The Silsbee Bee (Silsbee, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 2, 1989 Page: 1 of 32
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Silsbee Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Silsbee Public Library.
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The Silsbee Bee
VOLUME 71 - NUMBER 1 SILSBEE, TEXAS 776$6, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2,1989 18 PAGES IN 2 SECTIONS
W
1.
.’W
Commissioners Name 11 To
*
Count* Industrial Commission
Bill Fregia
Hardin County commission-
ers Friday chose 11 persons to
be appointed to the Hardin
County Industrial Commission
Denton County District Attorney
To Handle Fregia Timber Case
The decision on whether to
send a case involving a new
Hardin County commissioner to
the county grand jury will not
be made locally after District
Judge Britt Plunk allowed Dis-
trict Attorney R.F. “Bo” Horka
to recuse himself from the case
Jan. 26.
Horka said in his motion
asking to be excused from the
case that “good cause exists in
this case for recusal in that one
of the targets of the criminal
investigation is a sitting county
commissioner in Hardin Coun-
ty, which creates both a poten-
tial and a real possibility of
claims of political motivation
for the investigation and the
possible criminal prosecution of
any individual involved.”
The case revolves around
newly seated Precinct 3 Com-
missioner Bill Fregia and tim-
ber which was allegedly cut
under his direction in the
Garcia woods near Batson Prai-
rie.
Horka said Monday local
investigation of the case was
almost complete and informa-
tion may be brought to Dis-
trict Attorney Gerald Cobb of
Denton County early next
week. Cobb was appointed by
Plunk as the attorney pro tern
to handle the case after Horka
was recused.
Investigation in the case
began when someone called
Silsbee Little League
Baseball Registration
ToBeFeb.il And 18
The Silsbee Little League
baseball season is fast ap-
proaching and registration is
scheduled to be held at the ball
park from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. on two Saturdays, Feb. 11
and Feb. 18.
Birth Certificates will be re-
quired for players.
Other scheduled meetings
include:
Tryouts on Saturday, March
4, from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.,
and on Monday, March 6,
beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Players will be drafted on
Tuesday, March 7, at 7 p.m.
A Team Mothers Meeting
will be held Tuesday, March 14,
at 7 p.m., according to Lucille
Wood.
Tee Ball and Minors parent
meeting will be on Thursday,
March 16, at 7 p.m.
Majors and Seniors parent
meeting is scheduled for Tues-
day, March 21. at 7 D.m.
Cleanup day will be Satur-
day, March 18, beginning at 9
a.m.
Opening Day will be Satur-
day, April 1, beginning at 10
a.m.
Texas A & M To Assist
In Job Creation Planning
WASHINGTON-Compan-
ies, local governments and com-
munity groups from across
Texas will soon be able to turn
directly to a group of experts
for help in creating jobs
through economic expansion,
U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm says.
Texas A & M University has
been awarded a $100,000 Eco-
nomic Development Adminis-
tration grant to provide devel-
opment assistance statewide,
Gramm has announced.
Using a $100,000 grant from
the U.S. Economic Develop-
ment Administration, Texas A
& M .University will establish a
center to provide technical
support for businesses, govern*
ments and community organi-
zations which are pursuing
economic development pro-
grams.
The new university center
will be at the Texas Engineer-
ing Experiment Station, which
already offers aid to cities in
developing economic develop-
ment outreach programs.
Services to be provided by
the new center include:
* A toll-free telephone num-
ber to speed the delivery of
information on federal, state
and local economic develop-
ment programs.
* Assistance in pinpointing
economic development needs
and priorities for a particular
local area.
* Scientific and technical
expertise from the pool of
resources available to the Tex-
as Engineering Experiment
Station.
'This assistance will provide
jobs," Gramm said. “I hope that
local businesses and community
groups will take full advantage
of the center and benefit from
it."
Strong Retail Sales
In The Last Quarter
To Benefit Budget
State Comptroller Bob Bul-
lock said Friday strong retail
sales in the last quarter of 1988
and during the Christmas sea-
son will produce a multi-million
dollar windfall for the Texas
budget.
“The books are closed and
Santa Claus was good to us,”
Bullock said.
He said the state’s recover-
ing economy, capped off by
good Christmas sales, could
give Texas a surplus this year
of more than $300 million from
states sales tax revenues.
Bullock said he’s advised
lawmakers he expects to be
able to certify $150 million
more than the $156 million
surplus in the November 1988
biennial revenue estimate.
Bullock said sales tax collec-
tions reported to his office this
month reflect December sales
and will total about $670 mil-
lion.
“That's an increase of more
than 8 percent over the $620
million reported in the same
period last year,” he said.
