Hamilton Municipal Pool pump continue to stall the opening originally set for the day after school was out. And City Administrator Pete Kampfer is as anxious as anyone to get it open. The pool actually was set to open on time, Kampfer said, and then they threw the switch, and nothing hap- pened. Since the pool is so old, the part had to be built, then put into the pump and then installed. Kampfer was hop- ing all this would happen on Tuesday. Actually, he was hoping it would happen last Friday, and the Friday before that, and… “As soon as the pump comes in and we know it will run, we will fill it up and get it going as quickly as possible,” he said. “I know, I’ve been saying that for three weeks, but maybe today it will come. “As soon as it is going, we will get the chemicals going and let the kids in as soon as possible.” It takes 24 hours to fill the pool, so he estimates it will be open by Friday and hopes it will be ready way before then, like, Thursday. By Maria Weaver Hamilton County com- missioners Tuesday morning put a burn ban in effect, but it does not affect fireworks. “We’ve batted this around for months,” said Judge Mark Tynes. “We would all vote in favor except for events on the 4th in precinct 3 and the 7th in precinct 2.” The court discussed sev- eral options of exempting the two events, but Commis- sioner Dickie Clary said he had researched it, and burn ban statutes do not mention fireworks. The court authorized the burn ban for 90 days with a caveat for fireworks and household garbage burned in screen-covered barrels. The county judge has au- thority to lift the ban, and Tynes said he will use that authority, as he predicts three to four inches of rain in the near future. Commissioners also be- gan discussion of subdivision rules for the county. In the comments portion of the meeting, Richard Layne encouraged the court to lean toward “making the hurdles higher so we don’t end up with a bunch of junk trailers and such.” “Some subdividers do well with homeowners asso- ciations and such, but I sug- gest your guidelines be held among higher standards,” he said. Clary said a developer in the county plans to bring his 800-acre subdivision request to the court in a few weeks. Clary said the court should review the current rules and seek advice regarding amend- ments before the issue is pre- sented. No action was taken. The court approved use of courthouse property for a July 4 reading of the Declara- tion of Independence and for placement of decorated hay bales as a fund-raiser for the Hamilton Public Library.. In other business, the court approved the consent agenda including payment of bills totaling $75,156.63 and dis- cussed future agenda items and held a budget workshop. Dove Festival parade Sept. 1 The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce invites everyone to the 47th Annual Hamilton County Dove Festival Parade Saturday, Sept. 1, at 10 a.m. The chamber’s board of directors voted to move the parade back to Labor Day Weekend but keep the fes- tival the fourth Saturday in See Page 5 Is there room in your heart and home for me? I am Happy, and I am at the Hamilton Shelter, looking for my forever home. I will be at the Clear The Shelter adoption event Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the courthouse square. The free adoption event sponsored by Hamilton Police Department and staffed by Hamilton 4H. The city will waive fees, but a $12 rabies vaccination is required. L & L Veterinary Clinic is discounting spay/neuter in June for me and my pals at the shelter. Can I go home with you? So… when can we swim? can I go home with you? HOLLINGSWORTH Yard of the month program begins Page2 Hamilton Herald-News will be closed July 4, but papers will still be delivered to local businesses that are open Hamilton Herald-News will be closed July 4, but papers will still be delivered to local businesses that are open
13. America’s Page One 10 Pages aPRIL 19, 2019 VoLume 83 NumbeR 22 About you and the people you know HE IS RISEN $1 Photos by Steve Snyder Photo by Steve Snyder Muenster could get more windmills in south area By Steve Snyder Editor The Muenster area could get another wind farm in the future, with the first financial step toward that possibility happening April 8. A proposed tax abatement reinvestment zone for the proposed Wildcat Farm drew plenty of discussion in the Cooke County Commissioners Court April 8. The wind farm would go into Cooke County Precinct 3 if built, but opponents of the abatement cited what they saw as downsides of wind farms north of Muenster. The reinvestment zone would be about 40,000 acres. The site would have 50 or so windmills and generate 18 megawatts of electricity, according to Josh Coon, a project manager for EDP Renewables, the company that would build the wind farm if it decides on that. The reinvestment area is roughly centered on FM 1630 and is mainly south of U.S. 82. It extends to FM 373 on the west and County Road 323 on the east. It would be mainly southeast of Muenster but part of it is due south. The matter was discussed briefly at the April 10 Muenster ISD board meeting. “They’re predicting $130 million of investment,” Superintendent Steven Self said. About 25 percent of it would be in Muenster ISD, said Board President Mel Walterscheid. The Cooke County Commissioners Court had a public hearing at the meeting before voting on the reinvestment zone. Daniel Klement, who was raised in the area, said he supported the abatement for energy-generating windmills. “I would rather live among windmills than another subdivision,” he said. Mary Klement spoke next. “There’s not enough water there for more subdivisions. And I don’t care if the value of the land decreases,” she said, saying that could help farmers. Speakers who opposed the abatement raised that issue. “Since the Wolf Ridge Wind Farm went up in Muenster, a … 25-50 percent reduction in property values … has been proven,” said a representative of Mossy Oak Properties. He also spoke about changed site lines. “I can see all the red lights at night and that’s 15 miles away,” he said. He concluded by saying that a small portion of the landholder’s land would be rezoned and lose agricultural zoning. Another speaker, a Ms. Carlson, noted that school districts would be hurt. She also attacked claims of job creation. “The majority of wind company employees are non- local … skilled labor,” she said. “I want a fair hearing,” said Joe Knight. “I want to be sure all conflict of interest will be removed,” he added, noting that Daniel and Mary Klement were the parents of Precinct 3 County Commissioner John Klement. County Judge Jason Brinkley promised any conflicts of interest in the issues would be fully addressed. Joe Molina, a representative of the wind farm company’s property tax consultant, spoke next, saying he wanted to address some issues raised by opponents. “You will have a spike in revenues. You will have a small amount of land rezoned,” he said. He then talked further about tax issues. “You will also have franchise and use taxes,” he said. Byron Berry, an attorney representing property rights issues, spoke next. “I think we’re on the tail end of the wind industry,” he said. He elaborated that he expected solar efficiency to increase and prices to drop below wind. He also referenced Muenster, saying much of Muenster ISD’s current property tax revenue was based on wind farms. “Then, we’ll be stuck with pad sites and none of these people are going to tear them up later,” he said. “I don’t think anybody in Cooke County is going to like what this looks like in 20 years. It’s going to be a bad sight from I-35.” The hearing lasted approximately 20 minutes. Commissioners then went to the deliberation on the item itself, which had company representatives speak about it. Josh Coon of EPR spoke next. “Right now, we’re applying for the reinvestment zone,” he said. “The abatement itself would come later. Brinkley stressed this in a comment to the public. Coon said that it was a SEE WIND, pg. 3 In the photo above, some of the nearly 30 preschoolers at Dynamite Daycare hit the street April 11 to trike for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. In the photo at right, Muenster Police Officer Laura Brackeen gives the kids a safety lesson in advance. Daycare trikes for St. Jude’s By Steve Snyder Editor Muenster preschoolers hit their tricycles and Big Wheels for a good cause recently. Children enrolled at Dynamite Daycare pedaled away April 11 as local participants in the St. Jude Trike-A-Thon. Dynamite’s owner, DeeDee Dangelmayr, said that St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital had reached out to her to ask about having Dynamite involved in the event. She gladly agreed, and a first-time event was launched. She said that the basics of how it worked was for parents to donate money for St. Jude’s in order for their children to ride. “We raised almost $1,000,” she said. St. Jude’s sent her a complete packet about the Trike-A-Thon. Each participating school or child care facility sets up a site on the webpage for the event, stjude.org/trike. The hospital has letters to send home to parents. For kids, the website helps day care owners and managers like Dangelmayr and school teachers explain tricycle safety. It also has stickers and coloring books for the kids. Muenster Police Officer Laura Brackeen had additional goodies to hand out when she gave a brief safety presentation before the start of the riding. “You have to stay right where your momma and daddy say,” she said. The St. Jude’s coloring books are about more than just crayons, though. They’re about educating children about St. Jude’s. That’s because the event is not just to raise money for St. Jude’s but to raise awareness about it. “We told our kids about what they do,” Dangelmayr said. Nationwide, the hospital has been conducting the Trike-A-Thon for 36 years. It has raised more than $131 million during that time. The introductory packet explains what different donation levels will do for the work at St. Jude’s. The hospital says that, in part due to these donations, treatments invented at St Jude’s have raised the childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent 50 years ago to more than 80 percent today. St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital is located in Memphis, Tennessee. It has eight affiliate clinics, including one in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The hospital was founded in 1962 by actor and comedian Danny Thomas after making a prayer and vow to St. Jude, commonly known as the patron saint of lost causes, asking for help with his career. After he achieved career success, he started the hospital in fulfillment of the vow. The hospital today treats children from across the United States and around the world. SEE COUNTY, pg.3 Board OKs new stadium lights, full project funding By Steve Snyder Editor The Muenster ISD Board of Trustees had two new football stadium related action items on its April 10 agenda. The board first approved a proposal from Addall Electric for replacing lighting at the Muenster football stadium, for $55,000. “You remember that we have 12-13,000 candlepower and we’re supposed to have 30,000,” said President Mel Walterscheid. “And this is all bond money (to fund this).” “This is also a safety issue,” said Superintendent Steven Self. The proposal would replace the current 32 lights, eight on each pole, with 40, 10 on each pole. The company will test the lighting level of the whole system after it is installed. The lights have a five-year warranty. “TXU will provide $6,000 for the project. Oncor has not yet made a commitment,” Self said, as for possible additional funding help. In another stadium- related item, Self said the district’s attorneys had reviewed it contract with Symmetry Turf. He said no action was needed by the board. The board then approved a budget amendment to move $900,000, part of it from district reserves, for funding the agreement with Symmetry to oversee the work on the stadium improvements, and the improvements themselves. “The budget amendment was to move funds from surplus in the budget to Function 36 which is extracurricular activities. Back in June of 2018, when the budget was approved, we did not anticipate the turf project. It’s basically a bookkeeping matter,” Self said. In a progress report update on work at the stadium, Self said the current portion of work on replacing the grass at the football field with turf was on schedule and would be done by the second week of May. In other action items, the board first adopted a statement of impact about a proposed expansion of Brazos River Charter School in Denton. The statement of impact urged state Education Commissioner Mike Morath to oppose the expansion, on the grounds that expansions of charter schools in general impacts public schools by reducing funds for public school districts. The board then approved a $2,000 policy review session with the Texas Association of School Boards. The agency’s review is designed to make sure the district’s policy manual has any inconsistencies removed from it, is made more clear and makes it easier to do new updates. TASB will send the district a questionnaire. After it is done, TASB will send a consultant to meet with district administrators and to hold a workshop with the board if desired. Finally, the board approved teacher and staff contracts it had on the agenda. There were no non- renewed contracts and no resignations, Self said. Leon and John Klement discuss county right of way issues with Judge Jason Brinkley. County wrangles about subdivision and right-of-way regulatory standards By Steve Snyder Editor The Cooke County Commissioners Court had several smaller items on its April 8 agenda besides a wind farm reinvestment zone. County road right- of-way issues, raised by Commissioner John Klement, drew extensive discussion. Commissioners disagreed somewhat within themselves about how specific to be on new development standards and how firm to be about them. “The first is mailboxes,” Klement said. He presented details from the Texas Department of Transportation about suggested standards on rural mailboxes, including no brick mailboxes. “They’re a safety hazard on a road with a speed limit more than 40 mph,” he said. He then went to concrete driveways that cover bar ditch areas in concrete. “If we have to cut out a
14. America’s Page One Murphy Monitor How to reach us: 972-442-5515 phone news@murphymonitor.com Murphy Monitor (USPS 023329) is published each Thursday at 110 N. Ballard, Wylie, 75098. Second Class Postage paid at Wylie, 75098. Send address changes P.O. Box 369, Wylie, TX 75098- 0369. 75098. Published by C&S Media, Inc. © Copyright 2019. No reproduction with- out permission. The official newspaper of the city of Murphy © Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved. Volume 15 Issue 11 Murphy, Texas • Thursday, March 28, 2019 • C&S Media Publications • 4 Sections, 26 Pages $1.00 Classifieds................ 4C Life.&.Style............. 1C Obituaries................ 2C Opinion.................... 5A Sports....................... 1B InsIde thIs Issue NEWS YOU NEED Spring haS Sprung! See home & garden Section in Life & StyLe Lake Lavon LeveLS Normal 492 492.46 ft. as of 3/25/18 Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers UPCOMING CALENDAR Saturday, March 30, 9 a.m. - Travis Estates Street Project construction ground- breaking. Parking at Travis Farms Park. Tuesday, April 2, 6 p.m. - Murphy City Council meeting at City Hall. By Wyndi Veigel Staff Writer news@murphymonitor.com Loss of life, trauma, physi- cal and emotional damage are just a few of the potential re- alities that could happen as a result of drinking and driving. Students at McMillen High School in Murphy were ex- posed to these realities thanks to Shattered Dreams. The program, which was held Thursday, March 21, involves an accident reenact- ment, guest speakers and a coordination effort between Murphy Police Department and Murphy Fire-Rescue, along with Medical City of Plano, Wylie Auto Towing, CareFlite air ambulance and Aria Funeral Home. “The Shattered Dreams program is a program that I saw as a senior in high school and remember the impact it See PROGRAM page 6A From Staff Reports news@murphymonitor.com Murphy Chamber of Commerce invites area residents to come out this Saturday, March 30, and take part in the activities on tap for the ninth annual Spring Fever. The community event will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the Lowe’s parking lot at FM 544 and Murphy Road. “This is an event you won’t want to miss. It has something for the whole family,” Chamber Execu- tive Director Juli Richards said. Opening the event is Murphy Mayor Scott Bradley who will offer some brief remarks prior to a singing of the national anthem. Featured this year are 75 booths for businesses, arts and crafts and food ven- dors, live music, a petting zoo, a variety of children’s activities, a game truck and a custom and classic car show. “You can even get ad- vice from the ‘Old Coots’ when you visit their booth,” Richards said. Musical entertainment includes Boggess Elemen- tary School, Murphy Mid- dle School and the Tantric Saints band. Murphy Chamber Scholarship Foundation, which awards college scholarships to senior stu- dents from Murphy and to teachers, will offer a golf ladder game as a fund- raiser. Spring Fever title spon- sor is Republic Services, and car show sponsor is Methodist Richardson. By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@murphymonitor.com Murphy City Council candi- date Elizabeth Abraham, Place 1, cites her service on city boards for preparing her to step up to elective office this spring. Abraham faces one opponent in the May 4 election, for a seat held by Owais Siddiqui, who opted to not seek another term. “Having been able to serve on Murphy’s Planning and Zon- ing Commission and the Board of Adjustment have equipped me with the knowledge and pro- tocols required of a city coun- cil position,” Abraham said. “I look forward to serving all the citizens of Murphy and provid- ing a voice on the council to those who would like me to rep- resent them.” The candidate is a graduate of L.V. Berkner High School in Richardson and earned a Bach- elor’s Degree at Southern Meth- odist University. For the past 18 years, she has worked in various See PLANS page 3A By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@murphymonitor.com Murphy City Council just said yes last week in approving a sub- division plat, new business loca- tions and designs for a park and roadway median landscaping. The council, however, de- layed a decision on whether to designate city ponds as catch and release fishing that would remove the ponds from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department regulations. First approval, given after a public hearing, was to change zoning at 610 E. FM 544 from single family residential to planned development to allow the construction of a facility for Service First Automotive Center. The 2.95-acre property is on the west side of E. FM 544 be- tween McCreary Road and N. Maxwell Creek Road and con- tains a residence at the back of the tract. First Service proposes building a 10,250 square foot, brick and stone automotive cen- ter, and will allow the resident of the house to remain there as long as he is able. Karen Mitchell of Service First told the council that the business is headquartered in Houston and is expanding with 30 new locations in the Dallas- Fort Worth area. The business performs minor repairs, oil changes, front-end alignments and safety inspections. The facility will include an in- door child play area and coffee bar among its amenities. A concern expressed by Keith Hauk, who lives behind the site, is stormwater runoff. The site is partly in a flood plain and re- quires backfill to raise the build- ing out of the flood plain. He also pointed out that the site is one of three contiguous parcels in the area and would prefer those to be developed at the same time with a coordinated design. Council members also ex- pressed concerns about whether raising the ground level out of the flood plain would contribute to flooding of nearby properties and would like to see the three tracts developed simultaneously, but that is out of the council’s control. Councilmember Chris George pointed out that the business has asked for no zoning or design variances and that it is taking care of the resident living in a house on the back of the property, two points in favor of Service First. The council unanimously ap- proved the zoning change. Approval of site and land- scape plans for IndoPak Super- market to build a 17,530 square feet store at on 2.358 acres at 420 Village Drive off W. FM 544 was approved unanimously. The supermarket, with sev- eral locations in the area, stocks See ZONING page 6A Place 7 council candidate brings board experience Site, landscape plans for supermarket OK’d Students witness ‘A Shattered Dream’ 9th Spring Fever opens Saturday Game on! Maddie Smith/Murphy Monitor Mother and son duo, Amanda and Parker Webster, play checkers at the Mother & Son Extravaganza March 23 at the Murphy Community Center. The event featuring games and food focused on mothers and sons celebrating super heroes. Register to vote by April 4 Collin County residents plan- ning to vote in the May 4 elec- tion need to register by Thurs- day, April 4. Voter registration applica- tions can be picked up from the county Voter Registrar’s Office or many libraries, high schools or government offices. You can also print one online at sos.state. tx.us and mail it into the Voter Registrar’s Office. Let the summer fun be- gin! Kids Summer Guide Inside this issue. Wyndi Veigel/Murphy Monitor Layla Bensellam is administered a field sobriety test by State Trooper after being involved in a head-on collision near McMillen High School. In the background, Murphy Fire Rescue extricates students who were killed in the crash. Editor’s note: Shattered Dreams is a reenactment exercise and no one was injured, killed or arrested.
15. America’s Page One On Thursday, family, friends and former play- ers gathered together to remember the life of for- mer Taylor football coach Eddy Spiller. Spiller passed away Tuesday, Nov. 27, at the age of 75. He was born Oct. 11, 1943, in Texas City, as the youngest of three boys to parents Travis and Ivy Spiller. He attended Bronte High During the Thanksgiving weekend, several people in Taylor went without power for a bit. Prior to that, others had flickering lights and out- ages that didn’t last long. “Our power went out Thanksgiving day, Friday night and Saturday morning. We live on Crystal Circle and it seems like we are the last to get power restored,” said John Estes. “It seems like we lose power weekly,” said Dan Finck. “It flickers a lot as well. It’s messed up our ther- mostat and we lost breast milk and lots of food in our deep freezer because of it.” Oncor, electric delivery in Taylor, provided some answers as to why people may have had trouble over the last few weeks. “Three of [the recent out- ages] were related to trees interfering with power lines,” Eddie Ferguson, area man- ager said. “We’re well aware of it and our engineers are drawing up projects of what we need to do to improve service.” Ferguson said Oncor was aware of the outages and service technicians were out working to fix the problems. Technicians temporarily trimmed trees to clear the problem to get the lights back on. Another outage was caused by a squirrel on a transformer. The fifth outage was caused by a construction truck hitting a power line. Ferguson said to improve the service Oncor has several options, such as installing more fuses along the lines. “If we have an outage at one location, it won’t affect the whole neighborhood,” he said. “We’re also going to replace some of the transform- ers with a different type that can withstand the interference [from trees] a little better.” He said over the next few days Oncor technicians will be working in Taylor to improve service. According to Ferguson, the work should not effect customers power. If someone needs to have their power disconnected, they will be notified. While Oncor has identified some of the recent outage problems, residents also dealt with flickering lights or short outages that last only a few minutes on multiple occa- sions. Next weekend, you do not want to miss the annual tell- ing of the Christmas story when Immanuel Lutheran Church, 411 CR 401, hosts a Pilgrimage to Bethlehem. On Dec. 8 and 9 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., take a walk and see the recreation of when Jesus was born. The story begins in the city of Nazareth where the angel Gabriel came to Mary and Joseph to tell them they were going to have a son. Then, the story moves into the city of Bethlehem, and the set features inns and a marketplace. The final scene, the birth of Christ, is at the manger and includes shepherds, wisemen and angels. More than 100 actors and actresses participate and help make the production a success. Music is incorpo- rated into the tour, which begins at the front of the church and moves into the village and back outside. As people arrive, they will go into the church and sing Christmas songs along with the choir. Groups of 20-25 are called every 20 minutes for a tour to begin. A guide will lead the groups through the scenes. Along with the recreation of the Christmas story, the event is also a food drive for Shepherd’s Heart and Hutto food pantries. The church is collecting monetary dona- tions and non-perishable food items. The largest selection of fashion frames in Williamson County Taylor 601 Mallard • 512-352-3016 Round Rock 2120 Round Rock Ave. • 512-388-1333 www.TaylorPress.net SERVING EASTERN WILLIAMSON COUNTY SINCE 1913 vol. 105 issue 96 $1.00 SUNDAY • DEC. 2, 2018 PRESS TAYLOR Oncor explains recent outages See COACH • page 3 See OUTAGES • page 3 PILGRIMAGE TO BETHLEHEM WHEN: DEC. 8-9 TIME: 5:30 TO 8:30 P.M. WHERE: IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, 411 CR 401 IN TAYLOR FIVE DAY FORECAST Precip Low Hi SUN 0% 47° 75° MON 0% 35° 59° TUE 0% 34° 54° WED 0% 44° 57° THU 30% 54° 64° This is your LAST CHANCE!! to vote for your favorite businesses to win a Readers’ Choice Award! Ballot is on page 2! Elizabeth Matthews says there are only 23 days left until Christmas. JASON HENNINGTON news@taylorpress.net On Thursday, residents in Hutto watched social media as a police responded to a call with guns drawn followed by an arrival by SWAT. The original post on Facebook, which showed officers near Carl Stern Dr. in Hutto, was removed. “We had an emotionally disturbed person expressing suicidal ideations,” said Eliska Padilla, Hutto public informa- tion officer. “When the call came across the lines, SWAT was in the area and did come to the scene.” Padilla said the issue was resolved peacefully before SWAT arrived and no one was injured. She said the scene was cleared within half an hour. The General Election may be over but folks in Taylor have one more ballot to fill out. Or four of them. Our annual Readers’ Choice is drawing to a close but we can’t finish it until you do. Turn to page two to see the ballot. It lists the top three finalists as chosen by our readers for a whole slew of entries … from best baked potato to nail salon tech. Taylor Press staffers tabu- lated nearly 500 ballots and determined the top three (or two, or four) in each of more than 100 categories. The resulting ballot is on the next page of this paper. It is also on our website. Readers are encouraged to cast votes either way. In fact, unlike the General Election, readers may vote up to four times — twice on paper and twice online! The deadline to cast a ballot is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5. Santa Claus has started making his list as Christmas fast approaches. As always, the Taylor Press has agreed to help the Jolly Ol’ Gent with his mail needs. We will be collecting children’s let- ters to Santa in the decorated box inside our office during normal business hours, 211 W. Third St. until Monday, Dec. 17. They will be in the Christmas edition of the paper, but will be delivered to the North Pole. SANTA’S MAIL BOX IS OPEN! Hutto PD call causes local social media stir Select your winners by Wednesday Live nativity scene next weekend JASON HENNINGTON news@taylorpress.net JASON HENNINGTON news@taylorpress.net Santa Claus has started making his list as Christmas fast approaches. As always, the Taylor Press has agreed to help the Jolly Ol’ Gent with his mail needs. Photo by Jason Hennington Take a walk during the Pilgrimage to Bethlehem, Dec. 8 and 9 beginning at 5:30 p.m. At Immanuel Lutheran Church. Tours were held every 20 minutes and follow Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. File photo by Jason Hennington PLAYERS, FRIENDS REFLECT ON THE LOSS OF LOCAL COACH JASON HENNINGTON news@taylorpress.net See POLICE • page 3
16. America’s Page One Volume 29, Number 01 Published Weekly Copyright 2018, The Community News J a n u a r y 4 - 1 0 , 2 0 1 9 · w w w . c o m m u n i t y - n e w s . c o m · 7 5 c e n t s THE COMMUNITY NEWS Serving the Greater Aledo Area: Aledo · the Annettas · Hudson Oaks · Willow Park, Texas TEXAS Sized Customer Service! Local Decisions! Wishing you a happy and prosperous new year! Looking Back The Year in review
17. America’s Page One Vol. 149; No. 207 Copyright 2019 The Paris News $1.50 Sunday March 10, 2018 WWW.THEPARISNEWS.COM FOLLOW US theparisnews.com Daily Briefing ......................... A2 Classifieds ........................... B4-6 Local .................................A5, A7 Obituaries .............................. A3 Sports ................................. A8-9 Voices .................................... A4 INDEX Monday Chance of showers, high near 57. Winds up to 10 mph. High 56 Low 48 Today Winds 5-10 mph National weather Page 2 FORECAST THE HISTO RIC BUSINE SS T EXAS TREAS URE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION P ris News rack $1.50; subscription 50¢ TPN Volume 149, No. 207 SCAN THE CODE OR GO TO THEPARISNEWS .COM FOR THE VIDEO By Tommy Culkin tommy.culkin@theparisnews.com Nearly half of all Lamar County house- holds struggled to make ends meet in 2016, according to a recently released report from The United Way. The study aimed to assess the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed population of Texas. It defined these households as those earning more than the federal poverty line but less than the area’s basic cost of living. By The Numbers In 2016, 20 percent of Lamar County house- holds were below the poverty line and 25 percent more were ALICE while the remaining 55 per- cent were classified as stable, the data shows. Lamar County’s median household income was $40,283, compared to the state median of $56,565, and the county’s 7 percent unemploy- ment rate was much higher than the state’s aver- age of 5 percent. The poverty also was higher here, 20 percent compared to the state’s 14 per- cent average, according to the report. Although the report found 58 percent of Texans were stable, it also found 28 percent were ALICE. “We all know ALICE,” United Way Executive Director Jenny Wilson said. “We see her every day. She is our friend. She goes to church with us; her kids go to the same schools. That’s why I think saying ALICE is so important. It human- izes the problem.” In a breakdown of local cities, Roxton was found to have the highest percentage of strug- gling households, with 59 percent being below the poverty line or ALICE. Forty-nine percent of Paris households were ALICE or below the poverty line, with Deport coming in at 45 percent, Blossom at 41 percent, Sumner at 38 SURVIVAL $1,616/month HOUSEHOLD INCOME LAMAR COUNTY Stable/Surviving ALICE 20% 25% 55% Poverty (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) TEXAS Stable/Surviving ALICE 14% 28% 58% Poverty MINIMUM BUDGET SINGLE One adult living alone HOUSEHOLD Two adults and two school-aged children $589 $547 $322 $158 STABILITY $19,392/year SURVIVAL $4,031/month STABILITY $52,403/year $2,198 $664 $525 $644 Other expenses Transportation Food Housing SOURCE: The United Way of Lamar County Mardi Gras event breaks record By Tommy Culkin tommy.culkin@theparisnews.com More than 400 people joined together Friday evening at Love Civic Center to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the area’s needy. The Lamar County Human Resources Council’s annual Mardi Gras offered a night of music, food, laughter and fel- lowship. Executive Director Shelly Braziel said there were about 100 more attendees than last year’s festival, and they were all part of what possibly is the largest turnout the event has ever seen. “We go back and forth. Some years we’ll sell out and some years we’ll have a couple tables left open, but this year we sold out, added additional tables, and then sold out of those, too,” she said. With so many in attendance, the Mardi Gras celebration brought in more funds than ever before. Funds raised typ- ically range from $40,000 to $65,000, but this year, Braziel said, they raised roughly $83,000, exceeding the previ- ous record of about $68,000 The night also featured 12 more sponsors and underwrit- ers than last year, making it the most in the event’s history, too. Not failing the record-set- ting trend, Braziel said the funds raised through the live auction, totaling $36,500, is the most ever raised — and that’s See MARDI, pg. A5 Financial fight United Way report shows low-income struggle to get by See REPORT, pg. A5 By Aliyya Swaby The Texas Tribune On the night of the deadline to file bills this legislative session, Texas Senate lead- ers turned in their first crack at legislation designed to reform school finance — round- ing out a series of proposals in the upper chamber aiming to address rising property EMREE WEAVER/The Texas Tribune State Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, is the author of the Senate’s school finance bill. Texas Senate unveils its school finance reform bill By Annabelle Smallwood Special to The Paris News Jackie Robinson had a dream for years — she want- ed a quilt show right here in Paris. There was never a more ideal time, however, until after she joined the Red River Valley Quilt Guild. Robinson had some hesita- tion at first when her friends See SENATE, pg. A7 Submitted Photo The Last Supper Quilt, which took Dr. Donald Locke more than two years to complete, will be on display during the Red River Valley Quilt Guild’s Eiffel in Love with Quilts show in May. Guild to host Eiffel in Love with Quilts Raffle will raise funds for local nonprofits ROBINSON See GUILD, pg. A5 Paris News stock photo LORA ARNOLD/The Paris News A group of women gather for a photo during Mardi Gras on Friday at the Love Civic Center.
