Citizens Journal (Atlanta, Tex.), Vol. 135, No. 13, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 12, 2014 Page: 1 of 10
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See page 8
Atlanta Citizens Journal
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810995004750
www.casscountynow.com
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Hometown newspaper of Frank Allday
USPS NO. 114-150 Vol. 135, No. 13
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
1 Section, 10 Pages
WM&t mum mmm tooqp
Photo by Robin Aaron
Snow falls in downtown Atlanta Friday afternoon around
3:30 p.m. The county received two to three inches of pow-
der Friday afternoon and evening. Accumulations did not
last through Saturday morning in most parts of the county,
however it was enough to allow some local children to get
a little playtime in before it melted. More winter weath-
er was expected Monday and Tuesday. Temperatures will
raise into the 50’s and 60’s by the end of the week.
(Inset) This photo submitted by Amanda Hinton Black shows
a group of Queen City children as they gather around their
snowman early Saturday, Feb. 8.
County completes details for road grant
By Angela Guillory
aguillory@casscountynow. com
Cass County Commissioners complet-
ed the final details for a county road
grant during court session on Feb. 10.
Commissioners have been working to-
gether and scrambling to fulfill all the
criteria required to apply for $182,000 in
county road grant funds.
The Texas legislature appropriated
$225 million for county transportation
project grants.
The Texas Department of Transporta-
tion (TxDOT) adopted the final rules on
the County Transportation Infrastruc-
ture Fund Grant Program on Nov. 21,
2013. After the rules were adopted, the
County Transportation Infrastructure
Fund Grant Program process moved
rapidly. TxDOT also announced a nar-
row window, Feb. 7, through Feb. 14,
2014, for counties to submit an applica-
tion to apply for grant funds.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Paul Cothren
said this left commissioner’s little time
to adhere to the requirements estab-
lished by SB 1747 the adopted rules.
“The adopted rules and requirements
to apply for the grant took a lot of our
attention over the past two months,” Co-
thren said, “but we really need the help.”
Cass County is set to receive $182,000
pending TxDot approval.
“If you compare the amount of the
grant to the cost now needed to bring the
county roads up to a safe standard it’s a
good start,” Cothren added.
Cothren explained the county com-
missioners were required to do sever-
al things in order to fulfill the grant
requirements including submitting
an updated Annual Road Report to
reflect changes in SB1747, which was
submitted to a grand jury on Jan. 7
and to Commissioners Court on Jan.
13. Commissioners also held a work-
shop on Jan. 22 to discuss and develop
road projects for SB 1747. The Priori-
tized Project List contains eight county
roads with estimated total project cost,
the state’s share and the county’s por-
tion.
Cothren explained if the county is ap-
proved for these grant funds the coun-
ty will do the work and the state will
reimburse the county for the state’s
share until the grant funds run out.
Commissioners held a public hearing
on Dec. 31,2013 to discuss the creation
of a County Energy Transportation
Reinvestment Zone (CETRZ). The CE-
TRZ will not increase or decrease prop-
erty taxes. It will utilize taxes from any
increase on value within the CETRZ
for transportation projects.
The CETRZ fund and TxDOT grant
funds may be used on transportation
projects anywhere in the county. The
funds may not be transferred to the
general fund for any other purpose.
Commissioners then held a workshop
on Jan. 22, to identify the potential
zone with plat maps.
A special session on Feb. 3 was held
to create a County Energy Transpor-
tation Reinvestment Zone (CETRZ)
No.l as authorized by Chapter 222 of
the Texas Transportation Code. Cass
County is an economically disadvan-
taged county as determined by Trans-
portation Code 222.053.
The CERTZ No. 1 will include the full
existing right of way of CR 1898, be-
ginning at its intersection FM125, and
then continuing northeast to a point of
termination and intersection with CR
1896.
Commissioners also adopted an order
for CETRZ which included only two of
the five advisory board members need-
ed to qualify.
On Feb. 10, they amend the “Order”
and added three advisory board mem-
bers necessary to comply with the re-
quirements.
The five advisory board members
consist of two citizens, Tim Baren-
See CERTZ on page 5
Body ID’d
3 months
after search
BY ROBIN AARON
raaron@casscountynow. com
Human Remains found in Cass County have been
identified through DNA evidence.
A decomposed body was discovered October 28,2013,
off of F.M. 2791 thru DNA comparison by Southwest
Forensics’ as, Michael Ray Bryant.
