Jeff Pownall, Managing Editor • (936) 631-2623 • jpownall@lufkindailynews.com
September 29, 2019 Texas Press Association To the judges Thank you for considering our entry on the Lufkin school district's $75 million bond issue in the Community Service category of this year's contest. I thought staff writers Grace Juarez, Austin King and Steve Knight did a fantastic of educating our readers as to why Lufkin Middle School, which is the largest in the state with more than 1,700 students, needed to be rebuilt. It was a lengthy list of problems: * When the campus was first built in the 1950s, air conditioning wasn't included. It was added later and was so outdated that it drains out of PVC pipes into large buckets in the hallways. * Neither the campus cafeteria nor the auditorium were large enough for the student body to gather. The cafeteria kitchens don't have working air conditioning, dishwashers or garbage disposals. * 21 separate buildings on 75 acres made securing the campus difficult. * Rainy weather presented another challenge. Students changed classes eight times a day, often walking on sidewalks under poorly constructed awnings that had major leaks. And when students did get to class, there was always the possibility of having to move because of flooding issues … inside the classrooms. * Overcrowding in the classrooms also was in issue, with some students assigned seats on the floor. The editorial we published on April 22 offers a synopsis of the issues and urges voters to approve the bond. It passed 2,170 to 785.
Jeff Pownall Managing Editor
THE Sunday
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LUFKIN SCHOOLS
LISD drafting bond package for improvements By STEVE KNIGHT The Lufkin News
Lufkin ISD administrators are working on a draft bond package proposal to provide funds to construct and renovate the middle school campus and consolidate athletic facilities at the high school. If school trustees approve the proposal, with preliminary costs at $60 million to $70 million, during their next board meeting on Feb. 13, voters would have their say on the matter on a May 5 ballot.
Administrators emthe existing competition phasize that the progym. posal is still in the fluid Proposed projects on stages, but proposed the high school campus projects would include would include building creating a sixth-grade a multi-purpose gym, leadership academy, constructing an on-site centralizing the camgirls’ softball field and pus under one roof, upboys’ baseball field and dating the library and providing an enclosed media center, addressvenue that could accommodate all high school ing the size and funcstudents. tionality of the cafeteGOFFNEY Building the athletic ria, addressing heating facilities on the high and air conditioning issues and providing access to a school campus would eliminate new physical education gym and student travel to the middle
school, where the competition gym is located, and to Morris Frank Park, the location of the softball and baseball fields. LaTonya Goffney, Lufkin ISD superintendent, said administrators determined there were significant issues on the middle school campus, which was built as the new high school in 1955. “When we looked to address those needs initially, we were looking at correcting (heating and air conditioning) issues,” Goffney said. “We have the fact that the auditorium and the gym share an HVAC system. We were
looking at plumbing issues in one of the gyms where our girls play. What people don’t realize is a lot of times, because the Panther Gym is at the middle school, they think that the middle school uses that gym, but that’s not so. We’ve been thankful that we have an outstanding maintenance department that’s been able to keep (the plumbing problems) under wraps, but we still have to address it.” Goffney said the district could spend millions of dollars in repairs to address those immediate issues, but that would “just be a
Lufkin lovelies
MISS LUFKIN PAGEANT
Permenter, Hedden win Miss Lufkin, Teen Miss Lufkin By STEPHANIE STEVENS The Lufkin News
HUDSON — Two lucky girls became eligible to enter the Miss Texas Pageant Competition thanks to the titles they won at the Little Mr. and Miss Lufkin 2018 Pageant Saturday at the Hudson Auditorium. Amy Permenter, 21, won the Miss Lufkin title, and Alexis Hedden, 17, won the Teen Miss Lufkin title. “I’m honored and excited to win this title,” Permenter said. Permenter, who has modeled for Jovani, Karishma Creations, Johnathan Kayne (“Project Runway” designer) won Teen Miss Lufkin in 2015. She began participating in pageants when she was in the fifth grade in an effort to correct her posture. She said the pageants have not only corrected her posture and figure, but have taught her confidence, poise and how to speak in front of people. Hedden said she is excited to carry her new title. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity and am honored to represent Lufkin,” she said. Twenty-one girls, ages 3 to 21, participated in the Valentine’s-themed pageant in the afternoon, while 20 girls and two boys, from babies up to 3 years old, competed in the morning. Kathryn Hensley, president, director and owner of Pageants of East Texas, said the contestants were judged on a scale — 30 points for beauty, 20 points for personality, 10 points for best dress and 10 points for their outfit of choice. Each outfit was to be based on the Valentine’s Day theme of the pageant, she said. The Miss Teen and Miss contestants competed in an interview competition instead of the outfit of their choice. “I tell the moms and the kiddos to make this more about the experience and the memories together instead of just about getting a crown or trophy,” she said. “I want this to build confidence and stage presence, not just who can spend the most amount of money on clothes.”
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KIWANIS SPELLING BEE
Rao last man left standing at Kiwanis Spelling Bee
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News/
LMS seventh-grader earns dictionary, right to compete at regional contest in Houston By STEPHANIE STEVENS The Lufkin News
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
INDEX
TODAY’S WEATHER NOON
SEE LISD, PAGE 5A
Lufkin Middle School student Pranav Rao won first place individual speller during the Kiwanis Club of Lufkin 2018 Spelling Bee Saturday afternoon at Lufkin High School.
Amy Permenter, 21, is crowned Miss Lufkin during the Little Mr. and Miss Lufkin Pageant 2018 Saturday SEE MISS LUFKIN, PAGE 4A afternoon at the Hudson High School Auditorium in Hudson.
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Band-Aid.” “We would be able to take care of the issues that were going to cause us some significant concerns later, but it still wouldn’t take care of some of the student needs,” she said. “The campus was built in the 1950s. At the time it was built, it was built with different needs, and there was a different culture and community because the school is open to the outside, and they didn’t have to worry about some of the dangers we face right now. If you
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Pranav Rao, a Lufkin Middle School seventhgrader, scored a giant dictionary with his victory at the Kiwanis Spelling Bee Saturday at Lufkin High School. “It was very hard and I got nervous at the end, but I tried my best and succeeded,” Pranav said. He will compete at the regional competition in Houston on April 7. He said he is excited for the competition and plans to study more in hopes of placing high. He urged other spellers to try their best. “If I can do it you, you can too,” he said. “Just
WE RECYCLE
SEE SPELLING BEE, PAGE 4A EAST TEXAS
True court-ship Dorothy, Guy Davis honored in Shands Gymnasium floor-naming ceremony. 1B
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THE LUFKIN NEWS Sunday, February 4, 2018
T F A R D LUFKIN ISD
This photo shows a draft proposal for a construction and renovation project at Lufkin Middle School. Lufkin ISD administrators emphasize the plan is preliminary and could change.
LISD Continued from Page 1A go on the middle school campus, there’s no way to secure it. There are multiple ways to enter.” Because of the open-campus concept with different buildings, students are forced to deal with weather conditions when going from class to class, Goffney said. In addition, some classes take place in aging portable buildings. “We’ve been very frugal and very fiscally responsible, and we’re proud of that,” she said. Preliminary costs include around $40 million to $50 million for the middle school construction and renovations, $3 million for the baseball and softball facilities and $9 million to $10 million for a competition gym at the high school. Those figures are preliminary and fluid, Goffney emphasized.
A ‘sixth-grade learning community’ and consolidating athletic facilities at the high school Administrators said a goal is to establish a sixth-grade leadership academy on the middle school campus. “This is the first time they will come together,” said Lynn Torres, the district’s deputy superintendent of teaching and learning. “They’ve been at five different elementary schools and five different primary schools in their careers. Being able to come together for the first time is what they’re secondary school experience is going to be. They’ll be together from sixth grade all the way until graduation. It builds their capacity a little bit to be treated differently and to have access a state of the art media center, have a different principal, have a different counselor who will do different things will them like teaching leadership abilities. I think those things are needed.” Goffney said the proposed renovations would not be “more of the same.” “It’s not going to be the same brick and mortar,” Goffney said.
“We’re truly going to redesign a campus that’s going to see us through the next 50 years.” Goffney said since the first day she came on board as Lufkin’s superintendent, she’s been asked when the high school will get its own gym. “There are two issues,” she said. “We have a middle school with the number of students we have with no access to gyms, including the competition gym because people are coming from the high school all day to practice. In addition, with other facilities throughout the city — baseball and softball — it’s the same issue. Nowhere else in the county, nowhere else at a school our size, is anybody asked to do that. Our kids have to travel.”
What is a bond? A bond is similar to a home mortgage. It’s a contract to repay borrowed money with an interest rate over time. Bonds are sold by school districts to competing lenders to raise funds for costs of construction, renovation and equipment. Voters would approve this borrowing. The money would not be used for operating expenses such as salaries, electricity and supplies. According to a previous Lufkin News story and school district information, the last school bond, passed in 2007, provided $49.5 million in funds to renovate existing primary and elementary campuses to ensure safety and security. Vestibules and enclosed wings were added to all campuses and Burley Primary was constructed. A portion of the bond funds were used to add a math and science wing at the middle school. A $27 million bond in 1995 made way for constructing a new high school building on the loop encompassing the existing Junior High East building. Two million dollars was allotted in the bond to convert the existing high school to a sixth- through eighthgrade campus. The district continued to use the stadium built in 1972 on the Junior High East
campus as the high school sta- ers more than $7.1 million. “At some point, we have to dium. stop talking about it and sayEffect on the tax rate ing that’s just the way it is and The current tax rate is $1.213 see what the pleasure of the per $100 valuation. Broken up community is,” Goffney said. into two components, the main- “We recently had a community tenance and operations rate, meeting and some of leaders used to conduct everyday busi- came out. As we took them on ness like paying for salaries and a tour, it was amazing to me, utilities, is $1.17, and the interest and I had a sense of pride when and sinking rate, which pays off I heard people say, ‘This is the debt incurred by the district, is school I went to,’ or, ‘I got in 4.3 cents. trouble in this class,’ or, ‘CafAssuming a $75 million bond, eteria still smells the same.’ I the maximum amount adminis- heard that over and over, so I trators say they would propose, know there’s a sense of pride the interest and sinking rate in the campus and in that area would rise 28.05 cents to a total of and, of course, we want to build 32.35 cents, bringing the total tax on that pride. I was encouraged rate to $1.4935 per $100 valuation. that they walked away saying, For an average Lufkin home ‘We’ve got to do something.’” Steve Knight’s email address is with a taxable value of $125,000, sknight@lufkindailynews.com. the maximum tax impact is $23.37 a month. In this case, the district would pay off the bond over a 25-year period, according to Charlotte Bynum, the district’s chief financial officer. “If the bond is $65 million, that (interest and sinking) figure will be less,” Bynum said. “We’ve accounted for no property value growth as far as anticipating what this is going to be. We’re looking at our tax base just staying the same. We hope they increase. If values do increase, then the tax rate is going to go down because there’s more of a base to tax.” Homeowners who are age 65 and older will not have an increased tax bill with the passage of the bond, if an age 65 freeze exemption is filed and approved. In comparison, tax rates at other Angelina County school districts in 2016 were: Central ISD, $1.33 ($1.17 M&O, 16 cents I&S), Diboll ISD, $1.28 ($1.17 M&O, 11 cents I&S), Hudson ISD, $1.28 ($1.17 M&O, 11 cents I&S), Huntington ISD, $1.45 ($1.17 M&O, 28 cents I&S), and Zavalla ISD, $1.49061 ($1.17 M&O, 32.061 cents I&S). Over the last four years, Lufkin ISD has refunded $56.6 million in bonds, saving taxpay-
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LUFKIN ISD
Lufkin ISD calling for $75 million bond election By STEVE KNIGHT The Lufkin News Voters residing in Lufkin ISD will get their say on May 5 on a proposed $75 million bond package that, if approved, would pro-
vide funds to construct and renovate the middle school campus and consolidate athletic facilities at the high school. Lufkin ISD trustees approved the proposal during their board meeting on Tuesday.
“Most of the bond money will be used at the middle school,” said Scott Skelton, president of the Lufkin ISD Board of Trustees. “The rest will provide for a competition gym at the high school. As you know, we don’t have a
competition gym at the high school and (the students) have to travel to the middle school. Once that is built, the middle school will have their own gym. The rest of the gymnasiums at the middle school will be demolished, and
Mixed media message
we will rebuild an entire middle school.” Proposed projects at the middle school site include creating a sixth-grade leadership academy, centralizing the campus under one roof, updating the library
and media center, addressing the size and functionality of the cafeteria, addressing heating and air conditioning issues and providing access to a new physical SEE BOND, PAGE 3A
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Alleged joyrider waives jury trial By AUSTIN KING The Lufkin News
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
Local artist Blake Bean, right, discusses one of his mixed media long Black History Month Exhibition and Poetry Recital. An art art pieces “Black Rain” with an event attendee during an artist gallery featuring local talent opened Tuesday and will run through reception and poetry reading as part of Angelina College’s month- Feb. 28 in the Angelina Center for the Arts Gallery.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
parole. The plea bargain was offered after some deliberations beA woman captured on video tween Rudy Velasquez, Sponafter she reportedly stole a sler’s attorney, and Sandra MarLufkin Police Department patrol tin, who is representing the state vehicle waived her right in this case. Inselmann noted this isn’t the first to a jury trial Tuesday. plea-bargain the state Toscha Fay Sponsler, has offered Sponsler. 33, appeared before “If this doesn’t go state District Judge through on Thursday, Bob Inselmann Tuesday afternoon, where Ms. Martin is withshe was offered a plea drawing her offer,” Inbargain by prosecutors selmann said. for 16 years in a Texas Sponsler faces nuSPONSLER merous charges relevant Department of Criminal to the case, including evading arJustice prison. Prior to Sponsler’s acceptance rest, aggravated assault of a pubof the plea agreement, Insel- lic servant, escaping arrest and mann made it clear to her that if unauthorized use of a vehicle. she were to take the case to trial, Her charges stem from the Sept. her minimum sentence if found 2, 2017, incident in which she is guilty would be at least 25 years. accused of leading authorities Further, Inselmann noted Spon- on a high-speed chase in a stosler would have been required to len LPD patrol unit. Following serve at least half her sentence SEE SPONSLER, PAGE 3A before she would be eligible for
VALENTINE’S DAY
Bookkeeper accused of Locked With Love Tree a fun activity for couples stealing $55,000 from job By MICHAEL HERRINGTON The Lufkin News
By AUSTIN KING The Lufkin News
March 29, 2013, when Lumbley allegedly moved $1,000 from the Forestry Supply Service’s acThe Texas Department of Pub- count to her own, and the final lic Safety arrested a Lufkin wom- occurred Sept. 8, 2017, when she an Tuesday on accusations she moved $268. No unauthorized stole more than $55,000 drafts appeared to have from a local company occurred in 2014, the affidavit notes. she worked for. Numerous charges Kara Nicole Lumbley, are cited in the arrest 31, of Lufkin, was arrested on a warrant isaffidavit as having been sued by Justice of Peace moved to the Regions Pct. 1 Billy Ball for theft Bank account in Lumbley’s name. These inbetween $30,000 and LUMBLEY clude: March 29, 2013, $150,000. She posted bond $1,000; April 10, 2013, later that day. County records indicate this is Lumbley’s $902.38; April 29, 2013, $15,000; only arrest in Angelina County. May 8, 2013, $1,000; June 18, 2013, Lumbley’s arrest affidavit $500; July 15, 2015, $3,300; Aug. states the thefts occurred between 26, 2015, $50; Sept. 29, 2015, $1,000; the dates of March 29, 2013, and Nov. 2, 2015, $1,500; Jan. 6, 2016, Sept. 8. 2017. During this period, $2,000; Feb. 4, 2016, $2,000; March she was an employee of Forestry 25, 2016, $1,218.62; May 10, 2016, Supply Services Inc. in Lufkin. $2,000; May 17, 2016, $1,000; May Investigators learned Lumbley 19, 2016, $1,500; June 2, 2016, $700; held the position of office man- June 17, 2016, $1,218.62; July 5, ager/bookkeeper, and her duties 2016, $2,500; Aug. 8, 2016, $1,218.62; included payroll management, Aug. 12, $4,000; Sept. 6, 2016, preparing payment for bills and $3,000; Sept. 28, 2016, $1,400; Oct. record documentation. The affi- 14, 2016, $1,218.62, $4,500; Oct. 18, davit states this position allowed $890; Feb. 10, 2017, $3,000; March 2, her to utilize the company’s funds 2017, $3,000; March 8, 2017, $1,000; held at First Bank & Trust East March 21, 2017, $2,214.82; March Texas. 22, 2017, $2,214.82; March 23, 2017, The affidavit documents nu- $2,000; April 5, 2017, $1,000; April merous occasions in which 17, 2017, $1,000; May 3, 2017, $1,000; Lumbley is accused of making and Sept. 8, 2017, $268. unauthorized transfers from the In total, Lumbley is accused of Forestry Supply Services Inc. ac- stealing $55,522.93 from Forestry count to a Regions Bank account Supply Services Inc. Austin King’s email address is under her own name. The first aking@lufkindailynews.com. incident documented occurred
The Locked With Love Tree, a Downtown Lufkin attraction that just passed its 2-year anniversary, makes for a perfect Valentine’s Day activity for couples, said Barbara Thompson, Main Street director. Participants take a padlock, write a message or their names on it, lock it on the tree, and drop the key in a large, heart-shaped lock on the top of the tree. “People put locks out there for special occasions,” Thompson said. “I thought it would be nice to remind people to visit it. I also ask that they have dinner at one of our restaurants downtown.” With help from Lufkin’s city engineering department, the CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News tree was placed in Cotton Square People have attached numerous locks on the Locked With Love Tree in Cotton Square Park since its placement in February 2016, and Main Street Director Barbara Thompson encourages couples to SEE LOCKS, PAGE 3A take part in this fun activity for Valentine’s Day.
DIBOLL FREE PRESS
Diboll newspaper temporarily ceases publication By STEVE KNIGHT The Lufkin News The Free Press, a Diboll mainstay since the 1950s, has ceased publication, at least temporarily. Richard Nelson, owner and publisher of The Diboll Free Press, said there would be no publication this week. “There will not be a paper this week,” he said. “It may be a while before there is another issue.”