18. America’s Page One VOLUME 140 - NO. 7 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2019 DECATUR, TEXAS 24 PAGES IN 2 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS $1 Wise County Messenger P.O. Box 149 • 115 South Trinity Decatur, Texas 76234 www.wcmessenger.com Scan this QR code with your smartphone to go to our website. ON THE WEB ... BI-DISTRICT CHAMPS Decatur and Bridgeport girls won bi-district basketball titles this week. There’s a chance they could meet again in the playoffs. See page 1B. 5Things toKnow See page 4A See page 8A $13,000 OFF MSRP ON SELECT NEW 2018 SIERRA 1500s US287SOUTH ✯ DECATUR JamesWoodDecatur.com 940-627-21 77 EXAMPLE: Stock #:182698. MSRP: $65,020. James Wood Discount: $6,750. James Wood Flex Cash: $2,000. Purchase Bonus Cash: $2,250. Customer Cash: $2,000. Sale Price: $52,020 Plus Tax, Title & Licence. Must Take Delivery by 2/28/2019. SEE DEALER FOR COMPLETE DETAILS. Conditional Specials: When You Finance Through GM Financial: $1,000. Must Take Delivery By 2/28/2019. +1,000 WHEN YOU FINANCE THROUGH GM FINANCIAL Children found locked in dog kennel NEWARK ‘Just horrendous’ BY BRIAN KNOX bknox@wcmessenger.com Four children discov- ered living in what Sher- iff Lane Akin described as “horrendous” conditions T u e s d a y near New- ark were doing well in foster care later in the week. It’s a far cry from what offi - cers saw when they e n t e r e d the metal shop in the 100 block of County Road 4930 not far from Seven Hills Ele- mentary School Tuesday morning. An arrest affi davit in the case provides details of what a Wise County Sheriff’s deputy and Texas Department of Pub- lic Safety trooper found inside. “One child was wrapped up in a blanket, lying on FABILA HARKINGS JOE DUTY/WCMESSENGER SURVEYING THE CRIME SCENE — Offi cers with the Wise County Sheriff’s Offi ce and Texas Department of Public Safety collect evidence at the home where four kids — including two found locked in a dog kennel — were removed and placed in foster care Tuesday. Their parents were charged with four counts of child neglect. See Investigation on page 2A RHOME JOE DUTY/WCMESSENGER • Buy reprints at wcmessenger.com/reprints HATS HELP — William Lee Martin, a stand-up comedian and founder of the Cowboys Who Care Foundation — which donates cowboy hats to kids battling cancer — shows off some of the hats his organization will donate from his offi ce in Rhome. The nonprofi t has donated more than 8,000 hats to cancer patients over the past seven years. WISE COUNTY Giving smiles Comedian’s nonprofi t equips cancer patients with cowboy hats BY AUSTIN JACKSON ajackson@wcmessenger.com After days surrounded by water, cracking up the Carnival cruise masses, William Lee Martin fi nds his legs at his offi ce in Rhome, where cowboy hats stretch to the ceiling. He takes a gulp of his blackberry lime beverage and eyes the inventory, await- ing the next opportunity to make some- body’s day better. See Martin on page 2A Decatur races to be contested Both Decatur ISD board spots and all three Decatur City Council seats on the May ballot will be contested. The deadline for fi ling for a spot on the ballot for the May 4 general election was 5 p.m. Friday. Candidates have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to fi le as a write-in. Former Decatur ISD trustee Chris Lowery joined the fray Thursday, fi ling for the Place 2 seat currently held by School Board President Cheri Boyd. The Place 1 seat currently held by Wade Watson will have three candidates — Thomas Houchin, Stan Shults and Pete Rivera. Watson decided not to run for a third term. See Filings on page 13A See page 8A Heart Health 2019
19. America’s Page One Critiquing Pages
20. America’s Page One By Arthur Hahn arthur@brenhambanner.com A total ban of tobacco use at city of Brenham parks could be in the future. A recommendation from the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Com- mittee involving cigarettes, smoke- less tobacco and increasingly popular electronic cigarettes is expected to be finalized at the committee’s March meeting. Any recommendation made by the committee would go before the Bren- ham City Council for action. The advisory committee discussed tobacco use at its meeting this week, with members indicating they want to move forward with a total ban. “It’s basically smoke-free parks. It’s a combination of quality of air in the parks and also litter management with cigarettes,” said city Public Works Director Dane Rau. “They were in agreement that they would like to move forward with lan- guage and more ‘teeth.’” Under current city ordinance, to- bacco use is allowed in parks, al- though smoking is restricted in some areas. That current “no smoking” ordi- nance addresses outdoor sports ar- eas “where members of the general public assemble to engage in physical exercise, participate in athletic com- petition or witness sports or other events.” It also prohibits smoking in all city facilities, including “buildings, en- closed areas in parks, and vehicles owned, leased or operated by the city.” Proposed wording would ban all to- bacco use — “It shall be unlawful for any person to smoke or use tobacco in any city park which includes, but is not limited to, enclosed and outdoor sports arenas, dugouts, bleachers, playing fields, playgrounds, flower gardens, trails (hiking and biking), HERE & THERE Happy birthday today to HANNA SCHWARTZ, 21; CODY NEUTZLER; and ROGER MCGEE ... Belated happy anniversa- ry wishes to EDWARD and MAMIE LORENZ, who are celebrating 72 years ... TODAY’S VERSE “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 TONIGHT: Partly to mostly cloudy. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low around 55. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Saturay: Overcast. High 71. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. NEWS IN BRIEF © 2018 Brenham Banner-Press LTD SUBSCRIBE TO THE BANNER-PRESS CALL 979-836-7956 WEATHER SPORTS, 6 & 10A Brenham softball wins first two games of Leadoff Classic. 74 53 DEATHS, 3A • Tommy Brewster please recycle after reading Facebook, Fed. Trade Commission discussing multibillion dollar fine NEW YORK (AP) — A re- port says Facebook and the Federal Trade Commission are negotiating a “multi- billion dollar” fine for the social network’s privacy lapses. The Washington Post said Thursday that the fine would be the largest ever imposed on a tech company. Citing unnamed sources, it also said the two sides have not yet agreed on an exact amount. Facebook has had several high-profile privacy lapses in the past couple of years. The FTC has been looking into the Cambridge Analyti- ca scandal since last March. The data mining firm ac- cessed the data of some 87 million Facebook users. Vol. 153 No. 34 | One Section, 10 Pages www.brenhambanner.com | $1 Readings for the 24-hour period ending at 7 a.m. today: Represented By Home • Auto • Farm/Ranch Commercial • Life DAHMANN & ASSOCIATES, LLC 310 S. Blue Bell Road • Brenham 979-836-4241 larochegm.com 979-836-6666 LaRoche SERVING WASHINGTON COUNTY SINCE 1866 Friday, February 15, 2019 The Banner-Press WATER USAGE Lake Somerville full stage: 238.0. Lake level at 7 a.m. today: 242.06. City of Brenham water usage: Feb. 14: 2.490 million gallons Rainfall this month: 1.26”. Rainfall this year: 5.03”. Average annual rainfall: 45.34”. BANNERPRESS THE BANNER-PRESS THEBANNERPRESS @BP_1866 Per recommendation from Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, issue could go before city council Blinn College has a contested board of trustees race. Dennis Crowson and H.F. Poehl- mann have filed for at-large Posi- tion Three on the Blinn board. The filing deadline is 5 p.m. to- day. Crowson and Poehlmann are seeking the seat being vacated by David Sommer, who is not seeking reelection. Two other positions on the Blinn board are unopposed in the May elections. Charles Moser, current board president and Position One incum- bent, is the only candidate for that seat. Jim Kolkhorst is unopposed for Position Two, currently held by At- wood Kenjura. Kenjura is also not seeking reelection. As of today, there are two contest- ed races for municipal and school board seats — Blinn Position Three and Brenham mayor, with incum- bent Milton Tate and former Mayor and Washington County Judge Dor- othy Morgan filing. 2 file for seat on Blinn board Valentine’s Day Royalty Photo courtesy of Washington County Healthy Living Association Margaret E. Blizzard Senior Activity Center announced its King, Queen, Prince and Princess of Hearts recipients, honored Thursday on Valentine’s Day. The “royalty” are selected in a random drawing and receive a crown, sash and a bag of goodies. Pictured are (front, from left) Queen Dorothy Lattimore and Prince Jack Schulte; and (back, from left) King Johnnie Jankowsiak and Princess Barbara Hawkins. City eyes tobacco ban in parks Two sentenced on theft, drug-related charges A Bastrop man has been sentenced to state jail for not following the terms of his probation. Christopher Baker, 29, received the jail sentence after his probation was adjudicated in district court here Thursday. Baker had been placed on probation for possession of a controlled substance (less than one gram), a state jail felony. Judge Carson Campbell handed down the sentence and also ordered Baker to pay a $1,500 fine. Campbell also placed 27-year-old Vic- tor Hugo Aguilar of Brenham on proba- tion for three years for theft of property (less than $2,500 with two or more pre- vious convictions), a state jail felony, in relation to a Jan. 25, 2018 offense. Aguilar was ordered to pay a $200 fine and complete 100 hours of commu- nity service restitution. Local governmental entities and public schools will have a holiday Monday in observance of Presidents Day. Brenham and Burton schools will not have classes. The Washington County court- house will also be closed Monday, however, will not be a holiday for the city of Bren- ham, with City Hall open as usu- al along with city facilities like Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library, the recycling center, the waste collection station and Blue Bell Aquatic Center. Schools, county closed Monday BAN continued on A2
21. America’s Page One Special to The Banner-Press What would be better as a third grader than the opportunity to de- sign the city of their dreams and present it to their own city’s council members? And not just present, but have your ideas considered in future planning of your hometown? To the 29 students of Brenham ISD Gate- way program at Alton Elementary, nothing could have been better. At least for one day. A special session of council was Thursday, when students learned about community development then broke into groups to create their own city. The sounds of laughter mixed with serious planning discussions filled the room. Council members and city staff in- teracted with each group to answer questions and encourage the plan- ning ideas. Daven Johnson brought chuckles to the room when he asked city lead- ership how the water system was handled and knowing it may require a lengthy description says, “It’s OK if it takes all day to answer. I’m here to listen.” “Today we had the wonderful op- portunity to engage our youth pop- ulation and learn from them in the city planning and community devel- opment context. It was refreshing to hear their perspective on what makes a great park, a great neigh- borhood, and a great community. I am thankful to have been involved in such a unique opportunity,” said Stephanie Doland, assistant direc- tor of Development Services. Einstein said, “Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” Students modeled this today as they stretched their imaginations and put on their cre- ative hats to build a city that offered such amenities as a shopping mall, ice skating rink, paintball park, homeless shelter, lakes for fishing, an arcade, a dog park and even a shooting range. Their plans for dining includ- ed restaurants like Olive Garden, Chick-Fil-A, Freebirds, Fuddruck- ers, Popeyes, Cheddars, Cracker Barrel and Dave and Busters. “For our students, the future lead- ers of Brenham, this visit and special working session with the council members and leadership team was an invaluable learning experience,” said Kaylee Roznovsky, third grade Gateway teacher at Alton. “Not only do they better understand city plan- ning, they also were afforded the op- portunity to flex their creative mus- cles and share innovative ideas with Brenham’s current leaders. “The students have bought into being active in their community and are passionate about the ideas and planning shared at this special work session. Thank you, council members and Brenham leaders, for taking the time to work with our stu- dents, considering their input valu- able and creating a love of communi- ty in our students.” HERE & THERE Happy birthday today to SIMON CARTER; CHARLES MATHIS JR.; and DAVE EXTER ... TODAY’S VERSE “The entire law is summed up in a single com- mand: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Galatians 5:14 TONIGHT: Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low 56. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Saturday: Thunderstorms in the morning will give way to mostly cloudy skies late. High 69. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. NEWS IN BRIEF © 2018 Brenham Banner-Press LTD SUBSCRIBE TO THE BANNER-PRESS CALL 979-836-7956 WEATHER SPORTS, 5A Cubs baseball takes first two games of Round Rock Tournament. 51 47 .10” DEATHS, 3A • Mary Craig • Louise Kaigler • Sydonia Levy • Dorothy Lorenz please recycle after reading Ex-Enron CEO released from federal custody HOUSTON (AP) — For- mer Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling has been released from federal cus- tody. Skilling was discharged Thursday after serving 12 years in prison and six months in a halfway house after being convicted for his actions that led to one of the worst corporate melt- downs in history. The 65-year-old was ini- tially sentenced in 2006 to 24 years in prison and fined $45 million for mul- tiple counts of securities fraud, conspiracy and other crimes. In 2013, the sentence was reduced to 14 years. Houston-based Enron collapsed into bankrupt- cy in 2001 after years of illicit business deals and accounting tricks that put more than 5,000 people out of work, eliminated over $2 billion in employee pen- sions and rendered worth- less $60 billion in Enron stock. Vol. 153 No. 39 | One Section, 12 Pages www.brenhambanner.com | $1 Readings for the 24-hour period ending at 7 a.m. today: Represented By Home • Auto • Farm/Ranch Commercial • Life DAHMANN & ASSOCIATES, LLC 310 S. Blue Bell Road • Brenham 979-836-4241 Brenham 979-830-1000 SERVING WASHINGTON COUNTY SINCE 1866 Friday, February 22, 2019 The Banner-Press WATER USAGE Lake Somerville full stage: 238.0. Lake level at 7 a.m. today: 240.28. City of Brenham water usage: Feb. 21: 1.739 million gallons Rainfall this month: 1.84”. Rainfall this year: 6.87”. Average annual rainfall: 45.34”. BANNERPRESS THE BANNER-PRESS THEBANNERPRESS @BP_1866 Alton students get chance to plan for city By Arthur Hahn arthur@brenhambanner.com A financial company with offices around the country has purchased $3 million in certificates of obliga- tion issued by the city of Brenham. Council members Thursday ac- cepted a bid from FTN Financial Capital Markets for the debt issu- ance that will fund flood repairs and water line replacements. FTN was among eight companies bidding for the certificates. It had the lowest interest rate at 2.9 percent over a 20-year payback period. Garry Kimball of Specialized Pub- lic Finance, the city’s financial advi- sor on the debt issuance, said the low interest rate it received is an indica- tion of Brenham’s strong financial condition. “We’re pleased with the response,” he said. “A 2.9 percent fixed rate over a 20-year period is extremely attrac- tive.” The Standard & Poors rating agen- cy maintained the city’s AA-rating and commented on its “strong man- agement and good financial policies and practices,” said Kimball. When the debt issuance was first discussed, a 4 percent interest rate was estimated. “When we started this process, market rates were closer to 3 1/2 (per- cent), so we were hedging against the possibility of this continuing to rise,” he told council members. “For- tunately, they started to fall immedi- ately.” The 2.9 percent rate, compared to the 4 percent estimate, means the city will pay about $325,000 less in interest over the payback period, Kimball added. Brenham officials have said the debt issuance won’t affect the over- all tax rate. Kimball said that’s be- cause the city will pay off a total of $5 million in debt this year. “You’re borrowing a little over $3 million. You’re not borrowing as much as you’re paying off,” he said. Kimball said he began working with the city in 1994, it had a DDD+ rating. “That’s four notches from where you are today,” he said. While it may appear the city’s debt has grown considerably, in reality it is in much better financial condition than it was in 1994, said Kimball. “In nominal terms, that may be true. But in terms of leverage (the amount of debt compared to the to- tal tax base), which is what markets look at ... your leverage is lower than it was 25 years ago,” he said. “I think that shows you’ve man- aged to keep up with the infrastruc- ture demands of the community, and yet the tax base has grown faster than your outstanding debt.” About half of the $3 million debt is- suance will fund street and drainage improvements for Burleson Street at Higgins Branch, Jefferson Street at Higgins Branch and on Industrial Boulevard. Those streets were heav- ily damaged by flooding in 2016. The remaining money will fund replacement of 2.7 miles of cast iron and asbestos concrete pipes in the water system. Council issues $3M in debt Brenham City Council accepts bid to fund flood repairs, water line replacements Brenham OKs expanded use of ADUs By Arthur Hahn arthur@brenhambanner.com The Brenham City Council has approved an amendment that will broaden the use accessory buildings for housing. The council’s action Thursday added a new definition for “acces- sory dwelling units (ADUs)” and allows them in residential zoning districts. ADUs, in the definition estab- lished, includes a guest house, “mother-in-law” quarters and ga- rage apartments. In the previous ordinance, only garage apartments were allowed. ADUs would be considered on an individual basis, requiring appli- cation for a special use permit that would go before the Planning & Zon- ing Commission and then the Bren- ham City Council. Stephanie Doland, assistant direc- tor of Development Services, said the units would also have to meet on-site parking requirements and setback limits. The council also: • Heard reports from Police Chief Allwin Barrow on the 2018 crime report and the department’s racial profiling, use of force and pursuit statistics. Barrow said use of force statis- tics in 2018 showed 11 instances in which a weapon was pointed, three in which a Taser was pointed or used, four cases of “weaponless” use of force and one instance in which pepper spray was used. Barrow called those numbers “phenomenal” and told council members that use of force a self-de- fense mechanism. “It’s our use of self-defense for the officer’s safety,” he said. Barrow also said the department was involved in four vehicle pur- suits in 2018, none of which resulted in damage to any police units or in- juries to officers. • Approved a new fee schedule for the city’s Animal Control Services. The new schedule establishes a “surrender” fee for the first time, setting it at $25. There had previous- ly been no charge for dogs and cats brought to the shelter. In a report to the council, animal services director Allison Harper said, “Many people use the shelter as a way to get rid of their unwant- ed kittens/pets. They need to be en- couraged to spay/neuter their pets, and hopefully having a fee would give us a tool by which to educate the public on spay/neuter.” It also raises the adoption fee from Arthur Hahn/Banner-Press Susan Nienstedt, city of Brenham human resources manager; Fire Chief Ricky Boeker (center) and council member Clint Kolby hear ideas from Alton Elementary students on where to best put facilities like a police station. Where to put it all Arthur Hahn/Banner-Press Stephanie Doland (far left), assistant director of Development Services for the city of Brenham, explains how planning can enhance a city during a special city council meeting for Alton Elementary students. How do you build a city? HOUSING continued on A2 PLANNING continued on A3
22. America’s Page One BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ vince@coloradocountycitizen.com EAGLE LAKE – Months of un- certainty and false-starts in the city of Eagle Lake’s search for a new police chief ended last Tuesday night, with the ap- pointment of Eagle Lake native Frank Briscoe as the city’s top law enforcement officer. Briscoe’s first day on the job is tomorrow (Nov. 1). Briscoe, who says he is a big believer in community policing and keeping officers visible and on the streets, was born and raised in Eagle Lake, and graduated from Rice Consoli- dated High School in 1974. No stranger to law enforce- ment, Briscoe was employed by the Harris County Con- stable, Precinct 5, where he served as both a lieutenant and a seargent. He supervised more than 35 deputies. His office was responsible for the BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ vince@coloradocountycitizen.com COLUMBUS – Evan Her- chek was presented the Eagle Scout rank—the highest rank for boys in the Boy Scouts of America—during a court of honor ceremony Saturday in Columbus. Herchek, of Columbus, is the 53rd young man to be awarded the honor in the 73- year history of Columbus’ Boy Scout Troop 312. He is the son of Billy and Beth Herchek. Earning the rank of Eagle Scout requires scouts to earn a specific number of mer- it badges—including certain badges off a specified list— and to complete a service project. For his service project, Her- chek, a senior at Columbus High School, raised funds for, purchased, and installed play- ground equipment at the city of Columbus’ Cardinal Park near Columbus High School. Herchek said he got the idea for the project while attend- ing the St. Anthony Catholic Church picnic in 2016. “I was sitting across from some friends of my parents, and they mentioned how they would love for there to be a new place for kids to play, with Midtown park being in the hot sun, and I thought that would be a great idea for a project, “ Herchek told The Citizen. He said raising the funds was the most difficult of the project. Herchek had to raise in excess of $20,000 for the equipment. “I had to spend my summer going to a lot of things—club meetings, and businesses, but it all paid off,” he said. He said scouting has helped him become a “much better person, more organized,” by living by the Scout Oath and Scout Law. g offi icers vis sible e street ts, was b born n n Eag gle Lake, an nd d d d d d d rom R Rice Cons soli- chool l in 1974. . er to law enfo orce- oe wa as emplo oyed d ris C County C Con- inct 5, where e he e oth a a lieuten nant t nt. H He superv vised d d 35 dep eputies. His s espons sib ible for r the e $1.00 Vol. 161, No. 44 coloradocountycitizen.com Wednesday, October 31, 2018 WINDSHIELD XPRESS AUTO GLASS 36 pages 4 inserts More trick or treat photos See Inside ALSO INSIDE A Look Back .........................................3B Applause .............................................5B Around Columbus................................8A Around Eagle Lake ..............................8B Around The County ..............................6A Around Weimar ...................................9A Arts & Leisure ......................................1B Church Page ........................................4B Classifi eds .................................17A-18A Courts & Police ..............................3B, 7B Obituaries ...................................2A, 20A Viewpoints .........................................4A TEN-HUT Citizen | Vince Leibowitz Cadets from Texas Challenge Academy-East in Eagle Lake receive instruction from one of their leaders immediately prior to presenting the colors on the fi eld at Veterans’ Memorial Field in Altair Friday night. The district recognized veterans before last week’s home football game. Deputy Santa applications due Nov. 16 Herchek presented Scouting’s highest honor ▪ CHIEF, 7A Remember to thank a Veteran and Serviceman every day! ob b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b ber 31, 2018 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 Uncertainty ends New chief caps months-long Eagle Lake saga Citizen | Vince Leibowitz Eagle Lake native Frank Briscoe was named Eagle Lake’s police chief last Tuesday, with his fi rst day on the job set for tomorrow. Citizen | Vince Leibowitz Billy Herchek adorns his son, Evan, with an Eagle Scout Neckerchief as part of Evan’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor Saturday in Columbus. BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ vince@coloradocountycitizen.com COLORADO COUNTY – The deadline for applications for the Colorado County Sheriff’s Department’s Deputy Santa program is Friday, Nov. 16 at 5 p.m., Colorado County Sheriff R.H. “Curly” Wied announced Monday. The deadline for members of the public to donate toys for distribution to needy children is Dec. 7, said Lt. Troy Neisner with the Colorado County Sher- iff’s Office. The department is currently making contact to begin col- lecting information on under- privileged children in Colorado County in anticipation of the event. Toy donations needed by Dec. 7 TROOP 312’S 53RD EAGLE TAKES FLIGHT ▪ SCOUT, 7A ▪ SANTA, 7A Reader Contest Hidden in advertisements in today’s Citizen are three small black cats, three witch hats, and four jack- o-lanterns. The fi rst three readers to present a copy of The Citizen after 9 a.m. tomorrow (THURSDAY) with all ten images correctly circled win free one-year subscriptions. The images to look for are shown above. A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO I New traditions I Lawn & pasture care I Planting ideas I Roof care Inside: g Home Family FALL 2018 Fall Home & Family Check out our Fall Home & Family section in this week’s newspaper for great home and garden ideas for fall. SECTION C Rice salutes veterans Rice Consolidated Independent School District saluted its veterans last week prior to the Raiders game against Hitchcock. Find this and information on the Raiders/Cardinals game this Friday in SPORTS. 11A-14A Live Oaks, Dead Folks Saturday Nesbitt Memorial Library’s popular cemetery tour is back for its 16th run on Saturday. Read more in ARTS & LEISURE. 1B Sample ballots for next week’s election inside 15A
23. America’s Page One BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ vince@coloradocountycitizen.com WEIMAR – Weimar City Man- ager Mike Barrow told the Wei- mar City Council last Thursday afternoon it may be time for them to consider giving up on the city’s pool. At this point it, just seems more and more that we are trying to fit a square peg in a round hole,” Barrow told the council. Late last year, the city coun- cil rejected the sole bid they received for pool renovations and a splash pad as unquali- fied. He told the council that once a certain dollar amount of work is done on the pool, they must then bring restrooms and other things up to current code. He told the council it may be time to, “think about going back to abandoning the pool and building a spray pad that would be free to everyone from March through October.” Weimar’s pool project has been a source of contention in this western Colorado County City for more than a year. Last year, the council approved a pared-down pool and splash pad project, after previous plans examined in 2017 ex- ceeded cost expectations. When that project was bid out last year, only one bidder submitted a bid. Barrow told the council the city’s project wasn’t large enough in terms of cost to at- tract many pool companies, who are already busy with larg- er municipal projects across WINDSHIELD XPRESS AUTO GLASS “Where quality makes the difference” $1.00 Vol. 162, No. 3 coloradocountycitizen.com Wednesday, January 16, 2019 Remember to thank a Veteran and Serviceman every day! 24 pages, 2 inserts LAGRANGEFORD.COM State- ranked Weimar slams Shiner 13 019 24 p ▪ POOL, 7 A Look Back ..............................................3 Applause ..................................................5 Around Columbus .....................................8 Around Weimar ........................................9 Around Eagle Lake ..................................10 Around The County ...................................6 Church Page ............................................16 Classifi ed ...........................................21-22 Courts & Police ........................................17 Obituaries .................................................2 Sports ...............................................13-15 Viewpoints ...............................................4 Youth & Education ..................................12 Water, fi ltration issues top council agenda Water issues from issues with the city’s new  ltration system to upcoming projects took center stage at the Columbus City Council meeting Monday night, 8. Community policing in action Eagle Lake police chief Frank Briscoe recently visited the local intermediate school, 9. One hundred years ago this week, Cicero Howard was laid to rest. Who was he? Find out, 3. AROUND COLUMBUS AROUND EAGLE LAKE A LOOK BACK ALSO INSIDE Course to get new cart sheds The Weimar City Council voted last week to build new cart sheds at the city’s golf course, 10. AROUND WEIMAR COLORADO RIVER at Columbus BANKFULL FLOOD STAGE FLOW Levels are as of 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019 5451 15.16 34 30 MANAGER TO WEIMAR COUNCIL: CONSIDER RODEO ART SEASON BEGINS Citizen | Vince Leibowitz Brock Polak a freshman at Rice Consolidated High School, left, points at a painting he made of a combine and some farmers last Thursday night at Rice Consolidated Independent School District’s fi rst Raider Night Out, which featured artwork made by students for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Western Art Competition as se- noor Connor Schulman listens. New Bileau native sees century mark CISD renews Morris until ’23 26th MLK March set Monday Citizen | Michelle Banse Stokes The Weimar Municipal Pool as seen Friday morning. The pool and renovation plans have been a source of controvery in the city for over a year. BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ vince@coloradocountycitizen.com WEIMAR – When Weimar resident Ellyn Stryk was born, World War I had just ended, the United States hadn’t yet seen the height of the Roaring ’20s, and the Great Depression was still more than a decade away. Stryk passed the century mark Dec. 30, celebrating her 100th birthday with family and friends at Parkview Manor in Weimar. “We walked or we rode horse- back [to school] when it was re- ally cold, so we could get there faster,” Stryk recalled last week. She was one of four sisters– and was herself a twin. Her sis- ters, Selma, Esther, Nora, and her twin sister Helen grew up together. The family farmed cotton at New Bileau. “We had a big sack, and we had to stick the cotton in there,” Stryk recalled. When they would get to the end of a row, they would have it weighed. Although her parents spoke German, the children in the family weren’t trained to speak the language, Stryk said. She also recalls the time her dad went to town to sell a bale of cotton, and came back with a brand new transistor radio. “We played baseball or rode bicycles,” for entertainment as children, she said. At home, the family would crank up their Victrola record player, and dance in their par- lor. Stryk worked as a homemak- er, and later worked for the Mc- Call Sanders Egg Company. “I graded eggs for them,” Stryk said. She later worked as a nurses aid at Parkview Manor for 14 years, when it was a retirement home. She had a reputation as a kind person whom the resi- dents dearly loved. An excellent seamstress, she always made her daughters a surprise dress for Christmas. Her first husband, Emil Helmcamp, passed away some years ago, and she remarried William Stryk, who lived until he was 90. Stryk has four daughters, two step-daughters, one step- son, 12 grandchildren, 11 great COLUMBUS – The march is on and plans are rapidly com- ing to fruition for Columbus’ 26th annual Martin Luther King Day celebration and festivities Monday, Jan. 21. The traditional march begins at 10 a.m. at Mid-Town Park and proceeds down Dewees Street to Rampart Street and fi- nally to St. Paul’s United Meth- odist Church. A brief prayer will be recited prior the march; a program will be conducted at the church fol- lowing the march. Organizers for the event said at press time that the featured speakers have not been con- firmed as of Monday afternoon. Free snacks and games, as well as a bounce house for the youth are set to be part of the fun and festivities at the church. BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ vince@coloradocountycitizen.com COLUMBUS – Columbus In- dependent School District will continue under the leadership of Dr. Brian Morris until the end of the 2023 school year fol- lowing a vote by the Columbus In- dependent School District Board of Trustees Monday night to extend Morris’ contract. Morris was also given a two per- cent pay raise, making his sala- ry $126,480 effective July 1. Morris told The Citizen he had a number of things he’d like to accomplish during over the next several years. Morris ▪ SEE PARADE ROUTE MAP, 7 ▪ MORRIS, 7 ▪ STRYK, 7 Citizen | Vince Leibowitz Ellyn Helmcamp Stryk turned 100 years old on Dec. 30, 2018. She grew up in New Bileau.
