The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 105, No. 33, Ed. 1 Friday, August 15, 1980 Page: 1 of 4
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®lje Hopkins (Jowtfg Erijir
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PC BOX 45435 5
DALLAS
(ABSORBED THE GAZETTE CIRCULATION BY PURCHASE MAY 12. 1928)
VOL 111—MO. 33.
SULPHUR SPRINGS, TEXAS, FRIDAY, AUGUST IS, 19M.
4 PAGES -10 CENTS PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
Multiple bomb threats
plague nursing home
, By JERRY TITTLE
News-Telegram Staff
What could have been a potential
disaster Wednesday afternoon at a
Sulphur Springs nursing home fortunately
became nothing more than a cruel joke.
There is just one catch - no one thinks it’s
very funny.
Local police Thursday were continuing
an investigation into the incidents in which
115 residents of Leisure Lodge nursing
home, many of them bedridden, many in
wheelchairs and some with respiratory
conditions, were forced to evacuate the
building and endure near-100 degree
temperatures for nearly one and one-half
hours following two telephone calls
warning of a bomb in one of the rooms.
The first call was received shortly after
noon and the second threat came about 8
p.m. \
Nell Willis, the home's assistant ad-
ministrator, received the initial bomb
threat on one of the office phones at 1:45
p.m. “When I answered the phone there
was a short pause before the caller said
anything,” she said, “and then the male
voice said 'there’s a bomb in one of your
rooms’.
'“After that he hung up before I could say
a word,” she continued.
Willis then called the police who advised
her to begin evacuation procedures im-
mediately.
In order to prevent panic among the
patients, residents were told they were
undergoing an extended fire drill, home
officials said.
Officers converged on the premises and
began the room-to-room search. About
2:10 p.m., with the search in progress, the
phone rang again and Willis again an-
swered it. “This time the caller wouldn’t
say anything,” she said. “I put the line on
hold and got one of the officers to take the
call and the caller was gone by this time.”
Ann Huckabee, director of nursing for
the home, said, “This is the first time we
have ever had a total evacuation. Many
times we have had an internal evacuation
drill, that is, one in which we bring all the
residents from their rooms into the halls
within a specified time frame, but avoid
the final evacuation step of moving them
to the outside.”
Chief of Police Delbert Harrell headed
up the search team, aided by a contingent
of Department of Public Safety officers.
After searching all the rooms twice
Harrell deemed the premises safe enough
to bring the residents back to their rooms.
About 8 p.m. a nursing home LVN staff
member answered the phone once again
and the caller repeated the same
statement as before, according to the
home administrator, Jo Renfro.
“The 8 p.m. call said exactly the same
thing: there’s a bomb in one of your
rooms’, and then hung up,” Renfro said.
The police were again notified and the
entire evacuation process was started over
again. Residents were again wisked
outside and forced to wait about the same
length of time.
“The second evacuation couldn’t have
lasted any longer than the first one,”
Renfro said, “and the police again sear-
ched every room just as they had done
earlier in the day.
“I would also like to credit my staff with
conducting both evacuations very
professionally and in a very organized
manner,” Renfro added. "We’ve been
through simulated evacuation drills before
during the toronado season but this was
the first time, to my knowledge, the
building has been evacuated completely.
And that was done very efficiently, thanks
to the staff members,” she said.
She also said all the residents were
comfortable following both evacuations
and no real complications developed as a
result of the unscheduled interruption in
the day’s activities.
Local authorities warned that telephone
calls of this nature fall under the category
of terroristic threats, categorized as class
B misdemeanors which carry a jail term
plus a fine. However, under certain cir-
cumstances, this type of threatening call
may be termed a class A misdemeanor,
which carries a penalty of up to a year in
jail and a fine of $2,000.
Local man
killed in
accident
sn
Here a chick, there a chick
The annual County 4-H broiler project got underway Monday H'ers raise the chicks until October and then show four of the
Property appraisal
board faces big job
Flrttlnattries
By CLARKE KEYS
NewvTelegram Staff
The newly created Hopkins County
Property Appraisal District has two years
to complete its first job.
But officials of the agency aren’t feeling
flush with time right now.
