The Panola Watchman (Carthage, Tex.), Vol. 108, No. 64, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 8, 1981 Page: 1 of 19
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$2.45 million set aside for work on 3 Panola County highways
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24 Pages. 4 Sections
Vol 108, No 64
Sunday, February 8, 1981
1981, Panola Publishing Co , Inc , all rights reserved
Carthage. Panola County, Texas 75633
SWEPCO seeks rate increase
r$150
$141.17
$125
$100
$95.96
100.46
School board
$7$
election to be
$50.76
held April 4
$50
$28.16
A. <
1,000 kwh
2,000 kwh
500 kwh
Monthly Kilowatthour Usage
• o
Parker to plead ‘not guilty’ to murder
N
Truck wreck injures 2
• 2
1
gets new office
\
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teama
i
k & ae
located with
he
(
Ellis, whois
relatives io Ho
3
This c hart compares the present rates for
SWEPCO electricity with the proposed
rates. The bottom line shows what the
various kilowatthours cost now and the
top line what they would cost if the entire
requested hike was approved.
PANO
COUNTY I
TEXAS
SWEPCO vice president and East Texas
Division manager, said this was only the
second rate increase ever sought by
SWEPCO in its East Texas territory and
the first request made to the Public
Utilities Commission of Texas since its
creation in 1976
The utility was granted a rate increase
in Carthage in July of 1976, just prior to
the creation of the PUC, according to city
records
Should this request tie approved in its
entirety.' Best said, "It would increase
our annual gross revenues in Texas by
27 2 percent Percentage increases in the
various customer categories will vary
somewhat from this overall figure Even
with the increase our rates will continue
to compare very favorably with those
charged by neighboring utilities
Best said the primary reason for the
rate hike was the "rising cost of doing
business inflation has been unrelenting
in recent history and especially high
during the most recent 18 months ”
According to figures released by
SWEPCO, if a residential customer uses
500 kilowatt hours a month, the rate
would jump from $20 83 to $28 16 For
1000 kilowatt hours a month the increase
would be from $37 25 to $50 75 For 2,000
kilowatt hours the figure would increase
from $68 86 to $95 96 and for 3,000 it would
go from $100 46 to $141 17
A breakdown of the average bills from
October 1979 through September 1980
showed the average monthly usage was
950 kilowatt hours Under the present
rates, that much electricity would cost
the customer $36 35 while under the
proposed rate it would go to $49 79 On a
• 1
c
intersection of FM 2517 at Deadwood
EM 1971 will be reworked from State
Hwy 315 w the initersection of FM 999
and FM 124 will be repaired from State
Hwy 149 at Beckville to V S Hwy 79 at
Fair Play
The roads are not expected to be closed
eral
but
Three Panola County highways are
scheduled for extensive repair and
resurfacing according to the Texas
Department of Highways and Public
Transportation
District Engineer Lawrence Jester of
Atlanta said sections of FM 31. FM 1971
By MARYLEE KN!GHT
Staff Writer
William Robert (Billy Bob) Parker, 31.
