The Monitor (Mabank, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 62, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 16, 2014 Page: 4 of 16
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Page 4A • The Monitor - Sunday, March 16, 2014
Chamber members welcome warmer
weather with flip flops and Hawaiian wear
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Monitor Photo/Pear! Cantrell
Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce members hear “Flip-flop Therapy” program during its
monthly luncheon March 13. Pictured are The Monitor advertising executives Janice Grubbs (left) and Karla
Dunston, flanking Tony Kalawe of Edward Jones in Athens, who also offered the invocation for the occasion.
See more fun photos and coverage in an upcoming issue of The Monitor.
Medical examiner
rules homicide,
suicide in deaths
of Crandall police
officer and wife
Monitor Staff Reports
DALLAS-The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s
Office stated the death of Crandall Patrol Sgt. Nick
Pitofsky, 47, was a suicide and his wife, Vanessa’s death
was mled a homicide.
A representative of the office said Nick Pitofsky died
from a “gunshot wound to the head in the manner of
suicide,” while Vanessa Pitofsky, 42, died from gunshot
wounds to the head. The number of times she was shot
was not revealed.
The final autopsies have not been completed.
The couple was found dead Feb. 26 in a Dallas apart-
ment, during a welfare cheek, Dallas police reported.
Upon arrival, Dallas Fire and Rescue broke down
the front door and found the bodies with gunshot wounds.
Nick Pitofsky had been a member of the Crandall
Police Department for two years and previous to that
the Dallas Police Department for five years.
He was originally from New York, but was living in
California before coming to north Texas. He has three
children in California from a previous marriage, Crandall
police said.
Vanessa Pitofsky’s Facebook page indicated she was
originally from Pittsburgh, Pa. Nick and Vanessa Pitofsky
were married in December 2010.
Master Gardener
to present program
Special to The Monitor_
MABANK-Henderson County Master
Gardener Jean Brewton will bring a pro-
gram titled “Plants I Grow You May Not
Know” to the Mabank Garden Club.
The program is set for 1:45 p.m. Tues-
day, March 18 at the Tri-County Library
on Market Street in Mabank.
Guests are welcome. For more infor-
mation, call (903) 887-1454.
|Kemp Commissioners prioritize road projects
It’s not a good situation,
but it is what it is.”
The ordinance the coun-
cil passed to cancel the
election notes that the ac-
tion is permissible under
the Texas Local Govern-
ment Code because there
is no proposition on the
ballot, the candidates are
unopposed and the filing
deadlines for placement on
the ballot and declaration
of write-in candidacy have
passed.
In other action, the
council:
• tabled consi deration of
an employee health insur-
ance contract.
• tabled selection of a
new city logo.
• recognized Chief of
Police Jimmy G. Council’s
completion of the 40-hour
Texas Police Chief Lead-
ership Series sponsored by
Sam Houston State Uni-
versity Criminal Justice
Center.
• noted the new stage
that was converted from an
old Kaufman County
bridge had been relocated
to the City Park area and
was ready for use. It will
be used during the April 12
Wildflower Festival for live
music and for Easter Sun-
rise Service on April 20.
By David Webb
Monitor Correspondent
KAUFMAN-The cre-
ation of a new rock crush-
ing plant in the Cedar
Grove area will coincide
with improvements on CR
346 to eliminate flying dust
from heavy truck traffic,
but neighbors of the
planned site still fear the
project will become a
health hazard.
Joe Rice told the Kauf-
man County Commission-
ers Court at a March 10
meeting he believes the
rock crushing plant and
the trucks carrying rock
out of the site will create
multiple safety hazards.
“They are taking over our
road,” Rice said. “We
have to leave the road
| Council
based on 10 years, and it
includes a $38,384 balloon
payment due at maturity,
she added.
The council voted to fi-
nance the new truck and
to reconsider the use of
emergency funds at a later
meeting.
Mayor Tamra Brickey
said she favored reducing
the city’s debt, but council
member Shelly Ellis said
she would like to spend
some money on enhancing
Tool’s image, such as con-
structing a stone sign simi-
lar to the one Seven Points
built within the last year.
when the trucks come.”
