Monthly Archives: December 2011

Week of December 26, 2011

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(Photo by CNHI used under a Creative Commons License)

Story No. 1 - Controversy over nativity scene:  In early December a Wisconsin-based atheist group issued a demand that Henderson County remove a nativity scene from the Courthouse lawn, which the county refused. Later the group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, tried to get one of its anti-God banners displayed, but that also did not happen.
Why it makes the list: Because of the response from the community and the media coverage. In less than 48 hours this story went from county newspapers to national television. A rally organized by four pastors brought an estimated 5,000 to the Athens square.
Will it carry into 2012?: Yes. The Freedom From Religion Foundation may have lost this battle, but has no intention of going away. Gear up for next Christmas.

Story No. 2 - Drought and wildfires: If Henderson County has ever been drier than it was this year, no one is left who can remember that time. Commissioners’ Court had the county under a burn ban for seven straight months, and volunteer firefighters spent the summer running from one blaze to another.
Why it makes the list: Things got so bad that communities started holding fundraisers to help get supplies to exhausted VFDs. At one point, the sound of a fire siren was enough to send frightened residents scurrying to social media for information.
Will it carry into 2012?: Unfortunately, yes. The Texas state climatologist said next year will be just as bad.

Story No. 3 - School district changes: After multiple attempts, Athens ISD was finally able to pass a bond this year to expand the Bel Air campus. AISD also changed to attendance zones for Bel Air and South. The district also got a new superintendent in Dr. Robert Steeber.
Why it makes the list: Simply passing the bond after so many years of futility would have been enough to make the list, but Dr. Steeber was also faced with rebuilding the majority of the administrative staff; plus he has to complete a construction project he didn’t plan.
Will it carry into 2012?: Absolutely – and watching how Dr. Steeber works should be a major storyline for next year.

Story No. 4 - Changes for county government: Henderson County got a new county judge in Richard Sanders and a new commissioner in Ken Geeslin this year. Not only that, but Commissioners’ Court also got a new home in the Henderson County Annex (the old Prosperity Bank Building).
Why it makes the list: Although the changes happened without much fanfare, the move of several county offices to the Annex will impact nearly every county resident. The changes to Commissioners’ Court will do the same at a time when all government is struggling (see Story 5).
Will it carry into 2012?: Yes, because Pct. 2 Commissioner Joe Hall has decided he will not run for reelection. His replacement, along with Sanders and Geeslin, could change the balance of power in the county government.

Story No. 5 - Painful budgets: From the State Legislature to the local city council, elected officials are dealing with rising costs and declining revenue. Like everyone else faced with reduced buying power, government has to choose which services to cut.
Why it makes the list: The biggest impact of the state’s budget cuts so far has been felt at the school districts. Almost every district had to cut teacher positions and programs this year.
Will it carry into 2012?: For sure. More budget cuts are coming for school districts next year, and even bigger cuts are expected when the State Legislature meets in 2013.

Week of December 19, 2011

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The top 5 Things for this week are pretty clear: the holidays, family, friends, peace and love.

It is just that time of the year.

I have really enjoyed bringing you the 5 Things — and the ensuing discussions — these past months. I am sure we will have plenty more to discuss in 2012; after all, you never know when we’ll end up in the national spotlight, say over a nativity scene.

Speaking of which, I have a feeling that story will find a place in the Top 5 Things for 2011 I will release next week, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

Week of December 12, 2011

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Story No. 1 – No Banner This Year: A Freedom From Religion Foundation spokeswoman confirmed Friday that there will be no FFRF banner on the courthouse lawn this year.
Why it is important: Pushing the issue to next year should drain some of the emotion out of the situation and give attorneys a chance to work out the legal points.
Learn more: The Malakoff News broke the story here.

Story No. 2 – Rally Time: A big crowd is expected for the Henderson County Nativity Rally Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. on the courthouse square.
Why it is important: After being relegated to social media for nearly two weeks, county Christians will be able to personally turn out “ in love, to unite and show the world the true spirit of Christ and Christmas.”
Learn more: The Athens Review, the Tyler Paper, and The Malakoff News all have stories.

Story No. 3 – Primary mess: By court order, filing for a spot on the Republican and Democratic party primary ballots has been extended to Monday. And it will be opened up again at a later time because no one knows what’s going on with redistrict maps. A good sign is that officials from both parties agreed to move the election date back to April 3, but that also has to be approved by a panel of judges, so who knows.
Why it is important: Because candidates can’t file if they don’t know what district they are in.
Learn more: The Review had a basic story, and here is a story from the Texas Tribune .

Story No. 4 – Thunder Bridge closing: The bridge over the Union Pacific Railway on CR 1500 on the edge of Athens will be closed, according to railway officials.
Why it is important: The bridge is more than 100 years old and it will cost around $1.5 million to replace, officials said. There are also several families along CR 1500 who have been cut off from a direct route to Athens.
Learn more: The Review had the story here.

Story No. 5 – School finance lawsuit: The Texas Coalition – which includes Malakoff ISD – filed its school finance lawsuit against the state in Austin last week.
Why it is important: Although it seems far away, legislators will soon be battling over more budget cuts.
Learn more: The Malakoff News had a story.