of Tenaha will plead “not guilty to the
charge of murder when his trial begins
Feb 23 in the 123rd District Court in
Carthage, according to his Houston
Attorney
The announcement was made in court
Wednesday by Parker’s attorney Dick
Deguerin. The announcement came
during the opening minutes of a hearing
of pretrial motions before District Judge
Benny Boles
Deguerin maintained throughout the
proceedings that no witness claims to
have seen Parker at the scene of the
crime, the shooting death of Shane
Caskey
Caskey. 21. died of shotgun wounds at
his home near Joaquin during the early
Caskey said that he saw Parker shoot his
son, he only said that he knew Parker did
it Deguerin insisted that the complaint
was based solely on the elder Caskey's
belief that Parker was responsible Boles
again delayed a ruling on the motion until
Feb 11
Throughout the proceedings Deguerin
cited many references to cases decided
by the U S Supreme Court and the Texas
Court of Criminal Appeals At one time
he produced a photostatic copy of one
such case and gave it to Judge Boles to
read
Parker, looking pale and subdued, sat
with his parents and talked nervously
while waiting for the hearing to start
Once the court action began he
chainsmoked and repeatedly turned to
scan the faces of the few onlookers in the
courtroom
me
highway and rolled over several times
The load of heavy oilfield equipment was
broken and scattered for about 50 yards
along the ditch beside the highway
The accident occurred just east of
DeBerry on U S Hwy 79
Tax appraiser
250 kwh
Ma -
The Tatum Booster Club is
sponsoring an adult volleyball
13-14 beginning at6
pm Friday and 1 pm Saturday
hrophies wil he awarded to winning
The Carthage Amateur Radio
Society (CARS! wil moot
Tuesday.Febloatt pm.inrom
I
I
3,000 kwh
>
evidence and was never brought before
the grand jury
Boles delayed until Feb 11 ruling on
four requests of Deguerin for written
statements of any words said by the
deceased just before or just after the
shooting and for radio logs and
investigative files of the law enforce-
ments units involved in the case
Deguerin also introduced a motion to
supress evidence and called Panola
County Deputy Kevin Jacobs, Shelby
County Sheriff Paul Ross and Franklin
Parker, father of the defendant, to the
stand for sworn testimony Parker’s
attorney alledged there were insufficient
facts presented in the original complaint
lodged with Justice of the Peace Weldon
Soape therefore a warrant should never
have been issued for his client’s arrest
He repeated that at no time as Boyd
mately 35 miles of roadway in the count)
will be involved
The work is expec ted to begin this
summer and completion is possible
during the fall Contracts are expected to
be awarded in Austin in late spring or
early summer
have phones and other pecemsary
equpment inatalled bylatenent "eehk
Southwestern Electric Power Com
pany has filed for a rate increase
throughout its East Texas service area
The request was filed on Feb 5 and the
utility company is seeking to raise its
rates effective March 12 Harold Akin,
manager of the SWEPCO office in
Carthage, said requests were filed on
Thursday with the Public Utilities
Commission as well as with the Panola
County incorporated areas of Carthage.
Beckville, Tatum and Gary
According to a news release from
SWEPCO, the request is for $34 7 million
and would be spread through the
residential, commercial and industrial
customer classifications E J Best.
4
ittle
but
t Y
aset
M I
Under the program, highways that
have experienced base failure because of
heavy oil and gas exploration equipment
traffic and other energy related
activities will be repaired
Some $2,458,000 has been set aside for
the work in Panola County Approxi
School Board elections will be held in
several area school districts on April 4
and candidates are beginning to
announce their intentions to seek the
posts
Tatum s school board will meet on
Tuesday and the calling of an election to
fill two vacancies is on the agenda That
election is to be on April 4
Beckville is also to call a school board
election for the same date The Beckville
School Board will meet on Monday night
to officiallv call the election
Beckville School Superintenden Dr
Andrew Nutt said that until the school
board had officially called the election,
there could be no announcement of who
has filed for the positions
Filings have already begun in
Carthage where two positions are open in
an April 4 election
Oil field contractor Lee O Graves this
week announced that he would seek the
Place 1 seat on the Carthage board
Dwain Brady currently holds the post
and has announced that he would seek
re-election.
Graves said he is a lifelong resident of
Panola County and wanted to do
something for the schools He said he had
sent five children through the local
school system and had long been
interested in the schools
Graves is owner of Tri Lark Corpora
tion and a member of Southside Baptist
Church in Carthage He and his wife,
Geraldine, reside south of Carthage off
Hwy 59
WWeek
A chun supper will be sponsored by
Bethel Baptiat Church WMA Feb. 21
at 5:30 p.m. Proceeds will go to the
completion of • church library.
