Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 153, No. 16, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 12, 2002 Page: 1 of 14
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Cberokecap/Hcrald
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper - Established Feb. 27, 1850 as the Cherokee Sentinel
Vol. 153, No. 16-14 Pages Wednesday, June 12, 2002
contact
Jacksonville native
Deborah Yates dazzles
audiences in the musical
Contact
See page 14
Rusk, TX 75785
25 cents
Alto s Distinguished Achievers
New transmission lines
can put Rusk on fast track
Alto High School's graduation was held June 2 at Jacket Stadium. Distinguished
Achievement Program graduates include (front row, from left) Katy Pearman and
Amy Johnson. In back are Morgan Guidry, Josh Spurger and Ashley Lindsey.
High speeddata transmission
lines are only six miles south
of Rusk and could become a
reality, a TXU spokesman told
members of the Rusk Industrial
Foundation at a Friday noon
meeting.
John Bradford, who is the
business development archi-
tect for TXU Communications
specializing in commercial
business, told the group the
first step in obtaining fiber
optic lines is to work with
local businesses and assess
their needs and interests with
a survey questionnaire sup-
plied by TXU.
Members of the economic
development committee invited
Mr. Bradford to the meeting in
hopes of attracting new busi-
nesses to Rusk by offering the
same t ype of Internet services
available in larger cities.
High speed data lines allow
information to flow at nearly
40 times faster than the 56
kilobytes per second that is
available to Internet subscrib-
ers in the area today. Home
Internet users would see a sig-
nificant increase in the speed
in downloading, Mr. Bradford
told the group. He cited a recent
example where he transferred a
large picture file in six seconds
on a two-gigabit network.
Even wireless phone Service
would i mprove dramatically, lie
said. Several area businesses,
as well as Rusk State Hospital,
the TDCJ Hodge and Skyview
units, transfer information
daily and Internet service is
a central part of their ability
to provide services to the com-
munity. What now takes five
minutes with a 56k data line
would take about seven seconds
with a high speed data hne.
Mr. Bradford discussed
another fiber hne which was
installed approximately two
years ago by CapRock Com-
munications, which runs from
Beaumont to Dallas and bisects
Rusk and Cherokee County
CapRock Communications
filed bankruptcy and sold
assets to McCloud Communi-
cations. which is now in bank-
ruptcy receivership.
He said TXU Communica-
tions has looked at that hne
and how it could be utilized
in TXUs existing fiber net-
work. His company's network
includes approximately 1,800
miles in Texas, which stretches
north to Longview, south to
Corpus Christi, with a line
from San Antonio to Dallas
and another from Houston to
Austin, Within the downtown
Dallas area alone, the company
has 260 miles of fiber serving
32 buildings and is one of the
three largest players in the
data transmission business
in Dallas.
Rusk State Hospital
New RSH superintendent Ted
Debs, attending his first meet-
Please see HIGH-SPEED page 6
Voters may decide salary increases For employees
■ Aug. 30 deadline
set for petition
Promoters for salary raises
for Cherokee County Sheriff's
Department employees gath-
ered Monday morning at the
Southern Cherokee Federal
Credit Union to begin work
on obtaining 3,600 signatures
asking for a referendum elec-
tion. Sheriff James Campbell
affixed his signature to a peti-
tion calling for the election. His
name was first on the list and
he asked that space be saved
for his wife to be the second
signer.
Five negotiators to represent
the deputy's association have
been named to work on the
project. They are Blake, Bailey,
Ricky Richards, JoAl Cannon
Sheridan, Ralph Lindsay and
Roy Cavazoz. These persons are
working on the project on their
own time and will not receive
compensation.
Negotiators will meet with
members of the Cherokee
County Commissioners Court
in an attempt to come to an
agreement concerning the
salary hikes. The proposed
hikes will be approximately
$280,000 with benefits, which
will be divided over a two-year
period.
«nwBLii/: fiin
■a "
/
Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell affixes his name on a petition asking for a referendum election to provide
salary increases for employees of the Sheriff's Department. Seated from left are Keith Radcliff, Sheriff Campbell and
Kevin Huckabee; second row, JoAl Cannon Sheridan and Carolyn Wilkerson; back row, Johnathan Rhodes, John R.
Raffield, Gina Bartley, Jake Carter, Jonathan Hughes, Dale Burch, Todd Dover, John Pyle, Roy Cavazoz and Tom Had-
dock.
When Sheriff Campbell
signed the petition, he stated
thatthe county budgetprovides
almost $2 million to the Sher-
iff's Department. "The depart-
ment is not a money making
department. You don't make
money on law enforcement.
We can't pay what it is worth,
but we have fallen behind for
years andnow arepaying much
below the average for this area.
The proposal will help to bring
salaries up, but salaries will
still be below average," Sheriff
Campbell said.
Average salaries for law
enforcement in East Texas
are in the neighborhood of
$28,500.
Currently the base salary
for beginning positions in
Cherokee County is $16,980.
The group asks that those
salaries be raised to $21,000.
Corporals currently make;$150
above the annual base and ser-
geant s. $300 more than base.
Corporal jailers and dis-
patchers will make $22,000
and sergeants, $23,000 under
the plan.