24. America’s Page One By Megan Hempel Daily Sun Navarro County Commissioners Court unanimously approved the cre- ation of a Reinvestment Zone and sub- sequent tax abatement encompassing more than 3,000 acres in Navarro County following a public hearing at its Mon., April 22 meeting. Economic Development Director John Boswell explained that the rein- vestment zone will span approximate- ly 2,241 acres, including land previ- ously approved by Commissioners in October of 2018, in addition to 885 From Staff Reports The Corsicana Airsho welcomes the exciting 2014 International Aerobatic Club National Champion, the Curt Richmond Airshows featuring a Pitts Special and a Motorcycle. The Pitts S-2B is a two-seat aer- obatic biplane. It is powered by a 6-cylin- der 260 horsepower Lycoming engine. There have been some modification to the air- craft to enhance the performance. Richmond has been From Staff Reports The Lions Club of Corsicana hosted its Oil Town Minithon, Saturday, April 20 at the YMCA. The annual 1k/5k kicked off a week of Derrick Days events and raised money for the Lions Club charities. The overall winner for the male division in the 5k was Lavaro Perez and the overall winner in the women’s' division was Whitney Bugg. Kaylee Kind earned the win- ning title in the 12 and under women's division and Abraham Cortez won in the male division. Second place went to Moses Cortez and third went to Bobby Warren. In the 13 to 20 division first place went to Gerardo Delgadillo; Grant Beason earned second place and third place went to Kyle Beason. No women competed. Lavaro Perez earned first place in the 21 to 39 male division. Nelson Grounds took second place and Richard Phillips earned third place. In the women's division, Whitney Bugg earned first place and second place went to Carina Gartias. Celia Quiroz took home PAGE: COMMENTARY Donʼt mess with Texas >> As Easter comes to an end and spring continues to unravel, our beautiful Texas blue bonnets keep on blossoming. Page 4 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY >> Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. – Mark Twain TO SUBSCRIBE call 903-872-3931 corsicanadailysun.com By Sarah Allen Daily Sun A pickup truck struck a man who walked into traffic around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, April 21 between the 1100 block of E. MLK Blvd and 200 block of S. Benton St. PHI Air Medical trans- ported Richard Leon Meankins, 71, of Corsicana See MINITHON, Page 6 See COUNTY, Page 6 INSIDE >> Community Care Club to host giant garage sale April 27, Page 3 corsicanadailysun.com Tuesday, April 23, 2019 75 Cents << GC Football: Hal Wasson era begins Tuesday Page 9 Corsicana DailySun AREA Mayor proclaims Odd Fellows Week, Page 3 Derrick Days Festival 2019 Daily Sun photo/ Ron Farmer Police responded to an accident involving a pedestrian Sunday, April 21 in the 1100 block of MLK Blvd. Derrick Days underway Oil Town Minithon kicks off annual heritage festival Exciting new event to open Airsho County clears way for solar project Daily Sun photo/ Ron Farmer The Corsicana Lions Club hosted its Minithon at the YMCA Saturday, April 20. Courtesy photo Index • Classifieds Pages 9-10 • Lifestyles Page 5 • Local Beat Page 2 • Opinion Page 4 • Sports Pages 7-8 • Weather Page 2 Pickup strikes man, leaving him hospitalized                                                 See AIRSHO, Page 6 Corsicana Airsho Gates open at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 11 Corsicana Municipal Airport From Staff Reports An unnamed third grade teacher has been placed on administrative leave as Corsicana Independent School district launches an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior. A letter circulated throughout the dis- trict April 17, signed by Corsicana ISD Chief Executive Officer Billy Harlan and Sam Houston Elementary Principal Tracey Jordan, notified parents of the teacher's removal from the classroom and Elementary teacher placed on leave See TEACHER, Page 6 See TRUCK, Page 6 District investigates recent allegations CDS_04-23-19_A1-6:CDS_04-27-10_A1-6 4/22/19 5:10 PM Page 1
25. America’s Page One Update on Faith Index • Classifieds Pages 11-12 • Lifestyles Page 13 • Local Beat Page 2 • Opinion Page 4 • Sports Pages 9-10 • Weather Page 2 PAGE: COMMENTARY The hunt for Easterʼs origin >> The origins of Easter usually date back to stories from the Bible, when Jesus Christ was killed and resurrected for the salvation and sins of man-kind. Page 4 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY >> Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction. – Anne Frank TO SUBSCRIBE call 903-872-3931 corsicanadailysun.com NCSO arrests violent wanted fugitive from San Antonio By Michael Kormos Daily Sun The Navarro County Sheriff’s Office apprehended a violent wanted fugitive Thursday after- noon in a remote area off NWCR 4450 near Frost. According to Navarro County Sheriff Elmer Tanner, five mem- bers of NCSO Tactical Team, assisted by two patrol units, arrested Lino Ramirez, 40, of San Antonio, without incident. Ramirez was accused of beat- ing a woman in front of a Bexar County residence leaving injuries to her body and face, including several stab wounds. According to FOX San Antonio: “Bexar County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched in April for a disturbance in See SUSPECT, Page 3 AREA The Navarro County Youth Expo donated two processed hogs to the Navarro County Food Pantry, Page 3 corsicanadailysun.com Saturday, April 20, 2019 $1.50 CHS Baseball: Tigers beat Midlothian 9-2 to clinch playoff berth Page 9 >> Corsicana DailySun Photo courtesy of NCSO Lino Ramirez, 40, of San Antonio. Grand Jury no bills student dragging case By Sarah Allen Daily Sun The Navarro County Grand Jury met for March and returned 77 indictments against 56 individuals. A Corsicana Independent School District aide from Carroll Elementary was no billed, which means the Grand Jury decid- See TEACHERʼS, Page 14 Hopping into Easter Boys and Girls Club hosts Easter egg hunt By James Page Daily Sun Easter is the time of year where new beginnings and the resurrec- tion or Christ are celebrated around the globe. The Boys and Girls Club of Navarro County celebrated with it's own Easter party, Thursday April 18, at it's headquarters located at 1000 G.W. Jackson Ave. Crafts, food, games, face paint and an egg hunt were set-up for to the youth members to enjoy. The children looked like they had a good time as they danced and played games with one another. The club is always looking for good people to volunteer their time. If you are interested in donating or volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of Navarro County be sure to contact them at: (903) 872- 9231 or by email: bgcnav- coed@sbcglobal.net Daily Sun photos/James Page By Michael Kormos Daily Sun Faith Beamon, 18, the young moth- er who was in a hor- rible car accident while on her way to See BEAMON, Page 14 • More photos on Page 16 Early voting starts Monday: See profiles on Navarro College and Corsicana ISD candidates on page 5, 6 and 7 Billy ʻToddʼ McGraw George Procter-Smith John Avila Jamie Roman Ramon ʻBamʼ Thomas Navarro College Board of Trustees Corsicana Independent School District General Election for cities, schools and college board Saturday, May 4 Early voting starts Monday, April 22 Daily Sun photo/Ron Farmer Faith Beamon came home Tuesday with par- ents Brian and Christie by her side. To help: GoFundMe, enter Faith Beamon, Account at Community National Bank and Trust, Christie Beamon/Benefit for Faith Beamon • Report child sex abuse 4 CDS_04-20-19_A1-8:Layout 1 4/19/19 4:41 PM Page 1
26. America’s Page One The Farmersville Times Serving Farmersville and East Collin County Since 1885 • Farmersville, Texas, Thursday, September 27, 2018 • 2 Sections, 10 Pages $1.00 Farmersville Football takes on visiting liFe Waxahachie Friday – sports, 1b Volume 132 Issue 43 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .3B Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . .. .3A Opinion . . . . . . . . . ... . . .4A Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . 3B Sports . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 1B InsIde thIs Issue Lake Lavon Levels Normal – 492 494.70 ft as of 09/25/18 Lake Jim Chapman Normal 440 – Current 438.37 ft Source: US Army Corps of Engineers © Copyright 2018. All Rights Reserved. C&S Media Publications Courtesy Collin County Sheriff’s Office A Kansas City Southern railroad train was derailed Friday, Sept. 21 as a result of flooding. More than 12 inches of rain fell over the weekend. Additional photos page 6A. By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@farmersvilletimes.com A train derailment occurred and multiple roads were closed after more than 12 inches of rain fell over the weekend in the Farmersville area. It was all hands on deck Fri- day, Sept. 21 around 11 p.m. when a Kansas City Southern train en route from Shreveport to Dallas derailed two loco- motives and 11 rail cars near County Road 605 and County Road 558 outside Farmersville. According to information released from KCS railroad, no one was injured in the derail- ment. A small amount of diesel fuel leaked from one of the lo- comotives and is being remedi- ated by the company. A tank car spilled non-hazmat brake fluid while other cars spilled steel plates. The rail line was closed to train traffic until 2 a.m. Sun- day, Sept. 23 and further clean up is in progress. The cause of the derailment is under investigation, KCS representatives stated. Flooding, along with wind and thunderstorms, created other issues for Farmersville including an hour long power outage in the city and a 6-inch water line breaking behind H&H Storage on the corner of Hwy. 78 and Farmersville Pkwy. According to City Manager Ben White an alert about wa- ter usage was sent out as a pre- caution since the water tower See TRAIN page 6A Deluge creates closures, train derailment By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@farmersvilletimes.com A three-year battle to restrict the use of a 34-acre tract of land for an Islamic cemetery ended last Thursday. In a special meeting Thurs- day, Sept. 20 Farmersville City Council unanimously approved a settlement with the Islamic Association of Collin County which will allow the group to move forward with its develop- ment of the property. The land overlooks Lake La- von and is in the city’s extra- territorial jurisdiction located along Hwy. 380 and CR 557. The city’s attempts to block the cemetery ended after it ap- proved the settlement, reversed last year’s decision to disap- prove the tract’s preliminary plat and approved the prelimi- nary plat. The settlement states the city will approve the final plat with- in 21 days after submission as long as it meets all of the city’s requirements. IACC did not ask for any money to be reimbursed by the city, including their legal fees. The settlement agreement also includes a release of claims from the IACC against the city. According to First Liberty Institute, a Plano based non- profit group that specializes in religious liberty cases, the settlement will allow IACC to move forward with the platting process “without fear that there will continue to be religious lib- erty violations.” In a press release from First Liberty, Chelsey Youman, coun- sel for the organization said “Religious liberty in America includes the rights of landown- ers to use their land for religious purposes, including burial in accordance with religious tradi- tion. “Politicians in Farmersville would have spent thousands of See CEMETERY page 5A Islamic cemetery approved by council Lindsay Bain/The Farmersville Times Preparing for set up Farmersville’s Jordan Davis prepares to set the ball up at the net against Community last Friday in the District 13-4A opener. The Lady Farmers won the match in five sets. For the story and additional photos see this week’s Sports. Additional photos at farmer- svilletimes.com. By Morgan Howard Staff Writer news@farmersvilletimes.com School board members voted on a set of goals for the new school year. At a meeting Monday, Sept. 24, the board approved S.M.A.R.T. goals. School dis- trict employees will work to achieve all objectives by the end of the 2018-’19 school year. S.M.A.R.T. stands for “Specific,” “Measurable,” “Attainable,” “Relevant” and “Time-bound.” These at- tributes are intended to keep FISD on track with improving schools. Two specific goals are increasing student profi- ciency in reading and math. Board members hope the S.M.A.R.T. outline will help teachers better prepare stu- dents for standardized testing. “Every kid needs to get better,” Superintendent Jeff Adams said. “We shouldn’t sit in a classroom all day and not get better. We want to see improvement. They’ve got to get better than what they were.” The board also voted to ap- prove a memorial plaque in honor of Glenn McClain, who died in August. The plaque will highlight McClain’s service as a school board member and football game announcer. It will be lo- cated near the concession area in Fightin’ Farmer Stadium. McClain’s seat in the school board will remain va- cant until the May 2019 elec- tion. According to new state guidelines handed down, board members must receive their required training by the See SCHOOL page 2A School board sets goals for school year By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@farmersvilletimes.com Those interested in being a vendor for Old Time Saturday only have a short amount of time left to apply. One of the highlights of OTS, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 6, is the vendors that pro- vide good eats, tasty treats and fun shopping. Vendors have until Wednes- day, Oct. 3 to reserve their spots. Booth spaces that sur- round the Onion Shed are avail- able for food, arts and crafts and service related vendors. Spaces range from $50 to $160 and can include electricity for an additional cost. Vendor applications are available online at www.farm- ersvilletx.com. For more infor- mation regarding vendors con- tact Cynthia Craddock-Clark at 469-422-2261. Many other activities are also included in Old Time Saturday including the annual East- ern Star Pancake Breakfast at Farmersville High School from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. Tickets are $8 each and will include pancakes, sausage, juice, milk or coffee. Kids un- der 2 eat free accompanied by an adult. Tickets are available in ad- vance from any Eastern Star member or the day of the event at the high school. To burn off the calories from the pancake breakfast, there will be the annual Audie Mur- phy Hero 5K run from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The run will start at Farm- ersville Heritage Museum. See OTS page 2A Vendor deadline Oct. 3 for OTS
27. America’s Page One Serving Farmersville and East Collin County Since 1885 • Farmersville, Texas, Thursday, February 28, 2019 • 2 Sections, 10 Pages $1.00 The Farmersville Times Volume 133 Issue 13 © Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved. C&S Media Publications Lake Lavon Levels Normal – 492 492.52 ft as of 2/26/19 Lake Jim Chapman Normal 440 – Current 440.54 ft Source: US Army Corps of Engineers In thIs Issue Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .3B Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . .. .3A Opinion . . . . . . . . . ... . . .4A Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . 4B Sports . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 1B Contact us at: 972-442-5515 or news@farmersvilletimes.com www.farmersvilletimes.com UPCOMING CALENDAR Farmersville soFtball picks up non-district wins – sports, 1b Saturday, March 2: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Farmers and Fleas, Onion Shed Thursday, March 7: 4:30 p.m. City Amenities Board meeting, City Hall Monday, March 11: 4:30 p.m. Main Street Board meet- ing, City Hall Monday, March 11: 6 p.m., Farmersville Community De- velopment Corp. Board meet- ing, City Hall Wyndi Veigel/The Farmersville Times Above, friends enjoy time together at the annual Farmersville His- torical Society Luncheon Saturday, Feb. 23. From left is Bettye Pe- tree, Rebecca Petree, Doris Happle and Ali Harris. Right, Phoebe Attaway swirls her skirt as she models historic loungewear in the society’s annual fashion show. Photos page 6A. Historic times Annual style show, luncheon garners profits By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@farmersvilletimes.com A luncheon full of lounging took place Saturday, Feb. 23 as the Farm- ersville Historical Society’s annual style show and luncheon took place. During the style show, historic women’s loungewear from Henson- Kickernick, a Greenville based fam- ily-owned company was presented. The style show went through the eras of beautiful sleepwear spanning from 1924 into the 1970s. “For nearly 40 years, discrimi- nating women and the fine stores throughout the nation looked to Henson-Kickernick to set the fashion in loungewear,” Su- san Lanning, the Executive Di- rector of the Audie Mur- phy American Cotton Museum of Greenville, said. See STYLE page 6A In a close play at the plate Randy Johnson tags the Bells baserunner for the out last Thursday during the Farmersville Invitational. For the story and additional photos see this week’s Sports and farmersvilletimes.com. Victor Tapia/The Farmersville Times Out or safe? By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@farmersvilletimes.com After a double fatality fire impacted the community last week, the Farmersville Fire De- partment is taking additional steps to prevent future deaths. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, the Del and Betty Sergent Memorial Smoke Detector Fund has been established with a $1,000 dona- tion. “The death of Del and Betty Sergent was extremely tragic to their family and those of the Farmersville community. The couple were long-term residents of the city and lived in a very modest home on Maple Street,” Fire Chief Kim Morris said. According to information re- leased by the Farmersville Fire Department, at 4 a.m. Feb. 19 a 911 call was made to Collin County Dispatch that the Ser- gent’s home was on fire. Law enforcement personnel were the first on the scene and were told that the couple had not emerged from the house. Officers broke out a window See SERGENT page 5A Smoke alarm fund formed By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@farmersvilletimes.com A slew of candidates have filed for the May 4 election for city council and school board including newcomer to the area, Dwain Mathers who is running against incumbent Todd Rolen for Place 5. Professionally, Mathers is a pilot for American Airlines and currently flies internationally to Beijing, Paris and Seoul among other popular destinations. His educational background includes graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in aerospace engineer- ing and a commission as a Sec- ond Lieutenant. Following his commission, he spent seven years on active duty with the U.S. Air Force and 10 years with the Air Na- tional Guard flying missions as a fighter pilot throughout Eu- rope and the Middle East. While still in the Air Nation- al Guard, in 1986 Mathers be- came a commercial pilot with American Airlines where he has spent the past 32 years. Mathers and his wife, Al- lison, recently came to Farm- ersville and purchased the Murchison Honaker House on College Street. Since moving here, Mathers said he and his wife have been welcomed and have genuinely felt at home in the community. “I feel that my military ex- perience and leadership skills are a good fit for meeting the kinds of challenges and op- portunities that Farmersville faces at the moment. I believe public service is about servant leadership, which means that your decisions should serve the community first, and I also be- lieve that when a city confronts change the most important thing is for leaders to unite, not divide, people,” he said. The issue that Mathers be- lieves is the most pressing is reconciling growth and the small-town feel. “I’ve been here long enough to know that people here feel that the most important issue facing Farmersville is the pos- sibility of being unprepared for growth that is on the horizon. Being located in one of the fast- est growing counties in Texas, this city has the opportunity to not only grow but to grow sus- tainably and harmoniously,” he said. If he is elected, Mathers said that he will work on this issue by improving communi- cation by allowing the people of Farmersville to have a say about how their city will grow and change. “In practice, that means tak- ing seriously my responsibility to listen to the input of citizens’ concerns, bringing together ideas, and being a problem solver that uses innovative policy solutions to better this community’s infrastructure, schools, business climate, and other facets of life in Farmers- ville where the city council can make an impact,” he said. Mathers is supported is his See RACES page 2A Newcomer files against incumbent for council race Board talks school calendar dates By Morgan Howard Staff Writer news@farmersvilletimes.com Plans for the 2019-20 school year are already un- derway. The Farmersville ISD School Board unanimously approved the year’s cal- endar during their regular meeting Monday, Feb. 25. The first day of school will be Aug. 14 and last day May 21, 2020. Breaks are planned for Sept. 2 (Labor Day), Oct. 14 (Fair Day), Nov. 25-29 (Thanks- giving), Dec. 20-Jan. 6 (Christmas), Jan. 20 (Mar- tin Luther King, Jr. Day), Feb. 17 (Presidents’ Day), March 9-13 (Spring Break) and April 10 (Good Fri- day). Staff development days will be Aug. 5-13, Sept. 23, Nov. 4, Jan. 7, Feb. 14, March 6, May 22 and May 26-28. School employees will have May 25 off for Memorial Day. According to Superin- tendent Jeff Adams, FISD is going on its fifth year of not having to utilize snow days. Further plans for the 2019-20 year included endorsing a construction management pathway at Farmersville High School. New classes will include Construction Technology I, Electrical Technology I, Plumbing Technology I and Masonry Technology I. The board also approved See BOARD page 2A The monthly Farmers and Fleas market will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2 at the Onion Shed. Farmers and Fleas features fresh produce, plants, food, crafts, collectibles, jewelry and more. The market was established to assist sellers in the direct marketing of their products, and to attract customers to down- town Farmersville. It is the city’s version of a ‘trades days’ market. For more information call 972-784-6846. Farmers and Fleas this Saturday A community-wide CPR/ AED and basic first aid class is being offered from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, March 1 at the Civic Center. Training is free but there is a $30.00 fee, from American Red Cross for the certification. Registration can be done in person at the Farmersville Po- lice Department. The class will include Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/ AED training with local train- ers from the Farmersville Police and Fire Departments. For more information call the police department at 972-782- 6141. Class size is limited and based on first come, first serve. CPR training held Friday, March 1 The Collin County District Clerk has been barred indefi- nitely by the U.S. State Depart- ment from issuing new U.S. Passport applications. District Clerk Lynne Finley reported that State Department officials took the action because of a 5-year passport fraud inves- tigation. See page 5A District Clerk passport service halted
28. America’s Page One Serving Farmersville and East Collin County Since 1885 • Farmersville, Texas, Thursday, February 21, 2019 • 2 Sections, 10 Pages $1.00 The Farmersville Times Volume 133 Issue 12 © Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved. C&S Media Publications Lake Lavon Levels Normal – 492 492.49 ft as of 2/18/19 Lake Jim Chapman Normal 440 – Current 440.50 ft Source: US Army Corps of Engineers In thIs Issue Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .3B Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . .. .3A Opinion . . . . . . . . . ... . . .4A Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . 4B Sports . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 1B Contact us at: 972-442-5515 or news@farmersvilletimes.com www.farmersvilletimes.com UPCOMING CALENDAR Farmersville soFtball opens season – sports, 1b By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@farmersvilletimes.com A contested race has de- veloped for the May 4 elec- tion both for Farmersville city council and Farmersville Inde- pendent School District Board of Trustees. On Farmersville ISD school board, both Tommy Monk and David Ketcher have filed for Place 5, which was formerly held by Glenn McClain. Ketcher, who is retired, has 30 years in public education as a teacher, coach and a high school principal. He stated he is running because of his experiences give him the perspective of being both a teacher and an administrator. Monk is retired from Gar- land Power and Light. He cur- rently works for Crown Pools Company. He is running for school board to make a positive dif- ference in the community and leave the world a better place than he found it, he said. He also previously served on the school board from 2010 to 2017. Brian Brazil has filed for Place 6 on the school board, which was previously held by Kenneth Roose who withdrew his application early in the fil- ing period. Brazil’s professional back- ground includes working at State Farm Insurance after graduating from Austin Col- lege. After seven years and multiple promotions at State Farm, he became the vice presi- dent of operations for a smaller insurance company, and then spent two years as the AVP of Sales for a telecommunications company. Brazil is running for the board because of his love of the community and wanting to give back to Farmersville. For Place 7, Jason McTee has filed. Incumbent and presi- dent of the school board, Jeff Hurst, did not seek reelection. Professionally, McTee has worked for ABB/Dodge for 10 years as a sales engineer cover- ing East Texas and North Loui- siana. He has been in the power transmission industry for over 20 years starting in production and working his way up to his current position. He is running for school board because though he has been a volunteer in myriad ways he believes it is time for him to focus on the education of local kids. For city council, a contested race has emerged for Place 5, which is currently held by Todd Rolen. Both Rolen and Dwain Mathers filed for this seat. Rolen, who is a warehouse manager and sales engineer, has lived and worked in Farm- ersville his entire life and is a 1988 Farmersville High School graduate. “As a lifelong resident of Farmersville, I was fortunate to have so many help with my development. It was their giv- ing nature that shaped me into who am I today. It is imperative that others have the same op- portunity. For this, I would like to continue serving as a council member for the city that served me and my family,” he said. Rolen said the most impor- tant issue that Farmersville is facing is imminent growth and the path that the city will take to deal with the growth will be the biggest challenge. “Building and financing im- provements in infrastructure will be our biggest limiting factor. Infrastructure improve- ments will facilitate growth in all facets within our city. At this point, I don’t think we are See ELECTION page 5A Contested race develops on council, school board Wyndi Veigel/The Farmersville Times Investigators look into the cause of a deadly house fire on Maple Street that occurred in the early morn- ing hours of Tuesday, Feb. 19. For more photos see page 6A. Double fatality fire under investigation Former police officer arrested By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@farmersvilletimes.com A former Farmersville police of- ficer has been arrested on a felony drug charge by the Texas Rangers. Bradley Jason Dean, 33, of Greenville was arrested Feb. 7 by Hunt County Sheriff’s deputies on a warrant filed by Texas Ranger R e u b e n Mankin. T h e charges are for posses- sion of a controlled substance in penalty group 3, more than or equal to 28 grams, less than 200 grams, which is a Third Degree felony. According to information in- cluded in the arrest warrant that was signed by Hunt County Justice of the Peace Sheila Linden, Mankin began conducting an investigation Aug. 29, 2018 into allegations that Dean was purchasing additional prescription medications, outside his prescribed amount, through an individual named Teri Trejo. Mankin was able to confirm it was happening, the document said, and that the transactions were See TEXAS page 2A Bradley Jason Dean Teens evade police, total car in wreck By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@farmersvilletimes.com A joyride turned danger- ous as two teens fled from Farmersville police Friday, Feb. 15. According to information released by Farmersville Police Lt. Marsha Phillips, two 16-year-old males from Princeton were traveling on Hwy. 380 close to Brook- shire’s when Patrol Officer Korey Redding clocked them for speeds over 100 mph in a white 2010 Nissan Altima. The teens fled from the officer after he attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Continuing down Hwy. 380, the teens turned onto CR 559, the road that leads to the lake. The car wrecked on CR 562 after hitting a tree. Both teens were taken to Medical City of McKinney and then released to their parents. Farmersville Police will be filing felony eluding charges on the driver of the vehicle and are investigating why the teens were carrying counter- feit currency with them. The driver suffered inju- ries to his knee and his nose from the airbag deployment See WRECK page 6A Wyndi Veigel/The Farmersville Times A car was totaled Friday, Feb. 15 after two 16-year-olds from Princeton slid into a tree while trying to evade Farmersville police officers. Boy Scout Troop 310 and Cub Pack 309 will pick up grocery bags at houses in Farmersville Saturday, Feb.23 to collect non-perishable food items for the Farmersville Outreach Alliance Food Pan- try. Scouting For Food is an annual community service project done by scouts to help fully stock local food pantries. Most needed items include canned meats, peanut butter, canned fruits, beans, hearty soups, diapers, and baby for- mula. Filled bags need to be placed by front door for early pick up prior to 9 a.m. Satur- day, Feb. 23. Anyone who does not re- ceive a bag, may still donate by dropping items off in the box located at the family life building at theFirst United Methodist Church prior to Feb. 23. Scouting for food to be held Feb. 23 Thursday, Feb. 21: 6:30 p.m. Farmersville EDC meeting (4A), city hall, council cham- bers Monday, Feb. 25: 7 p.m. Farmersville ISD School Board meeting, Administration build- ing Tuesday, Feb. 26: 6 p.m., Farmersville City Council, city hall Saturday, March 2: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Farmers and Fleas, Onion Shed Farmersville Historical Society luncheon Saturday The Farmersville Historical Society will host its annual luncheon and style show at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Farmersville High School. Tickets, which serve as the society’s main fund- raiser, are $20 and available for purchase at Dyer Drug Store, Main Street Antiques, Fiber Circle or at the door. One of the main high- lights will be a style show of historic women’s lounge- wear, presented by Henson- Kickernick, Inc. Other entertainment in- cludes a reading of Catharine Ingelman-Sundberg’s “The Little Old Lady that Broke all the Rules.” Book review- er Susan Boone will lead the discussion. By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@farmersvilletimes.com A house fire on Maple Street quick- ly turned deadly in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Feb. 19 for two el- derly individuals. According to information released by Farmersville Police Chief Mike Sullivan, longtime Farmersville resi- dents Delvin Sergent, 86, and Betty Sergent, 88, were found deceased within the structure. Immediate family members who responded to the scene are also from Farmersville. The initial 911 call came into Col- lin County Dispatch shortly after 4 a.m. when a neighbor saw flames and called emergency services. Farmersville Police Officer Mag- gie Olvera and Collin County Deputy Jonathan McCann were the first on scene and saw the home that was fully engulfed by flames on one side. According to Sullivan, Olvera and the deputy saw a walker near one of the windows and broke a window to see if they could rescue a potential victim. They were unable to gain access to the home as was the fire department due to the home being engulfed by flames. As embers rained down throughout the neighborhood it quickly became evident that the fire was of a signifi- cant size and due to the proximity of the other houses, three other homes were evacuated. The fire department went defensive to keep the fire from spreading to ad- joining homes. Farmersville Fire Department and the Princeton Fire Department See FIRE page 6A
