Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 129, No. 50, Ed. 1 Sunday, June 26, 2011 Page: 1 of 20
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Livingston Municipal Library.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
immSm
NINE INCHES OF
RAIN RECALLED
PAGE 7A
I Volume 129 Number 50
Polk County
" * * * * * * + * * * ***#******KIXEDADC7,50
bSTTABE0HicROFIlH ARCHIVES
www.easttexasnews.com
The Dominant News and Advertising Source in Polk County
UPS 437-340
Price: 50 cents
1
Sports
Robb Kirkland of
Hardin-Jefferson High
School has been hired
as the Lion's baseball
coach and as an as-
sistant varsity football
coach, according to
Coach Randy Rowe.
See Sports, Pg. 9A
Living
First Baptist Church
Livingston kicks off
summer fun with
weekly family fun
nights.
See Living, Pg. 1B
Quote for
the day
When I took office,
only high energy
physicists had ever
heard of what is
called the World-
wide Web.... Now
even my cat has its
own page.
— Bill Clinton
1946-
Local Weather
Sun
6/26
97/72
Abundant sunshine. Highs in the
upper 90s and lows in the low 70s.
98/72
Mon
6/27
Abundant sunshine. Highs in the
upper 90s and lows in the low 70s.
€1
99/72
Q
6/28
Sunshine. Highs in the upper 90s
and lows in the low 70s.
99/74 ■■ jL
6/29 -a"L
Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the
upper 90s and lows in the mid 70s.
1!?“ 96/74 4*
6/30
Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 90s
and lows in the mid 70s.
Index
Bulletin Board........5B
Classified.........7B-10B
Crossword..............7B
Community Calendar..5A
Obituaries...............6A
Official Records .....7A
Opinion...................4A
Living................1B-5B
Sports.............9A-10A
'Mastermind' found guilty of murder
BY GREG PEAK
Area News Editor
LIVINGSTON - The first
of five suspects charged in
the August 2009 murder of a
Livingston man was sentenced
Friday to life without the
possibility of parole by State
District Judge Elizabeth
Coker.
Quinton Joshua Fisher of
Houston was found guilty
of capital murder by a Polk
County jury after only about
three and a half hours of
deliberation Friday. Because
prosecutors were not seeking
the death penalty in the case,
the capital murder conviction
carried an automatic sentence
of life in prison.
Fisher and four others were
charged in connection with
the shooting death of Billy
Kimberlin Jr. of Livingston,
who was shot three times
during a robbery at his family’s
home in the 1000 block of Polk
Street.
While Fisher declined to
comment prior to his formal
sentencing, the father of the
murder victim stepped forward
to make a victim’s statement.
“This is a great day, a great
day for my family and a great
day for all of my friends,” Billy
Kimberlin Sr. told Fisher. “You
were wrong to take someone’s
life like this. My son would
have given you the shirt off his
back if you’d have asked but
you didn’t.
“You have hurt my family
and you will never, ever make
up for what you did.”
He also expressed his
thanks to the members of the
Livingston Police Department
“who worked so hard to get it
down good and to get it down
right.”
Also voicing his thanks to
Livingston police was District
Attorney Lee Hon, who
credited their investigation for
Friday’s conviction.
“They did a fantastic job
with this investigation and
we couldn’t have- done this
without them,” he said.
While Fisher was the first
to be sentenced, two other
Houston men involved in the
murder have already entered
guilty pleas. Omega Jabbar
Manning has entered a guilty
plea to murder and Anthony
Poledore has pled guilty to
aggravated robbery. Both will
be formally sentenced later.
The two men were originally
charged with capital murder
in the case but the charges
were reduced as part of a plea
bargain agreement. Manning
and Poledore both testified last
week against Fisher and are
expected to take the witness
stand in future trials.
The two remaining suspects,
Alderick Lapaul Johnson and
Jamaine Terrell Clifton, 19,
both of Houston, are now
scheduled to go on trial in
August. Like Fisher, they face
capital murder charges, but
prosecutors have elected not
to seek the death penalty.
Testimony during the trial
from Manning and Poledore
indicated that while Fisher
never entered the Kimberlin
residence on the night of the
murder, he was the mastermind
behind the robbery plan.
A critical element during the
trial were cellphone records
See TRIAL, Page 2A
Pam Moore with the help of her
grandson Chance Moore have
decorated Livingston Main Street
with patriotic window paintings.
All of the paintings are freehanded
on the windows and are intended to
remind those who see them about
the freedoms they have during this
time of celebrating the nation’s
independence.
ENTERPRISE PHOTO BY AUSTIN GODDARD
Bearing Fire 85% contained; 20,222 acres burned
CENTERVILLE - Although
rainfall last week slowed
the progress of the massive
Bearing Fire, it also hampered
efforts by firefighters to
complete firebreaks needed to
completely contain the blaze.
“Right now we have the fire
85 percent contained and while
there are some areas with active
fires, what we are seeing now
is mostly smoke,” said Jason
Curry, a spokesman with the
Incident Management Team
at the firefighting command
center in Centerville.
He added the situation could
change rapidly depending
upon weather conditions.
Curry described the two-
inch rainfall on Wednesday,
June 22, as a mixed blessing
because it prevented fi refi ghters
from closing the last 15
percent of the containment
process. While the rain cooled
down the fire and slowed its
progress, it also softened the
ground where work crews,
using heavy equipment, were
knocking down trees and
removing potential sources of
fuel in advance of the flames.