■A beginning deputy makes
$21,348 and that salary under
the plan will be increased to
$27,000. Instead of $150 addi-
tional salary for corporal depu-
ties and $300 for sergeant depu-
ties, they will make $28,000 and
$29,000" respectively.
The CID Investigator makes
$21,948. That salary will be
increased to $29,000. The CID
Lieutenant makes $22,248,
compared to $30,000 under
the new plan. CID Captain
will be increased from $25,616
to $32,000. The Jail Adminis-
trator will be increased from
$2 1.786 to $32,000 and the
chief deputy from $26,190 to
831.000
Currently officers receive
a $45 per month clothing
Please see SHERIFF page 6
Alto City
Council
meets
The Alto City Council
made a decision in the
ongoing dispute between
Alto resident Ann Clark
and the owners of the
R&R Car Wash located
on Hwy. 69 South. Under
the advice of city attorney
Steve Guy Mayor Terry
.Black informed Ms.-Clark
that the dispute was a
legal matter between her
and the owners of the car
wash. Ms. Clark in cheated
after the decision that she
would seek legal action.
The issuewás presented
to the council at the May
I I meeting, and Ms. Clark
explained to the council
she believed the car wash
had been built too close to
her property, in violation
of city zoning laws. She
said the soap from the car
wash blows into her yard
and creep s into her home,
causing her many health
problems.
The council discussed
Please see ALTO page 6
SR slates two new liming opportunities
G.W. Bradford Week
Two movie fi linings are scheduled in
the near future at the Texas State Rail-
road, assistant superintendent Mark
Price told members of the Main Street
Board Monday noon. Board members
met at the Southern Cherokee Federal
Credit Union for their regular monthly
meeting.
Mr. Price said that one of the films
will be shot sometime between mid-
July and late August and will be an
IMAX production of Hudley, a civil war
submarine. The second is a HBO pro-
duction, which will be filmed mostly
in West Texas in the fall. However,
filming will be here for the train ride
of Pancho Villa.
Also, Mr. Price reported that rider-
ship at the railroadis below the 42.000
high mark of last year but is still more
than previous years.
He said Parks and Wildlife person-
nel from Austin were impressed with
the cooperation among the various
East Texas cities during the Forest
Trail opening ceremonies in Rusk
recently.
Martha Neely, Main Street/
Economic Development coordinator
said she had met with Ivimberly Ball
concerning an ad in Texas Monthly.
They have offered Main Street cities
an ad, connections to the web site and
a story in the magazine for $1,400.
Main Street cities that have just pur-
chased a logo in the past have received
between 500 and 800 responses the
first month.
Mrs. Neely said Nacogdoches has
bid on a convention that will involve
approximately 350 persons. They are
scheduled to ride the train and will
have a party in the maintenance shop.
Decision will be made soon. Beaumont
is the other bidder for the event.
The organizational committee is
planning a membership dinner in the
fall at Jim Hogg Park. Main Street
supporters who have paid their $15
dues will be treated to a free ham-
burger dinner.
The design committee will attend an
upcoming meeting of the Commission-
ers Court to ask for S1.000 for Christ-
mas decorations. The committee is in
Please see MOVIES page 6
Time runs out or county's hot check writers
Cherokee County Attorney Craig
Caldwell and District Attorney Elmer
Beckworth Jr. and local law enforce-
ment officers are involved in a hot
check round up.
Law enforcement agencies with
arrest warrants in hand were scour-
ing the county for hot check writers
last week.
" We gave thesefolks plenty of warn-
ing. Now it is time for them to pay
up," said Mr. Beckworth. "1 believe
that the message we: are sending to
the businesses in Cherokee County is
that the prosecutors take hot checks
Seriously and when we say 'We are
coming, we are coming,"' Mr. Caldwell
continued.
The "round up" will continue for an
undisclosed period of time, "We have
coordinated our efforts with Sheriff
James Campbell, who is expecting
to be feeding a number of additional
prisoners over the next few days,"
explained Caldwell.
The individuals who are: arrested
will be given notice of their appear-
ance in the County Court at Law at 9
a.m. July 2. "The whole day has been
set aside by Judge Dixon to deal with
this particular group of people," said
Mr. Caldwell.
"Individuals who are not picked
up this time will certainly make the
new round up unless they contact Lois
Garner at 683-5597 at the District
Attorney's office or Jackie ( ¡ruber at
683-2423 at the County Attorney's
office," said Mr. Beckworth.
Rusk Mayor Emmett Whitehead signs a proclamation designating
the weekend of June 14-16, G.W. Bradford and Rusk Colored School
Weekend in Rusk. From left are Lola Ward Mallard, Councilman
Walter Session and Juanita Lindsey Simmons. Activities will begin
at noon Friday with a reception at the Weston Inn in Rusk. A talent
show will be at 7 p.m. Friday at the Bradford Gym. Saturday's events
will include a brunch and business meeting at 9 a.m. at the gym;
a picnic at noon at Rusk State Park; and a banquet and program
at 7 p.m. at the Rusk Junior High Cafeteria. A dance is scheduled
for 9:30 p.m. Saturdayand a worship service is planned for 10 a.m
Sunday, all at the Bradford Gym.
C IV K
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 153, No. 16, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 12, 2002, newspaper, June 12, 2002; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152521/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.