The Sachse News (Sachse, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 6, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 4, 2010 Page: 1 of 18
eighteen pages : col. ill. ; page 23 x 13 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Know Noodles? Find out in this month's KidPrint on Page 1C
Sachse News
Shining on the community, events and people of Sachse sachserieujs*com
Sachse, Texas • Thursday, March 4, 2010 • C&S Media Publications • 3 Sections, 18 pages 75 cents
Farmersville man arrested in Sachse homicide
2010 All rights reserved.
ume 6 Issue 6
By Patty Montagno
Staff Writer
imumlagno@sachsenews.com
Sachse Police have arrested
Charles Vernon Haynes of
Farmersville in conjunction with the
death of Michael Lafever of Sachse.
The 36-year-old Lafever was
found dead on the side of the road-
way at 8:10 a.m. March 22. His body
SEDC hires
economic
development
leader
LAKELAVON
Water Level
Lake Jim Chapman
Normal 440 - 440 08
onnal -TO
■l-v of 1)3/01110 493 99 ft-
Inside
Classifieds 2C
Obituaries 4A
Opinion 7 A
Real Estate 3C
Sports IB
was near the intersection of Ben
Drive and Pleasant Valley Road in
Sachse. He was discovered by a pass-
ing driver.
Police Chief Dennis Veach said the
events leading to Lafever's death
began March 21 at the Ramblin' Rose
nightclub located at 3594 Elm Grove
Rd. in Dallas County.
"The victim had consumed intoxi-
cants and the suspect, Mr. Haynes,
offered to give Mr. Lafever a ride
home," Veach said. "During the ride
a dispute occurred that culminated
with Haynes assaulting Lafever and
leaving him on Pleasant Valley Road
where he expired."
Haynes was arrested for negligent
homicide. Veach said negligent
homicide is the cause of death of
another in a negligent manner.
Haynes will be transferred to the
Dallas County jail for arraignment.
LaFever was employed by
Cognizant Technologies, an IT con-
tractor currently working on a job for
AT&T at Alliance Airport in Fort
Worth.
An autopsy was performed by the
Dallas County Medical Examiner's
Office, and the preliminary results
were such that they were not able to
immediately conclude a cause of
death, Veach said. The Dallas County
Medical Examiner is awaiting lab
and toxicology results.
Dallas County investigators are
helping with the case which "is still
under investigation," Veach said.
Police are requesting that anyone
with information relating to
Lafever's actions prior to his death,
call Sachse Det. Dan Lewis at 972-
495-2271, ext. 232.
Nicholas Johnson
New director
coming from Austin
By Fatty Montagno
Staff Writer
pinoniagno@sachsenews.com
The Sachse Economic Development
Corporation has officially hired
Nicholas Johnson as its new executive
director.
Johnson will begin workApril 1 and
will replace Guy Brown who resigned
from the position in October. City
Manager Allen Barnes has been func-
tioning as interim SEDC director since
that time.
Johnson is currently the economic
development coordinator for the Texas
Association of Regional Councils in
Austin where he is responsible for
developing statewide economic devel-
opment communications and marketing
strategies. He serves as the economic
development project manager for 24
Texas regional councils.
Johnson also manages the TARC
Community and Economic
Development Staff Association which is
comprised of 70 volunteer members.
When he begins his job with the
Sachse EDC. his compensation package
will include a yearly salary of $80,000,
See CANDIDATE page 3A
m Photo by Patty Montagno
Parks and Recreation Director l.anee Whit worth, left. Council woman Pat McMillan and
Councilman Mark Timm siyn the white beam that was placed on top of the new city hall
building under construction. About 130 construction workers, city staff, councilmembers
and guests attended a top out party and luncheon at the new municipal center site.
City staff, officials enjoy
topping out ceremony
By Patty Montagno
Staff Writer
pmonlagno@sachscnews.com
About 130 construction work-
ers, city staff, councilmembers
and guests attended a top out
party and luncheon at the new
municipal center site.
The party was hosted by Lee
Lewis Construction company.
City Manager Allen Barnes
said a topping out. or topping off
ceremony is held when the last
beam is placed at the top of a
building. The beam was painted
white and signed by councilmem-
bers and city staff.
"1 think the event today went
wonderfully," City Manager
Allen Barnes said. "The beam
will be placed on the north-east
corner of the new municipal
building. It will be right over my
new office and workroom."
Barnes added that a cedar tree
will be placed at the highest part
of the building.
"According to the construction
company, the public safety build-
ing will be completed by around
June 11 and the city hall will be
finished by July 27," Barnes said.
"The contractor thinks they can
speed up the city hall facility a lit-
tle. The public safety building
should be in the dry in the next
two weeks, and then they will
begin hanging sheetrock and
beginning the interior finish out.
