that’s when the garmin livescope comes in handy. support ... · 07.07.2019 · cu r’s support...
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Crappie fishing today may have more in common with Pacman than the cane pole and can of worms your grandfather used, according to one Lake O’ the Pines guide.
“It can be like a video game,” Drew Black said Wednesday.
Black uses a Garmin Livescope to not only find fish, but to watch them strike.
“There’s no guesswork,” Black said.With Lake O’ the Pines above normal level, the
Livescope, which can cost upwards of $4,000, comes in handy.
“The water is so high,” Black said. “These crappies are usually on brush piles, but water has completely covered trees that are usually visible.”
The 42-year-old guide says the crappie are “holding tight on the tops of these trees 50 feet down.”That’s when the Garmin Livescope comes in handy.“You can actually watch your jig fall and see them bite,” Black said. “The game has come a long way. You
can see how many fish are on the tree.”There is a drawback.“You get to watching the fish strike on the scope and forget to set the hook,” Black laughed.Still, the fish do have one advantage against modern technology.“You can’t make them bite, but you can see what they are wanting and not wanting,” Black said. “We’re
catching two pound average crappie on both black and white species. Pretty much guaranteed to catch at least a one-man limit every day.”
Black has offered his guide service for the last four years.“I’ve been fishing that lake (LOP) my whole life,” Black said. “I grew up on that lake bass fishing and
crappie fishing. My parents and grandparents brought me here.”Black recently moved to the area and started guiding five years ago and bought a lake house.“I have my own boat ramp,” Black said.Black knows what fish he prefers.“I’m primarily crappie man,” Black said. Although he has a bass fishing background, he prefers catfish and crappie. “It’s so much more rewarding when you bring a cooler of crappie home,” he said.Black prefers to use jigs and loves fishing with Perry Pippenger’s hand tied jigs.“I get a lot of customers who want to learn how to fish with jigs,” Black said.
Page 6 | Jefferson Jimplecute, Jefferson, Texas | July 4, 2019
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Jefferson Jimplecute
A criminal complaint by Jefferson City Administrator Kevin Huckabee against Mayor Bubba Haggard and former alderman Richard Turner now rests in the hands of District Attorney Angie Smoak.According to the offense
report obtained from the Jefferson Police Department by the Jimplecute through a Texas Freedom of Information Act request, Huckabee accuses the two city leaders of bribery.“An investigation has been
turned in and I have not reviewed it, yet,” Smoak said.The DA noted the complaint
was “in the review stack.”Smoak declined to speculate on whether the complaint would be referred to the Marion County Grand Jury.
Huckabee accuses Haggard of appointing Turner to the Jefferson Economic Development Corporation board in exchange for Turner’s support in the recent municipal election.
“I can’t comment anything right now on advice of counsel,” Haggard said.Huckabee’s complaint alleges
Haggard told Huckabee “he would be appointing former Alderman Richard Turner to the Jefferson Economic Development Corporation Committee (JEDCO) at that night’s meeting.”Huckabee complains the
appointment came as the fulfillment of an election promise.
“Haggard further explained to Huckabee early in the mayor’s campaign Richard Turner informed Haggard that he would not be seeking re-election to his alder seat but would support Haggard in the Mayor’s election if he (Haggard) would appoint him as his JEDCO appointment,” the police report states.“I outright supported Bubba
from the very beginning, way before we even started discussing the issue of JEDCO,” Turner said Friday. “When I did speak to Bubba concerning JEDCO, all I said I would like to be considered
Jefferson Economic Development
Corporation directors scrubbed their
scheduled meeting Tuesday, after incoming
Director Richard Turner objected to the
wording of the meeting notice.The notice and agenda posted for the
Tuesday session stated “that a Committee
Meeting of the Jefferson Economic
Development Corporation will be held on
July 24, 2018.“I contacted the AG [Texas Attorney
General’s office]’ today,” Turner told the
gathering. “The AG says the meeting is
incorrectly posted. He said if this was a
board meeting, then it had to state it was a
‘board meeting.’”Turner said the meeting had been referred
to as “committee meetings” since May 2017.
