The Nocona News (Nocona, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 29, 1983 Page: 1 of 25
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Sixteen Pages
Vol.78 No. 11
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Stop for School Buses!
County not included—
Combined property taxes edge up slightly
Local Property Taxes
n2
2
1983
.".9
It'll be a chili
9
weekend here
375.00 381.50
Residential Property
$50,000
$30,000
1983
1982
90.30 164.00
47.30
176.30
84.00
211.25 351.00
380.25
126.75
195.00
117.00
57.00
85.00
34.00
38.00
\
39.00
40.00
16.00
26.00
s’
L
adlia
Lucas readmits guilt—
Judge refuses conditional plea
Restaurant, car
fires keep men busy
Per *25,000
Valuation
Water Diet.
1982 $.13
1983 $.08
adjoining grill and vent-a-hood.
Additionally, smoke residue settl-
ed throughout the building.
By noon Monday, employees
had already cleaned up much of
the soot and were busy attacking
the curtains, walls, floors and ceil-
ing. Additionally, all utensils and
City
School
Hospital
Water Dist.
Hospital
1982 $.19
1983 $.17
lights. Driven can write down the license plate number of offending
vehicle* and the owners can be ticketed if the situation continues,
the add.
- AU Contents Copyrighted 1983
All Rights Reserved
School
1982 $.78
1983 $.845
2
"±
Non-residential Property
1982
Nocona motorists have been taking risk* with the live* of area
school children, report* school bus driven. Several times this year,
motorists have not stopped and waited while school buses have load-
ed or unloaded students, the driven report, despite the flashing red
$20,000
1982 1983
2.5-cents per $100 valuation, the
county’s rate has not been figured
into the picture.
The county commissioners are
still in the midst of budget hear-
ings with plans to complete the
1984 budget and set the 1983 tax
rate within the next few weeks.
Until that rate is set, the extent of
increase in the combined property
-F -
’ -
—S*E
E-ve*
By Tracy Mesler
Thanks to tax decreases from
the hospital and water districts,
local property owners will see a
minimal increase in their cum-
mulative property tax bills for
1983 with one factor, the coun-
ty. still unknown.
While the cummulative tax
rates for the city, school, water
and hospital districts is up only
Ob SCHOOLBUS OB
hold myself together.”
Douthitt noted Lucas has been
examined by three psychiatrists,
and the defendant has received
prescribed medication. The judge
added it is typical for someone to
suffer anxiety while incarcerated.
Don M axfield, Lucas’ court-
appointed defense attorney,
entered an oral motion requesting
the court assign a phsician to make
an independent evaluation as to
what type of treatment Lucas
needs.
M axfield said his client has
received various forms of medica-
tion to relieve the anxiety so he
can cope with his situation in a
normal sense. Jack McGaughey,
97th District Attorney who is pro-
secuting the case, did not object to
Please See Charade Page 3
chili cooking will begin at 10 p.m.
The 6.2 mile (10 kilometer) and
3 mile fun runs will begin at 11
a.m. with refreshments served for
the runners. Lunch will be served
for everyone.
An afternoon of games gets
underway at 12:30. Bocci ball, a
horseshoe tournament, washer pit-
ching. tabacco spitting, edgg toss-
ing, lemon rollings, watermelon
seed spitting and cow chip throw-
ing will draw the entrants.
The chib judging get* underway
at 3 p.m. with winner* to be an-
nounced at 5 p.m.
Another dance will be held at 8
p.m. (free to chili cooks and fun
runners).
A carnival will be held on the
grounds.
A free T-shirt for one member
of the first 50 team* to register and
a goodie bag for all entries.
Chili team entry fee is $15.00.
The fun run entry fee is $6.00.
An automobile fire Friday at
Bill Thomas Motors and a grease
fire Monday at Nocona Dairy
Queen kept the Nocona fire
departments extra busy this past
week.
Members of the Nocona Rural
Volunteer Fire Department
1983 1982
24.00 65.00
51.00 95.00
It’s going to be a foot stomping,
stomach churning, leg sprinting
weekend.
The Nocona J aycees are hosting
their First Annual Nocona J aycees
Chili Cook-off & Fun Run this
weekend.
The two-day event will take
place at the Nocona Rodeo Arena
on Montague Highway.
The activities get underway Fri-
day night with a fish Fry that
begins at 5:30. (Two free fish fry
tickets per chili team.)
Registration will get underway
at 7 p.m. in the hospitality room.
And 8 p.m. there will be a dance
(free to chili cookers and fun run-
ners).
And at 10 p.m. there will be a
Cow Chip Queen Contest open to
women ages 16 to 99. Chili cook*
are entitled to judge.
Saturday will dawn early with
registration continuing at 8 a.m.
Chili cooks will meet at 9 and the
taxes will not be known. Last
year’s county tax rate was
22.5-cents per $100 valuation.
