Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 5, 2006 Page: 1 of 16
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Volume 124 Number 2
The dominant News and Advertising Source in Polk County
UPS 437-340 Price: 50 cents
Filing ends, races begin
IS?
LIVINGSTON - There are three
local races - two for commissioner
and one for county chair - where
candidates will go head-to-head in
the March primary elections.
As the filing period ended Mon-
day, most Polk County candidates
learned their battles will be delayed
until the November general elec-
tion. Others, including the county
judge, appear to face no opposition
at all.
Four people, two Republicans
and two Democrats, are seeking the
position of Precinct 4 county com-
missioner. Incumbent C.T.
‘Tommy” Overstreet will face fel-
low Democrat Mike Templeton in
March. The winner of that contest
will face one of two Republicans
that will face off in their party pri-
mary: James M. McKissick and
Mike Wharry.
Two Republicans have filed for
Precinct 2 county commissioner.
Ronnie Vincent, appointed to the
position following the death late
last year of Bobby Smith, will face
James L. Bear Phillips. There is no
Democrat challenger.
The only other in-party county
race is that for Republican Party
chair, which is being sought by
Benny Fogleman and Danny Free-
man.
The county clerk’s race will be
decided in November. Incumbent
County Clerk Barbara Middleton,
who is unopposed for re-election in
the Democratic primary, will face
Republican Martha Johnson in the
general election.
Also facing an opponent in No-
vember is incumbent 258th District
Judge Elizabeth Coker, who is un-
opposed in the Democratic primary
but will face Republican Richard R.
Burroughs in the general election.
Three of the county’s four jus-
tices of the peace - Precinct 1 JP
Darrell Longino (R), Precinct 2 JP
David Johnson (R) and Precinct 3
JP Larry Whitworth (D) - face no
opposition to re-election from ei-
ther party. Incumbent Precinct 4 JP
Steven McEntyre is unopposed in
the Republican primary, but will
face Democrat Bobby Watson in
November.
County officials who face no op-
position for re-election, either in
March or in November, include
County Judge John Thompson (R),
County Court at Law Judge
Stephen Phillips (D), District Clerk
Kathy E. Clifton (D) and County
Treasurer Nola Reneau.
District Attorney John Holleman
is not seeking re-election. Assistant
DA Lee Hon has filed for the posi-
tion on the Republican ticket and
faces no opposition either in March
or in November.
Democratic Party Chair Sharon
Teal also faces no opposition.
State races
Polk County’s representative in
the Texas Senate, District 3 Sen.
Todd Staples, has filed to run for
See FILING pg. 4A
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ENTERPRISE PHOTO BV CORDON LEBARRON
HIT AND RUN INVESTIGATED - Local law enforcement agencies process evidence at the
on the U.S. 59 Bypass southbound feeder
.............“of Livingston, was
conjunc ion with the death of Joshua
Burnett, 18, of Livingston.
Arrest made
in hit, run
LIVINGSTON - An arrest was
made Saturday in conjunction with
the hit and run that claimed a life
early Friday.
William Hedrick, 38, of
Livingston, was identified as the
driver of the vehicle that struck and
killed Joshua Burnett, 18, of
Livingston between 12:30 and 2
a.m. Friday.
“Witnesses came in and we lo-
cated the vehicle Friday evening at
a local body shop. We then deter-
mined the owner of the vehicle,”
Detective Ken Bohnert, with the
Livingston Police Department,
said. “We talked to the owner of
the vehicle and several witnesses
who indicated Mr. Hedrick was the
driver.”
Hedrick was charged with failure
to stop and render aid, a felony
offense.
Hedrick remains in the Polk
County Jail where he is being held
See POLICE pg. 2A
Lufkin man sentenced to 40 years
LIVINGSTON - District Judge
Elizabeth E. Coker sentenced Don-
ald Royce Callison Jr. of Lufkin to
40 years in prison Tuesday follow-
ing a sentencing hearing in the
258th District Court. Callison had
been found guilty in December of
the first degree felony offense of
aggravated assault of a public ser-
vant following a two-day jury trial.
The charge stemmed from an in-
cident occurring Aug. 23, 2005 in
Polk County between Callison and
two Texas Department of Public
Safety troopers.