Director Robin Moore noted at one time
sessions were posted as simply a meeting
of JEDCO.Jay Patrick, the outgoing president who
would have presided until new officers
were elected, reached a conclusion.“We don’t have a valid meeting,” Patrick
said. “Sorry for inconvenience, but that is
where we are.”Board members selected Friday at 6
p.m. for their next meeting with the same
agenda. The notice is to state it is a meeting
of the Board of Directors.Several board members were less than
pleased with the change.Ted Dikson had flown in to attend
Tuesday’s meeting. Bob Avery and Darrel
Gaither will have to reset travel and work
plans to accommodate the new time.
Acknowledging that Texans are "fiercely
jealous" of our property rights and that
there are likely not two communities more
different than El Paso and Jefferson, Rep.
Beto O'Rouke (D-TX), offered the 7,081-
acre Castner Range as an example of where
local property owners are working with the
federal government to preserve valuable
land.The Jimplecute was able to interview
Rep. O'Rouke by phone Wednesday
morning to gauge his reaction to winning
the Prize for Civility in Public Life award for
bipartianship among other topics.The Jimplecute asked the congressman
about Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) remarks in
Jefferson on July 5 about abolishing ICE,
impeaching President Trump, fundraising
reports as well as when he is returning to
Jefferson and what he is reading these days.
Polls show O'Rouke an average of 8.4
points behind Cruz in his campaign to
unseat the freshman senator from Texas.
Polls with samples over 1,000, however,
show O'Rouke only 3 - 5 points behind. In
2012, Cruz won election to the U.S. Senate
by a margin of 16 points.
Visit Jimplecute1848.com to listen and read the full transcript
of the Jimp’s interview with O’Rouke.
GOHMERT WON’T PURSUE CADDO HERITAGE AREA AFTER LA. BACKERS WITHDRAW
US Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-TX, announced late Tuesday he would no
longer pursue legislation to create Caddo
Lake National Heritage Area after Louisiana
sponsors of the resolution withdrew.“People living in the potential Heritage area
in Louisiana have been particularly vociferous
in opposition to the proposal, and it seems
they have not given fair consideration to the
possible benefits,” Gohmert said in a written
statement. “As a result, both Louisiana’s U.S.
Senator Bill Cassidy and U.S. Representative
Mike Johnson are pulling their effort to
examine further the possible benefits.”A leader of the opposition expressed
satisfaction with the results.“We’re very pleased with it,” Danny
McCormack said Wednesday morning.
“We’re pleased the people voiced their
opinion very loudly. We’re very pleased our
representatives listened to us. This is the way
the American system is supposed to work.”Gary Endsley, general manager of Collins
Academy, lead the effort to explain the
National Heritage Area.“Of course, we are disappointed,” Endsley
said in a prepared statement. “Richard Collins
and the staff of Collins Academy have worked
very hard to promote this region and try to
bring opportunities to our community to help
with economic and tourism development. It
benefits all of us.”Collins Academy participated in a 2006
feasibility study and helped spread the word
after Gohmert and US Rep. John Ratcliffe,
R-TX, announced H.R. 5957.“We held a series of public town hall type
meetings to inform the public of the potential
benefits of having an NHA designation in
the bi-state region and dispel a great deal
of misinformation put out on social media
regarding what the designation would and
could not do,” Endlsey said. “I think the
timing of the release of the bill was possibly
ill-conceived in that the public had little
or no information in advance of the bill
being rolled out, and frankly, as our public
meetings showed, there was a great deal of
governmental mistrust. “This is unfortunate. Due to the mistrust
of some very vocal individuals, we all have
lost out on an opportunity that would have
benefitted the region,” Endsley asserted. “No
one wins in a situation like this, and it is my
hope that if people will actually read the bill,
they will realize that the benefits far outweigh
the suspicion and that the elected officials
will bring it up again for consideration in a
timely manner, and in a manner that will
better address individual concerns.”Gohmert expressed similar regrets.