A monumental — and expensive — job
lies ahead for the district, Ray Johnson,
chairman of the district board, told
Sulphur Springs Lions Tuesday.
“There are 30,000 or more individual
parcels of real estate that must be ap-
praised on the ground,” Johnson said in
the first public appearance of agency
spokesmen. After that, he noted, ap-
praisers must turn their attention to
personal property items of business
operations in the county.
And it all needs to be done in order to
have new valuation rolls ready for 12
taxing agencies in Hopkins County by
early fall of 1962.
Johnson and Tom Witt, recently hired as
the chief appraiser (administrator) of the
district, explained the reasons and
procedures of the agency in the Lions Club
program.
Both stressed that the appraisal district
does not levy taxes nor set tax rates. But
both acknowledged that it will be a point
that will be difficult to get across to county
residents.
“It is a mandate of your state legislature
that every county in Texas shall reap-
praise all property to 100 percent of
market value in time for the 1982 tax roll,”
Johnson said. “Whether you like that idea
or not, it is the law.
“Our goal is to establish a model ap-
praisal district for Hopkins County. ”
He said the 5-member district board
(elected by the taxing agencies of the
county) set out to accomplish that goal by
hiring a quality administrator.
“We believe we have the very best chief
appraiser (in Witt) that we could find,”
Johnson noted.
The code providing for the property
appraisals is “extremely complex,”
Johnson said. “Anyone who says he un-
derstands it either hasn’t read it or has
mislead it. The problem will be to im-
plement it and oversee it”
The district currently is planning its 1961
budget and Johnson said the costs are
going to be high.
It will be an expensive project he said,
because appraisers must be hired to look
at those 30,000-plus pieces of property,
prepare a mapping system, and put the
information on computer.
Witt said his current timetable will be to
appraise all real property in the county by
Dec. 31, 1961, then to value personal
property hr the first few months of 1962.
(Household personal property is exempt
k|rlaw, he noted).
AH the appraisal aad kggiag work is
scheduled to be completed by early
summer, 1982, at which time all property
owners will be informed of the values in
order to provide time for appeals.
“It’s at that time that we will know
whether or not we have been successful,”
Witt said. “We can only accomplish this
job with the cooperation of taxpayers.”
Once the appeal period is over, the
district will certify the valuation rolls and
forward them to the taxing agencies,
which will then develop their tax rolls
effective in the fall of 1982.
Reappraisal does not mean that taxes
should go up, Witt said. “In the end,
taxes should be the same as before, but
will be apportioned equally. If you have
been paying less than your share of taxes
then your taxes will probably go up. If you
have been paying more than your share,
they will probably go down.”
The overriding goal of the appraisal
effort will be to make possible an equitable
apportionment of the tax burden, Witt
said.
All taxing agencies in Hopkins County
will use the appraisal district’s valuation
figures when the operation is in full swing,
the men noted. This includes the county
government, the City of Sulphur Springs
and all the school districts in the county.
A Sulphur Springs man died early
Sunday morning in a one-vehicle accident
near Birthright.
According to DPS Trooper Gene Bar-
nett, Lavon Atell Beckham, 32, of Route 1
was driving a 1972 passenger sedan nor-
thbound on FM-3262 when he lost control of
the car, which went into a ditch on the
right side of the roadway.
The car then went back across the road
and into a ditch on the left side of the road
where it overturned, throwing Beckham
from the vehicle. The car came to rest 500
feet south of the intersection with FM-71.
The accident occurred about 1:10 a.m.
and Beckham was taken to Memorial
Hospital by ambulance.
He was then transferred to Baylor
University Medical Center in Dallas where
he died at 5:15 Sunday morning.
Services for Beckham were held at 2
p.m. Monday in the Murray-Orwosky
Chapel with the Rev. Cleatus Speed and
the Rev. Gary Gage officiating. Burial was
in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery.
He was bom July 25, 1948 in Hopkins
County to John Robert and Ruby Lorene
Vickers Beckham.
The Vietnam War veteran of the U.S.
Army was a member of the Beckham
Baptist Church.
He was a mechanic for the Sulphur
Springs Montgomery Ward’s store.
Survivors include his parents; a brother,
John El Beckham of Daingerfield; and a
sister, Mrs. Eva Lou Kluttz of Greenville.
