Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 123, No. 94, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 24, 2005 Page: 1 of 20
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Volume 123 Number 94
The Dominant News and Advertising Source in Polk County
UPS 437-340 Price: 50 cents
Girl saves family in house fire
Family pet wakes
7-year-old, who
then alerts mom
t
By VANESA BRASHIER
Features/special sections editor
SEGNO - Kelly Danforth is
counting her blessings - one, two
and three - for each of her chil-
dren after the family narrowly es-
caped tragedy early Sunday morn-
ing when a fire destroyed their
home.
Danforth, 28, and her three
children, Sarah, 7, Taylor, 6, and
Stephen, 4, were sleeping in their
Segno home when the fire erupted.
Sarah and the family’s pet, a collie
named Cindy, are being praised for
alerting Kelly to the fire.
Sarah was awakened around
^2:30 a.m. by the sounds of scratch-
ing at her window. It is believed
the family's dog was trying to
warn her of the fire.
Hearing the scratching at her
window, Sarah, at first, thought
that someone was trying to break
into the home, so she ran to her
mother’s room. Her sister, Taylor,
was still asleep in the room the
two girls shared.
“Everything sounded like it
was breaking,” said Sarah.
Initially, Kelly thought a rat was
causing the noises, but it soon be-
came evident that something else
was happening. Kelly went to her
bedroom window and peered
through the blinds.
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Photo courtesy of SHEILA STUTTS
Sarah and Taylor Danforth (l-r) embrace while standing
beside the remains^of their home. The Danforth family’s
home in Segno burned to the ground early Sunday
morning. Tragedy was averted thanks to the quick actions
of 7-year-old Sarah and a 10-year-old Collie named Cindy,
who are credited with alerting the family to the fire.
“I saw a bright orange glow.
That’s when I realized that there was
a fire,” Kelly said.
She ran to her daughters' room
and saw flames coming underneath
the door. All the while, little Taylor was
still in the bedroom, miraculously
unstirred from her slumber despite the
heat and illumination from the fire.
With the flames lapping at the
walls near Taylor’s head, Kelly
grabbed her daughter by the feet
and dragged her from the bed. She
then gathered her two other chil-
dren and ran from the home, tak-
ing nothing with them except the
See SEGNO pg. 2A
Local man strkilled
LIVINGSTON - A 22-year-old
Livingston man was killed when he
was struck by a vehicle at 9:38 p.m.
Monday in the 200 block of Pan
American.
A 1994 Toyota Camry driven by
Diego Pablo Garzon, 35, of Good-
rich, was traveling northbound in
the right lane on Pan American
Drive and struck Thomas Tanner,
22, of Livingston, who was walk-
ing in the middle of the roadway
traveling north, according to the
accident report filed by Livingston
Police Officer Scott Paske.
The police report also indicated
that two other motorists witnessed
the accident, including one of
whom swerved to avoid striking the
pedestrian.
A passenger in Garzon’s vehicle
- Luis Romero, 19, of Livingston -
reportedly sustained “possible”
injuries.
No charges were filed in con-
junction with the accident.
Four people sustained “possible”
injuries in a two-vehicle accident
that occurred in the 300 block of
South Houston at 11:23 a.m. Fri-
day.
A 1991 Ford Taurus driven by
Myra Marie Berryhill, 66, of
Livingston, was traveling
southbound on South Houston and
a 1991 Ford Taurus driven by
Marcy Donette Smith, 24, of
See WRECK pg. 4A
USD still eyeing land
LIVINGSTON - The Livingston
Independent School District is still
looking for a site for a proposed
new high school.
Last month, the USD Board of
Trustees approved an option to
purchase 100 acres of the former
Mill Ridge Golf Course property,
plus 3.71 acres of adjacent property
to allow for further study and nego-
tiation. During their regular board
meeting Monday night, the consen-
sus of the trustees was that the land
is no longer an option. “There were
hurdles too significant for the dis-
trict to overcome,” said Dr. Carol
Ann Bonds, USD superintendent.
District officials have now turned
their attention to two pieces of
property they had looked at earlier:
a site on U.S. 190 West, two miles
from the Livingston city limits and
another on Hwy. 146 South, ap-
proximately eight-tenths of a mile
from the existing city limits.
Amendment election returns canvassed
-LIVINGSTON - The Polk
County Commissioners’ Court ap-
proved the canvass of the Nov. 8
constitutional amendment election
returns during its regular meeting
Moftday.
