|
|
Hot work
 |
| A road crew repairs a signal pole at the intersection of Hwy. 271 and Gay Avenue Thursday. Jim Bardwell/Mirror photo |
IN HOT WEATHER TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST DEVELOPING HEAT EXHAUSTION:
• Drink more liquids, regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
• Don’t drink liquids that contain caffeine, alcohol, or large amounts of sugar—these will cause you
to lose more body fluid.
• Avoid very cold drinks—these could cause stomach cramps.
• Stay indoors, preferably in the air-conditioning
• Take a cool shower or bath.
IF YOU HAVE TO BE OUT IN THE HEAT:
• Limit your outdoor activity, whatever the time
• Cut down on exercise.
• Rest often in the shade.
• Protect yourself from the sun with a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, & sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher.
• Wear lightweight, light-colored, or loose-fitting clothing.
Source: “Extreme Heat,” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
|
City ready to interview candidates for manager
By Jim Bardwell
Mirror Publisher
It’s been a long process, but the Gladewater City Council will finally begin interviewing its top prospects for the city manager’s job in August.
Interim City Manager Melba Haralson said all five candidates “are experienced city managers,” but added “Their names have not been released.”
Haralson has been filling as city manager since Jay Stokes resigned for a similar job in Deer Park back in March. The city initially received 89 applications for the position, and it has spent the past few months narrowing the field to 30, then finally to five at last week’s meeting.
Until a city manager is hired, business goes on as usual.
Last Thursday the council decided to spend $100,000 to fix some of the city’s worst streets. While the list of streets in need of repair is long (one councilman said you could just about throw a dart at a city map and hit a problem street) - $100,000 will only go so far. So the council picked the four worst problem areas and asked Haralson to get bids on repair work.
 |
| A number of city roads – like Elearnor Street – are in dire need of repair, prompting the city council on Thursday to approve $100,000 for reconstruction. Jim Bardwell/Mirror photo |
The streets that made the list include – 1) Phillip Springs Road, from East Lake to Willow Oak; 2) Eleanor Street, from South Main to Eddy Street; 3) 1st Street; and 4) 2nd Street.
In other business Thursday night, Haralson advised the council on several ongoing projects for the city.
• Three homes are started under the new round of funding for the HOME grant; 520 Roden, 322 Sunset and 1006 N. Rodeo. The city hopes to close on two others soon - one on Glade and the other on Eddy.
• Weldon Bumble Bee Park is almost finished and kids are already playing basketball there every day.
• Haralson said she and John Ringler met with Texas Department of Rural Affairs about the TCDBG Grant the city was awarded for two generators at water treatment plant. The city has advertised for bids and those bids will be opened August 12 and will award the bid at the September council meeting.
• There are some drainage issues with the new taxi-way that was constructed with a TxDOT grant. Haralson said the city plans to get the contractor back out to fix it.
• RDA grant for water treatment plant project – this week they were placing the final outside wall section on the filter foundation and structure. They will backfill the filter to begin clarifier construction after leak testing is done due to concrete temperature issues.
• Gracon construction is working up a sludge proposal for water treatment plant and change order, which should be ready for the council’s consideration in August.
• A claim was filed on the bonding company of Dual Construction for the defective work on the Gay Avenue drainage project. Haralson said engineers were gathering documentation as requested.
• Haralson said the city had two timber management men look at the timber the city owns...
Continued in this week's edition of The Gladewater Mirror.
|
Longtime friend of area dies
WACO – Gladewater lost a dear friend and lifelong community leader last week when Nauty Byrd Pelphrey Mayer passed away at the home of her daughter, Pati Milligan, at the age of 89.
Nauty Byrd died on Wednesday, July 14, 2010. Memorial services will be held at noon Friday, July 23, 2010, at Croley Funeral Home of Gladewater with Larry W. Osborne officiating. Her ashes will later be interred next to her husband Gordon Joseph Mayer in Gladewater Memorial Cemetery. Nauty Byrd and Gordon were married at Old Post Chapel, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, on September 25, 1943. This year their granddaughter, Mindy will be married on their 67th anniversary.
She was involved in all aspects of Gladewater life –she was an officer of Daleth Study Club, Three Arts Club, Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Board, Gladewater Former Student's Association, Rodeo Director's Auxilary, Garden Club, Beta Sigma Phi, and Gladewater Hospital Auxiliary.
 |
| Nauty Byrd Pelphrey Mayer |
She was a faithful member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Gladewater, serving as Sunday school teacher, Episcopal Church Women president and Bishop's committee clerk. She demonstrated her artistic abilities when she and Barbara Williams designed and produced 18 stained-glass windows for the church along with a rose window which now hangs at First Baptist Church, Gladewater.
