Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 117, No. 97, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 5, 1999 Page: 1 of 81
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• • 9
Santa
to
visit
S— paga 3A
Volume 117 Number 97
Polk r
ft
ENTEkrklM
The Dominant New* and Advertising Source in Polk County
UPS 437-340 Price: 50 cents
Human overreaction
main Y2K concern
LIVINGS PON - Polk County’s
Local Emergency Planning Com-
mittee (LFPC) met Tuesday to dis-
cuss communications, as well as
Y2K preparedness
Representatives from the Polk
County Sheriff s IX-partment, Liv-
ingston Police Department. Living-
ston Volunteer Fire Department,
Texas Forest Service, Department
of Public Safety. Trinity River
Authority, Livingston ISD, Cham-
pion Intemauonal and Polk County
Red Cross were in attendance
Emergency Management Coordi-
nator John McDowell distributed
and reviewed packets of information
put out by tin: Texas Division of
Emergency Management and a coa-
lition of other state agencies As
part of the state’s Readiness 2<X)0
campaign, a series of public service
announcements liavc been laundicd
with the following theme - Be
prepared, but he positive.
State officials are advising Tex-
ans to take precautions, such as
putting together readiness kits, but
not to overreact by withdrawing
large amounts of cash from banks
"Our concern now is that due to
human reactions or over-reactions,
Y2K could become a self-fulfilling
prophecy. We want people to un-
derstand that a good faith effort has
been ongoing for years to reduce
potential computer problems, but
that not everything can be predicted
or detected, thus the need for con-
tingency plans.” McDowell said
“We also want people to know
that many things that will happen
on or around the year-end dale
change may not be computer related
and should not be blamed on Y2K,"
he said. “These could include severe
or winter weather or wildfire. They
also could result from human ac-
tivities such as too much celebra-
tion, or even curiosity such as test-
ing telephones, electricity or 911 to
see if the services wort."
See FEW pg. 8A
Christmas events
occurring all over
LIVINGSTON - The Christmas season has officially begun and the
slate of upcoming Christmas activities - sure to please all tastes and ages
- gets underway Friday.
The First Baptist Church of Livingston will present “Celebrate
Christmas *99“ at 7 p.tn. Sunday and Monday. Admission Is
free.
RafistraiKtn is currently underway to enter the CMjr of Onataska’s
annual Christmas decorating contest. Categories include religious,
commercial, non-profit and churches. First, second and third places will be
awarded in all divisions. To enter, contact the Onalaska City Hall at 646-
3000. Judging will take place Dec 18.
The Polk County Garden Club will host an open house at “Miss
Effle's Cottage" at the comer of Jackson and Mill streets from 6-9
p.m. Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 11 and from 1-4 p.m.
Dec. 12. Refreshments will be served and children may have their
picture taken with Santa Claus.
The First United Methodist Church of Onalaska will present the
Christmas cantata, “It Took a Miracle" by John W. Peterson, at
6 p.m. Dec. 11-12. Admission is free
Central Baptist Church of Livingston will present the Christmas
cantata, “Mary, Did You Know" at 5 p.m. Dec. 12. Admission
is free
The annual Tour of Lights bus tours are slated for Dec. 17.
Buses will leave Pedigo Park al 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m.,
8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Admission is free with the donation of canned food or money for the
Polk County Mission Center.
Because of limited seating, tickets must be picked up in advance at the
Trade Days office.
Registration for the Tour of Lights Christmas Decorating
Contaat runs through Dec. 10 al the Trade Days office There is no
charge for participation.
Business interiors will be judged during the day of Dec. 14, with all
others being judged that night.
A reception for all participants is scheduled for Dec. 16, at which
time plaques will be awarded and yard signs distributed to winners.
The First United Methodist Church of Livingston will present the
Christmas cantata, "Gloria In Excelsls Deo" at 6 p.m. Dec.
19-20.
NEITHER RAIN, NOR SNOW.r^f^sh^s^ri
keep 9-year-old Tiffany Phillips from delivering her letter to
Santa. Santa's official mailbox is located in front of the Polk
County Enterprise office. By special arrangement with Mr.
