Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 157, No. 22, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 19, 2006 Page: 1 of 14
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Rusk, TX 75785
Vol. 157, No. 22 - 16 pgs.
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WEDNESDAY
July 19^2006
Texas' Oldest Weekly Newspaper
CANINE CRUSADER
ANIMAL RESCUERS CURB ABUSE
Kevin Koonce lovingly presents two labs for
adoption. As the founder of ETAR, East Texas
Animal Rescue, Mr. Koonce spends his spare
time helping neglected animals. See pg. 8A.
ar
AHEAD OF THE CUR
AREA BALL TEAMS FIGHT FOR THE BIG TIME
Local little leaguers and junior teams in baseball and softball
muscle for rank in summer tournaments. Some earned a
spot to compete for the coveted state title. See page 1B. ,
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#•*7'-
V
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Gubernatorial candidate
plans TSR whistle stop
Chris Bell, Democratic
gubernatorial nominee, will be
in Palestine July 29 to ride the
Texas State Railroad and show
support for state parks.
Mr. Bell will board the east-
bound train in Palestine for an
11 a.m. departure. Hewill return
to the Palestine depot on the
westbound train at 12:30 p.m.
and hold a press conference in
front of the steam locomotive.
Recent budget cuts have
caused the historic Texas State
Railroad to announce that it will
no longer be able to provide
passenger service beyond
December 2006.
TxDOT to hold public
meeting in Wells
Texas Department of Trans-
portation officials will hold a
public meeting from 5-7 p.m.
on July 25 at Wells Elementary
School to discuss a proposed
expansion of U.S. Highway 69
in Wells and southern Cherokee
County. Purchases of rights of
way will be required of several
proprietors in the area. Ques-
tions and comments from the
public regarding the potential
social, environmental and eco-
nomic impacts of the improve-
ments will be considered
throughout the planning phase.
Additional information aboutthe
proposed project is available
for review at the office of Tyler
Area Engineer Vernon Webb,
located at 15986 SH 155 south
of Tyler.
The proposed expansion
concerns 2.9 miles of U.S.
Highway 69 set to be widened
into four lanes with a flushed
median. The project will cost
an estimated $16.5 million,
according to officials.
Rep. Hopson named
pharmacist of the year
The Texas Pharmacy Asso-
ciation will present State Rep.
Chuck
Hopson
with its
highest
honor
this week
during the
group's
annual
meeting
and expo in The Woodlands.
Rep. Hopson, who is the only
licensed pharmacist in theTexas
Legislature, was named the
pharmacist of the year.
The expo begins Friday.
Weather Outlook
\i i ¿
v V
THURSDAY
warning: protect plants
20% chance of rain
Rep. Chuck Hopson
High:
94
Low: 72
Ol lo
KWRW
Council hears TSR briefing
New $20,000 economic impact study will be ready in August
By Gloria Jennings
Staff Writer
An update of what is being done on the Palestine
end of the Texas State Railroad was presented by
Steye I'resley of Palestine Thursday evening at the
Rusk City Council meeting.
Mr. Presley, member of the Palestine CityCouncil,
is also chairman of a special task force created to
keep the railroad open.
The task force membership includes several from
Palestine and Charles Hassell, Bob Goldsberry,
Mayor Suzann McCarty and Marie Whitehead
from Rusk.
"When we got word that the
Palestine depot was closing, every-
one was surprised in both Palestine
andRusk. The legislativepeople and
representatives of Parks and Wildlife
and the Lieutenant Governor went
to work to get the Palestine end of
the railroad open.
"The state promised that funds
would be available to open the Palestine depot. We
later found out they transferred the necessary funds
Please see TSR BRIEFING, pg. 6A
Steve Presley
1 7
Solimkrs of Seryice
/ / /
outh nistry tackles housing
problems o le at a t me
}y Mic;
/
Batema
táff wri
fear.
neces-
warrior knows no
Armed with the
sary tools for the job, he
trudges forward, beaded
with sweat and beleaguered by the
countless tasks ahead, comforted
inly by the thought that he is
naking a difference.
¡ hundreds of miles from home
<md meagerly nourishedby
packed-away rations,
he confronts his enemy
head on and intently
draws his weapon: one
¿standard white paint brush.
Df course, this is no ordinary war-
rior - this is a goodwill warrior
ioing his part as a soldier in the United Methodist
Army to combat neglect, where it stands to offend the
welfare of society's seemingly forgotten children,
One soldier. One Army. One mission.
