Rains County Leader (Emory, Tex.), Vol. 119, No. 8, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 1, 2006 Page: 1 of 16
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Your Hometown Newspaper Since 1887
Jjleb: www.RainsCountyLeader.com
e-mail: rainsleader@earthlink.net
Vol. 119, Issue 8 - 1 section, 16 pages plus insert
EMORY, TEXAS - TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2006
PRICE 500
THIS
WEEK
TxDOT lists
projects for
county
Greenville, Texas, De-
partment of Transporta-
tion (TxDOT) assistant
area engineer Chris Moun-
tain directed a meeting
Thursday, July 27, in
Greenville to present infor-
mation on the Paris Dis-
trict TxDOT completed,
current and future proj-
ects for Rains and Hunt
counties.
Over the past two years
Rains County has received
a fair share of the local
TxDOT budget...
page 3
Kitchen Scents
We won’t have him
here long - Clifford
(C.O. Pounds). He and
wife Evelyn
are soon
moving
from Emory
back to
Portmaja
hear Cor-
pus Christi
to be closer to family.
“They cook good down
there; that’s the reason
we’re going,” he said
with a smile.
page 4
Football
two-a-days
start Monday
It all starts Monday-
Well, it actually began
during the final week of
November last year. But
the official start of the
2006 football season
begins Monday morning
with two-a/day condi-
tioning drills.
Shortly after guiding
the Rains Wildcats to
their deepest playoff run
in school history, the
Wildcat coaching staff
began going over the
roster of returning play-
ers and working to fill
voids left by graduating
seniors.
page 8
Student
participates
in program
at NASA
Ricky Callentine of
Emory was one of 295
high school juniors from
across Texas who spent
one week this summer at
NASA Johnson Space
Center in Houston.
Ricky applied and was
nominated by Senator
Robert Deuell...
page 8
E^ewood Pojnt hosts historic National
drown in Farmers Union celebration
Tawakoni
By CAROLYN HILL
Rains County Leader staff
Two Edgewood teens, Kyle
Huffman, 16, and Brad Mel-
ton, 17, drowned late Wednes-
day, July 26, in Lake Tawakoni
near Holiday Marina in the
northwestern section of Van
Zandt County.
The youths’ bodies were re-
covered early Friday morning
after a two-day search involv-
ing game wardens from
throughout East Texas and
units from the Van Zandt Sher-
iff’s office, firefighters with
the Wills Point VFD and mem-
bers of the MARK-9 search
and rescue canine team from
Dallas.
According to reports, the
two teens were best friends and
were on an Quting with the
mother and family of one of
the boys when the drownings
occurred.
They had walked past a
sandbar in about three feet of
water, going out a good way
when they hit deep water.
“They went under and never
came back up,” said Lt. Jackie
Buccafumo of the Van Zandt
Sheriff’s office.
The bodies were sent to the
Southwestern instftute of Fo-
rensic Sciences in Dallas for
autopsies.
Brad Melton is the son of
Tonya Shiflet, who operates
the Rains County Farmers
Market in Emory. Services for
Melton were held Monday in
Edgewood.
Farmers from around the
nation will gather in Point on
August 5 to celebrate the past,
present and future of agricul-
ture with the unveiling of a
National Farmers Union his-
toric monument.
Texas farmers 'and ranchers
will gather before the unveiling
for a discussion forum on the
2007 Farm Bill.
The monument in Point was
initiated by the People Organiz-
ing for an Ideal Neigliborhood
Today (POINT), and fiinded
largely by state FarmersJJnion
organizations that donated to
its construction.
It will feature a bronze cast-
ing of Newt Gresham, the
organizer and first president of
the Farmers Union, and bricks
engraved with the names of the
ten Farmers Union charter
members.
“We’re thrilled to be cele-
brating the roots of Farmers
Union and rural America here
in Texas,” Texas Farmers Union
President Wes Sims said. “The
National Farmers Union began
in Texas 104 years ago, so it is
fitting that we host farmers and
ranchers from around the coun-
try to celebrate rural America
and discuss farm policy.”
