Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 157, No. 16, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 7, 2006 Page: 1 of 16
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Cherokeean
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WEDNESDAY
June 7, 2006
Texas' Oldest
Weekly Newspaper
Vol. 157, No, 16 -16 pgs.
Rusk, TX 75785
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Summer league softball is in full
swing as batter Brittany Watson
steps into the ball.
For more information, see pg. 1B
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Lucas Turner's Eagle Scout project
promises to make Conley Park in Rusk more
fun this summer. See pg. 8A
NEWS
Copies of graduation
magazine still available
Afew copies of the Cherokeean
Herald's 32-page salute to
Cherokee County graduates are
still available.
The issue was on newsstands
last week, and less than 100
copies are available for sale at
the Cherokeean Herald office,
618 N. Main St. in Rusk.
Back issues can be purchased
by telephone with a credit card by
calling (903) 683-2257.
Rusk council will meet
at 5 p.m. Thursday to
consider 13 items
Members of the Rusk City Coun-
cil will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at
city hall to consider an agenda of
13 items.
Among the items to be discussed
will be the appointment of a mayor
pro-tem, municipal judge, city
attorney and secretary.
A resolution will be considered
to allow the police department to
accept a vehicle and other equip-
ment from the Dogwood Trails
Narcotics Task Force.
The council will review text and
maps to be transferred to the office
of Rural Community Affairs for
consideration.
A committee will be appointed
to propose changes in the city's
charter. The council will discuss
plans for Water Well No. 3.
Cherokee County
cities are posting
healthy gains
Based on sales tax rebates
from the state comptroller's of-
fice, the economy in Cherokee
County is posting healthy gains
even though they lag behind
the state average.
For the first three months
of the year, cities in Cherokee
County are collecting ap-
proximately8.91 percentmore
than during the same period a
year ago.
For a detailed report on
sales tax rebates, including
monthly reporte, see pg. 3A.
Weather Outlook
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THURSDAY
sunny
20% chance of rain
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Splash day is
june 17 at Rusk
City Pool
By Terrie Gonzalez
Managing Editor
fhe Rusk City Pool will
open with fanfare and
a big splash June: 17.
Coach Marks Lanham,
who teaches basket-
ball at Rusk ISD September
through May, is wading into
uncharted water as the new
manager of Rusk City Pool.
Inside: Clip and
save pool schedule
He will spend the next 12days
training a dozen hfe guards
and putting final touches on
the facility before the: grand
opening.
"The city council and the
(Texas Department of Criminal
Justice) work squad have done
a tremendous job of getting
the pool ready," said Coach
Lanham. "My goal is to make
everything go smoothly"
The "coach" in Marks Lanham
means he has eyes in the back
of his head and that he has
Please see SPLASH, pg. 6A
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Destiny Jarred, 11, Sheridan Sniveiy, 5, and Colton Snively,
7, test the water at Rusk City Pool while practicing their
cannonballs. New pool manager Marks Lanham is train-
ing a dozen lifeguards this week and anticipates a grand
opening June 17.
PHOTO: TARA CROSBY
City council hires Marks Lanham to run swimming pool
By Gloria Jennings
Staff Writer
A contract with Marks
Lanham to operate the swim-
ming pool was approved at a
brief Rusk City Council meet-
ing at noon on Friday The city
will pay Mr. Lanham a total of
$24,500 for the summer.
Á payment of $6,000 was
made at the Friday meeting.
Another $6,000 will be paid in
July, $6,000 in August and the
remainder on Sept. 15.
Splash Day is planned for
June 17, but Mr. Lanham said
he hopes to open around June
14.
Hourswillbe 12:30-7:30p.m.
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays
and Fridays; 12:30-5:30 p.m.
on Wednesday; and 12:30-6:30
p.m. on Saturdays. The pool will
be closed on Sundays.
Admission is expected to be
$2 per person.
