Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 119, No. 21, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 25, 2001 Page: 1 of 46
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coverage
inside
Polk County
ENTEL.
Sunday
March 25,
Volume 119 Number 21
1 he Dominant News and Advertising Source in Polk County
UPS 437-340 Price: 50 cents
ENTERPRISE PHOTO BY GORDON LtBARRON
SPRING HAS SPRUNG - A large bee is busy doing its spring pollen transfer on some
beautiful azaleas at a residence on Easy Street in Livingston. Tuesday officially marked the first
day of spring.
Two cities, two schools have option
Elections may be canceled
LIVINGSTON - Two local cities
and two school districts will have
the option of canceling their May 5
elections due to lack of opposition.
When filing for candidacy ended
Wednesday, the cities of Livingston
and Goodrich found themselves
with only the incumbents having
filed for re-election. In Livingston,
those candidates which face no op-
position are incumbent councilmen
L.C. Johnson, Dr. Kenneth Park-
hill and Dr. William E Watson.
Goodrich City Council incumbents
drawing no opponents ;ire Kelly
Nelson, Dennis Patterson and
Sammie Hardy.
The two school districts which
the Onalaska ISD, where incum-
bents Sherri Winkle, Toni Atkin-
son and Lynda Strait face drew no
opponents in their bid for re-
election, and Leggett ISD. In Leg-
gett, there are two full terms and
one expired term to be filled by the
May 5 election. The two incuiii
bents in the full terms. Tommie
Collins and Anna Davis, filed for
re-election. Derral Bomar filed for
OISD to buy buses
Candidate
deadline
this Monday
LIVINGSTON - The Polk
County Enterprise is accepting
announcements from those who
have filed for candidacy in the
May 5 school board and city
council elections. Announce-
ments must be received in our of-
fice no later than 5 p.m. Monday,
March 26.
Announcements may be pre-
pared by the candidate in advance
and submitted to the newspaper
or a candidate may contact the
Enterprise for an interview
These one-time political an-
nouncements are considered news
stories. There is no charge and
the announcements are subject to
editing
We prefer to run a picture of
the candidate with the announce-
ment. For editorial purposes, we
will picture only the candidate,
although pictures which include
the candidate's family may be
used in paid political advertise-
ments
Those who already have a suit-
able photograph may submit it
for publication with their an-
nouncement. For those who do
not have a photo, the Enterprise
staff will be available to take pic-
tures of candidates for use in an-
nouncements and advertisements
which are to run in any Polk
County Publishing Co. publica-
tion
ONALASKA - The Baud of
Trustees of the Onalaska Independ-
ent School District decided to said
out bids for the purchase of a large.
71-passenger school bus and a
smaller, handicapped-style school
meeung Tuesday
Board members also authorized
the superintendent to check witli die
Texas Department of Criminal Jus-
tice to find out how much it would
cost, and how long it would take,
to have three buses reconditioned.
The action came on the heels of a
report by Transportation Director
Mike Skaggs, regarding the current
status of the transportation fleet,
including ages and mileage.
Textbooks selected for adoption
by the local textbook committee
were approved as presented.
The board approved a water line
easement request from Onalaska
Water and Gas Supply on the Okl
Groveton Road property.
Also approved was die adoption
of update/change to FB (Local) pol-
icy
Following an executive session,
the board accepted the resignation of
Carrie Hendrix, social adjustment
class teacher, and approved offering
contracts to the teachers currently
employed by the district
Superintendent Kerry Cowart re-
viewed a possible calendar for die
next school year, apprised the board
of the Region VI spring school
board workshop slated for April 25
and gave an update on the commu-
nity facility study committee which
has met twice.__
inline School Principal D’Wana
Bryant reported current enrollment
of 162 with an attendance rate of
96 8 percent. She also commented
on the recent field trip to NASA by
die gifted and talented students.
Elementary Principal Keith
Smith reported current enrollment
of 246 with an attendance rate of 96
percent.
