The Nacogdoches County Commissioners Court will convene in a SPECIAL MEETING on the 13th day of May, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. in the Commissioners Courtroom, Suite 170, on the 18t floor of the South Wing of the Nacogdoches County Courthouse, 101 W. Main Street, Nacogdoches, Texas.
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This is a complete list of reports responded to by the Nacogdoches Police Department
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Stephen F. Austin State University senior Jacob Kelly recently received the George C. Marshall Award while attending the Army Cadet Command George C. Marshall Awards and Leadership Seminar in Lexington, Va.
The award recognizes a select number of students from a national pool as outstanding Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets of the year based on integrity, leadership, scholarship, duty and physical conditioning.
(Click To Make Larger) SFA ROTC Battalion Commander Jacob Kelly of Douglass, right, is presented with the George C. Marshall Award by Lt. Col. Todd Reichert, SFA military science professor, at the recent College of Liberal and Applied Arts honors banquet.
“Joining the Army is something I have wanted to do since high school,” said Kelly, commander of SFA’s Lumberjack Battalion. “This is a job that I love and that I’m good at.”
Kelly, a graduate of Douglass High School, was selected from the SFA Army ROTC program to represent the university among 273 other cadets from across the country.
“We are honored to select Cadet Jacob Kelly as our representative to attend this important seminar,” said Lt. Col. Todd Reichert, SFA military science professor. “Through his hard work and dedication to our organization, he has proven himself to be an outstanding leader with unlimited potential.”
Since 1977, the Marshall Foundation, in affiliation with the U.S. Army, has brought nearly 9,500 college seniors to the foundation to receive the Marshall Award and participate in the seminar.
“It was an honor to meet with the secretary of the Army and several three-and four-star generals,” Kelly said. “This was a big deal for me to receive this award, and I’m very excited and thankful.”
Award winners attended a three-day seminar that focused on national security issues. Cadets participated in discussions led by military experts and other federal government officials.
This year’s guest speakers included John McHugh, secretary of the Army, and Gen. Martin Dempsey, Army chief of staff.
“Cadet Kelly represents the quality of men and women who volunteer to serve our country as Army officers and will make a tremendous impact on our national security,” Reichert said.
Kelly says he will receive armored training at Fort Benning, Ga., from September through February. Armored troops are responsible for all of the tank and cavalry reconnaissance operations on the battlefield.
Kelly and eight other graduating cadets will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army Friday at SFA. One Navy ensign also will be commissioned during the ceremony, which will be held at 5 p.m. in the Twilight Ballroom of the Baker Pattillo Student Center.
James I. Perkins, president and chairman of the board of Citizens 1st Bank, former Regent and longtime supporter of Stephen F. Austin State University, will offer the commencement address during spring graduation ceremonies Saturday, May 14.
Perkins, a Tyler resident, is a native of Rusk, an SFA alumnus and received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. He served on the SFA Board of Regents from 1969 to 1981 and is a former chairman. He is one of the founders and a former chairman of the SFASU Foundation. In 2007, the education college, the largest of SFA’s six colleges, was named the James I. Perkins College of Education in his honor.
Also an active attorney, Perkins is a former Rusk city attorney and Cherokee County attorney, an Eagle Scout and Navy veteran. He has been appointed by three Texas governors to serve on state boards, and has served as adviser to the Texas Comptroller and the State Banking Commissioner. Under his leadership, Citizens 1st Bank has been named “The Safest Bank in Texas,” “The Most Profitable Bank in Texas,” and “The Texas Family Business of the Year.” Perkins has been named the “Citizen of the Year” in Rusk. He and his wife, Margaret Hoover Perkins, a bank director and teacher, were named “Citizens of the Year” in Tyler.
More than 75 scholarships are awarded annually by the Perkins family and Citizens 1st Bank, with 40 designated for SFA. The Perkins family also has endowed one professorship and three five-year research grants at the university.
