The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 138, No. 44, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 11, 1986 Page: 1 of 38
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c.r. mnarüTT & associates inc.
P.O. BOX &L4jQ9
DALLAS, TX. 75331-4262
Thursday
December 11
1986
Vol. 138, Nov. 44 -14 Pages Texas'Oldest Weekly Newspaper-Established As The Cherokee Sentinel, February 27, 1850 Rusk, Texas 75785 25 cents
Court Keeps Positions Open
Judge-Elect Asks Postponement of Decisions
Cherokee County Commissioners
will interview applicants for a
clerk's position and indigent health
care officer at 1 p.m. Jan 2.
Salaries for the position will be set
at 10a.m. that day.
County Judge-Elect Emmett
Whitehead met with commissioners
on his behalf and also the behalf of
Commissioners-Elect Alton Hicks,
Precinct 2, and Billy McCutcheon,
Precinct 4. He asked the current
Commissioners Court to put off set-
ting a salary for the indigent health
care officer and that the Court
begin work immediately on
renovation of the county council
room into a court-at-law courtroom.
He also asked that the offices now
occupied by the juvenile probation
office be moved from adjacent to
the council room to the courthouse
annex. The current juvenile
probation office would then be con-
verted into office space for the
court-at-law judge, LeRue Dixon.
Action on both matters was post-
poned until after the new Court
Lakes offices. New county officials
will be sworn in on Wednesday,
Dec 31.
During the discussion concerning
the location of the new courtroom
for the court-at-law, Commissioner
Frank Ross, Precinct 4, asked
"what is wrong with this (county)
courtroom?"
Whitehead explained that the
county court-at-law would be very
busy on Monday. This is the day set
aside for the Commissioners Court
meeting The county courtroom is
traditionally the place for the
Commissioner! to meet. He noted
that at times large crowds attend
the commissioners' meetings and a
place for those people to sit is
needed He noted that the court-at-
law could use the courtroom at
other times He suggested the
commissioners could change the
meeting date for Commissioners
Court to another time. "If the coun-
ty court-at-law is going to move in
here, the commissioners will have
to move out. I'm in favor of keeping
it (county Commissioners Court)
here," he said.
Robert Underwood, Com-
missioner Precinct 1, said the law
requires Commissioners Court
meeting to be held on the second
Monday of the month Another
problem the county is going to have
is office space, he said. However, he
noted there is sufficient space in the
annex.
"If we are going to wait on one
situation, let's wait on both It
basically wouldn't be right to wait
on one and put off the other," he
said, in reference to the court-at-
law and the indigent health care of-
ficer's salary.
County Judge Robert McNatt
said it is going to take time to make
the transition and to transfer cases
from the county and district courts
to the court-at-law.
"This room is the best for a
judicial setting. It could be used
every day. If they need a 12-man
jury, they could switch with the
district court," McNatt said.
"We could run into a lot of expen-
se renovating it. We have got to cut
down on expenses," Underwood
said.
"You created it (court-at-law)
and now you are going to have to
provide a place for him (Judge-
Elect Dixon) to work," Whitehead
said.
Commissioner Toby Sartain,
Precinct 2, who is currently serving
as indigent health care officer
without additional compensation,
reminded commissioners that the
program had been in operation sin-
ce Sept. 1.
"You have done a good job, but I
fee) this should be thrown out to
everyone interested. I certainly ap-
preciate your offering to do it
without cost," Commissioner Joe
Henderson, Precinct 3, told Sartain.
"When I was asked to take it I
thought it over for aeren! wnaks. I
said I would take it until the end of
the year and if I liked it I would take
it again on the first of the year,"
Sartain said.
"Your office is suppose to ter-
minate Jan. 1. If you are interested
you can apply like anyone else,"
Henderson said.
Henderson went on to say that he
thought the position should be open
to anyone interested. "I am not
saying you are not the right one.
You hear everyone concerned and
then appoint someone. That's the
way we did the sheriff.''
Henderson added that he and Un-
derwood had discussed this and saw
a controversy. "We tried a month
ago to set the compensation and
tried to work this out. I think we
ought to wait now. We are going to
have new members with different
views and suggestions.''
"If that is the way it is going to
be, you can forget about it," Sartain
said.
Underwood said "a lot of people
don't understand what indigent
health care is all about. I think Toby
has done excellent and after the fir-
st of the year, I will still vote for
Toby."
"I agree with you, but still the
policy is we should open the job to
all interested people for interviews.