Until recently, retail sales
have lagged behind the overall
statewide economic recovery.
However, recent signs show
county law enforcement of-
ficials to report timber being
cut and hauled from property
that did not belong to the
person directing the cutting,
Horka said. Results of the
sheriffs department's investi-
gation were brought to Horka,
who determined that the char-
ges involved were, serious
enough to have someone from
outside the county look at
them.
“I looked at the evidence and
felt like it ought to be weighed
by somebody else and some-
body else ought to make the
decision on what to do with it,”
Horka said. The canon of ethics
requires officials to step aside if
their involvement in a case
could taint its credibility.
Fregia said Friday that he
had no criminal intent when
timber was cut this past sum-
mer from property on which he
did not have permission to cut.
“I had a logging contractor in
there cutting my personal tim-
ber,” and other timber lie had
permission to cut, Fregia said.
‘The logging contractor got off
of the line and probably cut
$1,200 to $1,300 worth of
timber.”
Fregia said he contacted
Peter Thomas of Eagle Pass,
who owns one of the tracts
involved, when he discovered
that the timber had been cut
and believed that they had
worked out an agreement to
determine what percentage of
the timber was Thomas’.
‘Then a lot of politics got
involved and it started mush-
rooming," he said. “Me and
■Mr. Thomas never did get
together.”
Fregia said he has talked to
Horka’s office about the case
but has never been contacted
by the sheriffs department.
“We didn't intend (to cut the
timber),” he said. “It wasn’t Bill
Fregia’s fault, it wasn’t the
logging contractor’s fault; it
just happened.”
If Cobb determines that the
claims have merit, he could
present the case to a Hardin
County grand jury, Horka said.
and Sales Team, which will
work to bring new business and
industry to the county.
Appointed to the commission
by Hardin County Judge M.R.
“Pete” McKinney were Gulf
States Utilities Co. district
superintendent Robert Shef-
field, Silsbee Chamber of Com-
merce executive vice president
Lola Burgess, Charles Breaux
of Silsbee, Hardin County ex-
tension agent Dena Wise, Jim
Long of Lumberton, Lumber-
ton Chamber of Commerce
manager Dorothy Griffin,
James Read and Tom Elliott of
Kountze, Sour Lake City Man-
ager Robert Ewart, Justice of
the Peace Kenneth Enloe and
Jeannie Turk of Pinewood.
Under law, the county may
appoint an industrial commis-
sion of at least seven members
to promote the development of
new business and industry in
the county and to encourage
the expansion of existing busi-
nesses. The Hardin County
commission will also act as a
sales team in Gulf States Utili-
ties Co.'s Team City program.
The county voted in October
to participate in the Team City
program, in which GSU’s Busi
ness Development Group
works with an entity to compile
information about an area and
to develop a trained sales team
to work with businesses search-
ing for a location and with
existing businesses. When an
entity reaches Team City sta-_
tus, a brochure detailing the
area is published and the area is
featured in GSU advertising.
By combining the sales team
with a county industrial com-
mission, the commission may
be eligible for financial assist-
ance from the county, McKin-
ney said earlier.
Sheffield was appointed tem-
porary chairman of the com-
mission.
In other action, commission-
ers agreed to ask Temple-
Inland to discard a clause in a
land deed which makes it
possible for the company to
take back land donated years
ago for a county park on
Cravens Camp Road north of
Silsbee.
Precinct 2 Commissioner
John Golden said county resi-
dents have approached him
with requests that the county
open the property as a park. It
may be possible to obtain a
grant to put a good road on the
property and a boat ramp, he
said.
County Auditor Horace Moye
said it could be hard to get a
grant with a clause in the deed
whieh states that the company
can reclaim the land if it is
determined that the county is
not meeting conditions of the
deed, such as upkeep and use as
a park.
McKinney said lie would be
reluctant to see the county put
money into the park if it can be
taken away at any time. Golden
was directed to contact officials
of the timber company to
determine whether they might
be willing to waive the clause.
Commissioners voted 4-1
with McKinney opposing to
allow Precinct 1 Commissioner
Bob Burgess to hire a part-time
secretary for his precinct office.
The part-time employee will
replace a full-time secretary
who was working in the office
when Burgess took over in
January.
“I don’t sec at this point in
time the need for a full-time
secretary,” Burgess said, add-
ing that an increased workload
might necessitate one in the
future. He said he plans to
subscribe to an answering ser-
vice when he and the part-time
secretary are not in the office.
“I feel it’s important that as an
elected official I be able to
select my own secretary."
McKinney, in voting against
the measure, said he did not
disagree with placing a part-
time secretary in the office but
did not want it to look as
though the commissioners were
voting to terminate the full-
time employee.
