Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 158, No. 34, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 17, 2007 Page: 6 of 16
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Page 6A - Cljerokeeaij Herald of Rusk, Texas - Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Super-spellers compete in word games
By Leland Acker
Staff Writer
F
astidious attention
to spelling is Daniel
Hardin's ticket to
Dallas as the Jack-
sonville eighth-grad-
er won the Cherokee County
Spelling Bee by correctly
spelling that word. He edged
out Edgon Huerta, also of
Jacksonville, who misspelled
"cynical'' in the finals. Daniel
will go on to the regional
spelling bee on March 15 in
Dallas.
"It feels good,'' Daniel said.
Lake Columbia
"Hopefully I'll win. It's all in
God's hands now.''
Danielis the son of Keri and
Richard Southern.
"I would readthe words and
he would recite them," said
Mrs. Southern. "The teachers
were a big help.''
Daniel and Edgon were
coached by Linda Brown,
who Said she is elated her
two contestants took first and
second places,
"We practiced 30 to 45 min-
utes per day' Daniel said.
"Sometimes we practiced
after school.''
Daniel said Edgon told him
at lunch that they would be
the two finalists.
"We're the best,'' Edgon
said.
"We practiced the most
together," Daniel said.
German Words are the hard-
est to spell, Daniel said.
"They are just confusing in
the way they are translated,''
he explained.
In addition to fastidious
spelling, Daniel enjoys play-
ing football and being active
in the Central Baptist Church
youth group in Jacksonville.
Nail-biting moments were
plentiful during the com-
petition. Jessica Lumkins
hesitated on "hibachi," "paci-
fism' ancT'prosaic." Shakeyla
Griffin of Alto stumbled on
"xylophone," while Chelsie
Berry of Wells was eliminated
by "gardenia.''
The competition was pared
down to Jessica, Daniel, Ed-
gon, Ronnie Boyer of Jackson-
ville and Staceson Myles of
Alto. The quintetjoustedover
words like "libretto,'' "has-
sock,'' "eponym" and "poi."
Jessica was eliminated by
misspelling "curriculum''
while Staceson was knocked
out by "nebbish." Ronnie was
knocked out by "virtuoso."
Daniel and Edgon then
traded licks with words like
"saffron,'' "predicate," "fla-
menco'' and "enchilada.''
Both misspelled "tarragon''
before Edgon missed "cyni-
cal.'' Daniel then correctly
spelled "cynical'' and "fas-
tidious."
The county spelling bee,
which has been held in Feb-
ruary in recent years. Was
moved to October to encour-
age greater participation, said
Rusk Junior High Principal
John Burkhalter.
"The kids are still excited
about school at this point,''
he said.
Competing in the county
spelling bee were: Shakeyla,
Staceson, Alexa Russo and
Alanis Guinn of Alto; Jessica,
Daniel, Edgon, and Ronni of
Jacksonville: Jansen Apple-
gate, Austin Tollison, Bryce
Hoffman and Kyle Monk
of Rusk: Chelsie, Hanna
Watson, Laurie Carver and
Carina Bonilla of Wells.
continued from pg. 1A
the Lake Columbia proj-
ect."
LNVA General Manager
Robert Stroder said he had
no choice on seeking to amend
the subordinate water rights
at Lake Sam Rayburn. He
said that representatives
from Homeland Security, FBI
agents and the U.S. Coast
Guard showed up at his door-
step more than a year ago and
essentially toldhim to pursue
this course of action.
He feels hke his request is on
sohd ground, legally speaking.
"Federal law always trumps
state law,'' he said.
Mr. Renneau disagrees.
"There is nothing in the
Homeland Security Act that
allows water to be taken away
from one person and given to
another without compensa-
tion,'' he said.
Agencies like LNVA and
ANRA make decisions on
water flow based on a time-
honored, established order
of need: (1.) municipal, (2.)
agricultural and (3.) indus-
trial.
ANRA will contend in their
case to TCEQ that munici-
pal requirements supersede
agricultural and industrial
needs.
Mr. Stroder said he is not
allowed to confirm the reason
that LNVA wants to change
the subordinate water rights.
However, parties close to both
agencies say LNVA will hkely
assert that because of the pet-
rochemical complex in Beau-
mont-Port Arthur, industrial
needs are vital to protecting
the nation's homeland in the
event of a terrorist act.
Round-about Neches
The Neches River makes a
lot of detours before it finally
reaches the Gulf of Mexico.
In the 1900s, a 400-mile canal
system was constructed on the
lower Neches to irrigate rice
farms. In 1974, more than
60,000 acres was cultivated.
That number dropped to
15,000 in 2005.
LNVA is the oversight
agency for the canal system,
which serves the industrial
complex in addition to the
dwindling rice farmers.
