Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 71, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 9, 2007 Page: 1 of 52
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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■> ■ ■ ■
LIVINGSTON - Habitat for
community 1
teering for}
Humanity. C
Gearing at,.3
ports
Lamar Bogany leads
the Lions to a second
victory.
See Sports, Pg. 1C
Chances of iso-
lated -thunderstorms
about 40 percent un-
til Wednesday. Highs
near 90 degrees, lows
about 65 degrees.
Index
Bulletin Board.........5B
Business Guide.......6B
Classified............4C-8C
Crossword...............4C
Community Calendar... 5A
Obituaries................6A
Official Records......5A
Opinion....................4A
Living.....................1B-8B
Sports....................1C-3C
LEGGETT — Leggett I.S.D.
unveiled a new hands-on science
lab before the Board of Trustees’
monthly meeting last Thursday.
Virginia Richardson spent her
summer overhauling a former
classroom in the old high school
facility that has been used for years
as a storage room. ___
Richardson is excited about the
learning opportunities the new room
will provide in a district where
opportunities are sometimes hard to
come by.
The new lab has several “stations”
with a wide range of hands-on
activities to stimulate both tactile
and visual learners.
From pulleys and levers to
electromagnets and dinosaurs to
geodes, the facility is designed
to help students master science
concepts and see the value of these
science lessons in their everyday
lives.
The school has enough materials
and equipment for two labs — one
focused on biology and the other Leggett High School unveiled new hands-on science labs last Thursday. The renovated areas
encompassing physical science. The 0ffer students a more exciting way to master physical science and biology concepts, according
See LEGGETT, Page 2A t0 project organizer Virginia Richardson.
Second jury finds Rivera guilty of sexual assault
BY JAMES E. BAUGH
Staff Reporter
LIVINGSTON - It took a Polk
County jury less than an hour
to return a guilty verdict in the
second trial of Arturo Rivera for
sexual assault of a child.
Rivera, 43, of Livingston, was
found guilty on two counts of sexual
assault of a child stemming from
incidents which took place over a
period of two to three years.
The victim’s parents reported
the incidents in January 2006. A
trial held in January 2007 ended
with a hung jury.
“We’re very gratified with the
jury’s verdict in this case,” said
Polk County Assistant District
Attorney Joe Martin.
The parents learned of the
repeated assaults after the victim’s
older brother — himself once a
target of Rivera — returned from
living in Houston.
The brother warned his father to
keep Rivera away from the victim.
A confrontation occurred between
the victim’s family and Rivera
with church elders brought in to
mediate. It was one of the church
elders who initially alerted the
police.
Testimonyduringthe trial revealed
that Rivera had a track record of
“grooming” young boys under the
ruse of Bible study sessions.
Several former Bible students
testified that Rivera made advances
on them but was rebuffed.
The boys also testified about
being shown pornographic
magazines, videos and websites,
investigators turned up a history
of adult movie rentals featuring
transvestites and “barely legal”
young men, with a video tape
discovered at the residence at the
time of Rivera’s arrest.
Also recovered was a notebook
with boys' names — which
Martin said were possible targets
— and several photos of boys in
provocative poses and various
stages of undress.
Martin told the Enterprise he
was determined to keep Rivera
off the street. Evidence turned up
that just prior to his arrest Rivera
had begun stalking another chijd
in the community. He had left
notes and gifts on the young man’s
windshield saying he wanted to
meet him.
“I have no doubt this man is
a serial pedophile and we have
removed a serious threat from our
community and it's because of the
excellent work of people like Matt
Parrish and the folks in the DA’s
office,” Martin said.
The sentencing hearing for
Rivera will begin at 1:30 p.m.
October 31 in Judge Elizabeth
Coker’s court.
Goodrich
man thrown
from truck
during crash
BY JAMES E. BAUGH
Staff Reporter
GOODRICH - A 78-year-old
Goodrich man was killed Thursday
around 9:15 a.m. when the vehicle
he was driving left the roadway after
being stuck from behind.
Initial reports from the Texas
Department of Public Safety show
that Joe Lynn Foster of Goodrich
was southbound in the right lane of
U.S. 59 in a 2000 Nissan Frontier
pickup when he slowed for an
unknown reason.
Foster’s truck was rear-ended by
a 2000 Ford Windstar van driven by
Crystal Hammond, 34, of Livingston,
according to a trooper investigating
the crash.