The council had voted last
month to contract with the
Palestine YMCA However, the
YMCA declined the offer and
City Manager Mike, Murray
met with Mr. Lanham to invite
him to assume the operation of
Please see COUNCIL, pg. 6A
bmato Fest set
this weekend
Street dance planned Friday night
The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce will
host the 22nd Annual Tomato Fest in downtown
Jacksonville this weekend. Chamber informational
director Peggy Renfro says she expects to have 8,000
to 10,000 people in attendance this year.
"We had about 8,000 (attendees) last year," she
said. This year, she
a a ► ■ < 22nd Annual
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said, the chamber
expects more.
"Well, we have
several new ap-
pealing events to
draw people in," she
said.
Theséinclude the Chili s fit's) annual Street dance,
a horseshoe and washer tournament and akaraoke
and talent contest.
The street dance will kick off this weekend's festivi-
ties Friday evening following the best home-grown
tomato contest Friday afternoon. The dance will be
held in the Chili's parking lot at 1225 S. Jackson
(US 69 South) from 6 p.m. to midnight, Admission
is free of charge, and the program will include five
Please see TOMATO FEST, pg. 6A
Dallas awaits final
report on alternate
wildli :e refuge site
The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported Tuesday
that the proposed Neches River wildlife refuge has
been placed on hold in Washington, D.C. to give
the city of Dallas time to complete the final draft
of a report recommending an alternate location
for the iefuge.
Officials with the city of Dallas have retained a
private consulting company to examine alternate
sites. According to the report, the research has
been completed, although the final draft will not
be submitted until the end of June.,
Pro-refuge supporters had been anticipating a
decision this week by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Direc-
tor Dale Hall, who has a proposal sitting on his
desk to create a 25,000-acre refuge in the Neches
River bottom on the Cherokee and Anderson county
hne.
The city of Dallas and the Upper Neches River
Authority want to build a 26,000-acre reservoir on
the same footprint.
Please see NECHES, pg. 6A
Performance
benchmarks
IMS preparation begins early as
districts vie for accountability
By Micah Bateman
Staff Writer
While some school districts
hke Jacksonville and Alto may
have fallen behind state aver-
ages on the recently released
TAKS (Texas Assessment of
Knowledge and Skills) tests,
even others like Rusk, which
met or beat the State average
in 19 of the 27 tests, are still
taking measures to improve
exam scores.
The reason behind the con-
stant chive for higher scores,
year after year, is the account-
ability the state places on
faculty and administrators for
results. According to teachers,
this is partly the result of the
pressures of the No Child Left
Behind Act passed several
years ago.
This is why school districts
in Cherokee County are taking
action now in an attempt to
see passing rates hike next
spring.
"Our administrative team
will be working all summer
on schedules, programs and
delivery methods to improve
all areas of weakness," Rusk
ISD Superintendent Dr. Jim
Largent said. Among the dis-
trict's areas of weakness. Dr.
Largent counts namely fourth
grade writing and ninth and
tenth grade mathematics.
Though 84 percent of Rusk
students passed the fourth
grade writing exam, the rate
falls well under the 92 percent
state passage r ate for the: same
exam.
The state average has come
to be known by administrators
in the area as the performance
benchmark.
Dr. Largent said Rusk also
had some subgroups that did
not perform sufficiently in his
eyes.
Please see TAKS, pg. 6A
Blowing off steam
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The popular "Kids Ride Free" promotion at the Texas State Railroad is underway
and will continue through September. Up to five children 12 and under can ride
free when accompanied by an adult. For ticket reservations call (903) 683-2561 or
(800)442-8951 or visit the railroad's Web site at www.texasstaterailroad.com. See
related story on Friends of the Texas State Railroad, pg. 7B.
PHOTO BY JOHN GARBUTT
CM K
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 157, No. 16, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 7, 2006, newspaper, June 7, 2006; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152734/m1/1/?q=technical+manual: accessed June 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.