He was preceded in death by a sister,
Kay Lavelle Beckham.
Serving as pallbearers were Ricky,
Landers, Dewayne Kluttz, Ronny Camp-
bell, Larry Campbell, Robert Carpenter
and Jeff Carpenter.
with the distribution of baby chicks to 4-H Club members. Jim
Crawford, county extension agent, counted out 31 chicks to each
of the 31 4-H'ers participating in the program this year. The 4-
best at the Four States Fair in Texarkana. Last year Hopkins
County produced the grand champion and reserve champion
chickens and Crawford is hoping to do as well this year.
—Staff Photo
Appeals court closes door
Alien student ruling tosses
curve at local school plans
By JOHN GORE
News-Telegram Staff
The one-line opinion Tuesday by the
three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals staying a ruling that
would have forced public schools to enroll
undocumented children this fall has
thrown the local school system, along with
other systems, into a certain amount of
confusion.
“We aren’t sure just where the Sulphur
Springs Independent School District
stands on the issue right now,” said Ed
Stevens, superintendent, after learning of
the new ruling.
"We had a staff meeting Tuesday and,
on the advice of our laywer, had decided to
admit illegal alien children to the school in
accordance with the first ruling,” Stevens
said.
On July 21, U.S. District Judge Woodrow
Seals struck down a Texas law barring
illeagal alien children from a free
education.
His ruling was overturned Tuesday by
the court of appeals after the State of
Texas filed an appeal on the basis that
Texas public schools did not have enough
time to prepare for the enrollment of
undocumented children.
“My inital reaction to the new ruling is
that we will probably reverse our position
on enrolling undocumented children. I
can’t say at this time exactly what our
position will be. I have to get an official
opinion from Raymond Johnson, the
school’s lawyer, first,” Steven said.
Johnson was attempting to contact Joe
K. Crews in Tyler Wednesday to discuss
the recent turn of events. Crews is the
lawyer representing the undocumented
children in a suit filed against Sulphur
Springs.
According to Stevens, if illegal aliens are
allowed to attend Sulphur Springs schools
it could present some problems for the
school system.
“A lot depends on how many children we
are talking about,” Stevens said.
“Last year we had two undocumented
children attending school here. They
transferred out of the Sulphur Springs
system in April to a county school. This
year we have no way of knowing, at this
point in time, how many alien children we
might have in the school system,” the
superintendent said.
It would be difficult, according to
Stevens, if there were five or six students
in the classroom who didn’t speak English
“It would be tough on a teacher trying to
teach Spanish-speaking students in
English,” he said. “The whole class would
suffer to some degree,” he added.
The superintendent pointed out that if
there were more than 20 Spanish speaking
students in the system, the school district
would be required to have a bi-lingual
teacher on the staff to insturct the
students.
“As it stands right now we don’t have a
teacher in the system who is qualified as a
bi-lingual teacher under the current state
teaching codes. We have teachers who
have taken Spanish in college and can
speak the language to some extent, but we
don’t have anyone who is offically
qualified to serve as a bi-lingual in-
structor,” Stevens said.
Tax rate hiked, teacher salaries boosted
Trustees okay $6 million school budget
By JOE WOOSLEY
News-Telegram Staff
A budget calling for expenditures of
16,030,151 and providing for the first across
the board salary supplements for teachers
was formally adopted by the Sulphur
Springs Independent School District
Tuesday night. At the same time, the tax
rate was increased from $1.25 to $1.35 per
$100 assessed valuation.
Total funds available for the 1980-81
year, as projected under the budget
summary, will run $6,289,932, including a
carry-over of $259,332. The figures indicate
that the estimated fund balance at the end
of the fiscal year, Aug. 31,1961, will be
about the same as projected for this year
at the same time. The fund balance is
figured to be $259,781, which would be just
a little over $500 difference in the current
expected year-ending balance.
The trustees at the meeting also ap-
proved the amended budget for 197900,
with total fundi available listed at
$5,821,574 and expenditures placed at
$5,562,242.
The approval if the two budget
wai a routine affair without
discussion as previous work sessions and a
public hearing had hammered out the
details for the book-like documents.