She was appointed Bishop's Warden for two years and in that role she had the difficult job of closing the church. She was preceded in death by her husband; parents; and her brother-in-law, Dr. James H. Goodson.
She was born in 1920, in Weatherford, Texas, to Lasco Wheeler and Nauty Byrd Wornell Pelphrey, the family followed the oil booms first to Breckenridge then to Gladewater in 1933. She enjoyed being a majorette at Gladewater High School and one of her fondest memories was traveling to New York with the band. She attended TCU before graduating from the University of Texas in 1943 where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority. She supported the war effort by knitting sweaters and rolling bandages for the troops. She enjoyed attending Sunday afternoon tea dances given for the soldiers at the Driskell Hotel in Austin.
She began teaching first grade and kindergarten in Gladewater in 1955. On completion of her Master's degree in Library Science she was honored to be selected as the Weldon K-12 School librarian during the three "Freedom of Choice" years in 1966. She wrote a history of Weldon School for the last school annual that was published. This history was republished in a special edition on Black Heritage in the Gladewater Mirror on February 8, 1991, and 2001. She began the computerization of the Gladewater Middle School library before retiring in 1989. She was a certified County Librarian and consultant for Lee Public Library.
Nauty Byrd instilled her love of travel in her family. Along with her daughter and granddaughters she drove through 45 states and traveled extensively in North American, Europe, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. She was the absolute hostess who opened her home to many civic and social groups in the community.
Nauty Byrd used her interests in all things historical as President of the Gladewater Historical Foundation...
Continued in this week's edition of The Gladewater Mirror. |
GISD board sets Aug. 28 election for $1.17 tax rate
By Jim Bardwell
Mirror Publisher
Gladewater ISD officials hope local taxpayers will understand their financial dilemma and approve the recently approved $1.17 tax rate by going to the polls on Aug. 28 for a tax ratification election.
The school board called for the tax Ratification Election at Monday night’s regular meeting.
The school district faces a $1.7 million deficit if voters don’t approve the 13-cent increase.
The district's 2009-10 tax rate was $1.04 per $100 in taxable property value. If voters approve the new $1.17 per $100 tax rate, taxes on an average $90,000 home in Gladewater ISD would increase from about $593 to about $667.
Gladewater Superintendent J.P. Richardson is quick to point out, though, that those property owners over 65 and who have filed for exemptions will not see their taxes go up.
If the election fails – and the last one did just that – Gladewater’s $1.7 million deficit that would either be paid for from the district's reserve funds or it is possible some programs would being cut.
Last week Richardson addressed the Gladewater City Council and said Gladewater ISD had lost 95 students in the last two years, which has resulted in less state funding. He asked for continued cooperation from the city government and urged the council to work with the school district in getting more families to move to Gladewater – which would result in more students and more funding.
And while GISD is asking taxpayers to kick in more taxes school officials are trying to chip away at the expense side of the budget by not filling 20 positions through attrition and has cut campus budgets.
Richardson plans to take his message straight to the people by speaking at local civic clubs and local events to explain the school finances. He believes the last roll back election failed because of a lack of information...
Continued in this week's edition of The Gladewater Mirror.
|
Man charged after spitting on officers
By Jimmy Isaac
ETCN Reports
Two Gladewater police officers were tested for disease at a Longview hospital last weekend after a man spit on them, authorities said.
On July 7 Gregg County Justice of the Peace B.H. Jameson set bond at $47,500 for Charles Michael Christopher Jr., who faces nine criminal charges including assault of a public servant.
 |
| Christopher |
Gladewater police Lt. Fred Ellis said Christopher spit on two officers, who arrived at a Gladewater home in the 1300 block of Shepherd Street shortly after midnight Sunday to find a woman unconscious on the front lawn. Police went to the home following a 9-1-1 hang-up call, Ellis said.
Christopher spit on two officers during his arrest, after police charged him with assault causing bodily injury, assault/family violence causing bodily injury, two counts of misdemeanor criminal mischief and injury to a child, Ellis said. Officers later added charges of resisting arrest, harassment of a public servant and two charges of assault on a public servant, according to court records. Gladewater Police Chief Farrell Alexander said both officers were tested and received a clean bill of health.
None of the other victims required hospitalization, but the officers were sent to Good Shepherd Medical Center and tested...
