Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 159, No. 44, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 24, 2008 Page: 1 of 16
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thecherokeearu
íj Vol. 159 ■ No. 44 ■ 16 pgs.
WEDNESDAY
December 24, 2008
Rusk, Texas ■ 50 cents
RUSK ALL 22 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA
PLAYERS SEIZED BY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
QC' ■*+" It's a (DREAM TREE) wrap! 156 kids, seniors helped
Pg.7B
Pg.2B
A Christmas miracle - still unfolding VVfllk
By Quinten Boyd
Staff Writer
Christmas miracles don't always occur dur-
ing the holiday season. They do not always
involve chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
In Alto, a miracle is still unfolding that
began 16 months ago during the dog days
of August,
The message in Jason and Amanda Collie's
e-mail signature says:
There are moments in your life that make
you and set the course of who you are going
Jo be. Sometimes, they're little, subtle mo-
ments. Sometimes, they're big moments you
never saw coming. No one asks for their life
to change, but it does. It's what you do after-
wards that counts. That's when you find out
who you are!
Their daughter Hannah is living proof of
See MIRACLE, pg. 6A
COURTESY PHOTO: JASON AND AMANDA COLLIE
-< Since receiving a heart transplant 16 months
ago, 4-year-old Hannah Collie has become a
"rambunctious" little girl as well as a loving big
sister to 14-month-old Cooper.
TELL US WHAT YOU
THINK. Visit our website
and send an e-mail.
withdraws
pet tion in
District 11
Incumbent state Rep. Chuck
Hopson will be sworn in Jan. 13
INSIDE
A. Frank Smith United
Methodist Church sets
holiday services
Holiday erents are scheduled
this week at the A. Frank Smith
United Methodist Church in
Alto.
Dhurch youth will lead the 5
p.m. Christmas Eve candlelight
service. A worship and game
night is planned Ne Year's Eve
beginning at 7 p.m.
Everyone is invited to all ser-
vices of the church, said the Rev.
Dick Dobbins.
Christmas services
planned in Rusk
Christmas Eve services are
planned for the Rusk First United
Methodist Church, First Presby-
terian Church and First Baptist
Church.
A candlelight holy communion
service will begin at 5:30 p.m. at
the First United MethodistChurch,
308 N. Henderson. Additional
information is available by calling
(903) 683-4675.
A candlelight communion
service will be held at 5:30 p.m.
at First Presbyterian Church, 312
N. Main. Call (903) 683-4602 for
additional information.
First Baptist Church's Christ-
mas Eve service will begin at
6:30 p.m. Additional information
is available from (903) 683-5494.
The church is located at 372 E.
Fourth St.
A family Christmas dinner
will be served from noon to 7
p.m. Christmas Day, Thursday.
Dec. 25, at the VFW Hall, U.S.
Highway 69 S. and Fourth Street
in Rusk. Dinner will be available
to all to enjoy the family meal and
atmosphere.
Gifts for needy children will be
available. Additional information
is available from Calvin Brown
at (903) 283-2437. Reservations
may be made with Lela Brown
(903) 284-1126; Marie Hicks,
(903) 330-7357; and Ti'jona
Brown, (903) 589-3930.
Weather Outlook
THURSDAY
partly cloudy
10% chance of rain
High: 60
Low: 52
CLASSIC HITS RADIO
KWRW - FM and KTLU-AM
OFF, OFF & AWAY!
With cheaper
gasoline prices,
many families are
hitting the road
By Quinten Boyd
Staff Writer
O
Iyer the river
andthrough
the woods...
and then
through several traffic
lights and behind that
huge 18-wheeler that
won't move as well as the
multiple trafficjams and the
drivers driving too fast and the
drivers driving too slow...
With all these worries for
travelers, there'sonefactor that
is no longer causing as much
strain: gas prices. Travelers
looking to take Christmas trips
as long as Santa Glaus'now find
themselves able to do so thanks
to gasprices significantly lower
than the summer's prices.
The East Texas poll conduct-
ed by the Cherokeean Herald
asked whether or not subscrib-
er s would make a road trip over
the holidays and if the price of
gasoline influenced their deci-
sion. The Cherokeean received
38 responses from people across
the country.
In the first question, respon-
dents were asked whether or
not they would make, a road
trip over the holiday season.
1
A Shelby Hassell (center) is flanked by her twin sib-
lings, Aubrey (left) and Hagen (right). The almost two-
year-olds are saying "no, no, no" to Santa's "ho, ho,
ho." The trio are the children of Trey and D'Ann Hassell.
