America's page 1, part 2

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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

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America’s Page One

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Your Successes

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By Arthur Hahn
[email protected]
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:
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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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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.
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

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P. O. Box 548 • 2024 Highway 71 • Columbus, TX 78934 • (979) 732-2304 • [email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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.

View Slide

BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ
[email protected]
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 • [email protected]
WINDSHIELD
XPRESS
AUTO GLASS
2035 Milam • 979-732-6269
$1.00 Vol. 161, No. 52 coloradocountycitizen.com Wednesday, December 26, 2018
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
[email protected]
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.

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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

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SECTIONS
A - Front
B - Sports
C - Lifestyles
D - Community
E/F - Real Estate/Classifieds
G - IT’S ON! Entertainment
fredericksburgstandard.com
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Wine and lifestyle magazine of the Texas Hill Country
ROCK Vine
&
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
&
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

View Slide

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 [email protected]
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

View Slide

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

View Slide

Murphy Monitor
How to reach us:
972-442-5515 phone
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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.

View Slide

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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
JASON HENNINGTON
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
See POLICE • page 3

View Slide

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

View Slide

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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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.

View Slide

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
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Children found locked in dog kennel
NEWARK
‘Just horrendous’
BY BRIAN KNOX
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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

View Slide

Critiquing Pages

View Slide

By Arthur Hahn
[email protected]
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
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.
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
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Feb. 14: 2.490 million gallons
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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

View Slide

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
Saturday: Thunderstorms in
the morning will give way
to mostly cloudy skies late.
High 69. Winds W at 10 to 20
NEWS IN BRIEF
© 2018
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SPORTS, 5A
Cubs baseball takes first
two games of Round Rock
Tournament.
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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.
Represented By
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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
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Feb. 21: 1.739 million gallons
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Alton students get
chance to plan for city
By Arthur Hahn
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
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
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

View Slide

BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
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sible
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born
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$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
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ber 31, 2018
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Uncertainty ends
New chief caps months-long Eagle Lake saga
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.
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
[email protected]
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

View Slide

BY VINCE LEIBOWITZ
[email protected]
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
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$1.00 Vol. 162, No. 3 coloradocountycitizen.com Wednesday, January 16, 2019
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
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
Ellyn Helmcamp Stryk turned 100 years old on Dec. 30, 2018. She grew up
in New Bileau.

View Slide

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
• Lifestyles Page 5
• Opinion Page 4
• 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

View Slide

Update on Faith
Index
• Lifestyles Page 13
• Opinion Page 4
• 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-
[email protected]
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

View Slide

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
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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

View Slide

• Farmersville, Texas, Thursday, February 28, 2019 • 2 Sections, 10 Pages $1.00
Volume 133
Issue 13
Lake Lavon Levels
Normal – 492
492.52 ft
as of 2/26/19
Lake Jim Chapman
440.54 ft
In thIs Issue
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .3B
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . .. .3A
Opinion . . . . . . . . . ... . . .4A
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . 4B
Sports . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 1B
Contact us at:
972-442-5515 or
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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

View Slide

• Farmersville, Texas, Thursday, February 21, 2019 • 2 Sections, 10 Pages $1.00
Volume 133
Issue 12
Lake Lavon Levels
Normal – 492
492.49 ft
as of 2/18/19
Lake Jim Chapman
440.50 ft
In thIs Issue
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .3B
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . .. .3A
Opinion . . . . . . . . . ... . . .4A
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . 4B
Sports . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 1B
Contact us at:
972-442-5515 or
[email protected]
www.farmersvilletimes.com
UPCOMING
CALENDAR
Farmersville soFtball opens season – sports, 1b
By Wyndi Veigel
News Editor
[email protected]
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
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
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
[email protected]
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

View Slide

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
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
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
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.

View Slide

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
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
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
“

View Slide

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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-
[email protected]
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

View Slide

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

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10 Pages March 22, 2019
VoluMe 83 NuMber 18
$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 [email protected] or
Lauren Bayer (Secretary)
at [email protected] 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 [email protected]
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.

View Slide

10 Pages aPRIL 5, 2019
VoLume 83 NumbeR 20
$1
New resale store has a big heart
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.
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.
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.

View Slide

Murphy Monitor
How to reach us:
972-442-5515 phone
[email protected]
Murphy Monitor (USPS
Thursday at 110 N. Ballard,
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
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
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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.