*8oa COUNTY page 14
WINNING FLOAT in last week's Rusk Christmas parade was Rusk Garden Club. Pictured at the Old Fashion
Christmas float are, from left. Ruby Burchfield, Edith Long, Mary Jane DeFoor, JoAnne Ballard, Thelma
Clute, Bonnie Halbert, Myra Winder, Bea Jamsen and Ella Day. staff photo
One-Fourth Fail Exit Test
Results of the Rusk High School
recent TEAMS tests were discussed
at the Monday evening meeting of
SANTA CLAUS MAKES kit arrival la Rask last week Mag the snaoal Rusk Christmas parade. In addition to
the parade appearance Santa will be at his house on the square Saturday and again Dec. 20. Drawings for a
giant Christmas stocking is set for each of those days. Also, Santa Claus will be Rusk businesses during the
Shop Rusk First promotion each Thursday evening until Christmas. staff photo
the Rusk ISD board of trustees
Superintendent Tony Murray ex-
plained that during the 1985-86
school year, the Texas Education
Agency instituted a new
assessment program--Texas
Educational Assessment of
Minimum Skills or TEAMS as it has
become known as. This program
was mandated by the Texas House
Bill 72.
The TEAMs test measure
minimum compentencies expected
to be mastered by all students,
Murray said. The exit level is ad-
ministered in October and May of
each year to 11th graders and those
12th graders who did not demon-
strate mastery on the TEAMS test
in Grade 11. Students can have as
many as four opportunities to
demonstrate mastery of TEAMS
during their junior and senior
years. The test is an exit level
examination and both the
mathematics and English language
arts sections must be passed by
students prior to receiving a high
school diploma.
Recently received test results
show that 79 percent of Rusk ISD
students passed the mathematics
section and 76 percent passed the
English language arts section of the
state mandated exit level test in Oc-
tober Some 21 of the 101 students
tested did not master mathematics
and 25 of the 103 students tested in
that area did not master language
arts. Fourteen students failed to
master both the mathematics and
English language arts portions of
the test, he said.
Dr. Sandra Lowery, principal at
the high school said beginning in
January, she plans to re-schedule
all who did not pass the test These
students will be put into a special
class, designed to help them with
obtaining a passing score. There
•See R1SD page 14
News Briefs
'Round Town
With Mrs. Roundabout
RSH Accreditation Okayed
National Association To Recommend RSH
With the rapidly approaching ho-
ho' season, you may find your
strength and energy (or, is this the
same thing?) reaching a five o'
clock fade by noon I Plans for pre-
sents, family meals, various com-
munity events that involve you and
members of your family. It be-
comes a bit much.
Bat there is always something for
which we can be grateful! Right?
Right? And the following classic
piece of writing expresses best
the value of hanging on to aa atti-
tude of gratitude. It Is humorous...
but sometimes wo need to laugh at
Ufe...ln oar efforts to survive.
Please enjoy!
"When I was young my slippers
were red. I could kick tm my heels
clean over my head. When 1 grow
older my slipper* were blue, but I
still could nanee the whole night
through
"Now that I'm oM «y slippers
ave klaqkt I walk la the store aad
poll «y way haek. It* reaten I
know my yoatk Is all spent. my
places my get-up has been. Since I
have retired from life's competi-
tion, I busy myself with complete
repetition. I get up each morning
and dust off my wits, pick up the
paper and read the obits. If my
name's not there I know I'm not
dead, so I eat a good breakfast
and go back to bed.
"Old age is golden, so I've heard
It said but sometimes 1 wonder as I
get Into bed with my ears In a draw-
er, my teeth in a cup, my eyes
on the table until I wake up. Ere
sleep dims my eyes I say to my-
self, 'Is there anything else to be
laid on the shelf?' I am happy to
say as 1 close tight the door, that my
Meads are the same, perhaps even
"U this la your situation, Just grin
and boar III"
Keep grinning...because after
happy thought el daata iiaus we
have tkougkta el kltti to pay, 1KB, et
I
But I really dua't mini, when I
ikti|k wilik ik fed*111 ill all lku| Éfaiyl
^||||
l nlU neat week v«nw
every-
The Joint Commission on Ac-
creditation of Hospitals (JCAH),
Chicago, 111. has announced its
recommendations for continued ac-
creditation of Rusk State Hospital,
for three years for its adult
psychiatric, alcohol, and drug
abuse treatment and mental retar-
dation and developmental
disabilities programs as a result of
a recent survey of the hospital.
