Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 149, No. 25, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 13, 1998 Page: 1 of 16
sixteen pages : illus. ; page 23 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:
Cberek
697 99/03/10 CÜMPMW
SOUTHWEST MICROPUBLISHING
2627 E YANDELL DR
EL PASO TX 79903-3743
wwaifi u
¿raid
Texas' Oldest, Continuously Published Weekly Newspaper - Established Feb. 27, 1850 as the Cherokee Sentinel
The Birdwells didn't
make it to the
hospital in time...
seepage 5A
Vol. 149, No. 25- 16 Pages
Thursday, August 13, 1998
Rusk, Texas 75785
25 cents
#
Governor invokes Texas Disaster Act
By Shonda McKinney
Qherokeean/Herald
Despite the recent rainfall, East
Texas farmers and ranchers still
face extensive agricultural dam-
age. Drought-related agriculture
losses in Texas have been esti-
mated at $1 billion. As a result,
cattle producers are grappling with
a lack of feed that is prompting
many of them to send their herds
to market, causing a glut that has
depressed beef prices. Some East
Texas livestock auctions are re-
porting double the number of cattle
sales usually sold this time of year.
In an effort to aid cattle owners,
Governor George W. Bush has or-
dered the temporary suspension
of a Texas law which is hindering
the ability of Texas farmers and
ranchers to haul hay to feed their
livestock. The Texas Transporta-
tion Code requires anyone hauling
hay beyond 150 miles of his or her
home to obtain a commercial li-
cense. The Governor's Executive
order waives that requirement for
90 days effective Aug. 5.
The Texas Disaster Act allows
the Governor to suspend any regu-
latory statute that prevents, hin-
ders or delays the response or re-
covery from a disaster. The
drought in Texas has caused the
depletion of pasture forage and
hay supplies, creating the need for
many ranchers and farmers to buy
hay from suppliers outside their
immediate areas. Losses range
from 80 percent in parts of East
ture will host a workshop for
Topics include disaster loan
production following the
banks for new loans.
Aug. 20 at 1:30 p.m.
ivention Center
• Tyler'
Texas to 30 percent in other re- in* f°r m,?nyJ*xa9 farmers and
4 emH i nn UnrtU " I
gions. This should take $330 mil-
lion out of farmers' pockets.
"The drought has been devastat-
ranchers," said Governor Bush. "I
hope this action will help farmers
Please see DROUGHT, page 7 A
Gov. George Bush plans
Jacksonville visit Aug. 18
Gov. George W. Bush will be at
the Norman Activity Center in
J acksonville Tuesday,
Aug. 18, for a barbe-
cue dinner honoring
District Judge
Bascom Bentley.
The event gets un-
derway at 4:30 p.m.
with the Governor's
remarks set for 5 p.m.
"It gives me great
pleasure to welcome
Governor Bush to East
Texas, and I am very
complemented to know that he
will make time in his crowded
schedule to support me in my re- Please see GOV., page 3
Gov. George
W. Bush
election campaign," said Judge
Bentley.
Tickets for the bar-
becue dinner are $10
and may be purchased
at the door. The public
is issued a most cor-
dial invitation to at-
tend, according to co-
chairmen of the event
Charles R. Hassell of
Rusk, Jacksonville
Mayor Tommy De-
ment and Glen
Hamilton, Jackson-
ville businessman.
SESCO cuts
power rates
Thousands of Southwestern Electric Service
Company's customers received a hefty reduction in
the price of their electricity when they received their
bill for the month of July.
SESCO's District Manager, Darrell Precin, said
the reduction totaled approximately 20 to 25 percent
for most of the company's customers.
According to a report from the Public Utility Com-
mission, SESCO customers enjoyed the lowest elec-
tric rates in the state for the month of July. Pricin
said this included investor owned, co-ops and munici-
pal suppliers of electricity in the state.
Precin had more good news for SESCO customers.
A new contract was negotiated with DESTEC, a
power supplier in Southeast Texas, which will enable
SESCO to reduce the cost of purchased power. This
will result in an approximate 20 percent reduction in
the price of electricity charged SESCO customers.