“We had continued to work on language
that would have further ensured that the
federal government could never use the
Heritage Area designation to do anything the
actual landowners, private and public, did
not want done,” Gohmert said. “We also were
going to cut the size of the proposed area
significantly and only include land that the
owners wanted in the Heritage Area. “However, Sen. Cassidy and Rep. Johnson’s
withdrawal from any effort to pursue financial
benefits to what would have been the Caddo
Lake National Heritage Area occludes any
further inquiry into this matter,” Gohmert
stated. “Since Louisiana had more land that
would have been included in the potential
Heritage Area and they are withdrawing, it
does not make sense for us to pursue it.”Although Endsley said at the Collins
Academy informational meetings the effort
to develop tourism and other benefits of the
NHA would continue even if the proposed bill
failed, Gohmert left only a small door open.
NEWSbriefs
Jefferson JimplecuteThursday, July 26, 2018
WWW.JIMPLECUTE1848.COM
$1
See more on CADDO on page 6
See more on BRIBERY on page 6
5th Oldest Newspaper in Texas
Volume 171, Number 301 Section, 8 Pages
INSIDEOpinion .. .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 2Obituaries .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 3Food & Entertainment .. .... .... .... .... 4
Art & Flowers .. .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 5 Shop Jefferson.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 6Classifieds .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 7
120 North Vale St • Jefferson, TX 75657
PHONE 903.665.2462 FAX 903.705.4326Jimplecute1848@gmail.com
THE GOOD NEWS MESSENGERS GOSPEL
singers will be presenting a full concert at
Woodlawn Baptist on July 29th from 6-7
PM. Everyone is welcome. Please come out
and join us for a musical message service.
There will be fellowship with refreshments
following the concert. Contact Georgia 903-
471-9996 or the pastor 903-407-0586 for
more information.2018 MARION COUNTY FARMERS
MARKET continues each Saturday through
Oct. 27 as long as produce is available. They
will again be using the park in front of the
First National Bank in downtown Jefferson.
There will be a single membership or
vendors for the entire season. Dues are $20.
For questions contact Doug Weir at 903-
665-2421 or Myra Smith at 903-639-2910.FRIENDS OF JEFFERSON CARNEGIE
LIBRARY is hosting A Book Event on
Monday, August 6 at 6:00 pm. The event will
feature the anthology, “Her Texas – Story,
Image, Poem & Song” and Rachel Crawford,
one of its writers and editors. She will talk
about how the book came into being, about
the press that published it, about women in
Texas literature in general, and about some
of the notable authors and artists included
in the book.GRIEFSHARE, a special help seminar
and support group for people experiencing
grief and loss, will be held on Wednesday
afternoons from 1 pm to 3 pm, at Harleton
United Methodist Church beginning August
8, 2018. GriefShare features nationally
recognized experts on grief recovery
topics. Seminar sessions include “Is This
Normal?” “The Challenges of Grief,” “Grief
and Your Relationships,” “Why?” and “Guilt
and Anger.” Meetings will be held at 13370
FM 450N in Harleton, Texas. For more
information, call the program director at
903-601-1394.SAVE THE DATE FOR VBS AT SAVANNAH
BAPTIST CHURCH, 740 Highway 43,
Jefferson, Texas, August 6-10, 2018 from
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.. Preschool through
6th grade. Dinner will be served every
evening.HICKORY HILL BAPTIST CHURCH will be
having a revival August 5-10 with Danny
Ray Biddy preaching. Come early for special
singing and prayer meeting.
By BOB PALMER,Jimplecute Editor
DA Weighs huckAbee’s bribery complAint AgAinst mAyor hAggArD, richArD turner
JEDCO BOARD CANCELS MEETING
BETO O'ROUKE IDENTIFIES WITH TEXANS 'FIERCELY JEALOUS' OF
PROPERTY RIGHTS offers el pAso’s cAstner rAnge As exAmple for cADDo
By BOB PALMER, Jimplecute Editor
From Staff Reports
Rep. Beto O'Rouke (TX-16) accepts the Prize
for Civility in Public Life Tuesday
Concern for creeping government regulation and Caddo Lake’s natural beauty voiced by opponents
of the Caddo Lake National Heritage Act (HR 5957) led Congressmen to withdraw their support.