29. America’s Page One By Ken Esten Cooke Standard-Radio Post editor District 21 Congressman Chip Roy (R-Dripping Springs) told community leaders last Thursday at the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau his first term started strangely but he is digging in to his new duties and focusing on conservative issues. “Getting up there and start- ing in the minority (party) and during a shutdown is not exactly what I envisioned,” he said. “But we’ve had an inter- esting three months with a lot of important issues.” Front and center for Roy is border security. “I’ll say in a nonpartisan way, that what our Congress is allowing to happen on the border — and the administra- tion, to some degree, frankly — is unconscionable,” Roy said, “in terms of the num- ber of people being allowed to flow across the border.” Roy said of 400,000 people coming to the border, just 200,000 would be appre- hended. And of those, 90 percent would be caught and released. “You can’t do that,” he said. “Even if one percent of this crowd is doing something not good or is tied to cartels or gangs or moving drugs, that’s a large number of people caus- ing problems. Meanwhile, it’s Fifteen feature films and 82 short films rep- resenting 12 countries along with panel discus- sions, closing night party and awards program and send-off reception will highlight the 10th Annual Hill Country Film Festival Thursday through Sunday, April 25-28. For the fourth consecutive year, the festi- val will screen short films fully produced and directed by high school and college student filmmakers. All screenings take place at Fritztown Cinema while eve- ning celebrations will be held at Ausländer Biergarten and Restaurant, West End Pizza and St. Joseph’s Halle. A Sunday Sendoff takes place at Pedernales Cellars at Stonewall. The event is pre- sented by the Hill Country Film Society, and a com- plete lineup can be found on the festival website at www.hill- countryff.com. The festival sched- ule is now available on the same website. Feature films The narrative feature films to be screened include: • “Adonis Complex” (d. Chad Werner, U.S.) • “Amanda and Jack Go Glamping” (d. Brandon Dickerson, U.S.) (special screening/ out-of-competition). The special screening of “Amanda and Jack Go By Ken Esten Cooke Standard-Radio Post editor Fredericksburg Independent School District last Tuesday voted unanimously to weigh in against the proposed route of the Permian Highway Pipeline project, joining Harper ISD trustees, who came out against the project the night before. “One of the core pieces we are trying to fix is emi- nent domain,” said Heath Frantzen, a local activist working against the PHP, who addressed the board. “In Texas, we are a ‘quick take state,’ which means a landowner can be minding his own business, a con- demning authority can want to take the land under eminent domain, they can give him an initial offer, a final offer, and condemnation.” FISD and HISD joined the City of Fredericksburg and Gillespie County. “The landowner can be forced to give up his land without ever stepping foot in a courtroom, without ever litigating it,” said Frantzen, who also worked with the Texas Real Estate Advocacy and Defense Coalition (TREAD). “There is no due process in Texas — that’s why it’s called the ‘quick take state.’” Trustee Mark Cornett asked about accountability POSTAL MAIL LABEL SPACE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PAPER Call 830-997-2155 Run for Health: HCM Wildflower Run/ Walk kicks off Saturday morning  A/B17 Ambleside girls’ golf takes TAPPS state title  A/B20 Rancher, columnist says pipeline eminent domain unfair  D2 fredericksburgstandard.com No. 47 USPS 209-080 • Periodical WEATHER April 16-22, 2019 Rainfall for this week ............. .75 Rainfall for April .................. 1.48 Rainfall for 2019 ................... 4.92 Normal for Date .................. 7.12 Same Date Last Year ........... 4.14 Low — April 19,20 .................. 42 High — April 17,18 ............... 84 High Low Rain Tuesday 77 65 Wednesday 84 53 .75 Thursday 84 53 Friday 72 42 Saturday 71 42 Sunday 81 61 Monday 78 64 Total Rain .75 Courtesy Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park Burn ban is off for Gillespie County. Use caution and call 997- 5603 for information. © 2019 Fredericksburg Publishing Co. Advertiser index......A2 Ag/Outdoors ........... D7 Business ................A6-7 Classifieds ..........F10-11 Commentary ........D2-3 Community .............. D1 Events calendar .......A2 Gillespie Life ............ C1 Jobs ....................F12-14 Public notices .......E5-6 Music ........................C3 Obituaries ................D5 Real estate .............E1-5 Sports ................... B1-6 Taste .........................C8 TV/movies .............C4-7 INSIDE Wednesday, April 24, 2019 redericksburg Radio Post tandard S F U.S. HOUSE DISTRICT 21 New Rock & Vine focuses on entertainment, ecology and more  INSIDE INSIDE FREDERICKSBURG ISD ELECTIONS ROY ▶ A/B2 ELECTION ▶ A/B9 ALL GÜT THINGS ▶ A/B14 Foundation delivers first education grants FOUNDATION ▶ A/B5 FHS wraps up district title run, eyes playoffs  A/B16 Roy reflects on start in Congress Trustees: Reroute PHP The Fredericksburg Independent School District Education Foundation on Tuesday awarded the first three classroom grants to help teachers provide for projects and sup- plies outside the normal district budgeting. In a raucous setting, foundation board members and FISD administrators marched through the halls of Fredericksburg Elementary School and slapped hands with children on the way to the classroom of Alyssa Mohr, who was presented with a sym- bolic check. Mohr will use her funds to purchase 44 Chomebook computers to aid in classroom FISD ▶ A/B11 Board members also mull potential child-care option for teachers, staff District 21 Congressman Chip Roy visited with community lead- ers last Thursday at the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau. Roy said immigration reform and enforcement are two of the most pressing issues facing the congress and administra- tion. — Standard-Radio Post/Ken Esten Cooke New representative talks immigration, rural healthcare, justice 10 YEARS Annual Hill Country Film Fest to screen 97 films this weekend as it marks first decade Festival documentary chronicles German culture Movie poster for “All Güt Things” documentary, by Chase Honaker. The film contains scenes from a Gil- lespie County Schuetzenfest. By Ken Esten Cooke Standard-Radio Post editor Chase Honaker wants to help preserve a piece of Texas. Honaker’s film “All Güt Things” will debut at the 10th Annual Hill Country Film Festival at 3:45 p.m. Thursday at Fritztown Theater. This is Honaker’s first work in the festival, and he feels it will appeal to Fredericksburg’s native German population, as well as general audiences. “I’ve been working on film for the last four years, Chad Mathews, who has local family ties, is execu- tive director of the Hill Country Film Festival. — Standard-Radio Post file photo FILM FESTIVAL ▶ A/B14 Early vote sees 90 for park bond, 67 for seat FVFD to serve up fish, prizes on Saturday Early voting by personal appearance for two different elections will continue through Tuesday, April 30. Voters will be going to the polls to decide on a proposed sports park bond for the City of Fredericksburg and to elect a director for a seat on the Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District. Although running unopposed, the two individuals seeking the two open seats on the Fredericksburg City Council will also appear on the ballot. Election day for both the city and the HCUWCD is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, at the Fredericksburg Middle School Cafeteria. On Monday when early voting opened, 90 people cast ballots in the city election and 67 voted in the HCUWCD election. Early voting Early voting by personal appearance for both elections takes place at the Girl Scout Cabin at 202 West Austin Street. Extended hours will be offered twice dur- ing the early voting period. FISH FRY ▶ A/B9 A fried fish meal, prize drawing, music, auction, children’s activities and more are on the menu when the Fredericksburg Volunteer Fire Department hosts its 2019 Fish Fry and Prize Give-Away on Saturday, April 27, at Marktplatz. The serving line opens at 5 p.m. Also at 5 p.m., the drive-through food line opens behind the Fredericksburg Fire Station at the old bank drive-through. Music also starts at 5 p.m. and continues until 10 p.m.
30. America’s Page One Communities across Gillespie County will be participating and hosting the annual National Night Out crime and drug pre- vention event on Tuesday, Oct. 2. National Night Out is sponsored by the Nation- al Association of Town Watch and is co-spon- sored locally by the Gil- lespie County Sheriff’s Office, the Fredericksburg Police Department and the fire and emergency services departments. National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, generate sup- port for and participate in local anti-crime efforts, and strengthen neighbor- hood spirit and police- community partnerships, and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods By Ken Esten Cooke Standard-Radio Post editor One of North America’s largest pipeline companies is looking to cross Gillespie County with a natural gas pipeline stretching from the Permian Basin to near the Gulf of Mexico. Kinder Morgan officials told the Standard-Radio Post on Tuesday it is or will soon be in contact with landown- ers of 233 parcels in southern Gillespie County who may be affected. “We own the pipe, someone else owns the gas,” said Allen Fore, Kinder Morgan vice president of public affairs. “We’re in the initial stages where we are contacting landowners, planning routes and start- ing permits.” The buried pipeline will be a 430-mile line starting north of Fort Stockton and stretching across Texas to its destina- tions near Houston. It will connect with other lines that will reach down near Agua Dulce. The line will feed smaller By Erika Vela Standard-Radio Post reporter Local residents and landowners arrived in big numbers to Monday’s workshop on the Fredericksburg Relief Route Study held at the Fred- ericksburg High School Gym. The City of Fredericksburg, Gil- lespie County, Gillespie County Relief Route Task Force and the Texas Department of Transporta- tion are exploring a potential U.S. 290 Fredericksburg relief route. This event was to draw comments to help the entities whittle down from nine potential routes to three. The project would relieve traffic and improve mobility in downtown Fredericksburg by giving motorists — particularly large trucks — the option to travel around rather than directly through the city. With the city, county and visi- tor population increasing annu- ally, traffic congestion and safety become larger community issues. Safety was definitely a topic of many comments received. “The traffic has to go around Fredericksburg, with all the truck fredericksburgstandard.com SUBSCRIBE TO THE PAPER Call 830-997-2155 No. 17 USPS 209-080 • Periodical INSIDE WEATHER Sept. 18-24, 2018 Rainfall for this week ............. .97 Rainfall for September ....... 8.49 Rainfall for 2018 ................. 20.59 Normal for Date ................ 21.94 Same Date Last Year ..........18.36 Low — Sept. 22 ...................... 61 High — Sept. 18 ................... 88 High Low Rain Tuesday 88 68 Wednesday 87 70 Thursday 82 72 .70 Friday 80 62 .26 Saturday 67 61 .01 Sunday 72 64 Monday 84 68 Total Rain .97 Courtesy Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park Burn ban is off for Gillespie County. Use caution and call 997- 5603 for information. redericksburg Radio Post tandard $1 © 2018 Fredericksburg Publishing Co. Advertiser index......A2 Ag/Outdoors ........... D7 Business ................A6-7 Classifieds ..........F10-11 Commentary ........D2-3 Community .............. D1 Events calendar .......A2 Gillespie Life ............ C1 Jobs ....................F12-14 Public notices .......E5-6 Music ........................C3 Obituaries .............D4-5 Real estate .............E1-5 Sports ................... B1-6 Taste .........................C8 TV/movies .............C4-7 INSIDE S Wednesday, September 26, 2018 S F RELIEF ROUTE ▶ A3 GILLESPIE COUNTY Love of elephants leads to animal preserve  A6 COUNTY ▶ A10 PIPELINE ▶ A10 Looking for work? See pages F12-F14 or go online to MURDER MYSTERY Fredericksburg Theater Company to stage ‘Dial ‘M’ for Murder’  A2 ATTEND COLLEGE University Center to stage local “attend col- lege here” open house on Oct. 3  A9 FATALITY Man dies in Monday motorcycle-truck acci- dent  A11 CONSTANT CHANGE Hospital CEO says enti- ty is meeting changes, challenges in healthcare industry head on  D2 NEIGHBORHOODS WATCH ▶ A5 RELIEF ROUTE Elliott, Billies pick off rival Wimberley  B1 ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY Workman’s comp for volunteers a big cost FINES ▶ A8 County can pay up to $5,200 per year to cover helpers National Night Out events set for Tuesday Law, fire, EMS will host anti-crime events HUG OF GRATITUDE Layna Ottmers, front, hugs 2018 Gillespie County Fair Duchess Emma Travland after buy- ing her cake for $700 in the live auction at the 22nd annual Scholarship Fest at the Gillespie County Fair Grounds on Saturday. Also pictured is 2019 Duchess Triniti Chenault, far right, who makes sure the chocolate cake doesn’t fall during the special moment. — Standard-Radio Post/McKenzie Moellering Progress & property US 290 Relief Route plans offer public chance to weigh in on proposed routes Natural gas pipeline will cross county KINDER MORGAN PIPELINE INFO  42 inches, carrying up to 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas each day.  430-mile buried line (45.1 in Gillespie County)  Construction start: Fall 2019  Operation start: Fall 2020  Company will purchase 50-foot easements from prop- erty owners  Cost: $2 billion ONLINE www.KinderMorgan.com Project will cross 45 miles, 233 parcels of land Patty Gonzalez, left, watches as her husband, John Gonzalez, points out a possible relief route to Darlene Hartmann, Marc Prieve and Laurie Rach at Monday’s Fredericksburg Relief Route workshop held at the Fredericksburg High School Gym. — Standard-Radio Post/Erika Vela Comments by local citizens and landowners were left behind on the maps. Attendees had the opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions to officials. By McKenzie Moellering Standard-Radio Post reporter Gillespie County Commissioners on Monday agreed to provide workers’ compensation insurance to cover one volunteer each at Pioneer Memorial Library and the Gillespie County Airport. The debate with depart- ments heads, who asked for more volunteer coverage, brought to light the large costs of covering volunteer labors in a community that values service. Gillespie County Treasurer Laura Lundquist stated that county departments can elect to cover volunteers to receive workers’ compensation insur- ance. “This is through the Texas Association of Counties and it allows us to add or drop indi- viduals as needed,” Lundquist said. Originally, Pioneer Memorial Library wished to cover two persons and Gillespie County Airport Manager requested to cover four. “If we do not have an actual record of the number of hours these people worked, there is a set amount that we sub- mit. And we would likely pay around $5,200 per person, but it is dependent on the rates,” she said. “We then submit our actual payroll, and we usually get a refund.” “I really wish we knew how much this would actually cost us,” County Judge Mark Stroeher said. Lundquist said she was unsure what rates for the 2019 Can we make a list of spe- cific volunteers with specific job descrip- tions? Because these are people that are technically working for the county at the time that something happens.” — Commissioner Donnie Schuch “
31. America’s Page One 3 7 4 1 5 9 10 11 12 13 8 14 6 17 15 16 2 75¢ Region, area qualifiers Page 8 Obituaries Page 4 Delores White Dale Caraway Bill Shaffer More honorees Page 2 H N amilton Herald- ews 143nd Year Volume Sixteen Thursday, April 19, 2018 75 Cents Early voting starts Monday For city, school elections Early voting begins Monday for Hamilton mayor, city council and school board elections set for May 5. City of Hamilton residents will choose a mayor and two council members, and HISD residents will elect two school board members. Jim McInnis is the sole candidate for mayor, while Jim Eidson, Jack Kindle, Cody Morris and Raymond Riley will vie for the council seats. In the school board race, candidates are Brenda Andrews, Dr. Randy Lee and Amanda Thompson. Hamilton Herald-News asked each candidate to an- swer a survey, and their re- sponses are below: Why have you filed for this position? McInnis- I was contact- ed by a few members of the community who believe in my ability to be a good mayor and who convinced me to file for the position. Eidson- Though I recently moved to Hamilton, my fam- ily has been part of the city and county for more than 160 years. I have always consid- ered Hamilton as my place of origin. I moved here because I love its history, culture and traditions. Above all, I love the people – independent, caring – with one foot in the past and the other in the fu- ture. I believe, and have re- peated often, that Hamilton must change in order to stay the same. I believe I possess some skills and talents which may be of use to the com- munity (dancing is not one of them). I offer them, and I hope I have the opportunity to help. Kindle- I want to continue to try and make Hamilton a better place to live, to try to improve our infrastructure and serve the people of our community. Morris- I would like to serve the citizens of Hamilton and try to make a difference in the future of this commu- nity. Riley- I have been on the council for two years. I feel that the council, the city man- ager and mayor have made a lot of improvement. I would like to be re-elected so that I can be a part of our city im- provement. Andrews- As a student of HISD, I became a Hamilton Bulldog at six years old. I love Hamilton. I cherish all the wonderful opportunities Hamilton has given my fam- Citywide garage sale map on page 3 Gas rates going down By Maria Weaver Hamilton Atmos custom- ers will have a rate reduc- tion effective Jan. 1, thanks to a municipal coalition that negotiates rates with energy companies. Hamilton City Council ap- proved the rate reduction in last Thursday’s meeting. Instead of absorbing a corporate tax rate reduction, Atmos is passing the savings through to the consumer, ac- cording to City Administrator Pete Kampfer. “We will continue to nego- tiate and always get the best rate possible,” he said. “This is a mechanism for how this works through the Railroad Commission and also the most logical way to address it.” After a public hearing, the council ratified a recom- mendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission to issue a specific use permit for 722 W. Hill; and OK’d a letter of support for Hamilton County Hospital District, the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce hotel and motel financial report, Hamilton Economic Development Corporation quarterly finan- cials, expenditure of munici- pal court security funds, a five-year lease of a backhoe tractor and an extension of an agreement with Pathway See Page 13 Books & Butt Friday The Friends of the Library’s 2018 Books and Butt event is this Friday at Hamilton Public Library. Kent Wenzel’s delicious “Bite My Butt” pork butt sandwiches will be available onsite or as carryout from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. for $8 a plate, which includes a pickle, bag of potato chips and bottled water or iced tea. Carry out orders are available by calling 254-386-3474 or emailing hamiltonpublicli- brary.texas@gmail.com. Orders for five or more lunches will be delivered within Hamilton or the out- skirts if requested. Pre-orders the day before would be ap- preciated, with pickup at the library or delivery after 11 a.m. April 20. Cash or check only; sorry, no credit cards. The Friends will also be selling individual servings of homemade desserts for $1 each. Tables and chairs will be provided under shelter for those who wish to visit with friends and family over lunch or read a new book they just bought for pennies on the dollar. See Page 13 CITIZEN OF THE YEAR- Lucy Lee is the 2017 Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year. She was pre- sented the award by Toni Lanfranco Monday night at the annual chamber awards banquet at Crossfire Cafe at Circle T Resort. Other award recipients were Business of the Year Rejuvenation Station, Business Person of the Year Andy McMullen, Agriculturist of the Year Colin Melton, Volunteers of the Year Rodney Craddick and Garland Anglin and Teachers of the Year Cindy Craig, Shelley Hale and Stephen Heers. Staff Photo McINNIS EIDSON KINDLE MORRIS RILEY ANDREWS LEE THOMPSON ily. I feel a responsibility to this district. I have always been a Bulldog as I received all of my primary and sec- ondary education at Hamilton ISD. I did my student teach- ing at HHS and taught here for 34 years and I have been recognized for my contribu- tions to the field of education locally, regionally and state- wide. I consider myself a posi- tive, encouraging and ap- proachable person who is an avid advocate for education. I represent the community on the board as I am familiar with our schools, our teach- ers, parents, and students. The board is responsible for the multi-million-dollar budget of all three campuses, their students and employees. Conservatively providing a world-class education for our students is my number one priority. The students always are my first concern when making decisions that come to the board. Putting students first not only benefits our children, but also our com- munity. I firmly believe that a student-first approach pro- vides the best return on our tax dollar investment. Lee- I am seeking reelec- tion as school board trustee for HISD. I am proud of the progress made by the ad- ministrative team. I feel like we are blessed with a strong board that works exception- ally well together. Thompson- I would like to be on the school board to represent my community and affect the education of the students in our community. I believe that consistent in- See Page 5 Council OKs daycare plan all about Longhorns, Page 6 Ag essay winners Page 7
32. America’s Page One 75¢ Lady Dogs take Round 1 Page 8 Cold won’t stop John Deere Day Page 12 H N amilton Herald- ews 143nd Year Volume Fifteen Thursday, April 12, 2018 75 Cents LONGHORNS ARE COMING- Longhorns are coming to Circle T this weekend. Above, Cody Garcia of Rafter M Ranch in Hico carries the flag for the National Anthem in a previous longhorn event. See story, Page 6. Photo courtesy HOTTLA KEEP HAMILTON BEAUTIFUL- More than 50 Hamilton volunteers braved the cold Saturday morning to participate in the Keep Hamilton Beautiful Trash Bash. Despite the cold temps and occasional sprinkle of rain, the workers of all ages showed up with smiles and a willingness to collect litter and help unload household and electronic items at the City of Hamilton Service Center. See story, Page 5. Staff Photo Benefit Saturday to help Calhoun By Maria Weaver Hamilton’s Judy Calhoun has cared for others all her life, but now she finds herself on the receiving end of care after being diagnosed with lung cancer. A benefit is planned for Saturday at Nita and Glen’s BBQ, 1107 S. Rice in Hamilton, to help Judy with her medical bills. She has no insurance. Sign-in for the benefit horseshoe tournament will be 11 a.m., and entry is $20 per team. Prizes will be awarded. A crawfish boil will start at 5 p.m. at $20 per plate, and a silent auction also will be See Page 7 Sisters Ann Blair and Maria and Sheila McBride from Newry, County Down, in Northern Ireland, have enjoyed a three- week stay in Hamilton in the home of Gwen and Pat Kelly. Staff Photo We love your town! Sisters ‘crăic’ on Hamilton By Maria Weaver Three Irish sisters are leav- ing today after three weeks in Hamilton. Last Thursday they took time for a little “crăic” about their visit. Sisters Maria and Sheila McBride and Ann Blair have been staying with Pat and Gwen Kelly for the past three weeks. During that time, they also visited Comanche, San Antonio and Corpus Christi. The trio was a hit in Hamilton and enjoyed the hospitality and friendliness of this community. While in Hamilton, they enjoyed a golf buggy tour of the park and walked to town every day. They have eaten at Storms and El Jardin a lot See Page 7 JUDY CALHOUN Friday’s deadline to get garage sales on map TxDOT: Work zone fatalities increase The deadline to sign up for the annual Citywide Garage Sale is this Friday, April 13. The garage sale will be April 20-21, and a large map of all locations will be in- cluded in next week’s edition of the Herald-News. Copies also will be places in local convenience stores. To register, call Mike Lovell at 386-4661. The annual event is spon- sored by Hamilton County Leadership Alumni. AUSTIN – In recogni- tion of National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 9-13, the Texas Department of Transportation reminds driv- ers that every day requires caution when driving through work zones. In 2017, work zone fatali- ties in Texas increased 9 per- cent over the previous year, resulting in 199 deaths and 813 serious injuries. With 4 percent of those fatalities be- ing road crew workers, the remaining 96 percent was comprised of motorists, pe- destrians and bicyclists. “We always urge driv- ers to exercise great caution and obey traffic laws, espe- cially in work zones,” said TxDOT Executive Director James Bass. “Doing so helps ensure everyone – motorists and work crews – gets home safely to their loved ones.” As the state’s population continues to boom, the price of progress can mean more than 2500 active TxDOT work zones at any given time. In 2017, there were 27,148 work zone crashes in Texas, an increase of 5 percent over 2016. The leading causes of statewide work zone crashes – speeding and driver inat- tention – are entirely prevent- able. Fines in work zones double when workers are See Page 4 HGH Foundation gives grants Page 12 Obituaries Page 4 Delores White Jim Kinsey Dorothy Meissner
33. America’s Page One 10 Pages March 22, 2019 VoluMe 83 NuMber 18 About you and the people you know $1 History Alive School Education Day Courtesy photo Bringing History into the hands of the youth Gainesville, TX: Camp Howze MVPA, a local 501 (c) 3 non-profit, will be hosting another History Alive Program for local North Texas Schools to experience WWII in person. Located at the Cooke County Fairgrounds property at 1901 Justice Center Blvd, and encompassing the large facility for the vehicles and encampment. The school day allows the participants to interact with actual WWII Veterans, including soldiers from all branches of service, as well as a real life Rosie the Riveter! From inspecting K- Rations, to operating Field Phones and handling period uniforms and gear, the only rolling museum that gets the public up close and involved. A full day of Learning Stations and Interactions are set for Friday March 29th 2019 starting at 8:00am and running until last school group around 3:00pm. As with all Camp Howze MVPA’s educational programs there is no cost and all staff are volunteers that believe in keeping history alive for the younger generations. All North Texas Public and Private schools have been invited and are welcome. Suggested age group may get the most out of the program is Middle School through High School, and should find this supporting their current history curriculum. Some of the learning stations to include:     •  Hands  on  Zone  – Try becoming a WWII Soldier     •  Communications  –  Operational Field Phones     •  Medic  Minute  –  Learn about advanced medical of the 40’s     •  Food for the Troops  – Presentation about the various food types of the soldier     •  Tire  and  Track  – large variety of fully functional WWII Vehicles     •  Meet  the  Hero’s  –  WWII and Korean Soldiers and Rosie the Riveters on premise and interacting with public Our goal is to supplement the classroom with hands on experience to lead to real world connections and increasing the learning engagement. The combination of classroom concepts with full hands on immersion of the field trip to activate more parts of the childs brain that can directly transfer to long term memory. Camp Howze MVPA: If you’re a school administrator and interested in your group participating please contact Brad Meeks (PIO) at bmeeks77@gmail.com or Lauren Bayer (Secretary) at ljbayer44@gmail.com or by phone at 903-200-5944. Snyder named Enterprise editor Staff Report E x p e r i e n c e d newspaperman Steve Snyder has been named the newest editor of the Muenster Enterprise and Lindsay Letter, according to publisher Austin Lewter. Snyder has relocated from Sulphur Springs and began work at the Enterprise office on Monday. “We are excited to have Steve onboard,” Lewter said. “He is a newspaper veteran and a passionate community journalist. He is a great storyteller and experienced manager.” Snyder comes to Muenster from the Sulphur Springs News-Telegram where he worked as a copy editor and features writer. His duties there included managing the production of weekly special sections and daily news budgets. Prior to his tenure at Sulphur Springs, Snyder served as managing editor of the Center Light and Champion. Prior to that, he was editor and publisher of the The Marlin Democrat. He also worked at the Odessa American and Today Newspapers. He was the 2005 North and East Texas Press Association Journalist of the Year. Snyder holds a bachelor’s degree with St. John’s College and a master’s degree from Concordia Seminary and has worked as an adjunct college instructor. “Steve is a true newspaper pro,” Lewter said. “He brings decades of experience to our small group of papers and we are thrilled to have him.” “I am looking forward to meeting people from both communities and hearing their input,” Snyder said. “I welcome thoughts on news and feature stories as well as letters to the editor on matters of community importance.” Snyder can be contacted at muensterenterprise@ ntin.net and welcomes your introductions and story ideas. Photo by Janie Hartman Sales taxes have a strong month By Steve Snyder Editor Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced earlier this month he was sending cities, counties, transit sys- tems and special purpose taxing districts $711.7 mil- lion in local sales tax alloca- tions for March, 6.1 percent more than in March 2018. These allocations are based on sales made in January by businesses that report tax monthly. Cities received 456.9 mil- lion, up 5.9 percent from a year ago and counties were returned $45.0 million, up 7.2 percent from March 2018. Locally, Muenster’s March allocation of $38,354.24 was up 11.72 percent from last year’s $34,328.61. Lind- say’s return of $9,590.40 was up 12.54 percent from last year’s $8,521.32. Cooke County’s alloca- tion of $293,441.69 was up 12.37 percent from the $261,128.31 of March 2018. For the year to date, Muenster’s rebate of $121,471.98 is 6.62 per- cent ahead of last year’s $113,927.19, while Lind- say’s yearly allocation of $32,551.79 is off 2.88 per- cent from 2018’s $33,517.19. The county’s rebate for the year of $1,058,641.15 is 30.28 percent ahead of last year’s $812,558.48. Fourth-quarter 2018 mixed beverage sales taxes were reported earlier this year. Muenster’s $937.95 was down 15.12 percent from the $1,105.03 of the fourth quarter of 2017 and its 2018 total of $3,702.89 was off 3.59 percent from the $3,840.88 of a year ago. Lindsay’s fourth quarter beverage taxes of $710.61 were off 14.60 from the 2017 fourth quarter return of $832.12 and the 2018 yearly total of $3,394.15 was down 3.43 percent from 2017’s $3,514.66. County- wide, Cooke County’s mixed beverage taxes for the fourth quarter of 2018 were $13,758.97, up 3.86 percent from the 2017 fourth quar- ter of $13,247.67, and its yearly total of $55,310.70 was up 4.15 percent from the $53,107.40 of 2017. Monthly drilling steady in area, state By Steve Snyder Editor The Railroad Commission of Texas issued a total of 961 original drilling permits in February 2019 compared 1,097 in February 2018. For District 9, which in- cludes Cooke County, the state issued 40 new drilling permits. Of these, 23 are for new drilling, two for re- entering and 15 for re-com- pletions. By type, 13 are oil, 22 are oil and gas, three are gas and two are injection wells. In February, Commission staff processed 584 oil, 175 gas, 21 injection and four other completions compared to 672 oil, 149 gas, 56 injec- tion and five other comple- tions in February 2018. Total well completions pro- cessed for 2019 year to date are 1,804; down from 1,845 recorded during the same time period in 2018. For District 9, which in- cludes Cooke County, the area had 34 new oil comple- tions and 3 gas completions. Of the oil completions, 32 were for new wells and two were re-completions. Of the gas wells, two were new drilling and one was a re- completion. According to Baker Hughes Inc., the Texas rig count as of March 8 was 502, representing about 49 percent of all active rigs in the United States. Oil prices for West Texas In- termediate have traded in a relatively narrow $52-59 per barrel range for most of this year. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 Spring has officially arrived as the buds and the bees got an early start after extra warm temperatures followed early showers this past week. Photo by Janie Hartman Spring is here By Steve Snyder Editor Spring arrived in Muenster on Wednesday with plenty of sunshine and seasonal temperatures, and the promise of a full load of blooms. This year’s heavy rains in winter and early spring have hindered farmers and ranchers in trying to plant crops and work pastures, but have already produced a start on what promises to be a bounty of spring wildflowers. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has already predicted this year will produce a profusion of bluebonnets and other flowers along area roadsides. In Cooke County and throughout North Texas, the state says that many wildflowers are already out. The landscape currently features Indian paintbrushes, brown eyed Susan, winecup, American basket flower, Barbara’s buttons, American wild carrot, showy evening primrose, plantain, Texas prairie parsley, fleabane, prairie clovers, blue- eyed grass, buttercups, snakeherb, butterfly weed, false dragon-head, sundrops, beeblossum, Texas skeleton plant, larkspur, coneflowers, blue mealy sage, wild indigo and overwhelming numbers of green milkweeds, according to TPWD. Because of the amount of rain already this year, and the degree of soil saturation it has produced, this year’s blooms will remain for most of the rest of spring. TPWD botanist Jason Singhurst said. “Vibrant spring wildflower displays have been remarkable across the Texas landscape recently,” said Singhurst “With recent rains carpeting a large percentage of Texas, we are experiencing dazzling wildflower displays and should expect increasing wildflower concentration through April and into May.” Texas wildflowers on highways are courtesy of the Texas Department of Transportation. Today, the department buys and sows about 30,000 pounds of wildflower seeds each year along more than 800,000 miles of right of way. Contrary to an old urban, or rural, legend, it is not illegal to pick bluebonnets in Texas, at least if a person is on a highway right of way. There is no law against picking bluebonnets in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. People should not trespass onto private land for bluebonnets or any other wildflowers. And it is illegal to pick flowers at state parks. TPWD staff, along with TxDOT, reminds Texans to remember to exercise caution when taking wildflower photos on busy roadways. People should use emergency lights and pull as far off the roadway as possible. They should park on the same side of the road as the wildflowers they want to stop to see or photograph. Wildflower hunters should also be mindful of disturbing wildlife resting or hiding in photo opportunity spots, such as nesting birds, or animals in burrows, as well as taking precautions to try to avoid undesirable encounters with venomous snakes and fire ants.
