Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 147, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 17, 1995 Page: 1 of 34
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Rusk:
Home of the
Jim Hogg State Histon a
=T MICRQPUE
Rusk:
Home of the
Texas State Railroad
State Historical Park
Texas' Oldest, Continuously Published Weekly Newspaper -- Established Feb. 27,1850 as the Cherokee Sentinel
Alto:
Home of the
Caddoan Mounds
State Historic Site
Vol. 147, No. 29 - 14 Pages
Thursday, August 17, 1995
Rusk, Texas 75785 25 cents
Caught By Air
Sheriff tells marijuana growers: 'Take flight!'
The Black Hawk and
Jet Ranger
helicopters were out
scouring the county
for new crops of
marijuana. Five
National Guardsmen,
five DPS Narcotics
officers and three
sheriff officers
handled the fly-bys
In the helicopters.
m
byTeri Elus
Chebokeean/Hehald staff
Sheriff James Campbell
■staff photoa by Terl Ellis
Last Wednesday and Thursday, the Army Na-
tional Guard, the Department of Public Safety in
cooperation with the Cherokee County Sheriffs
office, brought out the helicopters to continue
placing pressure on marijuana growers.
The Black Hawk and the Jet Ranger helicóp-
tero searched the county for patches of mari-
juana and turned up $88,000 worth of crops. No
arrests resulted from the aerial sweep.
"The bulk of the crops were found along the
Neches River near U.S. 79 West," he said. "Ifs
getting rather late in the season (for production),
but we found plants in the seven to 10-foot
range."
Until last week's raid, the sheriffs office has
seized about $25,000 worth of marijuana.
"With the terrain of our county, these helicop-
ters are the only way we can spot these crop>s,"
Please see Helicopter, pg. 14
Clean Sweep
County adopts policy
on junk/salvage yards
Judge Justice rules
in favor of RSH
Owners of automotive wrecking, salvage yards and
junkyards will have to be licensed to sell junk within the
county and be required to build a privacy fence around
the property beginning Jan. 1,1996.
The adoption of an order came after a public hearing
on the regulating of junkyards. The li-
cense fee will be $25.
Mo6t who were in attendance supported
the order. Only two had concerns that
their businesses were involved. Both
were told by the court that their busi-
nesses were not affected by the order.
The commissioners court was split 3-2
in adopting the motion. Commissioners
Billy McCutcheon, precinct 4, and Alton
Hicks, precinct 2, opposed.
"I am absolutely happy," Commissioner
Bob Gregg, precinct 1, said. "Everyone
has time to comply by the January dead-
line."
Only three types of businesses will be
affected by the order: automotive wreck-
ing and salvage yards, junkyards and
covered businesses. Recyclingbusinesses
and used car dealership aro excluded
from the order. Definitions include:
• An automotive wrecking yard is de-
fined by the order as "any person or
business that stores three or more
wrecked vehicles outdoors for the pur-
pose of parts for sale or for use in an
automotive repair or rebuilding business."
• A junkyard is defined as "a business
enterprise that owns and is operated to
store, buy, or sell junk, all or part of which
is kept outdoors, until disposed of."
• A covered business is defined as "a
working and storage area of a junkyard
or automotive wrecking and salvage yard, which began
operation after June 1,1987."
All businesses that fall into any of these categories
must purchase a yearly license by the county to operate
The population sign in
Cuney could change if
the city is successful in
attracting cigarette
company. See pg. 14.
U.S. District Judge William Wayne
Justice has issued and signed a
memorandum opinion in favor of
Rusk State Hospital concerning a
case filed by Michael Morrison.
Morrison filed suit against Rusk
State Hospital on Feb. 8, 1993. He
alleged that the hospital had used
racial discrimination in his termi-
nation from duty there on May 9,
1991.
Morrison was employed as a main-
tenance carpenter assistance at the
time of his termination. He had
worked at Rusk State Hospital for
14 years.
Morrison was fired from his posi-
tion after he pled no contest to
aggravated sexual assault of a child.
He was found guilty of the crime and
sentenced to a 10 year probated sen-
tence.
During his two day trial before the
judge earlier this month, the defen-
dant had alleged that a white em-
ployee, also engaging in numerous
acts of sexual harassment was put
on probation and reassigned by the
hospital, but was not terminated.
He said his own termination was
evidence of discrimination.
"The contention is not without
appeal, for RSH's decision to de-
mote, rather than discharge a grossly
salacious individual like (the one
mentioned at the trial) appears in-
defensible " Justice said.
Justice added that the hospital
has different polices toward sexual
harassment and persons convicted
of crimes and the hospital followed
the policy "to the letter" in the case.
"Accordingly, it is found that
Morrison was discharged because
he had been convicted of aggravated
sexual assault of a child and thus
posed a risk to patients, and not
because he was African-American,"
Justice wrote in his ruling.
In 1989 only one in 52 "upper ech-
elon" employees at the hospital was
African-American and a number of
qualified minority candidates were
"routinely passed over for promo-
tions," Justice said.
Justice said he was "troubled by
the evidence of radical discrimina-
tion at RSH," at least as far as pro-
motions were concerned. However,
. he said that was no established con-
nection of Morrison's case.
Justice went on to say that this
evidence cannot be understood to
established discriminatory motives
in the instance of Morrison's termi-
nation. "Firing a convicted child
molester who works around psychi-
atric patients incapable of rational
decision making makes good sense."
