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community
emergency services
City plans to eliminate county VFD dispatching Lufkin cites increasing demands on personnel, increase in 911 calls as reasons for making the change By JESSICA COOLEY The Lufkin News
KELSEY SAMUELS/The Lufkin News
Brandon Elementary students, from the left, Aubrey Lindsey, Autumn Squiers, Paige Rawlinson, Lauren Lair and Ragan McDuffie asked for donations instead of presents at their joint birthday party at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School. The girls asked for a monetary donation to the American Cancer Society or a food donation to an Angelina County food bank.
5 Brandon students seek monetary donation to American Cancer Society or a food donation to an Angelina County food bank instead of birthday presents By KELSEY SAMUELS The Lufkin News
D
etails are a bit hazy about who met whom when, but five girls — Autumn Squiers, Ragan McDuffie, Paige Rawlinson, Lauren Lair and Aubrey Lindsey — agreed they met
in a dance class at the Academy of Gymnastics and Dance in Lufkin. As young girls, they danced and grew together from the kindergarten classes of Garrett Primary to the halls of Brandon Elementary and shared many birthdays along the way. Last year, Paige and Ragan shared a birthday “sparty,” or spa party,
with manicures, pedicures and fivestar treatment. That same year, Aubrey and Autumn had a shared Amazing Race birthday party. Because of their friendship, and since their birthdays are around the same time (August through November), the five girls decided that, for their 10th birthdays, they would share one
party. So Saturday night at the St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School gym, the five girls celebrated with a costume/ Halloween birthday. It had the usual makings of a party: cake and cupcakes, hot dogs, costumes and sugar. SEE PARTY, PAGE 8A
aspen power
By RHONDA OAKS The Lufkin News Since a judge’s ruling in May allowed an outside management company to assume control of the idled Aspen Power plant in North Lufkin, many citizens have questioned the status of the 57-megawatt facility that was intended to be the state’s first wood-waste biomass electricity generation plant in Texas. Those questions have gone unanswered by officials of U.S. Bank, InventivEnergy, the management company in charge of the company’s fate, and Danny Vines, owner of Aspen Power, who was millions of dollars behind in bond payments in May. The Angelina Neches River
Pinecrest Energy Center officials keep quiet about proposal for power plant
Authority issued the bonds that totaled $53.33 million. The loan agreement required Aspen to make payments of one-sixth of the interest due monthly and one-12th of the principal due on May 1 and Nov. 1. The notice states that Aspen Power failed to make payments in 2012 and 2013 through May 1. General Manager Kelley Holcomb said that since the May ruling, ANRA has also been kept in the dark on progress or changes regarding Aspen. “We have been met with the same dead silence as everyone else has been,” Holcomb said. “We have investors who are asking questions since we are the point of contact, being the bond
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By RHONDA OAKS The Lufkin News
The Lufkin News file photo
Questions about the future of the idled Aspen Power plant have gone unanswered by officials of U.S. Bank, InventivEnergy, the management company in charge of the company’s fate, and Danny Vines, owner of Aspen Power, who was millions of dollars SEE ASPEN, PAGE 4A behind in bond payments in May
Index
Today’s weather noon
SEE DISPATCH, PAGE 3A
industry
Questions remain about future of biomass facility
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According to a letter sent out by Lufkin Police Department last week, as of Jan. 1, Angelina County volunteer fire departments will have to find another source for their dispatching service. The letter sent to Angelina marcotte County Firefighters Association President Bobby Cranford and signed by Lufkin Police Chief Scott Marcotte cites increasing demands on personnel, an increase in 911 calls and current staffing levels as the reasons behind the city’s decision to stop providing the service to the county VFDs. “With the increasing call numbers and current staffing sanches levels we are forced to concentrate our resources on our are of responsibility, the citizens of Lufkin,” states the letter, dated Oct. 9. “The cost associated with dispatching for VFD is estimated to be between $14,000 and $17,000 annually. Currently Lufkin taxpayers incur this cost when they don’t receive any benefit. VFD is entirely a service for county suiter residents.” According to the letter, which was also sent to Angelina County Judge
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News that a new gas-powered power plant is waiting to begin construction pending state permit approval has piqued area interest about the new company, Pinecrest Energy Center LLC. While company officials are being mum until the permit process is complete, Pinecrest Energy Center LLC filed as a registered entity with the Secretary of State when the company was formed more than a year ago. According to filings with the state office, Pinecrest Energy Center reg-
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for meritorious public service
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istered as an entity in May 2012 and was approved in June 2012. Pinecrest Energy Center lists an address as 4011 W. Plano Parkway, Suite 128, in Plano. The filing is signed by Kathleen Smith, president of Coronado Power Ventures, which is listed as the parent company, located at the same address. Along with the Pinecrest Energy Center registration, three other entity registrations were also filed by Coronado Power Ventures: Wichita Falls Power LLC, Edinburg Power LLC, and LaPaloma Energy Center LLC, which all list Coronado Power Ventures as SEE POWER PLANT, PAGE 4A
east texas
Red Ribbon Week
Volume 107 No. 258 54 Pages
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council in Lufkin is encouraging everyone to take part in Red Ribbon Week on Oct. 23-31. 1b
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