The Perkins have two children, Laura Perkins Fonville and James I. Perkins Jr., both attorneys and directors of Citizens 1st Bank. James is a graduate of SFA and a member of the SFASU Foundation board. Laura, a Dallas attorney, is married to Jerry Fonville, an SFA alumnus and law-enforcement officer.
SFA commencement ceremonies will begin at 9:30 a.m. at William R. Johnson Coliseum. The graduating class is expected to be one of the largest in SFA’s history, with more than 1,200 degrees to be awarded, including 1,022 bachelor’s degrees, 106 master’s degrees and five doctoral degrees. More than 260 students will graduate with honors, including 102 cum laude, 78 magna cum laude and 88 summa cum laude.
The City of Nacogdoches is excited to announce a free, fun-filled children’s event to be held at Durst Taylor Historic House and Gardens. The Woodworkers Club of East Texas is hosting a children’s workshop where every child will build a wooden birdhouse or birdfeeder! The Woodworkers Club of East Texas has built several tables and display cases for the City of Nacogdoches Historic Sites Department and the Chamber of Commerce and is excited to offer their love of woodworking and skills to future generations of woodworkers. Every child who participates in the workshop gets to take their handmade birdhouse or birdfeeder home; so come for a morning of building and leave with your work of art!
The event will be Saturday, May 14th from 9 am to 11 am at the Durst-Taylor Historic House and Gardens, 304 North Street. Participants are encouraged to preregister for the workshop by calling Phil Herman at 559-9216 or Bruce Hendry at 569-6159. Those not pre-registered will be welcomed, but at a first come first served basis. Any area children ages 6 to 14 are welcome to attend, but we do ask that all children are accompanied by an adult to assist in their woodworking.
The event is free – just bring an interest in making things with wood; the Woodworkers Club of East Texas will supply the rest! It’s a terrific way to spend a Saturday with your family. We look forward to seeing everyone at 9am on May 14th as we build beautiful birdhouses and birdfeeders.
For more information about the Event or the Durst-Taylor Historic House and Gardens, contact the Historic Sites Department at 936-560-4443 or by email at historicsites@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us . You can contact the Woodworkers Club of East Texas at 559-9216.
Chris Herrington, Contributing Writer
Before we completely give ourselves over to the revengeful glee we have seen portrayed as regards the death of an enemy, we might look beyond our sense of justice and satisfaction for a second or two. Was the guy a rotten scoundrel, no doubt, given his history of taking the training we gave him and using it and the money his family earned by our buying oil from them to terrorize us. It makes us wonder who else we may be training and trading with that might eventually do us a disservice.
Germany came back several times to wreak havoc in our lives: in the 19th Century, and at the beginning and middle of the 20th Century. They just could not be done with the French, it seemed.
The Chinese may not be completely lacking in compelling reasons to advance themselves into Tibet, North Korea, or towards the south, as they did in Viet Nam, and now may do regarding Pakistan. They have a past with Japan. They are hungry for resources.
We have 1,300 military bases worldwide, or more, and many people have served with our military in training exercises, as did those who were trained at the School of the Americas. We have had our troubles in the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and many other island nations. We have made enemies all over the world.
When I was a kid, we had 80 nations on the planet, and now we have over 200: We don’t have more land; the land is split up into smaller countries that were dissatisfied with their governments. Some of those governments were supported by America and Americans.
There is a tremendous amount of dissatisfaction in the world, and, with all of our tendrils reaching out into the political and economic universe, it seems that we need to be aware of the potential for our turning another bad apple into a rotting corpse.
