Tag Archives: athens

Week of January 30, 2012

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The Malakoff Tigers will put their three-year playoff streak on the line next season in a district which includes Kemp and Eustace.

Story No. 1 – UIL redistricting: The University Interscholastic League released the results of its bi-annual reshuffle Thursday. Locally, Athens-Mabank-Brownsboro all ended up in a district together, while over on Cedar Creek Lake Malakoff-Eustace-Kemp are all in the same district.
Why it is important: Nothing builds a rivalry like games that count.
Learn more: Jayson Larson over at the Review has a rundown of the local districts. For the complete list, check out the UIL site.

Story No. 2 – Fire chief indicted: The former president and fire chief of the now-defunct Shady Oaks VFD was indicted late last week for theft and misappropriation of fiduciary property (means he’s charged with stealing from the VFD).
Why it is important: Beyond the impact on that one VFD, this case is likely to have an impact on the way Commissioners’ Court handles its contracts with the volunteer fire departments.
Learn more: Here’s the story.

Story No. 3 – Church event: Henderson County churches are organizing an outreach event at the Cain Center for Feb. 11. This is a direct outgrowth of the Nativity Rally which brought an estimated 5,000 to the Courthouse Square in December.
Why it is important: If area churches start actively reaching out to the poor and hurting it can only help the county.
Learn more: Area journalist and blogger Michael V. Hannigan has a story.

Story No. 4 – Elections snafu: Well, the date for Texas primaries got even more murky this week (if that’s possible), with federal judges in D.C. telling a San Antonio court not to expect any help from them for at least 30 days.
Why it is important: Because we all have to keep up with what’s becoming a running joke.
Learn more: The Houston Chronicle breaks it down.

Story No. 5 – Your taxes are late!: I sure hope this doesn’t come as a surprise, but county taxes were due by Tuesday, Jan. 31.
Why it is important: If you forgot, there is a 7 percent penalty which increases monthly.
Learn more: Here’s some information from the Review.

 

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.

Week of November 7, 2011

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Story No. 1 – SFC Benny Don Rogers comes home: SFC Rogers was 20 when he went missing from a battlefield in Unsan, North Korea in November 1950. He has been MIA for more than 60 years, but his remains were identified recently and he has come home. He will be buried with all military honors 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at Willow Springs Baptist Church in Athens.
Why it is important: Friday is Veterans Day. Can anything be more poignant than bringing him home over Veterans Day?
Learn more: There were stories by the Athens Review, The Malakoff News, The Tyler Paper, KLTV and probably many more.

Story No. 2 – Burn ban over: For seven months Henderson County has been under a burn ban, but no longer. County commissioners allowed the ordinance to lapse this week, effectively lifting the ban and allowing outdoor burning under the normal rules.
Why it is important: There is a lot of trash in the county that has built up over the past seven months. Now is the time to get it all taken care of because the drought will continue, frost will kill vegetation making the fire danger higher, and the county will reset the burn ban… maybe as early as this Tuesday.
Learn more: The Athens Review and The Malakoff News both have stories. You can also find what constitutes the “normal” rules on the county website.

Story No. 3 – Athens continues with No Smoking ordinance: Wednesday, the Athens City Council and staff discussed some of the specifics of a No Smoking ordinance. It will take a few weeks, but it looks like the ordinance is headed for a public hearing and then a vote.
Why it is important: It sounds like the ordinance will cover the interior of all public buildings – restaurants, stores, offices, etc. – and will even cover structures like pavilions and concession stands at the parks.
Learn more: The only one who covered this issue is The Local Cheat Sheet, so read it here.

Story No. 4 – No doesn’t always mean no for alcohol: In both Murchison and Gun Barrel City, voters said no Tuesday in local option alcohol elections. But don’t think the two towns were on the same side of the booze issue. Murchison voted down selling beer and wine for off-premises consumption. Gun Barrel City voted down shortening the hours alcohol can be sold.
Why it is important: Always good to know who is wet and who is dry. It is also interesting to note that the Murchison vote breaks a string of victories for the proponents of alcohol sales (Mabank, Malakoff, Athens).
Learn more: The Athens Review had the story plus the results from the constitutional amendment election that nearly no one voted in.