Photo by Hollis Shadden.
By BOB PALMER, Jimplecute Editor
NEWSbriefs
Jefferson JimplecuteThursday, August 2, 2018WWW.JIMPLECUTE1848.COM
$1
See more on OHTP on page 10
See more on JISD on page 6
See more on CITY COUNCIL on page 8
5th Oldest Newspaper in Texas
Volume 171, Number 311 Section, 10 Pages
INSIDEOpinion .. .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 2Community .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 3Food & Entertainment .. .... .... .... .... 4
Art & Flowers .. .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 5 Shop Jefferson.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 8Classifieds .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 9
120 North Vale St • Jefferson, TX 75657
PHONE 903.665.2462 FAX 903.705.4326Jimplecute1848@gmail.com
COMMUNITY SERVICES OF NORTHEAST
TEXAS will be assisting low income families
in Marion County, with school supplies for
the 2018/2019 school year. If you would
like to apply for this assistance, please pick
up and fill out an application and return it to
us along with the required documentation,
to our office by August 3, 2018. 510 E
Bonham, Jefferson, TX 75657.2018 MARION COUNTY FARMERS
MARKET continues each Saturday through
Oct. 27 as long as produce is available. They
will again be using the park in front of the
First National Bank in downtown Jefferson.
There will be a single membership for
vendors for the entire season. Dues are $20.
For questions contact Doug Weir at 903-
665-2421 or Myra Smith at 903-639-2910.FRIENDS OF JEFFERSON CARNEGIE
LIBRARY is hosting A Book Event on
Monday, August 6 at 6:00 pm. The event will
feature the anthology, “Her Texas – Story,
Image, Poem & Song” and Rachel Crawford,
one of its writers and editors. She will talk
about how the book came into being, about
the press that published it, about women in
Texas literature in general, and about some
of the notable authors and artists included
in the book.GRIEFSHARE, a special help seminar
and support group for people experiencing
grief and loss, will be held on Wednesday
afternoons from 1 pm to 3 pm, at Harleton
United Methodist Church beginning August
8, 2018. GriefShare features nationally
recognized experts on grief recovery topics.
Seminar sessions include “Is This Normal?”
“The Challenges of Grief,” “Grief and Your
Relationships,” “Why?” and “Guilt and Anger.”
Meetings will be held at 13370 FM 450N in
Harleton, Texas. For more information, call
the program director at 903-601-1394.SAVE THE DATE FOR VBS AT SAVANNAH
BAPTIST CHURCH, 740 Highway 43,
Jefferson, Texas, August 6-10, 2018 from
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.. Preschool through
6th grade. Dinner will be served every
evening.HICKORY HILL BAPTIST CHURCH will be
having a revival August 5-10 with Danny
Ray Biddy preaching. Come early for special
singing and prayer meeting.BACK TO SCHOOL BASH will be Saturday,
August, 11, 2018 at Cass County Cowboy
Church 7701 US Hwy 59 Atlanta TX. for
Grades: 3-12, 10am - 3pm, lunch will be
provided.CASS COUNTY COWBOY CHURCH will
also be hosting a Buckle Roping contest on
Sat, Aug 4 starting at 7pm. Call Robert for
questions: 903.799.0368.The Marion County Genealogical Society
will hold its August meeting at 10 AM
August 4th in the First Methodist Church
Fellowship Hall. This month’s program will
be presented by Amye and John Kelsey. Their
topic will be “What Was Life in Jefferson Like
In Its’ Earliest Days?” The public is invited
to hear this presentation.JEFFERSON CHRISTIAN ACADEMY is
registering students online for the first day
of school, August 20, 2018.
JEFFERSON ISDRECEIVES PASSING GRADE, TEA REPORTS INDICATE
CLASSICCOUNTRY
By BOB PALMER, Jimplecute Editor
From Staff Reports
CITIZENS CALL FOR HUCKABEE’S REMOVAL, LECTURE COUNCIL
JEDCO PLEDGES MONEY FOR NEW TRUCK STOP ON 59
Jefferson Economic Development
Corporation directors promised operators of
a proposed truck stop on US 59 at Jefferson
Street $50,000 per year for six years at a
called meeting last week.The grant will reimburse CEFCO for
necessary water and sewer upgrades in
exchange for constructing and operating the
establishment similar to the current plan,
retaining at least 30 full time equivalent jobs
and other provisions that may be added by
JEDCO attorney. Once the agreement is prepared, JEDCO
will need to approve the draft, have the two
public readings and then forward it to the
City Council for final approval.Backers of the CEFCO proposal said the
facility will resemble the truck stop at the
intersection of US 271 and I-20.Prior to discussion of the truck stop
request, directors elected Bob Avery
president. Ted Dikson was named vice-
president, Robin Moore secretary and Doug
Thompson treasurer.Avery’s election came on a 3-2 vote
with Avery, Dikson, Thompson and Darrel
Gaither voting for Avery. Richard Turner was
supported by Moore and Matt Whitfield.A request by Jefferson Tourism Director
Kevin Godfrey for JEDCO to fund new
welcome signs on US 59 and possibly make
the abandoned railroad trestle pedestrian
friendly met a mixed reaction.“We can’t rely on the old tricks and get
new people,” Godfrey told the board.The entrance signs would cost $18,750
each with the Rotary Club expected to pick
up the cost of flag poles.Godfrey estimated the cost of the trestle
project and additional improvements at
$80,000.Turner questioned whether this was a
wise use of JEDCO funds.“At this point, this is not something I
want to see,” Turner said. The former city
alderman and mayor said he preferred
projects with a more direct impact creating
jobs.Thompson suggested Godfrey needed
to refine and prioritize his proposal which
included items like loaner bikes for visitors.
Godfrey indicated he would return with
more information.
A petition calling for the firing of Jefferson
City Administrator Kevin Huckabee and an
ethics lecture highlighted public comments
at the City Council’s called meeting Tuesday.Aldermen also voted to push ahead with
the summer paving project without a block
that some questioned was a city street.Jeff Taylor told the council he had a
petition calling for the removal of Huckabee
with more than 140 names.Since the petition was not on the agenda
and the council could take no action on it,
It’s that day parents dread.Their oldest child begins school on Aug. 15.You purchased the backpack, 12 #2
wooden pencils, four boxes of 24-count
Crayola crayons, a ring binder, pencil box,
four large boxes of facial tissues and the rest
of the list published in today’s Jimplecute.You know exactly which new jeans Johnny
will wear for his first day of class. He will get
a fresh haircut next week and a new pair of
Nike tennis shoes.But what do you know about the school?According to the Texas Education Agency,
you can expect your child to receive an
education at Jefferson ISD comparable to
most other schools in Texas.TEA will not begin issuing letter grades
for each campus until next year. For the
moment, districts are found to have “Met
Standards” or “Did Not Meet Standards.”Jefferson High School and Jefferson Junior
High have been found to have met standards
in four critical areas, along with 92.5 percent
of the schools in Texas.With a target score of 60 for student
achievement, JISD scored a 65.In the category of student progress, the
state expectation was 22 and JISD scored 30.Jefferson also exceeded the target for
closing performance gaps with a 36 rating.
The goal was 28.JISD showed strongest in postsecondary
readiness with a 76 score. The target was 60.Jefferson’s graduation rate helped boost
its score.The district’s 100 percent participation
rate also contributed to a 79 percent score
for system safeguards.Recent STARR test results, however, show
JISD lagging behind the state average.In the “approaches grade level or above”
category, the state norm was 75 percent as
opposed to Jefferson’s 65.Thirty percent of Jefferson students met
grade level in two or more subjects while the
Texas average was 48 percent.Only 10 percent of the students mastered
the grade level test. Students across the state
doubled that number.Almost half of Jefferson High School
and Junior High students met or exceeded
progress.Test results indicated challenges with
mathematics where only 25 percent met
grade level. The average across the state is
48 percent.In reading the JISD “met grade level” score
was 39 percent. For writing the number was
29 percent, science 32 percent and social
studies 34 percent.The student population of Jefferson ISD
faces socio-economic hurdles.The TEA report shows 69.9 percent of the
students are economically disadvantaged.