34. America’s Page One 10 Pages aPRIL 5, 2019 VoLume 83 NumbeR 20 About you and the people you know $1 New resale store has a big heart Photo by Steve Snyder Ron Koehler, president of the board of directors of My Brother’s House, describes some of the work involved with launching the new Brothers Helping Brothers resale store in Lindsay. Photo by Steve Snyder A road grader helps prepare a portion of a shoulder on FM 373 for eventual wid- ening of the paved surface of the roadway. Drivers may see delays in the area in days ahead, with some road sections limited to one-lane, one-way traffic. FM 373 work may cause delays By Steve Snyder Editor Drivers headed north of Muenster on FM 373 will need to exercise extra caution in days ahead as road widening work gets underway. The widening started last week moving from Muenster northward, with culvert work done. Drivers may see delays in the area in days ahead, with some road sections limited to one- lane, one-way traffic. Adelé Lewis, a Texas Department of Transportation public information officer, said lane closures will occur regularly for some time. FM 373 will be widened by Jagoe Construction in an area from Ninth Street north for 6 miles. The paved width will increase from 22 to 28 feet. This will provide motorists with two 11-foot lanes like it has right now but the additional width will allow for 3-foot shoulders on each side. “They are doing the dirt work in sections and paving right behind the dirt work. They will be widening on both sides of the road,” Lewis said. “Once the widening is finished, the contractor will come back to overlay the enter width of the road with new hot mix and get it striped.” Lewis said she didn’t have a date for the overlay at this time. The contractor has 204 days on the contract to complete the work. It was expected to be completed by August. However, TxDOT does not charge the contractor time on bad weather days. Cooke County received considerable rain throughout the winter. Many projects had to be delayed due to muddy conditions,” Lewis said. Photo by Steve Snyder Precinct 4 County Commissioner Leon Klement discusses with fellow members of the Cooke County Commissioners Court details about whether Justice Center Boulevard is a county road or should actually be a city one. Jail-related items top commissioners’ agenda County property insurance may climb due to Harvey By Steve Snyder Editor Is Justice Center Boulevard a city road or a county one? Sheriff Terry Gilbert request for some repair work on the road — short-term work to fix potholes that would be desirable led to that broader issue in the March 25 meeting of the Cooke County Commissioners Court. His request led commissioners to discuss matters of longer-term maintenance on the road. That, in turn, led to the issue of whose road it is, or SEE JAIL, pg. 2 By Steve Snyder Editor Hurricane Harvey is having ripple effects more than a year later and hundreds of miles away. County property insurance bills may go up the middle of this year and the hurricane may be to blame. County Judge Brinkley told the Cooke County Commissioners Court March 25 that the Texas Association of Counties had informed him that property insurance rates might be going up as much as 20 percent. He said that he suggested raising the county’s deductible, at least in some areas and get quotes with that. “You may only save a couple of thousand by raising our deductible … from $1,000 … to $5,000 and it may not be worth it,” Buckley said. “Are they saying Hurricane Harvey is a problem?” asked Commissioner Leon Klement. Buckley said that was indeed a problem. Commissioners then approved applying for insurance with deductibles at $3,000, $5,000 and $10,000 to get multiple options. They will make a decision at a future meeting. One item was pulled off the consent agenda of routine items by Commissioner Leon Klement. That was for renewing a grant application to the Victim Service Office to renew a Victim Coordinator Liaison Grant. Klement said that he had wanted further discussion because Cooke County was combining county and district attorney’s offices. Previous versions of the grant, and the position, have been run through the county attorney’s office. Victim’s assistance coordinator Callie Paxton is listed at both the county attorney’s and district attorney’s offices on various webpages within the county’s website. “I remember being told basically told both would disappear,” Klement said. “I want to make sure we keep it.” “I don’t want to refight that battle,” Klement said when told that the offices would not disappear, just the titles. Brinkley then weighed in to say his office was the one designated to oversee the grant and “as far as I know, it’s not going away.” Buckley then said he wanted to make sure the application had unanimous support to improve grant chances of approval. The county received three bids for a contract for the county’s depository bank. Muenster State Bank, Landmark Bank, and First United Bank. A bid will be awarded later, tentatively at commissioners’ April 8 meeting. Commissioners quickly approved the final plat of the North Oaks Subdivision, Lots 1-4. This is located off Northshore Drive in Precinct 2. The court had several routine items it approved besides those lumped together on its consent agenda. The court renewed SEE HIKE, pg. 2 By Steve Snyder Editor People wanting a new local option on thrift store shopping, as well as a new place for charitable donations, and some very good causes to help, can hit up Lindsay’s newest business, Brothers Helping Others. Ron Koehler, president of the board of directors of My Brother’s House, a men’s sober living facility in Muenster, explained that Brothers Helping Others will use profits from store sales to help MBH, but not just it. Mary Pat’s, a similar women’s sober living facility in Gainesville, Abigail’s Arms, the county’s family crisis center, VISTO and other area nonprofits, will also benefit, and Brothers Helping Brothers is a separately incorporated nonprofit from My Brother’s House. Both Koehler and Rose Sticking, who will be in charge of the store, talked about what it meant to have the facility open and how they got to this point, as My Brother’s House just celebrated an anniversary. “Seven years ago this month we opened My Brother’s House in Gainesville. It was a five-bedroom house,” Koehler said. “Those people were absolutely broke.” It gave them a place to eat, food and transportation. In exchange, other than abiding by daily living rules at the facility, there’s just one basic request. “When men get a full-time or part-time job, we ask that they give money back to support us,” Koehler said. The need for the facility soon became clear. After three years in Gainesville, we had too many guys there,” Koehler said. He explained that My Brother’s House is the only residential sober living facility between the Metroplex and Wichita Falls, so it attracts people in need of its services from a wide area. “Out of the blue, our prayers were answered. We got a call from the guy who owned the nursing home in Muenster,” he said. The facility currently houses about 39-45 people. SEE STORE, pg. 4 Muenster council votes to increase water rates for users out of city limit By Steve Snyder Editor The Muenster City Council after brief discussion, decided to increase water rates for people outside the city limits wanting to tap into the city’s system instead of drilling a well. City Administrator Stan Endres suggested allowing such persons to connect to the city system by paying a tapping fee and covering the cost of laying line to their property. If the homeowner or business wants their land to be annexed by the city, they would then pay normal water rates. If they do not want to be annexed, they would then pay all costs in getting water to their property and double in-town water rates. The city would also reserve the right to annex the site in three years. Water racks, which is bulk water sold into tanks from the city’s water town, had their rates discussed as well. Endres said the current rates had stemmed from oilfield development about a decade ago. “At that time, we hadn’t expanded our water lines, so we didn’t know how much water we had. So, the council decided to charge four times the normal,” Endres said. “But we haven’t had any oil companies ask us for water for years. Mainly its construction companies or for highway improvements.” For example, Endres said that Jagoe Construction, doing new paving work on U.S. 82 and widening work on FM 373, had told him it would likely need some such water but had not yet made a formal request. So Endres suggested adjusting those rates as well, to be near what other cities are at. His idea was $27 for the first 1,000 gallons and $5 for each 1,000 gallons afterward. He said he had looked at pricing for bulk water by Gainesville and other area cities in suggesting the new rates, so that Muenster would be generally compatible. Mayor Tim Felderhoff said he was concerned the language in the ordinance was a little bit imprecise. Endres said the law firm that had codified the city’s current ordinances would make sure language that went on the city’s book was clarified and made precise. After brief additional discussion, the council unanimously approved the ordinance.
35. America’s Page One Murphy Monitor How to reach us: 972-442-5515 phone news@murphymonitor.com Murphy Monitor (USPS 023329) is published each Thursday at 110 N. Ballard, Wylie, 75098. Second Class Postage paid at Wylie, 75098. Send address changes P.O. Box 369, Wylie, TX 75098- 0369. 75098. Published by C&S Media, Inc. © Copyright 2019. No reproduction with- out permission. The official newspaper of the city of Murphy © Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved. Volume 15 Issue 14 Murphy, Texas • Thursday, April 18, 2019 • C&S Media Publications • 3 Sections, 24 Pages $1.00 Classifieds................ 4C Life.&.Style............. 1C Obituaries................ 2C Opinion.................... 5A Sports....................... 1B InsIde thIs Issue Become an informed voter, see voters Guide 4-8a Lake Lavon LeveLs Normal 492 493.96 ft. as of 4/15/18 Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Early voting opens April 22 and runs through April 30 at Murphy Community Center, 205 N. Murphy Road, and at any Collin County early voting center. Early voting begins By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@murphymonitor.com Having enjoyed a life as a model, busi- nesswoman and bridge master, Toni Roberts of Murphy celebrated her 99th birthday last week with balloons and a cake at Lynridge Assisted Living Center. The birthday honoree turned 99 on Tues- day, April 9 and is one of three residents of the center approaching 100. “I’ve had a lot of fun,” Roberts declared. Born in the Oklahoma farming communi- ty of Wilson near Anadarko, she was reared in Norman, Okla. and earned a degree at the University of Oklahoma, where she studied psychology and economics. As a teenager and young woman, she worked at a department store and mod- eled clothes. As television started becom- ing popular, the store filmed its models and broadcast the episodes over a closed circuit system to demonstrate television. “I used to model,” she said, and joked, “I’m not doing any modeling now.” During World War II, she taught typing and helped her mother who was a college professor. Roberts was married to Gordon McCor- mick until his death, and the couple worked See LYNRIDGE page 3A 99 years of celebrations By Morgan Howard Staff Writer news@murphymonitor.com Among the many nation- al celebrations recognized throughout this month, ranging from pecans to poetry to soft pretzels, one often-overlooked organization gets a moment in the spotlight. April is National School Library Month. As the school year winds down, one of the busiest plac- es on campus is the library. But it is no longer a place sole- ly for quiet studying; in recent years, libraries have morphed into media centers, complete with technology, events and, of course, all types of reading material. At the various school lev- els, the overall goal remains See LIBRARIANS page 12A By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@murphymonitor.com Collin County property own- ers this week started receiving notices of estimated tax values from Collin Central Appraisal District and have until May 15 to file formal protests of those values. The CAD calculates values on real estate and personal busi- ness property every year for taxing entities to use in setting their tax rates to fund budgets. Chief Appraiser Bo Daffin re- ported that values on real estate have been mailed and business personal property will be mailed in May. “They are going out Friday afternoon (April 12) from our print vendor,” Daffin said. He reported that 400,000 real estate estimates were mailed to Collin County property owners. Appraisal estimate totals for all taxing entities will be avail- able at the end of April. Esti- mates of those appraisals were given to entities earlier this month so that they could start budget work. “I don’t think those estimates will move much, but they See OWNERS page 3A Property value estimates mailed Pictures of trash on beaches, a whale found with a belly full of garbage, and turtles with plastic straws up their nose are no laugh- ing matter. They are all just a tiny snapshot of reality today. The impact of the world’s over- use of plastic is causing havoc on the environment. For over 20 years, China was the recipient of millions of tons of paper and plastics per year from the U.S. and it was a profitable business for the U.S. for many lo- cal cities with recycling programs. In 2017, China made the decision to ban imported nonindustrial plastic waste, and the country also added more restrictions for im- ported paper waste. Stateside, many cities are no longer making a profit and recyclables are now a drain on budgets, and in some cases, costing as much as they previously earned. See pg. 1C. Make changes to purge the plastic NEWS YOU NEED David Jenkins/Murphy Monitor McMillen High School’s Austin Svidlow fires a pitch to the plate during a start against McKinney North’s freshmen team last Tuesday at Plano East. McMillen came up on the losing end 13-3. For additional photos see this week’s Sports or murphymonitor.com. Fever pitch! Joe Reavis/Murphy Monitor Born in a small Oklahoma farming commu- nity in 1920, Toni Roberts of Murphy cel- ebrated her 99th birthday last week. School libraries offer more than books By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@murphymonitor.com Craft beers, crawfish, music, games, a car show and more are on tap Saturday, May 4 when gates open for the fourth annual Tunes, Tails and Ales celebration in Murphy. The event, sponsored by the city, is open from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Murphy Central Park on N. Murphy Road. Most activities are free to the pub- lic. Parking is available in the Plano Sports Association, City Hall and Kimbrough Stadium lots. Because of the date, on May 4, the event carries a Star Wars theme, as in “May the Fourth be With You.” “We encourage people to dress in their Star Wars cos- tumes and T-shirts,” Special Events Coordinator Kayla Mc- Farland said. Tickets are required to en- ter the beer tasting tent where samples of craft brews will be available. Tasting tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the See TUNES page 3A Craft beer, music, car show on tap in two weeks Friday, April 10--Murphy city offices will be closed for Good Friday, except for the City Secretary’s office that will be open from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. in the City Hall lobby. UPCOMING CALENDAR Morgan Howard/Murphy Monitor With 26 years of experience, McMillen High School li- brarian Mary Long understands what’s needed to run a successful high school library.
36. America’s Page One © Copyright 2018. All Rights Reserved. C&S Media Publications Volume 53 Issue 36 Classifi eds...................3B Real Estate..................3B Obituaries...................3A Opinion.......................4A Sports..........................1B InsIde thIs Issue Contact us at: 972-784-6397 or news@princetonherald.com www.princetonherald.com • Princeton, Texas, Thursday, December 6, 2018 • 2 sections, 10 Pages $1.00 The Offi cial Newspaper of Princeton The Princeton Herald Lake Lavon Levels Normal – 492 492.88 ft as of 12/04/18 Lake Jim Chapman Normal 440 – Current 440.03 ft Source: US Army Corps of Engineers By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@princetonherald.com As December rolls in with full force so do myriad Holi- day events around Farmers- ville, Princeton and the DFW metroplex. Princeton Princeton’s downtown area will come to life Saturday, Dec. 8 as the town’s fi rst-ever Christmas parade takes place. Myriad events, both by the city of Princeton and the Princ- eton Chamber of Commerce, are scheduled. Starting at 5 p.m., free ice skating is being provided by the city near the downtown Veter- ans Memorial Park. According to Community Relations Co- ordinator Stephanie O’Brien, a 30- by 40-foot ice rink will be placed and ice skates will be provided at no charge. Feed the Community will also begin at 5 p.m. and is be- ing hosted by city of Princeton Public Works. Citizens will get a free meal including hotdogs, chips and drinks served by public works employees. See HOLIDAY page 2A By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@princetonherald.com Those who have traveled along Highway 380 recently may have noticed increased traffi c and a construction proj- ect currently underway west of Princeton. The project includes a 5-foot concrete median, which is being built where the center turn lane is currently located. According to TxDOT, the median will eventually extend from FM 1827 (New Hope Road) to CR 985 in Princeton, right before Lake Lavon. “We are very pleased that Tx- DOT is fi nally moving on the project. We hope it will save lives along with beautifying the city,” City Manager Derek Borg said. See CONCRETE page 6A By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@princetonherald.com The long-awaited Crossroads Development will be offi cially welcomed into Princeton with a groundbreaking ceremony next week. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12 at the corner of Boorman Road and Hwy. 380 and is being host- ed by International Capital and Range Realty Advisors. The Princeton Crossroads project includes constructions on the 297- acre site. The property was acquired in 2016. A Public Improvement District (PID) was approved and funded in September 2018 for the construction of providing water and sanitary sewer servic- es to the project, which broke ground in November 2018. “International Capital will celebrate the groundbreaking See PUBLIC page 2A By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@princetonherald.com Last week, a parent was ar- rested at Princeton High School after allegedly assaulting an educator by throwing hot cof- fee at her face. According to information re- leased by the Princeton Police Department, School Resource Offi cer Isidro Trevino received a call from a teacher at the Special Programs building re- questing the offi cer responds immediately because of an irate parent. The call occurred around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28. Director of Special Pro- grams Liz Goen was waiting at the building for the offi cer and advised that a parent had thrown hot coffee at her. The coffee made contact with the right side of her face and neck, along with her clothes, the re- port stated. Amanda Leigh Donnelly, 31, identifi ed as the parent who threw the coffee, was imme- diately placed under arrest by Offi cer Trevino on a charge of assault on a public servant, a Third Degree felony. When talking to Donnelly, she explained to Offi cer Trevi- no that she knew throwing cof- fee was wrong. The parent was at the Special Programs build- ing for a meeting about her son and his behavior. She was up- set because Goen was late and began cursing at the director. When Goen asked her See ASSAULT page 2A By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@princetonherald.com The post of county judge changes hands in a few weeks as former County Commis- sioner Chris Hill steps in for Keith Self, who is retiring after serving three terms. But there probably won’t be many changes because the two offi cials share the same conser- vative views on limited gov- ernment and on keeping prop- erty taxes low. Hill served fi ve years with Self on the commissioner’s court and the two share a friendship outside county government. “Judge Self has been a tremendous resource for me,” Hill said. “We are close, personally, so we talk often.” Hill declared for the offi ce of County Judge a year ago and resigned from the commis- sioner’s court to run for the top Collin County elected offi ce. He will be sworn in Jan. 1, 2019 and plans to work full time as county judge even though state law allows a county judge to work outside his offi ce. “It would not be practical, wise or a good steward to hold a full- time position outside Collin County,” the judge-elect said. Hill holds a Bachelor of Political Science degree from Texas A&M University-Com- merce, Master of Accounting and Information Management degree from the University of Texas at Dallas, Master of Business Administration de- gree from Webster University and Master of Pastoral Lead- ership degree from Colum- bia Biblical Seminary. He has worked as an accountant since resigning from the court and is currently wrapping up that business. See HILL page 5A Hwy. 380 median under construction Groundbreaking next week for Crossroads Parent arrested for throwing coffee on educator New Collin County judge ready to get to work Deck the holiday with activities Michael O’Keefe/First Response Photography Princeton fi refi ghters work on an extrication in the early morning hours of Thursday, Nov. 29 after a head-on col- lision occurred on Hwy. 380 near the Creekview subdivi- sion. A new concrete median project that started recently is aimed to help prevent these kinds of collisions. Courtesy photo Rileigh Bloodworth can’t believe there was a birthday party with snacks for her Care Bear during the Smith El- ementary stuffed animal sleepover. See story on page 6A. ‘B’ is for bear Courtesy photo Joseph Duran focuses on playing a carol at Faith Baptist Church’s Christmas Bible School Saturday, Dec. 1. Addi- tional photos page 5A. Christmas bells are ringing Deadlines for Princ- eton’s Angel Tree program are quickly approaching and the Lions Club is ask- ing for the community’s help to provide a great Christmas for kids. Angel Tree adoptions con- tinue until Monday, Dec. 10. To adopt an angel call 469-952-5400 or email contacts Amy Ivy at aivy@ princetonisd.net or Kim Williams at kwilliams@ princetonisd.net or stop by the PISD Administration Office at 321 Panther Pkwy. Angel Tree adoption deadline nears NEWS YOU NEED Chris Hill
37. America’s Page One © Copyright 2018. All Rights Reserved. C&S Media Publications Volume 53 Issue 35 Classifieds...................3B Real Estate..................3B Obituaries...................3A Opinion.......................4A Sports..........................1B InsIde thIs Issue Contact us at: 972-784-6397 or news@princetonherald.com www.princetonherald.com • Princeton, Texas, Thursday, November 29, 2018 • 2 sections, 10 Pages $1.00 The Official Newspaper of Princeton News YOu Need The Princeton Herald Princeton volleyball earns all-District awarDs, see sPorts Lake Lavon Levels Normal – 492 494.02 ft as of 11/27/18 Lake Jim Chapman Normal 440 – Current 440.09 ft Source: US Army Corps of Engineers By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@princetonherald.com Glistening lights, ice skating and the spirit of the holiday sea- son will be filling Princeton’s downtown area Saturday, Dec. 8 at the first-ever Christmas pa- rade takes place. Myriad events, both by the city of Princeton and the Princ- eton Chamber of Commerce, are scheduled. Starting at 5 p.m., free ice skating is being provided by the city near the downtown Veterans Memorial Park. Ac- cording to Community Rela- tions Coordinator Stephanie O’Brien, a 30- by 40-foot ice rink will be placed and ice skates will be provided at no charge. Feed the Community will also begin at 5 p.m. and is being hosted by city of Princ- eton Public Works. Citizens will get a free meal includ- ing hotdogs, chips and drinks served by public works em- ployees. The meal is while supplies last so citizens are encouraged to get there early. Also, citizens are being asked to donate one new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. At 6 p.m., the Christmas pa- rade will traverse around the area utilizing the same route as the Homecoming parade. This year’s theme is ‘Santa Claus is coming to town.’ See CHRISTMAS page 6A By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@princetonherald.com Deadlines for Princeton’s Angel Tree program are quick- ly approaching and the Lions Club is asking for the commu- nity’s help to provide a great Christmas for kids. Applications are being ac- cepted on each Princeton campus for children who can benefit from this charitable ef- fort. These will be verified us- ing information from the free and reduced meal program, as well as recommendations from counselors regarding new cir- cumstances. According to Superinten- dent Philip Anthony, there are hundreds of students who might go without Christmas if it weren’t for the efforts of the Lions Club. “There’s no other civic or- ganization besides the Lions Club that is set up to help and target the Princeton area ex- clusively,” he said. “For the past 10 years, we’ve always been able to assist every eli- gible applicant.” The deadline for applica- tions is Monday, Dec. 3. All Angel applications are re- viewed on a first-come, first- served basis. Angel Tree adoptions start- ed Monday, Nov. 5, and con- tinue until Monday, Dec. 10. The community support plays a big role in getting ev- ery child adopted. The city of Princeton joins First Bank and Trust and Independent Bank with Angel Trees in those lo- cations. According to Anthony, dis- trict employees do a great job in stepping up to help. Many See DEADLINE. page 2A By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@princetonherald.com Construction documents have been launched in order to turn Huddleston Intermediate School into a daycare center and ex- panding the Career and Technol- ogy Education (CATE) center. Huddleston Intermediate School, which currently con- tains sixth grade only, will be transformed into a daycare cen- ter to be utilized by PISD em- ployees and students, if need- ed. Sixth grade will be placed into both Clark Junior High School and Southard Junior High when opened in the fall. Currently, PISD has a day- care center known as Panther Cub daycare located behind Godwin Elementary School in portable classrooms. See TRUSTEES page 2A Decking the halls Huddleston to become a daycare, CATE center in 2019 First ever Christmas parade coming to town Groundbreaking ceremony Dec. 12 for Crossroads Development A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled at 10 a.m. Wednes- day, Dec. 12 for the new Princ- eton Crossroads Development. The ceremony is being host- ed by International Capital and Range Realty Advisors in part- nership with the Princeton EDC and CDC. The ceremony will take place at Hwy. 380 and Boorman Lane. Those attending are asked to RSVP to Sandra Bauer at sbau- er@international-capital.com or call 469-687-2501. Annual Blue Ridge event on tap The annual Holiday Sip and Stroll in Blue Ridge will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7. The event is hosted by the Blue Ridge Chamber of Com- merce and showcases downtown businesses in Blue Ridge along with food and drink from area wineries and breweries. Tickets are $35 for alcoholic beverages are food and $15 for nonalco- holic beverages and food. For more information contact Dina Brown at 972- 369-6355. See Area Briefs on pg. 2A for additional events. Wyndi Veigel/The Princeton Herald Students from Harper Elementary School got a jump on the holiday season by taking a field trip to the Lois Nelson Public Library Tuesday, Nov. 27 to hang handpainted orna- ments on a Christmas tree. From left is Westen C., Isabella L., Gael A. and Elisa H. Additional photos at princetonherald.com and page 6A. By Sonia Duggan Associate Publisher sduggan@csmediatexas.com When Lucas resident Diane Leigh went missing last May, the Collin County Sheriff’s Department and Lucas Fire De- partment conducted a search for hours with no luck. The 71-year-old woman was last seen helping her husband with yardwork, and when he went inside, she wandered off. A neighbor’s surveillance cam- era had footage of her and the direction she wandered, but search efforts soon stalled. Lance Gant, Assistant Fire Chief and Emergency Man- agement Coordinator for Lu- cas Fire-Rescue felt that they needed additional assistance in finding the missing woman. He contacted the fire chief and city manager who approved Gant’s idea to call in a unique minis- try that works to bring home the lost and missing; Lone Star Search and Rescue, a K-9 search and rescue team. By the time LSSAR reported on scene at noon May 17, Ms. Leigh had been missing for 24 hours and the prospect of find- ing her alive was grim. Aside from bringing various types of See ALL page 5A Lone Star Search and Rescue team ready to assist agencies K-9 team aids Lucas, Blue Ridge FDs, helps find missing women Courtesy photo Team members from Lone Star Search and Rescue gather prior to training one week- end. The group is comprised of multiple teams including six K-9 teams, Flankers (the person responsible for communication, navigation and first aid), Command, ATV and Outreach. The nonprofit was started by five years ago by Michele and Terry Benjamin. Angel tree adoptions continue through Dec. 10 Courtesy illustration Huddleston Intermediate School will be transformed into Panther Cub Daycare, a childcare center for PISD employee’ children and student’s children.
