Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 149, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 2, 1998 Page: 1 of 12
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697 99/03/10 CQMPMW
SOUTHWEST MICROPUBLISHING
2627 E YANDELL DR
EL PASO TX 79903-3743
cr o ke e ai} /11 cr al d
Texas' Oldest, Continuously Published Weekly Newspaper - Established Feb. 27, 1850 as the Cherokee Sentinel
£
Vol. 149, No. 19-12 Pages
Thursday, July 2, 1998
Rusk, Texas 75785
25 cents
fety Tips
■I Read and follow the directions on the label and
buy fireworks only from a reputable dealer.
■ Use fireworks in a wide open outdoor area and
keep a bucket of water handy.
Store fireworks in a cool, dry place.
Use a concrete block, rather than a metal or
glass containers to shoot the fireworks from.
■ Light fireworks one at a time and use a long-
handled butane lighter to ignite them.
I Keep your body back and reach out to light the
never carry fireworks in your pocket.
1
Never give any firework item to a small child. Use
only with adult supervision.
throw fireworks at another person.
i, ask everyone to drop them
in a bucket of water when they are spent.
Never experiment, modify or attempt to make
your own fireworks.
Keep spectators at least 50 feet away.
Keep your pets away from fireworks. Dogs
especially have sensitive hearing and do not
tolerate fireworks well.
Aerial fireworks banned
By Dee Caveness
Cherokeean/Herald
Cherokee County is still under an aerial fireworks
ban because of the extremely dry weather caused by
temperatures reaching above the 100 degree mark.
With temperatures this extreme, hot rockets can
cause forest, grass and roof fires.
Cherokee County officials urge people to attend
public firework displays instead of having their own.
Tyler and Jacksonville are hosting public fire-
works displays to give people a traditional celebra-
tion.
Jacksonville is conducting a free fireworks display
on the Fourth at dark on Lake Jacksonville. The
Tyler Jaycees are having a fireworks show on the
July 4. Gates open at 4 p.m. with concessions and the
display begins at dark. Admission is $5 a car or $20
a bus. Officials request that each guest bring two
cans of food for the Tyler food bank.
According to Prevent Blindness America, nearly
13,000 fireworks victims keep hospitals busy every
year. More than half of those injured are children.
The three main types of fireworks that cause inju-
ries include bottle rockets, firecrackers and spar-
klers
The most dangerous type of fireworks are small
explosive rockets (bottle rockets) with 82 percent of
Public firework displays
scheduled in Jacksonville and
Tyler on July 4
the injuries. The bottles and cans used to launch
them often explode, showering fragments of glass
and metal. Bottle rockets and firecrackers can also
fly in any direction prior to exploding, causing a high
number of bystander injuries.
Quality control in fireworks is virtually unknown.
As a result, firecrackers can explode prematurely,
which means they will explode in the hands of chil-
dren. A child lights the fuse, prepares to throw the
explosive, but the fuse burns too quickly, the fire-
cracker explodes and the child may lose a finger, an
eye or worse.
Even fireworks perceived as safe can cause painful
injuries. Sparklers which are often given to children,
burn at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly hot enough
to melt gold.
At least one-third of all injuries result in perma-
nent damage and one-fourth in permanent visual
loss. One fourth of all injuries are inflicted on by-
standers. Three-fourths of all injuries are to males
(with 13 - 15 year old boys at highest risk).
Estranged wife
shot Thursday
A Cherokee County man was arraigned Friday
morning in connection with a shooting incident in
which his estranged wife was critically wounded.
George Evan Bonner, 44, of the Blackjack commu-
nity (Route 3, Troup) is being held without bond in
the Cherokee County jail for the shooting of his
former wife, Reeda Jania Bonner, 39, of Rusk, who
was listed in critical condition at East Texas Medical
Center Tyler ICU at presstime Tuesday.
Mrs. Bonner was shot in the back shoulder area
with the bullet apparently damaging her spine and
puncturing her lung.
She was áirfiightedto the Tyler hospital sóón after
the shooting, which occurred around 11:40 p.m.
Thursday on the parking lot of the Southern Motor
Inn in Rusk. Mrs. Bonner was entering a vehicle at
the time her former husband allegedly drove by and
shot her with a .38 caliber pistol.
Mr. and Mrs. Bonner had been seperated for
several months, Rusk PD Chief Larry Robertson
said.
Sheriffs deputies Johnathan Hughes and Chris
White stopped Mr. Bonner on Highway 110 near
New Summerfield and detained him until Rusk PD
arrived.
The gun was found in the woods about 3.5 miles
from New Summerfield.
, Investigating the incident are Rusk PD Sgt. Roy
Cavazoz, Reserve Officer Steven Hughes, DA Inves-
tigator Randy Hatch and Chief Robertson.
Mr. Bonner is also being held in lieu of posting
$20,000 bond, for the June 20 burglary of Mrs.
