Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 154, No. 48, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 21, 2004 Page: 1 of 16
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Cherokeean
500
HERALD
Vol. 154, No. 48-16 pgs.
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Rusk, TX 75785
C&IKIE TIME!
It's Girl Scout cookie time in Rusk,
and six-year-old Leigh Anne Wood
is wearing out shoe leather as she
takes orders.
see pg. 4 for details
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper
Chamber banquet honors leaders
Approximately 200 enjoy
Luau-themed banquet
By Gloria Jennings
Cherokeean Herald writer
Jerry Rix was named Citizen of the
Year and Bobby Tosh, Outstanding
Business Leader of the Year at the
63rd annual Rusk Chamber of Com-
merce banquet Thursday evening at
the Junior High School.
Outgoing chamber president
Austin Young saidin making the Citi-
zen of the Year Award presentation.
"When the Chamber of Commerce
needed volunteers lastyear to attend
travelshows, thiswasthefirstperson
who stepped to the plate. When the
community needed someone to help
organize the Four I h of July festivities
sifter losing our beloved Loretta Rix,
this person was there. If the local
Republican Party needs an issue
taken on they know who to call.
Maybe you are a member of the
Kiwanis Club, if you are, you know
this person rarely misses a meeting.
Many of us love to fish and hunt , and
if you do, you are automatically a
friend of our Citizen of the Year. And
don't be surprised when this person
approaches you to become a member
of Ducks Unlimited because ducks
are his passion. This person loves
to go and will travel by any means
possible, including a bassboat, duck
boat, motor scooter, pickup truck, a
car and if that's not enough, look out
for a motorhome barrehng down the
highway."
More photos on
pg. 16
Mr. Tosh is owner of Harry's Build-
ing Materials Inc. He has been a long
time supporter of the chamber and
a contributor to the community.
Quietly he has expanded his Rusk
store, one of six of his East Texas
locations. In 2003, he opened a
Please see RUSK CHAMBER, pg. 12
Jerry Rix
Citizen of the Year
Bobby
Business of
Tosh
the Year
THIS WEEK
Job fair announced at
IDCJ Rusk
Texas
Department
of Criminal
Justice
will host a
correctional
officer hiring
seminar at the
Skyview Unit in Rusk at 7
p.m. Thursday. Additional informa-
tion is available by calling the unit at
903-683-5781.
The positions will be for those at
facilities in Anderson County, prison
authorities said last week.
TDC J is conducting the seminar for
local persons interested in becoming
correctional officers as well as those
persons who are employed at the
Bradshaw State Jail at Overton. The
private jail was recently contracted
by a different company and many of
the employees are looking at other
employment.
Rusk Council considers
4-item agenda
The Rusk City Council was sched-
uled to meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday to
consider action on four items.
Discussion and possible additional
funding for the Dogwood Task Force
and hiring of an officer and asking the
Cherokee County Appraisal District to
proceed with the 911 addressing for
the city are a continuation of items
discussed at the Jan. 8 council
meeting.
The Dogwood Traii Task Force has
requested that the city increase its
funding to that agency from $5,000
to $10,000. An officer would be hired
by the city and the task force would
re-imburse the city for all expenses
incurred.
Citiesof Jacksonville and Alto have
pulled out of the task force and the
county has not made a decision as
to what it will do.
Cost to the city for the 911 address-
ing would run approximately $10,000
for the first year.
In other matters the council was
scheduled to consider the purchase of
a truck for the water department and
the purchase of a JeepCherokeefrom
the Texas Building and Procurement
Commission for the Police Depart-
ment Canine Unit.
INDEX
Letters 3
Obituaries 4
Area churches 4
Fireman's banquet 9
Rusk Eagles 10
Classifieds 13-14
Rusk Chamber 16
Weather Outlook
*
THURSDAY
Cloudy
High: 54
Low: 38
.DIES RADIO
KW Pf M ai KTLUAM
Trading Spaces
The Sartain family visit with Trading Spaces Family host Joe Farrell following filming of an episode
at the Sartain home. From left are Bob Sartain, Natalie Sartain, Farrell and Pam Sartain.
Former Rusk family participates in hit TV show
Xt will be a dream come
true Jan. 25 for Natahe
Sartain, an 11-year-old
fifth grader in Hoover, Ala. She
and her family will appear on the
Trading Spaces Family Learn-
ing Channel show on that day.
This has been Natalie's lifelong
dream.
Young Natalie is the daughter
of Bob and Pam Sartain. She is
the granddaughter of Mrs. Tom
Sartain of Rusk and the late Mr.
TLC air date
featuring the
Sartains: Jan. 25
at 6 & 10 p.m.
Sartain. Her aunt is Tommye
Pickett of Rusk.
When Natalie learned that the
show would audition Birming-
ham area volunteers, she signed
her family and her neighbors up
for the venture,
The Sartains will appear
on the show at 6 and 10 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 25 on The Learning
Channel, Channel 37.