"We are pleased that we have been able tó give our
' customers this substantial saving. We hope we can
find additional ways to improve service and hold
down the cost of electricity," said Pricin.
RISD board
proposes tax
increase
I School board adopts $12
million budget for 1998-99
A $12,080,444 Rusk ISD budget was adopted Mon-
day night by members at the regular school board
meeting. The budget was built using a $1.395 district
tax rate. This is a 2.5 cent increase over the current
tax rate of $1.37.
A public hearing will be held at 5:15 p.m. Aug. 31
for the proposed tax increase. The tax rate will be
adopted at the regular school board meeting on Sept.
14. '
RISD public hearing on proposed
tax increase: Aug. 31 at 5:15 p.m.
Voting for the adoption of the budget were Cathy
Newman, David Fulton, Frances Long, Dan Lade,
Mike Ross and Steven Guy. Stephanie Caveness was
absent and did not vote. Motion to adopt the budget
had been made by Mrs. Long and seconded by Mrs.
Newman.
District values have increased $6 million since the
last budget was adopted. The proposed tax rate will
increase the Maintenance and Operation rate by 2.5
cents. The current budget is built on a $1.25 M&O
rate. The Interest and Sinking Fund rate will remain
at 24.5 cents.
A total of $176,120,591 will be raised with the new
tax rate. The current tax rate raised $168,924,070.
The district's general fund will total $8,880,969.
Special revenue will total $478,605; lunchroom,
$568,701; Adult Education, $848,631; GED, $12,930;
Special Education SSA, Federal $251,196; Special
Education SSA, Local, $301,520; Interest and Sink-
ing, $471,792; Building Fund, $265,500; and Schol-
arship, $600. The school is the administrator for the
Doug Jordan Scholarship Fund and that amount is
included in the budget under the title of scholarship.
. Revenue to finance the budget includes $3,247,662
(26.88 percent) in local and intermediate funds;
$7,155,020 (59.23 percent) in state funds; and
$1,677,762 (13.89 percent) in federal funds.
. The Rusk ISD budget includes services to recipi-
ents of Adult Basic Education in 12 counties. Rusk
ISD is also the fiscal agent for the Cherokee County
Special Education program that serves five county
districts including Rusk, Alto, Wells, New
Summerfield and Bullard.
Please see RISD, page 3
Bird Bath..
'mm
mspé
mmmi
fr 'is
mom
Rusk Eaglel athletes must take off their shoes after practice and wash their feet before entering
the school's new field house. The new field house was built at an approximate cost of $485,000
and was part of a bond package approved by voters. See Eagle story, page 1B.
Courthouse
contractor gets
45-day extension
I Noise limits audience
participation at court meeting
Cherokee County Commissioners officially ap-
proved a 45-day extension Monday morning for court-
house renovation contractor Berry-Clay. Architect
Mike Leinback, had met with the court at an earlier
meeting to request the extra time for the contractor.
All work will be completed and workers will be out
of the courthouse by Oct. 8.
The evidence of construction was seen in the county
courtroom Monday morning. Air conditioning units
were removed and a noisy blower fan provided cool-
ing for the courtroom.
Commissioners could not hear what other commis-
sioners were saying and hearing what was being said
from the audience was prohibited.
Sgt. Hank Sibley of the Texas Department of Public
Safety presented a report of the new computer
systems now being introduced for cities and counties.
The computers will hook the local court agency up to
the state files. Outstanding warrants on a defendant
can be pulled up whenever an arrest is made.
Also, this information is made available to the DPS
at driver's license renewal time. Persons with out-
standing warrants will not be reissued a driver's
license.
The cities of Rusk, Jacksonville and Bullard are
pilot locations and already have the system installed.
In another matter, Billie Brooks discussed a per-
sonal retirement system problem with the commis-
Please see COMMISSIONERS, page 3
EndangerextTPiece of History
■ Cherokee County
Courthouse is on state's
endangered list
"I wish we had known about the governor's at-
risk list earlier," County Judge Harry Tilley said
recently in reference to a list prepared by the
National Trust for Historic Preservation. Texas
Gov. George W. Bush will ask the Texas Legisla-
ture for $200 million to invest in renovation of
some of the state's oldest courthouses.