Answers were split down the
middle, with 19 deciding to
make a trip and 19 deciding
to stay close to home.
The second question asked
ifthe recent chop in gasprices
had an influence on their de-
cision. Eighteen respondents
said that gas prices did not
have an influence on their
decision. Seven said that
the price made an impact on
whether or not they would
travel.
Some who chose notto travel
cited the economy, not gas
prices alone* as reasons not
to travel.
"We do not plan to go
anywhere as times are re-
ally difficult," said Margaret
McLean of Alto. "Everything
has gone up, 'because gasoline
was so high." Gas has come
down, but nothing else. Our
paycheck doesn't go as far as
it used to."
Jim Harper of Gallatin said
that gas prices would have
been a factor had they not
dropped, but he andhisfamily
still use methods they used
See CHRISTMAS, pg. 6A
A WWII PILOT'S STORY
'Nothing but og, and no place to land'
Flying over Europe, a 22-year-old combat
pilot confronts the greatest challenge of
his life when he realizes tha t he's trapped
in thick fog, someone forgot to put batteries in
his radio and he has no place to land.
The radio operator pleads for permission to
jump rather than crash land ....
'0 4879 12768
By 1 st Lt. James Fisher
This is an account of an unexpected
World War II event that occurred on
Dec. 23, 1941 — and lasted approxi-
mately 10 days.
Iwasa 22-year-oldB-26Marauder
combat pilot, always on call. We were
usually not called for a mission for
two days and once called,
expected to fly the ilext two
days, rotation. This was the
day before Christmas Eve
and we had hoped we would not be
called out.
As members ofthe 391stBombard-
ment Group, we were separated into
See SOLDIER, pg. 6A
JAMES
FISHER
The late Dr.
Fisher wrote
a horrifying
account of a
10-day mission
that began
Dec. 23,1944
in this first-person
account, the author asked
that it not be published
until after his death.
Republican challenger Brian K. Walker
of Ta turn withdrew a petition at 4:32 p.m.
Monday to contest the race that he narrowly
lost to incumbent state Rep. Chuck Hopson
(D-Jacksonville) in District 11.
In the petition, Mr. Walker called into
question the voting procedures in Cherokee
County following a recount. (See pg. 6A for
a summary of the original petition.)
Now that the petition has been withdrawn.
Rep. Hopson will not have to defend his elec-
tion before the House of Representatives,
which would have voted asa tribunal on Mr.
Walker's petition.
Rep. Hopson will be sworn into office Jan.
13, 2009, for his fourth term of office.
"Our campaign prevailed on Nov., 4 and
again after a fullrecount. While we were con-
fident we would prevail and that the election
process in all four counties was administered
competently and fairly, we are pleased that
this election has come to a conclusion," Rep.
Hopson saidin a prepared statement relea sed
late Monday.
Mr. Walker could not be reached for a
comment at press deadline. His campaign
manager, Zach Vaughn, said that he no longer
works for Mr. Walker.
Hishiredpohtical consultant; Cory Kennedy
of Ryan Erwin and Associates, promised an
e-mail statement.
"I am not on the record right now for Brian
Walker. You will receive information from us
shortly if you are on deadline.''
In his legal withdrawal of the original pe-
tition, Mr. Walker stated; "given the lack of
complete data presently available to contes-
tant (Mr. Walker) in this race, the significant
issues facing the Texas House in the coming
months and recognizing the potentially divi-
sive nature of an election contests'" s proceed-
ings, Contestant believes that the interest of
the constituents of House District 11 and the
interest of the Texas Houseof Representatives
would best be served by with chawing this
election contest.''
Attorney for Rep. Hopson, Renea Hicks,
said that while Mr. Walker's original peti-
tion contained a lot of words, it lacked legal
substance.
"Contesting an election is not something to
be taken lightly.' he said
Speaker of the House Tom Graddick is
expected to review the document on Tuesday
and approve it,
Mr. Walker 's petition was received by mail
last Thursday at the Secretary of State's of-
fice. The filing deadline was 5 p.m. Monday.
See DISTRICT 11, pg. 6A
ir r.vj to
v* nfij L>v C
U.S. soldiers send greetings, ap-
preciation and photos to Rusk Inter-
mediate School students who made
Christmas ornaments. See pg. 8A
CM K
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 159, No. 44, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 24, 2008, newspaper, December 24, 2008; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152866/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.