Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 157, No. 49, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 24, 2007 Page: 1 of 14
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500
Vol. 157, No. 49- 14 pgs.
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Rusk, TX 75785
PHOTOS ON PG. 2B
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Some 76 sex offenders live in Cherokee County,
and their photos were recently released by the
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. See pg. 2-3B.
A Meaner, Smarter Sting
Alto Middle School
students fare well in
district academic meet,
proving that Alto has
brains and brawn.
See pg. 7A.
S Afi
WEDNESDAY
January 24, 2007
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper
De-Cent ra J ized
Eagles play well, but fall to
Central and Hudson. Rusk is
now in "must-win" territory
heading into the Huntington
and Diboll games. See pg. 1B
INSIDE
East Texans visit Turkey
Jackie Ardi, local representative
for Pizza Hut, recently visited the
country of Turkey with his family.
see page 8A
Local family needs help
A local family pleads for help
as their child suffers from a rare
disease. Currently the child is in
hospice care in Tyler.
see page 8A
NEWS
Heritage Center roof is
leaking
The Heritage Center of
Cherokee County was damaged
last week by a leaking roof.
"There was a lot of damage from
the recentfloods," said Board Presi-
dent Kevin Stingley. "We have five-
gallon buckets scattered around the
museum to catch the water."
The museum is seeking vol-
unteers who can help clean the
museum. Also, the museum's
2007 fundraising drive is currently
underway.
"We don't have an estimate on
the roof repair, but we anticipate
that it will be expensive," said Mr.
Stingley. "All donations are tax
deductible."
Categories of membership
include $10, individual; $15, family;
$25, corporate; $75, life; $100,
sustaining; $200, patron; and
$500, benefactor. New hours for
the museum are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays.
For more information, contact
Mr. Stingley at (903) 683-5643 or
visit the museum's website at www.
hccc-museum.org.
Blood drive is
rescheduled
Greg James Country Motors and
Stewart Regional Blood Center
have teamed up for the "EastTexans
Helping East Texans" Blood Drive
and re-scheduled it from 11 a.m.-4
p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, at Greg
James. The Stewart Regional
van will be on site at Greg James
Country Motors, located on U.S.
Highway 69S.
For additional information or to
pre-schedule blood drive appoint-
ments, call (903) 683-2202 or visit
the website at www.gregjames.
com.
Relay for Life kickoff
event scheduled in Rusk
The Cherokee County Relay for
Life will hold their annual kickoff
event at 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 29
at the Southern Cherokee Federal
Credit Union, 602 North Henderson
St. in Rusk. Call (903) 683-2527 for
more information.
Town hall meeting
scheduled in Jacksonville
Residents are invited to comment
and ask questions at a town hall
meeting scheduled to discuss the
future of the Texas State Railroad.
The meeting will be held at 5
p.m., Friday, Jan. 26 at the Norman
Activity Center in Jacksonville.
Weather Outlook
THURSDAY
Partly Cloudy
10% chance of rain
High: 58
Low: 35
OLDIES RADIO
KWRW - FM and KTLU - AM
RUSK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
I
2006 Businessman of
the year
Roy Reynolds
2006 Businesswoman
of the year
Penny Reynolds
2006 President's
Award
Connie Brown
Ted Debbs
named
Citizen of
the Year
Rusk Citizen of the Year Ted Debbs
is pictured with his wife, Sheilah. Mr.
Debbs is superintendent at Rusk State
Hospital.
PHOTOS BY TARA CROSBY
200 attend 66th annual event
By Gloria Jennings
Staff Writer
Rusk State Hospital Superin-
tendent Ted Debbs was named
Rusk Citizen of the Year Satur-
day night at the 66th annual
chamber of commerce banquet at
the junior high school cafeteria.
The awardwa s p resented by last
year's recipient TDCJ Warden
Todd Foxworth.
Ahusband-wife team, Roy and
Penny Reynolds, was named
businessman and business-
woman of the year. Those awards
were presented by Ike Frazer
and Wendy Wiley.
Outgoing President Angela
Raiborn presented the Presi-
dent's Award to Connie Brown,
chamber office manager. Ms.
Brown was recognized for her
going beyond the call of duty in
serving the Rusk chamber. She is
an ambassador for the chamber.
Whatever the need she is there
in promoting the community and
putting the chamber festivities
See CHAMBER, pg. 6A
Volunteer Award-Howard King
Alto ISD celebrates school
board appreciation month
2 Alto High School students participate in NASA program
By Leland Acker
Staff Writer
January is School Board Appreciation month and
the Alto ISD Board of Trustees feels appreeiat ed.
"We have good employees in this district." said
board member Gteg Duplichain. "We'd just like to
say 'thank you."'
"The cards I received brought tears to my eyes,"
said board member Britton Tilley. "You know they're
sincere."
Alto Police Chief Charles Barron addressed the
board concerning anger during Monday night's meet-
ing. He said he noticed anger being a problem with
the students he has had to deal with on campus.
"A lot of it is their home life," he said. "We can't
go home with them. We feel sorry for them, but we
really can't help them."