Cherokee County Courthouse is one of 10 East
Texas courthouses and on the list of 225 Texas
courthouses deemed at-risk.
"It would have been nice if this had come along a
year ago to help us do the courthouse air-condition-
ing right," Judge Tilley said. For $175,000 extra,
the county could have offered county employees
both hot and cold air.
Cherokee County passed certificates of obliga-
tion in the amount of $1.525 million in late 1994.
Pay-out for the certificates is the year 2002. Prior
to that time, the county spent $64,000 from a
Summers Norman Foundation grant to re-roof the
building. Courthouse windows have been replaced
and the outside of the building cleaned.
Inside work is currently underway. All inside elec-
trical and plumbing work is being replaced. A new
heating and cooling system has been installed and
the old jail renovated into offices. Judge Tilley said
the renovated elevator has passed inspection and is
in operation.
"Hopefully, we will be able to get money from the
governor's proposed program to complete the project.
We need more paint work and it would be nice to get
the extra work on the air conditioning," Judge Tilley
said. "But it will be January before we know if the
Legislature passes the governor's proposal," he said.
Because of the renovation project, the Cherokee
County courthouse is probably better off than many
other Texas courthouses. The National Trust for
Historic Preservation placed 225 state courthouses
on the annual list of the 11 most endangered sites or
groups of sites in the country.
Qualifying courthouses were built between 1850
and 1940. The Cherokee County courthouse was
constructed in 1940.
However, the funds are not grant funds but are
%%
!
Cherokee Co. Judge Harry Tilley
proposed as state bonds available through a local
match program. This is the same program that
helped build many courthouses in the last century.
The list of the 225 courthouses can be found on
the Internet on the Texas Historical Commission
Web site at www.thc.state.tx.us.
Rusk city council votes to continue same tax rate
Rusk City Council members voted Thursday night
not to raise taxes. The council voted its intention to
set the tax rate at 57.7 cents per hundred dollar
valuation.
John Rosser, Rusk citizen, questioned the city's
issuance of a tax abatement for a proposed apart-
ment complex at Thursday night's meeting of the
Rusk City Council.
Mr. Rosser explained to the council that the city
has $5,247,690 of tax exempt property within its
borders. "The tax base is the largest tax revenue base
for the city and it is diminishing," he told the council.
"Our biggest source of revenue is water and sewer,"
said Mayor Emmett Whitehead.
"When you give a rebate, someone is going to have
to pick up the slack," Mr. Rosser said.
"Rusk State Hospital is the largest employer for
Jacksonville and Alto," Mayor Whitehead said. "And,
people shop where they sleep," he said.
The mayor explained that the tax abatement would
be only on the improvements built on the property.
The real estate would be taxed just as it is currently
being taxed.
"We have paved 24 streets and constructed a nearly
$3 million sewer facility without having to increase
taxes to meet our debt," the mayor said.
"We are not raising taxes or increasing utility
rates," Mayor Whitehead said.
"You ought to be decreasing taxes," Mr. Rosser told
Mayor Whitehead.
"We have a dedicated staff and a good council. It is
a pleasure to work down here. And, we are living
within our means," Mayor Whitehead continued.
During a discussion concerning the advertisement
for bids for construction of water and sewer lines for
the Tiffany Estates and Loop 343, Mr. Rosser left
with the explanation that, "The city has more prob-
lems than I can help." His statement came after the
council debated on whether to plan to provide service
to the entire loop area or not. Two proposals will be
provided to bidders.
Services to the Tiffany Estates will come out of the
water/sewer bond funds. Services for the loop area
and Highway 69 North will be funded through a
Texas Community Development Grant.
A proposed purchase of a building owned by the
Norman Museum located behind SESCO was dis-
cussed at the meeting. The museum board is asking
$10,000 for the building, which is to be paid for by
Please see RUSK POLICE, page 3
- í
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.
Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 149, No. 25, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 13, 1998, newspaper, August 13, 1998; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152385/m1/1/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.