Foster’s truck was forced off the
roadway where it flipped, ejecting
Foster who was not wearing a seat
belt, DPS reports show
Foster was pronounced dead at
10:15 a.m. by Justice of the Peace
Darrell Logino.
Hammond was taken to Memorial
Medical Center Livingston with
unspecified injuries. The crash was
still under investigation at press
time.
City council
to consider
cable transfer,
police staffing
BY VALERIE REDDELL
Editor
LIVINGSTON - City officials
will hold a public hearing on an
application to transfer franchise
authority for the cable television
system from Cable One, Inc. to
Rapid Communications LLC dur-
ing the monthly City Council
meeting set for 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Council members also will hear a
consultant's report on staffing and
organization for the Livingston Po-
lice Department during Tuesday's
meeting.
Fqllowing a public hearing for
the city budget for fiscal year
2007-2008, the council will con-
sider a proposed ordinance adopt-
ing the budget.
Another public hearing is set to
hear comments on the proposed
annexation of the C.L. Conner
9.058 acre tract in the M.L. Choate
Survey lying in the city’s extrater-
ritorial jurisdiction.
The annual firefighting agree-
ment between the City of
Livingston and Polk County is set
for review Tuesday.
City officials will also consider
an ordinance adopting electric rates
and service fees for the upcoming
fiscal year as well a resolution des-
ignating the official newspaper for
the City of Livingston.
During the City Manager's re-
port, Marilyn Sutton is expect-
ed to report on progress of the
Livingston Municipal Airport im-
provement project and plans for
the second annual Salute to Texas
See COUNCIL, Page 2A
BY JAMES E. BAUGH
Staff Reporter
_ i ■
All Things
Historical
KUl
INI Eif rnlal
Sunday
September 9,2007
Prairie breaker gives an
edge to 19th century
East Texas farmers
_
Page 3A
Volume 125 Number 71
The Dominant News and Advertising Source in Polk County
Price: 50 cents
UPS 437-340
Living
Baby step out of
CHAOS in your
home.
See Living, Pg. 1B
Jury duty
canceled
\ ty " ’ ' *' ■' V—**
Jury duty for Mon-
day, Aug. 13 at 9 a.m. in
Judge Stephen Phillips
County Court at Law has
been canceled. Those
who received a summons
do not need to appear.
Quote for
the day
"Reality is
merely an illu-
sion, albeit a
very persistent
one."
— Albert Einstein
(1875-1956)
philosopher scientist
Weather
BETTER THAN TONKA TRUCKS - Texas Department of Transportation road crews closed parts of Business 59 on Friday
morning as heavy equipment was brought in to level the increasing ruts in the road surface. The process was quick and painless
and crews were gone by lunch time.
Habitat to begin blitz building project
BY JAMES E. BAUGH
Staff Reporter
Humanity of Polk County will soon
begin construction of three homes
simultaneously.
The homes will be located on
a new road currently being built
one block south of West Street
and parallel to Beatty Street in
Livingston.
The actual start date for the
project at Cochran’s Crossing — the
development name — depends
upon the completion of sewer
lines being installed by the City of
Livingston, but we’re aiming for the
end of September, said Ray Gearing,
executive director of Habitat for
Humanity of Polk County.
All volunteers are encouraged to
come to the site to help with work
on Saturdays, as weather permits,
until the homes arc completed —
approximately eight weeks.
Persons wishing to apply for
a Habitat home should attend
an orientation meeting at I p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 26 at First
National Bank of Livingston -
Wcstside (Hwy 190 at FM 350 S).
To qualify for a Habitat home,
applicants must be in real need of
housing, must have a reliable source
of income in order to pay a mortgage
and must be willing to partner with
Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat for Humanity does not
give houses away, recipients are
expected to contribute "sweat
equity” by working on their and
other’s homes.
Since its founding in 1976 by
Millard and Linda Fuller in the
small Georgia town of Americus,
Habitat for Humanity international
has built and rehabilitated more
than 200,000 houses with families
in need, becoming a true world
leader in addressing the issues of
poverty housing.
For more information about
volunteering or applying for a
Habitat home, contact Ray Gearing
at 327-2752.
Tax deductible donations may
be made to Habitat for Humanity
of Polk County, P.O. Box 63,
Livingston, Texas 77351.
MU
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Reddell, Valerie. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 71, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 9, 2007, newspaper, September 9, 2007; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth788291/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.