So, this is really not a time to be celebrating the death of one of our former allies; we need to spend time reflecting on where we went wrong. If we name all of the regimes we have supported in the past, we can begin to see where we might have started down the wrong track.
http://tfclub.tripod.com/list.html
http://thalassiana.blogspot.com/2011/02/list-of-dictators-supported-by-united.html
http://www.bluebloggin.com/2008/01/11/history-of-us-backed-dictators-redux/
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389×1994032
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1671
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dictators
It seems that the whole mindset of the American foreign policy is to support those who have what we want and to oppose those who do not allow us to have access to what we want. I am not sold that this is what we need to think of as the operational definition of “freedom.”
As I saw so many overjoyed at the news of bin Laden’s death, it occurred to me that we are celebrating death, and not life. Automatically, we heard 9/11 revisited, and the numerous reasons we had for hunting down this killer. On the news, we saw the compound where he had lived for years, right under the noses of the Pakistani military. We entered a sovereign nation, assassinated people who were unarmed, and we “buried the body at sea” in order to keep from creating a shrine. I, for one, wish that he had not been killed but rather that he had been captured, and had lived long enough to see what becomes of his offspring, al Qaeda. Should we capture them all, of course. Should we fight them in the streets and in their lairs, wherever they are, yes, of course. I’m not such a purest that I believe that we should not protect ourselves, our families, our nation. Far from it. I do, however, believe that at no time will there ever arise the need to celebrate the death of another human being. I would never want to dehumanize myself enough for me to objectify the personhood of another human, even a mass murderer, such as bin Laden. I would not want to be perceived as relishing any death, not by my children nor by my enemies.
We cannot take the high road in a battle in a worldwide war for the conscience of our planet if we are to become like those whom we are fighting. It is indefensible. I would not want to argue that I have some spiritual truth to offer the world, and yet my approach is offer only military solutions for all problems. I feel this way about the drug war, the illegal worker problem, and the constant bickering between those on either side of the national debate on reforming healthcare, education, and public policies of national security. Once we have added threatening language and deadly force to the table, the potential for honesty and negotiation is gone. No, I would not negotiate with terrorists, but I would negotiate what we should do with them once they are caught. We do not have that option once the terrorist is dead. If anything, the best message would have been Osama bin Laden, terrorist and ruthless destroyer, in court in the United States of America, answering directly to the people. This would show the world what justice really looks like. Revenge is not justice, but rather it is acting without mercy. To do the same to him is to be like him, to be him, to be bin Laden.
If I am free to respond, then I can act beyond the emotions of pain and frustration, beyond revenge and anger, free to look at all of the facts, in context, the transcripts open to the world for all to see that the United States deals with all criminals with equal justice. He may have been angry with us, settled the score by stealing planes, killing women and children, attacking civilians, and causing a panic, but we can do one better. We can operate within the laws we hold so dear, take our enemies captive, hold them in the seat of judgment. Reveal the truth behind his arguments, and the lies. And we can show the world that we are America, the land of the free and the home of those who are brave enough to use due process as the pathway to justice.
I would have voted for bin Laden to be held, judged, and convicted, and that he be jailed for life in maximum security, never to see the light of day, and to watch FOX News, NPR, FreeSpeechtv, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, and Comedy Central on a rotating basis 24 hours a day for the remainder of his life. This is the punishment I would wish on my worst enemy, to see the American people going on with their lives, unfettered by hatred, free and alive.
runningturtle87
Chris Herrington can be reached at herrington@everythingnac.com
Jason Bridges Pct 4
The Nacogdoches County Constable Office Precinct 4 has conducted a series of felony arrest Tuesday morning. Constable Bridges stated that his office has been conducting an investigation into numerous thefts and burglaries that have occurred in the Woden, Etoile, Shady Grove and Melrose area. The investigation started about a month ago when the constable office received an anonymous tip of where some possible stolen property was located at. Constable Bridges advised that this tip lead to a series of events that would enable the Constable office to clear One Burglary of a residence, four burglaries of a building and Ten theft cases that have occurred in precinct 4. We have been working this case for about a month now and it has been non stop Bridges said. We have interviewed well over 35 people and have traveled outside of the county several times to interview possible witness or suspects as well as to recover some of the stolen property.