JISD recently announced breakfast and
lunch are now free for all students. The state
average is 59 percent.More than 10 percent of the students are
enrolled in special education.The ethnic breakdown of the student
population is 54.4 percent white, 35.5
percent African American, 5.8 percent
Hispanic.JISD does boast smaller than state average
class sizes where English classes have 12
students, foreign language classes have 18,
math 12, science 13 and social studies 14.The mobility rate is lower than the state
average at 18 percent.Jefferson ISD spends $10,143 per
student against a state average of $9,373.
Instructional expense is $5,375 per student
in Jefferson. Districts around the state spend
$5,317.
Local musicians (left to right), Tom Moss, Danny Collins, Buddy Bell, Charlie Gilbert,
Dusty and David Axe, serenade downtown Jefferson after a rain shower Monday
evening with the Merle Haggard classic, “Swinging Doors.” Winter, a 3-year old
Bell rescued, enjoys the show. Visit Jimplecute1848.com to take a listen.
The shows will go on.Although the complete lineup for the
Opera House Theatre Players’ upcoming
30th anniversary season has not been set in
stone, Vice President Marcia Thomas says
they are fine-tuning the details, including
securing a venue.“The brochure will be out by Sept. 1,” she
says, adding that they have selected dates
but all productions have not been decided.
OHTP CELEBRATES30 YEARS, NEW SEASON
By BOB PALMER, Jimplecute Editor
By DARLA HIGGINS, Contributing Writer
The late Dorothy (Dot) Craver, former President
of the Opera House Theatre Players
Sewer Project Workers rip out a traffic island that was rebuilt last year as part of a $340,000 sewer project at the intersection of Broadway and Polk Streets. The Jefferson City Council approved the measure when area business complained of sewer gas in their buildings.
NEWSbriefs
Jefferson JimplecuteThursday, August 9, 2018 WWW.JIMPLECUTE1848.COM
$1
See more on CHARLIE on page 6
See more on JISD on page 6
5th Oldest Newspaper in TexasVolume 171, Number 32
1 Section, 10 Pages
INSIDEOpinion .. .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 2
Community .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 3
Food & Entertainment .. .... .... .... .... 4
Art & Flowers .. .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 5
Shop Jefferson.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 6
Classifieds .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 7
120 North Vale St • Jefferson, TX 75657
PHONE 903.665.2462 FAX 903.705.4326
Jimplecute1848@gmail.com
MARION COUNTY AARP CHAPTER #3694 is offering the "Smart Drivers Course"
on Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at Kelleyville Park Center (130 Kelley Park Road,
Jefferson, Tex.), 8:30am - 11:30am. The course fee is $15 for members, $20 for non-
members. For more information, please contact John T. Cooper at (903) 624-9047.
2018 MARION COUNTY FARMERS MARKET continues each Saturday through
October 27 as long as produce is available. They will again be using the park in
front of the First National Bank in downtown Jefferson. There will be a single
membership for vendors for the entire season. Dues are $20. For questions contact
Doug Weir at (903) 665-2421 or Myra Smith at (903) 639-2910.
GRIEFSHARE, a special help seminar and support group for people experiencing
grief and loss, will be held on Wednesday afternoons from 1 pm to 3 pm, at Harleton
United Methodist Church beginning August 8, 2018. GriefShare features nationally
recognized experts on grief recovery topics. Seminar sessions include “Is This
Normal?” “The Challenges of Grief,” “Grief and Your Relationships,” “Why?” and
“Guilt and Anger.” Meetings will be held at 13370 FM 450N in Harleton, Texas. For
more information, call the program director at (903) 601-1394.
