The Kerens Tribune (Kerens, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 2, 2006 Page: 1 of 8
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The
KERENS
**Z 004 CC
^ ^ ^ ^ FLEMING BOOK BINDING
Mr W Wm 73 COUNTY RD 1441
7 ?ffi§ QUITMAN NM 39335
rtbUut:
Vol. 114 No. 5
Serving Navarro
County since 1892
Kerens, Texas "The Birthplace of Big Tex" Thursday, February 2, 2006 500
- BURNBAN-
All outdoor
burning or use of
equipment that
could emit sparks
or heat that could
ignite extremely
dry
vegetation is
prohibited
Support the
Bobcat and
the Lady
Bobcat
Basketball
teams!!
Kerens PTO
will meet
Tuesday,
February 7 at
6:30 p.m. in
the School
Library
Local Meetings
Navarro County Com-
missioners meet at 10 a.m.
on the second and fourth
Monday of eachmonth in the
County Courtroom on the
first floor of the Navarro
Comity Courthouse.
Kerens City Council
meets on the first Tuesday
after the 5th of the month at
7 p.m. in the Kerens City
Hall.
Friends of the Kerens
Library meet at 6 p.m. on
the second Tuesday of each
month in the Kerens Public
Library.
Kiwanis meet each
Wednesday at noon in the
Double D Steak House.
The Kerens Area
Chamber of Commerce
meets at noon in the Double
D Steak House on the third
Monday of each month.
Kerens Independent
School District Board of
Trustees meet at 6 p.m. on
the third Monday of each
month in the School Admin-
istration Building.
Kerens Ex-Students
Association meets at 6:30
p.m. on the third Tuesday of
each month in the Kerens
Alumni Building.
Masonic Relief Lodge
#236 meets at 7:30 p.m. on
the third Tuesday of each
month in the Lodge Build-
ing.
Kerens Volunteer Fire
Department meets at 7:30
p.m. on the second and
fourth Thursdays of each
month in the Kerens Fire
Station.
Kerens Emergency
Alert System Siren shall be
tested the first Wednesday
of every month at 1 p.m.,
unless inclement weather
conditions are present
Emergency Numbers
Fire or Police emergency
call----------------—911
Fire or Police non emer-
gency -----903-654-3001
Kerens City Hall —------
«---------903-396-2971
after hours-903-654-3001
Index
Birth Announcement pg. 3
Classified pg. 6
Comics pg. 5
Crossword pg. 5
Editorial/Opinion pg. 2
Livestock Rpt. pg. 4
Obituaries pg- 3
Soc. Sec. pg. 2
School Menu pg- 3
Sports pg. 8
Pet Therapy
at Kerens
Care Center
Thanks to Activity
Director Dawn
Gowin,Keren’s Care
Center is giving their
residents Pet Therapy
every Tuesday and
Thursday. It is a big
hit, the residents really
perk up when they see
“Jace ”, Dawn Gowin’s
Miniature Australian
Shepherd puppy. Seeing
my dog brings back old
memories of the dogs the
residents used to own and
love, they all want to pet
Jace, hold him and give him treats.lt is awesome to see the
change in their mood and attitude after being around Jace. It
makes me feel great that I can help enrich the residents lives by
sharing my pet with them.
Kerens Volunteer Fire
Fighters get a work out
in the last part of 2005
By Neal Williams
Tribune Editor
Dawn Gowin and Jace
Courtesy photo
Kerens Cemetery
Association elects officers
KERENS, TX-Officers
for the Kerens Cemetery
Association were elected for
the year 2006.
O.R. Spurlock was elected
to the office of President,
Don Paschal will serve as
Vice-President and Nora
Lee May was elected Secre-
tary.
It was noted at the meet-
ing that several people have
taken advantage of the per-
manent endowment on there
cemetery lots.
It was suggested that ev-
eryone consider making a
donation to the cemetery in-
stead of sending flowers.
The Cemetery Association
will send appropriate cards
to the family noting the do-
nation.
Directors for the Cemetery
Association are O.R.
Spurlock, Don Paschal,
Aubry Saunders, Martha
Fields, Brenda Atkeisson,
Rick Neumayer, Norton
Conner and Gene Bullard.
