Meet the candidates
Saturday, 06 February 2010 10:39 | 
Newspapers plan public forum to meet county candidates Feb. 18
By BRENDA BROWN
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The Citizens Journal and Cass County Sun will host a candidates’ forum for contested races for county positions in the March 2 primary elections.
The forum will begin 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, at Horne Enterprises in Atlanta. The format will allow citizens who attend to submit questions to the candidates. Questions should concern issues facing the county and/or particular precincts and questions about personal issues will not be allowed.
Contested races in the Democratic primary include county judge, Precinct 2 commissioner and justices of the peace in precincts 1 and 2. The candidates in the Precinct 4 justice of the peace race are also invited, though they will not face each other until the November election as one is a Democrat and the other a Republican and neither has an opponent in their respective primaries.
Candidates for county judge are incumbent Charles McMichael and George Fite.
In the commissioner’s race for Precinct 2 candidates are incumbent Danny Joe Shaddix and Henry Guinn.
Candidates for Precinct 1 JP are incumbent Barbara McMillon and Susan K. Fields.
For JP in Precinct 2, incumbent Gina Bassham will face Charles "Chuck" Wise and George McFarland.
In Precinct 4, Republican incumbent Charles Robison is unopposed in the primary but he will be challenged in the general election by Democrat candidate David Burden, who is also unopposed in that primary. Editor's Note: Robison and Burden's parties were misidentified in the printed version of the Journal; Robison is running for office as a Republican and Burden as a Democrat. The Journal apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused the candidates.
All of these candidates will receive invitations via fax, phone and/or email.
The doors at Horne Enterprises will open at 6 on the night of the forum in order for those who attend to have time to write down their questions and place them in boxes designated for each particular race. The questions will then be reviewed by an independent panel of at least three persons who will cull inappropriate and duplicate questions.
At the beginning of the program, candidates will have five minutes each to introduce themselves and then the question-and-answer portion of the program will begin, first with the justice of the peace candidates, followed by the commissioner candidates and then county judge candidates.
Last Updated ( Monday, 08 February 2010 11:30 )
Deadline is March 8 Saturday, 06 February 2010 10:32 |
Filing begins for city, school board elections By MARTI ALEXANDER This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Area cities and schools are gearing up for a Saturday, May 8, election. Candidates filing for office in the elections technically begins Saturday, Feb. 6, but no city or school board offices are open on weekends so filing really begins on Monday. The following positions up for election and those holding the positions are: Atlanta City Council – Mayor, Keith Crow; District 1, Chris Collins; and at-large, Robert Steger. Atlanta ISD Board of Trustees – At-large positions held by Joel Steger, Joe Wall, Ron Gipson and David Kennedy. Bloomburg City Council – Information regarding this election was unavailable at press time. Bloomburg ISD Board of Trustees – two at-large positions held by Ricky Orr and Timmy Stanley. Queen City City Council – Place 1, A.M. “Rip” Benefield; and Place 2, W.L. Quarles. Queen City ISD Board of Trustees – Place 1, Jack Wright; Place 2, Craig Beckham; and Place 3, Michael Hall The deadline to apply for a place on the ballot is 5 p.m. Monday, March 8, with the deadline to file as a write-in candidate to declare candidacy is Tuesday, March 16. The first day to apply for a voting ballot by mail is Tuesday, March 9, and early voting will begin on Monday, April 26. Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 February 2010 10:34 ) Qualified homeowners please apply Saturday, 06 February 2010 10:26 |
City gets HOME grant to build six new houses By MARTI ALEXANDER This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Atlanta has received a state grant to provide new homes for six low-income homeowners. The city’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program grant totals $449,280 and is from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Kathy Bowles of Lucas Consulting in Texarkana addressed city councilmen during Monday night’s meeting to inform them about the grant, which she wrote for the city. Applications from low-income homeowners will be accepted through March 19 and then Bowles will verify the information on the applications and begin interviewing candidates. “After that time, we will do inspections and appraisals of the current properties,” Bowles said. She said later in the spring they will know who is qualified. “If there are more than six people who qualify we will meet with the housing board to choose six,” Bowles said. “If there are six or less that qualify then those six will receive homes.” After the recipients are chosen, the information is sent to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs where legal documents will be drawn up. “It’s a long process and a lot of things that go into it, but it’s worth it,” she said. The purpose of the HOME Program is to expand the supply of decent, safe and affordable housing for low-income households. The program provides funds to demolish substandard housing and build new homes on the same sites. Participants in the program must live in a substandard home, reside within the city limits of Atlanta, own their own home, be current on their property taxes and have an income at or below 60 percent of the area median income. Income limits per family size are: one person, $19,140; two persons, $21,900; three persons, $24,600; four person, $27,360; five persons, $29,520; six persons, $31,740; and seven persons, $33,900. The new homes are constructed at no cost to participants and they are able to select the floor plans, colors and finishes for their homes. The houses are handicapped accessible depending on the needs of the homeowner. Assistance is in the form of a five-, 15-, or 20-year deferred forgivable loan, depending on the income of the homeowner. If a participant sells his or her home within that time period, he or she must repay a portion of the cost of the home back to TDHCA. After that time period, the loan is forgiven. The loan is also forgiven if the homeowner dies. Applications for the program are available at the Atlanta City Hall, 315 N. Buckner. Eligible applicants will be contacted for interviews and verification of information. For more information about the HOME Program, call city hall at 903-796-2192 or Kathy Bowles at 903-276-4995. Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 February 2010 10:29 ) |
City Council votes for easy payments Saturday, 06 February 2010 10:29 |
City will soon accept credit/debit payments By MARTI ALEXANDER This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it The city of Atlanta will soon accept debit cards for payments thanks to a decision made by the council during its Feb. 1 meeting. City Manager David Cockrell addressed the council about the purchase of a credit/debit card machine for the city. “We don’t currently accept these at this time,” he explained. “And these days that’s what most people are using.” A $1 convenience fee will be added to each payment made with a credit/debit card to cover the expense to the city. By purchasing this machine, Cockrell said he expects they will see fewer cutoffs of service. “We are asked daily if we accept debit cards,” he said. The city will accept Visa and MasterCard but not American Express. Cockrell said most customers use Visa or MasterCard anyway. In the event a credit/debit card used for payment has a chargeback, the customer will be charged a non-sufficient funds fee as it would if the payment was a hot check. The council voted unanimously to approve the purchase. Also in Monday’s meeting, the council approved the placement of a manufactured home at 2202-1/2 S. William St. The request was made by James F. Franklin, with Mrs. James F. Franklin present for the meeting to answer questions. Mrs. Franklin stated the home is for her parents to live in because they were flooded during one of the last rainfalls. The manufactured home will be a 2010 model and will be set off of the roadway. Neighbor Dennis Stanley questioned the site where the home would be located. He said he did not have a problem with it if it was going to be set far enough off of the road. “It would be sightly if it was by the road,” he said. Councilman J.R. O’Kelley questioned the placement of a manufactured home within the city limits. “Don’t we have an ordinance against this?” he asked. Mayor Keith Crow explained they try to keep manufactured homes in mobile home parks but there is no ordinance. “We just denied one request for a home on Pine Street,” O’Kelley said. O’Kelley made a motion to deny the request but that motion died for lack of a second. Councilman Kenneth McClure made a motion to approve the placement of the manufactured home as long as it is a certain distance away from the road. Councilman Robert Steger seconded the motion, which was approved with O’Kelley objecting and Steger abstaining from the final vote. In other matters, councilmen voted to approve a joint election for the city of Atlanta and Atlanta ISD on Saturday, May 8. The election judge is Virginia Carter and the alternate judge is Phyllis Fitts. Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 February 2010 10:31 ) Giant salvinia threat Saturday, 06 February 2010 10:05 |
