The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 53, Ed. 1 Friday, January 1, 1988 Page: 1 of 18
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Baytown Sun and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Sterling Municipal Library.
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Baytonians reveal
their New Year’s
resolutions
Page J-A
Photos in the news ’87
.
Page 3-B
>' ■ : M •
Baytown, Texas 77520
New Orleans
murder suspect
arrested here
One of the men suspected of
taking part in the fatal stabbing
of a New Orleans priest was ar-
rested Thursday by federal
agents in Baytown, an FBI of-
ficial said.
Marcus Hamilton, 27, was ar-
rested without incident at an
apartment complex in the 1200
block of Northwood shortly
before 2 p.m., authorities said.
Hamilton is suspected of being,
one of "two men who killed
Father Patrick McCarthy,
whose body was found in the
residence near the Blessed
Sacrament Church in uptown
New Orleans on Dec. 18.
New Orleans police arrested
Hamilton’s half-brother, Ber-
nard Joseph, 19, on Dec. 23.
After police determined that
Hamilton had fled Louisiana,
FBI Agent John J. O’Connor
said, authorities obtained a
federal warrant for his arrest. ,
O’Connor said after further in-
vestigation, FBI agents located
Hamilton in theJBaytown apart-
ment Complex and arrested him
Thursday afternoon.
According to Baytown police
reports, Hamilton contacted a
family member on Dec. 22 and
said he was staying in Bdytown.
Baytown police recovered the
car belonging to the murder vic-
tim. The vehicle was found
under a carport at the apart-
ment complex.
Police also searched the ap-
partment where Hamilton was
arrested for items that might
have been taken in connection
with the njurder. But none of
these items were located.
Hamilton remained in federal
custody, awaiting an ap-
pearance before a federal
magistrate in Houston. O’Con-
nor said Hamilton will remain in
the Harris County. Texas, jail
until he can be extradited to New
Pearce Street Journal - -
Best wishes
, After a careful analysis we
from Milton C Kelley.
“Hope to see you again next
Christmas,” he smiled.
-FH
Friday, January 1, 1988
Volume 66, No. 53
Telephone Number: 422-8302
.
THE DAILY SUN
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IT
City’seconomy
showing signs
of recovery
By BRUCE GUYNN and
DAVID MOHLMAN
Despite, the idling of USX’s
Texas Works plant in February,
i Baytown’s economy began to
show signs of rebounding at the
end of 1987.
The city’s unemployment rate
The new cogeneration unit will
require about 15 new manufac-
turing positions, as well as
retraining of some current
employees.
The unit will supply more than
90 percent of power re-
quirements of Exxon Chemical
THAT’S MY GIRL!
CAROLE OPRYSHEK, who was the first baby
born here in 1938, had her photo on the front page
with her proud mother, Elsie Wilks. The original
story about the New Year baby appeared in The
Sun on Jan. 3,1938, and the front-page photo follow-
ed on Jan. 5. Carole June Wilks was born at 2:55
a.m. Jan. 2 in the Baytown Hospital. Her father,
T.W, Wilks, was a Baytown Refinery employee
then and later became a well-known Realtor here.
By the way, Carole was named after one Of her
mother’s favorite movie actresses, Carole Lom-
bard. (Sun staff photo by Angie Bracey)
Race on for first baby of ’88
The race is on for the winner of Baytown’s
first baby of 1988.
The baby must be born in Baytown after mid7
night Dec. 31, and the parents must live in the
circulation area of The Baytown Sun.
The exact time of birth should be registered
by the attending physician and hospital.
Proof of the birth should be given to The
Baytown Sun before 9 a.m. Saturday.
Any baby reported after this time will be dis-
reported within the fixed limit.
If no baby has been born here during the
prescribed time, the contest will be extended un-
til gifts have been awarded to the new baby of
1988. The father or an authorized agent should
call at The Sun building, 1301 Memorial Drive,
on or before the extended contest date of Jan. 4
to receive, an authorization for the gifts to be
presented by merchants sponsoring the contest.
Last year’s first baby was Kimberly Cooper,
daughter of Matthew and Lori Cooper of Crosby.
Kimberly was born at 6:50 a.m. Jan. 1 at Gulf
Coast Hospital. —
The contest for the first baby of the year has
been going on in Baytown since the early 1930s.
struction was on the upswing
and Exxon and Chevron both an-
nounced major building pro-
grams. >,
On Feb. 4, USX Chairman
David M. Roderick announced
the Texas Works plant would be
indefinitely idled. The move af-
fected 850 jobs.„
USX and other domestic steel
producers have been hurt by the
influx of cheaper foreign steel in
the 1980s.
