Economy takes lead as newsmaker
3 local schools gain coveted 'exemplary campus' status from TEA
BY GLORIA JENNINGS

The second half of 2008 saw changes in the economic climate in Cherokee County. Jobs were added to the local market with the opening of eTelecare Global Solutions in Jacksonville and new positions at Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Rusk. Soon thereafter Etech opened in Rusk and other jobs were added. Atwoods and Greg James Boutique Scooters brought new employees into the county.

Businesses that closed during the year included a call center in Jacksonville and two car dealerships in Rusk.

Three Cherokee County schools were rated academically exemplary by the Texas Education Agency. They are Rusk Primary and Rusk Elementary and Jacksonville West Side. All county schools received acceptable or above ratings.

Plans to open two nursing schools in the county continued. The first opened in the fall at East Texas Medical Center in Jacksonville and the second will open at Rusk State Hospital at the beginning of 2009.

Former Rusk baseball player Chad Linder has had his contract purchased by the Detroit Tigers organization. Mr. Linder, who graduated from Rusk in 2003, will be assigned to the Tigers' Class A affiliate, the West Michigan Whitecaps, next season.

Hurricane Ike hit Cherokee County and local residents were without power for some time. Cable and internet were out for some Rusk citizens almost a month.

June

A world-recognized telecommunications company brought 400 jobs and a $10 million payroll to Cherokee County.

eTelecare Global Solutions, a NASDAQ publicly-traded company with more than 10,000 employees worldwide, leased the site vacated by Alliance Data.

The two state prison units in Rusk added 45 new correctional officers to the payroll in early summer.

Warden Todd Foxworth told the Cherokeean Herald that payroll for the Skyview and Hodge Units will add $1.3 million to an existing payroll of $17.6 million.

"A total of 802 people work on the hill," said Warden Foxworth.

Forty-seven official public hearings and 12 open houses are what it took for citizens to persuade the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to utilize existing roadways for the proposed route of Interstate 69.

More than 12,000 people attended the public hearings regarding the debate of whether to build a new interstate from scratch or to follow the route of U.S. Highway 59.

Approximately 28,000 comments were received by TxDOT concerning I-69, most suggesting that TxDOT use existing corridors for the I-69 route.

Highway 59 will have to be expanded to meet traffic needs. New lanes will be added. However, the new lanes will be tolled.

Highway 59 passes through many small East Texas towns.

Ahmadeo Saenz, executive director of TxDOT, said they would cooperate with local legislatures when needing to build I-69 around or through a city.

As of now the I-69 route will follow U.S. Highway 77 from Brownsville to Victoria at which point it will switch over to U. S. Highway 59 and follow Highway 59 to Houston.

Houston poses a challenge with several possible scenarios. The interstate could continue to follow Highway 59 or could be funneled into the not-yetcompleted Grand Parkway. Another solution would utilize one of the loops and bypass Houston. TxDOT officials are not yet sure which plan they will execute.

Once north of Houston, I-69 will follow Highway 59 through East Texas all the way to Texarkana and likely link with U.S. Interstate 30.

I-69 will most likely skirt around Diboll, Lufkin and Nacogdoches in a sort of S shape. The section between Lufkin and Nacogdoches is expected to be tolled, but free to local residents.

Highway engineers say traffic will likely increase on Cherokee County highways, especially on U.S. Highways 69 and 79.

Many highways will serve as feeder roads and alternate routes to those weary of traveling or wary of paying tolls.

"Existing highways will be expanded to accommodate need," said Mr. Saenz.

Tolls will not be charged on sections of I-69 where the highway piggybacks on top of existing roads. However, new sections of the road will likely be tolled.

Congested local highways should not be a problem.

High speed rail could possibly run adjacent to the new interstate. This will be decided upon by an independent study once Tier 2 of the project is underway.

The completion date for the first two tiers of the I-69 project has been placed at three to five years.

Rusk ISD employees were recognized at the annual end of the year luncheon Friday, June 6.

A barbecue lunch was served in the junior high cafeteria and awards were presented in the school auditorium.

Terri Garner, junior high teacher, was named the Rusk ISD teacher of the year. Other nominees were Amanda Beard, primary school; Kara Bowling, elementary; Ashley Oliver, intermediate; and Montie Sunday, high school.

Six members of Rusk/ Alto Girl Scout Troop 139 received their Bronze Star Awards June 5. Leigh Anne Wood, Rebekah Heidel, Elizabeth Heidel, Moira Debbs, Margaret Beckworth and Erin Beckworth earned this highest award in junior level Girl Scouts by tackling a community service project that required contributing at least 15 hours of leadership and hands-on work by each Scout.

