Wills Point Chronicle (Newspaper) - March 4, 2005, Wills Point, Texas Van Zandt County Days In Austin Set See Story Page Since 1879 See Story Page VOLUME 126 NUMBER 9 PANCAKE DAY SET FOR SATURDAY Q The Wills Point Fire Department will host their annual pan- cake day March 5 from 7 to I at Wills Point High School The breakfast includes pan- cakes sausage hot choco late and coffee Tickets for the breakfast are each and may be purchased from any fire fighter Several items including Maverick tickets a gauge shotgun a month of tanning a tool box a weed trimmer as well as gift certificates have beeri donated as prizes by local merchants Ticket holders do not have to be present to win All proceeds will be used by the fire department to pay for the loan on the new brush truck which was received on a matching grant from the Texas For- For more information about purchasing tickets for the breakfast or to make a donation to the ment call 903 1 CEMETERY ASSOCIATION To ELECT OFFICERS Q The annual meeting of the White Rose etery Association Inc will be held Saturday April 2 at p.m in Mitchell Hall of the Train Depot located at 210 West South Commerce in Wills Point corner if Street and South At this meeting three di- rectors will be elected to serve on the board for a term of threeyears Anyone wishing his or her name on the ballot must be a valid space owner at White Rose Cemetery Also a letter stating his or her desire to seek tion must be submitted to the board of White Rose Cemetery Inc Box 98 Wills Point TX 75 169 at least one week prior to the April 2 meeting INDEX Chamber SB Obituaries 2003 Texas Pros Warner 2004 Texts 2004 Texts Prets Also Covering Lake Tawakoni and Elmo 2 SECTIONS 18 PAGES WITH INSERTS WILLS POINT TEXAS 903 Van Zandt Newspapers FRIDAY MARCH City School I np Filing To Close Monday By Wilbur Callaway Correspondent Filings for the Wills Point School Board and city council elections May 7 promises a couple of heated races since all positions are being There are 10 candidates already on the ballot for the city council and oral race while the school board had four candidates as of Monday The final day to file for either tion is Monday March 1 and the last day for a write-in candidate is April 11 Candidates for the city council or mayor race can file at the Wills Point City Hall 120 North 5th and school board candidates can file at the Wills Point ISO Administration Building 338 Commerce Those on the ballot seeking the three open full two-year terms for the city council are incumbents Fran Carter and Mike Joyner along Bobby Burrow Mark Turner Oscar Rogers and Scott Stevens Incumbent Mayor Roy Caldwell is running for another term unopposed Incumbent councilman Herbert Dunn Debra Fry and Randy Reagan are all running for the one-year See Page Man Arrested On Multiple Charges Following Pursuit By Julie Vaughan Editor A registered sex of- fender led Wills Point lice on a 30 mile chase into three counties day morning after he was spotted by an officer he had ran from previously Wills Point Police De- Investigator Scott Johnson said Frank Joseph Sousa Jr 29 Wills Point led police through Van Zandt Hunt and Kaufman Counties after he was recognized by of- ficer James Lee Sousa had led Lee on a chase in 2004 when lice lost him He recognized him the color of the hicle and him Lee re- what he Sousa looked Johnson explained He was over here and went to tor a house over here and as suspect J into The Fire Department received a grant from tte vice to Mp purchase Ford brush truck into Fire Department Receives New Truck The Wills Point Volunteer Fire Department was awarded a grant from the Texas Forestry Service to help chase a 2005 Ford brush truck which was put into vice February 14 The purchase price of the truck was around The fire department will be sible for 10 percent about of that cost With four-wheel drive the hicle can in off-road ar- eas It has a water Field nozzles were In- stalled in the front bumper When turned on the nozzles spray water to the sides to help prevent the truck from ing fire Fire department personnel said the truck will be used for grass and wild land fires Board By Kenneth L Skierski Staff Writer of rounding cities Canton Grand Saline Van and Wills Point sent representatives to Canton to be sworn in as Van Zandt County Rural Rail District Board bers February 25 The board consists of Jim Stephens from Canton Vic Wetherholt of Canton Wiley Garland of Grand Saline McMillan of Van and Lettie Clark of Wills Point County judge Rhita Koches swore the members in and then John Helsley President of Com- munity Rail Development Cor- welcomed them Helsley led presided over the meeting since the officers had yet to be selected In the first order of business Helsley opened the floor for nominations for president of the Stephens nominated Wetherholt for the position ing Wetherholt diligent hard work in being responsible for the rail district being established in Van Zandt County Wetherholt was elected as County Okays Precinct 3 Bids president Stephens as dent and McMillan was elected treasurer Not present at the meeting was Wiley Garland who had a prior commitment Van Zandt County Rural Rail District is now one of the 29 rail districts in over 70 counties across the state of stated Helsley as he addressed the company will act as a consultant for the and advise on a year-to-year services contract We are here to guide you in the right staled Helsley anything we can identify that will help we will inform the board We are her to coordinate that for you The participating cities EDC boards approved paying proximately each to the rail district with hopes of increasing revenues from use of the railroads tracts in Van Zandt County Freight and commuter vices on the rail are becoming more and more a viable tive for shipping freight and See RAIL Page Debater Does Well At Tourney By Wabur Callaway Correspondent Van Zandt County Commissioners awarded a bid and approved a payment during a brief special session Tuesday morning before going into a workshop Van Zandt County Auditor John Shinn said three bids had been opened the previous Friday for a motorgrader for Precinct 3 along with one bid for a wheel loader for the same precinct After looking over the bids Precinct 3 Commissioner Kelles Miller said he would favor a bid for from Continental Equipment Company for a 1999 motorgrader with approximately hours The other motorgrader bids were both from Romeo ment one for for a 2003 motorgrader with approximately 545 hours and one for for a new The commissioners voted to accept the bid Romeo Equipment entered a bid for for a new wheel loader but Miller re- quested that the item be since that was the only bid re- The commissioners agreed to put it out for bids again The court then discussed proving a payment of to Harrison Walker Harper for construction preparation for the new county jail addition as part of the original contract Miller said Before I came on the commissioners court in ary I understood that work on the See BIDS By Wilbur Callaway Correspondent Ralph Mayrell Wills Point High School's standout senior debater added to his honors February 26 in Lindale as he placed second in the Douglas Debate at the Texas Debate Tournament His sponsor Tobie Pickens said He was one of about 70 entries and won a arship This is on top of a scholarship he won last year in the same tournament She added I think it is mendous that he has this ity and he puts it to good use which has definitely benefited him Mayrell has just been named as a top 10 finalist out of entries in an essay contest called Profiles In Courage at the JFK Library in Boston The winner in this contest will receive a cash prize and the student's c- o by Semor Ralph and his sponsor Tobie are looking for a possible trip to Boston in May after several recent successes in debating tournaments nominating teacher will receive a John F Kennedy Public Service Grant for to be used for school projects that encourage student leadership and civic See Page