As demand for domestic steel
mployment at the
Texas Works plant steadily
declined from its peak level of
more than 2,000 earlier in the
decade.
Roderick said later in the year
that Texas Works would not
| reopen unless there are suffi-
cient orders.
Former employees at the
plant have made an offer to buy
the facility and operate it
themselves.
However, Roderick has not
responded to the offer and pro-
spects for the plant’s reopening
in the near future appear
remote. • ,
Despite the loss of a major
employer in the area, Baytown’s
unemployment rate dropped
steadily over the year.
In January, the city’s
unemployment rate was 16.3
percent, but by November, it
had declined to 12.1 percent, ac-
cording to the Texas Employ-
ment Commission!
Sales tax rebates trends
weren’t as encouraging as the
city’s rebates are down 4.72 per-
cent from the previous year.
However, another sign the
economy could be on the upturn
was reflected in building per-
mits issuedHay the city “of
Baytown.
Through the first 11 months of
1987, the value of new construc-
tion was $19.5 million compared
to $17.9 million for the same
period in 1986.
In December, Exxon
Chemical officials announced
declined, the value of new con-—facilities in Baytown. Construc-
tion is. slated to begin in
February.
At Exxon’s Baytown Refinery,
employees on Sept. 1 welcomed
back Sherman Glass as the new
refinery manager. He came to
Baytown from Exxon Co. USA in
Houston.
In July, Exxon began phasing
out leaded gasoline. The approx-
imately 20 Exxon gas stations in
Baytown now offer three grades
of unleaded gasoline.
Turnaround operations began
last summer and finished this
fall at Exxon’s Baytown
Chemical Plant. The project in-
eluded the-eomplete shutdown
and inspection and maintenance
of the plant’s butyl rubber unit.
Chevron started construction
on a project that will more than
double the capacity of the com-
pany’s normal alpha olefin
(NAO) unit at the Cedar Bayou
Plant.
Chevron officials estimate the
expansion will increase the ap-
proximately 420-employee work
force by about 7-8 percent. But
the project won’t affect employ-
ment until 1989-90.
Cedar Bayou Plant manager
Larry Lucchesi asked for and
received promises of tax abate-
ment from City Council, the
Baytown school district, Lee Col-
lege and Harris County if his
plant gets a new polyethylene
unit planned by the company.
Chevron officials are expected
to decide early in 1988 if the $120
million expansion will be con-
structed at the Cedar Bayou
Plant or4 at a Chevron facility in
Orange.
The unit is expected to create
70 permanent jobs, * .
Baytown’s three hospitals
were also involved in major
building programs in 1987.
San Jacinto Methodist
Hospital began construction of a
new $16 million facility at Baker
and Garth roads.
Gulf Coast Hospital embarked
plans to construct a $65 million
electricity and steam generation
facility at the Baytown Olefins
Plant.
on a $7 million expansion pro-
gram while Phase II of a similar
project at Humana Hospital-
Bay town neared completion.
Inside today
The Baytown Sun staff picks top 10 news stories of 1987
ALICIA BEAM keeps receiving
unexpected gifts.. Christopher
Crane discovers a new friend.
Marilyn Ezell is the winner of
a handmade, queen-size quilt
J_ ... John Moon enjoys a Wonder-
ful holiday touring Europe . . .
Adrain and Cindy McHenry and
„ their daughter, Ashleigh, from
North Royalton,- Ohio enjoy
visiting family and friends.
Greg Rhey loves/his truck ...
5SW5Si**ftfr:
Jackson has a “large time”
visiting family and friends . . .
Chris Stahl has one more chance
—- for the "Big One” ... Mila Mor-
rison makes last minute plans.
Elissa Ellis and Donna
Hechler have “cotton pickin’ ”
plans • ... Kenneth Ruddick
sends his troops home . . .
Racheal Lively enjoys the
holidays.. *. Vickie Davis makes
several phone calls .. . Roselyn
Thompson keeps contemplating.
Laverne Bishop enjoys an
afternoon at the movies with her
granddaughters.
