Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 156, No. 27, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 24, 2005 Page: 1 of 18
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500
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A L
WEDNESDAY
August 24, 2005
Vol. 156, No. 27-18 pgs.
Rusk, TX 75785
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper
i eking Of
Rusk, Jacksonville and Alto are ready for
their first big game on Friday night.
see pgs. 11-14
Cherokee County
sales post gains
Based on sales tax rebates
from the state comptroller's
office, the economy in
Cherokee County is con-
tinuing to grow at a healthy,
steady rate.
For purchases made in
June and sales tax remit-
ted to Austin in July, cities
in Cherokee County are
averaging a 10.43 percent
gain on the year.
For a detailed report on
sales tax rebates, including
year-to-date reports, see
pg.8.
NEWS
Man arrested for
making terroristic
threats
By Mary Beth Garmon
Staff writer
Be careful what you say.
At least, that's what
someone should have told
Bob Wiggins of Jacksonville
before he threatened to kill
a cop.
Wiggins. 45, moved to
Jacksonville from Colum-
bus, Ind., and has had
trouble trying to get his
driver s license renewed.
After becoming frus-
trated over the situation,
Mr. Wiggins decided to call
State Representative Chuck
Hop son's office in Austin to
vent.
"He made a statement
that if he got stopped by
another state policeman,
they would find a dead
policeman," said Tom Bled-
Please see THREATS, pg. 6
INDEX
Scene in Passing 2
El Camino Real 2
Letters 3
Obituaries 4
Engagements 7
TJC classes in Rusk 8
Lions Club pool 9
Rusk Eagles 11
Alto Yellowjackets 12
Jacksonville Indians.... 13
More sports 14
Classifieds 15-16
KOA campground 17
Kids Ride Free 18
Weather Outlook
$
THURSDAY
isolated t-storms
30% chance of rain
High: 96
Low:
73
It's not too late to take advantage of the
"Kids Ride Free* promotion at the Texas State
Railroad, which continues through September.
For more information, call (800) HH2-895I.
c—p
RIDE FREE THRU SEPTEMBER
us
j
RSH 'hub' placed on hold
Turf battle with Austin State Hospital is causing a review of 'regional hubs' approved last week
By Terrie Gonzalez
Managing Editor
Rusk State Hospital had already
announced the news to its employees:
the facility would be gaining 28 new beds
earmarked for forensics patients, and
the hospital wouldreceive a designation
of "regional hub'' and a $2 million boost
in its budget.
However, the good new s was tempered
Tuesday with a qualified "maybe."
Officials in Austin decided they
needed to sée more options before
making sweeping changes to the way
patients who are caught up in the
criminal justice system receive care in
the state's mental hospitals,
Under the proposal, Rusk State Hos-
pital would become a regional hub for
forensics, along with Kerrville in Cen-
tral Texas, Big Spring in West Texas
and a small 16-bed unit in El Paso. The
advantage, say mental health experts,
is to serve forensics patients under a
single umbrella with specialized ser-
vices tailored to meet their needs,
Not all state hospitals fared well
on their bottom-line budgets with the
hub concept. Austin State Hospital, for
example, was slated to lose $4 million of
its budget under a mandate to send its
forensics patients to other facilities.
The proposed cut in Austin has trig-
gered a backlash of complaints from
county officials in Travis County who
say that their law enforcement person-
nel will have to spend more timé trans-
porting forensics patients to Kerrville,
Big Spring or Rusk.
Pain in the
gas tank
Rising fuel prices draw drivers' ire
By Mary Beth Garmon
Staff Writer
1 s gasoline prices continue to rise,
more and more consumers are won-
/ u dering if the time is right to take
fewer trips, buy vehicles that are more
fuel-efiicient or begin to carpool.
A recent poll conducted by the
Cherokeean Herald showed readers
largely in favor of making sure trips to
the store covered all purchases needed in
order to save making another run.
"I have to carpool to work now. I make
fewer trips to the store, etc. I only go when
I have several things to do so it can be done
in one day, or if it is an emergency My
problem with the whole rise in prices is
that they get to increase the price on the
gas in the ground before they are charged
a higher prion for the next ship ment. That
is not fair to the consumer at all." said
Debbie Miller.
While gas prices throughout the U.S.
remain at an all-time high, prices in Texas
remain among the lowest in the U.S. A
quick survey conducted Aug. 15 showed
the state's largest cities running an aver-
age of $2.47. In comparison, gas prices
in San Francisco were showing a high of
$3,45É while Denver, Colo, residents were
paying a low average price of $2.23.
The higher cost of fuel has affected
those traveling out-of-state, especially
for luxury purposes.