Nelson, who purchased the newspaper in 2011, stated in an edition of the Free Press in July that he would look for the right person to take over the operation, as he had accepted a position as publisher of a newspaper in Central Texas. He cited financial difficulties and the need for a regular paycheck as reasons for the change. He said he was proud he “made it six years.” The history of the award-
winning Free Press goes back to 1952, when Diboll’s first commercial newspaper was called the Diboll News-Bulletin. The paper was founded by Paul Durham. According to Bob Bowman’s “Land of the Little Angel: A History of Angelina County, Texas,” the News-Bulletin was operated by Jack Tinsley between 1953 and 1955 while Durham was in the Army. Durham and his wife resumed publication of the pa-
per in 1955 on a part-time basis. The publication’s name was changed to the Free Press in 1957, when an office was established in downtown Diboll. The newspaper was sold to Temple Industries in 1960. Arthur Temple became publisher, and Durham remained as editor and general manager. The Free Press opened its own printing plant in 1962. Steve Knight’s email address is sknight@lufkindailynews.com.
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THE LUFKIN NEWS Wednesday, February 14, 2018
ANGELINA COUNTY
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VALENTINE’S DAY
Commissioners can’t agree on speed limits Even penguins celebrate Valentine’s Day By STEVE KNIGHT The Lufkin News Angelina County commissioners on Tuesday appeared to disapprove then table a proposal to reduce maximum legal speed limits on county roads in the Cassels-Boykin and Colwell subdivisions in the southern part of the county. However, under Robert’s Rules of Order, commissioners may have passed the measure. After conducting a public hearing, commissioners considered a petition from residents to reduce the speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph on Bennie Street, Anna Beth Street, Harrell Street, Euel Street, Johnnie Street, Robert Street and Clyde Street. After a short discussion, Pct. 4 Commissioner Bobby Cheshire voted to approve the measure along with Pct. 1 Commissioner Greg Harrison. “Thirty miles an hour is just too fast,” Cheshire told commissioners prior to the vote. Judge Wes Suiter was reportedly on a business trip to Washington, D.C., to pursue Secure Rural Schools program funding and unable to attend the meeting. The Texas Open Meetings Act considers four commissioners present of a five-person panel a quorum for conducting business. “It seems that if we can get law enforcement presence, and nail down the one or two people who are speeding most of the time, we can take care of that,” Pct. 3 Commissioner Terry Pitts said during deliberation of the issue. “I think all the roads in Angelina County should be 20 mph, but my concern is trying to do this one or two streets at a time.” Pitts voted against the measure, but Pct. 2 Commissioner
Kenneth Timmons decided to abstain, making the vote 2-1. Timmons did not divulge his reason for abstaining. Timmons said the measure failed, needing three “yes” votes to pass. County Attorney Cary Kirby at that time said he agreed with that assessment. That would be correct if the court had adopted a rule stating that measures must pass with a “yes” vote from the majority of those members present at the meeting. However, according to Robert’s Rules of Order, abstentions are noted for the record but not considered a vote on a measure. Later on Tuesday, Kirby told The Lufkin News he was still researching the issue. Of the three votes cast by commissioners, two were “yes” votes, meaning the measure should have passed under that scenario. Cheshire attempted to argue that point. Commissioners then voted to table the issue, with Harrison expressing a desire to study the matter further. Commissioners also took public comment for a proposal to reduce the speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph on Mockingbird Lane, a dead-end, countymaintained road that begins at the Diboll city limits, about 600 feet north of Willie Oaks Road ,and then runs in a southerly direction to the end of the road at a gate marking the beginning of private property. The court also elected to table that issue. In other action during Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners: ■ Approved the final plat of the Peavy Pines subdivision in Pct. 1. ■ Approved a request from Angelina Beautiful/Clean to approve a grant application with the Deep East Texas Council
of Governments for the 2018-19 DETCOG Regional Solid Waste Grant Program. ■ Approved of a standard tax abatement for American eChem. ■ Approved of a third amendment to the employer hospital service agreement with Woodland Heights Medical Center. ■ Authorized participating in the 2018 Statewide Automated Victim Notification Service Grant. The contract is between the county and the Attorney General’s Office, beginning Sept. 1, 2017, and ending Aug. 31. ■ Appointed Pitts to the Deep East Texas Rural Transportation Planning Organization. ■ Approved the early voting locations and hours, judges and alternate judges, Democratic and Republican, early voting ballot board, assistant tabulation supervisor for the center counting station and polling locations for the March 6 primary election. ■ Approved an order authorizing retail fireworks permit holders to sell fireworks to the public in celebration of Texas Independence Day beginning Feb. 25 and ending at midnight March 2. ■ Approved a request from the Angelina County Airport to approve an asset transfer of a 2007 Ford Crown Victoria from the Sheriff’s Office inventory to the airport inventory. ■ Approved a budget transfer request from the Angelina County Airport: $10,000 from capital outlay to airport repairs; and $1,000 from rental/ lease to call out expense. ■ Approved a 2017 budget transfer request from the maintenance department: $500 from capital outlay to vehicle expense. Steve Knight’s email address is sknight@lufkindailynews.com.
Sponsler Continued from Page 1A her arrest, LPD posted footage of the incident on Facebook, which gained more than a million views and more than 2,000 comments. Footage of the incident begins with officers placing handcuffs on Sponsler near the intersection of South First Street and Loop 287, just after she allegedly fled from officers responding to a shoplifting report at Ulta. Police returned her to the store, where the video shows her slipping out of her handcuffs and climbing through the partition of the patrol unit before driving off. The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office, Constable Chad Wilson, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Zavalla Police Department assisted Lufkin police in the pursuit, which proceeded down Loop 287 and U.S. 69 south before a DPS trooper managed to spin the stolen vehicle off the road near the intersection of U.S. 69 south and state Highway 63. Sponsler was allegedly found in possession of a felony amount of methamphetamine following the arrest. Following the incident, LPD installed “tactical window limitation devices” into patrol units to ensure others wouldn’t be able to repeat Sponsler’s act. Sponsler has remained in Angelina County jail since her arrest. Inselmann set her plea hearing for 2:30 p.m. Thursday. Austin King’s email address is aking@lufkindailynews.com.
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
Main Street Director Barbara Thompson is encouraging couples to take part in the Locked With Love Tree in Cotton Square Park for Valentine’s Day.
Locks
Continued from Page 1A Park in February 2016. Thompson was inspired by a famous attraction in France. “A couple of years ago when we visited Paris, I was impressed with the ‘Love Locks’ on the Ponts des Arts Bridge,” said Thompson on the Tree’s page on visitlufkin.com. “The locks are placed there by couples to signify their enduring love, and then the key is tossed into the River Seine
so the lock can never be removed and becomes a symbol their love will last as long as the lock is on the fence. We don’t have a river or a bridge in Downtown Lufkin, but we do have a park. “The tree represents a strong and growing love, and the rings around the tree represent infinity or the enduring love of a couple.” Michael Herrington’s email address is mherrington@lufkindailynews.com.
AngelinA Community theAtre in pArtnership with AngelinA College presents
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Penguins are looking for love with big red hearts at a San Francisco aquarium. In what has become an annual Valentine’s Day tradition, biologists handed out red felt hearts to the 14 African penguins at the California Academy of Sciences on Tuesday. The animals grabbed the hearts in their beaks and waddled around their rocky enclosure toward their nests. Spokeswoman Kelly Mendez said it is often the male penguin who retrieves the heart and carries it back to his mate. The pen-
MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ/The Associated Press
Penguins carry heart-shaped nesting material given to the them by biologists as a Valentine’s Day promotion at the California Academy of Sciences Tuesday in San Francisco. guins use the felt for material in The activity is part of a captive their nests, which helps reinforce breeding program to help increase the couples’ bonds. the African penguin population.
STEVE KNIGHT/The Lufkin News
Lufkin ISD Superintendent LaTonya Goffney, left, and Board of Trustees President Scott Skelton preside over Tuesday’s meeting in Lufkin.
Bond Continued from Page 1A education gym and the existing competition gym. Proposed projects on the high school campus would include building a multi-purpose gym, constructing an on-site girls’ softball field and boys’ baseball field and providing an enclosed venue that could accommodate all high school students. Building the athletic facilities on the high school campus would eliminate student travel to the middle school, where the competition gym is located, and to Morris Frank Park, the location of the softball and baseball fields. Significant facility issues exist on the middle school campus, Skelton said, which was built as the new high school in 1955. “It’s been a wonderful building, but it’s in need of being renewed and, in fact, torn down and rebuilt,” he said. “It’s not feasible to continued maintaining something that’s 60 years old. We’ll sell (the bond proposal to voters) based on need. We’ll sell it based on the fact that it would be good for every child in this district. Every child goes through that middle school. We’ll sell it that it is helpful to the community.” Because of the open-campus concept with different buildings, students are forced to deal with weather conditions when going from class to class. Preliminary costs include around $50 million for the middle school construction and renovations, $3 million for the baseball and softball facilities and $9 million to $10 million for a competition gym at the high school. Those figures are still preliminary and fluid, according to school administrators. The bond money would not be used for operating expenses such as salaries, electricity and supplies. “In order to attract business and industry, they want to see nice viable schools,” Skelton said. “Our middle school needs to be a centerpiece of that.” According to a previous Lufkin News story and school district in-
formation, the last school bond, passed in 2007, provided $49.5 million in funds to renovate existing primary and elementary campuses to ensure safety and security. Vestibules and enclosed wings were added to all campuses and Burley Primary was constructed. A portion of the bond funds were used to add a math and science wing at the middle school. A $27 million bond in 1995 made way for constructing a new high school building on the loop encompassing the existing Junior High East building. Two million dollars was allotted in the bond to convert the existing high school to a sixth- through eighthgrade campus. The district continued to use the stadium built in 1972 on the Junior High East campus as the high school stadium. The current tax rate is $1.213 per $100 valuation. Broken up into two components, the maintenance and operations rate, used to conduct everyday business like paying for salaries and utilities, is $1.17, and the interest and sinking rate, which pays off debt incurred by the district, is 4.3 cents.
Assuming the $75 million bond passes, the interest and sinking rate would rise 28.05 cents to a total of 32.35 cents, bringing the total tax rate to $1.4935 per $100 valuation. The potential increase in the property tax rate is affordable, Shelton said. For an average Lufkin home with a taxable value of $125,000, the maximum tax impact is $23.37 a month. “If it brings in new industry and business, that will actually help lower taxes,” Skelton said. The district would pay off the bond over a 25-year period, according to Charlotte Bynum, the district’s chief financial officer, in a previous Lufkin News story. Homeowners who are age 65 and older will not have an increased tax bill with the passage of the bond, if an age 65 freeze exemption is filed and approved. Over the last four years, Lufkin ISD has refunded $56.6 million in bonds, saving taxpayers more than $7.1 million. Steve Knight’s email address is sknight@lufkindailynews.com.
Lockheed Martin, City of Lufkin Recycling Center & Angelina Beautiful/Clean present
HouseHold Hazardous Waste ColleCtion day MarCH 3rd • 9am to 12pm
City of Lufkin Recycling Center 500 Southpark Drive (Off College Drive) This is a FREE event to collect unwanted or unused hazardous items in our community so that they can be recycled or disposed of properly. Paint will be free for churches, non-profits and schools. Please utilize this opportunity to keep these hazards out of our waterways and natural environment. Monetary donations are always appreciated. ACCepting theSe itemS fROm hOuSehOLDS only: Paint Household Chemicals Pesticides TVs, Computers and Electronics Fluorescent Bulbs
Batteries (automobile and alkaline) Household Appliances Motor Oil Antifreeze Cooking oil
For a complete list of accepted items visit angelinabeautifulclean.org or contact angelina Beautiful/Clean (936) 63Clean (632-5326)
VOTE
Don Lymbery for
Angelina County Judge Endorsed by Sheriff Greg Sanches & Pct. 3 Constable Chad Wilson
“SERVED OUR COUNTRY, NOW READY TO SERVE OUR COUNTY”
An award-winning play written and directed Don Wilson Glenn. February 16th, Hudgins Hall, 6:30 pm, free to the public. Honoring the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s death. The play will just be read through and followed by a civil rights “talk-back” by our panel: Rev. W.R. Ricks, pastor of First Lufkin Missionary (Baptist Church) Dr. Guessippina Bonner, Lufkin City Councilwoman and NAACP leader Don Wilson Glenn, AUDELCO Award-winning playwright and ACT board-member Mediator Ms. Benetha Jackson, Professor of Psychology at Angelina College
* Have attended Angelina County Commissioner’s Court for past 12 years. * Have taken an active interest in Angelina County government and budget for past 25 years. * Have lived in Angelina County for 41 years and Texas most of my life. * Ginger, my wife of 48 years, and I have two children, Rayna and Taylor, and three grandchildren. * Retired Air Force and veteran of Vietnam and Desert Storm * Retired very conservative business owner with extensive budget experience * Served on the Angelina County Appraisal Review Board for 6 years * Member of Lufkin Host Lions Club since 1981, always volunteered for the rodeo and special projects * Volunteer for the HOST reading program for the past 7 years * Volunteer for local Eagle Review Board, Boy Scouts of America * Past president of the EAA Chapter 1219, have flown 360 Angelina County kids for free * As a ranch owner, was voted the Texas Forestry Conservationist of the year 2015 for Region IV * Keep taxes low & eliminate waste * Attract new businesses * Make long range plans for needed road repairs
IT IS TIME FOR NEW LEADERSHIP IN ANGELINA COUNTY Political ad paid for by Don Lymbery campaign
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LOCKHEED MARTIN
4B backs incentive for Lockheed expansion Facility agrees to invest minimum of $3.5 million and hire at least 125 new employees, bringing total employment to more than 300 in Lufkin By STEVE KNIGHT The Lufkin News Members of the Lufkin 4B Economic Development Corporation on Friday recommended to the city council an economic incentive package that would assist with a proposed expansion at
the Lockheed Martin facility in Lufkin. According to Bob Samford, Lufkin’s economic development director, Lockheed Martin has agreed to invest a minimum of $3.5 million and hire at least 125 new employees, bringing their total employment to more than 300
in Lufkin. “Lockheed Martin’s decision to expand their Lufkin operations is a clear statement of the corporation’s trust in the highly qualified employees and management at the facility,” Samford said. “The investment also reflects the market success of the
specialized products assembled in Lufkin.” The 238 full-time employees at the company’s Lufkin facility perform circuit card assembly, wire harness assembly and final assembly, integration and testing for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile, as well as the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System guided missile, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense guided missile
and the Army Tactical Missile System guided missile. The proposed expansion would increase Lockheed’s employment to a minimum of 363 full-time employees over the next six years. The recommended incentive package includes $4,000 per new job for a minimum of 125 new jobs but up to 200 jobs and a onetime grant of $600,000 to aid in expansion costs.
LUFKIN SCHOOLS
Breaking down the bond
“Lockheed Martin is a global company and the Lufkin operation competes with all LM locations for the allocation of corporate capital expenditures,” Samford said. “The city of Lufkin is proud to assist LM in their expansion, and we are hopeful that they will continue to expand in Lufkin. Lufkin Economic Development is a progressive, SEE LOCKHEED, PAGE 2A
LAWSUIT
DG store’s company: No blame for death Father of murder victim filed suit against Dollar General’s parent business; Dolgencorp denies all allegations By AUSTIN KING The Lufkin News
current middle school competition gym and Morris Frank Park. Because of the open-campus concept with different buildings, Goffney also said students are forced to deal with weather conditions when going from class to class. “We have kids, regardless of the weather, inclement weather, cold, rain, they have to go between 21 different buildings about eight different times,” Goffney said. “It’s a fact that we cannot secure Lufkin Middle School. It’s a fact that it’s an aging facility that has needs that have to be addressed.”
Dollar General’s parent company has responded to a lawsuit filed by the father of the victim of the November 2017 shooting at a Lufkin Store. On Jan. 19, John L. House Jr., the father of Darrence Kindle, 31, of Lufkin, filed a lawsuit against Dolgencorp of Texas Inc. following the death of his son in a Nov. 3, 2017, robbery. The lawsuit alleges negligence on the store’s part in keeping his son safe and cited a failure to provide reasonable and adequate security measures, failure to take reasonable action to prevent harm or risk, and failure to employ security personnel. House is asking for $1 million in monetary relief for the loss of Kindle’s life and to cover court fees. In response, Dolgencorp filed its original answer to the lawsuit Feb. 15 and denied all allegations leveled against the company and states the actions that led to Kindle’s death were caused by a third party Dolgencorp had no control over. As such, Dolgencorp’s answer states the plaintiff is not entitled to an award for damages. “Wherefore, premises considered, Defendant prays that all relief requested by Plaintiff be denied, judgment be entered and Plaintiff takes nothing against Defendant,” the initial answer states. Later, on Feb. 27, Dolgencorp filed an amended answer, which identified the aforementioned third party — Kindle’s killer, designated as “John Doe” in the lawsuit. “Defendant would show the alleged occurrence, and the death of Darrence
SEE LISD, PAGE 2A
SEE LAWSUIT, PAGE 2A
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
LISD Superintendent LaTonya Goffney discusses the $75 million bond package security concerns Friday afternoon during First Friday luncheon at Crown that, if approved, would provide funds to construct and renovate the middle Colony Country Club. school campus, eliminating what school administrators say are safety and
Lufkin Middle School security issues need addressing, LISD superintendent says By STEVE KNIGHT The Lufkin News With about 100 entrances across a host of Lufkin Middle School buildings, it’s not possible to completely secure a campus built in 1955, Lufkin ISD’s top educator told members of the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce on Friday. Lufkin ISD Superintendent LaTonya Goffney made the comments during a “State of the Schools” message during the monthly First Friday luncheon at Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin. School administrators and the district’s board of trustees are proposing a $75 million bond package
that, if approved, would provide funds to construct and renovate the middle school campus, eliminating what school administrators say are safety and security concerns. Lufkin ISD voters will get their say on the bond on May 5. Proposed projects that would address those concerns, according to Goffney, include centralizing the middle school campus under one roof with the addition of a “main street” concept through the campus, designing new, secure entrances as well as a new drop-off entrance for sixth-graders only and building a multi-purpose gym, baseball and softball fields for high school students to eliminate student travel to the
THE REV. BILLY GRAHAM
Graham funeral: Evangelist’s children to carry on crusade By TOM FOREMAN JR. and JONATHAN DREW The Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Rev. Billy Graham’s children remembered “America’s Pastor” on Friday as a man devoted to spreading the Gospel, living his life at home as he preached it in stadiums, with a personable humility and an unwavering focus on the Bible. As his oldest son told the funeral congregation, “There weren’t two Billy Grahams.” His adult children — all speakers or preachers in their own right — recalled being taught by their parents how to read Scripture aloud and deliver sermons, but also taking quiet walks with their father and feeling his embrace even when they made mistakes. Franklin Graham, who delivered the main funeral message, said all of those qualities were part of the whole.