38. America’s Page One © Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved. C&S Media Publications Volume 53 Issue 47 Classifieds...................3B Obituaries...................3A Opinion.......................4A Sports..........................1B Contact us at: 972-442-5515 or news@princetonherald.com www.princetonherald.com • Princeton, Texas, Thursday, February 21, 2019 • 2 sections, 10 Pages $1.00 The Official Newspaper of Princeton UPCOMING CALENDAR The Princeton Herald Princeton wrestling qualifies for state tournament, sPorts Pg. 1B Lake Lavon Levels Normal – 492 492.48 ft as of 2/19/19 Lake Jim Chapman Normal 440 – Current 440.39 ft Source: US Army Corps of Engineers NEWS YOU NEED By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@princetonherald.com After more than a year, Gary Lynn Marrs, 55, was indicted on a felony DWI charge after a school bus accident on FM 982. Marrs, of Princeton, was in- dicted for DWI-third or more, a Third Degree felony on Tuesday, Feb. 12 by the Collin County Grand Jury. The accident occurred Feb. 16, 2018 when a Princeton ISD school bus was reportedly rear- ended on FM 982 by Marrs who was driving 2006 Green Hyundai Tucson sports utility ve- hicle. According to information pro- vided by the po- lice department, the bus was stopped with the stop signs out to let students exit when the driver rear-ended the bus. Students did have their seat belts on while riding the bus. Paramedics checked out two students who were stand- ing to exit the bus when the crash occurred, but ultimately no students were in- jured in the crash. An- other bus arrived to transport the student. The indictment pro- ceedings, in part, took an extended amount of time due to having to wait for toxicology re- sults for Marrs’ blood alcohol level from the DPS crime lab. Marrs was critical- ly injured in last year’s crash and had to be airlifted from the scene. If convicted, Marrs could serve two to 10 years in jail and pay a $10,000 fine for the Third Degree felony. By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@princetonherald.com Curtis Lee Zetterlund, 36, was arrested on a laundry list of charges after he was con- nected to a string of vehicle thefts and burglaries, along with a robbery, in Princeton. The crime spree began when two trucks were stolen Wednesday, Feb. 6 – one on Cedar Cove Drive and one on Hazelwood Street. A burglary of a vehicle also took place Feb. 6 on Rock Court after a vehicle was left unlocked. Multiple items were stolen from the vehicle including the victim’s wallet, back- pack, purse, medical sup- plies and a Harley Davidson pea coat. Also on Feb. 6, the robbery of an individual took place as a See THEFTS page 2A By Wyndi Veigel News Editor news@princetonherald.com A newly launched book club at the Lois Nelson Public Library will offer bibliophiles a chance to make new friends, discuss popular books and read new works of fiction. The first informational meeting will be held Thurs- day, Feb. 26 at the library starting at 7 p.m. The book club is open to men and women ages 18 years and older. The first book that club members should read to be discussed at the Feb. 26 meet- ing is “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah. People are responsible for supplying their own copy of the book, Library Director Cathy Dunkel said. The idea for the book club came about after con- versation at a library advi- sory board meeting where the members made the sugges- tion to start a book club. See LIBRARY page 6A By Jean Ann Collins Contributing Writer news@princetonherald.com For the third consecutive year, junior Marquis McBride has earned a place on the All- State Choir, however, this is the first time it was for the 5A/6A large school division. Marquis, who is a PHS choir student and the son of Marquita and Isiah McBride, will perform Saturday, Feb. 16, in San Antonio as part of the 2019 Texas Music Educa- tors Association Convention. He was chosen for this pres- tigious honor through a com- petitive process of auditions at district, region and area levels. According to PHS choir director Rachel Lavender, her student’s road to All-State has been challenging. “He’s in the Top 2 percent of music students in the state,” she said. “I don’t think people realize how challenging the music really is.” According to Lavender, for his most recent audition, Marquis had to learn three pieces of complicated music, including advanced works of Johannes Brahms and Sydney Guillaume’s “Gagot,” which is a mix of Haitian, Creole and French languages. “He has to practice all of it, because you don’t know which piece they will pick for you to sing in the rounds,” she said. “When the piano starts, you better be ready.” Since All-State is the high- est honor a Texas music stu- dent can receive, only 1,780 students are selected through a process that begins with more than 68,000. Once in San Antonio for the TMEA convention, All- State students participate in three days of rehearsals di- rected by nationally-recog- nized conductors. For the All- State concert schedule, go to the Performances section of www.tmea.org/convention. Marquis doesn’t want his All-State experience to end with this year’s performance. “I can hopefully go next year for the fourth time,” he said. “I’m going to try to make the mixed choir so I can say I made it in all choirs available.” Marquis said he comes from a family of singers who have been supportive. “Everyone in my family sings, but no one has pursued it like I have,” he said. “But they are always proud of me.” Marquis may have started singing too early to remem- ber, but his official chorale music education started in sixth grade. “I’ve always sang in my church choir,” he said. “That made me want to choose choir See PHS page 6A DWI defendant indicted in bus wreck Gary Lynn Marrs File photo One year ago a Princeton school bus was hit on FM 982 while its stop signs were out to allow students to exit the bus. The driver of the car was arrested for DWI. Victor Tapia/The Princeton Herald Orlando Arzate watches the ball against Denison last Friday in District 10-5A at Jackie Hendricks Stadium. Princeton came away with the programs first district wins as a Class 5A program 2-0. For the story and additional photos see this week’s Sports and princetonherald.com. Laser focus Book club to start at library Suspect arrested on multiple charges Curtis Zetterlund Singing notes of high praise Wyndi Veigel/The Princeton Herald A car was totaled Friday, Feb. 15 after two 16-year-olds from Princeton slid off the road into a tree while trying to evade Farmersville police officers. Story on page 6A. Car totaled as teens run from police PHS junior travels to All State Choir performance Thursday, Feb. 21: 6:30 p.m., Library Board Meeting, Lois Nelson Public Library, 323 McKinney Avenue Monday, Feb. 25: 6:30 p.m., Princeton City Council, city hall, 123 W. Princeton Dr. Monday, Feb. 25: 6:30 p.m., Princeton ISD School Board meeting, Administration build- ing, 321 Panther Parkway Thursday, Feb. 28: 7 p.m., Book Club, Lois Nelson Public Library, 323 McKinney Avenue Notable perfection The Princeton High School Band performed well at the UIL Region 25 Solo and Ensemble Contest Saturday, Feb. 9. Eighty-nine students performed in 83 events at the contest. One hundred eighteen first divi- sion medals were awarded to stu- dents in this division. Twelve students advanced to State on their solo and as a part of an ensemble. Fifty-two total stu- dents advanced to the UIL Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest at UT Austin in June. See pg. 5A InsIde thIs Issue Twenty-three students from Clark Junior High competed in the Skills USA District contest. These 8th-graders brought home 26 medals, and 11 students will be representing Princeton ISD at the state level competition in April. See pg. 5A SkillsUSA touts awards at junior high level Clarabelle Galbraith, from Princeton, captured Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Turkeys in the Open Junior Poultry Show at the 2019 Fort Worth Stock Show and Ro- deo in late January. The 2019 show hosted poul- try exhibitors from across Tex- as competing for awards and $4,180 in premiums. See pg. 5A Grand Champion turkey award presented to Princeton girl
39. America’s Page One The dust from the Nov. 6 General Election is still set- tling. Wednesday and Friday, the Williamson County Late Ballot Board will count the provi- sional and late mail-in ballots but candidates who lost by a narrow margin shouldn’t look to this process to overturn the election. WilCo Elections Director Christopher Davis said his office has about 1,900 ballots remaining to be counted. “Provisional ballots will begin to be processed by the Late Ballot Board tomorrow P P P PPATSCHKE & PATSCHKE Real Estate LLC www.patschkeproperties.com (512)365-1905 We can help you with ALL your real estate needs. www.TaylorPress.net SERVING EASTERN WILLIAMSON COUNTY SINCE 1913 vol. 105 issue 91 $1.00 WEDNESDAY • NOVEMBER 14, 2018 PRESS TAYLOR See VOTES • page 2 RICHARD STONE publisher@taylorpress.net VETERANS FEAST ON HONOR FIVE DAY FORECAST Precip Low Hi WED 0% 31° 51° THU 0% 38° 61° FRI 0% 39° 68° SAT 10% 60° 70° SUN 30% 42° 63° Find up to date weather forecasts at TaylorPress.net Mortgage Loan Of cer #500148 Email: sdk332@cnbt.com Long Term Mortgages Now Available Contact Steven Kovar 512-671-2232 VIC’S Air & Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration, Appliances SERVING TAYLOR & SURROUNDING AREAS SINCE 1978 352-7204 352-7204 103 N. MAIN, TAYLOR • STATE LIC # TACLB625C 807 Carlos Parker Blvd NW Taylor, TX 512.352.5909 866.877.6929 Locally owned and operated www.taylorprovidencefuneralhome.com providencefh@sbcglobal.net taylorfh@taylorprovidencefuneralhome.com A Caring Community Funeral Home Providence Schmidt Insurance Agency A hometown tradition of honesty & trust Located in Historic Downtown Hutto 115-A East Street | PO Box 30 | Hutto, TX 78634 P: 512-759-3277 | F: 512-759-2830 drschmidt@earthlink.net www.schmidtinsuagency.com There’s a time and a place for everything. Thursday is the time to have your ques- tions about city projects answered. Robert Garcia, Dist. 4 rep- resentative to the Taylor City Council, will host a town hall style meeting 5 to 8 p.m. at Corral Lozano on W. Second St. “I value everyone’s voice and their concerns,” Garcia said. “City staff and other council members will be in attendance and this gives us the opportunity to gauge what is important to the Taylor citi- zens [outside of streets] and what we need to improve on.” Garcia pushed out an aggressive agenda for the event. The list of topics he plans to discuss are: • District 4 update • Community update • Police and Fire update • Parks update • Community engagement (Fix-Tt Form training) The Taylor football team clinched its eighth straight trip to the playoffs Friday night with a 42-28 victory over Burnet, and a loss by Fredericksburg. The Ducks (4-6, 2-3 District 14-4A) didn’t miss a beat without injured quarter- back Cole Harms, racking up nearly 500 offensive yards in his absence. Jailen Tealer rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns on 17 car- ries, Jayson Saucedo added 80 yards on nine carries, and Jason Martinez carried the ball 18 times for 77 yards and three scores. Taylor will face District 13-4A champion Sealy in the bi-district round Thursday at Bastrop ISD Memorial Stadium in Cedar Creek. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. Advance tickets are $5 each, $3 for students, and available through the TISD athletic office at Taylor High School. For more information, call 512-352-6326. Tickets will also be avail- able at the gate for $8 each. Sealy, the sixth-ranked team in 4A according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, enters the game unbeaten at 10-0. The Taylor City Council made it clear it is in favor of public art. The issue is how is that public art going to be funded. “We’re attempting to change how Taylor has operated in the past with some respects to things that are valued,” said Mayor Brandt Rydell at Thursday night’s council meeting. . “[Is Taylor] a community that embraces the arts?” The council voted to introduce an ordinance to move forward with a public arts advisory board. The original proposal was to create a fund and a budgeting process for the acquisition of art in public places. “Annually the council would appropriate, as it sees fit, the funds that would be in that public arts fund,” Tom Yantis, assistant city manager development director, said. The funding mechanism for art in public places was proposed at one per- cent of certain Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) not including any water, sewer, drainage or streets. He said the ordinance implements the program and establishes an arts advisory board with seven members appointed by the council. Yantis said many cities have ordinances for public art, and although they are slightly different, many uti- lize a percentage of capital projects for funding. The proposal of the ordinance is a result of the council’s strategic The controversy surrounding a public art wall in Potters Alley off Main Street between Third and Second streets is the impetus for the city to propose a Commission on Public Art. Photo by Richard Stone The Taylor Ducks will play the Sealy Tigers in the first round of the playoffs 7 p.m. Thursday at Bastrop. Advance tickets are $3 and $5 and are available at the Taylor High School athletic office. Photo by Larry Pelchat The American Legion displayed the memorial book that includes names of Taylor veterans who were in WWI, WWII, the Civil War and the Spanish American War. The American Legion Graham D Luhn, Post 39 in Taylor hosted its annual Veterans Day Breakfast and read the names of WWI veterans that are known to the Post. Local veterans Vencil Mares (left) and Angel Zavala have a conversation during the Veterans Day Breakfast at the American Legion Sunday morning. Photos by Joe Burgess Ducks are playoff bound! REAGAN ROEHL sports@taylorpress.net WilCo set to vet provisional ballots Town Hall set for Thursday Public art imminent, funding still unclear JASON HENNINGTON news@taylorpress.net STAFF REPORTS news@taylorpress.net See MEETING • page 2 See ART • page 2 On Veterans Day, the American Legion Graham D Luhn, Post 39 in Taylor hosted its annual Veterans Day breakfast. Veterans from all branches of the military attend- ed and enjoy breakfast donated and served by volunteers from the community. During the event, a brief ceremony was held to read the names of WWI veter- ans that are known to the Post during WWI. There were also displays recognizing veterans that featured items used in the war. To see how Taylor ISD rec- ognized veterans, go to page 14.
40. America’s Page One An Ecstasy pill found in a child’s hamburger wrapper lead to the arrest of three Sonic Drive-In employees last night. The pill was discovered after an 11-year-old girl was unwrapping the kid’s meal hamburger for her 4-year-old brother. The parents brought the entire meal, including the Ecstasy pill, to the Taylor Police Station. Police officers conducted a field test on the substance and it tested positive for Ecstasy. Officers and detectives responded to the restaurant promptly to investigate and identify all employees. The investigation resulted in the arrest of three Sonic employ- ees. Officers found Sonic employee Jose Molina, 22, of Taylor, to be in possession of marijuana. Sonic Manager Tanesha Dancer, 30, of Taylor, was wanted on an outstand- ing warrant out of Guadalupe County for Parole Violation- Larceny, a state jail felony. Sonic employee Jonathan Roberson, 35, of Taylor, was wanted on three outstanding warrants out of Travis County for theft by check, a class B misdemeanor; driving while Since moving to the new Taylor High School campus seven years ago, the Ducks have never hosted a varsity basket- ball tournament – until now. On Thursday, the inaugu- ral Taylor Boys Basketball Tournament tipped off with a five-game slate that featured the Ducks, as well as Giddings, Rockdale, Manor New Tech, Brazos and IDEA Montopolis. The six-team round robin tournament continued on Friday and concluded the following evening. “Taylor is a community that loves basketball, and I always thought it made sense for Taylor to host a tournament,” Ducks coach Michael Williams said. “Whenever you start it out like this you’re only going to have six varsity teams, but I’m hoping to make this a big deal moving forward.” Taylor opened the tourna- ment Thursday afternoon with an 82-55 victory over a scrappy Montopolis team that dressed only seven play- ers. Despite being outnum- bered, the Bulldogs trailed just 29-27 in the final min- utes of the first half before forward Ja’Ron Carver scored six straight points to give Taylor a 35-27 halftime cushion. The largest selection of fashion frames in Williamson County Taylor 601 Mallard • 512-352-3016 Round Rock 2120 Round Rock Ave. • 512-388-1333 www.TaylorPress.net SERVING EASTERN WILLIAMSON COUNTY SINCE 1913 vol. 106 issue 98 $1.00 SUNDAY • DEC. 9, 2018 PRESS TAYLOR JASON HENNINGTON news@taylorpress.net REAGAN ROEHL sports@taylorpress.net RICHARD STONE publisher@taylorpress.net Molina STAFF REPORTS news@taylorpress.net Narcotics found in burger leads to three arrests Over the past year, Taylor ISD has made strides in safety and security within the dis- trict. At Wednesday night’s Pints, Politics & Culture, board president Marco Ortiz said the trustees have been monitor- ing safety for some time now. Taylor ISD president discusses safety plans Regina Wright got more exposure on Wednesday than she probably bar- gained for. That afternoon, Wright was a guest on “Around the Watercooler,” the weekly sports show pro- duced by the Taylor Press and streamed live on the paper’s Facebook page. She was on the show to talk about her athletic career Local athlete busted; arrest shown live on national TV Ducks open inaugural tourney with bang See SONIC • page 3 See PPC • page 3 See BUST • page 3 See TOURNEY • page 10 Taylor ISD President Marco Ortiz was the special guest on Pints, Politics & Culture. Photo by Jason Hennington Dancer Roberson Josh Blue splits two Giddings defenders on his way to the basket during the Taylor Duck basketball tournament Friday afternoon. Wright STUDENTS LIVE LIVESTOCK LIFESTYLE lease be mindful that we have a show going on and give the ani- mals the right-of-way as the head to the arena,” blared over the loud speaker. At that time, Lindsey Dube and her brother Cooper, both students at Thrall High School, looked at their watches and realized they still had a few minutes to eat before preparing for the show. “It’s a complete lifestyle commitment,” Lindsey said. “You have to invest time, ener- gy and money into buying quality animals, working with the animals and make sure you aren’t taking shortcuts in how they are raised.” Cooper said it is important to feed the animals well and have a good feed program. Lindsey said a typical day begins before the sun comes up with feeding. She said the feed has to be mixed according to a ration based on protein percentages and feed to gain ratios. Then it’s off to school. “When we come home we have to walk them, wash them, condition their skin, give them exercise, give them their nightly feed- ing and make sure their pens are clean,” she said. Lindsey Dube finishes up some homework while waiting to go to the arena at the livestock show. Kellen Kincaide takes a quick nap with his pig before heading to the arena. Photos by Jason Hennington P JW Kincaide is in his first year of the Ag lifestyle and said he enjoys raising his animals. “ See LIVESTOCK • page 3
41. America’s Page One Aledo graduate Austin Underwood’s ‘Under- dawgs’ food truck big hit in area By Tony Eierdam The Community News In his desire to become a chef, Aledo High School 1999 graduate Austin Underwood has taken the necessary steps and put in the work to see his franchise, “Austin’s Underdawgs” take off. Underwood’s food truck was on hand last week at the Aledo High School home tennis tournament, but it was rained out. During the delay before the cancelation of the tournament, Underwood sold his patented hot dogs out of his food truck. Underwood, who has Down Syndrome, has always wanted to own a restaurant. Since Austin had never learned to read, he was not a good candidate for a chef job, but he quickly learned skills to be an excellent prep chef in the Eastern New Mexico University cafeteria. Underwood began classes at Eastern New Mexico when he was 21. He attended a vocational program at ENMSU designed for people with special needs and/or limited abilities. His mother, Jan, said Austin’s love of food had him “yearning to own his own restaurant.” More than a decade and a half later, Austin is taking his show on the road selling “Underdawg Hot Dogs” in his trav- eling “Dawgmobile.” After college, Underwood took jobs at an area McDonald’s, Albertson’s café and eventually Campisi’s which eventually led to Underwood’s new venture – sell- ing his specialty-made hot dogs from the truck at various events or parties. Underwood was certified under a program in Chicago at Vienna Beef’s Hot Dog University, similar to the McDonald’s program in the Windy City called “Hamburger U.” He developed a menu which also includes a vegetarian dog, “The Un-Dawg” along with his most popular dog, “The Straw Dog” which is a frankfurter with “dawg sauce,” bacon bits and grilled onions served on a toasted bun. Volume 29, Number 09 Published Weekly Copyright 2018, The Community News M a r c h 1 - 7 , 2 0 1 9 · w w w . c o m m u n i t y - n e w s . c o m · 7 5 c e n t s THE COMMUNITY NEWS Serving the Greater Aledo Area: Aledo · the Annettas · Hudson Oaks · Willow Park, Texas BEARCAT GROWTH COMMITTEE Group sees facts, challenges of student growth Surge in property values could pay for bond issue By Bob Buckel The Community News Just like the communities it serves, the Aledo school district is growing. That reality comes with both a challenge and a blessing. The challenge? The district needs to build more classrooms to educate those children. The blessing? The district’s underlying property wealth is also growing, providing the tax revenue to meet those needs — as long as voters approve. But while voters will likely be asked to approve a bond issue in November, it’s possible no tax increase will be needed to pay for it. Growth projections in Aledo ISD indicate there’s enough room to fund $105 million to $137 million in new bonds without raising the tax rate. “With the value growth and the assumptions that we’ve made, we think that we would be able to do the most critical projects and not have to increase that tax rate,” Earl Husfeld, the district’s chief finan- cial officer, told the Bearcat Growth Committee last Thursday. The meeting, held at the dis- trict’s teacher training center, was designed to give the committee’s 38 members a look at finances and projected growth. Husfeld, super- intendent Dr. Susan Bohn, and bond advisor Josh McLaughlin all spoke and fielded questions during the three-hour session, the group’s third. Husfeld presented an overview of the district’s financial condi- tion, explaining the two tax rates — M&O, or maintenance and oper- ations, and I&S, or interest and sinking. The M&O tax rate, currently set at the state maximum of $1.17 per $100 in property values, pays for the school district’s day-to-day operations — salaries, transporta- tion, utilities, insurance, etc. That part of AISD’s budget is roughly $50 million, with $41 million fund- ed by local property taxes. State funding, Husfeld noted, has steadily gone down as the dis- trict’s property wealth has increased. This year the taxpayers of Aledo will send about $1.2 million back to the state as part of the “Robin Hood” school finance system. The legislature, which is cur- rently in session, has pledged to do something about that system, but it’s anybody’s guess what that will be. Turn to WALSH, page 4 Top Underdawg SPECIAL TO THE COMMUNITY NEWS Austin Underwood poses in front of his “Dawgmobile,” a food truck where he sells his specialty hot dogs. Underwood, who has Down Syndrome, is a 1999 Aledo High School graduate. Turn to UNDERDAWG, page 3 SPECIAL TO THE COMMUNITY NEWS Willow Park Police Officer Clarissa Wolfe and the rest of the force are eager to give citizens, young and old, a glimpse of the human side of police work during the city’s Citizen’s Police Academy. The 10-week course is set to begin March 21. ALEDO ISD District receives good financial news Staff Reports The Community News Aledo ISD has received state rec- ognition for its commitment to finan- cial responsibility and management of taxpayer dollars. The district got an “A” rating for “Superior Achievement” under Texas’ School FIRST financial accountability rating system. The rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of Aledo ISD’s financial management and reporting systems. It marked the 15th straight year the district has received the highest rating, based on an analysis of staff and student data and audited budget and actual financial data. “We are very proud of earning the Superior Achievement Rating for the 15th consecutive year,” said school board president Hoyt Harris. “We are diligent in our commitment to financial responsibility and this rating helps provide our stakeholders with evidence of our dedication to sound fiscal management and reporting.” ALEDO ISD Visiting Austin Staff Reports The Community News Superintendent, board members meet with legislators in Austin Aledo ISD school board mem- bers and Superintendent Dr. Susan K. Bohn traveled to Austin Tuesday to advocate for the district and pub- lic schools. Trustees Bobby J Rigues, Forrest Collins, and David Lear, along with Dr. Bohn, visited the State Capitol and met with Senators Beverly Powell and Pat Fallon, Rep. Phil King, and legislative staff members, who represent the voters of Aledo ISD. Topics included the district’s leg- islative priorities, adopted by the school board in December, includ- ing protecting local decision-mak- ing, issues related to fast growth, and additional funding to support Aledo schools. Aledo ISD is expected to add more than 2,600 students over the next five years. Turn to AUSTIN, page 3 Turn to FINANCE, page 3 Reagan Parker County Republicans hold their annual Reagan Day Dinner. PAGE 2 150 Years Old State legislators honor Weatherford College on its 150th birthday. PAGE 4 Clean Slate Ladycats maintain undefeated record in soccer. PAGE 7 Softball Looking at the season ahead with a softball advance. PAGE 11 Top Group Aledo runners swarm Cowtown, 15
42. America’s Page One Wow! Aledo Education Foundation Gala sets record on attendance. PAGE B9 Love for Emma Community turns out in force for a “Workout for Emma.” PAGE B10 Advancing Ladycats soccer team headed to regional tournament. PAGE A4 Volume 29, Number 15 Published Weekly Higher and Faster Bearcats, Ladycats on to area after district track meet. PAGE A4 Copyright 2018, The Community News Love Inside Community gets house off to a good start, B1 A p r i l 1 2 - 1 8 , 2 0 1 9 · w w w . c o m m u n i t y - n e w s . c o m · 7 5 c e n t s THE COMMUNITY NEWS Serving the Greater Aledo Area: Aledo · the Annettas · Hudson Oaks · Willow Park, Texas Flipping and Flying Area boys participate in USA Gymnastics By Randy Keck The Community News While local opportunities abound for girls to participate in gymnastics, there is growing interest in the sport among boys. A group that includes boys from the Aledo-Willow Park area trains regularly at the Cheer Connection, located between Aledo and Benbrook on Interstate 20. Known as the North Texas Elite Gymnastics Team, the group is com- posed of young men aged 6-18. The group is part of the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic pro- gram. “A lot of your guys that are on the Olympic team went through the same system,” said Scott Dickerson, who coaches the North Texas Gymnastics Elite team. Dickerson grew up play- ing football, baseball, and running track. But, as a 100-pound freshman in high school, he looked at other athletic options as well. “I was on the football team. But one of my best friends who had cystic fibrosis and I got on the swim team, because it’s good for your lungs,” Dickerson said. Dickerson’s interest at Western Hills High School tilted toward div- ing, so as a freshman he ended up on the diving team. “But I realized the people who were diving had been doing club div- ing since they were young,” he said. So I was like Rodney Dangerfield. I thought, ‘I may not be first, but I’m not going to be last.’ So our high school had gymnastics – we had a team and a class so I joined gymnas- tics to help out my diving. And two weeks later, I ended up competing.” Dickerson continued to compete until he injured his neck three days into his senior year, but he ended up cheering for three years at the University of Texas in Arlington, where he received his degree in kine- siology. He was on faculty at TCU for nine years in kinesiology. He also worked as a lifeguard for 17 years at the General Dynamics/ Lockheed Martin Recreation Area. “In college, just as a second job, I started coaching just boys classes – kind of help them with their tum- bling program and so on, and then just kind of kept up with it on to the competitive aspect,” Dickerson said. A couple of the gyms where his team worked out went out of busi- ness, so they had to find new gyms, which also went out of business. “So at that point in time I talked to a guy who’s a financial advisor, and he said, ‘why don’t you start doing this as your own thing?’ My background was not business, but I started buying equipment, little by little. And, you know, that way, I had more of a bargaining chip.” With his own equipment, Dickerson didn’t have to rely on equipment that might not be there if the gym failed. With a passion for coaching, Dickerson didn’t want to own his own gym. “If I did that, I wasn’t going to be coaching anymore. I’d have to be more on the administrative side of it,” he said. “And I wanted to keep coaching.” To make the financial insurance and retirement part of his passion possible, he joined the DWF Airport Fire Department, where he has worked for 15 years. That makes scheduling workouts a little unique each week, as his fire department duties are 24 hours on and 48 hours off. Dickerson said the competitive season is December through April, Carson White, a student at Aledo Middle School, works out with North Texas Elite Gymnastics team. RANDY KECK/ THE COMMUNITY NEWS RANDY KECK/THE COMMUNITY NEWS Dr. Tod Farmer, Weatherford College President, was part of the pro- gram on higher education during the East Parker County Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon on April 10. Farmer said Willow Park is looking at opportunities to either put a campus in East Parker County, or to partner with the Aledo ISD. WILLOW PARK Council approves audit Site plan for Mariposa’s approved By Randy Keck The Community News The Willow Park City Council, fresh with a new video and sound system, approved a 2017-18 audit conducted by CliftonLarsonAllen, a large accountancy firm head- quartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The council met for its regular monthly meeting on April 9. The audit, in summary, looked at three major areas: financial stability, long-term debt, and interfund receivables. The audit’s findings were presented to the council by Chris Knopik, CPA, CFE , and Reba Long, CPA . Regarding financial stability, the audit concluded that “the city is in a stable spot financially with a sufficient balance in cash and a good outlook for future growth, which will increase sales and property tax revenues.” Under long-term debt, the auditors advised the city to “con- tinue to monitor and manage out- standing debt with future goals of the City.” The interfund receivables was a bit more complicated. In 2015, the city’s wastewater fund bor- rowed about $1.5 million from the city’s water fund in order to provide needed sewer services. The wastewater fund paid back a portion in 2016, but still owes $1,453,535. The auditors encouraged the city council to decide if the wastewater fund will pay back the Turn to AUDIT, page A2 Turn to JUMPING, page A3
