Giddings Times & News (Giddings, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 26, 1993 Page: 1 of 20
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Giddings Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Giddings Public Library and Cultural Center.
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nr
9
GUA
SERVING LEXINGTON, DIME BOX, LINCOLN, SERBIN, NORTHRUP, PAIGE, LEDBETTER, FEDOR & GIDDINGS
PUBLISHED AND EDITED BY A NATIVE LEE COUNTIAN
VOLUME 104
GIDDINGS, LEE COUNTY, TEXAS 78942-0947
THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 1993
NUMBER 10
2
I
But action to be rescinded, then re-adopted by board
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Three sentenced
in District Court
I
Increase in daily attendance
brings in $259,000 for GISD
Dime Box bank robber pleads
guilty, sentenced to 20 years
Sorghum, corn harvest
underway at same time
Only fair yield expected for both crops
Eruption of Mount Pinatubo blamed
for upset weather patterns in U.S.
Hospital Board sets tax rate
near 10 cent limit to pay debts
Early voting begins to determine
fate of Lee County Hospital District
School enrollment increases
in Lee County public schools
GISD Board approves
hiring of 15 employees
Slight drop in property tax rate
in county predicted by Judge Kraus
Miss Giddings Pageant
entry rules outlined
Sheriff’s Department investigates
four cases of trash-burning
LOOKING FOR LEASES - Oil and
gas landmen have been filling up the
Lee County Clerk's office in recent
weeks searching deed records for
available leases. County Clerk Carol
Dismukes said she expects them to
remain in Lee County for quite some
time. Usually such activity precedes
approved for the upcoming school
year
The Giddings 122nd Geburtstag
Festival will be featuring the Miss
Giddings and Jr. Miss Giddings
Pageant. The pageant will be held
Saturday, Sept 25 at 5 p.m. at the
Firemans Park under the pavilion.
Categories are Miss Giddings ages
16-18 and Jr. Miss Giddings ages
13-15. Contestants must be of age by
Sept. 1,1993. Each girl will be judged
on smile, appearance, poise and
personality.
Applications can be picked up at
the Chamber of Commerce Office
beginning Aug. 25 and should be
Although Lee County is under a
ban for burning trash, the Lee
County Sheriff’s Department has
been called out four times to check
on incidents of people doing burning
anyway.
Dry conditions have caused the
Lee County Commissioners Court to
Giddings Independent School
Superintendent Gene Burton said
Thursday that the average daily
attendance for Giddings rose last
year, resulting in additional state
money for the district.
Lee County Judge Pete Kraus said
Monday he expects the county tax
rate to drop slightly this year.
Judge Kraus said the tax rate was
41 cents per $100 valuation last year
and he expects it to decrease slightly
to 40.2 cents per $100 valuation this
year.
Last month the judge said that the
county budget is expected to be
balanced this year.
One of the largest savings was due
Early rains caused late plantings of
corn and then farmers had to replant
in some cases where their fields
washed out.
Now dry weather has caused some
of the sorghum crop to begin to finish
out, causing an earlier harvest than
is normal for some farmers
Mr Gillum said production of both
crops is expected to be only fair this
year due to the weather
A test plot of sorghum varieties
harvested last Thursday varied
from a low of 57 bushels per acre to a
high of 62 bushels per acre
The corn harvest is about 50
percent complete and it too is
looking only fair this year, said Mr
Gillum
Peanut fields around the county
are still looking green, but are
showing signs of moisture stress
Mr. Gillum said rains will be
needed when the plants begin
pegging out their nuts.
to the state picking up $93,000 for
paying the county attorney’s office.
See DROP, page 19
Early voting began Monday in a
special election in which voters will
Q.RR:..g.
property damage.
Since that August day in 1983,
Texas has beaten the odds, but
experts continue to warn that it
could happen again anytime
In an update of his 1993 storm
forecast on Aug. 5, the nation's top
expert states that “a return of
increased major land-falling hurri-
cane activity is to be expected in the
See ODDS, page 18
Texas has beaten hurricane odds,
but not for long, says expert
r
V
to seven years in state prison on
charges of burglary of a habitation.
She was given 47 days credit in jail
and ordered to pay $284.50 in court
costs.
And Theodore Patrick Sanders
was sentenced to five years deferred
adjudication on a charge of burglary
of a building. He was recently
brought back from boot camp
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I a pickup in oil well drilling in the
i near future. The county has set up
work tables in the downstairs foyer
i to help deviate crowded conditions.
Mr. Burton said GISD will receive
an additional $259,000 from the state
because the daily attendance
increased to 1,560.
The board approved the 1993-94 tax
values at $270,310,296 In addition,
The board approved a
Could a volcanic eruption back in
1991 have something to do with the
upset weather conditions being
experienced throughout the U.S. and
even the entire world?
