Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 151, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 7, 2000 Page: 1 of 18
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Cherokeean/tieraid
Texas' Oldest, Continuously Published Weekly Newspaper - Established Feb. 27,1850 as the Cherokee Sentinel
Stop By for Opcn House
A
STOP
TxDOT is re-opening the
Rusk offipe, and is
holding a.copimunity-wide
open house Sept. 12
seepage 14
Vol. 151, No. 29-18 Pages
Thursday, September 7,
SCTTi]
Rusk, Texas 75785
25 cents
Sizzling Summer
I Thermometers
register 111°F
Temperatures are sizzling
across East Texas. Cherokee
County has reached or ex-
ceeded the 100 degree mark for
the eleventh consecutive day
in a row as of Tuesday. Thurs-
day was the hottest day re-
ported with temperatures soar-
ing to 111 degrees.
With these scorching tem-
peratures, rainfall is severely
needed. August had only .22 of
an inch of rain. The reported
total rainfall for the months of
June, July and August is 6.19
inches. Since 1998, the rainfall
total fur the summer months
has measured six inches or
less. This was a tremendous
drop from the previous sum-
mers with 18.15 inches of rain
in 1997 and 20.01 inches in
1996.
Due to this shortage of rain,
Please see DROUGHT, pg. 12
YEAR-TO-DATE RAINFALL TOTALS
Rusk It an official reporting station for the
National Weather Service. The chart below
compares rainfall between January and
Auguat in Inches.
t >C: ,
□
1996
■
1997
■
1998
n
1999
■
2000
¿7///.; V///,
fig
mirth
Data: CityofRuak
Graphic: Cherokeean/herald
State deeds Jim Hogg Park to Rusk
■ Deal includes
$160,000 grant
The Texas Parks and Wildlife
Commission authorized the trans-
fer of Jim Hogg State Historical
Park to the City of Rusk last week.
The city, which originally deeded
the 178-acre park east of Rusk to
the state in 1941, will receive a
$160,400 grant to make needed
repairs and improvements to the
park that pays tribute to James
Stephen Hogg, the state's first
native born governor. Park facili-
ties include a scale replica of Hogg's
birthplace, housing, museum, fam-
ily cemetery, nature/interpretive
trail and a picnic area.
"We have great plans to develop
the Jim Hogg Park into an even
greater treasure for the people of
Texas," said Rusk Mayor Emmett
whitehead.
Jim Hogg, from his early days as
an apprentice of this newspaper,
later became Texas' first native
born Governor.
A new picnic pavilion with
restrooms are planned as an added
attraction to encourage a cross-
section of people and provide for
diverse group activities. Total cost
of these improvements are bud-
geted for $112,000. These esti-
mates are based on cost of similar
construction at Eisenhower Birth-
place State Park in Denison, The
city will provide in-kind material
. .
• -
Rusk Mayor Emmett Whitehead presents a document from the city to John Yarbrough, Region VIII
director for Texas Parks and Wildlife. The proclamation was in acceptance of the donation of the Jim
Hogg State Park to the city. The transaction was completed Aug. 31 at a meeting of the Parks &
Wildlife board. From left are Gloria Jennings and Walter Session, council members; Mr. Yarbrough
and Mayor Whitehead.
and labor. This will bring the
restroom facility into compliance
with the requirements set out by
the Americans with Disabilities
Act. The Texas Historical Com-
mission also recommended the
expanded restroom facilities.
Another new attraction for park
visitors will be new playground
equipment at a cost of approxi-
mately $ 1,700. The addition to the
park will encourage park use by
families of young children. The
equipment will be similar to Game
Time Products.
Another $6,900 has been ap-
proved to replace eight picnic tables
and barbecue grills to picnic sites.
The city will contribute its share of
the cost with labor and other assis-
tance.
All signage at the visitor infor-
mation station will he replaced
and enhanced for a cost of an esti-
mated $8,000.
Please see HOGG, page 12
Illegal deer stands must be moved from city property
Deer may be fooled by the heavy
camouflage draped over several
hunting stands south of Rusk.
However, city officials have their
"sights" trained on the illegal
stands and they want to send a
message to the owner: move the
deer stands off city property, or
face a $500 fine.
The Rusk City Council approved
an ordinance Aug. 29 that bans
hunting on city owned property.
The law was adopted when offi-
cials learned of several deer sta nds
strategically placed on a 250-acre
tract of land which adjoins youth
soccer fields and the rodeo grounds
off FM 343. The back side of the
property touches Jim Hogg State
Historic Park, which is being trans-
ferred to the city of Rusk.
"We're working to make this area
a tourist attraction with nature
trails. We feel very strongly that
hunting should be stopped for the
safety of visitors who may be out
there," said Rusk Mayor Emmett
Whitehead.
City officials were informed that
in addition to the deer stands,
someone has cut trees and used
them to block trails leading to the
deer stands. Also, some areas of
the property have been mowed and
cleared.
The city has imposed a Sept. 30
Several deer stands like this one have been set up on city-owned
property, and now the Rusk Council plans to open the area to
tourists with hiking trails. Whoever owns the deer stands must
move them by Sept. 30 or face a $500 fine.
deadline for removing the deer
stands. After that time, the city
will confiscate the stands and sell
them.
Effective immediately there will
be a fine imposed of up to $500 for
hunting on city land.
The city will sell the leer stands
if they are not remo red by the
deadline.
■ Council works 011
$2.7 million budget
The Rusk City Council met Aug.