Cumculum/Technology Director
Rhonda Scholwinski reported that
the next community education
classes arc slated for April 3, 5. 10
;uid 12.
Board Member Sherrie Winkle
reported on the school land task
force.
The board recognized 1 cacher
Sylvia Sills and Community Vol-
unteer A1 Harbinson for the contri-
butions to, and involvement in, the
basic computer classes being offered
to the community.
Other business included approval
of the budget amendments, quarterly
investment report, tax report,
statement of accounts and payment
of bills and minutes of the Feb. 16,
Feb 20 and Feb. 26 meetings
Sales income down
LIVINGSTON - Sales tax re-
bates to Polk County are down
0.33 percent for the first three
months of 2001, according to the
State Comptroller's Office.
The county's March rebate of
$72,231 brings the total received
through the first three months of
this year to $279,090 In March
2000. the county received $82,466.
which brought the payments
through March of last year to
$280,036
The March payment to the
county, which levies a .50 percent
sales tax. represents sales taxes
collected in January and reported to
the Slate Comptroller's Office in
February.
The li\e cities in the county
which levy sales taxes all recorded
declines in the March rebate when
compared to the amounts received
in March of last year.
The City of Livingston, which
levies a I 5 percent tax. received
SI35.087 this month, which is
16.67 percent less than the
$162,117 received in March 2000.
This month's payment brings the
total received through the first three
months of 2001 to $499,089, an
8 41 percent decline from the
$544,947 received during the same
month last year.
See STATEWIDE pg. 2A
Supreme Court to hear Tuesday
Penry appeal on docket
By EMILY BANKS
News Editor
LIVINGSTON - Arguments will
begin Tuesday in Johnny Paul
Penry’s appeal before the U.S. Su-
preme Court.
Twice convicted and sentenced to
death for the 1979 rape and murder
of 22-year-old Pamela Moseley
Carpenter in her Livingston home,
the high court granted the 44-year-
old Penry a stay of execution three
hours before he was to die by lethal
injection Nov. 16.
Prosecutors had hoped the court
would lift the stay, thus clearing
the way for a new execution date to
be set. Instead, the court opted to
hear the appeal.
The issue in question is whetlier
or not the jury was given the op-
portunity to consider the issues of
mental retardation and child abuse
as mitigating factors in deciding to
sentence him to dead).
Penry was convicted and sen-
tenced to death in April 1980 for
the October 1979 crime.
The case gained national attention
in 1989 when the U.S. Supreme
Court overturned his sentence, rul-
ing that Texas law had not allowed
the jury to fully consider his alleged
mental handicap as mitigating evi-
dence.
The decision led to a landmark
change in Texas’ death penalty stat-
ute, resulting from the U.S. Su-
preme Court’s 5-4 ruling that juries
must be allowed to consider miti-
gating evidence when deciding
whether a defendant should be sen-
tenced to death or life imprison-
ment.
Another trial ensued and Penry
was convicted a second time in July
1990 and again sentenced to death.
However, defense attorneys con-
tend that jurors in Penry’s second
trial received unclear and conflicting
instructions on how to evaluate
their client’s mental ability.
Prosecutors disagree, contending
that the jurors were adequately in-
structed.
Nov. 16 marked the fourth sched-
uled execution date for Penry.
Court to eye exemption hike
the unexpired term left vacant by
the resignation of Johnny Simons
earlier tins year
See CORRIGAN pg. 8A
LIVINGSTON - Commissioners
are slated to discuss and consider
action relating to an increase in the
county’s over 65 homestead exemp-
tion during the regular meeting of
the Polk County Commissioners’
Court at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
A citizens advisory committee for
redistricting will be appointed as
well.
A sheriffs department request to
submit a funding application for the
Cops More 2001 Program will be
considered, as will a Local Emer-
gency Planning Committee devel-
opment grant request to the Texas
Department of Health.