Please see GAS PRICES, pg. 6
UNI EADED
:0vs
Dallas 2.32
Austin 2.28
Houston 2.33
San Antonio 2.27
New York 2.48
Seattle 2.49
Denver 2.23
Anchorage 2.30
Orlando 2.24
Cleveland 2.27
high av.
2.79 2.55
2.55 2.42
2.69 2.51
2.52 2.40
2.91 2.70
2 84 2.67
2.59 2.41
2.49 2 40
2.75 2.51
data: U.S. Dept. of Energy,
Travis Sessions fills up his gas tank. The Rusk resident says
he only pumps a half-tank at a time, because it takes almost
$100 to completely fill his Chevy Suburban.
PHOTO: MARY BETH GARMON
"axing Times
Certified property values approved
by county commissioners
GLMEjf RADIO
KWRW¿®Vland KTLU - AM
By Gloria Jennings
Staff Writer
Linda Beard, tax asses-
sor-collector, presented the
county's total certified prop-
erty values at the Monday
morning meeting of the com-
missioners court.
Cherokee County
Appraisal District certifica-
tion totaled $1,594,529,202
for the general fund and
$1,575,502,966 for the
lateral road fund. Rolling
stock values were the same
for both the general fund and
the lateral road fund. That
figure was SI.707.992.
Total values for the general
fund were $1,596,237,194
and the lateral road fund,
SI.577.210.958.
Ms. Beard certified that
the county did not have
excess debt collections for
the previous year because
the collection rate was set
at 100 percent and that the
collection rate for 2005 will
See COUNTY, pg. 6
County budget will likely
be set at $15.3 million
By Gloria Jennings
Staff Writer
Cherokee County commis-
sioners are looking at an
approximate $15.3 million
2005-06 county budget. The
proposed budget shows an
increase of $1,101,035 over
the $14,215,156 current
budget,
The budget will be financed
with a 62-cent taxrate. Last
year's total tax rate was
55.75 cents.
Members of the commis-
sioners court met Tuesday
morning in the juvenile
courtroom on the third floor
of the courthouse for a budget
workshop. Another budget
workshop is pi mined for 2
p.m. Friday in the juvenile
courtroom.
Final figures have not been
determined and put in the
budget, but LH- Crockett,
county auditor, said the new
additions would total approx-
imately $40,000. This would
See WORKSHOP, pg. 5
These protests have likely hit a
nerve in Austin, which is causing the
State Health Services Commissioner,
Eduardo J. Sanchez, to seek addi-
tional options before making a final
decision.
Rusk State Hospital Superintendent
TedDebbs'moodswitchedfrom ebullient
when he made the announcement last
week, to measured and business-like
Tuesday.
Please see NEW FORENSICS, pg. 6
22-year-old is
critical after
1-car wreck
Car overturns several times
and lands in Mud Creek
By Mary Beth Garmon
Staff Writer
A late-night accident Sunday on
Highwy 84 has left a Reklaw resident
in critical condition.
Brandon Linderman, 22. was life-
flighted to ETMC Tyler after the 1993
Lexus in which he was riding with
Justin Walker, 20, overturned.
"Mr. Walker was heading eastbound
toward Reklaw when a tire blew out,"
said State Trooper Eric Long, who
worked the wreck.
" The tread came off and the driver lost
control,'' he said. "The vehicle went into
the right ditch, apparently overturned
a couple of times and ended up in Mud
Creek."
.According to Trooper Long, passersby
saw hghts in the ditch and stopped to
check.
"Rudy Birdwell is my sister-in-law's
brother," Jeanna Moore, Linderman's
mother, told the Cherokeean Herald on
Please see WRECK, pg. 6
Early voting
starts today
Rusk voters will decide fate
of KOA campground
By Gloria Jennings
Staff Writer
Rusk city voters have been asked to
decide if they want to continue owner-
ship and operation of a proposed IvOA
park campsite on FM 343 (Atoy High-
way) or sell it.
A city-wide election has been called
for 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 at
Rusk City Hall.
The property is referred to on the
ballot as the"Atoy Recreational Vehicle
Park."
Early voting begins today. Aug. 24,
and continues until Tuesday, Sept. 6, at
city hall. Early votes may be cast from
8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.
The council called theelection after an
examination of the bottom hne costs.
The city has spent almost $600,000
with $488,000 coming from recreational
funds and more than $100,000 borrowed
from other city money for the project.
The council voted at one time to spend
up to $250,000 more to finish theproject
andlater decided the cost could climb as
high as $500,000. At this time a commit-
Please see EARLY VOTING, pg. 6
CM K
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 156, No. 27, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 24, 2005, newspaper, August 24, 2005; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152693/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.