PROCLAMATION PROCLAIMING Monday as Bill Everett Day In Rusk Is presented at Monday
noon luncheon at First Baptist Church to Dr. Everett, retiring pastor, by Rusk Mayor Emmett
Whitehead. Mrs. Everett is at left and in the background, at right, is the Rev. John Cunninghsm,
minister of music at the church. Dr. and Mrs. Everett were presented a money tree in
appreciation of their work In Rusk. They will move this month to Arlington. -staff photo
The Square Root of the Problem
Math scores increase; TAAS
still a major concern for Wells
and must have a six-foot natural screen to operate
legally within the county.
This is not to just punish one person," County Judge
Harry Tilley said. "It is a concern for our children's
future."
Appeals can be made if someone's
property is classified as a junkyard.
A person who knowingly or inten-
tionally violates this order commits a .
Class C misdemeanor offense.
Mangey mutts dumped
Tensions heated up when the dis-
cussion turned to animal control in
county limits.
The commissioners wanted to be-
gin to formulate a plan of action for
animal control outside of the city lim-
its.
According to Commissioner Bob
Gregg, precinct 1, complaints about
stray animals beingdumped on county
roads have been received.
Many county residents expressed
concern regarding children who live
where these stray animals are being
dumped.
Gregg said, many of these animals
have mange and fleas.
In discussion, the court offered to
come to an agreement with
Jacksonville's animal shelter to pay
the city of Jacksonville. According to
Tilley, the city manager has requested
the county to pay $5,000 • year to
house stray animals dumped within í
the county.
At the present time, the shelter charges people out of
the city of Jacksonville a $10 fee for bringing an adult
Please see County, pg. 14
Commissioners set
new optional office
courthouse hours
At their bimonthly scheduled
meeting the Cherokee County Com-
missioners Court set new office hours
for the Courthouse.
In Monday's meeting, the commis-
sioners unanimously agreed to ac-
cept the new hours with the option of
changing them if they don't work out
and giving each department the op-
tion of taking these new hours.
General operating hours beginning
on Monday, Sept. 11 are Monday
through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6
p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon.
"I believe that this will allow the
average working person, who works
from 8 a .m. to 5 p .m, the opportunity
to come to the Courthouse without
having to take part of their lunch
hour or take off from work," County
Judge Harry Tilley said.
Some individual offices may not
take these hours due to time con-
straints on Friday.
Most department heads reported
that their personnel were in favor of
the change.
By Teri Elus
Cherokeean/Herald Staff
All tests taken
In all the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills scores
for the school districts in Chero-
kee County, low scores in the
area of mathematics seems to
be the hardest to overcome.
Wells Independent School
District is no exception. Al-
though they made greet strides
in improving the mathematics
scores, it still isn't at the same
height as the reading scores.
While math scores are low,
Wells ISD officials are very
proud of the progress their stu-
dents have made compared to
last year.
' "We are pleased, but not sat-
isfied," Joe Hooper, Wells su-
perintendent, said. "(The improved scores) came from
improved teaching that is paying off.r
All «tudente not in special
education for Spring 1906
As districts study their students scores, changes
made each year in teacher in-service training before
beginningofschool. Major studies have shown that the Please see Wells, pg. 5
are
ire the
involvement of parents is a big factor in determining
a student's scores.
"We are trying to get (the parents) to be supportive
of our high expectations of the students," Robert
Loose, Wells counselor, said.
Overall the TAAS scores were above average, espe-
cially in the reeding por-
tion of the test.
"There is no way to go
but up," Hooper said. "We
hope to get up to the 90th
percentile. It's just going
to be a slow process."
Each score is based on
the percentage of students
who meet minimum ex-
pectations on each test.
Wells' fourth graden are
doing the best in thei r por-
tions of the TAAS test. All
fourth graders passed the
reading portion of the
TAAS test while one stu-
dent brought down the perfect score to an 88.9 percent
in the math and writing portions of the test Still this
Lufkin infant dies
in fire at Alto home
State Avg. Wells %
A three month old Lufkin girl died
in a house fire early Sunday morn-
ing in the Weeping Mary commu-
nity near Alto.
The dead infant was identified as
TraCka Delachay Bogan. Another
child, believed to be around three or
four years of age, ii\jured in the fire
was taken to the hospital before fire-
men arrived.
Alto Fire Chief Terry Black says
the fire alarm was sounded at 1:30
a.m. Sunday through a 911 call from
the Cherokee County Sheriffs Dei
partment.
A fireman who lives in the area
was dispatched to the scene before
the fire trucks got there as the
report was that two children might
be trapped inside.
Black said he thinks the children
were staying in the home of their
grandmother, who was believed to
have been in the house at the time of
the fire. The children were in Alto to
attend a family reunion.
When firemen arrived the house
was engulfed in flames and the roof
was three-fourths fallen in. Firemen
were able to control the fire and keep
it from spreading, but could not get
in to rescue the infant.
Four units were dispatched to the
scene. Black said the department
sent rescue fans with generators,
three trucks and a rescue van. Some
11 or 12 firemen responded to the
call through the pager system. Fire-
men stayed at the scene until about
4 a.m.
Justice of the Peace Chris Davis
pronounced the baby dead at 3 a.m.
Sunday. The body was taken to
Timms Funeral Home in Lufkin.
The name of the boy was unknown
, by those who answered the call. Sev-
eral persons received cuts on their
hands when rescued the boy from
the burning building. The little girl
was in the bed and relatives could
not get to her and get her out of the
building.
)
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Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 147, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 17, 1995, newspaper, August 17, 1995; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152229/m1/1/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.