The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 136, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 8, 1985 Page: 1 of 16
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MICnOPLEX , INC
P. 0. BOX '15436
DALLAS, TX. 75245
Opry Star Sings Here
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Class of' 7 5 Reunite
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25
Per Issue
The Cherokeean
Two Killed in Wreck
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Home of the
Texas State
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Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper-Established As The Cherokee Sentinel, February 27, 1850
Vol. 136, No. 26
Thursday, August 8,1985—Rusk, Texas 75785
12 Pages
Court At Law Decision:
To Confront Commissioners in Near Future
A showdown between proponents
of the proposed County Court At
Law and the Commissioners Court
appears to be coming in the near
future.
In a split vote in Feb., 1983,
(Judge Robert McNatt broke the
tie), the Legislature was requested
to approve a court for Cherokee
County. Voting against were Com-
missioners Robert Underwood and
Toby Sartain, and voting for were
Joe Henderson and Frank Ross.
Ross was quoted later as saying
the bill finally passed by the
Legislature was not what ho
thought he was agreeing to.
During the last session of the
Legislature. Commissioners Un-
derwood, Sartain and Ross went to
Austin and requested an amen-
dment be added to the legislation
that would not force the county to
create the court in January of 1986
Senator Roy Blake passed the
amendment, but Representative
Cliff Johnson failed to gel the
amendment passed through the
House, so the original bill remained
in force.
I'nless the commissioners go
forward and create the court,
possible legal steps may be taken to
force action.
Judge Robert McNatt has in-
cluded $61,000 for the proposed
court in next year's budget to cover
costs of operation for slightly more
than six months.
The Commissioners are con-
sidering slashing this amount
drastically if they are forced to go
ahead with the court
The big showdown will possibly
come when next year's budget is
approved later this month.
Male Athletes
Physicals were given Saturday to all Rusk athletes at the high school library. Here Rusk State Hospital nurses
are set up for blood pressure tests. In front are Ray Dosser, student, and Arlis Corley; second row, Mike
Sullivan, student, and Kenneth Mann; and back row, Shannon Lloyd, student, and Ernest Hudnall. -staff photo
Eagl es Shape Up for Season
Saturday Voting Is Certified
Sports activities are about to
begin for students in the Rusk In-
dependent School District, accor-
ding to Head Coach/Athletic Direc-
tor Louis Caveness. Caveness says
some 80 boys and approximately 40
girls showed up Saturday for the
annual school physicals for studen-
ts planning to participate in sports.
Boys from 9th grade through 12th
grade reported Wednesday at .6
p.m. for distribution of shoes, shor-
ts, T-shirts and socks in preparation
for the coming football season.
Caveness says they will condition
themselves unsupervised by
coaching staff through this week.
Two-a-day workouts begin Monday
and players will work out at 8 a.m.
and 5 p.m. through Thursday
without equipment, wearing shorts
and helmets.
On Friday, Aug. 16, they will suit
out with pads and practice that
week and the following week.
The first scrimmage is set with
Palestine on Aug. 23. The varsity,
junior varsity and freshmen will all
scrimmage at 5 p.m. at the
Palestine High School field.
Caveness says picture day is set
for 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24 at
Practice Starts
Rusk band rehearsals began at 6
p.m. Monday and continue
throughout the month at 6 p.m. on
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thur-
sdays, according to new band direc-
tors Troy Lilly and Ken Barnes.
Make up sessions will be set at the
convenience of students, and
freshman marching sessions are at
9 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
'Round Town
With Mrs. Roundabout
Saturday was a day of extreme
stress and tension for the two can-
didates (and their supporters) in
the District One Congressional
race. Finally...on this day...all the
rhetoric had been uttered, promises
pledged, thousands of miles
traveled and mega bucks spent to
capture the needed votes to win.
It is safe to believe that among all
of the candidates in the first and
run-off elections, millions of dollars
were expended to get the message
to the people. In the Aug. 3 run-off.
the cost boggles the average mind.
And all of this occurs in a small
area of the vast U.S., a nation of
unlimited wealth, while millions of
people die of thirst and hunger in
less fortunate countries.