A University of Illinois professor
believes this is exactly what has
been causing the most devastating
floods in U.S history preceded by
one of the worst blizzards of the
century and the wettest winter in 98
years in the East and Southwest.
Prof. Paul Handler believes all
these dramatic forces of nature were
set in motion more than two years
ago when a volcano erupted in the
Phillipines. His predictions of what
the eruption would do to weather
patterns was reported in the Times
& News at that time
Last year the U.S experienced its
coolest summer in 77 years. It was
the summer that included Hurricane
Andrew, one of the most damaging
storms in decades.
Worldwide, the average global
It has been 10 years this month
since the costliest hurricane ever to
hit Texas came ashore at Galveston
Island.
Packing 115 mile an hour winds
and a 12-foot storm surge, Hurricane
Alicia ended up taking the lives of 21
people and caused $2.3 billion in
GISD Board to adopt
1993-94 budget
The Giddings School Board will
meet in special session Thursday
night at 7:30 to adopt its annual
budget.
Trustees will first consider
approval of budget amendments for
the 1992-93 budget. Then they will
conduct a public hearing on the
1993-94 proposed budget and finally
they will consider approval of the
adoption of the proposed 1993-94
budget.
The board will also discuss facility
planning at the meeting.
Giddings man finds
forged check In
bank statement
A Giddings man. J W Dixon,
reported a case of forgery Thursday
to Giddings Police.
Mr. Dixon said he received his
bank statement and found a check
made out to a local woman Mr.
Dixon told Giddings police that he
did not know the person and that the
signature on the check was a
forgery.
Police are attempting to locate the
suspect at her residence
Tax assessor says
board didn’t meet
legal requirements
Due to a violation of state law, the •
property tax rate adopted by the Lee -
County Hospital District board of J
directors Monday night will have to
be rescinded and then re-adopted at
the next meeting of the board in
September, according to board
president Rudy Mayer
Although the board had legal
counsel present at the meeting, Lee
County Tax Assessor-Collector Vir-
nia Jackson said she wasn’t
informed of the meeting or she said
a Western District Court
she would have attended and
advised them that they couldn’t
adopt the rate until the effective rate
was published in the newspaper.
“In the past years, I've been at
those hospital board meetings when
See LEGAL, page 18
Monday night, board member Chris
Mapp asked whether there is any
reason to have the taxing district
See VOTE, page 13
Eagles to scrimmage
Franklin Friday
The Lexington Eagles will travel
to Franklin Friday night to
scrimmage the junior varsity and
varsity football teams.
The junior varsity will scrimmage
at 6 p.m. followed by the varsity.
Last week Lexington played well
against Bartlett, but lost two players
See EAGLES, page 9
Giddings started school this year
with a total of 1,671 students This
was up by 38 from last year, said
Supt Gene Burton. Last year
Giddings increased by about 100
students in the fall semester
Dime Box schools reported a slight
increase in student enrollment to 211
last Thursday. This was up by six
students over last fall
millions homeless in northern India
and Bangladesh
Mount Pinatubo spewed sulfur
dioxide more than 15 miles high.
There the gas condensed into
volcanic aerosol and was distributed
around the globe by the strato-
spheric winds. The aerosol, which
See ERUPT, page 9
Donald Dean Kingsbury of
Bastrop has pled guilty last week to
a charge of second degree robbery in
the January bank robbery of First
State Bank of Dime Box.
He was sentenced to 20 years in the
state penitentiary by District Judge
Jack Placke.
The sentence is to run concurrent
ban burning because the county has
received no significant rainfall since
June 26.
One call occurred near the Fedor
Store last Tuesday morning
The second call was from near
Dime Box where a person was
See TRASH, page 18
Enrollment figures for the first
week of classes in Lee County
showed increases at all three public
schools.
Lexington had the largest number
of new students this fall with 50 more
students as of Monday. “We started
last week with 848, but have already
increased to 876," said Supt. Carl
Peterson Last year Lexington
started school with 826 students
days credit and ordered to pay $84.50
in court costs and $2,330 in attorney
fees.
Mr Kingsbury was charged in Lee
County with robbing First State
Bank at gunpoint, but was arrested
within minutes by Lee County law
officers following a high-speed
chase.
Kingsbury was captured on
trans- with
The Giddings School Board
approved the hiring of 15 new
employees, including five new
teachers, at their Thursday night
meeting
Lisa Blaha was hired as the high
school Spanish teacher. LaNeta
Cielake was hired as an associate
school psychologist. Dawn Chris-
tiansen was hired for high school
math.
Maria Coleman was hired as a
middle school language arts
teacher. And Ken Heyen was hired
as the middle school industrial arts
teacher.
Other employees include Pam
the board approved the contract
with the Lee County Tax Office for
collecting the school taxes at a cost
of $ 20 per parcel.
The board of trustees will meet
Thursday in a public hearing to
adopt the 1993-94 school budget.