history on any person called by the State
as a witness or on any witness that the
State anticipates will be called by the
defense
The bulk of the requests granted
concerned physical evidence found at the
scene of the crime, names of witnesses
and any statements regarding the crime
(hat have been made by Parker or James
T Chambers
A warrant for Chamber’s arrest was
issued at the same time as one was issued
for Parker Chambers was arrested
shortly before noon on Oct 22 by Shelby
County officers and transferred to
Panola County He was arraigned before
Justice of the Peace Lovis O Nail on a
charge of murder in connection with the
Caskey shooting Bond was set at $25,000
which Chambers soon posted and was
released Later Chambers turned state's
eye
The WomenS Aglow Fellotahip
will taw its monthly salad luncheon
Tuesday. Feb. M at Northside
Christian Center Robert Bagley «t
Beekville will speak, the program
begins at 9:30 a.m
morning hours of Oct 22, 1980 He was
Parker s brother-in-law Parker was
charged with the slaying and was
indicted by a Panola County grand jury
on Nov 19
Deguerin, a law partner of the famed
attorney Percy Foreman, claimed that
Parker was implicated only by testimony
of Boyd Caskey, father of the deceased
The attorney commented. I suspect that
the witness thought about implicating
Billy Bob at a later time ”
Dist Attorney John Walker and
Deguerin spent more than an hour
together negotiating individual requests
before the hearing began in open court
Approximately 30 requests were pre-
sented to Boles for opinions Boles
granted most of the requests read into
the record by Deguerin, but did deny his
request for a complete written criminal
AMOCUTON
E Two Michigan men, one the son of a
E Carthage couple, were injured Wednes
E day morning when their transport truck
E ran off the highway and overturned
E several tunes just east of DeBerry
E Injured in the accident were Warren
David Albers, 38, of Stevensville, Mich
and David Alan Thompson, 38, of New
Buffalo. Mich
E Thompson was reportedly the more
E seriously injured in the accident He was
E listed in guarded condition at Schumpert
Medical Center in Shreveport ami Albers
H was listed in satisfactory condition
Both of Thompson s legs were broken
2- and he also reportedly suffered serious
er cuts Albers reportedly suffered injuries
The repair work will involve making
repairs to the subgrade of the roadway
and then adding additional base
materials Then the roads will be
resurfaced
The section of FM 31 to be repaired will
be from 1 S Hwy 79 at DeBerry to the
upgrading progra I . Jester a I the State
Highway and Public Tratsportation
Commission approved an Energy
Impacted Road Improvement Program
and the work in Panola ( ounty would be
part of this program
M 3; *
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pecy * -re r im-
P.C. 1,8 15132
T . *5235
L..s6
120.033
sh
yearly basis the average customer used
11,396 during the year at a cost of $436 24
The new rates would push that total cost
to $597 46. or an increase of 37 percent,
according to figures furnished by the
company to the City of Carthage
Carthage City Manager Charles
Thomas said the SWEPCO request would
now be referred to the city's attorney for
review
Akin said if no action has been taken by
June 10, under PUC regulations
SWEPCO could implement the increase
but must hold the funds from the increase
under bond and if the rate hike should be
denied, then the funds would have to be
refunded to the customers
The PUC and the various cities
involved must act on the request
independently
Under Texas law, cities may retain the
right to regulate utility rates within their
limits or they may turn that authority
over to the Public Utility Commission
Just this week the Carthage City
Commission adopted a resolution stating
that it desired to retain the right to
establish utility rates
SWEPCO president Lamar Stall said
the utility serves some 330,000 customers
systemwide Texas, Louisiana and
Arkansas with 131,800 of these being in
Texas
in May of 1980 the company was
granted an $8 7 million increase in
Lousiana and currently there is a request
before the Arkansas Public Service
Commission for a $15 6 million rate hike
in addition, the company is asking a $10 4
million rate hike for wholesale custo
iners
12%
DEMOLISHED TRUCK — A flatbed transport truck accident on U.S. Hwy 79 just east of DeBerry Two
and its cargo were demolished Wednesday in this Michigan men were injured.
to the ribs and underwent surgery to
remove fluid from his lungs.
I Albers' parents, Mr. and Mrs. Warren
■ Albers, said their son was planning to
" stop by for a visit before continuing the
trip. «i
ft Department of Public Safety Trooper
I Jota McDaniel who investigated the
wreck said the top of the cabot the truck
was torn off and both men were thrown
from the track. The track ran off the
TLis
Members of the Panola County Central
Appraisal District board of directors met
Tuesday and confirmed the location of
offices for the districts new chief ap
praiser, according to secretory Max
Bauer
Jewel Kita. who accepted the position
in early January, will soon conduct the
districts business from the Cinema
Shopping Cenet, in office space between
the theatre and Almauds Hichory Stick
$25—
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Douglas, Marshall. The Panola Watchman (Carthage, Tex.), Vol. 108, No. 64, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 8, 1981, newspaper, February 8, 1981; Carthage, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1517963/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sammy Brown Library.