Filming took place Nov. 6-
9. Mr. and Mrs. Sartain and
Natahe swapped house keys
with their neighbors, the Ben-
Please see TRADING, pg. 6
Trinity
Clinic
to open
Family practice will
begin seeing patients
Feb. 2
By Don Wallace
Cherokeean Herald writer
ALTO—Officials with Trinity
Mother FrancesHeálth System-
Jacksonville announced the
opening of Trinity Clinic-Alto,
located at 104 Busy Bee.
To ni m ie Sey more PA-C,
Family Practice will begin
seeing patients Feb. 2. The
pubhc is invited to tour the new
chnic during a reception Feb. 10
from 1:30 until 6:30 p.m.
Refreshments will be
served.
"I grew Up ¡ n Wells, so this is
home to me," said Ms. Seymore.
"Since the age of five, I knew
that I would work in the medi-
ALTO RURAL
HEALTH CLINIC
I AMILV PRACTICE
ROBERT P. CARROLL. JR. M.D.
NATALIE CURRY-MILLER MS. PA-C
r
(PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT!
• *."i.
Trinity Mother Frances recently announced plans to serve the southern part
of Cherokee County in Alto at the former site of the Alto Rural Health Clinic.
TMF recently opened phase II of its Jacksonville facility, which serves the
northern portion of the county.
cal field.
She continued, "Medi-
cine has always in tere sted
me and it is rewarding to
know that you can make
a difference in people *
lives. Trinity Chnic has
a lot to offer our patients
because they can obtain a
variety of medical services
at one easily accessible
location.''
Ms. Seymorereceivédher
physician's assistant certi-
fication in 1997 from The
University ófTexasMedical
Branch in Galveston. She
has practiced as a PA-O in
bu sy fa mily pr actice s treat -
ing patients of all ages. To
schedule an appointment
with her, call 903-858-
4488.
Trinity Chnic is one of
the largest multi-specialty
physician groups in East
Texas, with more than 130
physiciansrepresenting 23
specialties.
For more information on
additional services avail-
able^through TrinityMother
Frances Health System,
visit www.tmfhs.org or
call TeleCare Plus, your
free health information
resource at 903-531-5678
or outside Tyler at 800-
535-9799.
Cobb
sentenced
to death
Jury sequestered, deliberates 6
hours before verdict
By Don Wallace
Cherokeean Herald writer
Afier deliberating for more than six hours
over two days, the jury in the Richard Aaron
Cobb capital murder trial returned a death
penally decision in the punishment portion
of the trial Friday, Jan. 16.
The jury was sequestered Thursday night
in Rusk after five hours of work on the case.
Friday morning they began deliberations at
9:12 a.m. andby 10:05 a.m. told District Judge
Dwight Phifer with a hand-written note that
they had a decision.
Both sides were assembled in the courtroom
as the crowd of 45 composed of family, friends
andinterestedspectatorslookedon. Cobb stood
at the end of a short table, next to his attor-
neys Charle s Morton and William "Bill House,
while District AttorneyElmer Beckworth, who
presented the state's cá se stoo d near the stacks
of evidence and documents he had presented
in the two-week long trial.
Carl Hale, j ur y fore man, pre sented the deci -
sion for the eight woman, four man group to
bailiff Eddie James who handed it to Judge
Phifer.
Phifer had already cautioned the gallery
about any emotional outbursts or sounds and
told them they would not be tolerated.
The questions on the jury's ballot were
answered with the group responding in writ-
ing that they thought Cobb would be future
danger and that he should receive the death
penalty, the maximum sentence in the capi t al
murder case.
While everyone in the court stood, Cobb
was handcuffed and removed from the court
by jailer David Chandler and sheriff James
Campbell.
Please see COBB, pg. 6
Alto ISD extends
superintendent's
contract with raise
By Randall Birdsong
Special to the Cherokeean Herald
Alto Independent School District Superin-
tendent John Ferguson received a one-year
extension to his contract from the trustees
Jan. 12.
The extension maintains the three-year
contract that is standard for many Texas
superintendents.
The new pact carries an annual salary of
$78,000. Ferguson's contract extends through
the 2006-07 school year.
The only contract reviewed in the month of
January is the superintendent s. The perfor-
mance review is conducted in closed session.
The vote to extend and any pay adjustments
take place in open meeting following the
executive session.
In February, campus principals' and the
athletic director's contracts will be reviewed.
In March teachers contracts are examined.
In other business, Eric Carver and Linda
Milford of Axley & Rode Certified Pubhc
Accountants, delivered the annual financial
report to trustees,
The annual financial report covers the fiscal
year which ended Aug. 31, 2003. Carver said.
Please see Alto ISD, pg. 14
C IV K
EP-
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 154, No. 48, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 21, 2004, newspaper, January 21, 2004; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152606/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.