In the opinion of Sun reporters School,
and editors, these local news Construction started last
stories, in a year of many big. February on the eight-l,ane Fred
-i--i-----Hartman Bridge, which will
span across the Houston Ship
Channel between Baytown and
stories, rank in the top 10.
+Robert E. Lee High School
fire.
+Construction start of Fred
Hartman Bridge.
+Shutdown of USX’s Texas
Works Plant.
-(-.City elections halted by in-
junction.
+Joseph Fordham’s convic-
tion.
.... iLisa Barnes’death,
-(-Release of Vernon McManus
from prison.
+Release of Paula Cantrell
Deresefrom prison.
La Porte. The massive cable-
stayed bridge will be the largest
such structure in the country.
Slated to open in 1992, it will ex-
tend nearly _two miles long and
will be 175 feet wide.
Twenty years after U.S. Steel
(now USX) began construction
of its Texas Works Plant, the
facility near Baytown shut
down. Although a contract
dispute between labor and
management was resolved early
+Chain reaction of 25 vehicles in 1987, the plant hasn’t reopen-
on Old and Lost River Bridge. ed. USX officials indefinitely idl-
+Sam Houston School fire! ed the plant because of a lack of
On April 29, fire raged in the orders,
main building of Robert E. Lee . U.S. District Judge John
High School on Market Street, Singleton issued an order in
wth damage reaching $8.5 March, barring the city of
million. The building had been in Baytown from holding any more
use since the first classes were municipal elections under its
held there in 1928. While current at-large election system,
reconstruction continues into The ruling wiped out the April ci-
1988, REL students are atten- ty election. The Fifth Circuit
ding classes at Sterling High Court of Appeals in New Orleans
is expected to hear oral
arguments in the case the week
of Feb. 1. .•! •.,! .• r......!..
On May 8, Joseph Fordham,
17, was found guilty in the stabb-
ing and strangulation murder of
11-year-old Mary Stiles. He was
sentenced to serve 25 years in
the Texas Department of Cor-
rections for the kiting. The girl
disappeared on Halloween night
1985, and her body was found
nine Says later in a wooded area
behind an apartment complex
here.
Lisa Renee Barnes of Crosby,
the liver transplant patient who
drew the affection of numerous
Baytown and Baytown area
residents, died Dec. 13 after she
was struck by a Ford Bronco
driven by a relative during a
weekend family outing near
Somerville. Efforts during the
past two years to raise money
for a liver transplant operation
had generated more than $88,000
for the child, who would have
been 3 years old in April 1988.
Vernon McManus was freed in
January after spending nearly
10 years in custody in connection
with the 1976 slaying of Baytown
electrical contractor Paul Can-
trell j State District.« Judge
Johnny Kolenda dismissed a
capital murder charge against
McManus because of insufficient
evidence.
Paula Cantrell Derese,
sentenced to two -life prison
terms for the 1976 murder of her
parents, Paul arid Mary Cantrell
of Baytown, was released on
parole in August from the Texas
Department of Corrections unit
at Gatesville.
The fog-shrouded Old and Lost
River Bridge on Interstate 10
near Baytown was the scene of
massive chain reaction wrecks
on Jan. 28. Twenty-five vehicles
piled up, resulting in five deaths
and several injuries. The acci-
dent occurred during a dense
fog.
On Nov, 20 fire caused exten-
sive damage to another historic
school building — the Sam
Houston School on Lee Drive.
Flames gutted one-third of the
building, which was constructed
as an elementary school in the
1930s.
Sun dial
......tO-A
.......... 6- 7"8,.
Business.
Omitted _______
am<!s/amsword:......:8-A
Dimension.............-...7-A
Entertainment............4-B
Editorial..................4-A
Fire News..........2-A
Movie Theaters......8-9-A.5-B
Obituaries................3-A
Police Beat...............2-A
Sports...................1-2-B
Television Log ■ •..........5-B
\ WEATHER
FRIDAY NIGHT: Cloudy. 30
percent chhnce of rain, low in
upper 30s. Saturday: Cloudy,
SO percent chance oi rain, high
in low 40s. From 8 a.m. Thurs-
day too a.m. Friday, a low of
46 and high of 66 were record-
ed.
More looks at 1987 hap-
penings: Harrik County
government on .Page 3-A;
Crosby and Barbers Hill
school districts on Page 5-
A; Lee College on Page
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Brown, Leon. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 66, No. 53, Ed. 1 Friday, January 1, 1988, newspaper, January 1, 1988; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1074822/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.