“The Billy Graham that the world saw on television, the Billy Graham that the world saw in the big stadiums, was the same Billy Graham that we saw at home. There weren’t two Billy Grahams,” he said. “He loved his family. He stood by us. He comforted us.” Franklin Graham’s funeral message, which included a Gospel call to repentance and salvation, followed shorter remarks by his siblings in a service that lasted just over an hour before an invitation-only crowd of approximately 2,000. “I believe, from Heaven’s perspective, that my father’s death is as significant as his life. And his life was very significant. But I think when he died, that was something very strategic from Heaven’s point of view,” said his daughter Anne Graham THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Lotz, later adding: “I believe God is saying: ‘Wake President Donald Trump speaks with pastor Franklin Graham after a funeral service at the Billy Graham Library for the Rev. Billy Graham, who died last week at age 99, on Friday in Charlotte, SEE GRAHAM, PAGE 2A North Carolina.
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POLICE REPORTS
Continued from Page 1A Proposed plans also include creation of a sixth-grade leadership center with a new entrance for sixth-graders only. A new sixth-grade center would provide space and curriculum for leadership training and opportunities and include a new library/media center that would provide state-of-the art resources. The proposed project includes renovating 80,000 square feet and building 200,000 square feet facility that will house 1,800 students. Plans also include addressing heating and air conditioning issues and creating a new cafeteria. Goffney said the board also considered a “Band-Aid” approach that would cost $5 million to $10 million, but those type of repairs would not change the environment that students see every day. She said there was urgency among board members to “do something now,” but that would leave the district with the question of what to do after that. “It was one of those decisions
that I can assure you the board didn’t make easily,” she said. “At some point, we’ve got to address the needs of the middle school.” According to a previous Lufkin News story, preliminary costs include around $50 million for the middle school construction and renovations, $3 million for the baseball and softball facilities and $9 million to $10 million for a competition gym at the high school. The last school bond, passed in 2007, provided $49.5 million in funds to renovate existing primary and elementary campuses to ensure safety and security, according to a previous Lufkin News story and district information. Vestibules and enclosed wings were added to all campuses and Burley Primary was constructed. A portion of the bond funds were used to add a math and science wing at the middle school. A $27 million bond in 1995 made way for constructing a new high school building on the loop encompassing the existing Junior High East building. Two
million dollars was allotted in the bond to convert the existing high school to a sixth- through eighthgrade campus. The district continued to use the stadium built in 1972 on the Junior High East campus as the high school stadium. The current tax rate is $1.213 per $100 valuation. Broken up into two components, the maintenance and operations rate, used to conduct everyday business like paying for salaries and utilities, is $1.17, and the interest and sinking rate, which pays off debt incurred by the district, is 4.3 cents. Assuming the $75 million bond passes, the interest and sinking rate would rise 28.05 cents to a total of 32.35 cents, bringing the total tax rate to $1.4935 per $100 valuation. For an average Lufkin home with a taxable value of $125,000, the maximum tax impact is $23.37 a month. The district would pay off the bond over a 25-year period, according to a previous Lufkin News story. The bond money would not be
used for operating expenses such as salaries, electricity and supplies. Homeowners who are age 65 and older will not have an increased tax bill with the passage of the bond, if an age-65 freeze exemption is filed and approved. The district will host several bond presentation meetings over the next few weeks. The schedule of those community meetings, as of Friday, is as follows: ■ Tuesday — Concerned Black Men ■ March 20 — Lufkin Host Lions Club ■ April 10 — Tri-Ethnic Committee ■ April 11 — Minister’s Roundtable ■ April 16 — Lufkin Rotary Club ■ April 16 — Impact Lufkin ■ April 20 — Mom 2 Mom ■ April 23 — Panther Community Forum To schedule a bond presentation, contact Sheila Adams at 630-4246.
pected to consider the 4B recommendation during their meeting on Tuesday. PAC-3 currently provides missile defense capabilities for the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, United Arab Emirates and Taiwan. Lockheed Martin is on con-
tract with four additional nations: Kuwait, Qatar, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Building on the combat-proven PAC-3, the PAC-3 MSE missile uses a twopulse solid rocket motor that increases altitude and range to meet evolving threats, company officials said.
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense system, or THAAD, is designed to defend against short- and mediumrange ballistic missiles. The THAAD system was recently deployed in South Korea.
the cause of Kindle’s death and Plaintiff’s alleged damages.” Additionally on Feb. 27, Dolgencorp requested Kindle’s killer to be designated as a responsible third party in the incident. “By Plaintiff’s Original Petition, a negligence cause of action is asserted against ‘John Doe,’ as a result of his actions in killing Kindle,” the motion request states. “However, as John Doe is unknown, he has not been served with process and has not appeared in this cause.”
Kindle’s death is one of two unsolved Angelina County murders in 2017, and the only unsolved murder of that year that occurred in Lufkin’s city limits. LPD’s investigation continues. The gunman was described as a 5-foot-10 black male wearing a dark hoodie, light baseball shorts, a bright Halloween mask and red shoes. After the suspect shot Kindle, security footage captured him demanding money from the Dollar General’s clerk and placing a
shopping cart at the entrance to keep the doors from shutting. He didn’t receive any money from the cash register and rummaged through Kindle’s pockets before fleeing the store on foot into the wooded area toward Loop 287. Those with information on Kindle’s death are asked to call Lufkin Police Department at 633-0356 or Crime Stoppers at 639-TIPS for anonymous information.
While Franklin Graham steered clear of politics during his message, the Trumps and Pences were the first guests he welcomed as he began. And his invitation to be saved by Jesus contained this barb: “The world, with all of its political correctness, would want you to believe that there are many roads to God. It’s just not true.” Like Graham’s famous crusades, the funeral featured singers who had shared his stage in years past: Linda McCraryFisher, Michael W. Smith and the Gaither Vocal Band. The lineup of clergy and singers from as near as North Carolina and as far away as Asia, was racially diverse — moreso than the mostly white audience. Other notable guests included television host Kathie Lee Gifford, musician Ricky Skaggs, evangelist Rick Warren and politician Rudy Giuliani. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper attended, as did his predecessor Pat McCrory. The funeral came at the end of more than a week of mourning that included crowds lining the road for a procession from Graham’s home in the mountains to Charlotte, where Graham grew up. Approximately 13,000 people — including former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — filed past his casket during a public viewing
in Charlotte this week. And on Wednesday, Graham became the first private citizen since civil rights icon Rosa Parks in 2005 to lie in honor at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington. Graham was being buried next to his wife in a memorial prayer garden at the Billy Graham Library, with his grandchildren serving as pallbearers. His pine plywood casket was made by inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. The grave marker reads: “Preacher of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Friday’s goodbye also emphasized the message that only Graham’s earthly journey has come to an end, a point underscored by Franklin Graham as he stood
behind the same pulpit his father used in the 1990s. Graham recalled one of his father’s frequent sayings that people shouldn’t believe it when they hear the famous evangelist had died: “He said: ‘I’ll be more alive than I am now. I’ll have just changed addresses, that’s all.’”
Steve Knight’s email address is sknight@lufkindailynews.com.
Lockheed Continued from Page 1A proactive and pro-business team. The Lockheed Martin expansion is a textbook example of a success story that occurs when the city works closely with our local employers to bring quality jobs to our city.” City Council members are ex-
Steve Knight’s email address is sknight@lufkindailynews.com.
Lawsuit Continued from Page 1A Kindle were caused by the criminal acts of an unknown John Doe,” the amended answer states. “This John Doe entered into the premises of the Dollar General store located at 1401 Kurth Drive in Lufkin, Texas, armed with a pistol for the purpose of committing a robbery. During the course of this robbery, John Doe fired a shot striking Kindle in the head, which resulted in Kindle’s death. “The above-described criminal actions of John Doe were
Austin King’s email address is aking@lufkindailynews.com.
Graham Continued from Page 1A up church! Wake up world!’” The congregation included President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and their wives. Neither Pence nor Trump spoke during the service that was streamed live online, but they met privately with the family beforehand. The funeral planning began a decade ago with Billy Graham himself. It also reflected his family’s desire to capture the feeling of the crusades that made him the world’s best-known Protestant preacher of his era. Graham, who died last week at age 99, brought a message of salvation to millions during visits and live broadcasts to scores of countries. The funeral served as a Billy Graham crusade told through his children. Lotz read Scripture, inserting her name into the passages to make her relationship with God more personal and breaking it down intellectually, like her father. Youngest daughter Ruth told about how she sinned and didn’t listen to her father with a hasty marriage, but he was waiting for her with open arms when she realized her mistake. And oldest son Franklin, now CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, wrapped up with his father’s central theme: that the only path to salvation is to accept Jesus Christ.
Contact us ■ To submit a news tip or feature story idea, contact Jeff Pownall, our managing editor, at 631-2623 or jpownall@lufkindailynews.com. You can also submit a news tip — anonymously, if you’d like — at LufkinDailyNews.com/tips. ■ To submit a listing for our community calendar or East Texas briefs, contact Beverly Johnson at 631-2618 or newsroom@lufkindailynews.com. ■ To submit a listing for our entertainment calendar, published in the Sunday entertainment section, contact Beverly Johnson at 631-2618 or newsroom@ lufkindailynews.com. ■ To submit a sports score or sports calendar listing, or to suggest a topic for a sports feature story, contact Josh Havard, our sports editor, at 631-2608 or jhavard@lufkindailynews.com.
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BIBLE VERSES Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For there is more to life than food, and more to the body than clothing. Luke 12:22-23 New English Translation
Stocks of local interest
Last Chg. %Chg. BP PLC 38.70 -.24 -.6% CenterPoint 26.69 -.03 -.1% Chevron Corp 111.64 -.40 -.4% ConocoPhillips 54.06 +.18 +.3% ConsolComm 11.83 -.21 -1.7% Entergy 76.54 +.66 +.9% Exxon Mobil Corp 75.55 +.35 +.5% General Electric 14.12 +.10 +.7% International Paper 58.47 +.11 +.2% Lockheed Martin 341.72 +2.03 +.6% WalMart 88.77 -.31 -.3%
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Lotto Texas numbers drawn Wednesday: 1-5-18-39-45-52 Cash Five numbers drawn Friday: 2-12-26-30-34 Pick Three numbers drawn Friday: (morning): 3-5-3 Sum It Up: 11 Pick Three numbers drawn Friday: (day): 1-6-8 Sum It Up: 15 Pick Three numbers drawn Friday: (evening): 8-6-6 Sum It Up: 20 Pick Three numbers drawn Friday: (night): 2-1-8 Sum It Up: 11 Daily Four numbers drawn Friday: (morning): 4-5-2-3 Sum It Up: 14 Daily Four numbers drawn Friday: (day): 5-9-0-7 Sum It Up: 21 Daily Four numbers drawn Friday: (evening): 2-6-4-4 Sum It Up: 16 Daily Four numbers drawn Friday: (night): 9-1-5-9 Sum It Up: 24 Texas Triple Chance numbers drawn Friday: 6-7-17-19-21-22-34-46-52-53 Texas Two Step numbers drawn Thursday: 11-14-16-19 Bonus Ball: 16 Mega Million numbers drawn Friday: 24-48-42-60-64 Mega Ball: 8 Megaplier: 4 Powerball numbers drawn Wednesday: 12-30-59-65-69 Powerball: 16 Power Play: 5
THE
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HOW CAN WE HELP?
By AUSTIN KING The Lufkin News
The Lufkin Police Department made four arrests late Thursday and early Friday. Arrests and charges included: Erika Nicole Williams, 24, of Lufkin, warrants for traffic violations; Curley Desmond Pennywell Jr., 51, of Lufkin, accident involving injury; Samantha Elizabeth Hamilton, 27, of Huntington, warrants for dog at large and traffic violations; and Kenith Windham, 38, of Hemphill, warrant for a parole violation on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. ——— The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office arrested Miguel Herrera Santoyo, 39, of Lufkin, on a charge of driving while intoxicated. ——— The Texas Department of Public Safety made five arrests late Thursday and early Friday. Arrests and charges included: Bessie Denae Parker, 36, of Pollok, possession of a dangerous drug; Carol Wayne Kennedy, 52, of Lufkin, two counts of possession of a controlled substance; Benjamin Ryan Watson, 37, of Lufkin, possession of marijuana and resisting arrest; Joshua Blake Parker, 18, of Lufkin, driving while intoxicated; and Stephen Michael Willis, age unavailable, of Huntington, driving while intoxicated. ——— The Hudson Police Department arrested Eugene Kenneth Donaghue, 42, of Lufkin, on a warrant for driving while intoxicated. ——— The Zavalla Police Department arrested Brian Andrew Williams, 34, of Zavalla, on charges of ATV on public roadway, operating ATV without safety apparel and carrying passengers on ATV. ——— The Angelina County Jail housed 244 inmates as of 5 p.m. Friday.
A man in the 400 block of FM 706 south reportedly woke up his wife very early in the morning while angry about some situation Thursday. She said he assaulted her by slamming her into a wall and choking her, and then he left the residence. The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident. ——— A woman in the 300 block of North Timberland Drive reportedly purchased a vehicle, but sold it on Thursday before paying it off. ——— A woman in the 400 block of Booker Street reported being pushed off a porch by a man on Thursday. ——— A woman in the 1000 block of West Frank Avenue reported her sister’s boyfriend pushed her Thursday. ——— Someone reportedly stole money and a wedding ring in a burglary of a home in the 400 block of Moody Street. ——— Someone reportedly entered a home in the 3000 block of U.S. Highway 69 north Thursday and stole medication and jewelry. ——— Subjects reportedly entered numerous hunting club buildings on Pine Island Road and removed numerous items Thursday. ——— Someone reported receiving messages from another person stating the subject was in their house illegally on Thursday. ——— Someone reported a fence had been knocked over and posts broken off at ground level in the 10000 block of Highway We listen to local police and fire depart103 east. ments’ scanner traffic, but sometimes miss ——— crimes, wrecks, fires or other incidents, A woman reported an unknown person has used her especially if they happen overnight. If you debit or credit card repeatedly. know of something we’re not covering yet, please let Managing Editor Jeff Pownall The victim does not have possession of the card and doesn’t know by emailing him at jpownall@lufkindailynews.com, or submit a news tip online know if it was stolen. by visiting lufkindailynews.com/tips. ———
DEATH NOTICES
Closing prices for Friday, March 2, 2018
Indexes
Man allegedly wakes wife and assaults her
Service hours for missed paper deliveries are from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sunday. Call 637-NEWS or 637-6397
Ossie Chavis Services for Ossie Chavis, 69, of Diboll, are pending with Tims Funeral Home. Mrs. Chavis was born Sept. 15, 1948, and died March 1, 2018 in Lufkin.
David Michael O’Brien
Graveside services with military honors for David Michael O’Brien, 52, of Huntington, will be at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Whitehouse Cemetery. Mr. O’Brien was born Jan. 29, 1966, in Saginaw, Michigan, and died March 1, 2018, in Houston. Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.
Fred Wayne Smith
Services for Fred Wayne Smith, 71, of San Augustine, will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the First Baptist Church, San Augustine. Interment will follow in Liberty Hill Memorial Garden in San Augustine County. Visitation will be from 1-2:30 p.m. Sunday at the church. Mr. Smith was born July 9, 1946, in Jasper County and died March 1, 2018, in Fort Worth.
Nash Teal Jr.
Services for Nash Teal Jr., 74, of Vallejo, California, will be at 11 a.m. March 8 at Second Baptist Church in Vallejo, California. Interment will follow at 12:30 a.m. March 12 at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, California. Visitation will be from 3-8 p.m. March 7 at Wiggins-Knipp Funeral Home, in Vallejo, California. Mr. Teal was born Feb. 11, 1944, and died Feb. 26, 2018, in Vallejo, California.
Floyd Woodson Jr.
Services for Floyd Woodson Jr., 72, of Lufkin, will be at 11 a.m. today in the Greater Shiloh Baptist Church, 1519 Williams St. Interment will follow in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. Mr. Woodson was born Oct. 5, 1945, in Nacogdoches and died Feb. 22, 2018, in Lufkin.
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lufkindailynews.com/obituaries • Sign online guest book for anyone in today’s newspaper • Search for past local obituaries • View the “National Spotlight” slideshow of celebrity deaths
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LUFKIN ISD
Officials discuss school bond at Lions Club luncheon By AUSTIN KING The Lufkin News Representatives of Lufkin ISD spoke before the Lufkin Host Lions Club luncheon Tuesday afternoon regarding the upcoming bond election. Earlier this year, the LISD school board approved the launch of a bond election on Feb. 13 that calls for $75 million for construction and renovations for the Lufkin Middle School, a
multi-purpose facility at Lufkin High School and relocation of athletic facilities. Approximately $60 million, or 80 percent GOFFNEY of the bond, would go toward LMS. About $10 million, or 13 percent of the bond, is for the multi-purpose facility. Finally, the last estimated
$5 million, or 7 percent, is for the relocation of athletic facilities. “Our mission statement is to educate and equip all students for success through exceptional learning experiences,” LISD Superintendent LaTonya Goffney said. “We want to be the best choice for education in Lufkin.” Prior to discussing the bond, Goffney reiterated some of LISD’s statistics. LISD is one of the largest employers in Lufkin with 1,268 employees, about 600
of those employees are teachers and 100 are substitutes. The general operating budget is $72,156,629 — Goffney estimates 80 percent is used on employment wages. “We recognize in order to be the best choice for students, we have to be the best choice for teachers,” she said. “Teachers are the heart of everything we do.” All LISD elementary schools funnel their students in the dis-
trict’s lone middle school, which has 1,730 students and a total staff of 200, Goffney said. Built in 1955 as a high school, LMS has more than 100 entrances between its 21 separated buildings stretched across 75 acres. Students change classes eight times a day. According to estimations Goffney gave during the presentation, it would cost $5 million to $10 million in repairs to the middle school’s HVAC system and
plumbing to bring them up to current code. The district spends approximately $560,000 annually for electricity at LMS. Despite the large student body, LMS has no competition gym, and its cafeteria was built in 1955 when the school originally opened. “When the sixth-grade students come over, that’s the first complaint, the cafeteria,” Goffney said. “It’s an antiquated faSEE BOND, PAGE 4A
DUNBAR PRIMARY
Primary students get exposure on circuitry design By GRACE JUAREZ The Lufkin News First- and second-grade students at Dunbar Primary School got to tear apart old electronics while participating in BreakerSpace on Tuesday. BreakerSpace, a sister program to MakerSpace, is designed to give students the opportunity to see how common household electronics work and to expose them to basic circuitry design. “How do you know what you want to do when you grow up if you haven’t been exposed to it yet?” Jamie Mahan, first- and second-grade Dunbar instructor, said. “We love to learn with tech, but our kids need to have fun, play and break things.” Mahan also gave strict instructions to the class not to go home and break their own household electronics. She said she learned about the program online, and after looking into it, she was disturbed at how much electronic waste ended up in landfills across the
nation. Many different electronics destined for the landfill were donated to the class by Angelina Beautiful/Clean, and engineers from Lufkin Industries volunteered to help the kids tear the electronics apart and to teach them about the components they were destroying. Sam Westerhaus, an engineer and designer for Lufkin Industries, said he found out about the project and was excited to participate because he has an almost 2-year-old daughter who loves learning how things work. After donning safety goggles, or personal protective equipment, as the engineers at Lufkin Industries call it, students were released to choose which electronic they wanted to destroy. James Enger, 8, and Sam Swift, 8, sent their screwdrivers to work taking apart an old fan. “I feel like I want to break it because some of these things are childproof !” Swift said. Swift later called out to Mahan in excitement, saying, “Come
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
Larayzia Hadnot, left, and Naveah Coutee use screwdrivers to Tuesday afternoon at Dunbar Primary School. deconstruct an old radio to learn how it works during BreakerSpace look! Come look! We got it open!” At the end of the session, engineers, parents and students were able to express anything new or interesting they learned. Liddie Haskins, 8, and Scarlet Blackburn, 8, had been working on breaking an old computer. Haskins showed off her knowl-
ACCIDENT
edge of the computer’s processor. “This is the processor,” she said. “It’s like the brain of your computer. If you’re playing a video game, this makes it work. It’s really expensive because this does the most helping part of the computer.” “This thing is 18 years old!”
Blackburn said. “That’s 10 years older than me!” Dunbar students received a grant to regularly participate in MakerSpace, a program designed for schools, libraries or other facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing knowledge for high tech to no tech tools.
Mahan said not everyone in her class will become engineers, but the problem-solving skills taught through engineering are important for everyone to know. Mahan’s classes do MakerSpace Mondays, learning skills SEE CIRCUITS, PAGE 4A
CITY OF LUFKIN
Girl flown to Houston hospital City OKs foreign-trade zone following drowning incident By AUSTIN KING The Lufkin News
By AUSTIN KING The Lufkin News The Lufkin Police Department is investigating an incident that occurred Tuesday afternoon when a 3-year-old girl was found at the bottom of a local motel’s pool. According to the LPD release, authorities responded to the incident at the Motel 6 located on South Timberland Drive after a motel employee who was watching on camera reported what had happened. A good Samaritan had administered CPR to the child after pulling her from the pool. “It appears the girl got out of her family’s downstairs room which faced the pool while her father was asleep,” the release states. “She managed to enter the fenced pool area due to a broken gate latch.” Lufkin Police Department, Lufkin Fire Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety responded to the incident. Lufkin Fire paramedics trans-
AUSTIN KING/The Lufkin News
Lufkin Police officers investigate the scene where a 3-year-old girl was found at the bottom of the Motel 6 pool on Timberland Drive Tuesday. ported the girl to CHI St. Luke’s Health-Memorial in Lufkin, the LPD release states. She was flown to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, and her condition and prognosis are unknown. “We know from surveillance video that she was underwater for several minutes,” Lufkin Police public relations special-
ist Jessica Pebsworth said. “She and her family could use all the prayers they can get.” The motel’s pool is located on the backside of the property, behind a white metal fence. A no lifeguard warning is posted at the pool. Austin King’s email address is aking@lufkindailynews.com.
Lufkin will benefit from the establishment of the foreign-trade zone designation in the Angelina The City of Lufkin’s council County area and would like to met Tuesday evening and ap- move forward with the applicaproved an application made by tion process. Due to the city’s location, the foreign-trade the city to help establish a local area for goods to zone designation will help elevate the city’s be shipped internationally without as many position as a regional regulations. magnet for internationThe application was al trade development.” made after a study In other news, a public hearing was conhad been done regarding the creation of a ducted regarding new foreign-trade zone in ordinances for the reguWRIGHT Lufkin. Officials found lation of pawnbrokers such a zone could be an in Lufkin. Members of economic benefit for local com- the council approved the first panies, and chartered the appli- hearing on the new ordinances, cation. Should the zone be estab- which will require pawnbrolished, local manufacturers will kers to provide certain info to have a location in the city to have the Lufkin Police Department international goods and materi- to help track down possibly stoals shipped without being bogged len goods if it passes. A second down by customs. public hearing is required before “On June 20, 2017, the coun- the council adopts any such ordicil approved a feasibility study,” nances. Wright noted a previous said City Manager Keith Wright. ordinance had been read once in “That study was approved, and the past, but changes have since we moved forward to make an been made. The new ordinance application. requires pawnbrokers to be li“Staff believes that the City of censed through the city and to
keep records regarding sellers and items. There are four pawnshops in town, according to LPD Sgt. Stephen Abbott. “This will allow us to better track what is pawned and who is pawning them,” he said. Additionally, the council approved a cooperation contract between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the city to lease a small area for the Texas Highway Patrol parking area. The initial term of the contract is five years, with two renewal periods of two years each. The added area should offer 20 additional parking spaces. “We’ve been working for several months now with DPS on leasing facilities,” Wright said. “They need some additional parking space.” Also, the board accepted the Certification of Unopposed Candidates and the second reading of an ordinance to cancel the May 5 general election for the offices of Mayor and Councilmember for Ward 4. Mayor Bob Brown
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TEXAS FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
By GRACE JUAREZ The Lufkin News
Highway 59 flyovers
TFA holds annual Woodland Clinic TxDOT to inspect The Texas Forestry Association held its annual Woodland Clinic Tuesday morning. The contest is a part of the Angelina County Fair, and students across Angelina County enrolled in 4-H or FFA participated. The categoTHORNTON ries are Tree and Wood ID, Compass and Pacing, Site Index, Site Management and Tree Volume Estimation. First-, secondand third-place winners were chosen. Overall high point winner was Cooper Thornton from Hudson FFA. Thornton placed first in two of the five contest events. In Tree and Wood ID, Emmy Howard, Huntington 4-H, placed first; Luke Riley, Regents Academy 4-H, placed second; and Gar-
By AUSTIN KING The Lufkin News
CONTRIBUTED
Kara Teer, Huntington FFA, uses a tree scale stick to measure the diameter of a loblolly pine in the Tree Volume Estimation event during the TFA Woodland Clinic on Tuesday. rett Morris, Diboll FFA, placed third. In Compass and Pacing, Clayton Terrell, Regents Academy 4-H, placed first; Kennedy Martin, Huntington 4-H, placed second; and Thornton placed third. In Site Index, Thornton placed first; Brianna Johnson, Huntington 4-H, placed second; and Howard placed third. In Site Management, Thorn-
ton placed first; Brianna Johnson, Huntington 4-H, placed second; and Madison Gartman, Huntington FFA, placed third. In Tree Volume Estimation, Taylor Dilday, Huntington FFA, placed first; Martin placed second; and Gartman placed third. “Woodland Clinics are a great way for 4-H and FFA students to gain an appreciation of forest ecology and management tech-
niques,” TFA Education Coordinator Misty Bowie said. “We hope that these students will be encouraged to compete at the district and state level, where they can earn scholarships for their efforts and perhaps be inspired to pursue a career in forestry or natural resource management.”
The Texas Department of Transportation reports one of Lufkin’s busy intersections will be confined to a single lane of travel today during inspections. According to a TxDOT press release, drivers will be confined to a single northbound lane of South First Street and a single outside lane on South Medford Drive below the U.S. 59 connector as engineers inspect the area. The U.S. 59 south direct connector will remain open to traffic; the lane closures are confined to the intersection beneath the flyover. “This is a fracture-critical inspection, which is routinely conducted every two years at bridges
throughout the district,” said Rhonda Oaks, TxDOT Lufkin District public information officer. “Because of the location, it is necessary for the lane closures during the inspection. We want motorists to be aware that there may be delays during peak travel hours at this busy intersection.” The inspection and closures are expected to be completed within one day. TxDOT’s release reminds drivers to remain alert of any signs and traffic control devices during the inspection, and to be ready to reduce speeds. As the area of the inspection will be an active work zone, any traffic fines accrued in the area will be doubled when workers are present. Austin King’s email address is aking@lufkindailynews.com.
Grace Juarez’s email address is gjuarez@lufkindailynews.com.
ANDERSON ELEMENTARY
Elementary principal elected secretary of TEPSA By GRACE JUAREZ The Lufkin News Anderson Elementary Principal Cindy Tierney was elected Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association secretary earlier this month. “I have a heart for helping others, and that’s what I want my legacy to be, one of service to others,” Tierney said. “I was able to be elected to this position because of the support, networking, tweeting, all of the
behind-thescenes work from friends and colleagues. It’s what Lufkin does.” TEPSA is a memberowned, memTIERNEY ber-governed organization dedicated to bringing educational leaders from grades Pre-K to eight together to learn with and
from each other, according to their website. The organization has been in operation since 1917. “In my role at TEPSA, I want to encourage principals because I know it can be a high turnover position,” Tierney said, “but it doesn’t have to be. I want them to know there’s help and support.” Tierney will begin her position July 1 for one year and will advance to the position of president in six years’ time. Coordinating the activities of
3 million students from Pre-K to eighth grade, TEPSA has more than 5,900 members. TEPSA is an affiliate of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. It is divided into 20 different regions, each region led by its own president. Tierney has more than 20 years of experience as an educator. Her husband is Jim Tierney, and she has two children, Jim and Kayla. Grace Juarez’s email address is gjuarez@lufkindailynews.com.
Council Continued from Page 1A and council member Mark Hicks (Ward 4) ran unopposed this city election cycle. The only contested election in the city is for the position of Council member Ward 2 between incumbent Robert Shankle and Velta Page. The council approved the LPD 2017-18 annual forfeiture budget. Wright explained that each year the city’s police chief submits
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
a forfeiture fund budget which can only be expended at the recommendation of the chief of police and the approval of the city council. The recommended budget for the forfeiture funds LPD Chief Gerald Williamson included $10,000 to pay off seized vehicles, $25,000 to enhance security upgrades at facilities, $67,375 to assist with the purchase of an armored rescue vehicle, $15,000
to upgrade Panasonic Body Worn Cameras and $10,000 for un-budgeted equipment, software and maintenance needs, all for a total of $132,375. All unspent monies will remain in the forfeiture fund account. Other actions taken: Approved the appointment of Adam Lowther of Brookshire Brothers to the Lufkin Convention and Visitors Bureau Board.
Approved the 2017-18 LPD annual forfeiture budget, which consists of funds made in seizures over the year that can go back to the local police department. Heard reports from the City Manager’s office, Lufkin Municipal Court and the Angelina College Small Business Development Center. Austin King’s email address is aking@lufkindailynews.com.
Katy Swift, right, helps second-grader Aleah Rohweder take apart an old camera to learn how it works during BreakerSpace Tuesday afternoon at Dunbar Primary.
Circuits Continued from Page 1A “There are a lot of things I like how to code a robotic arm to can’t teach kids,” Mahan said, water their bean plants, but this “but I can find someone who is the first time Mahan and Dun- can.” bar have participated in BreakerGrace Juarez’s email address is gjuarez@lufkindailynews.com. Space.
Bond Continued from Page 1A cility.” As part of LMS’ renovations if the bond passes its vote, a sixth-grade facility is planned, where the students who start out at LMS from their various elementary schools can be better accommodated as they adjust to the schooling style of secondary education. “One area we wanted to take care of and address is making a sixth-grade center,” Goffney said. “We would love to take an opportunity to help our sixthgrade students transition from elementary to secondary. “We want a specific curriculum designed to fit the needs of a sixth-grade student, instead of just throwing them into our middle school.” Goffney cited the numerous entrances at LMS and wide array of buildings at LMS as a security
concern the bond would address if passed. She cited an incident that occurred earlier Tuesday at Great Mills High School in Maryland when an armed student, identified as 17-year-old Austin Wyatt Rollins, allegedly fired upon two other students, according to various news reports. A school resource officer immediately responded to the scene and stopped the Rollins by firing on him. Rollins died in the shootout. “The most unsecure campus is our Lufkin Middle School,” Goffney said. The proposed projects at the middle school include the sixthgrade center, centralizing the campus under a single roof, updating the library and media center, upgrading the cafeteria, addressing heat and air conditioning issues and providing access to a new physical education gym and the existing competi-
tion gym. For the high school, the bond’s proposed project includes building a multi-purpose gym, constructing an on-site girl’s softball field and boy’s baseball field and providing an enclosed venue to accommodate high school students. The construction of athletic facilities on the high school’s campus would eliminate the need for students to travel to the middle school where the competition gym is located, or to Morris Frank Park, where the softball and baseball fields are located. Lynn Torres, deputy superintendent of teaching and learning, discussed how LMS renovations would work and showed off a proposed map of the changes. Included were color-coded sections of the proposed facility changes regarding the scheduling of renovations to keep interference
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with school time to a minimum. The preliminary plans call for enough changes at LMS to ensure students would not need to move between buildings to get to classes. “Once a student is in the building, he never has to leave for any of his classes, except if he goes to the gym, or he goes to the new fieldhouse,” Torres said. “Those doors can be locked, controlled, and you won’t be out in inclement weather.” Should the bond pass, Torres noted there’s an estimated six-month design phase, with construction taking place over two and a half years. Additionally, the map showed plans for a new bus entrance route to LMS through Tulane Drive. “This is going to put traffic onto Tulane,” Torres said. “We feel it will be a lot safer.” According to a previous
Lufkin News report, the tax rate is currently $1.213 per $100 valuation. Broken up into two components, the maintenance and operations rate, used to conduct everyday business like paying for salaries and utilities, is $1.17, and the interest and sinking rate, which pays off debt incurred by the district, is 4.3 cents. If the bond passes, the interest and sinking rate would rise 28.05 cents to a total of 32.35 cents, bringing the total tax rate to $1.4935 per $100 valuation. For an average Lufkin home with a taxable value of $125,000, the maximum tax impact is $23.37 a month. Homeowners who are age 65 and older will not have an increased tax bill with the passage of the bond if an age 65 freeze exemption is filed and approved. According to a graph presented Tuesday, LISD had the lowest tax rate of school districts
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in the county as of 2016. Goffney noted the bond may appear heavy regarding the middle school’s renovations as compared to others smaller middle schools, but she reiterated that LMS is the largest middle school in the state. “Our middle school is like having three in one,” she said. Early voting for the bond election begins April 23, and runs through May 1. Election day is May 5. Voting locations include the LISD Administration Building, Anderson Elementary, Brandon Elementary, Lufkin High School, Lufkin Middle School and Slack Elementary. Polling places will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 23, 24, 26 and 30; 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on April 25; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 27, 28 and May 1; and 1-5 p.m. on April 29. Austin King’s email address is aking@lufkindailynews.com.
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LUFKIN POLICE DEPARTMENT
LPD drills applicants on strength, speed, smarts By AUSTIN KING The Lufkin News The Lufkin Police Department has a rigorous process for applicants to go through before they’re approved for employment; in 2017, only three of 81 applicants completed the process. According to LPD’s annual report, one civil service test was given in 2017. Out of the 81 applicants that showed up for the test, 41 passed the entrance exam. Of those, three completed the hiring process to become officers. Breaking it further down, 15 of the applicants failed agility test, 12 failed the background test,
seven failed an interview board, three withdrew and one failed a polygraph test. Applications can be printed from the City of Lufkin’s website and must be emailed or returned by hand to the department once completed. A 2017 exam’s notice notes applicants must be at least 21 years old, and there is no upper age limit. A high school diploma or an equivalent diploma is required, as well. LPD Detective John Davis has been overseeing the recruiting process since 2014. “Every one of these steps SEE LPD, PAGE 2A
LANCE KINGREY/The Lufkin News
Life. Well spent. BOBBY SPENCER
After 40 years at Sears, Spencer without a job, ‘but not without the Lord’
“T
By GRACE JUAREZ The Lufkin News
Progress 2018
SEE SPENCER, PAGE 5A
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
Bobby Spencer flashes a smile while showcasing a refrigerator earlier this year in Sears at the Lufkin Mall. Spencer sold appliances for Sears for 40 years leading up to the closing of the store.
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Skelton outlines need for package LISD’s proposed $75M bond package would rebuild middle school
By STEPHANIE STEVENS The Lufkin News rust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean on not thine own understanding, but in all ways acknowledge him in each other.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) Bobby Spencer, a pastor of the Church of God in Christ for more than 25 years, lives by this Scripture. He likes to utter his favorite verses in times of trial, in times of triumph, and when one just can’t do anything else. Spencer uttered these words on the last day he worked at Sears in the Lufkin Mall, a company he had worked for for 40 years. Spencer wanted to work INSIDE TODAY until he was 66. He only had about three more years to go when Sears closed down. Look for our annual Spencer found himself without Progress edition in a job, “but not today’s Lufkin News. without the Lord.” For a related editorial, “God has see Page 2D. been with me throughout all my struggles and triumphs,” he said, speaking from experience, as his life wasn’t always easy. Spencer was born in Nacogdoches on Sept. 27, 1954, to Joe and Gertrude Spencer, née Hall.