An additional sheriff’s department
request, for a drug seizure fund ex-
penditure of $2,130 for K-9 equip-
ment, will also be considered.
Commissioners will consider the
acceptance of certain roads in Twin
Hills Cove subdivision in Precinct
1 tor county maintenance, contin-
gent ujkui the property owner fund-
ing the costs associated with meet-
ing die minimum road require-
ments The roads being considered
are 4.224 feet of Deer Ridge Raid
and 550 feet of Fox Run.
Renewal of the inmate medical
services contract will be considered.
An executive session is on the
agenda, at which time commission-
ers will discuss personnel matters.
In old business, commissioners
will consider approval of an interlo-
cal agreement between DETCOG
and the county regarding the transfer
of ownership of addressing mainte-
nance equipment and an offer to
purchase county tax foreclosure
property, specifically, Lot 521 of
Foresters Retreat No. 3 and Lot 644
of Foresters Retreat No. 3.
Additionally, a proclamation will
be presented to the Goodrich Hor-
nets basketball team, recognizing
their state championship.
Other items on the agenda include
approval of the budget amendments,
personnel action forms, schedules
of bills and minutes of the March 2
and March 9 meetings.
The meeting will begin at 10
a.m. in the commissioners’ court-
room on the third floor of the Polk
County Courthouse.
Wreck proves fatal
LIVINGSTON - Polk County
recorded its first traffic fatality of
2001 when a Houston woman died
as the result of injuries sustained in
a two-vehicle accident March 13 on
U S. 59, 1.1 miles south of Good-
rich.
A 1996 Nissan driven by Dewey
Blaine Davis, 26, of Goodrich and a
1998 Ford Explorer driven by
Wanda West Castille, 37, of Hous-
ton were both northbound on U.S.
59. According to Texas Highway
Wiiii hams County for autopsy
services.
Commissioners will consider ap-
proval of a contract for landman
services relating to the title search
for Polk County school lands in
Throckmorton and Baylor counties.
An order declaring surplus prop-
erty will also be considered, as will
an amendment to the county drug
testing policy.
-Patrol Trooper*Kevin FranKIui,
Davis was traveling at a high rate
of speed and struck Castille’s vehi-
cle in the rear. The impact caused
Castille’s truck to spin to the left
and roll several times, according to
the accident report. The vehicle
crossed the median and came to rest
in the median.
Both Castille and a passenger in
her vehicle, 65-year-old Ella West
of Houston were ejected from the
vehicle. West was pronounced dead
at the scene.
Both Davis, who was listed with
possible injuries, and Castille, who
was listed with incapacitating inju-
ries, were taken by ambulance to
Memorial Medical Center - Liv-
ingston.
No charges had been filed as of
Friday The accident occurred at
9:50 p.m.
Two people were transported to
Houston’s Memorial Hermann
Hospital by Life Flight following a
car-truck collision at 2:08 a.m.
Monday on U.S. 59, 2.4 miles
south of Livingston.
A 1998 Peterbilt truck-tractor
driven by Daniel Wayne Sweatt,
28, of Jacksonville, Ark. had pulled
out of a parking lot and was cross-
ing the northbound lanes to turn
south on U.S. 59 and failed to yield
See TWO pg. 6A
...
4 **
_ ENTERPRISE PHOTO RY GORDON LtBARRON
HOUSE GUTTED BY FLAMES - Livngston VTD firefighters battle a blaze at the Ernest
Meshell residence on Stallion Station Road Thursday afternoon. The fire was reported at 2:10
p.m., with the first units arriving at the scene about five minutes later. It took about 30 minutes
to extinguish the blaze, the cause of which is under investigation by the city fire marshal and
Polk County Sheriffs Department. Three trucks and 15 firefighters from the LVFD responded
to the alarm. The Scenic Loop VFD sent five firefighters to cover the area while the LVFD was
tied up with the house fire.
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 119, No. 21, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 25, 2001, newspaper, March 25, 2001; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth821199/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.