43. America’s Page One WWW.THEPARISNEWS.COM FOLLOW US theparisnews.com Daily Briefing ........................... 2 Classifieds ............................. 6-7 Local ........................................ 5 Obituaries ................................ 3 Sports ...................................... 9 Voices ...................................... 4 INDEX Tuesday High near 61. Winds up to 10 mph. High 55 Low 51 Today Winds 10-15 mph National weather Page 2 FORECAST Vol. 149; No. 208 Copyright 2019 The Paris News $1 THE Monday March 11, 2019 HISTO RIC BUSINE SS T EXAS TREAS URE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION P ris News rack $1; subscription 50¢ TPN Volume 149, No. 208 No injuries in Sunday fire By Klark Byrd klark.byrd@theparisnews.com Thick smoke engulfed the neigh- borhood around the 300 block of 17th Street Northeast as firefight- ers and police responded to a home fire Sunday evening. In attempt- ing to assess whether anyone was home, an officer injured his hand trying to get inside, Paris Deputy Fire Chief Jerry Horton said. It was the only injury at the scene, Horton said, as the home- owner had just stepped down the street when neighbors spotted the fire and began calling for help. Flames shot out from under the roof on the sides and back of the house, and a flame flared up at the top of a front window as fire- fighters worked to quell the fire. Neighbors lined the yards and sidewalks on the opposite side of the street, watching as the fire- fighters doused the flames to pro- tect neighboring homes. The homeowner returned and spoke with Horton before joining neighbors in their yard where they shared an embrace. Firefighters fought the fire for about two hours, responding to the call at 8:19 p.m. and pulling away at about 10:08 p.m. At about 9:30, Horton said fire crews were work- ing on mop up duties so they could safely go inside and determine how and where the fire started. This morning, Horton said it’s believed the fire started in the kitchen and the fire marshal may elect to investigate further. The home sustained significant enough damage that it was unsafe for the homeowner to return. Horton said the homeowner told him he had lined up a place to stay. Staff writer Erin Jusseaume contributed to this report. Justin’s Journey: By Erin Jusseaume erin.jusseaume@theparisnews.com The doors had barely opened Sunday for a fundraising benefit for Justin Exum when hundreds of people descended upon the Paris Elks Lodge looking for somewhere to park. “We’ve got family here from as far as Tennessee to support Justin and the event,” said Justin’s mom, Sherry Yeatman. “It’s really overwhelming, and the outpouring of support from everyone in the com- munity has been a real blessing.” With tables stacked as close together as possible, just 39 minutes into the event, friends and family were rolling out more, all while trying to leave a little space on the dance floor for the kids enjoying the music. Justin visited with attendees at his table in front of the stage. That included a visit with Tyler Browning, a Paris EMT who had traveled with Justin to Plano after the Dec. 13 accident that caused 22 broken bones, brain injuries and a severe burn to his left shoulder and arm. Justin had been Former UT President Bill Powers has died By Matthew Watkins The Texas Tribune Bill Powers, who served as president of the University of Texas at Austin from 2006 to 2015, has died, according to the university. A school spokesman said he passed away on Sunday from a rare muscle dis- order and “complications from a fall several months earlier.” He was 72. Powers — a Southern California native who joined UT-Austin as a law professor in 1977 and gradually rose through the ranks of university leader- ship — presided over the state’s top-ranked public university during a period of significant change. His tenure brought the launch of the Dell Medical School and the Longhorn Network on cable TV, as well as an effort to increase the uni- versity’s four-year gradua- tion rate to 70 percent — a benchmark the university essentially met last year. But his tenure will likely be most remembered for his fight to preserve what his supporters commonly referred to as “the soul of the university.” Beginning about a decade ago, some conser- vative UT System regents and statewide leaders, led by then-Gov. Rick Perry, Second Street traffic reverse starts today By Mary Madewell mary.madewell@theparisnews.com Beginning today, motor- ists going in either direc- tion can use 2nd Street Southwest and Northwest. The change from one- way to two-way traffic moves the downtown traf- fic plan for two-way streets one step closer to reality. Paris City Council approved the 2nd Street change at a Feb. 11 meet- ing, giving time for signs to be put in place for today’s transition. City Manager John Godwin said he expects the change to run smooth- ly as similar switches for Houston and Price streets in the spring of 2015 and 3rd Street Southeast in 2017. “The conversion of West 2nd is part of our over- all plan to increase down- town mobility. This is not a very busy street, but we WHOA there: Horses teach bully prevention By Erin Jusseaume erin.jusseaume@theparisnews.com We help one another — that was the message Monarch the miniature horse and his brother, Hero, a miniature dwarf, brought to the children of Chisum Elementary School. The small horses pro- vide a unique perspective on perceiving differences, a service their owners, Mini Hooves of Love, are proud to provide. Friday’s presentation was in part- nership with the Paris Police Department on the importance of saying “WHOA” to bullying. “This is another way to teach kids about bul- lying, and we get to use Hero and Monarch to help them understand the dif- ferences we all have, and that it’s OK to be differ- ent,” Paris Police Officer Curtis Graham said. Two sessions were offered Friday afternoon, and the kids excitedly wel- comed both minis into the school gym. Graham spoke with the kids TODD WISEMAN/The Texas Tribune Bill Powers was president of the University of Texas at Austin from 2006 to 2015. He died Sunday at the age of 72. See POWERS, pg. 5 See HORSES, pg. 5 POLL What would you fix to help financially struggling families in Lamar County? Answer online at parisnews.com. SCAN THIS CODE WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE TO VOTE Benefit sees 100s turn out See TRAFFIC, pg. 5 See JOURNEY, pg. 5 ERIN JUSSEAUME / The Paris News Miniature horse Hero poses with Chisum Custodian Sandra Ferguson before he met with students in the gym. ALL PHOTOS BY ERIN JUSSEAUME / The Paris News Justin Exum, with wife Courtney and children Hollan, Dilin and Lynnlee, were in great spirits as they welcomed everyone to the benefit and caught up with as many friends and family as they could. There were plenty of gift certifi- cates up for grabs in the silent auction, and they took up a whole table on their own. KLARK BYRD/The Paris News A Paris firefighter watches as flames burst through the roof and out the front window of a Paris home on 17th Street Northeast on Sunday night.
44. America’s Page One By Tommy Culkin tommy.culkin@theparisnews.com Inside the Love Civic Center on a cold and rainy Tuesday came an outpouring of love and warmth for and from the family and friends of Brandon Luke Earley. The center filled to standing room only as hundreds gathered to honor and celebrate a life tragically cut short Friday afternoon in a vehicle collision along Highway 37. Pickups driven by Luke, 17, and fellow Rivercrest High School stu- dent Kolby “Tut” Fletcher collided when one of their vehicles drifted from its lane of travel WWW.THEPARISNEWS.COM FOLLOW US theparisnews.com Daily Briefing ........................... 2 Classifieds ............................. 6-7 Outdoors .................................. 9 Obituaries ................................ 3 Sports .....................................10 Voices ...................................... 4 INDEX Friday High near 52. Winds up to 10 mph. High 52 Low 43 Today Winds 15 mph National weather Page 2 FORECAST Vol. 149; No. 193 Copyright 2019 The Paris News $1 THE Thursday February 21, 2019 HISTO RIC BUSINE SS T EXAS TREAS URE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION P ris News rack $1; subscription 50¢ TPN Volume 149, No. 193 ERIN JUSSEAUME/The Paris News Firefighters work to control a blaze at a Helena Drive home Wednesday. Max Brian and his mother, Noreen Flores, made it out safely, but they lost family pets and many posses- sions. POLL What are your thoughts on Senate Bill 2 as a type of property tax relief? Visit online to vote. SCAN THIS CODE WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE TO VOTE Property tax reform may cause college tuition hike By Shannon Najmabadi The Texas Tribune The community colleges that educate about half the state’s higher education stu- dents are warning of possi- ble tuition hikes if the Texas Legislature enacts its sweep- ing property tax proposal. The high-priority legisla- tion would slow the growth of property tax revenue, which makes up an average 40 percent of community colleges’ funding, accord- ing to an association that represents them. The share for state appropriations for the schools, meanwhile, has plummeted from 66 percent in the 1980s to near 23 per- cent today. “Community colleges are alarmed,” said Brenda Hellyer, chancellor of San Jacinto College. While she understands the need for property tax reform, she said, “The concern is you’ve got two revenue sources — your state revenue source is pretty much capped. And now, if you put a very tight cap on your property taxes, what can you do other than increase tuition and fees or cut your services?” Tuition and fee increas- es are the only way Paris Junior College has made up for declining state funding the past few years, school President Pam Anglin said. If Senate Bill 2 — in its cur- rent form — had been in place, the college’s “tax revenue would have been almost $300,000 less over the last two years,” she said. KLARK BYRD/The Paris News Paris Junior College and other community colleges may have to hike tuition and fees to make up for property tax revenue losses if Senate Bill 2 passes as written. PJC president: Senate bill would have cost school $300K this biennium See REFORM, pg. 5 Fundraiser opens for fire victims By Erin Jusseaume erin.jusseaume@theparisnews.com A fundraising effort has begun for two people lucky enough to escape their blazing home early Wednesday morning. A GoFundMe page, set up by Heath Biondo for Max Brian and his moth- er, Noreen Flores, seeks to raise $5,000 to help the family rebuild their lives after the fire claimed about 25 percent of their Helena Drive home. As of press time, the fund- raiser had raised $150. Although neither Brian or Flores was injured in the fire, which was reported to dispatchers at about 8:30 Wednesday morning, firefighters at the scene believed three of five pets perished. “We believe that the fire start- ed near an electrical point in the secondary bedroom next to a night stand,” Powderly Volunteer Fire Department Chief Roger Bussell said. “One of the home’s occupants stated that he noticed the bed mattress was on fire before attempting to remove it through a win- dow unsuccessfully.” Bussell said once Brian SCAN THIS CODE WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE TO DONATE See FIRE, pg. 5 United Way honors Bulls’ leadership By Kim Cox kim.cox@theparisnews.com Derald J. Bulls said he has followed the example of his parents in providing years of charitable service. “It was clear to me, learning about my par- ents, that they were going to be great servants,” he said. United Way of Lamar County on Wednesday awarded Bulls its lifetime leadership achievement award during its annu- al meeting in the Paris Junior College ballroom. Executive Director Jenny Wilson also recognized volunteer of the year, Tim Walsworth, and food truck of the year, Burgerland. United Way President Angela Chadwick intro- duced Bulls, the director of institutional advance- ment and alumni affairs for Paris Junior College. Bulls is an alum him- self of the college, and went on to get his bach- elor’s degree at East Texas State University. Bulls, she said, has either chaired, been president of or led by example on sev- eral boards, including the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Lamar County and Paris JCs. She said Bulls has won a slew of awards for his work in the commu- nity, such as being on the KIM COX/The Paris News United Way President Angela Chadwick hands Derald J. Bulls his lifetime leadership achievement award Wednesday after- noon at the Paris Junior College ballroom. Nonprofit raises $547K to support 24 organizations See UNITED WAY, pg. 5 Just Be. Conference to celebrate women By Klark Byrd klark.byrd@theparisnews.com Who am I? Most peo- ple wonder that at some point in their lives. Am I an employee? A par- ent? A spouse? Just Be. Ministries founder Cortney Newman says we’re more than that, more than just our titles; we are our stories, and good, bad or ugly, those stories should be shared and celebrated. That’s just what Newman has planned with the first Just Be. Conference, slated for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The women’s meeting will take place at Heritage Hall, 1009 W. Kaufman St. in Paris, and will fea- ture small group break-out sessions in addition to speakers. Lunch will be catered by On Top Of It Catering, Newman said. She said the idea for the conference developed on the realization that everyone has a story, and sometimes those stories aren’t shared because of trauma, guilt or shame. “This will be learning to give our stories voices, regardless of what we’ve been through,” Newman LORA ARNOLD/The Paris News A community of family and friends gathers Tuesday morning to support and love the family of the late Luke Earley at Love Civic Center. Family, friends recall Rivercrest student’s big personality, laughs and love See MEMORY, pg. 5 NEWMAN See WOMEN, pg. 5 In Memory LORA ARNOLD/The Paris News Chris Brown hugs the family of the late Luke Earley at Love Civic Center on Tuesday morning during Earley’s funeral service.
45. America’s Page One By Morgan Howard Staff Writer news@sachsenews.com For five local children, fam- ily is about more than blood. Laura Goughnour began tak- ing her kids to Mustang Creek Estates of Sachse around Eas- ter 2018 to teach them the importance of volunteering. A year later, the senior living community has become a sec- ond family to them. “We were looking for a fam- ily service project,” Gough- nour said. “We found that even though (the kids) are all dif- ferent ages, they all had some- thing to offer the residents. My little ones like Play-Doh and cooking, and my older ones like crafting. We like inter- acting with the residents and spending time with them, see- ing them smile.” All five Goughnours – Claire (13), Emily (11), Benja- min (9), Jane (6) and Ethan (3) – are homeschooled, and their volunteer work serves as part of their education. They craft, cook and converse with the See CHILDREN page 8A Shining on the community, events and people of Sachse © Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved. The Sachse News Volume 15 Issue 10 Sachse, Texas • Thursday, March 21, 2019 • C&S Media Publications • 5 Sections, 86 Pages $1.00 How to reach us: 972-442-5515 phone news@sachsenews.com The Sachse News (USPS 023255) is published each Thurs- day at 110 N. Ballard, Wylie, 75098. Second Class Postage paid at Wylie, 75098. Send address changes P.O. Box 369, Wylie, TX 75098-0369. 75098. Published by C&S Media, Inc. © Copyright 2019. No reproduction without permission. Classifieds .................4C Life & Style ...............1C Obituaries ..................2C Opinion .....................7A Sports ........................1B InsIde thIs Issue UPCOMING CALENDAR Lake Lavon LeveLs Normal 492 493.20 ft as of 3/18/18 Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers NEWS YOU NEED see show n’ saLe, Best of, speciaL sections inside this issue! Morgan Howard/The Sachse News At a St. Patrick’s Day celebration held Wednesday, March 13 at Mustang Creek Estates of Sachse, people of all ages come together over crafts. From left to right, Vondaine St. Marie, Jane Goughnour, Emily Goughnour and Shirley Remo work on making shamrocks. Family serves at senior living community By Morgan Howard Staff Writer news@sachsenews.com One of the city’s smelli- est subjects will get freshened up as Sachse transitions solid waste providers. The contract with Commu- nity Waste Disposal (CWD) officially begins Monday, April 1, although the switch from Republic Services start- ed this week. All homes are divided into blue and yellow zones that de- termine when trash and recy- cling is collected. Blue zone residents set out their old Re- public containers this past week, which were collected with the waste. A gray trash cart and blue recycling cart from CWD were delivered later. The same system applies to yellow zone residents the week of March 25. Some homes will switch zones to make collec- tion more convenient, and have been notified. A major difference between the two contracts is the in- crease in recycling services; they will collect recycling ev- ery week instead of every two weeks. CWD asks residents to place recyclable items directly in the container with no bag. When the new contract starts, brush and bulk pickup will take place at the trash and recycling collection site. Ac- cording Sachse’s website, city staff are working on designat- ing specific pickup days. See APRIL page 3A Residents ready to talk trash New solid waste contract begins in April Chamber brings back golf tournament From Staff Reports news@sachsenews.com Although the 2019-20 school year won’t start for almost six months, planning has already begun. To pre- pare families for the fall, Gar- land ISD will offer several key events by the end of this month. Choice of School for kids starting Pre-K and kindergar- ten opened March 20 and con- tinues through April 18. Each year, students entering kindergarten, sixth or ninth grades must select a campus. Choice of School allows fami- lies to choose any school in the district for their children to attend. Current students com- plete the selection process on Skyward, GISD’s online re- source for families and teach- ers. Children new to the dis- trict will choose a campus as part of the enrollment process. Magnet program appli- cations also opened March 20, and last until Saturday, March 30. These programs are special- ized areas of studies. Avail- able choices for elementary- aged kids are Academy for Excellence, classical studies, dual language, Mandarin Chi- nese language and leadership, Montessori and math, science, technology (MST) training. Nine different GISD cam- puses house magnet programs. The application is done via Skyward, with testing sched- uled for Saturday, April 6 at Dorsey Elementary. Results will be posted April 29 and the deadline to accept a seat is May 3, both of which are also done on Skyward. The district will host a kin- dergarten magnet information See ALL page 3A Pre-K, kindergarten enrollment opens in GISD Special needs Easter egg hunt planned An Easter egg hunt for kids with special needs is set for Sat- urday, April 6 at Garland’s Jerry Carter Softball Complex. A free lunch will be provided at 1 p.m., with the egg hunt kicking off at 2 p.m. RSVP by emailing Kristal Davis at kristal@specialonesnet- work.com. The softball complex is located at 550 W. Oates Road. Registration for the Arbor Day Jubilee is open to everyone hoping to make a difference. Groups will have a chance to plant trees and pick up trash around Sachse be- ginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 6. Supplies will be handed out in the city hall amphitheater, located behind 3815-B Sachse Road. To register, visit http://cityofsachse. com/406/Arbor-Day-Jubilee- Team-Up-Clean-Up. Arbor Day Jubilee registration opens Monday, March 25 – Plan- ning and Zoning Commission meeting, 6 p.m. at city hall Tuesday, March 26 – Greta the Reading Therapy Dog, 6 p.m. at Sachse Public Library Monday, April 1 – New solid waste services start Monday, April 1 – City Council meeting, 7:30 p.m. at city hall Morgan Howard/The Sachse News A showing of “Teen Titans Go! to the Movies!” at Sachse Public Library draws several families Friday, March 15. Steele, 5, is ready to watch with his blan- kets and snacks. The event was part of the library’s Spring Break noon movie series. ‘Reel’ fun at the library By Morgan Howard Staff Writer news@sachsenews.com After a decade-long hiatus, Sachse Chamber of Commerce’s golf tournament is back in the swing of things just in time for spring. The tournament will take place Friday, March 29 at Woodbridge Golf Club. It will begin at noon and last until about 5 p.m. “We’ve been talking about this since last fall, but it didn’t work out with Fallfest,” said Chamber President Molly Hall. “There’s been lots of interest in the community.” Although the chamber hosted a tournament for many years, there has not been one since 2009. The chamber did participate in a tri-cities one with Wylie and Murphy until about five years ago. Each team will consist of four people and cost a total of $400, which includes a lunch. Three different sponsor levels are also avail- able. All levels include the business’s name at the registration table and on the chamber’s web- site and Facebook page. Hole sponsors cost $250 and include the name on signs at the holes. Goody bag sponsors cost $500 and fea- ture the business’s logo on golfers’ goody bags. Beverage cart spon- sors also cost $500 and will have the name on the bev- erage cart that will drive around the tournament. Groups wanting to both play and sponsor can get a See TOURNAMENT page 3A Best of Sachse included in this issue
46. America’s Page One VOLUME 139 - NO. 64 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2018 DECATUR, TEXAS 20 PAGES IN 2 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS $1 Wise County Messenger P.O. Box 149 • 115 South Trinity Decatur, Texas 76234 www.wcmessenger.com Scan this QR code with your smartphone to go to our website. ON THE WEB ... INDEX Opinion . . . . . . . . 4A Obituaries . . . . . . 5A Sports . . . . . . . . . 1B Classifi eds. . . . . . 4B 5Things toKnow See page 3A Fake bills surface at local stores BY BRIAN KNOX bknox@wcmessenger.com The Wise County Sheriff’s Offi ce is investigating a string of incidents where counterfeit money is being used at local stores. Wise County Sheriff’s Offi ce Chief Deputy Craig Johnson said they’ve received four reports of coun- terfeit bills being passed in the last couple of weeks. Three of those reports came from Chico and one came from Alvord. “It’s mainly low denominations, but one $50 was passed,” Johnson said. On Nov. 26, a counterfeit bill was passed at the Alvord Dollar General. The complainant in the case recognized the person and provided his identity to the sheriff’s offi ce. Jason Michael Hubbard of Alvord was arrested the same day on a felony charge of forgery government/national institution/money/security. He posted $15,000 bond and was released Nov. 29, accord- ing to Wise County jail records. Body identified as local resident BY BRIAN KNOX bknox@wcmessenger.com The man who apparently set himself on fi re and jumped from a bridge on Texas 114 on the south side of Bridgeport Nov. 30, has been identifi ed as a 20-year- old Bridgeport resident. Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Stanford said Tuesday that the Dallas County Medical Examiner had posi- tively identifi ed the man as Lance Coe. Coe was a 2016 graduate of Bridgeport High School, according to Wise County Messenger archives. Stanford said a suspicious person call came in around 6:40 a.m. about a man walking up and down the viaduct over the railroad tracks. The police depart- ment soon after received a second call about a fi re on the bridge with no one around. The chief said Coe had apparently doused himself in gasoline, and the fi re on the bridge was likely from the gasoline that had spilled onto the ground. Offi cers responded to the scene and found Coe below the bridge. “They ran down there. He was still on fi re. They used their fi re extinguishers to put him out, but he had already passed,” Stanford said. Coe was pronounced dead at the scene and sent to the medical examiners offi ce. Coe was featured in a 2014 Wise County Messenger story as a member of Bridgeport High School’s robotics club. Coe, a junior at the time, was on the marketing team for the robot. WISE COUNTY BRIDGEPORT See Bills on page 7A *EXAMPLE: 2018 CHEVY SILVERADO 1500 CREW CAB Stock #: 182828. MSRP: $49,645. James Wood Discount: $9,000. Incremental Cash: $3,000. Consumer Cash: $2,000. Chevy Bonus Cash: $1,250. Sale Price: $34,395 Plus Tax, Title & License. Auto Show Bonus Cash: $1,250. RESIDENTIAL RESTRICTIONS APPLY. Down Payment Assistance: $1,500 MUST FINANCE WITH GM FINANCIAL TO QUALIFY. Must take delivery by 1/2/2019. See dealer for details. 940-627-2177 JamesWoodDecatur.com South 287 REALLY SAVE ON EQUINOX, TRAX AND TRAVERSE / SELECT 2018 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 $15,250 MSRP* OFF WHEN YOU FINANCE WITH GM FINANCIAL +$1,500 IF YOU ARE A DFW AREA RESIDENT +$1,250 Remembering 41 Decatur resident recalls days with late president DECATUR BY AUSTIN JACKSON ajackson@wcmessenger.com After hearing the news of the death of George H.W. Bush, retired U.S. Army, Command Sgt. Maj. Barry Wheeler, a Decatur resident and Army veteran, stepped outside his home with a heavy heart and lowered his American fl ag to half staff, joining the world- wide remembrance of the 41st president of the United States. It was an observance of loss, service and of memories he forged with the man who once held the most powerful offi ce in the world. Through his 35-year career in the U.S. military, Wheeler was one of many who got to look the president in the eye and shake his hand. Back in 1973, Wheeler was just a kid from Kleberg, Texas, at the bottom of the totem pole, enlisting as Private E-1. Some 27 years later, the senior enlisted member of U.S. Forces BOYD AUSTIN JACKSON/WCMESSENGER • Buy reprints at wcmessenger.com/reprints REFLECTING ON 41 — Retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Barry Wheeler and his wife Pat Wheeler spent multiple days with President George H.W. Bush at Camp Casey in South Korea in 2000. They honored the late president by lowering their fl ag to half staff. See Bush on page 5A Granting a cherished wish WISH GRANTED — Make-A-Wish foundation Wish Granters Kelly Read and Deena Mar- tinez sit with Delylah Taylor, 4, of Alvord Wednesday night at CiCi’s Pizza and Buffet in Decatur. Dyer, who has battled brain cancer for the past two years, was granted her wish of going to Disney World AUSTIN JACKSON/WCMESSENGER 4-year-old visits Disney World BY AUSTIN JACKSON ajackson@wcmessenger.com Beyond the fl ashing lights of the arcade, a little girl from Alvord with curly hair and bright eyes chomps down on some pepperoni pizza Wednesday See Dyer on page 7A One hurt in rollover BY AUSTIN JACKSON ajackson@wcmessenger.com The driver of a 2006 Toyota Tundra was transported by ambu- lance to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth after a rollover wreck late Thursday night off Farm Road 2048 in Boyd. The driver was unconscious but breathing after Boyd Fire and Cottondale Fire extricated the driver from the vehicle. The vehicle came to a stop overturned in a steep ditch after swerving off FM 2048 approximately two miles east of Farm Road 51 shortly before midnight. ROLLOVER WRECK — The driver of a 2006 Toyota Tundra was transported to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth after a rollover wreck late Thursday night in Boyd. Boyd Fire and Cottondale fi re extri- cated the driver from the vehicle. Austin Jackson/WCMESSENGER DECATUR TO THE FINAL FOUR After fi nishing fourth in District 4-4A Divi- sion I, the Decatur Eagles stormed into the state semifi nal Thursday with a victory over Hereford. See page 1B.