Week of December 5, 2011

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Most of the time, 5 Things is for busy area residents to catch up on the week’s big stories. This time, however, since just about everyone has heard that a Wisconsin-based organization is working to get Henderson County commissioners to remove a nativity scene from the courthouse lawn, we’ve decided to list the 5 Things you need to know about the issue.

Story No. 1 – Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) demands action: Monday afternoon, Henderson County Judge Richard Sanders received a letter, addressed to all commissioners, from the FFRF demanding that the commissioners “take immediate action to ensure that no religious displays are on city or county property.”
Why it is important: The threat of a lawsuit was implied by the letter, even if it wasn’t specifically stated.
Learn more: The story was reported by The Malakoff News, and the Athens Daily Review. After that the story was picked up by every media outlet from Dallas to Tyler and beyond.

Story No. 2 – County responds: County Attorney Clint Davis framed the county’s written response, saying: “Henderson County believes that it is in complete compliance with the requirements of the Constitution and acting very much in accord with prior U.S. Supreme Court rulings.”
Why it is important: Mainly because the FFRF, after reading Davis’s response, changed the direction of their legal argument.
Learn more: The Malakoff News  and the Athens Daily Review both had the story.

Story No. 3 – Social media drives story: While undoubtedly important, the issue went from a local to a regional story because of the deluge of comments from area residents on Facebook and media websites. Literally thousands of comments were posted in two days.
Why it is important: First, because it gives you a way to follow the twists and turns of the story. Second, because the entire episode is a lesson in the power of social media.
Learn more: Jayson Larson at the Athens Review took an interesting look at the first few hours on Facebook after the story broke.

Story No. 4 – National media pays attention: By Thursday morning, Henderson County Judge Richard Sanders and FBC Malakoff Pastor Nathan Lorick were on the Fox News Channel. Friday, Lorick was interviewed on the Glenn Beck radio show.
Why it is important: Any time a local gets on national television or radio, it’s news. It also is an example of just how big the story has become.
Learn more: Google “Nathan Lorick” and then click the news button. As of Thursday night there were 52 stories, including pieces from Fox News, the Washington Post, and St. Louis Today.

Story No. 5 – Pastors schedule rally: There will be a Henderson County Nativity Rally on the Courthouse Square from noon-1 p.m. next Saturday, Dec. 17. Today (Dec. 9), a group of more than 70 church leaders from around the county showed up at a meeting to help plan for the rally.
Why it is important: A few reasons – first, this has the possibility of blowing up into something really, really huge; second, nothing in this county has brought 70-plus Christian leaders together before; and third, there is a possibility of a live nativity scene on the square, which is always cool.
Learn more: Check out the event Facebook page here.

Week of November 28, 2011

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Story No. 1 – Primary filing period opens: Filing for the Republican and Democratic primary elections officially began this past Monday and will run through Dec. 15. The election will be held March 6.
Why it is important: Because there are plenty of important seats open this election cycle, including: State Senator, State Representative (x2), Sheriff, District Attorney, County Attorney, Pct. 1 Commissioner, and Pct. 3 Commissioner – not to mention several more localized races.
Learn more: The Malakoff News had a midweek roundup of filings. 

Story No. 2 – Parade time: Santa can’t come to town without a parade, it seems, and Henderson County residents have their choice of four different events over the next two weekends. Athens and Gun Barrel City will both be hosting parades this Saturday night. Next Saturday, Dec. 10, Malakoff will host the only daytime parade and Eustace will host its Christmas on the Square.
Why it is important: Because we don’t want any Scrooges around here.
Learn more: Here’s info on the Athens parade, the GBC parade, and the Malakoff parade. Sorry, we couldn’t find anything for Eustace except the date.

Story No. 3 – Michael Landers honored: Trinity Valley Community College women’s basketball coach Michael Landers received a plaque and some much deserved praise Wednesday night for reaching the 400-win mark.
Why it is important: Because the TVCC women’s basketball program is a source of excellence year in and year out — and you really don’t get to see excellence all that often.
Learn more: Not much else to say.
Bonus info.: Remember, the TVCC football Cardinals will be in the Citizens Bank Bowl this weekend.

Story No. 4 – Kendall Sanders decommits: Athens senior Kendall Sanders backed off his verbal commitment to play football at OSU this week, saying he would like to look closer at other offers.
Why it is important: Because the move came after an unofficial visit to Austin and the University of Texas — and everything about UT is important.
Learn more: UPDATE: On Friday, the Athens Daily Review reported that Kendall Sanders has decided to commit to the University of Texas. Jayson Larson at the Review has the latest.

Story No. 5 – Senate passes defense spending bill: The U.S. Senate Thursday passed a $662 billion defense spending plan. Included in the plan is a controversial provision that would allow the government to indefinitely detain suspected terrorists, even if they are American citizens.
Why it is important: Rarely does 5 Things pick a national story, but the balance between security and civil rights touches us all.
Learn more: To try and be fair we were going to run the stories from both Fox News and MSNBC, but both websites used the Associated Press version. Instead we flipped a coin, so here is the Associated Press story on Fox News - which is identical to the story on MSNBC.