Continued in this week's edition of The Gladewater Mirror.
|
Upshur Co. judge won’t rule out 2010-11 tax hike
By Phillip Williams
Mirror Correspondent
GILMER – Upshur County Judge Dean Fowler told The Mirror last week he cannot rule out a possible increase in county taxes for the 2010-11 fiscal year.
“I’m unable to tell (yet) if the tax rate will go up or down” from its present 41.8 cents per $100 valuation, Fowler said in a July 13 telephone interview. While the county has sustained losses in some areas of revenue, it also had major expenses in the current 2010-11 budget that won’t recur this coming fiscal year, he noted.
The Upshur County Commissioners Court has never raised its tax rate in Fowler’s seven years in office. He said it was 60 cents per $100 valuation when he became judge.
“I would never want to increase taxes, but as things get more expensive year after year, I’ve come to believe that at some point, there does have to be a tax increase,” said Fowler, a Republican who is seeking a third term against Democrat James (Jim) Eitel in November. “I just think it (any tax hike) needs to be as small as possible and does not need to occur very often.”
He also said that while the timing of County Auditor Gary Smith’s resignation, which was effective July 12, “is not anything negative,” it “has just slowed us down a little bit” in the budget process. “It’s still going to be a week before I have some preliminary numbers,” Fowler said.
The judge said it is also a bit early to tell whether the county budget--currently $17 million--will increase, decrease, or remain about the same. One reason for that is that the county won’t get its certified values from the Upshur County Appraisal District until July 26, he said.
The county’s revenues from sales tax have fallen, and “there has been a major decrease” in interest income on invested funds, he said. On the other hand, he said, this fiscal year’s expenses included a $315,000 control panel for the county jail and some computer hardware equipment--expenses which won’t recur this coming fiscal year.
“The struggle that I have every year is whether we have the ability to give raises to the county employees,” Fowler said...
Continued in this week's edition of The Gladewater Mirror.
|
Deputy alleges he was wrongfully terminated by sheriff
By Phillip Williams
Mirror Correspondent
GILMER – An Upshur County sheriff's deputy who was fired in February told the County Commissioners Court Thursday that he believes Sheriff Anthony Betterton violated his civil rights and retaliated against him for complaining numerous times that a co-worker was sexually harassing the deputy's wife.
John Scott Rose, 33, told the court he has gone to the Civil Rights Division of the Texas Workforce Commission over the matter, and that Betterton declined his request for mediation.
A Tyler law firm later in the day issued a one-sentence statement on Betterton's behalf saying "The allegations that have been made are completely unfounded."
The law firm, Flowers and Davis, received a $2,395 payment from the county that was apparently related to Rose's complaint. At the court's June 30 meeting, County Judge Dean Fowler said the payment was related to a threatened lawsuit against the Sheriff's Office.
Rose told the court that after he complained about the co-worker harassing his wife, Betterton put a relative of the co-worker in charge of investigating the complaint. (Rose told reporters that the man accused of harassment has himself been fired).
Rose told commissioners that many employees of the sheriff's department continuously work in fear of losing their jobs for things "as petty as not contributing to the sheriff's Christmas present fund."
And the former deputy said that unidentified other elected county officials had told him he might be able to receive the Republican nomination for sheriff in 2012 if he did "not pursue these matters (his complaints against Betterton)."
In other business Thursday, the Commissioners Court...
Continued in this week's edition of The Gladewater Mirror.
|
Man dies
From East Texas Community Newspapers Reports
Officials have released the name of a Big Sandy man who was killed after a conveyor belt incident at C & C Trans Load Co. in the 1000 block of east Commerce Street in Tyler.
Eric Ferguson, 41, was pulled into the belt Saturday while off loading “sand-like” materials from a railroad car onto the conveyor belt, and then into a container mounted on the back of a tractor trailer, according to Tyler Police Department spokesman Don Martin.
During this procedure, Ferguson became trapped in the upper end of the conveyor system. He was freed from the device by Tyler Fire Department officials and was transported to East Texas Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at the hospital by Lindale Justice of the Peace Judge Cowart.
The case is under investigation by Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Martin said. |
County commissioners vote 3-2 to seek road engineer applicants
By Phillip Williams
Mirror Correspondent
GILMER – After hearing a lengthy discussion about the condition of county-maintained roads and the performance of the county road and bridge administrator, Upshur County Commissioners Court voted 3-2 Thursday to seek applications for a county road engineer.
County Judge Dean Fowler cast the tie-breaking vote for the motion, which doesn’t obligate the county to actually hire someone to replace current Road and Bridge Administrator Bubba Pendarvis, who isn’t an engineer.