The recommendation was
received by John V. White, M.D.,
superintendent, in a letter from
Myrene McAninch, PhD, director,
Accrediation Programs for
psychiatric facilities. The on-site
survey was conducted in March,
by James M. Viggiano, Jr., PhD; E
Fred Ritty, MA; James M. Andre,
MD; Diane B. Ensminger. RN. and
Frank J. Mims, MSW
Superintendent White said, "We
ara extremely pleased to receive
the survey results The untiring ef-
forts of our staff have paid big
dividends " He said the hospital is
one of two on the Texas Department
of Monta! Health and Mental
Retardation system to receive a
throe*year accreditation with no
contingencies the highest award
granted kyJt'AN t
White added, "I am very prwal ol
the Hunk Male Muapiial staff fur
their continuing successful efforts
to provide the best care and treat-
ment possible to the patients and
clients."
The benefits of accreditation in-
clude;
The JCAH's accreditation
process provides an organization
with an on-site evaluation based on
realistic, nationally recognized
standards
Participating in JCAH's ac-
creditation process motivates staff
to improve services and care within
an organization.
JCAH accreditation may satisfy
certain requirements of other
organizations that sponsor ac-
creditation or approval activities
JCAH accreditation may serve as
an alternative to state agency cer-
tification to qualify certain types of
services for Medicare and Medicaid
reimbursement
To become accredited. Rusk
State Hospital voluntarily
requested an on-site evaluation by
JCAH surveyors who applied stan
dards designed to further the objec
tivea of quality patient care and the
safety of the environment in which
that care is urovided These
national standard repreaent « con
census among health care
profcMaionalii anu are permtfevalh
updated to reflect changes in health
care delivery
The JCAH survey team consists
of health care professionals trained
to evaluate the hospital's efforts to
provide quality care
JCAH is a private, not-for-profit
organization created by and com-
posed of health care professionals.
It is governed by a board of com-
missioners whose members are
appointed by the American College
of Surgeons, American College of
Physicians, American Dental
Association, American Hospital
Association, and the American
Medical Association. A public
member is appointed by the Board
of Commissioners to represent con-
sumer concerns
Rusk State Hospital is a division
of the Texas Department of Mental
Health and Mental Retardation and
serves 31 East Texas counties in
eluding Anderson, Angelina.
Chambers, Cherokee. Freestone,
Gregg. Hardin, Harrison. Mender
sew. Houston, Jasper. Jefferson.
l.eon, Liberty, Madison. Marion.
Montgomery, Nacogdoches.
Newton, Orange. Panola, Polk.
Husk. Sabine San Augustine. San
Jacinto. Shelby Smith Trinity,
Tvler ami Walker
Cable To Add Network
Changes in E-Z Vision TV Cable
Company will take place later this
month, according to Emmett
Whitehead, owner
All customers will begin
receiving The Nashville Network on
channel 6, and all Showtime
customers will be provided an ad
dressable convertor They will
receive Showtime on Channel 22
"This change represents a sub-
stantial investment of equipment,
but we feel that the big majority of
our customers will enjoy the new
Nashville Network,-' comments
Whitehead
A slight rate adjustment of 55«
per month will become effective
January 1
Gallatin Parade Slated
The Gallatin Christmas Parade,
sponsored annually by the Gallatin
Volunteer Fire Department, will be
held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec 20.
Any group or person interested in
entering a float or other unit can
call Jonell Spedale at 683-2051.
Santa Claus will be there with
candy for the children during the
parade and afterwards will visit
with youngsters.
The community house lighting
contest will be judged Friday night,
Dec. 19.
Refreshments will be served
following the parade at the fire
station
The Gallatin firefighters urge all
enjoy the Christmas event.
Main Street Funds Grow
Contributions for the Main Street
Project now totals $1.950, according
to Stephanie Caveness, chairman of
that committee.
Latest contributions have been
received from Mr and Mrs Bruce
Brown. Sue Kelton and Norman
Spiers, Thrall, Angle ami Uuy of
Rusk
Persons wanting to make a con
Iritmtion can do so with Mrs
Caveness or Ton* Haddock Paul
t\ia. tllenn Millet Marie Mefcner or
Ukwta JetMmm*
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The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 138, No. 44, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 11, 1986, newspaper, December 11, 1986; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151778/m1/1/: accessed July 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.