Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 152, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 1, 2001 Page: 1 of 14
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Clferokeeaif/Herald
Texas' Oldest, Continuously Published Weekly Newspaper - Established Feb. 27, 1850 as the Cherokee Sentinel
Big Ssnd-Off
Coach Marks Lanham helps send
the Lady Eagles off to Huntsville
with a comedy routine at the RHS
pep rally.
see page 8 for sports wrap-up
Vol. 152, No. 2 -14 Pages Thursday, March 1,2001
Rusk, Texas 75785 25 cents
Regional Finalists
LLiiLlV
m
Crystal Ward goes up for two of her 17 points Friday night in the
regional tournament against Kountze. The Lady Eagles were
defeated 71-56.
For complete basketball wrap-up, see page eight.
Commissioners authorize
purchase of new equipment
Cherokee County Commissioners
met Monday morning to consider an
agenda of 18 items, which included
purchasing county vehicle and ma-
chinery, grant applications, person-
nel and hearing reports.
Items covered included approval of
bids from Darr Equipment Co. for
$58,980 for a 7,500 HR Powertrain
420 D Backhoe loader with an Allis
Chalmers M-65 for $4,287 and a
Champion Motorgrader for $2,867
from Ricky Brown Trucks and Equip-
ment for Precinct 3; A dump truck
with dump body for $39,694.70 from
Pegues-Hurst Motor Co. for Precinct
3; a pickup truck from Bill McRae
Ford for $13,575 with a $8,000 trade
in for a Ford Tarus for Precinct 1; a
pickup truck for Precinct 2 from
Pearman Motor Co. for $23,897.69
with a $ 1,000 trade-in. Bids for pickup
trucks for Precinct 3 were rejected
and the item will be re-bid.
Also, commissioners approved the
purchase of a 1998 Fiat Allis
motorgrader for $55,000 from Head &
Engquist for Precinct 3.
A new sign machine will be pur-
chased with funds from the 911 bud-
get. Road and Bridge Undivided will
pay for the purchase of materials. The
sign machine will cost $5,841 plus
freight and software.
The employment of a county license
and weight officer was approved.
Commissioners voted to apply for a
three year Cops Fast Grant for the
employment of a new officer. The grant
can be renewed for a fourth year. It
provides funds to help with the salary
of a person filling a new position.
Sheriff James Campbell explained to
commissioners that it will be two or
three months before the county re-
ceives the grant.
Dottie Bridges, account executive
for National Bond & Trust Co. in
Kilgore met with members ofthe court
to discuss the county allowing payroll
deductions for the purchase of U.S.
Savings Bonds. The bonds pay 3.4
percent above the rate of inflation.
Savings Bonds are for five years.
In making his report to commis-
sioners County Attorney Craig
Caldwell reported that a total of
$8,320.76was collected for hot checks.
Fees and costs included bond forfei-
tures, $1,878.25; fines assessed,
$12,850; court costs, $12,751.25; for a
total collection $24,479.50.
Criminal cases for January include
cases open at the beginning of the
month, 3,142; criminal cases open at
the end of the month, 3,100; criminal
cases finalized, 86; DWI cases pend-
ing at beginning of the month, 534;
DWI cases pending at the end of the
month, 526; and five dockets con-
ducted.
A proclamation was adopted nam-
ing March 18-24 as Poison Control
Week in Cherokee County.
An inter-local agreement with the
City of Cuney was approved.
Two deputies were authorized to
attend a drug interdiction training in
Beaumont, Feb. 27-March 2.
Candidates file for public office
Area city and school elections have
been called for 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. May
5. Candidates began filing Feb. 20
and will continue through March 21.
Early voting is April 18 through May
1.
Rusk Mayor Emmett Whitehead,
councilman Walter Session and
Harold "Buz" Parrish are seeking
positions on the Rusk City Council.
Mayor Whitehead and Councilman
Session, who represents District 2,
are seeking re-election. Mr. Parrish,
former Superintendent at Rusk State
Hospital, offered his service after two
term councilman, Jerry Jordan an-
nounced that he would not seek re-
election to the District 1 position.
The election will be held at the
Rusk City Hall.
Two have filed for positions on the
Rusk Independent School District
Board of Trustees as of noon Feb. 27.
Three positions are open.
Two incumbents, Mike Ross and
David Fulton, have filed for re-elec-
tion. Dan Lade, the other incumbent,
has not announced his plans to seek
re-election.
The election will be held at the busi-
ness office of Rusk Independent School
District.
Alto Mayor Pro-tem Garwin Baugh
announced last week that he would be
a candidate for mayor in the May 5
election. Current Mayor Sandy
Wallace has announced that she will
not seek re-re-election for the post she
has held for four years. Two council
positions are open in this election.
Please see CANDIDATES, page 6
4 veterans promoted at RSH
Four veteran Rusk State
Hospital employees have
been promoted to new as-
signments.
Kevin Gentry has been pro-
moted to Director of Plant
Maintenance, Lana Starkey
to Director of Environmen-
tal Services, Lynda
Roberson, to Senior Program
Director, and Brenda Slaton
to Unit Program Director.