Claus, the Enterprise will make copies of each letter before
forwarding them to the North Pole and will publish them in a
Special "Letters to Santa" edition, to be inducted in the Dec. 19
issue of the Enterprise.
iwmnni moro ir cordon i.rarrom
HAY BLAMED - The driver of this pickup truck, Anthony Hilliard, was southbound on Hwy.
146 at approximately 5:25 p.m. Thursday when his vehicle struck some hay, made slick by
rainfall, which had spilled in the roadway, according to Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Stepha-
nie Johnson. Hilliard's truck traveled into the northbound lane where it struck a Sam Houston
Electric Cooperative truck driven by Michael Cude. Jaws of Life equipment from the Livingston
Volunteer Fire Department was used to free Hilliard from his vehicle, which had flipped and
rolled several times. Hilliard was taken by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center, Livingston,
and was hter transferred to Hermann Hospital in Houston. Cude was taken by private vehicle to
the local hospital, but was not believed to be seriously injured. The accident is still under inves-
tigation. Also under investigation is another major accident which occurred Thursday night on
FM 1276. Details were unavailable at press time.
Flood grant funds approved
LIVINGSTON - Polk County
will receive a $350,000 disaster
relief fund grant to repair damages
from the April 3 flash flooding, the
Texas Department of Housing and
Community Affairs (TDHCA) an-
nounced Thursday.
The grant funds will be used to
repair 11.2 miles of roads. Ap-
proximately 20 miles of county
toads were washed out in Precincts
1 and 4, impacting 1,300 residents.
The county has already made re-
pairs to the remaining county roads.
1DHCA is awarding disaster re-
lief grants to Polk and Tyler coun-
ties from the Texas Community
Development Program (TCDP).
The grants will help repair damage
to county roads, drainage structures,
culverts and bridges.
‘The severe storm which took
place on April 3, 1999 produced
heavy flooding In these two coun-
ties,” TDHCA Executive Director
Daisy Stiner said. “This grant will
help insure that repairs are made to
the infrastructure that was damaged
or destroyed in the process."
Tyler County is currently being
awarded $86,584 and will receive at
additional $230,000 when the year
2000 funds become available. The
grant will help reconstruct Partner-
ship Bridge, repair several county
roads in Precincts 2 and 3 and re-
place two culverts with concrete
lining walls.
TDHCA is Texas' lead agency re-
sponsible for affordable housing,
community development and com-
munity assistance programs and
Set GRANT pg 8A
LIVINGSTON - Hie Livingston
City Council will meet in a spe-
cial-called session at 5 p.m. Tues-
day to consider a proposed ordinance
which would grant a cable televi-
sion franchise to Telcom Supply,
Inc. and to report on and discuss
electric utility deregulation issues
Ordinance
spawns suit
LIVINGSTON - Ordinances de-
signed to regulate rexually-oriented
businesses were passed last month
by Polk County and the cities of
Uvmgston. Onalaska and Corrigan
A similar ordinance was approved
by San Jacinto County officials in
August and their action is now the
subject of a lawsuit
Hie lawsuit was filed Nov. 22 by
Jcannie Odom, DBA Rumors Night
Club, in Point Blank. It alleges
that when business owners at-
tempted to open a topless bar near
Point Blank four months ago, San
Jacinto County officials indicated
there were no ordinances relating to
sexually-oriented businesses in
place, so the owners proceeded with
their plans.
San Jacinto County adopted an
ordinance regulating sexually-
oriented businesses on Aug. 23.
“The ordinance was not passed to
keep this particular business out*
San Jacinto County Judge Joe
Adams said Iasi week. *We just
needed same regulation"
Other counties, including Nacog-
doches and Liberty, have also re-
cently put regulations regarding
sexually oriented businesses in
place in light of increased interest
by such businesses in locating in
more rural areas.
In Polk County, an inquiry con-
cerning local regulations governing
sexually oriented businesses was re-
ceived late in the week of Oct.. 4,
County Judge John Thompson said.
Since the county had no regulations
in place, the district attorney's of
S«« TOUGHER PC- 8A
and rulemaking procedures of the
Public Utility Commission
The council will go into dosed
session to review commercial in-
formation relating to the provision
of public power utilities by the city
and to consult with an attorney
concerning contemplated litigation.
