Mineola Monitor (Mineola, Tex.), Vol. 141, No. 2, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 13, 2016 Page: 1 of 14
fourteen pages : ill.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:
County, state candidates
line up for primary
Page 3A
Wood County
deputy resigns
Page 3A
Mineola ISD
Honor Rolls
Page 4A
Find uson
www.facebook.com/MineolaMonitor
Mineola Monitor
Mineola’s Hometown newspaper since 1876
January 13,2016
Vol. 141 • No. 2* Two Sections * 50 cents
We're where you are!”
Pam Franklin stood as District Judge Tim Boswell discussed the
setting of the date for her plea agreement. Franklin appeared in
court on charges of credit card abuse and forgery relating to her
time with the Mineola Chamber of Commerce. (Monitor photo by
Doris Newman)
Franklin makes
first trip to court
Pam Franklin made
her first appearance in
the 402nd Judicial Dis-
trict Court in Quitman
Wednesday to hear the
date set for her plea agree-
ment.
The date agreed upon
by Franklin and her at-
torney, Carlo D'Angelo,
and the district attorney's
office and announced
by Judge Tim Boswell is
Thursday, Feb. 4.
Franklin was hired as
the Mineola Chamber of
Commerce secretary in
January 2011 to replace
the retired longtime sec-
retary Shirley Chadwick.
Franklin faces charges of
credit card abuse; credit
card abuse of the elderly,
a state jail felony and third
degree felony and forgery
of a financial instrument
against the elderly, third
degree felony. Franklin
resigned in May 2014
and irregularities in the
bookkeeping began being
discovered. The offenses
See FRANKLIN, Page 8A
City council
gives mayor
interim admin
authority
By DORIS NEWMAN
The Monitor Staff
In a special meeting
that included a chart of
the city's income pro-
jected on a wall, the city
council okayed Mayor
Rodney Watkins acting
as an interim city ad-
ministrator in conjunc-
tion with Mercy Rush-
ing, the assistant city
administrator.
In a special meeting
at Mineola City Hall
last Tuesday evening
the council spent an
hour behind closed
doors with the execu-
tive session exemption
to discuss interim city
administrator duties
and responsibilities as
authorized by the Texas
Government Code for
personnel matters. They
reconvened into open
meeting and Ward 3 Al-
derman Mitchell Tuck
made the motion to au-
With lights in the room dimmed for the projector, Mayor Rodney Watkins explains a snapshot of the
city's revenues, fund by fund. Ward 3 Alderman Mitchell Tuck had moved to the audience area to be
better able to see the chart and Assistant City Administrator Mercy Rushing operated the projector.
(Monitor photo by Doris Newman)
thorize the mayor to act
as interim city admin-
istrator in conjunction
with the assistant city
administrator. Ward 2
Alderman Kevin White
seconded the motion
and it passed unani-
mously.
After the meeting, the
Monitor asked what the
action meant in prac-
ticality to the city. He
chuckled and said, "I
wish I knew." He said
the city's attorney rec-
See COUNCIL, Page 8A
WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS
The "major structural failure" of the liner between the perimeter
sidewalk and the basin of the aeration pond at the city's wastewater
treatment plant was discovered after the deluge on Dec. 27. The city's
engineer had examined the problem and the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality is expected to be at the plant this week. (Moni-
tor photos by Doris Newman)
Deluge believed cause
of basin liner failure
at wastewater plant
The historic rain that fell in Mineola Dec. 27 is believed
to have done more than flood roads and break dams; it
is also believed to have been the cause of a "major prob-
lem" at the wastewater treatment plant. This news was
conveyed to the city council during a special meeting
revolving mainly around finances.
"We have had a major problem come up at the waste-
water treatment plant," Mayor Rodney Watkins began,
then turned the discussion over to Wastewater Treat-
ment Plant Superintendent William Crump.
Crump said some cracks have appeared in a liner be-
tween the perimeter sidewalk and basin of the aeration
pond at the wastewater treatment plant and the "ma-
jor problem" was noticed after the Dec. 27 downpour.
(Crump recorded just under 8 inches at the wastewater
treatment plant.) There are cracks in two locations, one
of which he described as "a major structural failure."
See WASTEWATER, Page 3A
observance set Monday
On Monday the Mineola Ministerial Alliance is
sponsoring a Martin Luther King Recognition Day
March and Service.
The march will begin promptly at 10:30 a.m. at the
railroad depot and the unity walk will commence
down Front Street to St. Paul Missionary Baptist
church. A service will be held there with St. Paul Pas-
tor Demethruis Boyd being the keynote speaker.
Ministerial Alliance members will have a part in
the observance as well as some civic and city leaders.
There will be refreshments served after the service.
Mineola High School grad
co-authors chronicle of
Hollywood celebrating
the holidays.
SEE PAGE 6
HOttiTsV,
Out & About
• Early voting for all Wood County precincts in
the March primary will begin Saturday at the Wood
County Courthouse on South Main Street in Quitman.
See article inside for more details.
• The Eastern Star Quitman Chapter 695 will host a
spaghetti dinner Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Quit-
man Masonic Lodge at 915 South Highway 37.
•The Mineola Ministerial Alliance is sponsoring
a Martin Luther King Recognition Day March and
Service Monday. The march will begin at 10:30 a.m.
at the railroad depot and the unity walk will follow at
10:45 a.m.
ASA awards Superintendent Tunnell scholarship
The Texas Association of
School Administrators has
named Mineola Superinten-
dent Kim Tunnell as one of
the three 2016 recipients of its
Johnny L. Veselka Scholarship.
The scholarship has been
awarded annually since 2014
to doctoral students pursuing
careers in educational leader-
ship, with a particular em-
phasis on superintendency.
Tunnell is pursuing a doctor-
ate in educational adminis-
tration from Texas A&M Uni-
versity at Commerce.
Tunnell will be awarded
a $2,500 scholarship at the
TASA Midwinter Conference
in Austin, Jan. 24-27. She
plans on completing her doc-
torate in 2017.
Mineola Superintendent Kim Tunnell was re-
cently named as a 2016 recipients of its Johnny
L. Veslka Scholarship. Tunnell plans on having
her doctorate in educational administration
completed in 2017. (Courtesy photo)
"As a superintendent, I am
able to cast the vision of qual-
ity instruction for every child
and work with all stakeholders
to ensure that each child is pre-
pared for success in life," Tun-
nell wrote in her application.
"This role couples my passion
for learning with my mission
for educating children."
Erich Morris, the chief finan-
cial officer at Magnolia School
District and Jeanette Winn the
Kansas City Superintendent
were the other recipients.
The scholarship recognizes
the ongoing leadership of Dr.
Johnny L. Veselka, who has
dedicated more than 40 years
of service to the association,
including 30 years as TASA's
executive director.
Highway of Life®, Inc., is a non-denominational
public charity formed since June 15, 2013.
Our 12 Month Year-Round Teddy Bear Give-Away
Program offers compassion for orphans
and the elderly who are the most forgotten.
Who cares about them? We do; and you will too.
Would you give your support with a tax
deductible donation? We need your help.
See our website or call us to donate.
ftF
V _ </j
‘
i
HIGHWAY OF LIFE®, INC.
P.O. Box 1168
Gilmer, TX 75644
Email: info@highwayoflife.org
Toll Free: (855) 422-4354
Call Jim 903-850-1829
www.highwayoflife.org
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.
Newman, Doris. Mineola Monitor (Mineola, Tex.), Vol. 141, No. 2, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 13, 2016, newspaper, January 13, 2016; Mineola, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth899846/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Mineola Memorial Library.