Troop 139 has adopted Rusk's Butler Park and spent most Saturdays last spring cleaning up the park. They also created a walking trail, built and installed birdhouses and planted a butterfly garden and many native plants. The final touch of this phase of the project was to build a new sign for the Park's entrance. As a result of these activities and the Troop's application, Butler Park has received designation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

Paperwork was finalized between Etech Inc. and the Rusk Economic Development Corporation to bring 35 new jobs and a call center to downtown Rusk.

"We've got a good game plan," Matt Rocco of Etech Inc. told the Cherokeean Herald. "We're all working hard to get it all done."

He announced that Larry Smith, a vice-president of Etech Inc. in Nacogdoches, will serve as general manager of the Rusk call center.

A Dallas state district judge ruled June 30 in favor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), paving the way for the federal agency to begin acquiring land for the Neches Wildlife Refuge on the Cherokee and Anderson County line.

Lawsuits by the City of Dallas and the Texas Water Development Board sought to block the creation of the refuge and build Lake Fastrill, a proposed reservoir for Dallas' drinking water.

Judge Jorge Solis of the Northern District ruled in favor of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on six motions late Monday afternoon.

The Texas Water Development Board and the City of Dallas are examining legal options, which include appealing the judge's ruling to the 5th Court of Appeals.

July

Stephanie Aills, Rusk High School junior, was selected by the Texas Baptist All State Choir and Band to perform at the 15th Baptist Youth World Conference in Europe. This year, it was held in Leipzig, Germany. She has played the alto saxophone since the age of 11 and has won UIL solo every year from sixth through 10th grades. She has been named to the all region symphonic, state ensemble and all region and all area jazz and has competed at the state level. She is also in the church orchestra at First Baptist Church in Rusk and, with the help of Tim Timmons, qualified for the Texas Baptist All- State. She spent a week with them in the summer of 2007 and, two weeks in 2008 where part was in Germany. She was also the only student last year representing Rusk at band camp in Nacogdoches.

Matthew Barnes, a 2007-08 Alto High School graduate, was elected State FFA President at the annual meeting in Lubbock.

The trustees of the TLL Temple Foundation reconsidered the Heritage Center of Cherokee County's application. The museum had requested funds for support of the museum's roof renovation project. A grant in the amount of $35,150 for the project was approved.

August

Three Cherokee County schools, Rusk Primary and Elementary and Jacksonville West Side, were among the 996 campuses receiving an exemplary rating in the recent Texas Education Agency's Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) accountability rating. Rusk Primary and Elementary schools were combined as one campus in the rating. All three campuses received recognized rating last year.

County schools receiving recognized status were Rusk Intermediate and Rusk Junior High; Alto Elementary; and Jacksonville Nichols, East Side Joe Wright and Fred Douglass. These campuses were among the 2,815 Texas schools receiving recognized ratings.

Rusk Intermediate School received a recognized rating last year and the other three campuses were acceptable in the 2007 ratings.

All other campuses in the county received academically acceptable ratings. They are Rusk High School; Jacksonville High School, Middle School and Compass Center; Alto High School and Middle School; Wells Elementary and High School; New Summerfield ISD. There were 3,509 Texas campuses receiving this rating.

There were no unacceptable ratings given to Cherokee County campuses.

The former Texas Rangers Assn. honored the life and work of the late William F. "Bill" Quinn, 83, by dedicating a memorial in his honor Aug. 15 at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

The memorial, a cross with four horseshoes near the base and emblazoned with the star of the Texas Rangers, will stand at Ranger Quinn's gravesite.

Ranger Quinn served with the Texas Rangers from 1970 until his retirement in 1988. Before serving as a Texas Ranger, Ranger Quinn served as a Texas Highway Patrolman.

While preparation for the Olympic games was being made, several young people from the East Texas area were also preparing to compete in a special competition. The North American Bible Quiz Tournament (NABQT) was held Aug. 2-6, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The team from Calvary Tabernacle United Pentecostal Church in Alto, comprised of Jordan and Andrea Grindle of Douglass, was the first place winner of the competition. This is only the third time in the history of Bible quizzing that a Texas team has won the championship.

The Anderson County Workshop merged with the Cherokee County Sheltered Workshop. The two organizations have combined assets of $1.764 million and more than 50 employees.

September

A crowd of approximately 200 gathered at ETMC Jacksonville to officially dedicate and launch Tyler Junior College's new nursing school.

The facility, located on the fourth floor of the ETMC Jacksonville hospital, represents a cooperative effort among the Jacksonville Economic Development Corporation, ETMC, and Trinity Mother Francis.

The addition of the new facility will have an economic impact of $15 million in three years and will have a diverse impact on the local economy.

Hurricane Ike cut a swath through Cherokee County Sept. 13, leaving behind downed power lines, trees and damage that residents will not soon forget.

Wind speeds reached between 40-50 mph and gusts were as high as 80 mph while rain came in sheets, causing damage to various places in Cherokee County.

In Jacksonville, 911 operators received more than 300 calls during the storm for downed trees and broken power lines. The Cherokee County's Sheriff Department received more than four hundred 911 phone calls and another 500 regular calls during the storm and until mid-morning Sunday.

Reports consisted of downed trees, and there were also 11 fire calls due to fallen electrical lines. The storm also caused four accidents, but none of them was major.

Five calls were received for natural gas situations and 10 calls went to EMS for fall victims with broken bones.

It was almost a month before all power, cable and internet service were restored.

Describing her as a "Christ love magnet," Bishop Álvaro Corrada, SJ, recognized Alto resident Mary Germany Sept. 5 as the 2008 recipient of the Bishop Charles E. Herzig humanitarian award.

Mary Pack, RN, was named coordinator of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Nursing extension program in Rusk. The nursing school is scheduled to open in January.

Kim DeLeon from Wharton, is the new manager/ CEO of the Southern Cherokee Federal Credit Union. She replaces Rita Hilliard, who is retiring.

October

The Texas State Railroad Authority marked its one-year anniversary early in October, and also deferred American Heritage Railways first payment because of unresolved funding issues.

A celebration of "The TSR: A Texas Treasure" was held at the Palestine Depot.

The event was hosted by Friends of TSR, a support group to the train of many years standing.

Among the guests were State Sen. Robert Nichols, who praised the facility's progress under the leadership of the TSR Authority and Al Harper, owner of American Heritage. "This is truly a treasure worthy of preserving," he said. "It has historical value and great significance for the future of tourism."

Invited guests included Paul Schranck of AH; city officials from Rusk and Palestine, chambers, economic development and mainstream citizens who have been on board to save the train since its imminent closure was announced in December 2005.

Cherokee County's newest business, Atwoods Ranch & Home opened in the old Winn Dixie Grocery Store building on South Jackson in Jacksonville. When Atwoods opened, 47 persons were employed.

This is expected to help bring up the employment for Cherokee County. Unemployment has recently reached 6.4 percent, the highest in recent history.

Grand opening festivities were held Wednesday-Sunday, Oct. 8-12, with ribbon cutting activities planned for Saturday.

Various vendors were on hand to explain products to customers.

Dan Colston is manager for the new store. The Jacksonville location is the 34th Atwoods store to open. Stores are located in a five-state area comprised of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas.

The Jacksonville store is one of three that opened in the fall of 2008.

Other new stores were located at Coweta, Okla. and Cushing, Okla.

Atwoods stores in the East Texas area are located in Tyler and Kilgore.

Former Rusk baseball player Chad Linder has had his contract purchased by the Detroit Tigers organization. Mr. Linder, who graduated from Rusk in 2003, will be assigned to the Tigers' Class A affiliate, the West Michigan Whitecaps, next season.

"This is what I've been working for," he said. "I knew I had some potential, but this (being signed by a major league organization) was just something I'd dreamed about. I didn't know it was going to come true."

Most recently, Mr. Linder played for the Alexandria Aces of United League Baseball. He went 7-3 with a 4.15 earned run average (ERA) in 17 starts.

Mr. Linder, a ULB All Star selection, finished the season ranked sixth in ERA, third in strikeouts with 110 and third in innings pitched with 112.2.

"We are ecstatic about Linder's contract purchase," said ULB President Craig Brasfield. "Chad is a tremendous talent and was one of the best pitchers in our league this past season. We wish Chad and the Tigers the very best."

Mr. Linder also played for the River City Rascals of the Independent Frontier League. As a Rascal, he went 3-3 with a 5.03 ERA. He played his college baseball at the University of Texas - Pan American. In his college career, he threw 128 innings with 77 strikeouts.

"Since I've left college, I throw my fastballs harder and my offspeed pitches have continuously gotten better," Mr. Linder said. "I don't know if it's the age or the experience, but every year seems to get better for me."

While at Rusk, Mr. Linder played baseball, football and basketball.

As a Rusk senior, Mr. Linder was selected to the 3A Texas All-State Baseball High School Coaches Association first team as well as the all-state academic team. He was also named outstanding male athlete at the 2003 RHS all-sports banquet. He credits his time at Rusk for making him into a better player.

A new boutique shop specializing in motor scooters opened its doors for business in Rusk U.S. Highway 69 south at Greg James Country Motors, which used to sell several lines of General Motors vehicles.

The boutique scooter shop will have its own show room floor with product lines from two different manufacturers: Diamo and TNG.

The Diamo line will be sold retail in Rusk; TNG will be a combination wholesale-retail operation.

Mr. James will perform final assembly for Southwest Scooter Company and has an exclusive contract to sell wholesale to a four-state area. He is also one of three distributors specializing in parts in the U.S.

Mr. James plans to open a second boutique scooter shop in Nacogdoches in January 2009.

"We've already hired a mechanic and we're looking for more," said Mr. James.

Approximately 30 new jobs and a $1.34 million payroll were created when the wholesale distributorship and the parts distributorship went "live" later in the year.

Mr. James said that additional scooter models may be added to the showroom floor in the future.

Betsy Ellis, wife of East Texas Medical Center's CEO Elmer Ellis has a passion for history - and she suddenly realized what would make her happiest. She asked her husband to replace an historical marker for her birthday, The original marker turned up missing sometime after 1984.

A rededication of the marker was held Sunday, Oct. 13, at Flat Creek Ranch with approximately 70 persons, including family members of the Ellises, descendants who lived on the property and members of the Cherokee and Smith County Historical Commissions.

The original historical marker commemorated a religious group in the early 1900s. However, the tale of the Burning Bush Colony reads almost like science fiction.

Around 1900 when automobiles were just going into production and agriculture consisted of mules and plows, a disenchanted group of Free Methodists from Chicago organized a movement called the Metropolitan Church Association. The group moved to Wisconsin for about a decade before establishing communal colonies in Virginia, West Virginia, Louisiana and what is now, Bullard.

Almost 400 people donated their assets to the Burning Bush Colony in Texas and shared equally from the community stockroom without distinctions by class.

The former Texas plantation was rich with resources, including orchards of peach and pecan trees and fields of tomatoes.

Mrs. Ellis told the Cherokeean Herald that she has always been intrigued by the legacy left by the Burning Bush Colony.

"It was important to me to have this historical marker to show future generations what was here."

The new marker is placed just inside the Flat Creek property boundary instead of on the roadside where the previous one was located.

It is located on FM 2493 just north of the U.S. Highway 69 intersection on the left.

Cherokee County has almost 200 historical markers.

The Gallatin Volunteer Fire Department has accepted delivery of a 2008 Ford Fire Truck. The new truck, which cost $120,000, was paid for by grants from the Texas Forest Service and the Texas Commission of Fire Protection.

The truck is classified as a large brush truck and a tanker. In addition, it is equipped to respond to auto accidents.

"This truck will greatly assist the Gallatin Fire Department in serving the citizens living in our area," said fire department Chief George Bostock. "It will also assist others as it will be the first truck out to assist other departments in our area."

Rusk High School marching band won first place in UIL marching contest Oct. 18 at Nacogdoches. Mike Miller is band director. He is assisted by Gary Robbins and David and Jennifer Applegate. Drum majors are Kristen Parsons and Rachel Ellzey.

The Cherokee County Annual Hay Show and Sale raised more than $23,000 Oct. 23. The event was held at the Cherokee County Exposition Center in Jacksonville.

The grand champion hay producer was Crystal Jones of Jacksonville. Her hay sold for a total of $2,600.

The grand champion buyer was Wayne Beal of Troup for a total of $1,900 with add-ons from Fish and Steel Equipment ($200), Citizens 1st Bank ($200), Southside Bank ($100), Animal Medical Clinic ($100), Adams Cherokee Self Service Storage ($50) and Farm and Ranch ($50).

The reserve grand championship went to Mike and Malcolm Williams Farms of Bullard, which sold for $1,075. The buyer was Agri-Land, which spent $900 with $50 add-ons from Farm and Ranch, George Nelson and Southside Bank and a $25 add-on from Rep. Chuck Hopson.

The annual event is sponsored by the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Agri- Business Committee, chaired by Charles Dickerson and Roland Adams. Members of the committee are Father Mark Kusmirek (Community Development Division Chair), Jack White, James Tennison, James Batton, Ron Pierce, Dale Jamerson, Bill Poteet, Byron Underwood, Jimmy Bain and Ralph Lindsey.

November

The Alto High School 48 member marching band received an outstanding rating at the Northwestern State University marching band contest Saturday Nov. 1 in Natchitoches, La. The Alto Band drumline also received an outstanding rating. Receiving an excellent rating were drum major Elena Campa and Alto flag corps auxillary. Band director is Steven Smitha.

General William M. Fraser III, brother of Jeannette Goldsberry of Rusk, has been named Vice-Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force in Washington D.C.

He directs the service of the Air Force staff and serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Requirements Oversight Council and deputy advisory working group. He assists the chief of staff with organizing, training and equipping of approximately 700,000 activeduty, guard reserve and civilian forces serving in the U.S. and overseas.

For the first time since the early 1920s, it is not possible to purchase a new automobile in Rusk.

In an unprecedented chain of events, both Greg James Country Motors and Bob Francis Ford announced they were getting out of the new car businesses.

Bob Francis Ford closed its doors for good Nov. 14. In October, there were 14 employees, but six left for better jobs in November.

While Greg James is parting company with GM as a new car dealer, he has reinvented his business as a motorcycle dealership for three manufacturers and he will sell used cars and operate a fully equipped service department for many vehicle brands. None of the 15 James employees were layed off.

Wallace-Thompson True Value moved to its new location at 195 N. Main in Rusk at the end of November. The business has served Rusk and the surrounding community for more than 100 years. It has expanded and grown to meet the needs of the community during its long history.

The store has operated at its present downtown location at 514 North Henderson Street for 98 years. "Even though we're a little sad about leaving downtown, we're very excited about offering an expanded shopping experience and look forward to serving the community for many more years to come," said Jerry Thompson, store co-owner.

Mr. Thompson attributes the store's success and longevity to the support of the community and the fact that it is family owned and operated, allowing them to offer personalized service to every customer.

Angelina & Neches River Authority General Manager Kenneth Reneau has retired.

Mr. Reneau, who has served as general manager since March 2000, informed the board of his intention to retire in a letter dated Sept. 26.

Mr. Reneau will stay with the agency and work with Lake Columbia.

He will continue with the reservoir permitting process as Lake Columbia Project Manager.

In his letter, Mr. Reneau wrote, "I wanted to devote the last 10 years of my working career to water issues in Texas. ANRA has given me that opportunity. I have thoroughly enjoyed dealing with the issues and the people of East Texas and within the organization. I feel the organizational structure, accountability, financial strength and reputation of ANRA are significantly stronger than they were in 1999. The direction of the board of directors and the motivation and sacrifice of ANRA employees are largely responsible for these improvements."

Kelley Holcomb, ANRA's planning and operations manager, has been named the agency's interim general manager.

Mr. Holcomb began his career with ANRA in February 1991.

The Rusk economy received a boost Nov. 20 when Rusk ISD teachers and staff members received checks totaling $301,449,50 (and netting $262,000) were distributed to district employees. The funds are budgeted for distribution to staff members.

Checks were delivered by five board members and Dr. Jim Largent, superintendent, to the various district's campuses.

Teachers and campus administration who taught in the district last year received $1,000 as district incentives ($500 for an exemplar campus and $250 each for two recognized campuses); and a $300 December check supplement.

A total of 36 teachers received attendance supplements, including $500 for perfect attendance; $450 for missing one day; and $400 for missing two days. Their checks ranged from $1,700 to $1,800.

The supplements differed according to employee classification, but all school personnel and bus drivers if employed on Oct. 31, 2008, received a check.

December

Holiday lights and decorations went up in downtown Rusk thanks to the assistance of TDCJ inmates.

The Christmas parade and lighting ceremony was held Dec. 2 to officially open the yule season in Rusk.

Beautifully painted murals were placed at the four corners of the courthouse lawn.

The Rusk FFA has been a winning team throughout the year. It began when the Rusk FFA wildlife team finished first, second and third in the senior division of the Cherokee County Wildlife Contest hosted by the Natural Resource and Conservation Service. The Rusk FFA also won first place in the greenhand division. Nicky Goodman and Tommy Marchetti of the Rusk FFA tied for high point individual in the county wildlife contest and will each receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Winning first place greenhand were Brittany Watson, Lidia Perez and Brittany George.

The Rusk FFA Wildlife team won their fifth consecutive Region 4 and Area 9 wildlife contest.

Retiring Cherokee County Tax Assessor-Collector Linda Beard was honored with a retirement party. Mrs. Beard retired after 47 years of service to the county.