The last part of 2005 kept
the Kerens Volunteer Fire
Fighters very busy respond-
ing to emergency calls, as-
sisting neighboring volun-
teer fire fighters and keep-
ing the equipment in work-
ing condition.
Medical emergencies con-
tinued to be the most often
request for assistance. July
was the most active month
with 31 calls and November
the least active month with
Toward the end of the
year, the Kerens volunteers
were frequently responding
to assist neighboring depart-
ments.
Grass fires are time con-
suming because of the mop-
up work involved. The fire
isn’t out until all the hot
spots are extinguished. At
times, the hot spots are more
time and resource consum-
ing than getting the fire un-
der control. Then comes the
13 responses. The average job of getting the equipment
for the seven month period cleaned, repaired and ready
Over 55? Low Income?
Need a Job??
Experience Works, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that
provides paid job training and employment services to low
income older workers.
We are seeking out the seniors in the community who are
in need of our services. Experience Works, Inc. Senior Com-
munity Service Employment Program, funded by the Depart-
ment of Labor, Title V of the Older Americans Act, helps
low income individuals, age 55 and older get back to work.
Experience Works, Inc. collaborates with nonprofit organi-
zations and community service agencies to provide paid work
experience and training to seniors prior to transitioning into
the workforce.
Experience Works, Inc. is recruiting job-seeking individu-
als in the community who are 55 and older with limited in-
come and want to work.
Please visit our website www.experienceworks.org for
more information or call Betty Northcott, ext. 230, atl (800)
880-5292 toll free or (903) 874-8276.
Are you aware of Adapt?
was almost 21.5 per month.
The department responded
to a dozen structure fires
during this period. A struc-
ture is any type building, not
necessarily a home, but the
owner usually suffers a loss
in any case.
Grass fires dominated the
fire fighting activity ranging
from 4 to 11 per month in
the Kerens Fire District.
With the strong winds and
extremely dry conditions
these fires ranged from less
than an acre to 50 or more
acres.
for the next emergency re-
sponse.
During this seven month
period, the department also
responded to 10 vehicle ac-
cidents.
According to the statistics
this office receives from Fire
Marshal Bill Stovall, the
department responded to 41
emergency responses listed
as other. The other category
is for calls that could be dan-
gerous, but after further in-
vestigation prove not to be
an emergency. An example
of this could be the smell of
electrical wire burning
caused by a ballast in a
light fixture.
November, with 24 emer-
gency responses was the
only month in the seven
month period that was less
than an average of one call
per day.
September had the highest
number of calls with 51.
Only nine shy of averaging
two calls per day.
Total calls for the seven
month period was 272 or an
average of about 39 per
month, or just over 1.25 per
day.
All in all, it was a very
busy time for the volunteer
fire fighters, vehicles and
equipment. Without a doubt,
this is our most active group
of volunteers and we are
most fortunate to have this
large group of dedicated in-
dividuals.
Thanks, we do appreciate
everything you do for your
community even if we don’t
always tell you how much
we appreciate your service
to the community.
The Wonderful Folks of Big K
By: Tenny Whorton through and if I didn’t—he
would take it out of my
One of the things that uncle’s account. And if my
makes visiting or living in uncle couldn’t cover it, he
Kerens a real pleasure is the would take it out of his own
people you see from day to personal account. Well, the
day. Some might be old people in Wisconsin just
friends, others new acquain- kept shaking their heads,
tances. But the people of One guy mumbled, “Now
Kerens have always been the that’s a different kind of
factor that sets our city apart, bank, isn’t it?” Oh man, I
For example, I was in the just couldn’t stop laughing.
Cedar Creek Bank the other • I was working out at
day and ran into Bubba the YMCA in Corsicana re-
cently and ran into Hobart
Hilliard. Hobart has been
retired from the pharmacy
for sometime but likes to
Representative Byron
Cook would like to make
you aware of the following
available service:
Adapt provides mental
health services for children
and adults in Navarro, Collin,
Dallas, Ellis, Kaufman and
Travis counties. The Adapt
local office is located at 800
North Main Street, Suite D
in Corsicana.