Rice told the court he
suspects the dust created
by the planned Trinity
Materials Inc. plant within
Precinct 3 will cause
health problems. The
large trucks traveling on
the county road will also
be physically dangerous to
other vehicles’ passengers
and pedestrians, he said.
“They are terrible
neighbors,” Rice said.
County Judge Bruce
Wood told Rice he sym-
pathized with him, but he
noted the Texas Commis-
sion on Environmental
Quality grants permits for
rock crushing sites, and
the county cannot interfere
with the industrial devel-
opment. “I’m aware
people don’t like rock
“We’ve not done any-
thing for ourselves in years
for beautification,” Ellis
said. “We need to do
something to focus on
Tool.”
Other council members
noted the city has many
needs and raised concerns
about reducing the emer-
gency fund.
So far this fiscal year, the
city has spent $69,347 of
its emergency funds pay-
ing off debts, and some
council members said they
might be in favor of spend-
ing more out of the reserve
operating account. The
crushing,” Wood said.
“Nobody wants to be
next to rock crushing.”
Wood noted that rock
crushing plants had oper-
ated in the area since he
was a child, and that he
understands they are
noisy and cause pollution.
Wood said the county
is planning to pave and
enlarge CR 346 from FM
2728 to CR 3805 in Van
Zandt County in coop-
eration with the Texas
Department of Transpor-
tation and Trinity Materi-
als. TXDOT will provide
engineering services, Trin-
ity Materials will pay for
supplies and the county
will provide the labor, he
said.
Wood said the rock
trucks would be required
city paid debts of $ 18,646
for city fire trucks, $19,875
for a 2013 Police Intercep-
tor, $6,853 for a mainte-
nance equipment loan and
$23,972 for culvert repair
at Lakeway Estates.
Blaser said the city is
under projected budgeted
expenses for this time of
year, but she noted the
city’s unemployment tax
rate on payroll has in-
creased significantly be-
cause of chargebacks re-
sulting from former em-
ployees drawing unem-
ployment compensation
checks.
to retrace their routes in
and out of the plants rather
than traveling at will on
county roads. The county
plans to enhance its code
enforcement and weight
measurement activities re-
lated to commercial truck
traffic, he said.
Rice told the court he
would continue to fight the
industrial development be-
cause he believes state and
federal regulatory officials
are putting a higher prior-
ity on business interests
than they are residents’
well-being.
Trinity Materials, Inc.
operates 13 mining opera-
tions in Texas, Louisiana,
and Arkansas producing
sand, gravel, and limestone
base. It currently operates
3 distribution facilities with
Continued from Page 1A
In other action, the
council:
• approved a variance
request by Ezell Van Zandt
of Tepoto Street to build
an accessory structure.
• approved a rental
agreement for election
equipment for the May 10
city election. Seven candi-
dates have signed up for
three council seats, includ-
ing Randy Whitehurst,
Cindy Clounch, Mike
Barr, Kathryn Pinnell,
former council member A.
J. “Red” Phillips and in-
cumbents Rick Williams
and Fran Sonka.
rail, barge and ship un-
loading capabilities. The
business is described as
“safe and productive” on
its website.
In other action, the
court:
• set new guidelines for
timekeeping practices that
will ensure county employ-
ees are on the job. Depart-
ment heads’ time will not
be monitored.
• approved an interlocal
road repair agreement with
Oak Ridge.
• approved public hear-
ings for “no through traf-
fic” signs for commercial
trucks on Hiram Road in
Precinct 1 and Helms Trail
in Precinct 2.
• proclaimed March lb-
22 as “Poison Prevention
Week.”
Have You
Moved?
Don’t miss a
newspaper issue!
Call us with
your change
of address
903-887-4511
The Post Office takes
several weeks to get your
change of address to us.
V____/
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(972)345-8544
_www.robynwheeler.com_
with Kacey Watson
/ 903-681-9625 ^
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Cantrell, Pearl. The Monitor (Mabank, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 62, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 16, 2014, newspaper, March 16, 2014; Mabank, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth629719/m1/4/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .