Home > Talk of Lufkin > Archives > 2008 > June
June 2008
Courthouse bursting at the seams
Some have called it the “ugliest courthouse in Texas” as they fondly recall it’s dome-shaped predecessor.
Whether or not people agree on the Angelina County courthouse design, one fact is clear, the county is growing exponentially and the current facilities may not necessarily be able to keep up.
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DA: Charges not likely in Diboll election case
No criminal charges will likely be filed against five Angelina County residents who inappropriately voted in a recent Diboll city council election where they are not registered to vote, according to Angelina County District Attorney Clyde Herrington.
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Citation to lose 128 jobs
About one quarter of Citation’s jobs at the Lufkin foundry will be lost beginning in August due to consolidation efforts, according to an Internet company press release.
Citation announced Thursday via its Web site at www.citation.net that it was cutting back its Lufkin workforce by 128 hourly and salaried employees. The location has a total of 466 workers. The move was a strategic decision to support capital investments at its plant in Brewton, Ala., eliminating process redundancies and optimizing its manufacturing footprint, the release stated.
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Supreme Court rules in favor of Second Amendment gun right
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense in their homes, the justices’ first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.
The court’s 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia’s 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms restrictions intact. — The Associated Press
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Burning yard waste
If your neighbor’s yard waste burning has you gasping for air, there’s something you can do about it.
In the city of Lufkin, brush, grass, leaves, branch trimmings or other plant growth can be burned as long as it’s burned on the property it came from and the person doing the burning is the property owner or has permission from the property owner.
Should a neighbor complain about the smoke, the person burning has to stop and cannot burn on that property again, according to the city.
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Aspen Power preparing to kick off construction on Lufkin biomass plant
Aspen Power hopes to break ground soon on the first biomass power plant in Texas.
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Martel named lone finalist for Diboll superintendent job
Athletic director and head football coach Gary Martel was named the lone finalist for Diboll ISD’s superintendent position at Monday’s board meeting. Martel, two years into his second stint at Diboll, said he is excited about the opportunity.
http://www.lufkindailynews.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/06/18/diboll_super.html”>Full story
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Diboll council candidate withdraws amid controversy
Amid controversy involving illegal voting, Diboll city council candidate Gary Mike Smith has withdrawn from the council election. Full story.
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Report: Percentage of unhealthy students at LISD ‘striking’
Educators in Texas, including those in Lufkin, are placing more emphasis on health programs in preparation for the 2008-09 school year. With obesity levels of children rising across the board, the state is beefing up its curriculum to make sure exercise becomes more of a routine in student’s lives. Full story.
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City council approves incentive package for company interested in moving into Shell building
Lufkin City Council on Tuesday approved an incentive package for a company interested in moving into the Lufkin/Angelina County Economic Development Partnership’s Shell building. The name of the company cannot be released until the deal is final. Full story.
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EDITORIAL: On Track?
During a week when there was a good deal of local buzz about the Texas Department of Transportation’s plans for routing the new Interstate 69, another transportation issue that will directly impact East Texas was garnering even bigger headlines across the nation.
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EDITORIAL: I-69
Elected officials across East Texas, along with anti-Trans-Texas Corridor advocates across the state, proclaimed a victory for the little people this past week when the Texas Department of Transportation announced its decision to stick to current roadways when it builds the proposed Interstate 69.
And, really, it is a good thing for the untold number of property owners who might have been forced to give up huge chunks of land to the government, had TxDOT decided to build the TTC version of I-69 through the East Texas countryside.
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Contractors dismantling paper mill equipment
Contractors have begun dismantling equipment at the AbitibiBowater paper mill.
Pumps, motors and other equipment will be moved to other AbitibiBowater locations once dismantled, according to plant manager Delton Smith. Smith said only certain pieces will be moved.
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‘A victory for the little people’
For years, government officials, Texas Department of Transportation spokesmen and rural landowners have gone toe-to-toe over where the Trans-Texas Corridor/I-69 would be placed and over whose land it would run through. Highway opponents have said some of the proposed routes would have threatened farms, family cemeteries and natural lands.
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TxDOT: I-69 to follow U.S. 59 around Lufkin, and tolls will only be charged on lanes that are added
The Texas Department of Transportation this morning released a map of the proposed Interstate 69/Trans-Texas Corridor, after announcing Tuesday evening that it would follow the path of the current U.S. Highway 59.
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Pain at the pump: Rising gas prices inch closer toward $4
It has become a common sight to see gas prices increasing at a steady rate. But with the price of regular gasoline coming dangerously close to becoming $4 a gallon in Lufkin, local drivers and companies that are reliant on fuel are being forced to step back and consider how the prices will affect them if they don’t begin to decrease soon.
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Brouhaha develops over Diboll city election
Two Diboll city council candidates are caught in the middle of what has turned into a mess from a May 10 election.
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EDITORIAL: Jail Security
Angelina County Jail administrators, led by Sheriff Kent Henson, considered 25-year-old Jeffrey Keith McMullen safe enough to put on a work detail.
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Jasper residents pursuing peace
With one voice, the city is working to heal itself from a gruesome past while pursuing peace amid ongoing racism.
Ten years ago today, three white supremacists beat, stripped and chained James Byrd Jr., 49, a black man, to the back of their truck and dragged him to death on a country road east of town.
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Hudson school grieves ‘sweet boy’ who drowned at Hanks Creek Park
A 13-year-old Huntington boy who drowned in Sam Rayburn Reservoir while swimming with friends at Hanks Creek Park on Saturday night was “a sweet boy,” an educator said Monday.
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Jail considers new classification system following inmate’s capture
Angelina County Jail administrators are looking into using a different classification system for inmates following the Friday walk-off of a convicted sex offender trustee who was captured Sunday in a neighboring county.
“We hope to prevent someone from slipping through the system again,” said Capt. Louise Marshall.
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County beefing up courthouse security
Visitors to the Angelina County Courthouse may notice it’s a little less accessible these days.
