Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 1, Ed. 1 Sunday, January 1, 2006 Page: 6 of 30
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Polk County Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Livingston Municipal Library.
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PAGE 6A- POLK COUNTY ENTERPRISE, SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2006
Polk Countians win top honors in their respective fields
from page 1
•tion in Monterey, Calif.
d Having been named the 2005
'Amateur of the Year for the
Women’s Bass Fishing Association
tin June, Livingston businesswoman
Robin Babb made the decision to
l“tum pro” and joined the newly-
® created Women’s Bassmaster Tour.
■M five-event series that will debut in
*2006.
B -By a unanimous vote. Milton
•“Chief’ Williams was elected into
■the Texas High School Basketball
pHali of Fame. Williams was an All-
ot: State basketball star at Big Sandy
High School in the 1950s and later
All-American at Tyler Junior
•College and Centenary College in
5 Shreveport.
g Wanda L. Bobinger, curator of
the Polk County Memorial Mu-
seum, was presented the Distin-
guished Service Award by John
1 Nau III, chairman of the Texas His-
•jtorical Commission, and Larry
(Oaks, executive director.
, Co-hosted by Trent Daniel, a
* Livingston ISD graduate, Make-
1 over Houston, a new show airing
ion KHOU-Houston, held its pre-
< miere party and began airing.
Livingston High School student
Wasley Harrell was invited to play
‘ in the 1 l,h annual Jammin’ All-Star
Basketball Games in Belton.
> Livingston High School student
, Monique Whittaker participated
with the Houston Hotshots basket-
- ball team, a highly competitive
AAA basketball team that plays in
tournaments.
„ August
In a move that stunned some
. people, five county elected officials
' switched ranks and joined the Re-
. publican Party. U.S. Senator Kay
' Bailey Hutchison (R-Dallas) and
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-The
Woodlands) were in town to wel-
come County Judge John P.
Thompson, County Treasurer Nola
Reneau, Precinct 2 Commissioner
Bobby Smith, Precinct 2Justice of
the Peace David Johnson and Pre-
cinct 2 Constable Bill Cunningham
to the Republican Party.
Issues and concerns regarding
downtown were discussed during
two meetings held locally that were
facilitated by staff of the Texas
Main Street Program and a re-
source team from Austin in con-
junction with Livingston's designa-
tion as a 2005 Texas Main Street
City. The team spent three days in
Livingston, evaluating the commu-
nity’s needs, obstacles and poten-
tial for downtown revitalization.
Feasible short- and long-term rec-
ommendations were presented at
the end of the visit, with findings
reflecting that preservation and
development can co-exist.
The Livingston City Council ap-
proved a five-year lease with Paul
Hendrix to operate the municipal
golf course with an option to rene-
gotiate the lease after the first five
years. Mill Ridge Golf Course,
which had been leasing the nine-
hole municipal course adjacent to
its nine-hole private course, noti-
fied city officials in June that it
would terminate its lease after La-
bor Day. Hendrix is former owner
and operator of Cape Royale Golf
Course in San Jacinto County, has
also been associated with the
Cleveland Country Club and has
over 30 years experience in golf
course operations.
The cities of Onaltiska and Good-
rich, as well as the South Polk
County Volunteer hire Department
participated in National Night Out,
a crime/drug prevention event
sponsored by the National Associa-
tion of Town Watch. The event is
designed to heighten crime and
drug prevention awareness; gener-
ate support for and participation in
anti-crime programs; and
strengthen neighborhood spirit and
police-community partnerships.
A sheriffs department request
for a budget amendment increasing
the fiscal year 2005 fuel and oil
expenditure line item by SI5,000
was approved by the Polk County
Commissioners' Court. Sheritt
Kenneth Hammack attributed the
request to rising fuel costs which
had nearly depleted his depart-
ment's fuel and oil money.
A disturbance following the first
home football game of the season
at Lion Stadium resulted in three
people being transported to hospi-
tals and the arrest of one suspect.
Three people were cut or stabbed
with a knife. Adron DeRoyce Coo-
per, 17, of Leggett, was arrested
and charged with three counts of
aggravated assault.
A tip to Polk County Crime
Stoppers led to the capture of 30-
year-old Robert Lee Briggs of
Liv ingston at a residence in Diboll.
Briggs had been a fugitive since
fleeing the Polk County Courthouse
July 26 following sentencing for
delivery of a controlled substance.
Carol Newman Old, a 52-year-
old Weatherford woman, was sen-
tenced to two years in prison for
the felony offense of intoxication
assault stemming from a May 23,
2004 motor vehicle collision on
FM 350 South. Additionally, Old
received a sentence of 10 years
probation on a second count of
intoxication assault which will have
to be completed after she serves her
prison sentence.
A Hemphill man was arrested in
Corrigan and charged with murder
in conjunction with the death of his
wife, whose body was found near
the Sun Augustine County line.
August 8 murked the first anni-
versary of the Kids Free Clothing
Lxchange in Onulusku and to cele-
brate. KFCE officials hosted a two-
day tennis shoe drive.
Under the direction of Pastor
L.C. Youngblood, the congregation
of Fellowship Church of God in
Christ dedicated its new church
located on Colita and Martin Lu-
ther King Streets.
State Rep. John Otto (R-Dayton)
presented a House Resolution to
the Big Sandy Ladycats softball
team, honoring an outstanding sea-
son that ended with a second place
win in the UIL State Softball
Championship in Austin.
Hundreds of evacuees found
themselves in Polk County after
being forced from their homes in
the wake of Hurricane Katrina, a
Category 4 hurricane that struck the
coasts of Louisiana, Alabama and
Mississippi in the early morning
hours of Aug. 29. As the after-
effects continued to worsen, Polk
Countians struggled, wondering
how to help. Numerous efforts
went underway locally to assist the
evacuees and the affected areas.
