Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 126, No. 81, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 2, 2008 Page: 1 of 16
sixteen pages : ill. ; page 22 x 14 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Polk rmmfi7
##*##*##***#####*##*#*##( lRil !;>74 04
Hi 1 *
Blf -
Mi
: ; : HH
, Stlii
JHttLafc • ■■■■Ml H| ■■
■ ^ Hi ■ 11 ■
HLi WUm HI HE H i:i: 14AF.: kontr; lO '..'in r,.-.MV
ERI Ihrnioc
v
U--R14C
■ liiiMSHf'
October 2,2008
\V3T’ • »’
www.ea8ttexasnews.com
/olume 126 Number 81
The Dominant News and Advertising Source in Polk County
UPS 437-340
Local financial advisors say no financial crisis in Polk County
,**•*?’• -H
,/■ V
( MARK MOStLEY )
..........rfA-JI
Sports
Mark Moseley's No.
11 will be retired at 7:15
p.m. Saturday. The LHS
graduate scored 1,206
points in the NFL
See Sports, Pg. 8A
.ivmg
Mark Moseley's No.
11 to be retired at 7:15
p.m. Saturday.
I
i
See Living* Pfl-16
Quote for
the day
"Americans can
always be Count-
ed on to do the
right thing ...af-
ter they have ex-
hausted all other
possibilities."
— Winaton Churchill
1874-1921
British politician
Local Weather
Mainly sunny. High 87F. Winds
light and variable.
. .A few clouds. Highs in the upper
80s and lows In the low 60s.
Mainly sunny. Highs in the upper
80s and lows in the low 60s.
Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s
and tows in the low 80s.
Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the
upper 80s and lows In the mid 60s.
Index
Classified................3B-6B
Crossword...................3B
Community Calendar........5A
Obituaries..............6A-7A
Official Records...,.....2A
Opinion........................4A
Living...................... 1B-3B
Sports..................... 8A-10
BY JAMES E. BAUGH
Staff Reporter
LIVINGSTON - People con-
cerned about the mess on Wall
Street shouldn’t worry about Polk
County’s banks and experts dis-
agree about what, if any, long-term
effects individuals will see. Even
most investors have little to worry
about if their portfolios are well di-
versified.
The problems on Wall Street stem
from mortgage lenders’ and their
Wall Street backers’ disregard for
sound lending practices, based on
reports by many major media out-
lets.
Until a decade ago, if you could
get a mortgage it meant that you
could pay it back. Once the lenders
PREDATOR
WATCH
Website sends
e-mail notices
LJVINGSTON — Starting today
(Thursday) a new feature on the
Polk County Sheriffs Office website
allows citizens to be advised if sex
offenders are living near their home
or office.
Sheriff Kenneth Hammack says
the QffcnderWatch tool gives
everyone the ability to continually
monitor their neighborhood for
registered sex offenders.
,- Web users can visit www.
polkcountyso.net and enter any
address Qf interest to them and a
map and listing of offenders within
a one-mile radius is displayed,
Hammack said.
This information is provided
in a form they can easily use any
time day or night via the nation's
leading sex offender registration
and notification solution,
OffenderWatch.
“Now citizens can search for the
presence of registered sex offenders
in close proximity to their homes,
place of work, schools and day
cares,” Hammack said.
Citizens may register the address
to be continuously monitored by
the system, who will send an e-
majl alerting them if an offender
registers an address within one mile
of their registered address.
Citizens may confidentially
register as many addresses as they
like, at no cost to them.
“The purpose of the program
is to lessen the anxiety of citizens
by proactively alerting them if an
offender/predator moves within
proximity to them, and to enhance
the security and safety of Polk
County citizens,” Hammack said.
The program also enables the
Sheriff to verify that offenders
do not violate any safety buffers
that may 'be implemented around
protected institutions in the county,
such as schools, day cares and
churches.
As with all new programs there
will be startup problems, which
will only be found by using the
program. If you discover an
inaccuracy in the program, please
contact Captain J. R. Jones Special
Projects Officer and he will address
those problems.
and their Wall Street buddies decid-
ed to forgo a borrower’s ability to
repay a loan as a criteria for making
the loan, they stood to gain big re-
turns if all went well. Unfortunately
and, quite realistically, that is not
what happened.