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Lufkin ISD’s proposed $75 million bond package would rebuild Lufkin Middle School, according to Scott Skelton, president of the LISD board of trustees. The core of the existing middle school campus, which was originally SKELTON built as the high school during the Eisenhower administration in 1955, still stands. Today the campus houses 1,700 students spread out in 21 separate buildings on 75 acres. There are 100 entrances to the campus that must be secured. The school is so large that neither the cafeteria nor the auditorium can seat the entire student body at one time, according to Skelton. In addition, the Panther Gym at the middle school is being used by high school athletes for practices and games because there isn’t a gym on the high school campus, he said. With 1,700 students changing classes eight times a day, and 100 LHS students driving multiple times a day for sports off campus, security is a problem, Skelton said. “We’re cognizant of the fact that $75 million is a lot of money,” he said, “But if you look at what it costs to build a school and a gym, we’re not being wasteful.” The school was built without air conditioning, which was SEE LISD BOND, PAGE 2A RESTAURANT REVIEW
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Continued from Page 1A is really critical, it’s really detailed,” he said. “They sign up for our test on whatever date we schedule it at. It’s a two-day test. First is written, second is fitness. To get to the fitness test, they have to successfully pass the written test.” The academic test includes eighth-grade-level English and math questions, including spelling, punctuation, sentence structure and math word problems. Additionally, there’s a writing test. “They give you some information and you have to write out complete sentences,” Davis said. “They’ll say something like, ‘The subject stole this, this, that,’ and they have to write it out in complete sentences.” Those who score a 70 or above on the academic exams are tested on their agility and strength the next day. Davis said the applicants must tackle and overcome various physical tasks during this phase of the process, including a 151/2 inch vertical jump, bench pressing 67 percent of the applicants own body weight with a cutoff of 135 pounds, a 300-meter sprint in 75 seconds, and 11/2 mile run in 18 minutes and 8 seconds or less, something Davis said many applicants could not complete in 2017. Applicants are given a 10-minute period to recover between the sprint and the run. The track tests have been held at Hudson High School track for several
years. “They’ve been really gracious to us over the years,” he said. After the initial academic and fitness tests, successful applicants are next guided to fill out a 36-page personal history statement, which is used in an initial interview with LPD’s recruiting officers. Afterward, the applicant has an interview with a board, which includes Chief Gerald Williamson among others. Those who make it past the interview board’s first meeting are given a polygraph test, which measures their respiration, perspiration, blood pressure, oxygen levels and more to determine if the individual being tested is being deceitful. “It’s more like around and around questioning to get them to think on what they might have been fibbing on in their packet,” Davis said. “It’s pretty fool-proof. Any movements will be recorded on it.” Following the polygraph test is an extensive background check. Among the information LPD looks up on their applicants include their family members and their history, as well as relationships. The applicant’s teachers also may be asked to give their thoughts, if available. “We do an extensive investigation,” Davis said. “We look at employment, score records, relationships, we look at the family members, especially the ones SEE APPLICANTS, PAGE 5A
LISD bond Continued from Page 1A added over the years, but in some places in the middle school, the air conditioning drips into trash cans and buckets along the hallways, he said. Skelton said experts estimate the cost of fixing the school’s air conditioning and plumbing problems would run from $5 million to $10 million. The school’s yearly electricity bill runs about $560,000, or $46,667 a month. With modern electricity, Skelton said, that number would be less than half what it is today. “If you look at our system, the middle school is not adequate,” he said. The bond proposes 80 percent be spent on LMS construction and renovation, 13 percent be spent on building the high school a multi-purpose gym facility, and 7 percent be spent on relocating all high school athletic fields to one campus. If voters approve the bond, 202,000 square feet of the middle school will be rebuilt. Panther Gym and the auditorium account for most of the 80,000 square feet of existing facilities that will be retained. The middle school would take over use of the Panther Gym, and a new multipurpose facility would be built at Lufkin High School, Skelton said. With use of the Panther Gym, middle school students would have a place where they could all meet for assembly, he said. A sixth-grade center would be built to house all core classes for the roughly 600 students coming to the campus for the district’s five elementary schools. The center would have its own entrance, pick-up and delivery. A separate entrance to the school would be built for buses and seventh- and eighth-grade students. After all students have been dropped off for the day, the campus will shut down, with access to the school limited to one entrance coming off Tulane Drive. “One thing you don’t want to skip any steps on is security,”
Early voting dates and times Date Time April 23-24 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 25 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 26 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 27-28 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 29 1-5 p.m. April 30 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 1 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
1600 Sayers • Lufkin • 936-634-2261
Mr. Floyd E. Yancy, Sr.
Funeral services for Mr. Floyd E. Yancy, Sr. are scheduled for Monday March 26, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. in the First Missionary Baptist Church, 410 Scarbrough Street Lufkin, Texas. Interment will follow in the Davis Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be on Sunday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Colonial Mortuary Chapel. On the 20th day of October 1937 in the tiny town of Karnack, Texas in Jefferson County, a true giant of a man and the eldest of six, Floyd Edward Yancy, Sr. was born to the late Booker T. and Mary Black Yancy. This giant of a man would go on to blaze paths, change destinies, and add value to the lives of many for over 80 years. “Sweet Man” graduated as Salutatorian with Honors from Booker T. Washington High School in Karnack, Texas in May of 1956. He proceeded onward to Prairie View A&M University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1960. Mr. Yancy proceeded to teach education and coach basketball in the Burton Independent School District in Burton, Texas for 2 years. Then Mr. Yancy embarked on his life’s greatest work and began to chase his destiny, change lives, and truly engrain himself as a community leader and servant as a County Extension Agent and Program Director for Angelina County in Lufkin, Texas in 1962, and for the next 33 years he truly did what he loved each and every day. Upon moving to Lufkin, Floyd joined the First Missionary Baptist Church where he was a dedicated member of the Brotherhood, Male Chorus, Mass Chorus, and Adult Sunday School until his demise. During his tenure as a County Extension Agent, Floyd went to Texas A&M and graduated with his Master of Science in Agriculture in 1975. Even though he was a very focused and busy man, Floyd did settle down and make time for a family. He married the love of his life (Virginia Ann Roberson) in 1973 and for the next 44 years they remained “Bonnie and Clyde” and attached at the hip through thick and thin good and bad sickness and health. This union produced “THEM BOYZ”, twins Floyd Jr. and Lloyd in November of 1974. “Daddy Yank” spent his entire life loving, providing, educating, and securing life’s stability for his family. His boyz were truly his greatest accomplishment in life, and he shared how proud he was of them with any and everybody that came within earshot. Mr. Yancy was a dedicated member of the Lufkin and Angelina County community and a member of many many organizations (too many to name here). He was a charter member of the Concerned Black Men of Lufkin, the Breakfast Kiwana’s Club, the Boys and Girls Club of Lufkin, Angelina County RC and D, Angelina County Farm Bureau, Foster Grandparents Executive Board, East Texas Heart Association, and the Lufkin Panther Sideliners Club. He truly loved serving others and sharing his great wealth of knowledge with others and giving of his greatest gift which was talking. We all know that this man could truly talk and was happiest when talking and communicating. Mr. Yancy also was a substitute teacher for the Lufkin Independent School District for over 20 years. He felt that if he could help one child attain their best his time was not wasted. Sadly, this giant of a man left this life on his own terms and in his own way on Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 7:02 pm in the Woodland Heights Hospital in Lufkin, Texas surrounded by “THEM BOYZ” and his family. He was a dedicated husband, loving father of twin boys, brother, uncle, grandfather, and friend who will without a doubt be missed. Survivors: His sons, Floyd E. Yancy Jr. (Daphne) of Euless, Texas, and Lloyd E. Yancy (Kimberly) of Lufkin, Texas; grandsons, Chase A. Yancy of Fort Worth, Texas, and Aidan Crutcher of Lufkin, Texas; a special granddaughter, Kendall King of Lufkin, Texas; his cherished puppies Maddox and Boy; sisters Mary T. Cheek, Dorothy J. Buchanan, Annie L. Norton (David) all of Houston, Texas; Eula M. Goff (Robert) of Dallas, Texas; brother-inlaw Ray (Lois) Roberson of Houston, Texas; sister-in-law’s, Julia Roberson of Lufkin, Texas, Cosandra (James Jr.) Mainer of Sugarland, Texas; nieces, Ashley Buchanan, Tara Norton, Jacqueline Roberson, L. Denise Roberson, Alicia Thompson (Jonathan), all of Houston, Texas; Shannon Buchanan of San Antonio, Texas; nephews, J. Donnie Buchanan (Chandra), Earl Buchanan, Jr., William Norton, Cecil Henderson, Jr., Myron (Michaela) Roberson, James Mainer III, Desmeon Roberson, all of Houston, Texas; Je’Kovan A. Roberson (Veronica) and Jamey D. Roberson of Lufkin, Texas; a host of cousins, co-workers and friends; special aunt, Lucille Black of Dallas, Texas and a special friend and neighbor, Terry Cellars of Lufkin, Texas. Mr. Yancy was preceded in death by his wife of 44 years, Virginia Ann Roberson-Yancy; his parents, Booker T. and Mary B. Yancy; and his sister, Willie Mae Henderson. Colonial Mortuary, directors.
Skelton said. Skelton said school officials want voters to be able to make an educated decision about the bond election. He said tours of the middle school will be available to individuals and groups upon request. Skelton said to contact Sheila Adams, the district’s executive director of communications and public relations, to arrange a tour. Her phone number is 6304246. Her email address is smadams@lufkinisd.org. “I’m a lawyer,” Skelton said. “I’m a big believer in democracy, and I think it’s great the community can weigh in.” Early voting for the bond begins April 23. Early voting locations are the LISD Administration Building, Lufkin High School, Anderson Elementary, Lufkin Middle School, Brandon Elementary and Slack Elementary. Early voting will be from: ■ 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 23, 24, 26 and 30 ■ 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. April 25 Funeral services for Carmen Torres Trapp Herrington, 41, of Huntington ■ 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 27, 28 will be held Monday, March 26, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. in the Carroway Funeral and May 1 Home Chapel in Lufkin with Brother Charles Herrington officiating. Inter■ 1-5 p.m. April 29 ment will follow in the Fielder Memorial Cemetery. Election day is May 5.
Carmen Torres Trapp Herrington
Grace Juarez’s email address is gjuarez@lufkindailynews.com.
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Traffic stop leads to drug arrest By STEPHANIE STEVENS The Lufkin News
insurance, running a stop sign, expired license plates and driving with invalid license; Jessica Elizabeth Hale, 31, of Lufkin, warrant for two counts of no driver’s license, three counts of parent non-attendance, no insurance and expired license plates; and Gerardo Lalo Meraz, age unavailable, of Lufkin, possession of drug paraphernalia and warrants for two counts of theft, two counts of public intoxication, three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance. ——— The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office made six arrests late Friday and early Saturday. Arrests and charges included: Ryan Chase Ponson, 22, of Pollok, commitment/possession of controlled substance; Robert Curtis Jackson, 63, of Lufkin, warrants for no driver’s license and no insurance; Jeffrey Brooks Pitts, age unavailable, of Lufkin, warrants for theft and commitment for theft; Gavin Sean Clark, 37, of Houston, commitment/driving while intoxicated; Paula Johnson Davis, age unavailable, of Pollok, DWI; and Richard Lee Taylor, age unavailable, of Lufkin, no driver’s license and possession of drug paraphernalia. ——— The Texas Department of Public Safety made two arrests late Friday and early Saturday. Arrests and charges included: Xavyon Montre Watts, 32, of Lufkin, warrants for four counts of invalid driver’s license and criminal nonsupport; and Wesley Ray Lakey, age unavailable, of Huntington, possession of a controlled substance and parole violation warrant. ——— The Angelina County Jail housed 225 inmates as of 7 p.m. Saturday. ———
Angelina County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped a vehicle and arrested Corey T. Thompson, 21, of Lufkin, for a felony warrant for aggravated robbery, possession of a controlled substance and two misdemeanor warrants, and Brittany Jackson, 19, of Lufkin, for a misdemeanor warrant, Friday evening. According to a post on Angelina County Sheriff Greg Sanches’ Facebook account, as Thompson exited the vehicle, he allegedly dropped drug paraphernalia in the seat. A further search of the area where Thompson was sitting reportedly revealed two small bags containing a substance believed to be methamphetamine. ——— A renter reportedly moved out and stole a refrigerator sometime from March 10-20 in the 400 block of Tanglewood Court. ——— A vanity was reportedly painted and windows were broken at a burned house sometime from March 14-23 in the 200 block of Madison Street. ——— Three individuals reportedly left a restaurant in the 200 block of South Timberland Drive without paying their bill Friday afternoon. ——— Lufkin Police officers responded to a call regarding a known suspect reportedly firing shots at an apartment in the 600 block of Kiln Avenue Friday night. ——— The Lufkin Police Department made seven other arrests late Friday and early Saturday. Arrests and charges included: Keyla Avila, 44, of Lufkin, assault; Jeremy Jamone Butler, 28, of Lufkin, public intoxicaWe listen to local police and fire departtion; Valerie Lea Worry, 28, of Lufkin, public intoxication; ments’ scanner traffic, but sometimes miss crimes, wrecks, fires or other incidents, Emmitt Ted Burney, age unavailable, of Lufkin, public in- especially if they happen overnight. If you toxication and disorderly con- know of something we’re not covering yet, please let Managing Editor Jeff Pownall duct; Mark Steven Moulder Sr., age unavailable, of Lufkin, war- know by emailing him at jpownall@lufkinrants for two counts of no driv- dailynews.com, or submit a news tip online by visiting lufkindailynews.com/tips. er’s license, two counts of no
DEATH NOTICES Edna Elizabeth Rau Chapman Services for Edna Elizabeth Rau Chapman, 94, will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Oaklawn Baptist Church. Interment will be in Moore Cemetery. Edna was born Feb. 27, 1924, in West and died March 22, 2018, in Groveton. Groveton Funeral Home, directors.
Frances Cordelia Dean Services for Frances Cordelia Dean, 80, of Houston, will be at 2 p.m. today at Old River Terrace United Methodist Church in Channelview. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Carroway Funeral Home. Mrs. Dean was born Aug. 5, 1937, in Houston and died March 21, 2018, in Huntington.
Mrs. Herrington was born April 6, 1976 in Lufkin, Texas to the late Linda Irene (Conditt) and Matias Torres, and died Friday, March 23, 2018 at her residence. Mrs. Herrington had resided in Huntington for the Gurvis Glendon Sanders last 15 years and worked as a sitter for Jordan Home Health. She was very loving and had a big heart, goServices for Gurvis Glendon Sanders, 81, of Lufkin, are pending ing out of her way to help anybody and always putting with Carroway Funeral Home. Mr. Sanders died March 24, 2018, in others first. Mrs. Herrington was very supportive of her Lufkin. son’s and grandchildren’s sporting events and attended all their games. Contact us Survivors include her husband, James Dale Herrington of Huntington; ■ To submit a news tip or feature story idea, contact Jeff Pownall, our son, Landon McAdams of Huntington; stepdaughter, Kasoundra Herrington managing editor, at 631-2623 or jpownall@lufkindailynews.com. You can of Lufkin; stepson, James Michael Herrington of Baytown; grandchildren, also submit a news tip — anonymously, if you’d like — at LufkinDailyNews. KayDen Tubbs, Marshall Tubbs, and Brooklynn Tubbs, all of Lufkin; broth- com/tips. ers, Alfred Torres and wife Aubrie of Lufkin and Martin Torres of Carthage; ■ To submit a listing for our community calendar or East Texas briefs, contact special nieces, Misty Herrington and children Carlie Herrington and Eli Ag- Beverly Johnson at 631-2618 or newsroom@lufkindailynews.com. ■ To submit a listing for our entertainment calendar, published in the Sunday ers of Huntington and Alyssa Torres of Hudson; aunt, Charlotte Parrish and husband Jason of Lufkin; uncles, Nathan Conditt and Lorenzo Torres, both entertainment section, contact Beverly Johnson at 631-2618 or newsroom@ lufkindailynews.com. of Lufkin; and numerous other relatives and friends. ■ To submit a sports score or sports calendar listing, or to suggest a topic She was preceded in death by her parents and son, Michael Edward for a sports feature story, contact Josh Havard, our sports editor, at 631-2608 or Herrington. Pallbearers will be Brian Massey, Chris Herrington, Carl Herrington, jhavard@lufkindailynews.com. Brandon Parrish, Jason Parrish, and Anthony Lopez. The family will welcome friends and loved ones from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Sunday evening at the funeral home. Memories and condolences may be added, and live webcasting of the services may be viewed at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com. Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.
THE
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LUFKIN SCHOOLS
LMS principal, teachers detail need for bond Educators outline problems that $75 million bond issue would address
By GRACE JUAREZ The Lufkin News Lufkin Middle School Principal Jesus Gomez outlined the needs that would be addressed by Lufkin ISD’s proposed $75 million bond package. If voters approve the bond, 202,000 square feet of the middle school will be rebuilt, Scott Skelton, president of the LISD board of trustees, said in a previous Lufkin News story. Only about 80,000 square feet of existing facilities will be retained, he said. When the campus was first built as a high school in the 1950s, air conditioning was not included. It had to be added later and is now sorely outdated, Gomez said,
stalls are about shoulder height, with three toilets in the girl’s restroom and three urinals and one toilet with no stall door in the boy’s restroom. “When people rent this out, have meetings assemblies, whatever, this is what they use for 1,200 folks,” Gomez said. In one wing, 600 students share a girl’s restroom with three stalls and a floor in disrepair due to the drain that repeatedly backs up. One hallway has a line of windows that need to be replace, but because they are so old, their reLANCE KINGREY/The Lufkin News placements can’t be found. Boards and Plexiglas cover the so much so that it has to drain out “In the summertime when it’s trying to catch the water,” Gomez About 1,700 kids attend LMS. The windows until a solution can be of PVC pipes into buckets in the warmer, I may have two or three said. auditorium is also used by the SEE LUFKIN ISD, PAGE 7A hallways. buckets on each of these hallways The auditorium seats 1,200. community, and the bathroom
COMMUNITY
10,000 eggs up for grabs during hunt By STEPHANIE STEVENS The Lufkin News Two-year-old Sophia Rogers ran as fast as her little legs would take her as she picked up brightly colored eggs at the Kit McConnico Park Easter egg hunt. Her mom, Tessa, followed close behind, laughing as Rogers’s huge smile got bigger and bigger with each egg she put in her basket. Tessa said her little girl was having a “blast.” “There is no better reason to celebrate than Christ rising,” Tessa said. “We are enjoying the beautiful weather and Easter eggs with everyone.” The annual event was sponsored by Lufkin Parks SEE CITY, PAGE 8A
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
Hundreds of Lufkin community members of all ages participate in an Easter egg hunt at Kit McConnico Park Saturday afternoon. Hundreds of
children collected more than 10,000 candy-filled plastic eggs during the hunt.
