Van Zandt News (Wills Point, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 10, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 14, 1983 Page: 1 of 14
fourteen pages : ill. ; page 20 x 14 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:
•7-
_ j-j^VCVv’• -'
a resident of the women's group home in
G.S. goes to court
See page 2
Van looks at zoning
See page 5
County fair begins soon
See page 6
With
Point
Canton
Van Zaurif A
, <)7 13'
VOLUME X NUMBER 10
SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 1U3
VAN ZANDT COUNTY, nXAS
ONE SECTION, 14 PAGES
Restitution center OK, but
not next door, group says
Think Playoffs" say the new workout shirts the Edgewood Bulldogs sported at their midnight practice last
week. The Edgewood football team started practice at 12:01 Monday morning to "get a head start on
everyone." More photos on page 7.
s'
Schools to start this week
By Jack Walsh
School is right around the corner
for Van Zandt County youngsters,
and when they return, some will see
a-4ew changes in the schools.
All of the schools in the county
have hired new faculty members,
and some have some new policies.
The schools have outlined some of
the changes.
CANTON
Although there will be some
changes, students returning to
school August 18 in the Canton In-
dependent School District can ex-
pect the same bus routes as last year,
according to Superintendent Joe
Miguel.
Any questions concerning bus
routes should be directed to the
school district office.
There have been some policy
changes made at the high school.
Only seniors will be allowed to leave
campus during the lunch period.
The cafeteria will offer two lines
this year: one for hot lunches and
one for hamburgers or hot dogs.
Students will enter the cafeteria
through the doors nearest the line
they will be going through.
The price of hot lunches at the
school is 80 cents for students in
kindergarten through grade 6 and
90 cents for the upper grades.
Breakfast for all students is 40 cents.
Students who drive cars on cam-
pus are required to have a parking
sticker, which can be obtained at
preregistration or in the office.
Seniors and juniors will park in the
south parking lot next to the main
high school building. Sophomores
and freshman will park in the back
lot west of the gym, next to the old
football field.
New faculty members include
Mike Smith, high school coach and
computer math teacher; Dan
Wimberly, high school social studies
teacher; Pattie Mitchell, high school
business teacher; Darla Christian,
special education cooperative home-
bound teacher; and Becky Badgett,
high school science and physical
education teacher.
In the elementary school, Judy
Whatley will teach physical educa-
tion, and Susie McWilliams will
teach first grade. Pam Turner has
been transferred to the high school
to teach Plan A.
EDGEWOOD
Classes will begin in the
Edgewood schools August 19. School
starts at 8:50 a.m. each day. There.,
are no changes in the bus routes at
this time.
JoAnn Barber is a new fifth-grade
teacher in the elementary school.
There are four new high school
teachers: Ray Hill, history teacher
and coach; Steve Raley, math
teacher and coach; Cathy Edwards,
special education resource teacher;
Jeanalea Crenshaw, home
economics teacher.
A new high school policy allows
only six absences per semester. That
is half the absences allowed last
year. Also, there will be exemptions
from semester exams.
English 4 is now a requirment for
graduation.
FRUITVALE
Hot lunches for Fruitvale students
in kindergarten through grade 4 will
cost 85 cents. The price for grade 5
and up is $1. Adults will pay 11.15.
Three new teachers will be work-
(Continued on page 4)
HOWARD BUCK
By Lois Breedlove
CANTON — Rumors of a restitu-
tion center off of Highway 17 and
1255 brought out a crowd of 50 to a
meeting Thursday night to express
their concern and dislike for the
idea.
Most of them left with the
reassurance the restitution center
was not going to be at that location
and with a better understanding of
just what was proposed
Chief Probation Officer Richard
Lawrence told the crowd that the
property had been looked at because
of an inexpensive lease available on
it. However, the idea was rejected
later.
Word got out about the probation
department looking at the property,
he explained, after the idea had
been dropped Howard Buck, who
lives in the area, organized the
meeting to oppose the idea
“It went by the wayside along time
ago,” said Dan Harrison, also of the
probation department. The proper-
ty was also considered as a potential
gardening spot, he added. But after
the comments from the residents, ”1
can assure you they are not going to
be gardening there either,” he said.
Lawrence and Harrison took the
opportunity to explain the plans for
the center. The center will be used
for a more restrictive type of proba-
tion than can currently be offered,
Lawrence explained.
Men confined to the center will be
under strict security, he stressed.
The only time there will not be a
security guard is while the men are
working The center will bus the
men to work and back.
Nor will there be the stereotyped
“harden criminal” in the cneter
The law prevents anyone who is con-
victed of a violent or drug related
crime from being in the center.
When asked for examples of who
would be there, Lawrence said a
habitual bad check writer, an
unarmed burglar, or a car thief
would be potentials.
"This is not a half-way house,”
Harrison said. "It is not a center just
for rehabilitation but for punish
menT too,"
The men s paychecks will be given
to the center director. From that
money will come restitution to the
victim, payment of court costs and
fines, room and board at the center,
and support of dependents.
DAN HARRISON
Once convinced that the center
was not going to be built in their
neighborhood, those at the meeting
wanted to know why it had to be in
Van Zandt County at all.