Pct. 1 Comm. James Crittenden, who made the motion, originally moved that the county would definitely hire a qualified engineer after taking applications. But, unable to get his motion seconded unless he dropped the must-hire provision, he did so.
He and Pct. 4 Comm. Glenn Campbell voted for the motion, which also sets the prospective job’s annual salary at $70,000. Pct. 3 Comm. Lloyd Crabtree and Pct. 2 Comm. Joe (Buddy) Ferguson opposed it.
Fowler, who has long feuded with Crittenden and had criticized the commissioner earlier in the meeting, then voted yes. As the meeting was about to adjourn, Crittenden told the judge, “Thank you for the vote.”
“It wasn’t for you,” Fowler replied.
L.E. Rinehart, a critic of Pendarvis, had told the court earlier that road crew workers complained to him that they couldn’t get dirt, oil dirty, or certain machinery. He also criticized work involving ditches and potholes.
Jimmy Caughron said the roads were in their current condition due to Pendarvis, and that it was commissioners’ job to see the work is done. “Earn your salary that you’re getting paid for,” Caughron told the court.
Pendarvis meantime said heavy rain had caused problems with road/bridge maintenance. He also said the budget for his department was the same as it was when the county instituted the unit road system several years ago.
“If you’re gonna make things better, you pull out your pocketbook,” Pendarvis told the court.
Billy Sipes and County Clerk Peggy LaGrone meantime praised Pendarvis’s work...
Continued in this week's edition of The Gladewater Mirror. |
Gregg County budget includes drastic cuts
By Jimmy Isaac
ETCN Reports
Gregg County plans to eliminate $1 from the 2011 budget for every $5 it spends.
County Judge Bill Stoudt unveiled his proposed budget at Monday's commissioners' court meeting. He expects the county to spend $12.25 million, or 21 percent less than 2010 expenditures.
Dramatic drops in designated fund, capital projects, and road and bridge expenses — all totaling more than 40 percent reductions — more than covers an expected three percent increase in general maintenance and operations spending, he said.
"Politically, sure it's great to say that (we're spending less) and see it in print," Stoudt said, "but that's the truth."
Commissioners must approve a budget before Oct. 1, the beginning of the 2011 fiscal year.
Stoudt added that the budget is preliminary and includes no raises for county employees. The county has not received certified taxable values from the Gregg Appraisal District, but Stoudt vowed that local residents will not see a tax rate increase from commissioners.
If the judge's initial estimates hold true, the county would have a $25,000 budget surplus by Sept. 30. to add to its reserves.
"That number could increase," Stoudt said. "This (budget) is a worst-case scenario."
Stoudt proposed a $46.065 million total budget for 2011, compared with $58.3 million for the 2010 amended budget.
His budget calls for general fund spending to increase three percent, or about $1 million, to $35.03 million in 2011.
Meanwhile, road and bridge fund expenses will drop 41.5 percent, or $4.25 million. The county spent more than $10 million this year, mostly to repair aging equipment, Stoudt said.
Designated funds, which include airport maintenance and public safety, records preservation and highway improvement projects, will drop 73 percent, he said. Gregg's 2010 designated fund budget included the county's $5.7 million share in a Texas Department of Transportation project for safety improvements on Texas 149.
Capital project expenses will drop 51 percent, or $3 million thanks mostly to a 70 percent drop in airport improvements spending, according to court documents.
|
Upshur GOP renovates headquarters for use by senior citizens
By Phillip Williams
Mirror Correspondent
GILMER--The Republican Party of Upshur County has established "a bond of support" for the Upshur County Senior Citizens Organization, said new GOP County Chairman Ken Ambrose.
In a news release which was emailed Friday, Ambrose said the Upshur GOP will sponsor maintenance and renovation of the senior citizens' building at 201 Silver Alley in Gilmer. The county's Republican headquarters was located there until recently.
"Committee meetings have been ongoing for several weeks with representatives of" the senior citizens' group and Upshur GOP, Ambrose wrote.
"The committee's first priority was given to the plumbing maintenance requirements," said Ambrose, who noted that one of several plumbing problems has been repaired.
He also said a contract for landscaping and lawn care had been established to begin Aug. 1.
In addition, "Realizing a need for funding of the planned projects, plans are to solicit aid from State and Federal grants and community citizens and organizations," the chairman wrote.
"Senior Citizens of this county have given the youthfulness of their lives, adding to the successful living and peaceful enjoyment experienced by today's generation," Ambrose said. "It is certainly important that we pay honor and tribute to the valued members of our community that are in their Golden Age."