JEFFERSON ISD INITIATES PLAN TO RAISE STATETEST SCORES
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
JIMPLECUTE'S OWN WINS JAKE TRUSSELL AWARD AS
LONE STAR CONFERENCE SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Scientists say 50 million years
before dinosaurs left their footprints
outside Glen Rose paddlefish swam
the waters of the earth. American
paddlefish populations have declined
dramatically, however, primarily because
of overfishing, habitat destruction, and
pollution.A small crowd gathered at the Jefferson
turning basin and boat ramp recently
to watch the first step in a campaign to
repopulate the species.
“More than 6,400 American paddlefish
were stocked by the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department (TPWD) last week
into Big Cypress Bayou and Caddo Lake,”
Tim Bister with TPWD said.
This stocking was a cooperative effort
between TPWD and the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
The fish were raised by USFWS at the
Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery in
Tishomingo, Oklahoma. A total of 14,000
fish are planned to be stocked in 2018.
“This is the first year in a 10-year
restocking effort to reestablish a self-
sustaining population of the American
paddlefish in the Big Cypress Bayou and
Caddo Lake,” Bister explained.
Collins Academy has also played a
role in the feasibility study prior to the
restocking effort.
“The Paddlefish Reintroduction Project
has gone from an experimental posture
where scientists were determining
whether the species would stay and
thrive in the Caddo Lake system to a
restocking effort,” Collins Academy
GM Gary Endlsey said. “Studies have
determined that American Paddlefish
love the conditions presented. A robust
stocking program is now underway.”
Prior to any paddlefish stocking, a
plan was developed to establish a more
naturalized water flow for Big Cypress
Bayou and Caddo Lake.
“These flow recommendations have
been met using water releases from
Lake O’ the Pines,” Bister explained.
“Once paddlefish mature to spawning
age, these natural flows will provide
important environmental and biological
cues for fish during the spring spawning
season.”In 2008, USACE completed a project
that installed a gravel shoal in Big Cypress
Bayou, just upstream of Jefferson. Gravel
areas in the river are important for
successful paddlefish spawning. The
USFWS has also identified other potential
gravel spawning areas downstream of
Lake O’ the Pines that can be monitored
in the future for paddlefish spawning.
Although Jefferson schools received a “met
standards” in 2017-2018 from the Texas Education
Agency, state test results like only 30 percent of
Jefferson students met grade level in two or more
subjects while the Texas average was 48 percent
have caught the attention of the district staff.
“Many of our STAAR scores are concerning,” JISD
Superintendent Rob Barnwell told the Jimplecute,
“but we are committed to improving in all areas.”
The JISD program is wide ranging.
“We are just beginning to implement new
expectations/systems concerning student progress,
particularly related to Response to Intervention
(RTI) and Professional Learning Communities
(PLC),” Barnwell said. “These basically require
our principals and teachers to assess and review
student data in a more detailed way.”
In reading the JISD “met grade level” score was
39 percent. For writing the number was 29 percent,
science 32 percent and social studies 34 percent.
The JISD plan “also requires our teachers to meet
and communicate as a group more, which helps to
determine strategies and/or manipulatives that
work for some students and may not work for
others,” Barnwell continued. “Anyway, it's basically
a way for teachers to ‘share’ ideas and communicate
with each other about specific students and
strategies related to the essential knowledge and
skills that are being taught/learned.”
Barnwell wants to ensure Marion County
residents understand one group is not to blame.
“Low state test scores sometimes tend to make
folks think that teachers are not teaching, which is
not the case most of the time,” Barnwell said. “Our
teachers are teaching, and students are learning,
but we may have to tweak ‘how’ we are teaching
something, or perhaps the ‘depth’ of a concept
through various questioning techniques in order to
induce a higher level of critical thinking. It's almost
like the old adage of "don't work harder, just work
smarter.”A higher degree of buy-in is part of the effort.
“We have a renewed commitment to increase
reading comprehension at the lower grades, which
we've recognized as being an issue,” Barnwell said.
“Poor reading/comprehension skills affect all areas
of education, including math, science, and social
studies, so that is an area of focus for us.”