For Livingston City Council
Electricity a topic
Election 2000
—
MrL
A
Judge position sought Pixley in Pet. 1 race
BEAUMONT - David Gaultney,
a Beaumont attorney, has entered
the Republican primary race for the
Ninth Court of Appeals in Beau-
mont. Gaultney seeks to replace re-
tiring Justice Earl Stover, who will
not seek re-election.
He said he is running for the jus-
tice seal due to his strong interest
in appellate law and desire to apply
his specialization in public service.
T am honored by the strong sup-
port my first election campaign has
received and, when elected, I Irak
forward to using my experience rod
training in public service on the
Ninth Court of Appeals," Gaultney
said.
He is a 45-year-old civil appellate
law spedalist with die Beaumont
law firm of Mehaffy & Weber,
where be began his law career 20
years ago.
"I am entering the race because I
believe that a lawyer's highest call-
ing is to serve as a judge in our
great system of American justice,"
Gaultney said in making his formal
announcement.
"Law is the guardian of our per-
sonal safety and individual rights.
Each of us must be able to have
confidence in the impartiality and
fairness of our judicial system,"
Gaultney said. "A justice on the
Court of Appeals must bring not
only bis or her qualifications to the
bench but also a basic sense of jus-
tice, fairness and impartiality." He
said those values were instilled in
him at a very young age by his par-
ents, Dr. Jerry Gaultney and Dr.
Virginia Gaultney, both Baptist
medical missionaries who now live
in Houston and teach at Houston
Baptist University. Noting that his
parents have dedicated their lives to
public service, he said, "Their lives
are an inspiration to me."
The candidate is the father of two
teen-age sons, Brail, 18. and Mi-
chael, 14.
Gaultney was bom and reared in
the mission field and witnessed the
ways of life of numerous different
cultures in his own childhood.
When he returned to the United
States at age 17, he enrolled at
Southwest Texas State University,
where he graduated with honors in
1976. Gaultney obtained his law
degree with honors from the Uni-
versity of Texas School of Law in
1979. In 1993, he obtained a master
of laws degree, an advanced legal
degree, from the University of
See PEERS pg. 7A
DAVID GAULTNEY
... seeking Justice position
GOODRICH - Bobby Pixley has
filed as Democratic candidate for
commissioner, Precinct I, Polk
County. He arid he offers to Pre-
cinct I his yean of experience in
management, strong organizational
skills, efficient planning and pro-
ductive work schedules.
Many believe a change is needed
in Precinct 1, Pixley said, adding
that he offers a positive change:
communication with citizens, an
organized road and bridge mainte-
nance program and an assertive
voice on the commissioners' court.
Pixley's management philosophy
is based on organization, time man-
agement and productivity. As a
consultant in the water and waste-
water industry, he said assessing
problems and reaching agreeable so-
lutions with the public are accom-
plished every day. Working tmder
governmental restraints with a lim-
ited budget is not new to Pixley.
As a conservative Democrat
Pixley said be believes in eliminat-
ing excess expense while using ex-
isting programs more efficiently.
Pixley said he is concerned about
the condition of all roads in Pre-
cinct 1, the condition of the equip-
ment used to maintain the roads,
the employees of Precinct 1, the
senior citizens of Polk County and
the programs that serve them, rep-
resentation on the commissioners'
court aid the future growth of Pre-
cinct 1.
Pixley arid he aid his family
have always bees involved hi md
concerned about their community
He is married to Carol Pixley md
they have two married sons, Rex
Pixley and bis wife, die former Ju-
dith Carter, and Robert Pixley and
his wife, the former Mary Marsh.
The Pixley family, including
Bobby's mother, Frances Pixley,
and CaroTs mother and stepfather,
Ann Kimball Wimberly and C.L.
"Cub" Wimberly, are all active,
strong supporters of Polk County.
Pixley said be believes commu-
nication is the key to successful
changes in Precinct 1 and that he
offen committed leadership based
on communication, organization
and representation to meet the
growing needs of the citizens of
Precinct 1.
"Please register and vote far posi-
tive changes," Pixley said in mak-
ing his announcement. "Vote far
Bobby Pixley, Democratic candidate
for commissioner of Precinct 1."
Pixley's communications line is
409-365-4263.
BOBBY PIXLEY
... cotnmls iloncr candidate
S
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 117, No. 97, Ed. 1 Sunday, December 5, 1999, newspaper, December 5, 1999; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth790475/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.