Local churches, organizations,
civic groups, businesses, families
and individuals did their best to
assist the evacuees. County Judge
John P. Thompson and Polk
County Red Cross Branch Manager
Dick Cooley spearheaded an effort
to collect and transport bottled wa-
ter to the affected areas. In the end,
approximately 19,000 bottles of
water were transported to Louisi-
ana. Sam Houston Electric Coop-
erative Inc. also mobilized, sending
numerous lineman crews to assist
fellow cooperatives in Louisiana.
Allen R. Hightower II], a
Livingston High School graduate,
was appointed the new part-time
music director of the Houston Mas-
terworks Chorus, the largest choral
group in the City of Houston.
John Duff, a Big Sandy High
School graduate, won an Emmy for
directing ESPN’s SportsCenter in
2004, It was his third Emmy for his
work at ESPN.
Jim Pead and Betsy Waite, local
Escapees who square dance with
Boots and Babes Square Dance
Club of Livingston and Levis and
Lace Square Dance Club of Ona-
laska, were invited to join the Rus-
sian-German Friends Square Dance
Club for a trip to St. Petersburg,
Russia to teach square dancing.
Joyce King of Livingston was
elected to serve as chairman of the
Texas Logging Council.
Tiffany Blalock of Livingston,
while playing with the Texas Slam
from Sugar Land, captured the
2005 U.S.S.S.A. 13-A World Se-
ries Championship in Mesquite.
September
Polk County Judge John P.
Thompson signed an emergency
declaration at 9 a.m. Sept. 21 de-
claring Polk County in a state of
emergency due to the impending
Hurricane Rita. Close to 100 local
officials attended a meeting at the
Polk County Office of Emergency
Management to gather resources
and implement emergency prepar-
edness plans.
Emergency evacuation routes
designated by the Texas Depart-
ment of Public Safety run through
Polk County and by the evening of
Sept. 21, the U.S. 59 bypass was
already congested with evacuees
from the Gulf Coast. The conges-
tion only increased the following
day, although local officials had no
idea just how dire things would
eventually become.
Hurricane Rita made landfall at
approximately 2 a.m. Sept. 24 at
Sabine Pass, resulting in 117-mile-
per-hour winds jutting through Polk
County, wreaking devastation.
The majority of the county lost
power around midnight Sept. 23
and although unknown at the time,
some areas would remain without
power for three to four weeks.
County and city officials, as well
as representatives of all the local
school districts, volunteer fire de-
partments and law enforcement
agencies were soon encamped in
respective emergency operations
centers, working round-the-clock
manning phone banks and coordi-
nating relief efforts. Additionally,
Sam Houston Electric Cooperative
Inc. retrieved its crews from Lou-
isiana, only to return to Polk
County to face long shifts, trying to
restore power to their own homes
and neighborhoods.
Schools throughout the county
were forced to close, with some
being closed for two weeks or
more. Distribution centers were set
up throughout the county, with
local firefighters and other volun-
teers distributing ice, water, food
and information to local citizens.
In the end, most people rose to
the occasion, although no one could
know at the time just how much
devastation the storm and its after-
effects would wreak countywide.
Although it was a diversion from
the hurricane, a number of people
were unhappy when Polk County
adopted a new tax rate. A raise for
county employees, escalating fuel
costs and the effects of the over
65/disabled tax ceiling resulted in
the Polk County Commissioners’
Court adopting a tax rate of 62.77
cents per SI00 valuation, a 7.27-
cent increase over the 55.50-ceqt
tax rate that remained unchanged'
for six consecutive years since its
adoption in 1999. y
The Board of Directors of the
Livingston-Polk County Chamber
of Commerce announced that J&'
Dickson would take over the rents
as executive director effective Oct.
1. Dickson previously served as
administrator of Memorial Medical
Center-Livingston.
American Legion Post 312
hosted a 9-11 Remembrance Ser
vice. Vice Commander Mike Gibbs
conducted the service and recog-
nized city and county officials, fire
department members, law enforce-
ment personnel, armed forces
members and emergency volun-
teers.
Employed with the San Jacinto
County Precinct 2 constable's of-
fice, Sgt. Denny “Boe” Callaway,
34, a former deputy with the Polk
County Sheriffs Department,
drowned Sept. 15 while trying to
save a young Marine who recently
returned to Texas from a tour in
Iraq. The Marine, Barnurdo
Vasquez, was celebrating his return
home with family members who
live near the Trinity River, the
name river that also claimed
Vasquez* life. Peace officers from
across the state attended Calla-
way’s Sept. 19 funeral service to
pay tribute to the fallen officer.
As of Sept. 15, there were 7,187
students attending Polk County’s
public schools, a figure, which as
of Sept. 13, included 37 evacuees
from areas impacted by Hurricane
Katrina.
Clayton “Smiley” Sylestine. for-
mally known as Chief Oscola of the
Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas
was invited to throw out the lust
pitch at the Houston Astros’ Sept.
12 game against the Florida Mar-
lins at Minute Maid Park. Sylestine
was welcomed by Astros’ owner
Drayton McLane.
Beverley Whitten, former execu
five director of the Polk County
Chamber of Commerce, died Sept.
23 in Livingston.
(Thursday: Events from October
through December reviewed.)
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HE POLK COUNTY ENTERPRISE
100 Calhoun Street
936-327-4357
Livingston, TX 77351
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 1, Ed. 1 Sunday, January 1, 2006, newspaper, January 1, 2006; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth787922/m1/6/?q=music: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.