Ambrose also said that "The motto for the new Upshur County GOP is to bring harmony and teamwork among the party members and establish a well-balanced relationship with citizens of this community."
"Reorganization of the party was the first step taken in the planning cycle," he said. Assisting the senior citizens group is "the second among several programs being considered."
|
District Judge sentences 27
By Phillip Williams
Mirror Correspondent
GILMER--115th District Judge Lauren Parish sentenced 27 persons on felony charges between July 9 and Friday, said Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd's office.
All pled guilty and/or had their probation revoked, Byrd's office said.
Details of the sentencings were as follows, the office reported (Unless otherwise indicated, the defendant reportedly pled guilty):
Fred Douglas Godlock, 42, of Gladewater, drew 15 months in state jail July 9 for delivery of a controlled substance--methamphetamine.
Susan Elaine Levy, 44, of :Gladewater, drew seven years in prison July 9 for possession of cocaine in a drug free zone.
Stephen Mark Turner, 45, of Gladewater, received nine months in county jail July 9 for forgery.
Sean David Pike, 36, of Big Sandy, drew 18 months in state jail July 9 for forgery.
Steven Ray Morrow, 48, of Big Sandy, drew two concurrent terms July 12 of 20 years in prison for unlawful possession of firearm by felon, and two years in state jail for unauthorized use of motor vehicle.
David Floyd McWhorter, III, 20, of Hawkins, received two concurrent 8-year prison terms Friday after pleading guilty to "prohibited substance in correctional facility" and having his probation revoked on a charge of burglary of a habitation. He admitted violating probation.
David Abe Whitfield, 57, of Gilmer, drew three years in prison July 9 for driving while intoxicated--subsequent offense.
Mark Allen Denham, 46, of Diana, received six years in prison July 9 for retaliation.
Lori Fields, 29, of Gilmer, received 10 months in state jail July 9 for delivery of alprazolam. (Alprazolam is the generic form of Xanax).
Traci Michelle Beck, 28, of Longview, drew five years in prison July 9 for "possession of certain chemicals with intent to manufacture controlled substance" when her probation was revoked. She admitted violating terms of probation.
Ted Demarcus McDonald, a Gilmerite who turned 25 on July 10, was placed on five years probation of a two-year state jail term July 9 for credit card abuse.
Eric Duane Gibbs, 20, of Gilmer, received five years probation of a two-year state jail term July 9 for delivery of cocaine.
Danna Collins, a 21-year-old Gilmer woman, drew three years probation of a two-year state jail term July 9 for delivery of methamphetamine.
Dedrick Marquez Brown, 38, of Gilmer, received five years probation of a two-year state jail term July 9 for possession of methamphetamine.
Wilbert OJ Simmons, 47, of Gilmer, received 12 years in prison July 12 for possession of cocaine with intent to deliver.
Jimmy Junior Laymance, 40, of Gilmer, received 10 years in prison July 12 for sexual assault. He must also register for life as a sex offender.
Levi Gene Long, 19, of Gilmer, was placed on five years "deferred adjudication" probation July 13 for assault against public servant. ("Deferred adjudication" means no final conviction appears on a defendant's record if he/she successfully completes probation).
Kimberly Ridings, 49, of Winnsboro, drew four years in prison Thursday for arson.
In cases heard Friday:
Tonya Carleen Montgomery, 41, of Kilgore, received two years "deferred adjudication" probation for possession of methamphetamine.
Ray Aldon Bright, 66, of Walnut Springs, received 14 months in state jail for cruelty to animals.
Boyd Everett Payne, 34, of Ore City, received two concurrent 18-month state jail terms after pleading guilty to one count of possession of methamphetamine, and having his probation revoked on another. He admitted violating terms of probation.
Cassie Dawn Parker, who turned 30 Sunday and is from White Oak, received five years in prison for intoxicated assault with deadly weapon.
Byron Gene Johnson, who turns 64 Tuesday and is from Kilgore, was placed on four years probation of a 2-year state jail term for theft of property of the value of $1,500 or more but less than $20,000.
Justin Edward Reynolds, 22, of Gilmer, drew five years probation of a 2-year state jail term for delivery of methamphetamine.
Philip Ronald Morrow, 43, of Gilmer, was placed on two years "deferred adjudication" probation for possession of methamphetamine.
Larek Antwan Tave, 26, of Gilmer, was placed on five years "deferred adjudication" for delivery of methamphetamine.
Loyd Donald Adcock, 40, of Gilmer, was placed on three years "deferred adjudication" for possession of methamphetamine.
|
|