Bonner's home. He allegedly took several items from
the home including the pistol allegedly used in the
shooting. He earlier posted a $3,000 bond for the
alleged arson of Mrs. Bonner's home on May 14.
v < ■
I
Actors attending the Cherokee Civic Theatre's summer camp will present four one-act plays Friday
night at 7 p.m. Sitting on the front row from left are Daniel Ross, Crystal Morgan, Stacey Horton and
Audra McHenry. Back row, same order are Chelsea Bush, Cassie Koop, Lauren Gonzalez, Katherine
McCord and Sunshine Straub. Not pictured are Chris Guy, Lenora Hendley, Asley Holcomb and
Normalea Payeur. Admission is $3 for adults and $1.50 for children.
Rusk State
Hospital
gets top
ranking
I Joint Commission rates
RSH #1 among MHMR
facilities in Texas, top 15%
in United States
After weeks of anticipation, officials at Rusk
State Hospital released the findings of an audit
which ranks the mental health-mental retarda-
tion hospital as #1 in the state among mental
health facilities, and among the top 15 percent in
the United States.
Rusk State Hospital received the prestigious
"accreditation with commendation" by the Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Or-
ganizations. This is the highest level of accredi-
tation awarded by the Joint Commission, which
is the nation's oldest and largest accrediting
body.
Coming Next Week:
16-page salute to
Rusk State Hospital
The accreditation status applies to all services
offered by the hospitál that were surveyed by the
Joint Commission this past April.
The accreditation is effective for three years
from April 18, 1998 for all
vices surveyed using ap- ,t,SlON /*<-,
propriate standards
A.
*
ser-
from the Accredita-
tion Manual of Hos
pitáis.
Russell P.
Massaro, M.D., ex-
ecutive vice-presi
dent, Division of Ac-
creditation Operations, Pe
informed Rusk State Hos- ^Ty
pital Superintendent Harold R
Parrish, Jr., in a letter received at the hospital
last week.
"This outstanding level of achievement reflects
the successful efforts of your organization to
provide the high quality care for those you serve,"
said Dr. Massaro.
Please see RUSK STATE HOSPITAL, page 5
Take Your Best Shot ... and It's Free!
i
See it doesn't hurt! Pam Davis, clinical coordinator at the Cherokee County Health Unit in Rusk, takes advantage
of the free shots in July program. Eleven-year-old daughter, Laura, Is first in line to receive her shots. Waiting his
turn is her 10-year-old brother, Timothy. The Rusk office of the Health Unit is offering free shots every Wednesday
In July. The office is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
TSR slates July 4 living
history, heritage displays
Texas Pride and Texas heritage will fill
the Texas State Railroad on the nation's
222nd birthday. Living history, heritage
displays, guided tours and historical steam
train excursions will be set up for an
unforgettable family day in Palestine.
The living history camps will include
Comanche Indians, early Texas pioneers,
1830's Mexican Army, Texas Rangers,
Buffalo Soldiers, Spanish/American War
Rough Riders, World Wars I and & II and
Korean War. Displays will include Texas
Parks and Wildlife Arts Show, antique
railroad motor car rides, the Texas Prison
Museum and the Museum of East Texas
Cultures and walking tours will include
the Swanson Slave Cemetery and the
Palestine Steam Engine Shop. A Medi-
cine Creek Wild West Show and an Old
West Train excursion is planned for the
evening.
Special guests for the day will include
Tot-siyah Parker (great-great-grand-
daughter of Quannah Parker, the last
Comanche War Chief and son of Cynthia
Ann Parker and Chief Nocona) and Byron
Johnson, director of the Texa3 Ranger
Museum in Waco.
The day's activities that run from 9 a.m.
until 4 p.m. are all free of charge with the
exception of the 50-mile steam train ex-
cursion. For reservations on the steam
train trips call 1-800-442-8951 or 683-
2561.
Bacteria found in Alto water
Alto's water supply samples have shown
the evidence of a bacteria called Coliform.
"This isn't unusual, "Ed Bojarski, county
santitarian, said. "No one is going to get
sick because of this," he added.
"What this means is that two water
samples during the previous month con-
tained the Coliform bacteria. The city will
be required to take extra samples each
month for bacteriological analysis."
The bacteria usually is caused from leaks
in the city water pipes or there is not
enough chlorine in the lines. "Most of the
time it happens at the end of the line," Mr.
Bojarski said. "It the problem is not
corrected, the city must state on water
bills that the water is bad," he added.
, The Texas Natural Resource Conserva-
tion Commission (TNRCC) sets drinking
water standards in Texas and has deter-
mined that the presence of total coliform
is a possible health concern. Total coliform
are common in the environment and are
generally not harmful themselves. How-
ever, the presence of these bacteria in
drinking water, generally is a result of a
problem with water treatment or the pipes
which distribute the water and indicates
that the water may be contaminated with
organisms that can cause disease. Dis-
ease symptoms may include diarrhea,
cramps, nausea, and possible jaundice
Please see ALTO, page 5
vp+rt i
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 149, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 2, 1998, newspaper, July 2, 1998; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152379/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.