Promoted to Senior Pro-
gram Director, Lynda
Roberson is a 28 year em-
ployee of the hospital hav-
ing served as treatment unit
Program Director for the
Sabine and Trinity Multiple
Disabilities Units. She be-
gan her career as an assistant
caseworker. A graduate of Prai-
rie View A&M University in
Prairie View, Texas, Lynda has
two sons, N. Chris Roberson
and Michael Roberson. Lynda
grew up in Henderson and is
the daughter of Clinton and
Annie Brown. She is a member
of the Mt. Hebron Missionary
Baptist Church in Henderson.
In her new role, Ms. Roberson
will have administrative re-
sponsibility for all residential
services. Ms. Roberson will also
be a member of the hospital
senior leadership team and will
be supervising residential pro-
gram directors.
Gentry, the new Director of
Plant Maintenance is a lifelong
resident of Rusk and has been
employed for 16 years in the
hospital's maintenance depart-
ment. He is married to Shelia
Coates Gentry. They have one
son, Janson, six months. Kevin
is a deacon and adult Sunday
school teacher at the Pleasant
Grove Baptist Church. His
parents are J.C. andRuby Gen-
try of Rusk.
In his new role, Mr. Gentry
will have major responsibility
for physical plant maintenance
of the hospital's 73 buildings.
As the Director of Plant Main-
tenance, Mr. Gentry will be-
come a direct report to Mike
Crysup, Director of Auxiliary
Governing body meets
at Rusk State Hospital
Kevin Gentry
L. Robertson
Lana Starkey Brenda Slaton
Services.
Lana Starkey, Director of En-
Please see RSH, page 10
The Governing Body of Rusk
State Hospital will meet at the
hospital Wednesday, March 7
beginning at 9 a.m. in the
Centralized Activities Build-
ing 611.
The governing body meets
on site twice each year to ac-
cept written and verbal reports
presented by the hospital ad-
ministration.
At the beginning of this meet-
ing, the public is invited to
make comments relevant to
the management of the hospi-
tal. Persons wanting to be on
the public forum portion of the
meeting can contact the office
of the Rusk State Hospital
superintendent, (903) 683-
7296 to be placed on the pub-
lic forum agenda. Public com-
ments are limited to three
minutes per person.
The remainder of the gov-
erning body meeting will be-
gin after public comments
have been made and will not
be open to the public.
Rusk State Hospital is a fa-
cility of the Texas Department
of Mental Health and Mental
Retardation, and serves 29
East Texas counties.
The East Texas Poll
Would you pay a fee to
block telephone
solicitations at your home?
East Texans don't like receiving telephone
solicitations at their homes, and they're will-
ing to pay a fee to have all of them blocked.
State Rep. Burt Solomons (R-Carrollton)
recently filed HB 472, a "no call" bill, that
would enable all Texans to block
telemarketing calls for three years for a $3
fee.
Telemarketing fraud costs
Americans approxi- . Not Sure
mately $40 billion
each year, and
older people are
especially vul-
nerable, accord-
ing to the Na-
tional Fraud In-
formation Center.
Approximately 78 per-
cent of fraud victims are older than 55 years.
In the East Texas Poll, approximately 76
percent of poll respondents support the pro-
posed legislation. Only 18 percent said they
do not mind getting solicitations, while six
percent are unsure.
Tara Crosby, who conducted the joint poll
for CD 97.7 FM and the Cherokeean/Herald,
said she received strong reactions on the
survey.
"One person told me that he'd pay $3 a
month to stop the annoying calls," said Mrs.
Crosby.
Meet Me in St. Louis Opens Thursday
Tootie, Ester and Agnes demonstrate how the Smith family can do the cakewalk.
Meet me in St. Louis is the childrens showforthe Cherokee Civic Theatre and opens
Thursday, March 1. From left are Bailey Rozelle, Diana Parker and Hayley Childs.
See cast list and theatre review on page two.
4 rescued from
Neches River
Don Lusk, 43, of Maydelle, who spent nearly
eight hours in the Neches River last week has
been released from East Texas Medical Center
Tyler.
He and three companions were attempting to
cross the Hopson Bridge on the Neches River
when their pickup truck was swept off the road.
Captain Robert Carlson, TP&W Game War-
den, said recent rains had flooded the river and
water was over the roadway.
However, the driver of the vehicle Tally Hol-
land, 46, of Rusk, had attempted to cross over.
The pickup had traveled about a quarter of a
mile in the high waters when the truck was
swept off the roadway and into approximately
six feet of water.
Mr. Holland and two female companions
stayed with the vehicle until daylight when
Holland swam to shore and called emergency
rescue personnel.
Lusk was swept from the truck and was lodged
in a tree several yards downstream, where he
remained until he was rescued around 9 a.m.
Thursday. He had been up to his neck in water
for the approximately eight hours. He was un-
conscious when he was rescued. He remained in
ICU most of the day Thursday.
The two women, Michelle Tucker and Irma
Banks, 24, both of Rusk, were found on top of
the submerged truck, Capt. Carlson said. They
were treated and released at ETMC Jackson-
ville.
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 152, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 1, 2001, newspaper, March 1, 2001; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152459/m1/1/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.