The individual was a white male, born November 29,
1971. No foul play is suspected.
The Citizens Journal was unable to make contact
with his family before press time.
The body was discovered by a Dallas hunter while
on an excursion to Cass County. His trip took an un-
See ID on page 2
Early voting in
March Primary
begins Tuesday
By Angela Guillory
aguillory@casscountynow.
com
Early voting in the
March 4 Primary Elec-
tion will get underway on
Tuesday, Feb. 18. Voters
must decide which polit-
ical party they want to
vote in, whether Republi-
can Party or Democratic
Party.
The Cass County Judge,
District Clerk and Justice
of the Peace Precinct 4
races will all be decided
on the Republican ballot.
There are no Democratic
opponents on the ballot
in those three races.
There are two candi-
dates running for District
Attorney on the Republi-
can ballot in the March
Primary, John McIntyre
and Randall Lee. Tina
Richardson is running
unopposed on the Dem-
ocratic ticket for District
Attorney.
County Clerk, District
Attorney and Commis-
sioner Precinct 2 races
will be determined in the
November General Elec-
tion when voters can vote
a split party ticket.
Early voting will take
place at the Cass Coun-
ty Voting Building, 227
Rush Street in Linden.
The building will be open
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon-
day through Friday.
Early voting runs from
Tuesday, Feb. 18 through
Friday, Feb. 28. Polls are
closed on Saturdays and
Sundays.
The Primary Election
will take place Tuesday,
March 4. Polls will open
at 7 a.m. and close at 7
p.m.
Voters who will be out
of the county during ear-
ly voting and on Election
Day can vote by mail, as
well as those who are 65
or older or disabled. Vot-
ers must provide an ad-
dress outside of the coun-
ty to mail the ballot to.
Applications for absen-
tee voting may be applied
for now at the county
clerks’ offices. Completed
and signed applications
for ballot by mail should
be mailed to Jannis
Mitchell, Early Voting
Clerk, PO. Box 449, Lin-
den, Texas 75563.
The request must be re-
ceived no later than the
close of business on Fri-
day, Feb. 21 in writing, by
mail, and should indicate
which party they want to
See VOTE on page 6
Starlight Cinema Planning tips for Valentine’s Day
February 15
Area residents looking for a fun, inexpensive fam-
ily night, Atlanta Area Young Professionals Net-
work has just the thing. On Saturday, February 15,
YPN will be hosting the first Starlite Cinema drive-
in movie in the First Baptist Church parking lot be-
hind the CSMH-A Fitness Center.
There will be two shows: A 6 p.m. animated chil-
dren’s feature and an 8 p.m. family feature. Conces-
sions will be sold by FBC Atlanta Youth. There is a
$5 parking fee per car.
The movies will be shown on a 27-foot inflatable
screen, with sound coming from KAQC-TV. You can
tune in to 88.1 on your radio to listen to the show.
Sponsors are Atlanta Citizen’s Journal, KAQC-TV,
Superior Realty, CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital
Atlanta, Red River Pharmacy, and Terri’s Trea-
sures.
Young Professionals Network is hoping to make
the movie event a regular one in the community in
the coming months, giving families an alternative
to driving to Texarkana. For more information con-
tact Krystl Dawn at (903)733-6727 or Raegan Rice at
(903)826-9924.
In the event of rain, the showings will be resched-
uled.
By Jim Bryan
Special to the Journal
Valentine’s Day is Friday.
If you ever just snatched
up whatever convenience
store leftovers you could
cobble together on the
way home you probably
already know that such
poor showings are obvi-
ous, pedestrian, and al-
most as bad as turning
up empty-handed. This
time, and every time, you
should spend the time and
effort necessary to show
your special someone the
depth and breadth of your
emotion.
It’s two days to Valen-
tine’s Day and if you al-
ready blew your prep
time, you can use the fol-
lowing tips and tricks go
above and beyond on vir-
See LOVE on page 7
Photo by Jim Bryan
Local florist Michelle Poteete and her staff at Benita’s Atlanta Floral have their hands full
this week preparing for Valentine’s Day. The last minute rush can easily be overcome with
a few simple tips and tricks.
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Citizens Journal (Atlanta, Tex.), Vol. 135, No. 13, Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 12, 2014, newspaper, February 12, 2014; Atlanta, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth804083/m1/1/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Atlanta Public Library.