A farm bill listening session
will precede the monument’s
unveiling. NFU President Tom
Buis will lead the forum, which
will offer Texas producers of
food and fiber a chance to give
their input on the direction
Congress should take as it
writes the farm bill. NFU i*
advocating for a two-year
extension of the 2002 Farm Bill
and will be presenting mem-
bers of Congress with the opin-
ions gathered as it holds listen-
ing sessions across the county.
www. texasfarmers union.org
Monument construction close to completion
By Minda Painter
A flurry of construction
activity was seen on Highway
69 in Point, with big machin-
ery working on various aspects
of the project. The statue of
NFU Founder, Newt Gresham,
has been delivered and awaits
placement on the monument.
Bricks are being placed around
the monument plaza.
Several church choirs, join-
^ ;;
. • ,
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* ...w
CLYDE RILEY and his crew setting the first set of pre-cast panels for the NFU historic monument being
constructed in Point. Photo courtesy of Minda Painter
ing together for the choral per-
formance at the memorial ded-
ication ceremonies on Satur-
day, had their rehearsal at the
Iglesia Casa de Dios in Poinl
last Sunday. Lisa Oler, choir
director of Point First Baptist
Church, will be conducting the
choir with Darla Lemons,
choir director of Iglesia Casa
De Dios, on the keyboard.
While construction is under-
way on the monument, various
community service groups in
Point are Working together in
preparation for the two-day
festivities. The three areas des-
ignated for the delegates to
take respite from the heat are
Point Community Center, the
Point Church of Christ Fellow-
ship area, the Cotton Pickin'
Theatre, and the Golden Glow
Emporium.
The parade in Point will
start at 10:00 a.m. The staging
area of the parade will be on
Fourth and Locust Streets. The
parade route will be down
see MONUMENT page 3
Eagles’ Nest task force reports to commissioners
By CAROLYN HILL
Rains County Leader staff
Marianne Eubanks, who heads up
the chamber of commerce task force on
the Eagles’ Nest project, gave an„
impressive progress report to the Rains
County Commissioners Court Thurs-
day, July 27.
Eagles’ Nest is the 37-acre site on
Lake Fork leased from the Sabine
River Authority (SRA) by the county in
1999 and handed over to the chamber
of commerce to be administered and
developed into a birding/nature pre-
serve with designated hiking trails and
campsites. The court’s original intent
was for the property to be used by the
Boy Scouts as well as for public use.
In 2001, under the administration of
an Eagles’ Nest board with Allen Pren-
dergast serving as executive director, a
master plan for the site was drawn up
by Hallum Architects, Inc. of Fort
Worth. However, since that time, the
project has become dormant.
This past May 11, several residents
of Lake Fork Estates subdivision,
which serves as an entrance to the
Eagles’ Nest property, addressed the
commissioners court asking what is
going to be done with the property.
They presented complaints of abuse of
the property by kids on four-wheelers
and “mudders” in pickup trucks.
Thursday their complaints included
abundant drug use on the property.
Eubanks, who has been working
with chamber president Chris Allen,
said a visual observation has been
made of the area and the results
showed trespassing and illegal dump-
ing were occurring, prohibited vehicu-
lar traffic, four-wheelers and motorcy-
cles have worn paths in the area, and
the road serving the property needs
resurfacing.
“The above items are cosmetic and
have left an unsightly appearance to the
property, but do not threaten the value
of the property or its potential value to
Rains County,” she reported.
She said that Prendergast has stepped
down as executive director and added
that a new board of directors needs to
be put in place.
“This affords an opportunity to cre-
ate a renewed vision and new partner-
ships for the project,” Eubanks said.
She listed property security as the
number one critical step to be under-
taken, including fencing and “No Tres-
passing” signs.
She presented four additional steps
including developing a business plan
for the project that will need to be
addressed by the new board of direc-
tors.
As the current director of Eagle Fest,
Eubanks suggested that tours of
Eagles’ Nest would go hand in hand
with Eagle Fest activities.