While there are now
firebreaks surrounding the fire,
Curry said there are still some
areas where officials feel the
fire could cross if strong winds
develop.
“We still need to work on
those areas before we can be
confident that the fire is fully
contained,” he said Friday.
Since it began on Friday,
June 17, the Bearing Fire has
consumed 20,222 acres in
Polk and Trinity Counties,
destroyed two homes and as
Fireworks sales 'popped' by county
Dry conditions prompt disaster declaration
LIVINGSTON - After
closely monitoring the mas-
sive wildfire outbreaks over
the past 10 days, County Judge
John Thompson issued a Dec-
laration of Local Disaster on
Thursday banning the sale, use
and possession of fireworks in
Polk County.
“Although areas in the coun-
ty have received some rain,
it’s been too little — too late
to reverse the conditions and
the risk to our county from a
single incident or one unin-
tentional mistake involving
fireworks is just too great,”
Thompson said.
He noted the ban does not
restrict professional fireworks
displays under the supervision
of a city and an on-duty fire
department, such as the Inde-
pendence Day event planned
July 4 in Onalaska.
Under state law, the declara-
tion is effective for 60 hours
unless extended by the gover-
nor.
Thompson said he requested
the extension and on Friday
Gov. Rick Perry agreed. The
ban on fireworks will continue
until 7 a.m. on Tuesday, July
In issuing the local disaster
declaration, the judge noted
that the Bearing Fire in Polk
and Trinity counties was still
underway.
Started Friday, June 17,
when an overheated wheel
bearing on a trailer came in
contact with dried grass along
U.S. 287 in western Polk
County, the Bearing Fire has
consumed over 20,000 acres of
timberland and is now ranked
by the Texas Forest Service
Onakaska display
'only game in town'
ONALASKA - When
a ban on the sale and
possession of fireworks was
put in place last week, it left
the annual Fourth of July
show in Onalaska as the
only game in town for those
craving Independence Day
explosions with streaming
balls of light.
Onalaska Mayor Lew Vail
confirmed that the “show will
go on” as planned and will
be visible along the shores of
Lake Livingston on Monday,
July 4.
“Starting at 6 p.m. we’re
going to have a lot of games
and activities going on and
of course the fireworks will
begin after dark,” Vail said.
He noted that the fireworks
will be launched over Lake
Livingston and, as always,
the Onalaska Volunteer Fire
Department will be on hand
to supervise.
Under the local disaster
declaration issued Thursday
by Polk County Judge John
Thompson, the sale, use or
possession of fireworks was
banned due to the extreme
danger of wildfires.
The only exception is
professional fireworks
displays held under the
supervision of a city and an
on-duty lire department.
Afireworksdisplay planned
on the Alabama-Coushatta
Indian Reservation has been
cancelled but the local tribes
will be conducting other
activities as part of their
Fourth of July observance.
as the largest wildfire in East
Texas history.
“At the site of the Trinity/
Polk County wildfire, I wit-
nessed the tremendous job
that our volunteer fire depart-
ments, the U.S. and Texas For-
est Services, law enforcement
and other responding agencies
have undertaken to protect our
citizens and the valiant efforts
they are ipaking to save prop-
erty,” Thompson said.
“We would be negligent not
to do everything we can to
make their difficult job easier.
As individuals, we can each
take personal responsibility
to avoid any type of outdoor
burning and to be vigilant as
to how we handle any material
that could ignite.
“As a county judge and
emergency management direc-
tor, I will use every measure
available to me by law to limit
the risk,” he added.
The county has had a bum
ban in effect since April, and
earlier this month the commis-
sioners court banned what the
state defines as “restricted fire-
works” — those with sticks,
missiles and fins. To ban all
fireworks requires a local di-
saster declaration from the
county judge.
many as a dozen camp houses
and bams. It is now ranked by
the Texas Forest Service (TFS)
as the largest wildfire in East
Texas history.
It began when a vehicle
towing a trailer pulled off
of U.S. 287 in western Polk
County. An overheated wheel
bearing on the trailer ignited
the dry roadside grass. Flames
quickly spread to the north and
west into Trinity County.
As of Friday, it remained
east of U.S. 94 and south of
the northern Trinity County
communities of Apple Springs
and Tevat.
While there are no areas
under evacuation orders, TFS
officials are urging residents
to remain cautious. Those
traveling into the area to
check on property are asked
to contact the command center
for the latest information on
possible road closures.
The command center is
located in the Centerville
school on U.S. 94 between
Groveton and Apple Springs.
It can be reached by telephone
at (936) 642-2164, (936) 642-
3193 or (936) 642-1870. Entei
extension number 237.
As many as a dozen area
volunteer fire departments
have taken part in the effort
to contain the blaze. TFS has
brought in 10 bulldozers and
four helicopters to help contain
the flames.
The Bearing Fire has now
been grouped with two other
major wildfires that were
burning in the region last
week. Called the East Texas
Complex by TFS, the three
fires combined have consumed
28,722 acres.
The Dyer Mills Fire in
Grimes County has burned
5,280 acres and destroyed 32
homes while the Powerline
Fire near Jasper had consumed
3,500 acres.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View seven places within this issue that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Reddell, Valerie. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 129, No. 50, Ed. 1 Sunday, June 26, 2011, newspaper, June 26, 2011; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth658556/m1/1/?q=green+energy: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.