Bear band members meet new director
By Ellis Hayden
Sports Correspondent
A new era begins for the Gladewater High School band as Rhonda Cates takes
over as band director.
As the first female high school band director in GHS history, Cates brings
an impressive resume of success from her former position as band director
at Class A, Tenaha High School. Cates took over a nearly defunct Tenaha band
program in 2005, and immediately turned it around.
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| New Gladewater High School Band Director Rhonda Cates meets with band
students and boosters Thursday at the band-run Fireworks Warehouse on
Hwy. 42. Jackie Hayden/Mirror photo |
In her five years, the Tiger Band qualified twice at the State Marching
Contest, including a 4th place finish in 2009, and recorded three Sweepstakes
Bands in the last four years.
Cates, who met with band students and band boosters at the Fireworks Warehouse
on Hwy. 42 Thursday, said, “I’m grateful for the opportunity
to be here. I look forward to working with you and continuing the success
that Dr. Templeton has brought to the Gladewater band program.”
The GHS band boosters and students operate the fireworks stand during the
week before New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July as a fundraiser for the
band.
“We are excited to have Rhonda Cates as our new band director,” said
Gladewater ISD superintendent J. P. Richardson. “She brings a reputation
of excellence, energy and the ability to build a program, which will only
make our band program better. Let me also say, we are grateful to Dr. Nathan
Templeton’s leadership the past four years and wish him well in his
new career at Stephen F. Austin State University.”
Cates said she has wanted to be a band director since she was in the eighth
grade. Her positive experiences in band as a student at Center High School
fueled her passion for music education. She pursued her dream, earning her
degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and gained experience as an
assistant band director at Groesbeck High School and Center High School as
a middle school band director before going to Tenaha in 2005.
Among her goals is to pursue excellence...
...Continued in this week's edition of The Gladewater Mirror.
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GISD board sets budget for 2010-11
By James Draper
Staff Writer
With a proposed Tax Ratification Election looming in the near feature,
the Gladewater ISD school board members approved their 2010-11 budget after
a public hearing June 30.
The total expenditures in the budget amount to $17.3 million. With total
revenues covering only $16.6 million (which includes an injection of $1.12
million from the TRE) the district will still be short $706,426.
Business Director Elaine Hall said the remaining deficit will be covered
by the school’s $4.5 million fund balance, but without the tax election
the total deficit will be more than $1.8 million, a far more significant
portion of the school’s reserve.
The 2010-11 budget includes a $1,000 pay raise for all teachers, Hall said,
and a maintenance budget of more than $2 million.
“We actually have no debt,” she said. “We do have buildings
that are in desperate need of repair.”
Various improvements and other maintenance issues were postponed last year
in an effort to save money, Hall explained, but with multiple repairs on
the line and a need to replace old facilities down the road, the school’s
finances need a boost.
A public hearing on the 2010-11 tax rate is set for 6 p.m. Monday at the
Administration Office at 500 West Quitman. Following the hearing, the school
board will consider adopting the 2010-11 school year tax rate.
GISD’s current tax rate is $1.04 per $100 of taxable property value.
The proposed tax election could raise that to $1.17 per $100.
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Local Tea Party draws crowd to July 4th rally
By Phillip Williams
Mirror Correspondent
GILMER – State Rep. Bryan Hughes told a rally of the conservative
Upshur County Grassroots Tea Party here Saturday that his own Republican
Party and the Democratic Party are “complicit” in the problem
of illegal immigration.
Hughes, a Mineola attorney who is unopposed for re-election to the legislature
in November, told the audience outside the Upshur County Courthouse that
liberal Democrats want the illegal aliens’ votes, and “a lot
of those big business Republicans want the cheap labor.”
Hughes and combustion consultant Jerry Lang of Hide-A-Way Lake were the
two featured speakers under cloudy skies for Saturday’s rally, which
Tea Party member Chuck Mears said drew 125 persons. The Tea Party, a non-partisan
group, supports the Constitution and argues that government has overreached
its authority.
While Lang criticized proposed “cap-and-trade” legislation,
Hughes said the legislature is “gonna do something about immigration” as
the federal government is not meeting its responsbilitity to regulate it.
Speaking of Arizona’s controversial new law on immigration, Hughes
said, “I expect we’ll pass a law similar to that in Texas in
the next session.”
The legislator defended the idea of officers asking for citizenship papers
when they stop someone for a lawful reason.
“Why is that being called racist? Why is that being called racial
profiling?” Hughes asked.
He condemned as “crazy” the idea that someone would not be
held responsible for breaking the law by entering the nation illegally.
Concerning another issue, Hughes said he had written a proposed bill called
the Health Care Freedom Act, which would exempt Texans...
...Continued in this week's edition of The Gladewater Mirror.