View Slide

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
[email protected]
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
440.03 ft
By Wyndi Veigel
News Editor
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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 continue until Monday, Dec. 10.
To adopt an angel call
469-952-5400 or email
contacts Amy Ivy at [email protected]
princetonisd.net or Kim
Williams at [email protected]
princetonisd.net or stop by
the PISD Administration
Office at 321 Panther Pkwy.
Angel Tree adoption deadline nears
NEWS YOU NEED
Chris Hill

View Slide

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
[email protected]
• Princeton, Texas, Thursday, November 29, 2018 • 2 sections, 10 Pages $1.00
The Official Newspaper of Princeton
News YOu Need
Princeton volleyball earns all-District awarDs, see sPorts
Lake Lavon Levels
Normal – 492
494.02 ft
as of 11/27/18
Lake Jim Chapman
440.09 ft
By Wyndi Veigel
News Editor
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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-
[email protected] 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
[email protected]
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.

View Slide

Volume 53
Issue 47
Classifieds...................3B
Obituaries...................3A
Opinion.......................4A
Sports..........................1B
Contact us at:
972-442-5515 or
[email protected]
• Princeton, Texas, Thursday, February 21, 2019 • 2 sections, 10 Pages $1.00
The Official Newspaper of Princeton
UPCOMING
CALENDAR
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
440.39 ft
NEWS YOU NEED
By Wyndi Veigel
News Editor
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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

View Slide

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
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PRESS
TAYLOR
See VOTES • page 2
RICHARD STONE
[email protected]
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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
[email protected]
WilCo
set to vet
provisional
ballots
Town Hall
set for
Thursday
Public art imminent, funding still unclear
JASON HENNINGTON
[email protected]
STAFF REPORTS
[email protected]
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.

View Slide

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.
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SUNDAY • DEC. 9, 2018
PRESS
TAYLOR
JASON HENNINGTON
[email protected]
REAGAN ROEHL
[email protected]
RICHARD STONE
[email protected]
Molina
STAFF REPORTS
[email protected]
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

View Slide

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.
Published Weekly
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
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

View Slide

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
Published Weekly
Higher and Faster
Bearcats, Ladycats on to area
after district track meet.
PAGE A4
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
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

View Slide

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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
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Monday
March 11, 2019
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Volume 149, No. 208
No injuries in Sunday fire
By Klark Byrd
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
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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.

View Slide

By Tommy Culkin
[email protected]
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
FOLLOW US
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Daily Briefing ........................... 2
Classifieds ............................. 6-7
Outdoors .................................. 9
Obituaries ................................ 3
Sports .....................................10
Voices ...................................... 4
INDEX
Friday
High near 52.
Winds up to
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High
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Low
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Vol. 149; No. 193
Copyright 2019
The Paris News
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Thursday
February 21, 2019
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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
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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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
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
Chris Brown hugs the family of the late Luke Earley at
Love Civic Center on Tuesday morning during Earley’s
funeral service.

View Slide

By Morgan Howard
Staff Writer
[email protected]
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
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
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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
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
[email protected]chsenews.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
[email protected]
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 [email protected]
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
[email protected]
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

View Slide

VOLUME 139 - NO. 64 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2018 DECATUR, TEXAS 20 PAGES IN 2 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS $1
www.wcmessenger.com
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
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Remembering 41
Decatur resident
recalls days with
late president
DECATUR
BY AUSTIN JACKSON
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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.

View Slide

VOLUME 140 - NO. 5 SATURDAY, FERUARY 2, 2019 DECATUR, TEXAS 22 PAGES IN 2 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS $1
www.wcmessenger.com
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
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
[email protected]
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.
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

View Slide

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
[email protected]
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
Got kids? We’ve Got kidprint this Week...see paGe 3C
THE WYLIE NEWS
By Joe Reavis
Staff Writer
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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.

View Slide

Volume 71 Issue 9 Wylie, Texas • Wednesday, July 4, 2018 • C&S Media Publications • 3 Sections, 16 Pages $1.00
How to reach us:
972-442-5515 phone
[email protected]
THE WYLIE NEWS (USPS)
Wednesday at 110 N. Ballard,
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
Honoring our coLLeagues at tHe capitaL gazette
THE WYLIE NEWS
NEWS YOU NEED
By Joe Reavis
Staff Writer
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
‘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
[email protected]
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

View Slide

Volume 70 Issue 49 Wylie, Texas • Wednesday, April 11, 2018 • C&S Media Publications • 3 Sections, 16 Pages $1.00
How to reach us:
972-442-5515 phone
[email protected]
THE WYLIE NEWS (USPS)
Wednesday at 110 N. Ballard,
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
Grab your camera, kids and find some bLuebonnets... PaGe c1
THE WYLIE NEWS
NEWS YOU NEED
By Joe Reavis
Staff Writer
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
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
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.
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.
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.

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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

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America's page 1, part 2

America's page 1, part 2

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