As interest rates on these sub-
prime mortgages - as home loans
to less-than-qualified borrowers
are known - began to rise, a grow-
ing number of unqualified hom-
eowners began defaulting on their
loans.
Because the lenders and their
backers were over leveraged and
had taken on more of these sub-
prime loans than they could actual-
ly afford to pay off, they soon found
themselves in the same predicament
as their borrowers.
And then the whole process be-
gan to snowball.
But what does that mean for the
average rent- or traditional mort-
gage-payiijg American?
“If it wasn’t for what I see on the
news, I’d have no idea there were
problems,” said Robert Sebaugh,
president of First State Bank of
Livingston. (
Despite the media hype over the
“credit crunch” and a growing in-
ability to get a loan, local banks are
still operating as usual.
“We’re still making loans to qual-
ified individuals and businesses,
just like always,” said Sebaugh.
“And, having spoken to John Slo-
comb [Presidentl at First National, i
can say the same thing for them. It’s
business as usual.”
Sebaugh and his staff are as-
suring customers that there is
no reason to be concerned about
checking and savings accounts.
That includes certificates of de-
posit, NOW, money market and
individual retirement accounts, as
well. All of these are insured by the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corpo-
ration (FDIC) up to $100,000 per
depositor per bank.
Considering that the average
American has about $5,500 in the
bank, the vast majority have noth-
ing to worry about.
If you have more than $100,000
at one bank you may still be cov-
ered depending upon the ownership
categories into which your holdings
fall.
For example, John and Mary
HEALTH FAIR — Janet Payne of Livingston visits a booth offering information about joint
replacement during the Health Fair Wednesday at Memorial Medical Center-Livingston. Alicia
Hendrix RN, director of surgery, looks on as Kim Reynolds RN, PACU, answers questions.
could each have a single owner
account insured to $100,000 plus
a joint account for which they are
each insured to $100,000 and then
each have an Individual Retire-
ment Account which is insured to
$250,000. In this example John
and Mary would each be insured
for $450,000 at one bank; how-
ever, you should visit with your
banker for more information about
your specific FDIC coverage.
Remember, however, the FDIC
does not insure the money you in-
vest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds,
life insurance policies or municipal
securities, even if you purchased
them through a bank.
With many Americans’ future
See WALL STREET, Page 2A
Shine named
emergency
coordinator
Hambrick offered no
explanation for leaving
LIVINGSTON - Kenneth
Hambrick has resigned from his
position as Polk County Emergency
Management Coordinator effective
at 5:01 p.m. Tuesday, County Judge
John Thompson said Monday.
Hambrick’s letter of resignation
simply said, “As perourconversation
Saturday, Sept. 27,2008,1 do hereby
tender my resignation as Emergency
Management Coordinator on Sept.
30,2008 at 5 p.m.”
Thompson executed an order
appointing i/my smne us emergency
management coordinator effective
5:01 pm. Tuesday.
Under Texas law, under Chapter
418 of the Government Code, the
county judge is also i$i emergency
management director for the
county he serves. The emergney
See COORDINATOR, face 2A
FEMA office serves about 60 hurricane victims a day
BY LYNN BROWN
Staff Reporter
LIVINGSTON - The Federal
Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) disaster assistance center
at the former First National Bank
building has been accepting
applications to victims with damage
caused by Hurricane Ike.
The temporary center houses
multiple federal and state
organizations to aid in the disaster
relief recovery. Applications are
available in both English and
Spanish. Computers are offered
for status checks on applications
with FEMA and the Small
Business Administration (SBA)
representatives. The disaster relief
teams are available 7 days a week
from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily until
further notice.
FEMA coordinator Rose Blaha
reported this week the office has
served approximately 60 Polk
County residents daily with 63
residents receiving assistance
Monday. Blaha reports computer
services to check the status of
applications was slow during the
first days of operation; however,
the center now has DSL access
and is running more efficiently. A
counselor is also available to speak
to residents traumatized by the
storm according to Blaha.