At trial, DPS Trooper Chris Cal-
Hurricane Rita recovery continues
(This is the fourth of a four-part
series reviewing the top local news
events of 2045.)
By EMILY BANKS
News Editor
LIVINGSTON - Still reeling
from the onslaught of evacuees
August’s Hurricane Katrina
brought, as well as local damages
sustained from September’s Hurri-
cane Rita, Polk Countians began
the final quarter of 2005 still dig-
ging out from the effects of the
year’s abnormally active hurricane
season.
electricity to well over 90 percent
of the City of Livingston residents
had been restored.
Customers of Sam Houston Elec-
tric Cooperative fared a little harder
however, due to so much of the
cooperative’s infrastructure being
destroyed by the hurricane. How-
ever, as of Oct. 6, the cooperative
had restored electricity to all
19.481 of its meters in Polk
October
Polk County finally received its
presidential disaster declaration in
conjunction with Hurricane Rita
and her aftermath.
Less than a week after Rita’s
sweep through Southeast Texas,
County. And, just 16 days after the
devastation of Rita, the cooperative
had restored power to 99 percent of
its customers in its 10-county area.
More than 1,200 linemen and tree
removal workers from across the
United States assisted the coopera-
tive in its efforts.
Wave action caused by sustained
high winds during the hurricane
caused damage to the Lake
Livingston Dam’s earthen em-
bankment. The high winds and
significant wave action eroded ap-
proximately 11,000 feet of the rip
rap on the lake side of the dam,
exposing part of the earthen em-
bankment. As a response to the
damage, emergency releases were
made, lowering the surface eleva-
tion of Lake Livingston signifi-
cantly and exposing a large number
of underwater hazards such as
standing timber, stumps and other
ohjeets ___
Like others in the storm-ravaged
parts of the area, the Alabama-
Coushatta Tribe of Texas coped
with the disaster as well. Tribal
Council Chairman Ronnie Thomas
credited the tribe’s pre-planning in
its recovery from the devastation
wrought, while at the same time,
questioning whether more should
have been done by government
agencies.
The Red Cross, Salvation Army
and numerous local churches con-
tinued to assist people with their
needs. Debris removal throughout
the county continued well through
the end of the year.
Dr. Carol Ann Bonds, Livingston
ISD superintendent, represented
Polk County in ‘Our Community
Responds,’ a 10-hour live program
broadcast by Houston PBS Channel
8 television across 30 Southeast
Texas counties, outlining the vari-
ous counties^ responses to Hurri-
canes Katrina and Rita.
Forensic assistance was re-
quested to determine the identity of
remains, believed to be human,
found following a house fire in
Indian Springs.
Also in Indian Springs, 12 people
escaped serious injury in a residen-
tial explosion caused by a generator
in use at a residence that was leak-
ing propane.
The Livingston ISD Board of
las testified that on the date of the
incident he and his partner, Trooper
Joe Wood, clocked the defendant's
1991 Acura traveling 108 miles per
hour on Hwy. 59 south of Leggett.
When the officers pursued the ve-
hicle, Callison fled onto a county
road and into the North Glen Sub-
division.
Following a brief chase, Callison
abandoned his vehicle and fled on
foot into a wooded area with the
two highway patrolmen following
closely behind. Before he could be
apprehended, Callison struck Callas
in the face with his fist, momentar-
ily disabling the officer.
Wood administered pepper spray
toward the subject, who then ran
back toward his vehicle and man-
aged to get into the driver’s seat.
Callas and Wood both attempted to
enter the vehicle through the
driver’s window in an effort to
keep Callison from leaving the
scene.
However, the defendant was able
to start the car, place it into reverse
and subsequently ram the front of
the troopers’ DPS patrol car with
See TESTIMONY pg. 2A
Stock certificates available
See BOND pg. 4A
LIVINGSTON - Through a joint
venture between the Livingston-
Polk County Chamber of Com-
merce and Livingston Main Street,
five people will win $1,000 each
and one person will win the grand
prize of $10,000 in the ‘Take Stock
in Your Community’ drawing.
Only 500 stock certificates will
be sold and proceeds will be split
evenly between the two organiza-
tions.