"I'd be glad to donate my time to
helping with training these people,"
said Ernie Pirretta, a retired electri-
cian. “But I don't want it next door
to me."
Harrison said Van Zandt County
was a central location of the five
counties which would be served by
the center. Remote parts of the
county were considered first, but the
probation department needs to be
close to the courthouse.
"Howard Buck asked me if I’d put
(Continued on page 6)
Petitioners want out of TJC
Allows independence
By Lois Breedlove
VAN — A petition is circulating
through Van and outlying com-
munities to exclude the Van School
District from the Tyler Junior Col-
lege District.
Dorothy Willing, a Van resident,
is coordinating the petition drive
which she said was going very well.
“My question is why? Don't get me
wrong, I'm not against education.
I’m retired now, but I paid my
children's way through college,"
Mrs. Willing said. "I feel it is bet-
ween the individual — who is almost
an adult — and the parents. It's un
fair to make the taxpayers pay.”
Mrs. Willing said it was also un
fair because only a portion of the
Van School District pays the TJC
tax. When the vote to go in on the
junior college district was taken,
Ben Wheeler and Edom had schools
of their own. Later the two districts
incorporated into Van, but still do
not contribute to the taxes.
The tax is hard on senior citizens,
Mrs. Willing said. "It used to be $3 a
year," she commented. “But last
year it jumped to $30. It was a very
nominal fee. and people didn't
mind. But now its large enough to
make a difference."
The $3 to $30 example would be
based on a $50,000 house
Mrs. Willing also questioned how
much benefit is gained bv people in
the Van School District from the
junior college. "The percentage of
students who use the school is
relatively small," she said. Those
(Continued on page 3)
Home teaches every day living
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the
fifth part in a series on the Mental
Health/Mcntal Retardation
Center of East Texas in Canton.
By Jack Walsh
CANTON — When most of the
residents of the women's group
home for the mentally retarded in
Canton first came to the home, they
had very few independent living
skills.
That has changed.
‘This is the place that taught me
• •
everything I know," said Ruth
Ward, one of the residents in the
group home. ‘Tve learned to cook
and to sew a hem and to sew but-
tons.” And, she said, she has learned
many other things.
The goal of the group homes is to
provide as normal of living situation
as possible in the least restrictive
evironment as possible, said Dixye
Wilkerson, director of the two group
homes in Canton.
The staff of the group home
Commissioners settle on
county budget for 1984
The Van Zandt County Commis-
sioners will hold a hearing on the
proposed tax rate increase Thursday
at 6 p.m.
The commissioners are planning
to raise the tax rate to eight percent
for 1983 84.
The rate will be 30.48 cents per
$100 value for both the general fund
and the farm to market.
Friday the commissioners com-
pleted work on the budget which
will be about $4.5 million. Last
year, the budget was $5.4 million.
Although taxes are going up, and
lees of office and intergovernmental
revenues are up. Auditor Marcie
Campbell told the commissioners
that they wouldn't be getting some
revenues that they did the previous
year.
Adopting a 'same as last year'
policy, the commissioners have given
no pay raises. Non-depart mental
items, such as utilities, postage and
supplies, were reduced in this year's
budget.
Two people were cut from the tax
collector’s office. The office will
(continued on pogo 6)
teaches skills to the residents that
will allow them to function more in
dependently and potentially live in a
less restrictive environment, she
said.
The two homes in Canton, along
with two group homes in Tyler, are
operated by the Mental
Health/Mental Retardation Center
of East Texas. One of the Canton
homes houses 10 men; the other nine
women.
The residents of the group homes
generally function in the mild to
moderate range of mental retarda-
tion, Ms. Wilkerson said.
To qualify to live in a group home
a person must have self-help skills
and must be capable of functioning
in the sheltered workshop. All of the
residents work at the sheltered
workshop.
Residents must not have life-
threatening medical problems or
serious problems that cannot be con-
trolled by medication, Ms. Wilker-
son said. "We are not a nursing
facility.”
Also the residents must not have
any behavior problem that could be
dangerous to other residents or
themselves.
“A little more than half of the
residents we have came from state
(Continued on poga 4)
prepores dinner for the other residents. A staff member supervises the
household chores of the residents. (Photo by Jock Walsh)
EDGEWOOD - The battle over
G.E. Sanders' continued residence
in the Edgewood Housing Authority
is not over.
The Housing Authority Board
voted unanimously Thursday night
to appeal a recent county court deci-
sion which overturned the board's
eviction notice to Sanders.
"Most of the board felt that Judge
Hilliard rulled incorrectly," said
Board Chairman Ellis Carroll.
The decision made by County
Judge Sam Hilliard said that the
Housing Authority had not followed
its own proceedures in evicting
Sanders.
Sandere, 75, was told last March
that he had not complied with the
income verification requirements of
the housing authority and would be
required to leave the project.
“I had hoped the whole matter
would end with Judge Hilliard's rul-
ing." said Bruce Monning, Sanders'
attorney. "It is there perogative and
privilege to appeal it if they believe
Judge Hilliard was wrong "
The case will now go to the Court
(Continued on page 3) v
#
{)
r
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.
Van Zandt News (Wills Point, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 10, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 14, 1983, newspaper, August 14, 1983; Wills Point, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth990487/m1/1/: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Van Zandt County Library.