47. America’s Page One VOLUME 140 - NO. 5 SATURDAY, FERUARY 2, 2019 DECATUR, TEXAS 22 PAGES IN 2 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS $1 Wise County Messenger P.O. Box 149 • 115 South Trinity Decatur, Texas 76234 www.wcmessenger.com Scan this QR code with your smartphone to go to our website. ON THE WEB ... INDEX All Around Wise . . 2A Obituaries . . . . . . 5A Sports . . . . . . . . 10B Classifi eds. . . . . . 5B 5Things toKnow See page 3A HUGE INVENTORY OVER 500 PRE-OWNED VEHICLES TO CHOOSE FROM! SHOP ONLINE AT JAMESWOODPREOWNED.COM TODAY! 940-627-2177 Hightower arrested for sex crime BY BRIAN KNOX bknox@wcmessenger.com A former Wise County sher- iff’s deputy who spent time in prison for crimes of a sexual nature has been arrested for solicitation of a minor. The Denton County Sheriff’s Offi ce Wednesday announced that 13 people had been arrested as part of a joint undercover online solicitation of a minor operation involving multiple law enforcement agen- cies last week. Among those arrested was Boyd resident Chad Alan High- tower, 45. According to the arrest affi - davit obtained through an open records request, the offi cers involved in the operation posed as children under the age of 17. The purpose of the operation was to iden- tify “targets” wanting to engage in sexual contact with underage children and eventually set up meetings with the “tar- gets” at a predetermined location. The affi davit states that Hightower contacted the offi cer, who was posing as a 15-year-old boy, on an undercover account through the social networking app Grindr. After talking to the undercover offi cer about the “boy’s” sexual expe- rience with other men, Hightower agreed to meet the undercover offi cer. The offi cer then sent Hight- ower a “selfi e,” and Hightower responded with two photos of himself, the affi davit states. The conversation then moved to text messaging where the undercover offi cer once again told Hightower his age was 15. “Hightower acknowledged this by asking if the undercover offi cer had school the following day and then continuing with discussing their sexual encoun- HIGHTOWER WISE COUNTY See Hightower on page 3A Citizenship check 56 asked for proof to stay on voter roll BY BRIAN KNOX bknox@wcmessenger.com Fifty-six Wise County residents were mailed a letter this week asking them to provide proof of U.S. citizenship in order to remain on the voter rolls. Late on Jan. 25, Texas Secretary of State David Whitley announced his offi ce would send a list of 95,000 registered vot- ers in the state who were fl agged as possibly non- citizens who are ineligi- ble to vote. Whitley said the names on the list are people who had provided the Department of Pub- lic Safety with a form of identifi cation — such as a work visa — that showed they were not a citizen when obtaining a driver’s license or identifi cation card. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a news release that same after- noon announcing that of the 95,000 identifi ed indi- viduals, roughly 58,000 of them have voted in recent years. According to a story in the Texas Tribune, the 58,000 were said to have cast a ballot in one or more elections from 1996 to 2018. While some initial reports indicated that all UTGCD drops proposal Tract size for well to stay at two BY RICHARD GREENE rgreene@wcmessenger.com The Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (UTGCD) is no longer looking to increase the minimum tract size for a new well from two acres to fi ve acres as part of its rules update. The UTGCD board of directors voted 5-2 Monday night to amend the rules update to keep the mini- mum at two acres. The district is expected to hold its next public hearing on the rules in March. Wise County’s two directors, Don Majka and Brent Wilson, cast the dissenting votes to move ahead with the proposed fi ve-acre mini- mum. Directors from Hood, Parker and Montague voted to keep the minimum at two acres. “Last night we were there for over six hours,” said Majka dur- ing a workshop Tuesday with Wise County commissioners. “We were aiming for the fi ve acres and were going to compromise with the 3.5. The reason we voted against was WISE COUNTY No longer his victim DECATUR Decatur woman fi nds hope after years of domestic violence JOE DUTY/WCMESSENGER SEEKING SHELTER — An average of 400 people seek treatment at the Wise Hope Crisis Cen- ter and Shelter every year. One of them, a domestic violence survivor from Decatur, shared her story about how she grew from victim to survivor. BY AUSTIN JACKSON ajackson@wcmessenger.com Blood from her head spilled into the toi- let bowl, turning the water red. She tried to fi ght him off, but the man she had been married to for 24 years punched her head repeatedly until her body went limp. The last thing she remem- bers before she lost con- sciousness that night in March 2016 was her hus- band attempting to rape her. See Shelter on page 9A WISE COUNTY See Groundwater on page 7A See Proof on page 9A ALL-WISE FOOTBALL LEADING THE STARS — After leading the Decatur Eagles to the state semifi nal and earning a 4A all- state selection, senior receiver Beau Bedford earned Wise County MVP on this year’s All-Wise football team. See the entire team in today’s issue, starting on page 1B. JOE DUTY/WCMESSENGER Buy reprints at wcmessen- ger.com/reprints LAST CHANCE TO VOTE! SEE PAGE 12A FOR BALLOT! TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS Messenger Publisher Kristen Tribe confi rms the arrival of Villa Grande in the former Bono’s building. See page 4A
48. America’s Page One Covering Wylie and the surrounding area since 1948 Volume 70 Issue 44 Wylie, Texas • Wednesday, March 7, 2018 • C&S Media Publications • 3 Sections, 16 Pages $1.00 ©Copyright 2018. All Rights Reserved. How to reach us: 972-442-5515 phone news@wylienews.com THE WYLIE NEWS (USPS) 626520) is published each Wednesday at 110 N. Ballard, Wylie, 75098. Second Class Postage paid at Wylie, 75098. Send address changes to P.O. Box 369, Wylie, 75098. Published by C&S Media, Inc. ©Copyright 2018. No re- production without permission. Classifieds..................... 4C Life.&.Style.................. 1C Obituaries..................... 2C Opinion......................... 5A Sports............................ 1B InsIde thIs Issue Lake Lavon LeveLs Normal 492 500.02 ft. as of 03/05/18 Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Got kids? We’ve Got kidprint this Week...see paGe 3C THE WYLIE NEWS By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@wylienews.com A decision on an incentive for a 286-unit apartment complex was delayed and opposition to a proposed freeway through Wy- lie was revisited last week by the city council. The council convened in reg- ular session Tuesday, Feb. 27. Approval of a 380 Agree- ment on financial incentives proposed for Crossroads Devel- opment was requested by Sam Satterwhite, Wylie Economic Development Corporation ex- ecutive. The agreement is for the city to waive $475,000 in development fees and WEDC to provide $250,000 in incen- tives for a project to build apart- ments, a retail space, two res- taurant pads and office space. Location of the development is between FM 540 and Hwy. 78. Satterwhite reported that 12 acres of the 15-acre site is the site of an industrial land- fill that needs to be mediated before construction can begin. The landfill consists of a series of 6-foot-deep pits containing plastic shavings from a copper wire recycling facility. Waiving some development fees and the WEDC incentive would help remediate the site, the WEDC executive said. The multi-use development will cost an estimated $32 mil- lion and Satterwhite pointed out that a property with problems would be put to productive use. “No developer has been in- terested in the property because of the landfill and its location,” he said. Two weeks earlier, the council See RESIDENTS page 3A By Sonia Duggan news@wylienews.com Wylie Police took a 13-year- old male into custody last week for terroristic threat after the student reportedly posted a threat of a shooting at Burnett Junior High School on the so- cial media application Snap- chat. The police department re- ceived multiple reports on the threatening messages Tues- day, Feb. 27 and immediately launched an investigation to identify the origin of the threat, Sgt. Donald English said. The message included a pic- ture of a handgun and threat- ened a potential shooting at Burnett Junior High. Additional security measures were taken at the school to protect teachers and staff, English reported. Officers took the 13-year- old into custody at 10:05 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28 and trans- ported him to Collin County Juvenile Detention Center. “The Wylie Police Depart- ment will continue to proac- tively investigate any threats towards schools, whether they are meant as a joke, or not,” English said. “Parents are asked to remind children about the dangers of posting threats on social media. Wylie ISD echoed the state- ment saying all threats would be taken seriously. “If you make a threat, whether online or in person, the police will be involved, and you will face serious consequences. Please think about what you say and do. It can affect the rest of your See DISTRICT page 3A By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@wylienews.com To avoid future overcrowd- ing at two elementary school campuses, Wylie Independent School District trustees ap- proved zoning changes for three neighborhoods, routing students to other campuses starting in Fall 2018. School trustees met in regu- lar session Monday, Feb. 26, and also approved $1.1 million in Chromebook computer pad purchases and replacement of high-mileage school buses. Assistant Superintendent Scott Wynn reported that Whitt and Cox elementary schools are nearing capacity and sug- gested routing select students to other elementary schools. Cox is currently at maximum capacity and Whitt is at 97 per- cent capacity. Slated for the changes in campuses are students who live in Woodbridge North and Bluff Creek subdivisions, Townhome Villas and Olympus Wood- bridge Apartments. From Whitt, students in Woodbridge North will attend Smith Elementary, students at Townhome Villas will attend Dodd Elementary and stu- dents in Bluff Creek will go to Groves Elementary. The new feeder pattern from those neighborhoods will see those students progress through Draper Intermediate, Cooper Junior High and Wylie High School, unchanged from the current Whitt feeder pattern. Current and future Cox stu- dents living in Olympus Wood- bridge Apartments will attend Birmingham Elementary in fall, and then progress through Davis Intermediate, McMillian Junior High and Wylie East See BOARD page 3A By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@wylienews.com Seven counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon were added last week to a capital murder of a police officer charge against a man arrested in the Feb. 7 shooting death of Richardson Police Officer David Sherrard of Wylie. The attack on police at a Richardson apart- ment was described as an ambush by officers at the scene, a claim that has been substantiated by a review of police body camera footage. Arrested in the fatal shooting was Brandon McCall, 26, who is in Collin County Detention Cen- ter under bonds total- ing $1.75 million on the aggravated assault charges. No bond has been set on the capital murder charge. Sherrard, a 13-year veteran of the Richard- son police force, was the first of- ficer to enter the apartment after receiving a report that a man had been shot. Rene Gamez, 30, was found outside the apartment with a gunshot wound that proved to be fatal. Seven officers, with Sherrard in the lead, entered the apartment to locate the gunman and Sher- rard was struck in the upper torso by two bullets. Sherrard stepped outside the apartment, saying that he had been hit, and was taken to a Plano hospital where he died. Shooting from the apartment continued and police reported that they saw a suspect lying on the floor of a bedroom with a rifle aimed down the hallway. Offi- cers reported the gunman would moan as if in pain and would fire when police exposed themself to peer down the hallway. After several hours of nego- tiations, McCall surrendered and stepped out of the apartment un- armed. Police recovered an AR- 15 semiautomatic rifle equipped with a scope and two shotguns. Police reported that McCall stated that he accidently shot Gamez, but purposely fired at of- ficers. By Wyndi Veigel Staff Writer news@wylienews.com Andrew Callaway, 28, of Wylie, received the maximum sentence, two years in state jail, for animal cruelty and also 10 years in prison for probation violations last week. “This sentence sends a message that animal abuse will not be toler- ated in Collin County,” Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said. On May 2, 2017, Wylie Po- lice Department was dispatched to the 600 block of East Oak Street in reference to an animal cruelty call. Officers Christopher Gor- don and Robert Harper met with Rose Howell, a neighbor who witnessed Cal- laway stomping on a 4-month-old boxer puppy multiple times. According to How- ell, she had seen the dog tied up outside with no food and wa- ter on numerous occa- sions. Officers attempted to check on the welfare of the puppy at the Callaway resi- dence, but Callaway denied See MAN page 6A Wylie man sentenced in animal abuse case Incentive for apartment complex delayed Juvenile arrested for terroristic threat Charges levied against man who killed officer WISD adopts student zoning changes Brandon McCall Andrew Callaway Luke Pendley/The Wylie News Wired for STEM Milton and Preston Pound work on building a circuit board at the SAGE Expo Saturday, March 3 at Wylie High. The expo provided information for parents of Special and Gifted Education students as well as fun for children. Just for kicks Oladipo Awowale/The Wylie News Wylie’s Ashley Vensel husles to the ball against Denton Guyer last Friday in District 6-6A action. For the story and additional photos see this week’s Sports.
49. America’s Page One Covering Wylie and the surrounding area since 1948 Volume 71 Issue 9 Wylie, Texas • Wednesday, July 4, 2018 • C&S Media Publications • 3 Sections, 16 Pages $1.00 ©Copyright 2018. All Rights Reserved. How to reach us: 972-442-5515 phone news@wylienews.com THE WYLIE NEWS (USPS) 626520) is published each Wednesday at 110 N. Ballard, Wylie, 75098. Second Class Postage paid at Wylie, 75098. Send address changes to P.O. Box 369, Wylie, 75098. Pub- lished by C&S Media, Inc. ©Copyright 2018. No repro- duction without permission. Classifieds..................... 4C Life.&.Style...................1C Obituaries..................... 2C Opinion......................... 5A Sports............................ 1B InsIde thIs Issue Lake Lavon LeveLs Normal 492 490.50 ft. as of 06/29/18 Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honoring our coLLeagues at tHe capitaL gazette THE WYLIE NEWS NEWS YOU NEED By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@wylienews.com Three families with members on active duty in the United States armed forces were pre- sented Blue Star Banners at a Wylie City Council meeting, continuing a program started four years ago to honor military personnel. “We value the Blue Star Ban- ner program because it shines light on the loved ones at home who make their own sacrifices while their children, spouse, or parent are serving,” Lynn Fag- erstrom, city human resources manager who pioneered the program, said. The city works with Ameri- can Legion Post 315 and Kevin Finnell with Woodmen of the World to review applications and award the banners. The city accepts and the American Le- gion reviews applications and Finnell supplies the banners. The city also presents families with special challenge coins. Fagerstrom reported that the criterion is that a family mem- ber is serving in the military, not necessarily on overseas de- ployment in a combat zone. The banners are 8.5 inches by 11 inches with a white field bordered in red. One or more blue stars are sewn in the white field to indicate the number of family members, up to five, that are actively serving in the mili- tary. If an individual is killed or dies, a smaller golden star is placed over the blue star. The banner was designed during World War I. During World War II, the Department of War issued specifications on manufacture of the flag, as well as guidelines indicating when the service flag could be flown and by whom. To date, 18 Blue Star Ban- ners have been presented to Wylie families, and three gold stars have been presented. See BANNERS page 6A By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@wylienews.com Wylie City Council last week directed staff to fulfill a long- time promise to residents to complete a project that will ex- tend Stone Road/FM 544 to the south Collin County line as a 4-lane thoroughfare. That direction was given as part of a workshop conducted by the council at a regular meet- ing Tuesday, June 26, that also dealt with McMillen Road. A second workshop addressed construction noise regulations and enforcement. Discussion of the Stone and McMillen projects was request- ed by council members Jeff Forrester and Matthew Porter. Assistant City Manager Chris Holsted presented the scope of the projects and estimated costs. “We’ve built this project in several stages over the years,” Holsted said of Stone Road. Widening Stone Road to four lanes from Ballard Avenue to the south county line was in- cluded in a 2005 bond issue ap- proved by voters but has been put on a back burner in favor of other road construction jobs. Holsted reported that finish- ing the final 6,600 linear feet would cost $8.5 million, of which the city has $5.7 million in bond proceeds specifically earmarked for Stone Road and Collin County would provide $4 million from 2007 bond pro- ceeds. “We have a responsibility to our citizens to do what we said we would do,” Mayor pro tem Keith Stephens declared. The McMillen Road pro- gram, which would widen the road to four lanes for 8,400 linear feet and solve a frequent flooding problem, will not get underway for some time for lack of funding. Holsted told the council that the project would cost an esti- mated $13 million and although the county has earmarked $5.826 million from 2007 bonds for construction and as- sociated costs, the city would have to raise $7.25 million. Cost of selling bonds to pay its portion would cost Wylie about $522,000 in annual debt ser- vice. “The city did not, and contin- ues to not have funding for that See CONSTRUCTION page 3A Blue Star Banner program honors military families Fireworks can affect veterans, pets Stone Road widening to be completed Courtesy photo United We Stand Soon-to-be one-year-old Esther is a happy toddler as she watches grandparents, Jeff and Lajuana Frederick of Nevada, set up the fireworks stand they manage in Lowry Crossing last week. By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@wylienews.com ‘Tis the season for recogni- tion and Wylie City Manager Mindy Manson recently re- ceived a pair of, from Dallas Business Journal and North Central Texas Council of Gov- ernments. Manson was selected by DBJ as one of its 2018 Women in Business honorees and by the COG as the Linda Keithley Award for Women in Public Management winner. “I’m one of many,” the Wy- lie city manager said of the DBJ award. The magazine selected 30 honorees for 2018 and will fete them at a luncheon in Au- gust. Members of the city staff nominated Manson for the award. “They were pretty stealthy,” she said. “I had no idea any of it was going on.” Manson said she found it in- teresting that she, from a local government post, was chosen as one of the Women in Busi- ness honorees among company executives and entrepreneurs. “It’s absolutely an honor. I appreciate the folks who have the faith in me to submit my name,” she said. The city manager was nomi- nated by Mayor Eric Hogue for the COG award given in honor of Linda Keithley, a longtime NCTCOG employee. Recipients display traits of integrity, dig- nity, poise, loyalty, commitment See CITY page 3A City manager receives awards Visit state parks in the ‘Natural State’ Are you tired of the heat and ready to abandon the concrete jungle for a few days with your family? Fill up your car, pack up your kids and check out some of the great state and na- tional parks located in Arkan- sas. See 1C. News offices closed July 4 The Wylie News, located at 110 N. Ballard Ave. in Wylie, will be closed Wednesday, July 4 in observance of the Fourth of July. The office will reopen July 5. By Wyndi Veigel Staff Writer news@csmediatexas.com For many Americans fireworks are a part of In- dependence Day, just like barbecues and time with family and friends at the lake. However, for veterans with PTSD, the weeks surrounding July 4 can represent a living night- mare as the repeated sounds of fireworks bring back battlefield memories time and time again. For those living in the un- incorporated areas of Collin County where it may be legal to shoot off fireworks, other concessions should be made depending on neighbors. “For many people fire- works represent freedom, but for veterans they represent the fight for freedom and those are two very different things,” Counselor and psychothera- pist Joseph Brigandi said, who works with the Counsel- ing Center of Texas. Brigandi specializes in PTSD treatment for both veterans and first re- sponders. According to Brigandi, sounds have the power to trig- ger feelings, which take peo- ple back to both good and bad experiences. “Fireworks have the power to transport veterans back to a battlefield just like a song may remind us of a good time we had with a friend,” he said. While it may seem simple to steer clear of firework events if one has been di- agnosed with PTSD, fire- works are legal in many places, so veterans may need to be prepared. One way is to notify neighbors before the holi- day that a veteran lives in the neighborhood. There are signs available that state ‘A combat veteran lives here, please be courteous with fireworks.’ Brigandi also suggests that veterans seek out a pair of noise cancelling headphones so if the noise gets to be too much, they have those to help them cope. “They should also accept the reactions they are having,” Brigandi said. “It’s ok to have them and to talk about them with others.” One in five veterans that served in Iraq and Afghani- stan, he said, have PTSD, which amounts to about 500,000 people. See FIREWORKS page 6A File photo Dogs such as Koda are not a fan of fireworks. Pet owners should take pre- cautions and keep them in at night so they do not get scared and run off. Joe Reavis/The Wylie News Aside from the Bluegrass bands, cars were the stars at the annual Bluegrass on Ballard Saturday, June 30. The bands played in Olde City Park and the car show lined Ballard Avenue. See additional photos page 6A. Cars n’ stars
50. America’s Page One Covering Wylie and the surrounding area since 1948 Volume 70 Issue 49 Wylie, Texas • Wednesday, April 11, 2018 • C&S Media Publications • 3 Sections, 16 Pages $1.00 ©Copyright 2018. All Rights Reserved. How to reach us: 972-442-5515 phone news@wylienews.com THE WYLIE NEWS (USPS) 626520) is published each Wednesday at 110 N. Ballard, Wylie, 75098. Second Class Postage paid at Wylie, 75098. Send address changes to P.O. Box 369, Wylie, 75098. Pub- lished by C&S Media, Inc. ©Copyright 2018. No repro- duction without permission. Classifieds..................... 4C Life.&.Style.................. 1C Obituaries..................... 2C Opinion......................... 5A Sports............................ 1B InsIde thIs Issue Lake Lavon LeveLs Normal 492 492.46 ft. as of 04/09/18 Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Grab your camera, kids and find some bLuebonnets... PaGe c1 THE WYLIE NEWS NEWS YOU NEED By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@wylienews.com A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Friday, April 6 at Amazing Grace Food Pantry to commemorate the recent open- ing of a new 3,600 square foot facility at 1711 Parker Road in Wylie. Amazing Grace was founded in 2006 to provide food and necessities to people in need throughout Collin County. It had operated in a 1,200 square foot house at the Parker Road site and was without plumbing service prior to completion of its new home. The food pantry works in partnership with North Texas Food Bank. Amazing Grace served 15 families when it ini- tially opened, and in 2017 it served 813 families, distribut- ing about 800,000 pounds of food during the year. Karen Ellis, Amazing Grace coordinator, reported that the food pantry is growing at about 30 percent a year. In the future, she noted, they plan to offer classes on financial wellness See AMAZING page 6A From Staff Reports news@wylienews.com Wylie Police are conducting an investigation into the death of a 42-year-old man whose body was found inside a pickup truck in the parking lot of Com- munity Park on Thomas Street. The body of David Collier was discovered about 12:43 a.m. Monday, April 2. Collier has sustained a gunshot wound and cause of death is being in- vestigated as a suicide, Sgt. Donald English reported. The sergeant said that WPD was notified by a neighbor of the victim that the 42-year-old might be trying to commit sui- cide at the park. Police located the victim’s truck in the parking lot at Community Park and ob- served a deceased man inside, who was identified as Collier. Wylie Police investigators and a Collin County Medical Examiner’s Officer responded to the park. The investigation remains open, English said. By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@wylienews.com Longtime Wylie civic lead- er and banker Marvin Fuller was named Citizen of the Year last week at the Bowties and Bling 41st annual awards banquet of Wylie Chamber of Commerce. The banquet was held Thursday, April 5, at the Wylie Baptist Church Event Center downtown. On tap for the event were announcement of awards for community service, fundrais- ing auction, gift giveaways, recognition of retiring cham- ber directors and a meal ca- tered by Napoli’s Italian Res- taurant. The chamber announced its two annual awards, Citizen of the Year and Business of the Year, which went to Lawyer’s Title. A number of awards from Wylie civic organiza- tions also were presented. “This evening is about rec- ognition and honor,” Chamber President Mike Agnew said in his welcoming remarks. Event emcee Jeff Denton recognized retiring chamber directors Kim Spicer, Robert Diaz and Anita Collins for their service to the organiza- tion and presented them with plaques. Businesses selected for the chamber’s 4-Most service awards were Woodbridge Golf Club, Methodist Rich- ardson Medical Center, Farm- ers Electric Cooperative and Wylie Insurance. Reading Fuller’s list of ac- complishments for the Citi- zen of the Year award was the honoree’s son Dailey. Fuller, president of Inwood National Bank in Wylie, has served on numerous boards of directors over the years, as well as do- nating his time as a volunteer for area activities. The honoree is a past presi- dent and board member of the chamber, a founding member of Wylie ISD Education Foun- dation, serves as Wylie Eco- nomic Development Corpo- ration president and is on the North Texas Municipal Water District and Farmers Electric See AWARDS page 3A By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@wylienews.com A Collin County Historical Marker designating the loca- tion of the old Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Compa- ny depot in Wylie will be un- veiled at a ceremony Saturday, April 14. The ceremony starts at 11 a.m. at the location of the marker, on N. Ballard Avenue across the street from Olde City Park. The site is near where the depot sat, which is now a parking lot for First Baptist Wylie. Hosting the unveiling is the Wylie Historical Society. WHS Vice President Jon Lewis explained that the rail- road tracks formerly ran along the same route as U.S. 78, which was not built until the 1950s and parallels the old tracks. He also noted that the depot building was moved to a location on College Street and is still in use as a tri-plex apartment. Lewis, who did the research for the marker, says the Wylie society was contacted by Col- lin County Historical Com- mission to provide informa- tion for a county marker. “I felt like the county mark- er was more appropriate than a state historical marker,” Lewis said, explaining that the research for a state marker is more intensive. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe was chartered in 1873 by a group of Galveston merchants and businessmen See MARKER page 6A By Joe Reavis Staff Writer news@wylienews.com The sparse turnout at a North Texas Municipal Water District information session on water quality begged the question of whether area residents com- plaining about their water want to hear what utility officials have to say. NTMWD held the meeting Thursday, April 5, at its head- quarters in Wylie and anticipat- ed an appearance by environ- mental activist Erin Brockovich who has conducted a Facebook campaign questioning NTM- WD water treatment processes. Brockovich was a no-show, but was represented by water ex- pert Robert Bowcock. In opening remarks, district Executive Director Tom Kula said that the information ses- sion was requested by Safer Water North Texas, a group formed with water quality con- cerns and boasts 12,000 mem- bership. Three SWNT members attended. “I’m very proud to present information about the water district,” Kula said. “No mat- ter how large the group, or how small, we want to share infor- mation.” “We fight every day to pro- vide safe water. That’s what we do,” Kula added. Complaints about NTMWD water quality surfaced in late February as the district started its annual, 30-day chlorine maintenance of distribution lines. During the maintenance, ammonia is removed as a treat- ment chemical, which often re- sults in a strong chlorine smell to water. The district has been conducting chlorine mainte- nance in early spring since 2007. NTMWD Assistant Deputy Director Billy George pointed out that the utility provides wa- ter to 1.7 million customers in 80 cities located in 10 counties and that the Wylie plant is one of the largest water treatment facilities in the country. See DISTRICT page 3A Food pantry opens new building Body found at Community Park Wylie train depot commemorated Activist skips NTMWD information session Joe Reavis/The Wylie News Community awards presented Wylie Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year recipient Marvin Fuller was joined by wife Melisa and son Dailey at the annual chamber awards presentation Thursday, April 6. Joe Reavis/The Wylie News Water expert Bob Bow- cock attended the NT- MWD meeting last week on behalf of Erin Brockovich. Running for our heroes Hail no, not again! Heavy rain, wind, and un- fortunately hail, hit parts of Wylie Friday, April 6 around 6 p.m. Area cities warned citizens via NIXEL alert first of impending thunderstorms, then later reported a tornado warning for Collin County was in effect until 6:15 p.m. and large hail and radar indicated rotation. Citizens were advised to take shelter immediately. Reported damage in Wylie in- cluded downed trees, flooding and hail damage to cars. Due to the rain, Hwy. 78 in Sachse was temporarily closed Friday due to the flooding. Courtesy photo Wylie resident shows hail collected Friday, April 6. FBC Rodeo ropes up fun First Baptist Church in Wy- lie hosted their inaugural rodeo Sunday, April 8. Chute 2 Pro- ductions was in charge of setup and bull riders from the World Senior Professional Bull Rid- ers Association (WSPBR) took turns competing. FBW pastor Kris Segrest joined in on the fun and rode a bull as well. See photos 6A. WEHS yearbook featured in 2018 Look Book The Dynasty yearbook, has been recognized for excellence and featured in the 2018 Jos- tens Look Book, celebrating the best-of-the-best in year- book design and coverage. See story 4A. Success all around Wylie East track found suc- cess in the April 5-7 District 15-5A meet in Lucas. The top four varsity individ- uals and relays advance to the April 19 15-5A versus 16-5A area meet at Pirate Stadium in Longview. See story 1B. Joe Reavis/The Wylie News Bundled up against the weather, runners take off for the seventh annual 1LT Robert F. Welch III Run for Our Heroes held Saturday morning in Wylie.
51. Next 9 Welcome and introduction 9:15 The American reader and the newspaper 9:45 History and anatomy of page one 10:20 BREAK 10:30 Language of design 11 Modular design and designing modules Noon LUNCH 12:45 America’s page one – PART ONE 1:45 America’s page one – PART TWO 2:45 BREAK 3 Putting it all together 3:55 Wrapping it all up 4 Conclusion