29 to continue work on the city's
2000-2001 budget. The $2.705
million budget will be financed
with a 59.4 cent tax rate.
Last year's budget was $2.74lí
million and was financed with a
59.5 cent tax rate.
City spending had to be cut to
make the budget balance as pay-
ments on the bond indebtedness
had to be increased. That portion
of the tax rate was increased from
9.1 cents to 10.7 cents. That por-
tion of the rate would have been
even higher if the council had not
elected to take $10,000 in existing
funds and apply those to the bond
payment.
During the discussion Aug. 29,
the council agreed to increase com-
puters and software from $17,500
to $25,000. The city will continue
to provide health, dental and eye
insurance for city employees, but
cut its contribution for dental in-
surance for employee's families.
At the time that the city started
paying for this benefit for employ-
ees, the cost was only $2 or $3 per
employee. Now it has increased
r>nd the council agreed to discon-
tinue this service.
City hopes to
purchase land for
new water tank
The city expects to carry over
$88,000 from last year's budget.
In other matters to come before
the council were the discussion and
plans to purchase property from
Herschel Kyle for location oia wa-
ter storage tank. The council voted
to advertise for bids for the pur-
chase of a one-ton truck for the
water-sewer department.
The council voted to change its
regular meeting date from Thurs-
day evenings to Tuesday evenings
at 5 p.m. However, the September
meeting will still be on Sept. 14
because it has been advertised as
the date for setting the tax rate
and approving the budget.
Attending the Aug. 29 meeting
were Mayor Emmett Whitehead;
council members Jerry Jordan,
Walter Session, Gloria Jennings,
Thomas Parsons and Charles Hor-
ton; City Manager Mary Daly and
City Secretary Fran Wendeborn.
8 sites
considered
for new
post office
Postal officers have a total
of eight potential sites for the
new U.S. Postal Office that
will be constructed in Rusk.
Mel Harris, who is charged
with on site inspection of the
eight locations, stated that
he will come to this city in the
very near future to begin the
evaluation process. Harris
and Larry Brooks, contract-
ing officer of Dallas, will get
together some time after Sept.
5 to go over all the facts of the
offers.
The eight sites will be
posted in the local post office,
and will also be announced in
theCherokeean/Herald. Har-
ris pointed out that the site9
posted did not represent any
order of preference.
Harris explained that he did
not plan to announce the turn
he will be here to evaluate the
sites.
The East Texas Poll
if the presidential election were held
today, who would you vote for?
If the presidential election were held
today, George W. Bush would carry
Cherokee and Anderson Counties, ac*
cording to the results of The East Texas
Poll.
However, early polling results indi-
cate a 22.8 percent group of voters re-
main undecided in the upcoming Nov. 7
election. This block of undecided voters
may determine the outcome of the elec-
tion, if they swing towards either the
Democratic or Republican parties.
The East Texas Poll was conducted
jointly last week by CD 97.7 FM and the
Cherokeean/Herald newspaper. Sev-
enty persons were queried on their vot-
ing intentions in the upcoming elec-
tion.
Some 42.9 percent of respondents
support Texas Gov. George W. Bush,
while 34.3 percent indicste they will
cast their votes for Vice President Al
Gore.
"A few people weren't even sura who
was running," said Tara Crosby, who
conducted the East Texas Poll. "There
were no respondents who indicated
undecided
they plan to vote for Green Party can-
didate Ralph Nader."
Those who have firmly made up their
minds about the forthcoming election
indicated strong reactions about the
election.
"A few people stressed they would
not vote for Bush, or they would never
vote for Gore," Mrs. Crosby said. "It
suggests thst some era casting a vote
to keep someone they dislike out of
office, rather than putting someone in
that they really like."
Dean of Radio celebrates 88th birthday
The Dean of East Texas Radio, Park
Watson, will celebrate his 88th birth-
day Wednesday, Sept. 6. Mr. Watson
works for KWRW-FM radio where he
hosts the popular morning show Talk
Time. He first began working for this
station in 1981, And in the past ten
years he has taken approximately
115,000 telephone calls from 34 differ-
ent prefixes. Calls come in from places
around the U.S. such as Alaska. Michi-
gan and Florida.
"Mr Watson brings wit, wisdom and
a good time whenever he is on the air,"
said Robert Gonzalez of KWRW-FM.
When listeners call in and ask him
how he is doing, his patent response is
"I'm swinging like a garden gate." He
feels that it is more than just a job.
When asked what is the high-point in
his career he said. "Every morning I
wake up is a high-point with me; every
morning is different."
Mr. Gonzalez said. "Working with
Mr. Watson is always an adventure.
You never know what's going to hap-
pen."
Mr. Watson has been in some type of
m* i,n
broadcasting for 50 vqars. Most of the
years were in radio, but he did work in
television and did not particularly care
for it.
Even before broadcasting Mr Watson
had been in show business When he was
seven years old he and his famil> partici-
pated in a traveling theater railed a
At 88 years of
age, Park
Watson is the
undisputed
"dean of radio"
in the East
Texas area. He
hosts the
popular
TalkTime radio
show on
KWRW, CD 97-
FM six days a
week from 8 •
9:30 a.m.
chautauqua They would pitch a tent
and do live performances as a singing
quartet in a religious oriented setting
They would also participate in play*;
one play he acted in was called rtu'
Brutus
Please see DEAN OF RADIO, page 12
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 151, No. 29, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 7, 2000, newspaper, September 7, 2000; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth168660/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.