Commissioners voted to give
County Tax Assessor-Collector
Jeanette McCreight permission
to fill an employee vacancy in
her office and Dr. H.A. Hooks
to fill a vacancy in the WIC
program.
Disagreement broke out to-
wards the end of the meeting,
when court members debated
whether it would be best to try
and repair courthouse boilers
or buy new ones. Precinct 4
Commissioner J.D. Brown said
he did not believe an insurance
inspector would pass the boil-
ers if they were welded, but
other court members voted to
authorize Precinct 3 Com-
missioner Bill Fregia to inves-
tigate further into the feasi-
bility of repairs.
Lumberton Man Charged With Murder
In Death Of Richard T. Gardner
A Lumberton man was ar-
rested Tuesday and charged
with murder after a man he
allegedly hit on the head with a
wooden club died Monday at a
Beaumont hospital.
Hardin County Sheriffs De-
partment spokesman Arthur
Guy said deputies arrested
36-year-old Gustave Joseph
Campbell, No. 1 Kingston
Place No. 23, in a club on
Highway 69 about 4 p.m.
Justice of the Peace Cecil
Overstreet set bond Wednes-
day morning at $10,000 on the
charge of murder.
Campbell was charged with
hitting Richard Tatum Gard-
ner, 38, of Lumberton, on the
head with a wooden club Jan.
24, Gardner’s birthday. Wit-
nesses told officials that the
men got into an argument over
a can of beer while at a
residence on Sweet Gum Lane.
Jefferson County Justice of
the Peace Vi McGinnis pro-
nounced Gardner dead Monday
at St. Elizabeth Hospital.
Funeral services were con-
ducted for Gardner at 2 p.m.
Wednesday at Farmer Funeral
Home with burial in Bumstead
Cemetery in Lumberton. Rev.
A.A. Drennen officiated.
A native of Plymouth, Mass.,
he lived in Lumberton 15 years,
was a carpenter and was a
Vietnam War U.S. Marine
Corps veteran. '
Survivors include his moth-
er, Mary Gardner of Lumber-
ton; a son. Steven Michael
Gardner of Beriumont; ind a
sister, Patty Bonn of Dickin-
son.
Many Employers To Realize Lower
Unemployment Insurance Taxes
The Texas Employment
Commission reports that Un-
employment Insurance Tax
rates have been established for
1989 and the news is great.
Close to half of employers
covered by the Texas Un-
employment Compensation Act
will realize as much as a 50
percent reduction in the new
rates aa compared with last
year’s rates.
“Employers who are taxed at
the minimum allowable rate
based on their employment
experience will see their taxes
drop to about half of what they
paid hist year, even though the
wage base is increasing from
$8,000 to $9,000 this year. We
certainly are encouraged by
this decrease in taxes and
believe employers will be very
pleased," says Mary Scott Na-
bers, TEC’s Commissioner rep-
resenting employers.
As an example, for a mini-
mum rated employer, last
year’s tax rate of 1.41 percent
on the first $8,000 in wages
resulted in a yearly tax of
$112.80 per employee. In 1989,
that percentage will drop to .64
percent on the first $9,000
resulting In a yearly tax of
$57.60 per employee.
According to Labor Commis-
sioner Charles Haddock, that is
also good news for employees.
‘This drop in employer taxes
reflects an improved labor mar-
ket where more people are
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Texas with another tool to help sales are coming back as con-
attract new industry and create (S## tl[Tt[|T. ^ , fngi )0j
batteries. The meter heme we* perked et Russell’s heme on the Old Spurger Highway when the Meze occurred.
Photo by Chorlio Moray
working, and that is always
good news. Texas' economic-
recovery will be based, to a
large degree, on putting people
back to work, and judging from
these tax rates we are making
progress." •
The drop in the 1989 mini-
mum tax rate is due in part to
the vast improvement of the
trust fund balance between
October 1, 1987 and October 1,
1988. The October 1 balance in
the unemployment trust fund is
the primary determinant of the
deficit ratio for the next year.
The unemployment trust
fund has a statutory minimum
reserve level of 1 percent of the
taxable wage base, about $417
million for 1988. Any balance
below' that minimum, even a
positive balance, is considered
a “deficit” for purposes of the
tax rate calculation. The deficit
for October, 1988 was $201
million, compared to a deficit of
$838 million on October 1,1987.
This $637 million improvement
in the trust fund balance has
allowed TEC to drop the deficit
tax ratio from 1.45 percent in
1988 to .25 percent in 1989.
The deficit tax, the re-
plenishment tax and the gen-
eral tax comprise the employ-
er's unemployment insurance
tax for 1989. The need for an
interest tax was eliminated in
August when all loans from the
federal government for the
payment of benefits wei^e re-
paid.