Family Fun Day at Jones Park a festive occasion By STEPHANIE STEVENS The Lufkin News
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
Royce Olvera, 4, hones in on a candy-filled egg CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News during the Easter egg hunt at Kit McConnico Park Lufkin community members are all smiles prior to hunting for Easter eggs during the inaugural Saturday afternoon. Family Fun Day held Saturday afternoon at Jones Park.
INDEX
TODAY’S WEATHER 8 A.M.
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Birth announcements................ 2E Bridal Page............................... 2E Charm Lifestyle......................... 1E Classified...............................1-3F Crossword................................. 3E
Dear Abby.................................. 3E East Texas..............................4-5A Entertainment/TV................ 1-24G Hints from Heloise..................... 2E Janice Ann Rowe....................... 4A
On the Record........................... 3A Opinion..................................... 6A Outdoors...................................5B Sports................................... 1-5B Weather.....................................8B
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Children enjoyed hunting hundreds of eggs, eating hot dogs and playing games at the inaugural Family Fun Day at Jones Park Saturday. “We wanted to do something to the community in celebration of Easter,” said Lufkin City Council member Robert Shankle, who helped organize the event. “We wanted people to know what all is in the community, so we asked vendors to come out and showcase what they have that people might not know about.” There were churches, home health cares, schools/colleges and many other organizations. The fire department and police department also came to the event to strengthen relationships within the community, according to Becky EldridgeClark, executive director of Pinnacle Senior Living, who also helped organize the event. “I think Easter is about coming together — about family, faith and community,” she said. “We wanted
WE RECYCLE
SEE JONES, PAGE 8A
SPORTS
Taking two Angelina College rolls to a pair of lopsided wins on Saturday to finish off a three-game sweep of Paris Junior College. 1B
LUFKINDAILYNEWS.COM
THE LUFKIN NEWS Sunday, April 1, 2018
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
Seventh-grade language arts teacher Kerri Goetzman has a class of 34 students. Four of those students’ assigned seats are on the floor.
7A
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
The cafeteria at Lufkin Middle School feeds 1,300-1,500 kids a day both breakfast and lunch. Twenty women work in the kitchens without a dishwasher, garbage disposal or working air conditioners.
Lufkin ISD Continued from Page 1A made. “Look at how aesthetically unpleasing that looks for a 6A district,” Gomez said. During inclement weather, the middle school is particularly difficult for students. There are 21 separate buildings on the LMS campus, and all 1,700 students change classes eight times a day. To get to those classes, students walk on sidewalks under poorly constructed awnings that have major leaks. In some places, the leaks resemble a waterfall pouring down, he said. In other places, students have to hop puddles or follow in a oneor two-person line to avoid getting drenched because the walkway is so narrow. Students come into class with pants wet up to their knees, their shoes and socks soaked. “With the rain and wind blowing, there’s no way they’re not going to get soaked,” Gomez said. Because of the campus’s layout on one giant hill, water flows down the hill during heavy rain and threatens to invade many classrooms. “I stepped in a pot hole that was filled with water on the way here, and it went up to my knee,” seventh-grader Lilly Langston said. LMS Dance Coordinator Casey Adams spoke about how she and her classes must relocate several times a day when her classroom floods during heavy rains. One day she had to move her students four times in one day as she fought to find a safe, dry unoccupied place for them to practice. “When I’m driving to work, I’m always trying to determine what I’m going to do if it starts rain-
ing,” Adams said. “In first period, we were fine. Second period came about 25 minutes after, and it was drizzling.” Adams said she thought they would be OK, but before the end of second period came, it was “absolutely pouring,” and she and her students had to walk against the water flow to the front of campus at the top of the hill. “They have to get out in (the weather),” Gomez said. “There’s no way around it.” When the water threatens to get into the dance warehouse, $1,800 of cheer mats as well as theater props are in danger. There are 250-275 students in the dance and cheer programs who attend classes throughout the day. “We have the best campus, the best kids,” Adams said. “It’s just our facilities need to be updated.” The current classrooms cannot seat all the students, Gomez said. Seventh-grade language arts teacher Kerri Goetzman has a class of 34 students. Four of those students’ assigned seats are on the floor. Charlie Deaton, 13, said the class would really benefit from a bigger space. “When we’re doing worksheets, we’d have a lot more room to spread our elbows out and stuff like that,” Deaton said. “This is a (Gifted and Talented) class, and I can’t do anything interactive,” Goetzman said. “They can’t work in groups. We can’t use the computer lab because there are only 30 computers.” Goetzman said she would love to incorporate more technology and drama activities for her students. Social studies teacher Denise
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
There are 21 separate buildings on the LMS campus, and all 1,700 students change classes eight times a day. During
Nicholson has taught at Lufkin ISD for 17 years. Her classroom has one electrical socket, and she has a pile of wires by her desk connected to a power strip. Her dry erase boards are shower boards, and they have to be replaced yearly, because by the end of the year the writing can’t be erased. She purchased a rug to cover the holes in the carpet. Math teacher Kim Flores’s class is on the end of the hall, and the central air conditioning doesn’t reach that far, so they have a window unit. But Flores says the unit is too loud for her students to hear her teaching, and they have to bear the heat in order to have a regular class. Flores also had to purchase an ottoman out of her own pocket to cover pipes that stick up out of the ground from when her classroom used to be a chemistry lab. “Well, I think my classroom speaks for itself,” Flores said. “And this is just one little piece of several things that are outdated. It actually affects teaching in the classroom. People who don’t go to school here or have kids here don’t realize there’s teachers with window units, don’t realize there’s pipes coming out of the floor. That’s just something they would not know unless they’re educated about it.” The LMS campus has one antiquated competition gym, and the high school uses the Panther competition gym on the LMS campus. Only one gym can be heated or cooled at a time. The middle school gym’s locker rooms are outdated, with crooked mirrors and sinks, stains and plumbing that has backed up CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News sewage with feces from the toilets Lufkin Middle School experiences a number of water leaks on days and floors before. The girl’s teams when it rains. This leak is near an electrical box on campus. cannot use available weightlifting
The Angelina County & Cities Health District Celebrates a Career of Service
Mrs. Angela Quillin WIC Director
Join us for a Retirement Reception Thursday, April 5th, 2018 11:30am-1:30pm 503 Hill Street, Lufkin
equipment because there is nowhere to house all 70 girls at one time. “These facilities are used for city league, for the community, not just for Lufkin Middle School,” Gomez said. “They run a summer youth camp here with 200 kids.” During the day, the glare from the sun is so bad that Gomez said some schools have refused to compete in it. The cafeteria feeds 1,300-1,500 kids a day both breakfast and
inclement weather, the middle school is particularly difficult for students. lunch. Twenty women work in the kitchens without a dishwasher, garbage disposal or working air conditioners. “I need a bigger kitchen,” Cafeteria Manager Rose Castillo said. “I would love to have a garbage disposal because that would be a lot of help.” Castillo described the process they have to go through in order to thoroughly clean every tray, pot and pan every night. “Everything has to be scrubbed because we don’t like the greasy
pans inside or outside,” Castillo said. She said it reaches about 100 degrees during the summer. Gomez said he wants to make sure the community has the facts so they can make an educated decision about the bond. “Our students face many challenges,” Gomez said, “and then we have additional challenges because of our facilities. It would be wonderful to have them all secure inside one roof during the day.” Grace Juarez’s email address is gjuarez@lufkindailynews.com.
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L U F K I N D A I LY N E W S. C O M
LHS principal, athletic director stress bond need By GRACE JUAREZ The Lufkin News Lufkin High School Principal Kurt Stephens and Athletic Director Todd Quick recently addressed the need for the Lufkin ISD’s proposed $75 million bond package. If voters approve the bond, 80 percent of it would be used to rebuild Lufkin Middle School, 13 percent would be used to build an LHS multipurpose facility, and 7 percent would be used to build LHS Athletic Fields. Currently, the LHS basketball teams are using the Panther Gym on the LMS campus and the LHS softball and baseball teams are using fields at Morris Frank Park, as they do not have a gym or fields on campus. “The travel on a daily basis is not the best situation for stu-
STEPHENS
QUICK
dents,” Stephens said. “Once you get them to school, for safety purposes, it’s best to be able to keep them and have them with you all day long instead of daily on the road back and forth to different places.” Stephens said the school does offer transportation through buses, but students are allowed to drive themselves to and from the fields or the gym. Quick said between the boys and girls basketball, softball and
baseball teams, around 200 students are on the road every day. “When you think about teenagers and you think about decisions they sometimes make, and quite often, when they’re running late, the last thing I want them doing is (being) out on the road rushing to get somewhere,” Stephens said. Currently, Stephens said there are about 2,100 students and 300 faculty/staff around campus daily, and the only place on campus equipped to hold that many people at one time is the uncovered stadium. “It is finally a chance to have a facility where we can get the whole student body and faculty in one place,” he said. “The only place we can do that is out at the stadium, and that’s not condu-
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News/
Lufkin’s Tanner Green (23) connects with the ball during a game against The Woodlands March 24 SEE BOND, PAGE 7A at Morris Frank Park.
Lone stars
LUFKIN SCHOOLS
Q&A with LISD Board of Trustees candidates By GRACE JUAREZ The Lufkin News
ond place for General Columns, and former staff writer Pam Stokes won second place for Feature Series. Former Night Editor Vicky Camarillo won third place in business reporting and graphic artist Lance Kingrey won third place for Infographics. Staff writer Stephanie Stevens won an honorable mention for Feature Writing.
Candidates in the race for Lufkin ISD Board of Trustees were asked by The Lufkin News to share information about themselves and their platforms. Each candidate received an email with the same questions. A public forum will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Candidates for the Angelina College and Lufkin ISD boards of trustees and the candidates for Lufkin City Council for Ward No. 2 will speak and answer questions about their elections, and Lufkin ISD Superintendent LaTonya Goffney will speak about the bond proposal. Early voting begins April 23. LUFKIN ISD Andro Branch What is your occupation, and how long have you lived in Lufkin? I am currently the chief executive officer for Innovative Homes of Deep East Texas Incorporated for 26 years. Innovative Homes of Deep East Texas Inc. is a provider of HCS Waiver Service for Individuals with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities serving 13 counties. BRANCH I also am the senior pastor at Our Father’s House of Faith Ministries for 8 years. I have lived in Lufkin for over 34 years and I absolutely love living here. I am married to Angel Branch and we have raised all five of our children here. They all have
SEE APME, PAGE 7A
SEE LISD BOARD, PAGE 3A
TIM MONZINGO/The Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott talks with the Little League World Series champs the Thundering 13 before speaking at Friday’s Lone Star Legislative Summit SFA’s
Baker Pattillo Student Center in Nacogdoches. For coverage of the event, see Page 5A.
TEXAS ASSOCIATED PRESS MANAGING EDITORS CONTEST
Lufkin News wins 12 awards at APME contest CORPUS CHRISTI — The Lufkin News won 12 awards on Saturday in Corpus Christi at the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors convention. Former Sports Editor Brandon Ogden, photographer Cara Campbell and News Editor Stacy Faison won second place in the Star Online Package of the Year category for their coverage of the Thundering 13 in the Little League World Series. Ogden also won second place in the
Celeste Williams Star Sportswriter of the Year category and Faison won third place in the Star Opinion Writer of the Year category. Campbell took home first place in Photojournalism for a photo of a mother consoling a Lufkin Panthers football player following the team’s state quarterfinal loss to Longview. Campbell also won second place in Sports Photography for a photo of a play at the plate during
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the Little League World Series. Faison won first place in Headline Writing for a package that included headlines on an editorial about Kmart closing, a restaurant review of the West Loop Chevron Deli and a story about Lufkin’s 1953 Little League team. Food critic Brie Bradford won second place for her restaurant reviews in the Comment and Criticism category, contributing writer Gary Stallard won sec-
Birth announcements................ 2E Bridal Page............................... 2E Charm Lifestyle......................... 1E Classified...............................1-4F Crossword................................. 3E
Dear Abby.................................. 3E Entertainment/TV................ 1-24G Hints from Heloise..................... 4E Janice Ann Rowe.......................8B On the Record...........................8B
Opinion.....................................2D Outdoors...................................5B Sports................................. 1-5CB Weather.....................................8B
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for meritorious public service
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Field of dreams Angelina College to rename their baseball, softball facility the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex during ceremony. 1B
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THE LUFKIN NEWS Sunday, April 15, 2018
SYRIA
UN rejects Russian attempt to condemn US aggression in Syria UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council overwhelmingly rejected a Russian resolution calling for condemnation of “aggression” by the United States, United Kingdom and France against Syria on Saturday, a vote reflecting support for the allied airstrikes on Syrian chemical sites. But the vote at the end of an emergency meeting called by Russia also demonstrated again the paralysis of the U.N.’s most powerful body in dealing with Syria’s seven-year conflict.
Russia’s demand for condemnation and an immediate halt to “aggression” and “any further use of force” by the three Western allies got support from only two other countries on the 15-member Security Council — China and Bolivia. By contrast, eight countries voted against the Russian draft — the U.S., U.K., France, Netherlands, Sweden, Kuwait, Poland and Ivory Coast. Four countries abstained — Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Equatorial Guinea and Peru.
At the meeting, the fifth in a week on chemical weapons in Syria, Russia and its supporters again clashed with the U.S. and its allies over a suspected poison gas attack on April 7 in the Damascus suburb of Douma. The U.S., U.K. and France said they launched airstrikes against Syrian chemical sites after obtaining evidence that a chemical weapon was used by President Bashar Assad’s government. Russia and its ally Syria called
the attack fabricated and said no evidence of chemical weapons use exists in Douma. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council “there is clear information demonstrating Assad’s culpability.” And she said President Donald Trump told her Saturday morning that if the Syrian regime uses poisonous gas again “the United States is locked and loaded” to strike again. “When our president draws a
red line, our president enforces the red line,” Haley stressed. “The United States of America will not allow the Assad regime to continue using chemical weapons.” France’s U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre said the result of the vote sends “a clear message” that Security Council members recognized the need for the airstrikes, and “their proportional and targeted nature.”
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APME Continued from Page 1A “Being the publisher of an award-winning newspaper is very exciting, especially when we compete against papers from larger cities,” Lufkin News Publisher Jenniffer Ricks said. “The editorial staff here is outstanding and their commitment to our readers is superb. I am very proud of their dedication to continue to give our communities fair, factual and comprehensive content.”
21th ANNUAL - TEACHER JOB FAIR Saturday, April 28, 2018 9:00 - 11:00 am McMichael Middle School – 4330 SE Stallings Drive To Pre-Register, please contact the Office of Human Resources at 936-569-5000 ext. 8834
PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 25, 2018 (Late comers will be welcomed) Meet Campus Principals • Distribute your Resume • Explore Employee Benefits
APPLY ON-LINE @ www.nacisd.org Click on Employment, then click on the Online Application Link, and follow the instructions Choose a category you wish to apply for, or submit a general application for either CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
Lufkin’s JaCourtney Calvin (14) attempts to dunk the ball during a game against Oak Ridge Feb. 9 at Panther Gym.
Bond
ELEMENTARy | MIDDLE SChOOL | hIGh SChOOL Stipends for new hires are offered: $3000 – Bilingual Elementary Teachers
Continued from Page 1A cive to any kind of meeting or assembly.” Stephens said there are many factors at play that speak to the need for the new multipurpose facility. “Beyond having the competition gym and basketball facilities here on campus, it also allows us a place to bring everyone together any time for any purpose that we need to. Even though there’s an athletic focus there, there is a need beyond just having a basketball court on campus.” The current gyms on the high school campus are not set up for competition purposes. They are really only set up for small practices. Any high school competitions are held at the Panther Gym on the LMS campus. That leaves LMS students without a suitable place for students to practice and compete. The only other gym on the LMS campus is an outdated competition gym, according to LMS Principal Jesus Gomez in a previous Lufkin News report. The two gyms on the high school campus are used by physical education classes, varsity and junior varsity drill team, varsity and JV cheerleading. “You have both gyms filled up every day just through a normal school schedule,” Stephens said. “That’s the reason we ended up having boys and girls basketball meet over at the gym.” Stephens also said that if the competition gym were on the high school campus, student ac-
tivity would grow. “We’ll have students that’ll be here late, whether they’re here for tutoring and they’re waiting to be picked up or they just stay for a chance to attend some things. If competitions and activities are held here on our campus, I do think it will pull a better student population to attend things,” Stephens said. For students to have the opportunity to plug in that way, Stephens said student involvement and the culture of the school will be increased. Quick explained that centralizing the location of the fields and gym would greatly benefit the players as well. “Having (the gym and fields) here increases the amount of time that can be spent (in practice), and it also decreases the amount of time the kids have to stay after school because there’s not that travel,” Quick said. He said that would lend students 30 more minutes to spend at home on homework or with family. “(The high school) is the central location. It’s where everything should be,” Quick said. A public forum will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Lufkin ISD Superintendent LaTonya Goffney will speak about the bond proposal, and candidates for the Angelina College and Lufkin ISD Boards of Trustees and the candidates for Lufkin City Council will speak and answer questions. Early voting begins April 23.
(Must be hired and certified to teach a critical needs area, if not teaching critical needs subject full-time, stipend will be prorated)
Hope to see you at the Fair
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SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS
April shines spotlight on sexual assault By AUSTIN KING The Lufkin News April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a nationally recognized observance aimed at raising awareness about sexual assault and educating communities on how to prevent it. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center, an organization created to assist victims of sexual assault, picked “Embrace Your Voice” as its theme for April. The organization promotes prevention strategies and researchbased resources on sexual violence. “The things you say every day send a message about your beliefs and values,” a release on the NSVRC website states. “When you stand up for survivors of sexual violence, you send a powerful message that you believe and
INSIDE TODAY
Women’s Expo Look for our special section in today’s Lufkin News featuring a sneak peek at our ‘A Charming Women’s Expo’ vendors and features of interest to women.