"You don't take water out
of homes to ship it to a rice
farmer. This is long-stand-
ing Texas law," contends Mr.
Renneau.
Giant petrochemical plants
are now served by the canals,
and they eclipse the local eco-
nomic impact of agriculture.
Some are referring to South-
east Texas asa "petrochemical
superpower.''
The Beaumont Chamber of
Commerce said three com-
panies are constructing new
liquid natural gas (LNG) ter-
minals - Golden Pass, Sempra
and Cheniere — each at a cost
of$l billion. And those plants
will require water to cool the
gas at the points of transfer.
While these corporations
may not be household names,
some of the comp anie s helping
to finance them are, like Exx-
onMobil and ConocoPhillips.
Making a case
When ANRA attorney John
Stover makes a case before
TCEQ, he will attempt to
debunk the Homeland Se-
curity claim to water in the
watershed above Lake Sam
Rayburn. He will also attempt
to prove:
•that LNVA's request is
not consistent with the 2006
regional water plan, which
has already been adopted by
the Texas Water Development
Board.
•that Industrial water
needs in the Beaumont area
should not be considered at
the expense of future needs
in the middle and upper basin
areas.
• that if additional water
is needed by the industrial
complex in Beaumont, they
can purchase it from other
sources,
" Certainly better Water con-
servation methods need to be
put in place (in the Beaumont
area),'' said Mr. Renneau.
The City of Dallas may
weigh in on the side of ANRA
when the case is heard by
TCEQ. "I heard that Dallas
has assigned engineers to
look at how this case would
impact their water,'' said Mr.
Renneau.
With 37 percent of Lake
Columbia's water shares not
yet committed, observers
wonder how Dallas will fit
into the equation.
"There doesn't seem to be a
rational reason for what they
(LNVA) are asking to do," said
Mr. Renneau.
When LNVA construct-
ed a salt water barrier on
the Neches River, it saved
200,000-300,000 acre feet of
water annually from Lake
Sam Rayburn, which hadbeen
used to flush salt water out of
the river.
ANRA thinks that LNVAhas
a leak in its system, causing
an overall loss of 92,000 acre
feet per year. Possible culprits
are faulty meters, evapora-
tion, engineering problems
or a leak within the canal
system.
"We've looked at their num-
bers and triedto support their
need for this," said Mr. Ren-
neau. "We don't understand.
It's very strange and peculiar
the way they have approached
this, and colleagues around
the state don't understand
either."
Twists and bends on the
political landscape
State and local officials are
trying to familiarize them-
selves with new political
twists and bends on the An-
gelina-Neches landscape.
State Rep. Chuck Hopson
(D-Jacksonville) said that one
of his tenets to constituents
is to maintain local control of
natural resources.
"We must protect the natu-
ral resources of East Texas
at all costs. Lake Columbia
is vital to the future of East
Texas and our water needs.
The protection of our mu-
nicipalities' water must be
upheld."
State Sen. Robert Nichols
(R-Jacksonville) finds himself
in the position of a parent
observing a dispute between
two siblings. Both ANRA and
LNVA are located in his 16-
county district,
"When you talk about 'home-
land security,' are you saying
you want water to put out a
big fire, or are you asking for
water to allow communities
to build more industry," asked
Sen. Nichols. "I'm guessing
this is water to help provide
for industries, which Wouldbe
helpful to the nation.
"However, if this is remov-
ing future water rights from
municipalities, I do not like
that."
Sen. Nichols said that urban
communities are becoming
very concerned about water.
"It is a serious problem for us
to all help solve, he said. "It
also bothers me that we have
some communities, Munici-
palities that have made com-
mitments since 1963," he said.
"And one action from TCEQ
can take that away after al-
most half a century?
"I think we're going to be
talking about this issue for
a while."
Cities hke Rusk and Jack-
City of Rusk
continued from pg. 1A
was elected city-wide and then can't vote.
All you will have is a mayor who can cut a
ribbon. The citizens voted on this at the last
charter amendment election, ' Councilman
Sam Florian said.
"I am with Sam. Taking the vote away is
bad," Councilman Kris Morgan said.
City Manager Mike Murray told the council,
"You will have seven or eight months to chew
on this. Probably you will need to decide
something in February or March."
Councilman Don Jones said, "I do not find
anything that prevents someone from run-
ning for any district regardless of where they
live in the city."
Mr. Phifer said, "I will check to see if this
is addressed in the charter."
The limit on spending prior to council ap-
proval was discussed but a figure was not
decided.
An item on the agenda concerning cemetery
maintenance in District 2 was not discussed.
Lola Mallard, a resident in District 2, will
discuss the matter with the council at a
later meeting.