Of Polk County’s 36,800 voters
registered at the time of
election, 5,011, or 14 percent,
tjwllots, County Clerk Barbara
fiddletdn said.
Commissioners held Tuesday’s
bireiiqi Monday in order to com-
ply with the statutory time limita-
tion of election canvassing.
| Commissioners approved Tax
bi
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Assessor-Col lector Marion A.
“Bid” Smith’s request to adopt re-
quirements of Senate Bill 644. Ef-
fective May 17 of this year, SB 644
added Section 34.015(p) to the
property tax code, requiring that a
person purchasing property at a
county tax foreclosure sale show
proof that they owe no delinquent
taxes to the county, school districts
or cities in that county.
An agreement with Deep East
Texas Council of Governments
(DETCOG) to serve as the desig-
nated authority of the Older Ameri-
can Act Program for Polk County
Aging Services was approved.
“This is a continuation of our aging
centers’ grant,” County Judge John
P. Thompson said.
Commissioners also approved a
vendor agreement with the DET-
COG Area Agency on Aging to
provide home-delivered meals for
Polk County Aging Services.
A mandated medical provider
agreement with Dr. Charlene Smith
- to serve as specialized care phy-
sician for the county indigent
health care program - was ap-
proved.
Commissioners accepted a
$28,248 bid from Philpot Ford for
the purchase of a Ford F-550 or
Kodiak 4500 truck chassis for the
Indian Springs Volunteer Fire De-
partment and accepted a $35,854
bid from Westex for the purchase
of a 400-gallon customized flat bed
brush truck, also for the Indian
Springs Volunteer Fire Department.
Having approved the purchase of
county computer equipment and
software during its Nov. 8 meeting,
See COURT pg. 2A
The district has called a $37.5
million bond election for Dec. 15.
The first phase calls for the issu-
ance of $27.5 million for a new
high school. If the first phase picks
up the State Existing Debt Allot-
ment, it would allow the district to
issue an additional $10 million at
no additional cost to taxpayers. The
funds would go to build the new
school and make improvements to
existing facilities.
Early voting for the election be-
gins Monday. Early voting loca-
tions will be listed in Sunday’s
Polk County Enterprise.
In other business during Mon-
day’s meeting, trustees reviewed,
but took no action on ,campus
alignments options for existing
schools for the next school year.
One option would call for one
school to house pre-kindergarten
through third grade, another for
fourth and fifth grades and another
for grades six through eight. Under
the second option, there would be
three elementary schools - two for
pre-kindergarten through fifth
grade and one for kindergarten
through fifth grade. Regardless of
how the lower grades are realigned,
-plans call for sixth grade to be
housed on the existing junior high
campus next fall.
The board also reviewed Texas
Education Agency requirements
concerning the Healthy Chil-
dren/Healthy Schools program.
Under that state initiative, designed
to promote and advocate nutrition
and physical activity, school dis-
tricts must have a child obesity and
diabetes plan in place by March 1.
The board cast ballots for nomi-
nees to the Polk Central Appraisal
District Board of Directors, split-
ting the district’s 1,669 allotted
votes between its two nominees,
Kathy Freeman and Cliff Kellett.
Three other nominees will be
elected through votes cast by other
taxing entities in the county.
Trustees approved Texas Asso-
ciation of School Boards (TASB)
Policy Update 76 on second read-
ing, with the exception of a portion
of the policy dealing with assign-
ment of students to campuses. The
state policy indicates students will
attend the school in areas in which
they reside. In LISD’s case, atten-
dance at its two elementary schools
- which was the choice of parents
when the second elementary school
See WORK pg. 4A
For dam repairs
Funding confirmed
LIVINGSTON - Repair of Lake
Livingston Dam, damaged by Hur-
ricane Rita, should begin in the
very near future, according to the
Trinity River Authority (TRA).
TRA directors are poised to
ISD board member resigns
*• , V
i ONALASKA - The Board of
Trustees of the Onalaska Independ-
ent School District accepted the
resinotion of board member
Ronpiie Vincent during its regular
meeting Monday.
On Oct. 28, Vincent was ap-
pointed by County Judge John P.
Thompson to fill the unexpired
term of Precinct 2 commissioner
following the Oct 19 death of
Commissioner Bobby Smith.
The board tabled action regard-
ing appointing someone to fill Vin-
cent’s unexpired term.