Am I being cynical? No, no.
Realistic. This is the way it is in our
barely born country. We can say
"barely born" when we compare
the age of the U.S. with other
nations. Our form of government
just hasn't been in existence very
long, But, with whatever we admit
to in faults, ours it still the beat
form of civilisation on the planet
Earth!
(letting bach te politics and
District One's Congressional
f*r* H was enly a few deeadee age
that the best thing a candidal*
have getng fer Mm was te be
ivr
«se leras.1
With this much going for a can-
didate, the race consists of selling
himself, and that's about it. He's
got tp have the help of volunteers
who believe in him, he's got to have
contributions of money to win the
office and he needs the support of a
strong family base. These are the
obvious, upfront necessities.
Now take last Saturday's can-
didates. They exhausted time and
money to sell themselves to us. if
you take away their Party iden-
tification, as one financial wiiard
quipped, "There's not a penney's
worth of difference." But it sure
cost more than a penney for them to
run!
It has been estimated that Edd
Hargett's campaign cost around
$1.5 million and Jim Chapman's a
half million. This is kind of ironic in
light of the fact that our
Congressional district is said to be
the third poorest in the state's 27
districts.
Ah well, that's politic for you.
Things change. The price of
everything has gone up. Now you
take football. There's a subject that
lets of folks can admit te having Its
share of stress and tension. And
money become* a factor, too.
So Saturday is over, the votes
have been counted and cloee it
waal But this next Saturday, juat
watch the steam build up as
exhibition games begin We're
deemed to Uve with streaa and ten-
sion. aren't we? i
> without I**
U *«• try te
lit
Eagle Stadium. Another scrim-
mage is Thursday Aug. 29 at
Shelbyville. Time will be set later.
Caveness says he expects bet-
ween 65 and 70 boys out for varsity
and junior varsity football. This will
include all sophomores, juniors and
seniors. Another 20 to 25 freshman
boys are expected. Freshmen will
not practice with the older boys.
Added to the coaching staff will
be former Rusk High School Coach
Doyle Brooks, who has been away
for the past few years. Others on the
staff include Glenn Wilson, Brian
Nations, Larry Walker, Ed
Trochim, Don Blalock and
Caveness.
During this same time, Rusk girls
will be involved in volleyball.
Coaching them will be Robin Gran-
tham, who will be assisted by Ricky
Hassell, girls basketball coach.
Caveness reminds all athletes
who do not have physicals that they
must do so by Aug. 12.
He says he feels that this year's
team will be a competitive team.
Most of the players are inexperien-
ced, but Caveness says he feels that
he has people who will step in and
do a good job. "Our main weakness
is inexperience and we are getting
as much work as we can before
school starts to get ready. We have
good personnel," Caveness says.
Pre-season polls put the Eagles in
fourth place, probably due to the
inexperience of the team. Most feel
that the team will do much better,
however.
Cherokee County Commissioners
cánvassed Saturday's District 1
Congressional election votes Mon-
day and set the date of Dec. 31,1986
as termination for the assistant
county treasurer. Linda Rogers,
assistant county treasurer, was ap-
pointed recently to sign checks in
the absence of County Treasurer
Diann Norton. As Miss Rogers'
bond terminates on that day, her
position termination was set to be at
the same time.
Election returns showed county
voters giving Edd Hargett,
Republican, 2,870 and Democrat
Jim Chapman, 2,587. Chapman won
the district vote with 52,670 votes
compared to 50,736 votes.
Following the regular business,
commissioners discussed
budgeting with County Auditor Opal
Fitts. Mrs. Fitts said spending
during the last three months has
been much more than budgeted. At
the end of July the county had
$360,253 in surplus. The proposed
budget shows that the county will
have $327,000 in carry-over
revenue, which she said is im-
possible as the county will have
August and September expenses
taken from the $360.263.
County Judge Robert McNatt had
wanted to include $52,000 in the
general fund to finance a proposed
county court at law, she noted. She
said that money was not there, so
the judge asked that it be included
in the Proposed Use for Revenue
Sharing Funds.