When asked by Jack Taylor, a resi-
dent of Lake Fork Estates, for individ-
Families to save with sales tax holiday
Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton
Strayhom today announced that Texas’
annual opportunity to shop tax free for
clothes and shoes is coming up August
4-6. Strayhom predicted Texas fami-
lies will save $49 million in sales taxes
during the eighth annual Sales Tax
Holiday. The estimated savings
include $38.5 million in state sales
taxes and $10.5 million in local sales
taxes.
“I love the Sales Tax Holiday,”
Strayhom said. “It’s the one time hard-
working Texans keep their money in
their pockets for their families' priori-
ties.
“This tax break is real and it is avail-
able to everyone,” Strayhom said.
“Families save about $8 for every $100
they spend on school clothes for the
kids and new outfits for mom and dad."
“I have repeatedly asked the Legisla-
ture to add backpacks and school sup-
plies to the Sales Tax Holiday, along
with kids’ safety gear such as bicycle
helmets and car safety seats, and also
sewing supplies such as fabric, buttons
and zippers for families that make their
clothes,” Strayhom said.
“Regrettably, the Legislature has not
acted upon my recommendations, and
requests from parents across this state
to add backpacks and school supplies
to the Sales Thx Holiday to help reduce
the cost of getting the kids ready for
back-to-school,” Strayhom said.
“And 1 want to extend the Sales Tax
Holiday from three days to five days,
so we don’t have a three-day traffic
jam,” Strayhom said. “I also support
creating a second Sales Tax Holiday
during December to help families
stretch their holiday shopping budgets.
And I want to ease the sticker shock of
buying college textbooks by exempting
them from sales tax year round.”
During the Sales Tax Holiday, most
clothing and footwear priced under
$100 are tax free. Examples of items
that can be purchased tax-free August
4-6 include kids’ clothes and school
uniforms, adults’ clothes and work uni-
forms, shoes - including tennis shoes,
socks and underwear. Items that can-
not be purchased tax free include hand-
bags and wallets, jewelry, accessories,
and athletic shoes, uniforms and safety
gear. Backpacks and school supplies
are not exempt from sales tax.
Shoppers saved an estimated $47.4
million in state and local sales taxes
during the 2005 Sales Tax Holiday.
Since Strayhom implemented the first
Sales Tax Holiday in 1999, taxpayers
have saved $287 million, including
$226 million in state sales taxes and
$61 million in local sales taxes.
More information about the Sales
Tix Holiday, including a list of tax-
exempt items, can be found on the
comptroller's Web site at www.win-
dow. state, tx. us.
ual comments, court members respond-
ed:
County Judge Joe Dougherty said it
is an opportunity for Rains County.
“I’m very impressed with the presenta-
tion. I think we re going in the right
direction.”
Precinct 1 Commissioner Herschel
Bullard said, “I’d like to see them go
ahead with it. As soon as the first post
is put in the ground, I’ll have a lot more
confidence in it.”
Precinct 2 Commissioner Evelyn
Malone replied, “I agree. I like the
plan, it sounded good,” She added that
without a security fence the problems
created by trespassing will not he
solved.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Gary Bish-
op said, “I’m real flustrated. I was flus-
see EAGLES’ page 3
Congressman
Hall to help open
new county GOP
headquarters
The Rains County Republican Party
will host the Grand Opening Cere-
monies at its new headquarters in the
Point Shopping Center at the Golden
Glow Emporium on Friday, August 4,
at 2:00 p.m.
United States Representative Ralph
Hall will deliver the principal address.
Texas State Representative Dan Flynn
and Texas State Senator Bob Deuell
will also be on hand to speak.
“Opening the Rains County Repub-
lican Headquarters heralds the growth
and wider representation of the citi-
zens' political views in dynamic Rains
County,” said County Republican
Chairwoman Jeannie Prendergast.
At the conclusion of the ceremonies
all guests are invited to tour the new
headquarters and enjoy light refresh-
ments provided by the Republican
Club of Rains County.
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Hill, Earl Clyde, Jr. Rains County Leader (Emory, Tex.), Vol. 119, No. 8, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 1, 2006, newspaper, August 1, 2006; Emory, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth768424/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed June 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rains County Library.