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Upshur roads administrator comes under fire at meeting
By Phillip Williams
Mirror Correspondent
GILMER – A citizen complained to Upshur County Commissioners Court
last Wednesday that county Road and Bridge Administrator Bubba Pendarvis “don’t
know what he’s doing,” and faulted commissioners for “not
watching him.”
L.E. Rinehart was the latest of several citizens who have recently complained
about the county’s road conditions either to the court or in an area
newspaper. Rinehart told the court that “If we give Bubba another
year on our roads, we won’t have a road.”
Pendarvis wasn’t present and could not be reached for comment Monday.
Rinehart, saying he last appeared before the court a year and a half
ago, told its members that “we all agreed” they were going
to watch the road administrator. But “y’all are not watching
him....(and) we haven’t built anything right in the last five years.”
“I blame it on y’all ‘cause y’all are the bosses
over Bubba,” Rinehart said. He also charged that when he talks to
Pendarvis about his concerns, “He just laughs. He thinks it’s
a big joke.”
“We’ve gotta have somebody that knows how to do this work,” Rinehart
said. He charged that Cherokee Trace and Armadillo Road are “all
to pieces.”
After Pct. 1 Comm. James Crittenden said he appreciated Rinehart’s
comments, Rinehart later in the meeting alleged that about half the damage
done to Armadillo Road was caused by a utility compahny, whose representative
had told him the county would “fix their (the company’s) damages.
That don’t make sense to me.”
Another controversy surfaced at Wednesday’s meeting when Pct. 4
Comm. Glenn Campbell questioned a $2,395 bill from the Tyler law firm of
Flowers and Davis, which has represented the county.
County Judge Dean Fowler said that charge resulted from a threatened
lawsuit against the sheriff’s office. Replied Campbell, “How
come we (commissioners) weren’t notified...?”
“There was never a lawsuit filed. Someone had talked about suing
the sheriff’s office,” Fowler responded.
Crittenden said he also wondered why the court wasn’t notified...
...Continued in this week's edition of The Gladewater Mirror.
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Upshur County Grand Jury indicts 29
By Phillip Williams
Mirror Correspondent
GILMER – The Upshur County Grand Jury returned 29 indictments, 13
of them sealed, June 30, said District Attorney Billy Byrd.
Details of the indictments were as follows, Byrd’s office reported:
The sealed indictments included the following defendants, charges, date
of the alleged offense, and amount of bail, Byrd’s office rep:
Wendell Cooks, 59, of Gladewater, unlawful possession of firearm by felon
on June 4, $5,000
Gregory Lee Kelley, 36, of Big Sandy, possession of a controlled substance
(heroin) on March 24, $2,500
Mickey Lynn Keasler, 47, of Hallsville, driving while intoxicated; subsequent
offense on Oct. 10, 2008. Bond was set at $10,000, but he was “released
to other agency.”
Zachary Allen Wheeler, 20, of Henderson, possession of a controlled substance--methamphetamine
on March 26, 2009, $20,000
Charles Douglas McDonald, 32, of Gilmer, possession of a controlled substance
(cocaine) on April 26, $7,500
Carlos Tyrone Smith, 32, of Longview, possession of a controlled substance
with intent to deliver (heroin) on May 1, in county jail under $50,000 bond
Jerome M. Willie, 31, of Harleton, evading arrest with vehicle with deadly
weapon on April 22, $25,000
David Wesley Shimie, 24, of Longview, evading arrest with vehicle on May
28, $7,500
Randall Ledon Allen, 27, of Longview, failure to register as sex offender
on April 20, in county jail under $35,000 bond
Joshua Laferney, 27, of Mesquite, tampering with or fabricating physical
evidence on April 15, in county jail under $5,000 bond
James M. Putt, 48, of Gilmer, driving while intoxicated; subsequent offense
(habitual offender) on Feb. 23, $20,000
Rayenell Underwood, 40, of Ore City, prohibited substances and items in
correctional facility on April 27, $10,000
James Neill Sutton, 36, of Kilgore, driving while intoxicated; subsequent
offense--repeat offender on May 30, in county jail under $15,000 bond
Fredrick D. Hunter, 36, of Longview, separately indicated on charges of
driving while intoxicated; subsequent offense (repeat offender) on May 7,
$10,000; and retaliation on May 7, $10,000
Jason Paul Warlick, 30, of Diana, possession of a controlled substance
(methamphetamine) on May 11, $10,000
The sealed indictments included one for assault--family violence; two for
delivery of cocaine; one each for evading arrest with vehicle with deadly
weapon; failure to register as sex offender; and burglary of building; two
for debit card abuse; one each for forgery and evading arrest with vehicle;
two for possession of methamphetamine; and one for placement of serial number
with intent to change identity.
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