“One reason these taxes have
dropped," says TEC Chairman
James Raster, “is fewer un-
employment insurance benefits
payments. Quarterly payouts
during the 12 month period
from July 1, 1987 to June 90,
1988 decreased from a high of
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Sports Boosters
To Moot Monday
The Tiger Sports Booster
Club will meet Monday. Feb-
ruary 6, at 7 p.m. at Silsbee
High School.
Meetings are held monthly in
the classroom directly behind
the high school, next to the
school store. Dr. Jimmy Nor-
wood is Booster president.
12 Persons Enter
Guilty Pleas In
356th District Court
Twelve persons entered guil
ty pleas in separate, 356th
district court cases Jan. 26. The
pleas included a man sent f8
prison for his plea, a man
involved in a robbery that left
one man dead, and several per-
sons charged with driving while
intoxicated, according to the
records of District Attorney
R.F. “Bo” Horka and District
Judge Britt Pluhk.
Jessie Ray Cain, 26, Rt. 2,
Box 148, Kountze, pleaded
guilty to a charge of unauthor-
ized use of a motor vehicle and
was sentenced to six years in
prison. He was ordered to pay
court costs upon early parole
and was given credit for time
served. Cain’s sentence will run
concurrently with a parole re-
vocation.
Welton Gene Sangwin, 20,
113 Burns St., Silsbee, pleaded
guilty to a charge of aggravated
robbery in connection with a
robbery at the L&M Grocery in
November 1987. Sangwin was
fined $1,000, plus court costs,
and was placed on 10 years of
unadjudicated probation. He
was also ordered to pay $695.22
in restitution. During the rob-
bery, a 33-year-old Silsbee man
reportedly entered the store
with a sawed-off shotgun and
demanded money. He was shot
by the store clerk and later
died. Sangwin and a third man
were arrested in connection
with the robbery.
Floyd Charles Lout, 18, Rt.
2, Box 9C, Bronson, pleaded
guilty to a charge of forgery.
He was placed on two years of
unadjudicated probation and
was orderd to pay court costs
and $100 in restitution.
Timothy Scott Wilson, 20,
3155 French Road, No. 253,
Beaumont, pleaded guilty to a
charge o' bur lary of a habi-
tation. He was placed on 10
years of unadjudicated pro-
bation and w as ordered to pay
court costs and $7,235 ;n resti-
tution. His sentence will run
concurrently with a Jefferson
County case.
Larry Arnold Carter, 21', Rt.
1, Box 31, Buna, pleaded guilty
to two charges of felony driving
while intoxicated. For each
plea, he was fined $500, plus
court costs, and was placed on a
three-year sentence suspended
over three years of probation.
His driver's license was sus-
pended for 180 days and he was
ordered to spend 10 days in jail.
The sentences will run concur-
rently.
Johnny Haynes, 29, Rt. 4,
Box 551F, Lumberton, pleaded
guilty to a charge of felony
driving while intoxicated. He
was fined $500, plus court
costs, and was placed on a
three-year sentence suspended
over three years of probation.
His driver’s license was sus-
pended for 180 days and he was
sentenced to 10 days in jail with
credit for time served.
Richard Urban, 49, 4333 Ali-
son Road, Houston, pleaded
guilty to a charge of felony
driving while intoxicated. He
was fined $500, plus court
costs, and was placed on a
three-year sentence suspended
over three years of probation.
His driver’s license was sus-
pended for 180 days and he was
ordered to spend 10 days in jail.
Odis Wesley Tarver, 53, P.O.
Box 354, Buna, pleaded guilty
to a charge of felony driving
while intoxicated. He was fined
$500, plus court costs, and was
placed on a three year sentence
suspended over three years of
probation. His driver’s license
was suspended for 180 days and
he was sentenced to 10 days in
jail.
Billy Don McGalin, 33, Rt. 1,
Box 212, Buna, pleaded guilty
to a charge of aggravated
assault. He was placed on a
10-year sentence suspended
over 10 years of probation and
was ordered to pay court coats
and $3,849.96 in restitution.
His sentence will run concur-
rently with a Jasper County
case.
Shelly Lynne Moore, 21, Star
Rt. 2. Box 668, Silsbee, pleaded
guilty to a charge of forgery.
She was placed on two years of
■•adjudicated probation and
was ordered to pay court coats
and $897.50 in restitution.
Mark Timothy Fore, 22, P.O.
Box 502. Saratoga, pleaded
(toefleestoc.1. 'egel#)
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Read, R. L. The Silsbee Bee (Silsbee, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 2, 1989, newspaper, February 2, 1989; Silsbee, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth821083/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Silsbee Public Library.