Adapt expanded services
from Ellis County to Na-
varro County in July 2004
when the Johnson, Ellis,
Navarro MHMR (JEN
MHMR) discontinued ser-
vices in the county. Initially
300 individuals were trans-
ferred from JEN MHMR to
Adapt. Adapt experienced
dramatic growth in the fol-
lowing year. From Decem-
ber ’04 thru last November,
1180 different Navarro
County citizens were
served.
From December 1, 2004
to November 30, 2005 the
Adapt Corsicana Clinic pro-
vided 11,650 total services,
amounting to 4991 hours of
service. Of the 4991 service
hours, 989 were profes-
sional hours consisting of
psychiatric evaluations and
medication monitoring.
Adapt services are
made possible through
the NorthSTAR program;
the State Department of
Health Service’s (DSHS)
permanently funded behav-
ioral health service system.
Services are paid for through
federal, state, and sometimes
county funds. Individuals are
eligible for NorthSTAR ser-
vices through Adapt if they
experience a serious mental
illness and if they receive
Medicaid or meet the state
mandated financial criteria.
If you would like addi-
tional information you can
contact the Adapt office at
(903) 872-1000 or (877)
872-1011.
Blissett. No, he doesn’t
work at the bank anymore,
but even retired bankers
have to get a little cash now
and again. I asked him why stay fit by swimming and
he doesn’t hang out at the doing exercises five days a
local coffee bars so we can week. He is always positive
see him more. He said he
doesn’t want to mess up the
landscape like that, or some
such lame excuse. But he
did tell me proudly about a
grandson who plays football
and is a great kicker. He
and talked about what a real
plus our KESA (Kerens
Alumni Center Association)
building has been for the
city.
• At the annual Ker-
ens Chamber of Commerce
thinks he might get a college Banquet a couple of weeks
scholarship as a kicker. He’s ago I saw a person who
proud of him. He also told
me his brother and my old
football buddy, Dick (J.B.)
is doing well out at the Ker-
ens Care Center. He moved
out not long ago.
Bubba was one of my fa-
vorite bankers of all time.
He was always a big help. I
needed to cash a check once
and the business up in Wis-
consin that was going to
oblige me said they needed
to make sure it was good.
So, I had them call Bubba at
the Kerens bank. Well, be-
fore it was over Bubba told
them a lot more than they
wanted to hear. He told them
I had the funds to cover, but
that when the check came
looked familiar. As she
walked by we both recog-
nized one another. It was
Lillian Carter, who has been
working at the Kerens Care
Center for many years. She
was there when my mother
was a resident. She took
very good care of mother
and we all appreciated it
more than I can ever say.
She smiled and recalled
some of the times with her.
Thanks again, Lillian.
• Made a trip to Dal-
las recently and on the drive
home realized I was getting
low on gas. Normally I
would have stopped some-
where along the way to fill
up. But with gas prices
lower in Kerens now than
anywhere else, I try my best
to make it back here. So, I
coast into one of the local
fill-up spots and who gets
out of the truck next to me
but Rabbit. You know, Ken-
neth Scarborough. He is an
old school and football
buddy who retired back here
a number of years ago. We
had a good visit and he had
me smiling from the begin-
ning. When we talk about
old times, he will usually
end the conversation by
shaking his head and saying,
“Things sure aren’t like they
used to be.” I mutter a hearty
Amen and laugh on.
• On a walk this past
Sunday I saw another old
school buddy driving my
way. It was James Newton
Bruner. He stops and as we
chat he mentions that he has
been at a birthday celebra-
tion for his aunt and one of
my favorite Kerens resi-
dents—Jewell Hutson. She
just turned a very young 95!
She had family come in from
Austin, Houston and points
in between to celebrate with
her. They had dinner out and
they also brought her a birth-
day cake decorated with tu-
lips and roses. Granddaugh-
ters Jennifer Hutson and Leli
Hutson from Houston were
present along with daughter-
in-law Lola Hutson and
nephews Sam Horton, Henry
Horton and niece Nancy
Wilbur. Happy Birthday,
Jewell. We wish you many
more!
So, when you come back
to Kerens, don’t be shy. Get
out to meet and greet. It
makes living worthwhile.
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Williams, Neal; McMillan, Ruthie & Baker, Connie. The Kerens Tribune (Kerens, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 2, 2006, newspaper, February 2, 2006; Kerens, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth591656/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Kerens Public Library.