Chief Barron distributed a packet on anger manage -
ment to the board members and suggested the board
identify an appropriate age group and offer anger
management classes to that group.
Alto Elementary School Principal Melody Witt
reported to the board that the para-professionals at
the elementary school were sent to a three-day train-
ing seminar. She also reported that she is monitoring
attendance at the School and went to truancy court
this month.
"I'm having to do a lot of parent training," Mrs.
Witt said. "Some parents don't think they have to
send their kids to school."
Interim Middle School Principal Kelly West opened
her report by expressing her appreciation to the board
of trustees.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work
with the teachers and children," she said. " I couldn't
ask for a better, more supportive staff. Everything
has gone smooth and we haven't missed a beat."
Mrs. West reported the school spelling bee would be
held in a couple of weeks and there was excitement
that Alto Middle School woul d send a representative to
the county spelling bee in February.
The news was good for Alto High
School. Principal Donald Patton told
the trustees that two students, Trevor
Hagerty and Clayton Scott, were rec-
ommended for the High School Aero-
space program sponsored by NASA.
Mr. Patton said out of the 450 students
entering the program. 200 would com-
plete the series of lessons.
Scott was also named Defensive Player of the Year
by Dave Campbell's Texas Football for Class lA
through 5A.
"Those 200 kids will go down to the NASAfacilities
and will work with a mentor. Ninety-nine percent
of the students who do this will go on to work for
NASA,' he said. "This is a tremendous opportunity
for these young men.
Mr. Patton reported taking 12 students to truancy
court.
Please see ALTO, pg. 6A
Clayton Scott
Commissioners
buy new truck
County Judge wants bounty
for killing feral hogs
By Gloria Jennings
Staff Writer
Cherokee County Commissioners met briefly
Monday morning to consider an agenda of 12 items
including thepurchase of a pickup truckfor thelicense
and weight officer.
Commissioners approved the purchase of a Ford
pickup truck from Tipton Ford in Nacogdoches
for the sum of $17.283.55. The truck was priced at
$27,783.55 and Tipton allowed a $10,500 trade-in
for a 2003 pickup.
In another matter commissioners authorized the
signing of a joint resolution with the Northeast
Texas Beaver and Feral Hog Management Program.
The resolution is being sponsored by the East Texas
Council of Governments. Funds will be sought from
the state to help with the problems of beavers and
feral hogs.
County Judge ChrisDavis saidhe wished some kind
of bounty would be enacted for killing feral hogs.
Commissioners approved bonds for county offi-
cials.
Commissioners appiroved the obtaining of bids for
the purchase of dump trucks and pickup trucks for
one or more precincts.
Commissioner Kevin Pierce, Pet. 3, announced that
the North Ea st Texas Regional Mobility Authority will
meet at the Norman Activity Center in Jacksonville
on the second Tuesday in March.
Steve McCarty Cherokee County's representative
on the board is scheduled to be reappointed at the
next commissioners meeting.
Monthly reports from constables in precincts 1 and
3 were approved at the meeting. Also representatives
of the health unit will attend a perinatal hepatitis
B prevention program state conference. The court
reporter was authorized to attend court reporters'
continuing education seminar.
Attending the meeting were Judge Davis; Com-
missioners Mary Gregg, Pierce. Moody Glass Hi and
Byron Underwood; County Clerk Laverne Lusk; and
County Auditor L.H. Crockett.
The next meeting of the commissioners court will
be at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 12.
Texas State Railroad
Operating Agency
holds first meeting
Town hall meeting announced
for Friday in Jacksonville
By Marie Whitehead
Editor
The 80th session of the Texa s Legislature convened
Jan. 9 at the sound of the gravel. The sound signaled
numerous committees to action whose goal is to save
state parks.
A three-hour session marked the first meeting of
the new year for the Operating Agency for the Texas
State Railroad Thursday morning in Rusk. Earlier
plans were reviewed and fine tuned.
Anewplanfor a Town Hall meeting at $ p.m. Friday,.
Jan. 26 at the Nor man Activity Center in Jacksonville
was proposed by State Senator Robert Nichols.
OAPresident Steve Presley noted that the purpose
of this meeting is to allow for citizen input with
all persons welcomed. "Sen. Nichols wants to give
the public the opportunity to come, ask questions,
gather information on behalf of the future operation
of TSR," he said.
Representativesof the Operating Agency are meet-
ing at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24 with board members
of TexasParks and Wildlife Department. The meeting
will be held in the TPWD offices in Austin.
Plans were discussed for the possibihty of this
becoming a two-day visit with the board, depending
on the accomplishments of Wednesday's agenda,
which was termed a work session.
Meetings slated with private operators
Another meeting with representatives from an
interested private operator is tentatively scheduled
Jan. 27.
"When we have accomplished these several meet -
ings. we should be able to move closer to a final
decision on our recommendation for an operator,''
said Mr. Presley.
Numerousreportswere made by Mr. Presley regard-
Please see RAILROAD, pg. 6A
CM K
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 157, No. 49, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 24, 2007, newspaper, January 24, 2007; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152766/m1/1/: accessed July 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.