The Constable Office has recovered one generator, two rifles, one horse saddle, two chain saws, one flat screen Television, one all terrain vehicle, flat bottom boat and other stolen property that came from a drilling rig site. During the investigation, the constable office executed two search warrants in Etoile, Texas that help lead to the recovery of stolen property, along with other items that were founds at both locations were marijuana.
A total of 15 arrest warrants have been issued for 12 defendants in this case. Most of the suspects have been charged with Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity. Constable Bridges stated that this was basically one big theft ring that we can link to at least 15 offenses that have been committed in our precinct over the course of the last four months. The constable Office has been able to clear many copper thefts that have been reported over the last few months, along with the burglary offenses.
Constable Bridges stated that different charges were filed depending on what the actually offense committed was. The Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity Charges will enhance the original charge to one level higher than the original offense. Charges have ranged from a 1st degree felony offense to a state jail felony offense.
Arrested Tuesday were, Blake Kenner 21 years of age from Shady Grove, Jimmy Dempsey 19 years of age from Woden, Texas, Lucretia Nowman 43 years of age from Etoile, Texas, Derek Stewart 19 years of age from Woden, Texas, Dylan Torbert 20 years of age from Woden, Texas, James Payne 24 years of age from Woden, Texas, All arrested for Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity which are all felony offenses.
Also arrested Oscar Nowman 54 years and Joseph Nowman Sr 56 years of age both from Etoile, Texas, were both arrested for Theft of a Firearm State Jail Felony.
Warrants have also been issued for the arrest of Joseph Nowman Jr. of Etoile, Tx for Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity and Tommy Earl Harris (No Mugshot available as of May 12) 48 years of age of Nacogdoches, Texas for theft. Both subjects have not been apprehended at this time.
Constable Bridges stated that his office also brought two theft charges against one Juvenile. There are also two more suspects still under investigation that possible charges may be filed upon at a later date.
Betty Jane Lucas
Funeral service for Betty Jane Lucas, 72, of Nacogdoches will be held at 10:30 am Friday, May 13, 2011, at First Church of the Nazarene in Nacogdoches. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery.
Mrs. Lucas died on Monday, May 9, 2011, in Nacogdoches. She was born July 9, 1938 to Edgar and Mary Kostal Duke.
Betty graduated from Nacogdoches High School in 1956 and was retired from Moore Business Forms (RR Donnelly). She was involved with her church which included traveling with church members on numerous mission trips. Betty assisted with the administration of the Nacogdoches Christian Academy.
Betty loved gardening and taking care of her flowers. Most of all Betty loved her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her children, Wayne Lucas of Nacogdoches, Cecil Lucas and wife Mary of Nacogdoches, Carl E. Lucas, Jr., and wife Nancy of Palestine; sister, Della Maler; brother, James Duke; grandchildren, Chris Lucas and wife Emily, Mendy Willaby and husband Jerry, Michael Lucas- Emerson, Cecil Lucas Jr. and wife Monica, Joseph Lucas, Jacob Lucas, and Brady Lucas; great-grandchildren, John Thomas Lucas, Karlie Irvin, Logan Lucas, Jaycee Willaby, Taylor Willaby, Aiden Lucas, and Kently Lucas; three step-great grandchildren, Ashton, Robert, and Rebecca.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Carl Ed Lucas; daughter-in-law, Lilly Lucas; sister, Margie Duke, and brother, Victor Duke.
Visitation will be from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Thursday, May 12, 2011, at Cason Monk-Metcalf 5400 North St. Nacogdoches.
Condolences may be offered at www.casonmonk-metcalf.com
This is the report from the Nacogdoches County Jail that lists the arrests made from 6 a.m. of the previous day to 6 a.m. of the listed day.
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This is the report from the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office that list the reports from 6 a.m. of the previous day to 6 a.m. of the listed day.
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