“We have done other fundraisers
before, but this is the first time
we’ve ever tried to work with an-
other organization and support our
community,” Chamber President
Nancy Stovall said, adding that this
fundraiser is replacing the cham-
ber’s annual Casino Night.
Stock certificates are $100 each
and are available for purchase from
the Main Street directors, the
chamber directors and the chamber
ambassadors.
Sale of the stock certificates will
end Feb. 4, the night of the annual
chamber banquet in whjch the win-
ners will be revealed and the prizes
awarded.
“This is another example of the
chamber trying to w'ork together to
build and support our businesses in
our community," Chamber Execu-
tive Director Jay Dickson said.
wmmm
'.............
Re-election sought
Johnson files for clerk
Longino on ballot
LIVINGSTON - Precinct 4
immissioner Tommy Overstreet
Announcing his candidacy for re-
iction in the March 7 Democratic
imary election.
“It has been an honor to serve the
lidents of Precinct 4 and Polk
iunty,” Overstreet said. “1 have
►rked hard to get Precinct 4 our
r share of the budget money and
>er necessities, such as road ma-
ial and bridges on the State
idge System, while also keeping
mind that at budget time, you
ye to take care of the needs of the
iple county.
‘State mandated programs make
a challenge to fund all depart-
ints’ requests,” Overstreet said,
landated programs such as jails,
jrts, probation, indigent health
e and more must be funded,
icretionary programs such as
id and bridge, law enforcement,
>lic health, senior services,
nmunity development and others
funding, but as unfunded man-
es rise, it takes money away
m these services. Commission-
’ court has worked hard to keep
these programs funded also.
“I have seen this county grow
from a small, rural county to a me-
dium sized county with a lot of
continuing growth,” Overstreet
said. “I have supported programs to
See COMMISSIONER pg. 2A
TOMMY OVERSTREET
...commissioner files for re-
election
LIVINGSTON - Martha John-
son, former county clerk, has filed
for the office of Polk County clerk
on the Republican Party ticket.
Johnson has 21 years experience
working with the different depart-
ments of the County Clerk’s Office.
This includes seven and a half
years spent serving as county clerk.
During her service with the clerk’s
office, Johnson attended all the
schooling related to running the
office. She also has over 40 years
experience working elections.
Johnson has lived in Polk County
all her life. She has been married
for over 45 years to Lee Roy
“Buck” Johnson, who retired from
Sam Houston Electric, and is now
doing consultant work.
They have one daughter, Marsha
Jordan, married to Terry Jordan.
Marsha is a teacher at Pine Ridge
Elementary and Terry is employe^
by Livingston ISD. The Johnsdns
have one granddaughter, Macie
LauhofT; three grandsons, Tyler,
Thomas and Lane Lauhoff; one
deceased grandson. Lucas Lauhoff.
They also have one step-
granddaughter, Emily Jordan, and
one step-grandson, Michael Jordan.
“With my experience, I feel I am
well qualified to be your county
clerk again. So, at this time, I am
asking for your support and vote in
the upcoming elections,” Johnson
said.
MARTHA JOHNSON
. candidate for county clerk
LIVINGSTON - Darrell
Longino has announced his candi-
dacy for re-election to his post as
Precinct 1 justice of the peace in
the Republican Primary on March
7, 2006.
He has served as Precinct 1 JP
since January 1999. Longino said
he has an open door policy and
works to help people every day
within the rules of law.
Longino has worked with other
judges, department heads and
elected officials to implement com-
puter-assisted credit card accep-
tance for fines and fee payments,
two computer-assisted collection
systems to collect fines and fees in
a more timely manner, and is cur-
rently working with Polk County
probation officials and computer
technology department heads to
implement closed-circuit TV capa-
bilities between the Polk County
Jail and the courthouse for remote
magistration add bail hearings.
Longino continues to work with
school districts to enforce the
Texas Compulsory School Atten-
dance laws and to encourage young
people to get their basic education
and high school diploma or GED
certificate.
Longino has worked in the
criminal justice field since 1981
and has earned the basic, interme-
See JUDGE pg. 2A
DARRELL LONGINO
.. seeks re-election and JP
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 5, 2006, newspaper, January 5, 2006; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth788321/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.