ANGELINA COUNTY FAIR
Group buys steer, gives it to owner
support them.” The ideal of using one’s voice to spread awareness and protect others was adopted the Family Crisis Center of East Texas for its Sexual Assault Awareness Campaign this year. Throughout April, the local crisis center has been holding events tackling sexual assault. “The Janelle Grum Family Crisis Center of East Texas will raise public awareness about sexual assault by holding public activities and events in the area,” said a press release from the Family Crisis Center of East Texas. “This year’s theme is ‘use the power of your voice’ to prevent sexual assault in Angelina County. “The Janelle Grum Family Crisis Center of East Texas is SEE SEX ASSAULT, PAGE 4A
LANCE KINGREY/The Lufkin News
Cheek-to-chick
ANGELINA COUNTY JAIL
Artist speaks out on video controversy
Lufkin Businessmen bid $12K on Grand Champion before returning beloved Charlie to 10th-grade girl
Rapper says he did things the right way in obtaining permission to film inside jail
By STEPHANIE STEVENS The Lufkin News
By AUSTIN KING The Lufkin News
The Lufkin Businessmen group gave Central High School 10th-grader Madison Warren the greatest gift she could have received Saturday night at the 69th annual Angelina County Fair at the George H. Henderson Jr. Exposition Center in Lufkin. Clay Parmer, Gary Foster and Bubba Loggins, of the Lufkin Businessmen group that bought her steer, Charlie, for $12,000, gathered for a photo with Warren when they told her the good news. Foster said, “We heard that you were having a hard time saying goodbye to Charlie, so we want you to keep him.”
Months after a controversial preview was released for a local hip-hop artist’s documentary, the rapper is speaking out. In December, Mario Gebrekidan, aka Lil Yo, posted the video “I’m Back – Lil Yo Music Video Preview” on YouTube. The video served as a promo for an upcoming documentary Gebrekidan is working on about his life and his time in the Angelina County Jail with the goal of sharing a positive message with troubled youth. The controversy surrounding the preview stems from some of the footage: Gebrekidan’s film crew acquired footage of him in a jumpsuit in the county jail and used it in the preview. Following the release of the video,
SEE FAIR, PAGE 7A
SEE VIDEO, PAGE 7A
LUFKIN SCHOOLS
A look at the bond numbers By GRACE JUAREZ The Lufkin News Early voting begins Monday for local city council, school boards and the proposed $75 million bond to rebuild Lufkin Middle School and to build a multipurpose facility and softball/baseball fields on the high school campus. The proposed bond will rebuild approximately 202,000 square feet of the middle school campus and leave 80,000 square feet of recently renovated buildings standing, according to Scott Skelton, president of the Lufkin ISD SEE BOND, PAGE 5A
AUSTIN KING/The Lufkin News
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
Kynlie Davis, 4, nuzzles a chick in a petting zoo during Spring Fest Family Fun Day held downtown Saturday. For coverage of the event, see Page 5A.
INDEX
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8 P.M.
57 63 69 63 C O M P L E T E F O R E C A S T, PAGE 8B
Birth announcements................2C Bridal Page...............................2C Charm Lifestyle.........................1C Classified.............................. 1-4D Crossword.................................3C
Dear Abby..................................3C Entertainment/TV.................1-24E Hints from Heloise.....................2C Janice Ann Rowe.......................8B On the Record........................... 3A
Opinion..................................... 6A Outdoors...................................5B Sports................................... 1-5B Weather.....................................8B
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for meritorious public service
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Local rapper A’mario Gebrekidan — stagename Lil Yo — filmed a portion of a documentary he is working on in the Angelina County Jail back in December. The preview for the documentary raised concerns from Sheriff Greg Sanches.
WE RECYCLE
SPORTS
Spring football time for Pack Panthers return two key players from regional finalists. 1B
LUFKINDAILYNEWS.COM
THE LUFKIN NEWS Sunday, April 22, 2018
Bond Continued from Page 1A Board of Trustees, in a previous Lufkin News story. During a public Voter Forum on Tuesday, Assistant Deputy Superintendent Lynn Torres said the middle school was beyond the need of repair. The cost to repair the decades-old air conditioning would be from $5 million to $10 million. “We have a plan before you to take the aging facility, keep what’s salvageable, and knock the rest of it to the ground and build new,” Torres said. “This is for the community and the eduTORRES cation of our children.” In a previous article by The Lufkin News, Superintendent LaTonya Goffney said the board and administration had looked into repairing the existing problems, but that would just be a “Band-Aid” for a facility built in the 1950s. “When we looked to address GOFFNEY those needs initially, we were looking at correcting (heating and air conditioning) issues,” Goffney said. “We have the fact that the auditorium and the gym share an HVAC system. We were looking at plumbing issues in one of the gyms where our girls play. What people don’t realize is a lot of times, because the Panther Gym is at the midQUICK dle school, they think that the middle school uses that gym, but that’s not so. We’ve been thankful that we have an outstanding maintenance department that’s been able to keep (the plumbing problems) under wraps, but we still have to address it.” Currently, high school students have to leave campus in order to attend practices for girls’ and boys’ basketball at the middle school campus and for practices for softball and baseball at Morris Frank Park, according to Lufkin High School Athletic Director Todd Quick. Quick said the proposed bond would build facilities that allow all LHS athletes to remain in a centralized, safe location for practices. If passed, 80 percent of the bond will be used to renovate the middle school, 13 percent to build a multipurpose facility at the high school and 7 percent to build athletic fields at the high school.
How will the bond affect the community? The current property tax rate is $1.213 per every $100 of a property’s value. Exactly $1.17 of that is used for manufacturing and operational costs. The maximum amount allowed for maintenance and operation is $1.17; Lufkin ISD and every other school district in Angelina County are currently maxed out on maintenance and operational costs, according to the Angelina County Tax Assessor Collector’s Office.
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Page 6A
The other 4.8 cents in Lufkin’s tax rate, referred to as an interest and sinking rate, is used to pay off the district’s debts. If passed, the bond would increase the interest and sinking rate by 28.05 cents, according to Lufkin ISD administrators. The total tax rate would increase to $1.4935. For an average Lufkin home valued at $125,000, there would be a maximum tax impact of $23.37 a month, or $280.44 a year. Homeowners who are 65 or older would not have an increased tax bill if an age 65 freeze exemption is filed and approved. Tax rates at other Angelina County school districts in 2016 were: Central ISD, $1.33 ($1.17 MO, 16 cents IS), Diboll ISD, $1.28 ($1.17 MO, 11 cents IS), Hudson ISD, $1.28 ($1.17 MO, 11 cents IS), Huntington ISD, $1.45 ($1.17 MO, 28 cents IS), and Zavalla ISD, $1.49061 ($1.17 MO, 32.061 cents IS).
What is a bond? A bond is a loan, a promise to repay money borrowed from a school district to a lender. If the bond is passed, the school district will choose the best of several bids from different lenders. The borrowed money would only be used to for the purposes approved by voters, not regular costs of operation. According to a previous Lufkin News story and school district information, the last school bond, passed in 2007, provided $49.5 million in funds to renovate existing primary and elementary campuses for safety and security purposes. In 1995, a $27 million bond was passed to construct a new high school building near the loop and Ford Chapel Road. The bond allotted $2 million to convert the existing high school to a sixth- through eighth-grade campus, the campus that 80 percent of the bond will go toward reconstructing. The high school students continued to use the stadium built in 1972 on the Middle School East campus as the high school stadium. Lufkin ISD has refunded $56.6 million in bonds, saving the taxpayers more than $7.1 million to date.
Where can I vote? Early voting begins Monday and ends May 1. Election day is May 5. To vote for the candidates for the bond on Proposition A and for the Lufkin School Board of Trustees, visit these locations at these times: Lufkin ISD Admin Building at 101 Cotton Square, Lufkin High School at 309 E. Medford Drive, Anderson Elementary at 381 Champions Drive, Lufkin Middle School at 900 E. Denman Ave., Brandon Elementary at 1612 Sayers St. and Slack Elementary at 1305 Fuller Springs Drive. On April 23 to 24 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., April 25 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., April 26 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., April 27 to 28 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., April 29 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m, April 30 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and May 1 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Grace Juarez’s email address is gjuarez@lufkindailynews.com.
Attendees enjoy food, games, arts & crafts at Spring Fest By STEPHANIE STEVENS The Lufkin News Laughter could be heard all over downtown Lufkin at Spring Fest, formerly known as the Downtown Hoedown, Saturday. Vendors sold clothing items, home accessories and food. Children enjoyed a petting zoo and play areas, while adults enjoyed a car show. “We host it because it’s a tradition that brings the community together,” Main Street Lufkin Director Barbara Thompson said. “People who haven’t seen each other in years come together to have a fun time with family. Another reason they host it is to help the people know the retail stores and the different shop available in downtown Lufkin. It shows everybody all the advances downtown Lufkin has made and how it’s grown.” She said usually about 4,500 people attend the event throughout the day annually. “Anybody can afford the food, games and arts & crafts, and we keep it that way so people can return each year.” Main Street hosts this event in order to raise funds to beautify downtown. “We put on events downtown to build the economy,” she said. “We’ve painted the front of building and we’ve upgraded cotton square park. We try to keep people aware of what is going on downtown.” Kynlie Davis, 4, played in the petting zoo with her family. She ran back and forth, not sure which furry creature she should
CARA CAMPBELL/The Lufkin News
Kynlie Davis, 4, cradles a chick in a petting zoo during Spring Fest Family Fun Day held downtown Saturday. pick up first. Stooping down, she picked up a little furball with a beak that kept saying, “Cheepcheep-cheep-cheep!” Kynlie’s eyes widened as she instantly fell in love. She brought it close to her face, nuzzling it with her check, before giving it a soft kiss on its head. “I love baby ducks!” she said. “They are my best friends.” Her sister, Bailey, 8, said she liked holding the piglets and proceeded to turn and ask her
mother, Cortni, if she could buy one. Cortni said the family comes every year to the event and sees it as a great opportunity to see what all is available in downtown Lufkin. “The girls look forward to coming every year,” she said. “We will tell them a few days in advance and then they will constantly ask, ‘Is it time to go yet? Is it time now?’”
■ Vestal Trucking, 512 Aldredge Circle, Pollok, Max Vestal ■ Brookes Essential Garden, 3213 S. Medford Drive No. 308, Lufkin, Sherry Jackson ■ Row and Sons Construction, 811 Blackburn Switch Road, Scott Row ■ K&K’s Snack Shack, 1602 Atkinson Drive, Lufkin, Keanna Warren ■ Sweet Southern Sass Boutique,
1608 Slack St., Lufkin, Stacey Mitchell ■ Sassy Southern Soaks, 1608 Slack St., Lufkin, Stacey Mitchell ■ Allstarz Entertainment, 10104 Mitchell Ave. Lot J, Lufkin, Jacarvys Cooper ■ That Balloon Lady, 1587 FM 2713, Nacogdoches, Adrienne Palafox ■ Vanessa S El Tri Auto Sales, 111 Butler St., Lufkin, Erica Ann Segura
Stephanie Stevens’ email address is sstevens@lufkindailynews.com.
ASSUMED NAMES Assumed names filed in the Angelina County Clerk’s Office, from April 9 to 13 ■ J&M Construction and Painting, 310 Hunter Creek Drive, Lufkin, Marina I. Chavez ■ Mias Boutique, 310 Hunter Creek Drive, Lufkin, Marina I. Chavez ■ Reading Beauty, 451 JHB Circle, Lufkin, Angela Henderson
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Monday, April 23 « 7:30 p.m. SFA’s Campus, Baker Pattillo Student Center, Grand Ballroom FREE event passes are available at SFA’s information booth and Involvement Center, located in the Baker Pattillo Student Center, and at the Charles Bright Visitor Center, located at 200 East Main St. in Nacogdoches. (936) 468-5406 « sfasu.edu/archie
Sunday, April 22, 2018 THE LUFKIN NEWS
LUFKINDAILYNEWS.COM
OPINION The Lufkin News editorial board Jenniffer Ricks
Jeff Pownall
Publisher jricks@lufkindailynews.com
Managing Editor jpownall@lufkindailynews.com
Stacy Faison
Rene Guajardo
Le’Anne Alexander
News Editor sfaison@lufkindailynews.com
IT Director rguajardo@lufkindailynews.com
Charm Editor editor@charmeasttexas.com
Michael Herrington
Sarah Reppond
Brittany Mendez
Copy Editor mherrington@lufkindailynews.com
Customer Service Liaison sreppond@lufkindailynews.com
Advertising bmendez@lufkindailynews.com
OUR OPINION
Proposition A
Lufkin school district voters should vote for $75 million bond proposal
E
arly voting begins Monday in municipal elections across Angelina County. Voters in the Lufkin school district also are being asked to vote ‘‘for’’ or ‘‘against’’ Proposition A on the ballot. That proposition reads: “The issuance of $75,000,000 school building bonds for the construction, acquisition and equipment of school buildings in the district (including the rehabilitation, renovation and improvement thereof), and the levying of the tax in payment thereof.” Lufkin ISD voters should vote for the bond package. Here’s why. The core of the existing Lufkin Middle School campus, which was originally built as the high school during the Eisenhower administration in 1955, still stands. Today the campus houses 1,700 students spread out in 21 separate buildings on 75 acres. There are 100 entrances to the campus that must be secured. The school is so large that neither the cafeteria nor the auditorium can seat the entire student body at one time, Scott Skelton, president of the LISD board of trustees, told The Lufkin News in a previous interview. In addition, the Panther Gym at the middle school is being used by high school athletes for practices and games because there isn’t a gym on the high school campus, he said. With 1,700 students changing classes eight times a day, and 100 LHS students driving multiple times a day for sports off campus, security is a problem, Skelton said. When the campus was first built as a high school in the 1950s, air conditioning was not included. It had to be added later and is now sorely outdated, Principal Jesus Gomez said, so much so that it has to drain out of PVC pipes into buckets in the hallways. “When it’s warmer, I may have two or three buckets on each of these hallways trying to catch the water,” he said. Skelton said experts estimate the cost of fixing the school’s air conditioning and plumbing problems would run from $5 million to $10 million. The school’s yearly electricity bill runs about $560,000, or $46,667 a month. With modern electricity, Skelton said, that number would be less than half what it is today. During inclement weather, the middle school is particularly difficult for students. To get to those classes, students walk on sidewalks under poorly constructed awnings that have major leaks. In some places, the leaks resemble a waterfall pouring down, he said. In other places, students have to hop puddles or follow in a one- or two-person line to avoid getting drenched because the walkway is so narrow. Students come into class with pants wet up to their knees, their shoes and socks soaked. Because of the campus’s layout, water flows down a hill during heavy rain and threatens
Early voting Early voting for the bond begins Monday. Early voting locations are the LISD Administration Building, Lufkin High School, Anderson Elementary, Lufkin Middle School, Brandon Elementary and Slack Elementary. Early voting will be from: ■ 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and April 30 ■ 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday ■ 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and May 1 ■ 1-5 p.m. April 29 Election day is May 5.
to invade many classrooms. In addition, those classrooms cannot seat all the students. Seventh-grade language arts teacher Kerri Goetzman has a class of 34 students. Four of those students’ assigned seats are on the floor. Other teachers and paraprofessional personnel shared similar stories. If voters approve the bond, 202,000 square feet of the middle school will be rebuilt. Panther Gym and the auditorium account for most of the 80,000 square feet of existing facilities that will be retained. The middle school would take over use of the Panther Gym, and a new multipurpose facility would be built at Lufkin High School, Skelton said. Proposed projects would include creating a sixth-grade leadership academy, centralizing the campus under one roof, updating the library and media center, addressing the size and functionality of the cafeteria, addressing heating and air conditioning issues and providing access to a new physical education gym and the existing competition gym. Proposed projects on the high school campus would include building a multipurpose gym, constructing an on-site girls’ softball field and boys’ baseball field and providing an enclosed venue that could accommodate all high school students. But the reasons this bond proposal must be approved have to do with more than just antiquated and cramped conditions. Education plays a pivotal role in economic development, according to many economists, who say it sets the foundation for sustained economic growth. Several studies suggest parents share a common vision of the kind of schooling we want for our children. These include providing a safe, comfortable, happy environment with small class sizes. Another study said one in three professional parents moved to an area they consider to have good schools. While no set of bullet points can fully capture the complexities of a quality education, it’s obvious that an investment in our children is an investment in our economic development. That means the future of our community depends on our children receiving the best instruction. “Our students face many challenges,” Gomez said, “and then we have additional challenges because of our facilities. It would be wonderful to have them all secure inside one roof during the day.”
THE FIRST AMENDMENT Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
6A
4B meeting yields exciting prospects I
t has been a busy week for me, but mark me down for being very satisfied and pleased with the results. We had a 4B meeting last Monday and discussed a new out-of-state prospect testing the employment in BOB BROWN Lufkin, and again, the results look very promising. It would be a relocation of an out-of-state industry coming to Lufkin and creating as many as 50 jobs. We really feel good about the ending to this story, but we never know until all the paperwork is complete and the concrete is poured and cured. The third cork I have been promising to come out of the water should be out soon and it will be worth the wait. It is a “real” history-making catch and we are so very excited to get to share it with you as soon as all parties have signed off and all sales are final. Overseas Hardwood is coming to Lufkin in the next few weeks, and they have purchased the building on the corner of Angelina and Pershing streets right behind the fence on Trout Street.
This industry purchased Angelina Hardwood about a year ago and is moving the plant to “town” from Wilson Street. They will expand their product, operation and existing Angelina Hardwood employees as well as add employees as they grow and expand in their new building. This brings an existing building that was left to rust away back to new life and new activity and gives us a new neighbor in Lufkin. The Angelina County Fair was full of youth and animals and projects all this past week, and it is always heartwarming to see about 1,000 young adults walking their lambs, goats, steers, heifers and pigs around the Expo Center. The art, welding, woodworking and dessert-making young artists also had a chance to show off their skills during the week, and I am sure they were well rewarded at the auction last evening at the George H. Henderson Jr. Expo Center. Good job, Angelina County Fair Board, on another successful year. It just gets better each year. The Angelina Benefit Rodeo will take place straight nights this week, Wednesday through Saturday. Please plan on taking your family out to the Expo to enjoy the rodeo and the wonderful concession stand food this week.