The trustees also approved raising the
price of meals served in the lunchrooms
five cents at all levels, including break-
fast. The lunch for elementary students
will go to 60 cents, for Middle School 75
cents and High School 85 cents. Breakfast
will cost 35 cents at all schools.
Kenneth Brem, assistant superin-
tendent-business, and Ricki Elliott,
supervisor of food services, were on hand
to explain the lunch program and
projected cost increases. The lunchrooms
now represent annual expenditures
nearing a half million dollars. The
program is self-supporting, or not sub-
sidized at the local level.
No action was taken on the single bid
received from East Texas Electric for air-
conditioning the kitchens and lunchrooms
of five schools. The base bid was $108,863.
It will be discussed at a luncheon meeting
and final action is expected at the Sep-
tember session of the trustees.
The'board approved the revised free and
induced price ItygPity scale far the
school lunch program, and accepted low
bids for bread products and milk in other
actions.
Teacher resignations accepted included
Bill Barnard, Sheila Watts, Elaine Den-
ney, Larry Washburn, Cindy Tarrant and
Kamilla Johnson.
Teachers confirmed for employment
included Gail Boles, David Gigante,
Louise Barnett, Lee Daniel, Gordon
Bench, Virginia Marable, Carlene Payne,
Barbara Perritt, Billy Morris, Dana Clark,
and Gail Herman.
The trustees also confirmed the em-
ployment of Harlan L. Coursey, Jimmy F.
Foley, Bobbie L. McNiel and Bernice
Brown as custodians, Max O. Gibson,
Dawson Fuller and Bobby White as bus
drivers, and Janice Kranz as a secretary.
Four requests of out-of-district transfers
of students into the local system were
approved.
Approved for the substitute teacher list
were Annie Abron, Charlotte Alcorn,
Jamie Barnett, Lou Jane Bonner, LaDelle
Brown, Stephen Dickson, Miriam Eppes,
Gladys George, Doris Graham, Joye Gray,
Gail Rale, Reda Henoen, Terri Kurkjian,
V.E. Leewright, Lavyn Sisco, Sarah
Smith, Christine Speck, Jan Spencer and
Edith Taylor.
Mrs. Claude Reynolds and Mrs. Lavyn
Sisco, representing the Band Boosters
Club, presented a plan for the operation of
a school supply outlet at the high school as
a money-raising project. Superintendent
Ed Stevens said that the group proposes to
operate the project during school hours
only as a convenience to students.
Stevens, in giving administrative
reports, distributed both teacher and
substitute teacher handbooks to the
trustees and reviewed the in-service
program.
One of the innovative programs this year
will be a special affair to which all sub-
stitute teachers are invited to participate.
They also will be guests at a luncheon for
all faculty members.
The superintendent said that the two
teaching vacancies existing are expected
to be filled soon. They are for an
elementary physical education teacher
and one kindergarten position.
He noted that all teachers new to the
system willjtir’ibaored at a breakfast
Monday and introduced to trustees and
central office staff. In-service begins
Tuesday. Classes for students begin
Monday, Aug. 25.
Patsy Johnson, chairman, presided at
the board meeting, with all trustees in
attendance. They are Johnny Dobson,
Paul Tipping, W.T. Allison II, Tim Kelty,
Judy Gilreath and Gary Odom.
Joyce Barrow, tax assessor-collector,
reported that the district’s valuations were
placed at $165,268,769, an increase of about
seven percent for the year. She added that
the taxable valuations will run $144,870,359
after the $19,603,042 in exemptions are
deducted from the rolls.
Under the new salary adjustments this
year, beginning teachers with bachelor
degrees will receive $200 supplements. A
master’s degree will be worth an ad-
ditional $300 annually over the state
schedule. Those with doctor’s degrees will
receive $400 above state schedule.
Dan Durham, assistant superintendent-
struction, said that 26 teachers new to
e system had been employed this
immer. Of these, nine hold master’s
igrees and one a doctor’s degree.
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Keys, Clarke & Woosley, Joe. The Hopkins County Echo (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 105, No. 33, Ed. 1 Friday, August 15, 1980, newspaper, August 15, 1980; Sulphur Springs, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth780982/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hopkins County Genealogical Society.