These efforts have engendered renewed
optimism.“We are absolutely hopeful that scores will
improve,” Barnwell said. “However, we are mainly
concerned about individual, student progress.....
learning more, improving individually, and
expanding in all areas....every day, every year.”
Barnwell resents attempts to compare JISD to any
other district or non-educational parallel.
“I don't think public education can be legitimately
compared to any other entity,” the superintendent
said. “There's nothing else like it. Even comparing
one public school to another is absurd in most
cases.”Differences between districts make comparisons
pointless.“There are too many variables that are not taken
into consideration, but should be,” Barnwell said.
“For example, one could ask the question, ‘How
did School A stack up against School B regarding
state test scores? They both have about the same
breakdown regarding student population. So,
wouldn't that be a legitimate comparison?’”
Barnwell’s answer is "No.”
“School A may have a higher tax rate that
enables them to hire extra personnel to serve
as interventionists - folks to help the struggling
students in a small-group setting, or perhaps
even a 1-on-1 setting. Therefore, School A has an
advantage over School B in that scenario,” Barnwell
explained. “However, it is a fact that even districts
across the state which have the exact same tax rates
receive varying amounts of funding per student,
which is not fair.”One district may receive about 8-10,000 thousand
dollars per student, while a seemingly analogous
district receives 5,000 per student, even with the
same tax rates.
By BOB PALMER, Jimplecute Editor
Charlie Chitwood poses ahead of the NCAA
Division II National Championship Game in
Kansas City, KS.
Texas A&M University-Commerce play-
by-play announcer Charlie Chitwood
has been named the winner of the
Jake Trussell Award for the Lone Star
Conference's Sportscaster of the Year, as
announced Tuesday at the LSC's annual
football media day.A Jefferson resident, Chitwood is also
the sports columnist for the Jimplecute.
Chitwood was the play-by-play voice of
the Lions for the 2017 football National
Championship, as well as a basketball
playoff run not seen in Commerce for 13
years. He recently completed his sixth
season as the play-by-play broadcaster for
A&M-Commerce, joining 88.9 KETR-FM
and the Lion Sports Network in 2012.
Chitwood called all 15 Lion football
games in the National Championship
season, including the weather-delayed
opener at North Alabama and three
consecutive playoff road games in
Minnesota, Washington, and a return to
Minnesota.
Chitwood is also a regular fixture in the press box at W.F. Lockett Stadium.
“Covering the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs is a touchstone for me and has kept ink
circulating in my blood since I left the newsroom in Paris to move here in 1993,”
Chitwood said.The Trussell Award and the 2017 season remain important to Chitwood.
“I don’t know about 'prominent' – I’ve never heard of anyone holding up a game
because the radio guy wasn’t there – but it’s a real privilege to be considered a part of
the teams and university family in Commerce,” Chitwood said. “That 'Ol’ ET' crowd up
there is special - they’ll talk about last-year’s national championship run forever – just
like they have about their NAIA 'Natty' in 1972.”
“I’ve had it pointed out to me by some of my colleagues that there are now three
active college football play-by-play guys in Texas with National Championships rings,”
a smiling Chitwood recalled. “Jon Wallin at Mary Hardin-Baylor (NCAA Division III) got
his ring two years ago and of course Craig Way down at UT picked up his “Natty” back
in 2005 with Vince Young. It’s crazy to be in such a small circle.”
Prehistoric Fish Gets Fresh Start in Caddo Lake
By BOB PALMER, Jimplecute Editor
Jefferson ISD technology director Jay Patrick and Curriculum Director Dr. Lynn Phillips provide
orientation information to teachers joining the district this year. “This is a great place to live,”
Patrick said. “This is a great place to work.”
See more on NEWSBRIEFS on page 7 See more on PADDLEFISH on page 6
From Staff Reports
Tim Bister with Texas Parks and Wildlife
holds one 3,000 of the paddlefish released at
the Jefferson boat ramp last week as part of
a 10-year program to reintroduce the species
into Caddo Lake.
JimplecuteJefferson
SPECIAL PRICING GOOD JULY 1-12!
Pines Guide Uses Technology, Skill to Catch Crappie
By BOB PALMER
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