The Lufkin Host Lions Club does an outstanding job of making this rodeo special each year, and let’s not forget the energy of our own Mike Mathis who works the arena on his faithful horse, Frog, and gives everyone a little personal information on every participant in the well-run rodeo. Buy a ticket to win the beautiful Jeep and go support our local Lions Club who love to share their hard-earned money with the Lufkin State Supported Living Center and a few other special causes in Angelina County. This is a special time of the year and a special place to spend your time! Go to a Parks and Recreation baseball game, or come out to the Ellen Trout Zoo and enjoy the sights and sounds of life all around you. Take a personal inventory and I hope you will come to the conclusion that Lufkin is the place to be, and Lufkin is the place to shop and support local merchants. We want you happy and we want your thoughts about what would make life better in Lufkin. I hope you go to your church today and thank God for all the many blessings of life. Life is good.
sions of the Senate Army-McCarthy hearings began. Today is Sunday, April 22, the 112th In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson day of 2018. There are 253 days left in opened the New York World’s Fair. the year. In 1970, millions of Americans conToday’s Highlight in History: cerned about the environment observed On April 22, 1898, with the United the first “Earth Day.” States and Spain on the verge of war, In 1983, the West German news magthe U.S. Navy began blockading Cuban azine Stern announced the discovery of ports. Congress authorized creation 60 volumes of personal diaries purportof the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, also edly written by Adolf Hitler; however, known as the “Rough Riders.” the diaries turned out to be a hoax. On this date: In 1993, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial In 1864, Congress authorized the use Museum was dedicated in Washington, of the phrase “In God We Trust” on U.S. D.C. to honor victims of Nazi extermicoins. nation. In 1889, the Oklahoma Land Rush In 1994, Richard M. Nixon, the 37th began at noon as thousands of homepresident of the United States, died at a steaders staked claims. New York hospital four days after sufIn 1938, 45 workers were killed in a fering a stroke; he was 81. coal mine explosion at Keen Mountain In 2000, in a dramatic pre-dawn raid, armed immigration agents seized Elian in Buchanan County, Virginia. In 1946, Harlan F. Stone, chief justice Gonzalez, the Cuban boy at the center of a custody dispute, from his relatives’ of the United States, died in Washinghome in Miami; Elian was reunited ton, D.C. at age 73. with his father at Andrews Air Force In 1952, an atomic test in Nevada Base near Washington. became the first nuclear explosion Ten years ago: Hillary Rodham Clinshown on live network television as a ton won the Pennsylvania Democratic 31-kiloton bomb was dropped from a primary, defeating Barack Obama and B-50 Superfortress. keeping her presidential hopes alive. At In 1954, the publicly televised ses-
the close of a two-day North American summit in New Orleans, President George W. Bush chastised U.S. lawmakers for letting international trade deals falter and criticized Democratic presidential contenders for wanting to scrap or amend the vast North American free-trade zone. Five years ago: A seriously wounded Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged in his hospital room with bombing the Boston Marathon in a plot with his older brother, Tamerlan, who died after a fierce gunbattle with police. Richie Havens, 72, the folk singer and guitarist who was the first performer at the 1969 Woodstock festival, died in Jersey City, New Jersey. One year ago: From the Washington Monument to Germany’s Brandenburg Gate and even to Greenland, scientists, students and research advocates rallied on Earth Day, conveying a global message about scientific freedom without political interference, the need for adequate spending for future breakthroughs and just the general value of scientific pursuits.
TODAY IN HISTORY By The Associated Press
HEADLINES IN Local HISTORY APRIL 22
One year ago ■ Unemployment in the city drops from 5.6 percent in February to 5.2 percent in March. ■ Lady Panthers walk off with a 2-1 over The Woodlands in nine innings at Morris Frank Park. Lufkin’s softball team, which finished district in third place, will open the playoffs against Rockwall. Ten years ago ■ Workers remove historic Texas Forest Service rock wall on U.S. 59; part of the wall will be
MALLARD FILLMORE
moved to Lufkin’s City Hall. ■ “Charlie Wilson’s War” comes out on DVD today. Twenty years ago ■ More than 600 compete in the first Angelina County Science/Technology Fair held at the Pitser Garrison Civic Center. ■ Denton McCoy, president of the Angelina County Mounted Patrol, will miss first rodeo in 30 years due to recent illness. From the pages of The Lufkin Daily News, compiled by The History Center, TheHistoryCenterOnline.com.
Bob Brown is the mayor for the city of Lufkin. His email address is mayorbobbrown@cityoflufkin.com.
Have your say To submit a letter to the editor, bring it to us at 300 Ellis Ave. in downtown Lufkin, mail it to P.O. Box 1089, Lufkin, TX 75902-1089, or visit an easy-to-use form at lufkindailynews.com/letters. Or you can email your letter to news@ lufkindailynews.com. Please limit your letters to 350 words. Be sure to include a daytime telephone number on your letter. All letters are subject to editing for length and clarity, and unsigned letters will not be used. We will only publish one letter per writer during a 30-day period.
By Bruce Tinsley
THE Sunday
LUFKIN NEWS 7 19 UP TO
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New sawmill coming to Lufkin By JESS HUFF © 2018, The Lufkin News
Company investing $100 million in state-of-the-art facility
Angelina Forest Products LLC announced plans to build a new softwood lumber production plant in Lufkin. The company purchased the former General Electric Buck Creek site and will begin con- of-the-art sawmill this summer struction of a $100 million state- with plans to be operational in
the second quarter of 2019. Earlier this year, GE announced plans to close the facility by June. “It’s the right time for the lumber industry, and it’s the right time for Angelina County,’’ said Executive Vice President Ste-
phen Raley. “The demand for lumber continues to improve while housing demand and remodeling markets are on.’’ The sawmill will produce a full product line of Southern yellow pine lumber and will be capable
Saturday in the park
of producing in excess of 220 million board feet annually, according to Raley. He said the mill expects to receive 600 log trucks a week from timber owners within a 100-mile radius and will ship 200 trucks
of finished product per week throughout East Texas and other parts of the United States. During construction, the project will employ hundreds of SEE SAWMILL, PAGE 4A
LUFKIN SCHOOLS
Voters approve $75 million bond By GRACE JUAREZ The Lufkin News
our community members could make an informed decision. Now, not only will our middle school students continue to excel in the classroom academically, but they will have a safe, future-ready learning environment. Thank you, Lufkin, for supporting the school district and the vision to ensure that Lufkin remains the best choice for education.” Eighty percent of the bond will go toward GOFFNEY rebuilding the middle
Lufkin ISD voters on Saturday approved Proposition A, the $75 million bond package to rebuild Lufkin Middle School, 2,170-785. “I’m thrilled that our community sees the need for a new middle school, multipurpose facility and athletic fields at the high school,” Lufkin ISD Superintendent LaTonya Goffney said. “It was a team effort to get out factual information so that
SEE BOND, PAGE 5A
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
Voters elect Henderson, Knight, Skelton for LISD By GRACE JUAREZ The Lufkin News
STEPHANIE STEVENS/The Lufkin News
Rachel Rodriguez, 8, sits on her cousin Bryana Cabrera’s lap as she lets her painted raptor mask dry during the annual
Communities Cinco de Mayo Festival on Saturday at Kiwanis Park. For coverage of the event, see Page 3A.
Voters on Saturday elected Hall Henderson, Matt Knight and Scott Skelton to the Lufkin school board. Henderson had 1,907 votes, Knight had 1,767 votes and Skelton had 1,300 votes. Henderson and Skelton were incumbents. Incumbent Andro Branch received 1,130 votes, and David Franssen had 417 votes. Results from other municipal elections include:
■ There were two contested races for the Angelina College Board of Trustees. Incumbent Dr. Sid Roberts beat Dr. Troy Allen for Place 2 on the board, 1,369-715. Incumbent Robert Poland won the Place 4 race over Robert Lindsey, 1,047-823. ■ The only contested Lufkin city election involved Lufkin’s Ward 2, where incumbent councilman Robert Shankle beat challenger Velta Page 132-26. SEE ELECTIONS, PAGE 5A
ANGELINA BEAUTIFUL/CLEAN
One of Angelina Beautiful/ Clean’s projects planned for the near future is to add extra lighting to Lufkin’s welcome signs, like this one on U.S. Highway 69, making them more visible during the night.
AB/C promotes environmental objectives, litter prevention By MICHAEL HERRINGTON The Lufkin News Littering in the United States has, on the whole, steadily decreased in the past few decades, according to a 2009 executive summary by P. Wesley Schultz of California State University and Steven R. Stein of Environmental Resources Plan-
ning LLC. The Lone Star State is no exception, thanks in part to increased education, campaigning and cleanup, as well as the famous “Don’t Mess With Texas” slogan adopted in the 1980s. But trash on roadways, in parks and elsewhere persists. Don’t Mess With Texas’ website states that “approximately 435 million
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62 81 85 76 C O M P L E T E F O R E C A S T, PAGE 8B
Charm Lifestyle.........................1C Classified.............................. 1-4D Crossword.................................3C Dear Abby..................................3C Entertainment/TV.................1-24E
Hints from Heloise.....................4C Janice Ann Rowe.......................8B On the Record........................... 3A Opinion..................................... 6A Outdoors...................................5B
THE LUFKIN NEWS FILE PHOTO
SEE AB/C, PAGE 5A
INDEX
TODAY’S WEATHER 8 A.M.
pieces of visible litter accumulate on Texas roadways each year.” One county agency, Angelina Beautiful/Clean, has been doing its part for over 30 years to beautify Lufkin and surrounding cities, as well as educate and change the views of residents.
Sports................................... 1-5B Weather.....................................8B
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THE LUFKIN NEWS Sunday, May 6, 2018
5A
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Elections Continued from Page 1A ■ In the Central school district, Sam Morehouse beat Garland Hawk 266-229 to replace former trustee Ronnie Kelly, who resigned. Jeff Cordova and Gary Rowe tied in the race to replace former trustee Lindsey Warner, who resigned, 225-225. Krystal F. Allen received 48 votes. Central ISD Administrative Assistant Joana Lamon said ballots would be finalized after mail-in ballots are returned after 5 p.m. Monday. Incumbent Bud Boles beat Charlie Liles, 261-228. ■ Jeremy Flood won the race for the vacant Position 3 on the Huntington school board with 144 votes. Larry Joiner received
88 votes, and Ben Wilroy received 77 votes. ■ Hayden Evans won the race for the Place 6 on the Hudson school board with 171 votes. Katie Baker received 145 votes and Micah Williams received 55 votes. Hudson ISD Chief Financial Officer Barrett Lankford said these results will not be finalized until the board canvasses the votes on Tuesday. ■ In the Diboll school district, incumbents Greg Stephens, 170 votes, and Andrea Swor, 154 votes, beat challengers Fran Mowrey and Nathan Williams, who had 32 and 108 votes, respectively. Grace Juarez’s email address is gjuarez@lufkindailynews.com.
Hawaii braces for upheaval as Kilauea boils PAHOA, Hawaii (AP) — Hundreds of anxious residents on the Big Island of Hawaii hunkered down Saturday for what could be weeks or months of upheaval as the dangers from an erupting Kilauea volcano continued to grow. Lava spurted from volcanic vents, toxic gas filled the air and strong earthquakes — including a magnitude 6.9 temblor on Friday — rocked an already jittery population. The trifecta of natural threats forced the evacuation of more than 1,700 people from communities near the lava and prompted the closure of parks, college campuses and a section of the main road through the area on the Big Island’s southern tip. Five structures have burned and thousands of customers briefly lost power from one of the larger quakes.
Tesha “Mirah” Montoya, 45, said toxic fumes escaping from the lava vents weren’t enough to make her family evacuate, but the tipping point were the earthquakes. “I felt like the whole side of our hill was going to explode,” she said. “The earthquake was what made us start running and start throwing guinea pigs and bunnies in the car.” Montoya, her husband and daughter don’t know how long they will be away from the three-story octagonal house they built nearly 20 years ago from a patch of “raw jungle.” “My heart and soul’s there,” she said in a phone interview from a cabin on the north side of the Big Island, where the family had hunkered down. “I’m nothing without the land. It’s part of my being.”
Tina Neal, the scientist in charge of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, warned distressed residents at a community meeting late Friday that eruptions could last longer than the ones from earlier this week, and earthquakes and aftershocks could continue for days, even weeks. Gary McMillan said his home is about 3,000 feet from one of the fissures that is spewing lava and gas into Leilani Estates. He has remote cameras set up in his home and says that as of now his home is still intact. He’s living out of his van with his wife at the nearby community center and constantly thinks about the things they were forced to leave behind — but understands why authorities are keeping residents out.
Bond Continued from Page 1A school, 13 percent of the bond will go toward building a multipurpose facility on the high school campus, and 7 percent will go toward moving softball and baseball fields from Morris Frank Park to the high school campus. “Once again, the citizens of Lufkin have shown their overwhelming support for Lufkin ISD and its mission and vision,” said Lufkin ISD school board President Scott Skelton. “The people of Lufkin never fail to rise to the challenge of making this city a great place to live, work and go to school. I look forward to the coming months as the Board hires a superintendent and works with the architects to design a middle school for generations to come. Thanks to all who played a part in helping pass this bond
election.” The bond will increase the current property tax rate from $1.213 per every $100 of property value to $1.4935, which would cost the owner of an average $125,000 home an extra $23.37 a month or $280.44 a year. The middle school campus originally was built as the high school in the 1950s. It became the middle school in the 1990s when the current high school was built. Also, when the campus was first built, air conditioning was not a consideration. It had to be added later and now is sorely outdated, Lufkin Middle School Principal Jesus Gomez said, so much so that it has to drain out of PVC pipes into buckets in the hallways. “In the summertime when it’s warm-
er, I may have two or three buckets on each of these hallways trying to catch the water,” Gomez said in a previous Lufkin News report. The cost to repair the HVAC system and plumbing and to bring the building up to code would be $5 million-$10 million. The cost of electricity in the school is currently $560,000 a year, which Skelton said in a previous Lufkin News report would be cut in half with modern technology. Gomez said there are safety concerns on the campus, as well. There are currently 21 separate buildings with 100 different entrances on campus, and 1,700 students change classes through those doors eight times a day. Currently, the Lufkin High School basketball teams are using the Panther
Gym on the LMS campus, and the LHS softball and baseball teams are using fields at Morris Frank Park, as they do not have a gym or fields on campus. The bond will provide high school students with a new multipurpose facility and softball/baseball fields on campus and will give the Panther Gym to the middle school athletes, according to Principal Kurt Stephens and Athletic Director Todd Quick. “The travel on a daily basis is not the best situation for students,” Stephens said. “Once you get them to school, for safety purposes, it’s best to be able to keep them and have them with you all day long instead of daily on the road back and forth to different places.” Stephens said the new multipurpose facility will provide the high school with
an appropriate facility so the 2,100 students and 300 faculty and staff members have a place to meet for pep rallies or during times of crises. Voters in 2007 approved a $49.5 million bond issue to renovate existing primary and elementary campuses for safety and security purposes. Before that, a $27 million bond was passed in 1995 to build onto and convert the Junior High East campus into the current high school. About $2 million of that went to converting the existing high school into what is now the middle school. Over the years, Lufkin ISD has refunded $56.6 million in bonds, saving taxpayers more than $7.1 million to date. Grace Juarez’s email address is gjuarez@lufkindailynews.com.
AB/C Texas, and 71 percent of litter consists of cigarette butts and similar items, like straws and gum wrappers, according to dontmesswithtexas.org. La Corte gave three main reasons for the prevalence of cigarette litter on roadways. “It’s really small, so it’s seen as insignificant, but it adds up, right?” she said. “Some people think it’s biodegradable, which it’s not. Some people care, but not enough to keep it in their vehicle.” La Corte said it’s been heart-
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planning, education, schools, outreach, a little bit of everything. It just depends on the day.” La Corte is from the San Francisco Bay area of California, a state that “dominates in green initiatives,” according to theculturetrip.com. Moving to East Texas to promote environmental causes introduced a challenge she welcomed. “(I’m) translating the mission for people here in East Texas to say it’s more than just a hippie California thing to do,” she said. “It is actually beneficial not only for our environment but for the
people and our economy here to do things that are good for the earth.” AB/C often partners with similar organizations and is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful. “Last year, we partnered with the Coalition’s Say What! group,” La Corte said, “and they picked up cigarette butt litter to prove a point about cigarettes, on their side of things. But on your side, cigarette butts are the most littered item of any item out there.” Indeed, tobacco trash is the most common form of litter in
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says, ‘OK, you need to do this.’ When a kid is so passionate about something, saying this is why we should do it, that’s really cool.” Aside from litter prevention, many of AB/C’s other projects center on city beautification. A followup story will delve into this subject next Sunday. For more information on AB/C or its affiliates, visit angelinabeautifulclean.org or call La Corte at 632-5326. Michael Herrington’s email address is mherrington@lufkindailynews.com.
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• Medicare Supplements • Medicare Advantage • Part D Drug Plans Jennifer La Corte, executive director of Angelina Beautiful/Clean, center, poses with Joseph J. Ceasar, founder and executive director of Legacy Institute for Financial Education, left, and Robert Shankle, Lufkin City Council member — Ward 2, with a $2,500 grant from the Legacy Institute, funded by the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, for AB/C.
ening to see children connect with AB/C’s message, and she shared a story of a St. Cyprian’s Episcopal School (the first school in the nation to receive a KAB honor) student who put his values into action. “There was a parent who had thrown a water bottle out the window, and this child told the parent they had to turn around on the loop, get out of the car and pick it up, then told them why it was important to do that,” she said. “It’s one thing when a parent
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Continued from Page 1A AB/C was formed in 1984 to promote litter control and prevention, city beautification and general environmental improvement in Angelina County. Executive Director Jennifer La Corte, AB/C’s sole staff member, said even so much as changing someone’s attitude about keeping their surroundings clean can be a victory. “If something’s not directly affecting you, it’s hard to emotionally attach to the consequences of someone’s behavior,” she said. “‘My park is clean, so why do I care about that park? There’s 16 parks in Lufkin and mine’s fine.’ Or, ‘The main part of the loop I drive on, it’s great, but some other part is not, but that’s not my problem. Let someone else deal with it.’ … I think it is a big behavior change.” Another misconception people have about the organization, La Corte said, is that beautification is a skin-deep, superficial issue, but she said a city’s appearance can have sizeable effects on its future. “Property values are different, crime statistics are different, and overall, that sense of security, that quality of life, and also economic factors like, ‘My home value is going to be different if my whole neighborhood doesn’t care about how their lawns looks or if there’s trash on the porches,’” she said. “It really goes beyond that superficial-ness.” Though La Corte is the only true AB/C employee, she has plenty of backup. “I’m the executive director, then I have a board of directors who assist me,” she said. “But I’m the only one here that reports to the organization. I do everything from phones and emails to event
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