A board resolution regarding the
educator pay and the number of
instructional days due to Hurricane
Rita was approved.
Business Manager Angela Foster
made a presentation on the current
budget status using the snapshot
day enrollment and attendance per-
centages.
The board approved giving its
544 votes to Calvin Small, its
nominee for the Board of Directors
of the Polk Central Appraisal Dis-
trict, as well as a resolution indicat-
ing the choice.
Service contracts with the Region
VI Education Service Center for
Safe School Alliance and health-
care software were approved.
Debbie Kirkham, of Hereford
Lynch Sellars and Kirkham, pre-
sented the OISD financial audit
See OISD pg. 4A
,/7 ‘.
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'Project Pop Star'to perform
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ONALASKA - “Project Pop
Star,” is slated to perform at 5 p.m.
during the annual “Christmas in
Our Town,” which will be held
from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday in
Onalaska.
“Project Pop Star" began as an
idea of Mathew Knowles - man-
ager of Destiny’s Child and father
of Bcyoncc - to search for the next
female pop group sensation.
There will be a Beyonce van and
a Destiny’s Child van with promo-
tional giveaways in the Christmas
parade that evening.
Another addition to the event in-
elddes a performance by country
artist Drew Perry at 10:30 a.m.
"There is but one goal for
’Christmas in our Town’ and that is
for all children to be given the
chance to enjoy the spirit of
Christmas regardless of race, relig-
ion and economic status,” Chair-
person Patti Johnson said. “While
many cannot afford Christmas in
their homes, their children are now
able to spend one day a year play-
ing and listening to wonderful mu-
sic at no charge to them.
“This was our dream and now it
has become a reality,” Johnson
said, adding, “Old Town Onalaska
will be all aglow with plenty of
lights and fun for kids of all ages,
and if you’ve been good, Santa
may have something for you.”
All events are free and include a
petting zoo, train rides, a mechani-
cal bull, a moon walk, face painting
and colored sand-making.
A variety of musical entertain-
ment is planned. Various Onalaska
school programs will be presented
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“The Village Singers” will per-
form from 1-2 p.m. and from 4-5
p.m. ‘The Village Singers” are
Pinecastle Recording artists who
play and sing gospel music nation-
ally at bluegrass festivals, as well
as churches and southern gospel
concerts in a style that would best
be described as “traditional gos-
pel.”
See PARADE pg. 4A
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ENTERPRISE PHOTO BY GORDON LEBARRON
DOWNTOWN LIGHTS UP - Jackie Boykin does the honors
of plugging in the cords and officially turning on the Christmas
lights and decorations at Livingston City Hall during a brief
ceremony Tuesday. Boykin is the mother of the late Leslie
Boykin, former Livingston Parks and Recreation director, for
whom the Lights for Leslie city-wide holiday lighting cam-
paign is named.
" award a contract to Archer West-
em, an Arlington firm which sub-
mitted the lowest of three proposals
received, and is waiting only for
funding to be confirmed.
A big part of that funding was
confirmed Monday morning, when
the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency (FEMA) agreed to
cover 75 percent of the $7.7 million
repair cost, according to John
Jadrosich, public information offi-
cer for the TRA. The remaining 25
percent of the cost is the responsi-
bility of the City of Houston, which
contracted with the TRA for con-
struction of Lake Livingston i in
1964. Funding confirmation from
Houston is pending, Jadrosich said.
To expedite awarding of a con-
tract once funding is in place, the
executive board of the TRA Board
of Directors has been authorized to
award the contract on behalf of the
foil board.
Once work begins, it should take
160 calendar days for substantial
completion of the repairs. The pro-
ject is expected to be totally com-
plete within 200 days after the
work begins.
As Hurricane Rita battered
Southeast Texas on the morning of
Sept. 24, high wind and wave ac-
tion damaged approximately
11,000 feet of the large rock pro-
tective surface, called rip rap, on
the upstream slope of the dam.
To protect the dam against fur-
ther erosion, and allow inspection
and repair, the lake level was low-
ered from its normal pool elevation
of 131 feet above mean sea level to
127 feet, where it has remained.
How long it will take for the lake
to return to the 131-foot level after
repairs are made will be determined
by rainfall and runoff from the ap-
proximately 15,000 square miles of
Trinity River watershed upstream
from the dam.
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 123, No. 94, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 24, 2005, newspaper, November 24, 2005; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth820835/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.