^ryce Coffer knew this when he signed up.
he stood last Wednesday afternoon
awaiting his next shipment of paint
n the almost 100-degree heat,
he delighted in the smile that
stretched across his client's face.
"Just to see the faces of everybody
we're helping is amazing," Bryce
said. "They don't have time to care
or can't care for their house because
of other things going on in their lives, so
that's why we pitch in and help."
On that particular day, Bryce, a United Meth-
odist member in Klein, joined his Houston-area
work team to whitewash and renovate the exterior of
a home on Sycamore Street in Rusk, whose owner was
ill-conditioned to make the repairs himself.
Please see SOLDIERS OF SERVICE, pg. 6A
'
/
LU - AM
Yustees
inspect
campuses
By Micah Bateman
Staff Writer
The Alto ISDboardof trustees
held a special meeting Monday
evening to take a tour of district
facilities and assess problems
just an hour before the board's
regularly scheduled meeting at
7:30 p.m. in the administration
building.
Alto superintendent Dr. Ray
DeSpain led the tour, beginning
with what he believed to be
substandard carpeting in the
middle school library. Portions
of the carpeting were fraying,
he pointed out, and buckling
at places.
Please see AISD, pg. 2B
I
<
Alto ISD
trustees
Randy Low
and Teddy
Pearman
listen to
Superinten-
dent Dr. Ray
DeSpain
express his
concerns
about the
condition
of the high
school park-
ing lot. The
Alto ISD
school board
took a facili-
ties tour in a
special meet-
ing Monday
evening
before the
regularly
scheduled
board meet-
ing.
City is ready to flip the switch and
activate water well #3
By Gloria Jennings
Staff Writer
Rusk water well No. 3 is ready to be connected to
the city's water system, Mike Murray, city manager
and Danny Christopher, director of public works, told
the Rusk council Thursday evening.
The well has been down since llieearly pari of June.
Water service was halted June 11 and 500 persons
hving on the eastern side of Rusk were without water.
Please see WATER WELL, pg. 6A
32-year-old
man receives
80 years for
sexual assault
Phillip Page, 32, of the Rusk area, was seiitencedto 80
year s in Texa s Dep ar tment of Criminal
Justice on charges of aggravated sexual
assault of a child.
Ajury in the 2nd District Court with
Judge Bascom Bentley III presiding,
found Mr. Page guilty of the charge
involving a seven-year-old girl. Mr.
Page must serve a minimum of 30 years
before becoming eligible for parole.
The defendant was charged in con-
nection with the incident tha.t occurred
in a home in July 2005. He was a friend of the child's
family. The child told her mother of the incident and
the defendant's DNA was found on her underwear.
Mr. Page has been in the: Cherokee County jail since
the incident occurred.
Jury for the case was selected July 10 and the trial
began July 11. Mr. Page was found guilty July 13 and
sentenced later that afternoon.
He was represented by Forrest Phifer of Rusk. The
state was represented by Rachel Patton, assisted by
District Attorney Elmer Beckworth.
r
Philup Page
German POW
camp to get
state marker
Kevin Stingley documents more than
200 Germans held captive near Alto
There are no known photographs to document an
interment camp near Alto during World War H. But
through oral and written documentation, historians
know that Alto was a destination for German prisoners
captured during the war.
The site of a German Prison of War camp on the
Elkhart Highway (SH 294), just outside Alto, will
receive a historical marker; compliments of the Piney-
wood Foundation of Lufkin.
Cherokee County is one of seven sites to receive
markers.
"There has never been a marker there and we are
really excited about it," said Cherokee County Histori-
cal Commission Chairman Ann Chandler.
The POW camp housed approximately 200 Germans
during World War II. "People did not talk about it during
that time," she said. "Many local people thought if the
Germans knew where they were they would come back
and get them," she added.
"Several women in the area dated the camp guards,
but for the most part it washush hush. Not ma ny people
knew much about it,'' Mrs. Chandler said.
Commission member Kevin Stingley did the research
for the marker and got most of his information from
sources in Washington IXC.
"I had to really chg because there was Very httle
information available," said Mr. Stingley. The camp
Please see POW CAMP, pg. 6A
CM K
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 157, No. 22, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 19, 2006, newspaper, July 19, 2006; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152740/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.