Four student transfers were
PREUSS PRINTING CO., INC.
temperature in the past year has
been colder than at any time since
the early 1920s. The whole U.S. is the
wettest it’s been since 1983, although
Central Texas has been experien-
cing a two-month drought after a
very wet winter and spring
The worst deluge in 60 years left
thousands dead in Nepal and
The Lee County Hospital District
board of directors adopted a
property tax rate of 098 Monday
night to raise as much money as
possible to help pay off the nearly $1
million in hospital indebtedness.
This is just shy of the 10 cents per
$100 valuation limit.
The board discussed lowering the
tax rate this year, but members said
they wanted to get the debt paid off
as soon as possible. The district is
able to tax up to 10 cents per $100
valuation.
The tax money generated by the
district would be used to pay $62,000
for one employee to handle hospital
business and indigent health care
claims. A total of $80,000 would be
used to pay off debt.
Hospital administrator Al Perez
said the district expects Medicare to
pay $150,000 to $200,000, now that the
hospital has closed.
The district has completed their
Rucker, elementary school special
education aide; Mary Stevick,
middle school cafeteria; Mary
Pierce, middle school Josten’s
computer lab; Evelene Johnson,
elementary cafeteria; James Roen-
sch, elementary cafeteria; Sandra
Medack, middle school special
education aide; Billie Leonard,
elementary cafeteria; Oscar Plac-
ke, bus driver; Donna Gillum, bus
driver; and Ronald Ehrlund, bus
driver
The board also approved the
resignation of Murty Campbell,
elementary special education aide
Three people have been sentenced
in district court in Giddings
Clifton Midell Benson was senten-
ced to five years Deferred
Adjudication on a charge of
possession of a controlled substance,
rock cocaine. He was fined $1,500
and ordered to pay $84.50 in court
costs.
Susan Elaine Clark was sentenced
County Road 1697 after attempts to
outrun law officers When he was
arrested, officers found a briefcase
containing $10,311 in money alleged-
ly stolen from the bank and a pellet
pistol which looked like a .45 caliber
automatic pistol.
Following his arrest in Lee
County, he was subsequently
See GUILTY, page 18
returned to the Chamber office no
later than Sept. 20 at 5 p.m.
Rehearsal will be on Wednesday,
Sept. 22 at 5:30 p.m. at the Firemans
Park under the pavilion
The Miss Giddings winner will
receive a $200 scholarship and the
Jr Miss Giddings will receive a $50
savings bond, crowns and trophies
will also be presented.
This event is being sponsored by
the Giddings Area Chamber of
Commerce. For more information
call the chamber or Mary Ruppe.
pageant chairman.
Both the Lee County corn and
sorghum harvests are underway,
said County Agent Billy Gillum
Mr Gillum said the harvests are
occurring at the same time this year
because of the varied weather
conditions this spring and summer
Canned goods being
accepted as tickets
to football scrimmage
Entry into the Giddings-Columbus
football scrimmage Thursday even
ing can be made by donating a can of
food
GHS Athletic Director Jay
Warrick said the canned goods will
be given to flood victims in the
Midwest through the Austin Food
Pantry “We will not charge for
admission into the scrimmage other
than one can of food," said Coach
See TICKETS, page 3
decide whether to dissolve the Lee
County Hospital District No. 2.
The special election is being held
because of a petition presented to the
hospital board, requiring such an
election to be called.
The early voting will extend
through Sept. 7. People who wish to
vote by mail can send their ballots to
Lee Memorial Hospital, said
administrator Al Perez. Early
voters may cast their ballot in
person at the former Lee Memorial
Hospital.
Early voting closes on Sept. 7 and
the election will be held Sept .11.
At a hospital board meeting
poration contract with Dime Box sentence, reported the Lee County
ISD concerning a hearing-impaired District Attorney’s office.
See INCREASES, page 9 Mr Kingsbury, 46, was given 218
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177 s, / / KrNa L'
ClDDi DI ON --
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billing of all patients and has
receivables of nearly $400,000. Mr
Perez said they can expect to
receive about $150,000 to $300,000
from patients.
The board approved the hiring of
RJH Enterprises for collecting bills.
The company, which handles
several hospital collections in the
Dallas area, will collect the bills for
a 15 percent collectible rate. The
company will be paid only for what it
collects.
In other business, Mr. Perez said
the hospital auction was scheduled
for Wednesday. He said the hospital
has been receiving between 60 and 70
calls a day asking about the
equipment.
The district has about $53,096 left
to pay in equipment lease
agreements, said Perez.
Mr. Perez said the hospital district
is keeping two computers and selling
See RATE, page 3
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Preuss, L. M., III & True, David G. Giddings Times & News (Giddings, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 26, 1993, newspaper, August 26, 1993; Giddings, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1598691/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Giddings Public Library and Cultural Center.