Story No. 5 – Malakoff, Eustace, Cross Roads; it’s the playoffs: The post season is here in football and volleyball. The Cross Roads Lady ‘Cats have advanced all the way to the Regional Tournament, and will play Friday night in Weatherford. Malakoff and Eustace will enter the bi-district round of the football playoffs, also on Friday.
Why it is important: Everybody loves the playoffs. Besides, these are three compelling stories and not just teams that got in because nearly everybody gets in nowadays. The Lady ‘Cats are just two matches away from a trip to Austin; in a sport that has become pass happy, Eustace wins with three 1,000-yard rushers; and Malakoff is in the midst of its best, sustained run of football since 1947.
Learn more: The Athens Review sports page really is pretty good and has a lot of information on all three teams. The Malakoff News has a story on the Tigers making history.
Bonus Info: Cross Roads senior Anna Cross signed a letter of intent this week to play softball for Division 1 Louisiana Tech University. Cross is also a big cog in the Lady ‘Cat volleyball machine.

5 Things Extra: Athens still pursuing No Smoking ordinance

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The discussion continues at Athens City Hall regarding a Smoking Ban ordinance.

Wednesday (Nov. 9) afternoon, council members and staff talked about the issue during a workshop meeting. Although any action is likely weeks away still, the proposed ordinance is rounding into shape.

As currently discussed, the ordinance would ban all smoking inside of public buildings. That includes restaurants, stores, government buildings, offices – anywhere open to the public.
It looks like the ordinance will allow smoking outdoors in these places, as long as the designated smoking area is at least 20 feet away from entrances.

The ban may also include structures like pavilions, concession stands, bathrooms, and baseball stands at the parks in the city (Cain, Coleman and Kiwanis). Again, as discussed Wednesday, smoking would be allowed 20 feet from these structures.

City officials said there would be two public hearings before any ordinance is voted upon.

Week of October 10, 2011

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(Photo by Muffet used under a Creative Commons License)

Story No. 1 – Burn Ban: Henderson County Commissioners’ Court extended the burn ban again this week. The ban has been in effect since April with commissioners renewing it every two weeks. There was one important change this week: residents can use propane grills and smokers to cook outdoors now. Charcoal is still a no-no.
Why it is important: Area residents might think the drought is over because of the recent rains. Wrong! Henderson County is still near the top of the Keetch-Bynum Drought scale. You don’t want to pick up a $500 fine for burning a pile of leaves or grilling a burger the wrong way. Plus, if you start a fire and it gets out of control, you are the one liable for the damages to your neighbor’s property.
Learn more: The Henderson County Fire Marshal’s Office has the ordinance posted online.
Extra: Fire Marshal Darrell Furrh announced this week indictments and arrests were made in two separate arson cases around Cedar Creek Lake. Read about that here.

Story No. 2 – County Offices Move: Henderson County government offices began moving into the new Annex (the old Prosperity Bank Building) this month. Departments already calling the Annex home include the Tax and Auto Office, Veterans’ Affairs, the IT Department, the County Treasurer and the County Auditor. Next week, Commissioners’ Court will begin holding its meetings in Room 100 of the Annex. Meetings will still be held on Tuesdays at 9 a.m.
Why it is important: You don’t want to get lost when you have to pay your taxes.
Learn more: Here is a story from June 2010, when the county closed on the bank building, as a reminder of how we got to this point.

Story No. 3 – Domestic Violence Awareness Month: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. County officials and domestic abuse survivors gathered on the Courthouse Square in Athens Tuesday to mark the occasion.
Why it is important: Because Henderson County has a very real, but very quiet domestic violence problem. In the past year, local agencies (Crisis Center, HELP Center, Family Peace Project) have assisted 897 new domestic violence victims or children of victims in Henderson County alone.
Learn more: Here’s the Athens Review story of the proclamation signing. The Texas Council on Family Violence has a very informative website.

Story No. 4 – Edom Festival of the Arts: The annual Edom Festival of the Arts will be this weekend, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival features art, music, fun for the kids, and great food.
Why it is important: This event is nearly 40 years old and is the biggest art festival in the area; there’s nothing else like it in this part of Texas. Also, your Saturday alternative is that honey-do list.
Learn more: Check out the Edom website.

Story No. 5 – Texas Rangers: The Texas Rangers lead the American League Championship Series 3-2 and are just one game away from their second straight World Series appearance. The Rangers will play the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 Saturday night with Game 7, if necessary, scheduled for Sunday night.
Why it is important: Two reasons. First, win or lose, the Rangers are what everyone will be talking about Monday morning and you don’t want to be left out. Second, the other option is the Cowboys and does anyone really think they will beat New England Sunday?
Learn more: Check out the Texas Rangers website or the Official site of Major League Baseball.