Although FEMA inspectors are
dispatched from another office,
Blaha reported the time frame for
inspectoravailabiIity is generally 10
to 14 days to assess damages. She
stressed the importance of correct
telephone numbers, especially if
residents are not living in their
homes, to allow inspectors contact
with home and business owners.
FEMA representative, Greg
Hughes, reported that as of
Wednesday 531 Polk County
residents have been visited by
FEMA inspectors for damage
assessment. “People may have
their money either electronically
deposited into their bank accounts
or receive them by mail,” Hughes
said.
He also stressed that FEMA
inspectors are dispatched “in
the order in which the applicant
registered” to ensure fairness in the
process.
Hughes reported that the 29Texas
counties affected by Hurricane Ike
equal the entire area of the state
of New York. The local as well as
other areas affected by the storm
will not have a deadline to file
for assistance. “It will take many
months to assess all the damage of
this storm,” Hughes said.
SBA personnel are on-site at
the center to provide and explain
information on low-interest loans
available to residents for home,
businesses and agricultural areas
in the disaster area. Nov. 12 is
the deadline for property damange
applications. Economic injury
applications are due by June 15,
2009.
SBA representative Carl Sherrill
reported to date 2,767 applications
have been received for SBA loans
in Poik County. Of that figure,
2,341 are renters and homeowner
applications and 426 are business
and non-profit organizations.
“Eighty percent of SBA loans
are to renters and homeowners,”
Sherrill said. “If SBA is not able to
help with loans, people are referred
back to FEMA for furtherassistance
that includes grants and voluntary
organizations with funds to help
people.”
Sherrill also said applications are
a two-step process. ‘The FEMA
application is made firstanqtfyeSBA
application should'be made as soon
as possible," he said. He stresses all
applications should continue to be
made through FEMA and SBA as it
is “the gateway to possible further
government assistance.” \
Sherrill noted although insurance
deductionsand policy disbursements
are required by FEMA, SBA can
simply verify the amount to be
paid by an insurance com
FEMA, and prbvide fu
to provide residents and busif
to recover as quickly as posable.
He said that victims can possibly
receive funds from insurance
companies, FEMA and SBA. !
SBA loans also include mitfgation
repair or damages for repairs to
avoid loss in future disasters. And
SBA loans can be retroacted to
restoration of property to the date
before the disaster occurred.
“This can be important to
determining the loan|amount,"
Sherrill said. Fu&ft are made
available in about three,,weeks to
SBA applicants. V '
The Texas Workforce
See FEMA, Page 2A
High school fire ruled arson
BY JAMES E. BAUGH
Staff Reporter
‘The fire did minor damage and no
one was hurt in the incident,” Faith
said. ” At this time, it is believed
LIVINGSTON - An investigation that the fire was deliberately set by
is under way as of press time a member of the LHS student body
Wednesday into the cause of a fire and USD is cooperating with local
at Livingston High School. authorities to investigate.”
According to preliminary police According to Fire Chief Corky
reports, a call came irf to 911 around Cochran, the fire was extinguished
10:09 a.m. Tuesday after several upon their arrival and his men dealt
female students smelled smoke mostly with clearing smoke out of
coming from one of the boy’s the building,
restrooms in a portable building on Students attending classes in the
campus. portable building were evacuated
Livingston Fire Department, white frefightera removed smoke
police and Fire Marshal Mark from the classroom.
__—-.-w „-,f—.....sntbxprimphotosyGordonlkbabrqn .....^~**fi***
SMOKE BREAK - Students were evacuated from a portable building on the Livingston High Fa^ ^da TmaTLU52 S& inmUpO^. T^SStfct
School campus for a short while Tuesday after another student started a fire in a restroom at thc portable building bathroom still tafft statements and followlntt
about 10 a.m. School district officials are cooperating with law enforcement in the arson inves- located on the Livingston High up on several leads itf the case No
tigation. Schcxvl campus. anesti have been made in the case.
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.
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. 126, No. 81, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 2, 2008, newspaper, October 2, 2008; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth820694/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.