She reminded commissioners
that there will be roof repairs, the
air conditioning is expected to go
out and then the cities are asking
for additional funding for ambulan-
ce services.
She went on to say that a few
years ago, the county had surplus
revenue but this has been spent
"We don't have anything in CDs
that isn't obligated money," she
said. "We will have trouble balan-
cing without the County Court at
Law," she said.
Some $12,522.72 that the District
Attorney takes out of the Hot Check
Fund for salaries will someday
have to go to the general fund
budget, she noted She said that the
county had already assumed the
expense of the District Court Coor-
dinator after the grant expired.
Grant funds are running out for the
assistant district attorney and the
criminal investigator She went on
to say that the proposed budget
doesn't include overtime thai will
be required for employees working
more than a regular work week
Rent revenue for the ASCS office
that moved into new quarters will
be lost and receipts are down, she
noted.
During a budget workshop July
31. county commissioners decided
to change the proposed budget
allocations from $65.000 to $86.500
for fire protection and increased the
city allocations for ambulance to
include Jacksonville from $35,000 lo
$46,550; Rusk from $13.650 to
$18,150; Alto, from $7250 to $9,650
and Troup from $2,000 to $2,650.
At that time, commissioners
talked about a proposed tax rate of
26.838 cents rather than the current
24 cents. The effective tax rate is 25
cents.
Commissioners will meet again
next week for consideration of the
budget.
Correction! ¡
Last week's account for auditions
for the Cherokee Civic Theatre
production of "Fiddler On the
Roof" credited Gloria Dotson with
directing the music for "Paint Your
Wagon." Johnny Williams III very
ably directed that shows music.
Mrs. DotsOn has been director for
all other productions and will be in
charge of the music for this fall's
show
Chapman Wins Election
Sulphur Springs attorney Jim
Chapman polled 50.9 percent of the
vote in Saturday's First
Congressional Representative elec-
tion. Chapman, a Democrat,
received some 52,670 votes com-
pared to 50,736 votes <49.0 percent)
received by Republican Edd
Hargett, Linden engineer.
The district includes 20 Northeast
Texas counties along the
Oklahoma. Arkansas and Louisiana
borders, including Cherokee Coun-
ty
Hargett raised nearly $900,000
and is said to have outspent Chap-
man more than 2 to 1
Chapman carried 14 of the
Cherokee County's 28 boxes, as well
as the absentee vote, while Hargett
carried 13 precincts. Voters at
Mount Selman gave each of the
candidates 26 votes
Chapman took an early lead in
the county with the absentee box
giving him 366 votes, compared to
328 for Hargett. By 8 p.m., an hour
after polls closed, Chapman was
leading 1,991 to Hargett's 1,783 with
seven boxes still out. At 8:15 p.m.
with Box 15, Southeast Jacksonville
and Box 25, New Summerfield, still
out, Chapman was still ahead with
50 votes. When Box 15 came in,
Chapman lost his lead, as he got
only 138 votes, compared to 477 for
Hargett. Chapman got 108 and
Hargett, 102 votes in the New Sum-
merfield box
Voting in the county showed Box
5, Wells, Chapman 38, Hargett, 28;
Box 6, East Alto. Chapman, 101;
Hargett, 74; Box 7, West Alto.
Chapman, 100, Hargett, 89; Box 8,
South Maydelle, Chapman, 38,
Hargett, 2ft, Box 9, Northwest City
of Rusk. Chapman 102, Hargett 93;
Box 10, Northeast City of Ruak,
Chapman 96, Hargett 170; Box II,
East Ruak. Chapman, 7t, Hargett,
«; Box 13. North Ruak. Chapman.
M, Hargett, SI; Box 13, North
Maydelle. Chapman. 31; Hargett,
Boa 14. Southeast Jacksonville.
n, 41, Hargett. tag; Bn is.
City el JackaewvtUe,
rn, Hargett. 477. Bm 1*.
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The Cherokeean. (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 136, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 8, 1985, newspaper, August 8, 1985; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151708/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.