Councilman Donald Woodard said, "I went
to the cemetery last week and the whole
cemetery was mowed. He (Antonio Enriquez)
did a good job. It really looked good. My main
point has been that it all should be mowed
at one time."
In another matter, the council approved
a special use permit for Walter and Carole
Preble to locate a HUD Code Manufactured
Home on property located at the Rusk KOA
Campground, at 745 FM 343 E. The prop-
erty is currently zoned as B-2 for general
business.
The council approved the city's tax roll as
presented by the Cherokee County Appraisal
District and nominated Louis Caveness as a
candidate for the board. Mr. Caveness cur-
rently represents the city and Rusk ISD on
the board.
The Council approved a resolution for an
amendment to the $250,000 County Develop -
ment Block Grant for construction of a new
water tank on FM 343. The amendment will
change the size of the water line from the
tank to U.S. Highway 69 S. The line size will
be changed from six inches to eight inches.
Early in the meeting the council recessed
into executive session to discuss with the
city's attorney a possible settlement offer. No
action was taken on the matter following the
executive session.
At the conclusion of the meeting Council-
man Walter Session reminded Mayor Angela
Raiborn that the accounts payable had not
been approved. The council then approved
them and adjourned.
Attending the meeting were Mayor Rai-
born: Councilmembers Morgan, Session,
Jones, Woodard and Florian.
The next regular council meeting will be
Nov. 8 at city hall.
sonville made commitments to
Lake Columbia in the 1980s,
and are cautiously watching
developments.
"I hope that ANRAis taking
care of our interests on this
matter," said Mike Murray,
Rusk city manager. "We will
be watching this issue very
closely as it unfolds."
"I am very concerned about
water, now andin the future,"
said Jacksonville Mayor
Robert Haberle. "Our abihty
to hold on to it as a resource
becomes more critical over
time." He said he will be
monitoring the Lake Colum-
bia dispute and will travel to
Austin, if necessary, to protect
Jacksonville's interest in the
reservoir.
Unquenchable thirst
Squabbles between water
districts sometimes occur, par-
ticularly in West Texas during
a drought. However, LNVA's
motive in seeking control over
Lake Columbia's water flow is
murky, primarily because of
the gag order Homeland Secu-
rity has imposed on LNVA.
The case takes added signifi-
cance because of a precedent
that would be set of placing
industrial needs ahead of
municipal and household
needs. Mr. Renneau believes
if LNVA is allowed to control
the water flow of Lake Colum -
bia, by extension they would
FAST FACTS ON
The primary purpose of Lake
Columbia is water supply. Lake
Columbia is not a flood control
reservoir nor is it envisioned to have
hydroelectric capabilities.
The lake will be located in the Mud
Creek floodplain, approximately 10
miles northeast of Jacksonville, pri-
marily in Cherokee County, with the
northern limits of the lake extending
into Smith County.
It will be 14 miles in length, 1.5
LAKE COLUMBIA
miles wide; cover 10,000 acres;
contain 187,839 acre feet of wa-
ter; and provide 85,507 acre feet
of water per year to water supply
customers.
Environmental impact studies
are complete and have been sub-
mitted to the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. The next step is a 404
construction permit.
Officials say the lake could be
completed by 2010-11.
have the same authority on
all sources of drinking water
upstream, which could in-
clude Lake Naconiche, Lake
Nacogdoches, Lake Pinkston
and Lake Fastrill, if it is ul-
timately constructed.
A three-member TCEQ
board will have to sortthrough
a number of issues raised by
ANRA and LNVA.
Mr. Stroder said that he has
approachedANRAandoffered
to buy water rights from Lake
Columbia on three separate
occasions. "We wanted water
rights so we would have a
say in the water we would be
purchasing."
Mr. Renneau confirmed
that point, but said that their
request was not for "contrac-
tual rights," like the other
participants.
Contractual rights are
options to purchase water,
whereas "water rights" as-
sume ownership of water.
The difference between the
two, said ANRA officials, is
like leasing a car vs. owning
one,
"We don't see putting LNVA
on a different level than, say.
Rusk, or any other partici-
pant.
"They (LNVA) want the
water, and they don't want to
pay for it."
Mr. James agrees. "The
win-win scenario here is for
the industrial complex, such
as the LNG plants, to buy
the water rights from Lake
Columbia. The river would
benefit from increased flow
down river."
Mr. Renneau asked rhetori-
cally, "Is this all about sheer
greed?"
With a philosophical view-
point from a chapter of Texas
history, Mr. James said, "The
colonization of East Texas
continues as we export our
resources.
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 158, No. 34, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 17, 2007, newspaper, October 17, 2007; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152804/m1/6/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.