To say that our staff is excited is
an understatement. It is a truly
exciting time to be in Sachse."
In 2006 voters approved a
bond package, worth about $37.9
million, to build or improve three
city streets, Salmon Park, the city
hall, seniors center, fire and
police departments. and the
library.
Construction is well under way
for a campus-style municipal or
town center complex at the corner
of Sachse Road and Miles Road
on a 14-acre tract of property that
See CONS I Rt (TIC >N page 3A
Sachse High
School
celebrates
black history
By Patty Montagno
Staff Writer
pmonlagno@sachsenews.com
Sachse High School is celebrating
Black History Month and is challenging
its students to be informed about the state
of the global community and celebrate
African American heritage.
As part of the annual celebration, the
Sachse High School Multicultural
Committee sponsored a program entitled
a "Empowered by Education."
Sachse High School Principal Steve
Hammerle said the purpose of the Black
History Program at SHS is to give the stu-
dents an opportunity to share their talents
and learn about the African American
experience and culture.
"It is very important that the black his-
tory program was not just for African
American students," he said. "It was put
together to encompass all ethnic back-
grounds."
Program highlights included perform-
ances of the Sachse Swingsters,
Showstoppers, Vanica Winn, Sharmaine
Lincoln, the Sachse Fired Up Dance
Crew, Jackie Pleasant. Valentine Ossai.
Dondria Fields and a step routine from
the Sellers Middle School University
Unstoppable Steppers.
The program also featured presenta-
tions by Dr. Kimberly Gilmore, Mayor
Mike Felix, Hammerle and Justin Sheard.
"Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan,
Malcolm X. Judge Greg Mathis, our first
lady. Michelle Obama, your family, your
friends and your neighbors," Gilmore
said. "African Americans have helped
shape who we are as a nation and contin-
ue to play important roles in fields rang-
ing from education to entertainment.
From the painful passage of the civil
rights movement to the soaring magic of
Jordon. the passion of Malcolm X. and
See EDUCATION page 6A
WISD trustees finalize elementary attendance zones
Dual
lanmiace
c c
program moving
from Whitt to Cox
By Judy Truesdell
Staff Writer
newscsmeiiiatexas.com
Wylie ISD's dual language and
pre-kindergarten programs will be at
new schools next fall.
Members of the Wylie school
board approved new attendance
zones for elementary school cam-
puses effective in the fall of 2010.
The vote was five to one with
Trustee Lance Goff casting the lone
"no" vote. The rezoning was needed
to accommodate the district's 10th
elementary school: Wally W.
Watkins Elementary will open this
fall.
Superintendent Dr. John Fuller
brought the map to the trustees after
their direction to keep the "neighbor-
hood school" concept as a priority;
that is, having students attend
schools closest to their home when
possible. He said the board had also
asked him to move as few students
as possible and to be fiscally respon-
sible regarding busing and other
expenses.
Dual language programs currently
housed at Tibbals and Whitt will
move to Smith and Cox. A new dual
language kindergarten class will
begin at Watkins.
All pre-kindergarten programs
will be located at Hartman.
"As the district grows, special
programs will expand to other cam-
puses as needed," Fuller said.
The new plan will also allow stu-
dents from Dodd. Groves, Smith,
Tibbals and Whitt to attend Wylie
High School; students at Akin. Cox.
Birmingham. Hartman and Watkins
will attend Wylie East.
Prior to the final vote, several par-
ents spoke in public forum, express-
ing their concerns about disrupting
their children's lives by sending
them to a new school; in some cases
it would be the third such move in as
many years.
Representatives of the Hartman
PTA spoke about what strong advo-
cates for its student body and faculty
the PTA had become and urged
trustees to reconsider alignments
that might cause the quality of that
support to diminish if the zone
became almost exclusively low-
income families for whom financial
contributions might be difficult.
Fuller said it is district policy to
allow the families of third- and
fourth-graders to request students
stay at the school they have attended.
"It's not a promise." Fuller said, "but
historically, we've allowed it."
Fuller noted that parents would be
foregoing bus service if they chose
to keep their students at their current
school, and that June I is the dead-
line for application.
Requests for transfers are not,
however, likely to be granted for stu-
dents in the younger grades. Fuller
said.
He also said that the requests for
transfers "usually balance"; the same
number of students wanting to trans-
fer to one school is usually about the
same as the number wanting to
transfer away from that campus.
In further discussion about trans-
fer policy. Fuller clarified that if. for
instance, parents of a third-grader
request permission for their child to
See W YLIE page HA
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Fisher, Donnita Nesbit. The Sachse News (Sachse, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 6, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 4, 2010, newspaper, March 4, 2010; Wylie, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353495/m1/1/: accessed June 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Smith Public Library.