The good news for local proper-
ty owners is the combined rates for
the city, school, water and hospital
tax entities increased from $1.50
last year to $1.52.5 — an increase
of but 2.5-cents per $100 valua-
tion.
For owners of the typical
$20,000 home in the Nocona area,
their annual tax bill from the four
tax entities actually decreased
95-cents from $225.00 last year to
$224.05 this year due to sizeable
homestead exemptions offered by
the school district.
Owners of $30,000 homes will
see but a $1.55 increase in their
total tax bill, from $375.00 to
$376.55.
Commerical, business and
agricultural property owners will
see a $6.50 increase per $25,000 in
net assessed property values.
All four tax entities grant disabl-
ed veteran* exemptions while the •
city grants a $9,000 homestead ex-
emption and the school offeres a
$5,000 homestead and $10,000
senior citizen exemptions.
For commerical property
owner* and agricultural property
owners, the cummulative tax rate
for the four entities increased from
$375.00 to $381.50 per $25,000 in
valuation.
With a 6.5-cent tax increase, the
boost in school taxes was more
than enough to make up for , the
decrease taxpayers experienced
thank* to a 5-cent decrease in the
water district tax rate and a 2-cent
decrease in the hospital district
tax.
Leader in Henrietta was the only cept the guilty plea only if the
news media represented at defendant was admitting he
Friday’s hearing. murdered Mrs. Rich, but that he
At the hearing, Lucas said he could not accept the guilty plea
wished to plead guilty to the "for some other reason.” The
charge of murdering Mrs. Rich if judge said he could not accept the
the judge would take into con- guilty plea because of “some men-
sideration his "mental” condi- tal defect” Lucas thinks he is suf-
tion. fering.
Records show that the court Lucas told the court he needs
automatically entered an innocent treatment "to keep me from kill-
plea for Lucas when he was ing myself.” It has been reported
originally arraigned June 22 that Lucas attempted to commit
because at that time an attorney suicide three times while in Mon-
appointed to represent him had tague County Jail.
not met with Lucas. Lucas told the court he has been
J udge Douthitt said he could ac- nervous since J une 11” and can’t
cente*
Box 45434,
MALLAS* 1
A? ■__________
nA. .
B 34 ya.
Plea rejected
Accused mass murdered Henry
Lee Lucas had an attempted
guilty plea, with conditions, re-
jected by 97th District Court
Judge Frank Douthitt Friday in
Henrietta.
100.00 107.50
195.00 211.50
47.50 42.50
32.50 20.00
375.00 376.55 675.00 681.55
By Lewis Simmon* change of venue order moving
Editor, Clay County Leader Luca*' case from Montague to
HENRIETTA - In a hastily Henrietta.
called hearing Friday morning Lucas was transferred from
Sept. 23. Henry Lee Lucas, at- Montague County Jail to Clay
tempted to plead guilty to the County Jail at Henrietta that same
murder of a Ringgold woman, day.
however the judge refused to ac- A day later, a few minutes
cept the plea, calling it a before noon Friday, an unschedul-
"charade" by the defendant. ed hearing was called for Lucas to
Lucas, 47, of Stoneburg, is to appear before Judge Douthitt in
stand trial at Henrietta for the 97th District Court, Clay County
Sept. 16, 1982, murder of Mrs. Courthouse, Henrietta.
Kate Rich. 80. of Ringgold. In contrast to other proceedings
Thursday morning, Sept. 22. that have attracted coverage by
97th Dist. Court Judge Frank J. numerous newspapers and televi-
Douhutt of Henrietta signed a sion stations, the Clay County
225.00 224.05
answered the automobile fire at equipment was being cleaned as
Bill Thomas Motors where the well.
trunk of a car had caught on fire. “I swear it seemed iike the fire
Employees kept the blaze from department was here within four
igniting the gas tank until the minutes of when we called them,"
trunk was opened and the were Hill said, praising the response
flames extinguished by firemen. from the Nocona Volunteer Fire
Shortly after 9:15 Monday mor- Dept. "They saved the place,”
ning, a deep Fry-O-Later caught Hill said.
fire at Nocona Dairy Queen. When he started the grill ex-
Owner Ben Hill said he tried to tinguisher system, it snuffed out
extinguish the blaze first with salt, the flames, but by then the metal
then with a hand fire extinguisher was so hot that the 20 pounds of
that did not operate properly. cooking fat reignited, firemen ex
Finally, he set off the grill ex- tinguished the blaze and helped
tinguisher system by hand when with the preliminary clean-up.
its automatic controls failed. Hill said it appeared the ther-
There was extensive smoke and mostat on the fryer stuck, "super
flame damage to the Fry-O-Later, Please See Can’t Page 3
City -------
1982 $.40 per $100 44.00
1983 $.43
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Mesler, Tracy R. The Nocona News (Nocona, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 29, 1983, newspaper, September 29, 1983; Nocona, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1493917/m1/1/: accessed July 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Friends of the Nocona Public Library.