Caddo Lake gathering takes aim at invasive plants Special to the Journal A World Wetlands Day celebration was Tuesday evening at the Karnack Community Center as Caddo Lake residents and organizations turned out to learn about the lake's Ramsar designation. "Ramsar is a voluntary program. If you become a Ramsar site, you are not regulated and people can join or take their land out of it at will," said Rick Lowree. The celebration of World Wetlands Day became a town hall meeting with about 75 people joining both to listen to presenters and voice their own concerns about Caddo Lake's invasive plant issues. About 20,000 acres of Caddo Lake are included in the Ramsar Treaty and defined as wetlands of international importance. The first 8,000 acres were protected by the treaty in 1993 and another 12,000 acres were added in 1998. Lowree also presented the issues for the lake in 2010 as being: — Invasive species; — water flow in the lake; — pollution and watershed protection; — economic development at the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge; — educational programs and proposals; — study of the Caddo Lake gravity dam; and — possible expansion of the Ramsar designation. "Giant salvinia was first discovered in a school pond demonstration near Houston," said Bob Pitman, a fisheries biologist and aquatic invasive species coordinator from New Mexico. It was first discovered in Caddo Lake on the Louisiana side in 2006. It began to migrate to the Texas-side and, in 2007, there was about 100 acres coverage in small clumps. By 2008, those fragments had begun to grow, Pitman said. "Giant salvinia will be here forever now. We can control that through scientific expertise available, but we will never eradicate it," said Pitman, who works under the Non-indigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990. He seemed very hopeful for working with the giant salvinia weevils as a long-term control method. Several presenters explained efforts that have been made in controlling the lake's giant salvinia growth. They also detailed several plans for future effort in controlling the plant's spread and in areas most needed for animal habitat and human use. Methods of controlling giant salvinia and water hyacinth, both floating vegetation, requires tremendous amounts of patience and cunning for sprayers as the plants move with the wind. They also cluster in some areas, swept there prevailing winds. Tim Bister, resident biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife, estimated there are 3,227 acres of giant salvinia on the lake. While it will not be known for sure how winter weather has ultimately affected the giant salvinia, there have been signs some of the plants have been damaged by freezing temperatures. "This winter, with the cold temperatures, we have seen a lot of evidence that some of it has been burned by frost, but there is plenty of green to come back in the spring," said Bister. Bister said spraying operations will begin again soon with emphasis on keeping the water lanes open to people who use the lake. Areas such as docks and boat roads will be given preference. "We want to keep the public boat ramps open," said Robert Speight with the Caddo Lake Navigational District. "It only takes one little piece to spread it to another lake." Speight and the CLND are in charge of spraying the lake's invasive plants with herbicides. He reported they have two boats, one of which is an air boat, and they can spray 10 gallons a minute over six acres an hour. "We need to throw all we have at this because it's not going anywhere," said Speight. Methods for controlling the plants on canals, more isolated regions and less populated areas were also discussed for those who hope to manage the plant's presence on their own or near their home. Use of booms for keeping the bulk of floating plants from re-entering was also suggested by Jack Canson who along with John Sanders conducted successful experiments with water harvesters. Detailed reports on their efforts are expected to be released later this month. Much of the differences in the methods used to clear the giant salvinia from the lake depend on the goal of long-term results or short-term triumphs. However, it was made clear by all presenting experts that there is little chance of ever eradicating the plant threats all together. Using the weevils, that are being developed to handle harsher winter temperatures, was included in long term solutions. Among short term solutions, use of harvesters were likened to "mowing your yard" and a job that would be ongoing into infinitum. The meeting was hosted by the Caddo Lake Clearinghouse is a combined effort of the city of Uncertain, the Greater Caddo Lake Association, the Caddo Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, the Friends of the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the Caddo Lake Institute. Reprinted with permission from the Marshall News Messeger. Reporter Terri Hahn can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 February 2010 10:35 ) |
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