Civic center project

under way



The city of Cleburne began work on renovating and expanding the civic center in October.

Original plans called for the civic center to be renovated at a cost of about $5 million and for the old Royce’s Pharmacy building in downtown Cleburne to be converted to a performing arts center. That building proved unsuitable, and the performing arts center was rolled into the civic center project.

An early, estimated project cost of $10.5 million to $12 million nearly derailed the whole project, but the council approved a guaranteed maximum bid of almost $9.5 million in September. The project is a joint undertaking of the city and the 4B Economic Development Corporation.

— Michael O’Connor



New citizens sworn in July 4 in Keene



Independence Day became the day about 150 people took the oath of citizenship at Callicott Park in Keene.

The naturalization ceremony was a first for the city and Johnson County.

The ceremony was the brainchild of Keene resident Yddo Ortiz, himself a naturalized citizen who was born in Colombia, South America.

With help from Mayor Roy Robinson, Ortiz convinced the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office to hold the ceremony.

The new citizens came from 26 countries, and five were already members of the armed forces.

— Michael O’Connor



Crypto closes

Splash Station



Attendance and revenues dropped at Cleburne’s Splash Station thanks to cryptosporidium, a water-borne bacteria.

Officials closed and hyperchlorinated the pool in July after a lifeguard tested positive for the crypto parasite. A 4-year-old Keene boy who visited Splash Station also tested positive for crypto.

Officials posted signs warning visitors not to enter Splash Station if they had symptoms of crypto, which include diarrhea, vomiting and fever.

An August decision closed the water park on Mondays to hyperchlorinate and disinfect the pools each week.

City leaders went on to approve purchase of two ultraviolet sanitation systems to better control and monitor the problem.

— Matt Smith



Edwards for VP



Speculation about U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards’, D-Waco, chances to be named as President-elect Barack Obama’s running mate at times overshadowed Edwards’ successful re-election bid for his District 17 seat in 2008.

Edwards endorsed Obama early on, which marked the first time Edwards had endorsed a candidate in a presidential election.

Comments by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the summer that Edwards would make a good vice presidential choice caused many outside District 17 to ask, “Chet who?”

Vice President-elect Joe Biden eventually received the nod. Edwards confirmed, afterward, that he was considered and vetted for the position. The Associated Press reported that Edwards was among the finalists considered.

After his victory, Obama considered Edwards again, this time for the post of secretary of Veterans Affairs. Edwards said he thought could be more effective working for veterans as a congressman representing his district. Obama named retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki to the post.

— Matt Smith



Cleburne takes

evacuees in



As occurred in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, Cleburne again opened its arms to take in evacuees.

About 85 evacuees, most from the Beaumont area, arrived in Cleburne Sept. 14. They stayed at the Cleburne Senior Center for about a week before returning home.

Cleburne fire, police and Cletran employees joined other city workers to assist the evacuees, as did residents, members of the Salvation Army of Johnson County, American Red Cross, Cleburne ISD, area churches and other organizations.

The evacuees’ stay was relatively trouble free, said Cleburne Fire Chief Clint Ishmael.

Several evacuees praised Cleburne’s hospitality and called the Senior Center a big improvement over shelters in Tyler, where they were originally relocated.

— Matt Smith



Keene’s financial

problems continue



Financial woes continued for a second year in Keene. Council members, by a 4-3 vote with Mayor Roy Robinson breaking the tie, approved a property tax rate of 82.1737 cents per $100 worth of value in September, the same rate adopted the previous fiscal year.

Water rates for residential customers increased 67 percent, while sewer rates increased 5 percent.

A deficit and payments on a loan secured to fund the previous year’s deficit necessitated the property tax rate.

Rising costs for Brazos River Authority water, which supplies part of Keene’s water needs, combined with diminished capacity from city water wells and the city’s selling water at a loss in recent years led to the increased water rates.

The council also sold one parcel of city-owned land to decrease the deficit and unsuccessfully tried to sell a second parcel.

Robinson and Bill Guinn, a city accountant, said the budget should help reverse Keene’s financial situation in the coming years.

— Matt Smith



Pit bulls attack,

become victims



Pit bulls proved to be both attackers and victims in 2008.

A 6-year-old girl was hospitalized in serious condition on Nov. 9 after a pit bull broke free attacking the girl while she played in her front yard near Keene.

The dog grabbed Billie Jean Cain by the head, ripping a 13-inch diameter of her skull off. Cain’s brother, C.J. Gutzman, 10, threw a pipe at the dog to chase it away.

Cain underwent skin graft surgery a Cook Children’s Medical Center. Cain is home now and doing well, said Rhonda Turner, her grandmother, but will need additional surgeries this year.

Two pit bulls attacked Gerald Batson, 80, of Venus on Jan. 6 while he was walking his dachshund. The dogs broke away from a woman who was walking them, Batson said. Batson and his dog received injuries, as did his wife, Susie Batson, who was trying to save her husband.

A report of several dogs in apparent distress on June 23 led to the seizure of 36 pit bulls by Johnson County Sheriff’s Office deputies. Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Pat Jacobs later awarded custody of the dogs to the Humane Society of North Texas and fined owner John Charles Phillips $4,563.28.

— Matt Smith



Joshua eighth-grader competes in national spelling bee



R.C. Loflin Middle School eighth-grader Hannah Chi won the Johnson County Spelling Bee championship for the third time in April. It was her final year to compete, having reached the cut-off grade.

She won the regional spelling bee in March after 17 rounds, beating 28 other competitors from 11 counties.

She won an all-expenses-paid trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where she was eliminated in the third round at the national bee after misspelling “tularemia.”

— Monica Green



SRO funding called

into doubt



When a three-year federal grant that kick-started the funding of resource officers at several Johnson County school districts expired, county officials said the schools were responsible for continuing the program.

Some of the school districts formerly funding school resource officers through the grant were concerned they might lose what they called a valuable position without the county commissioner’s help.

At first, commissioners said they would not fund school resource officers in the cities of Alvarado, Venus, Joshua and Godley because there was no recorded evidence of an interlocal agreement between the county and each the school districts.

Officials later determined that interlocal agreements were made but not processed correctly.

Commissioners voted Aug. 11 to partially fund the resource officers, with the districts picking up the rest of the cost.

— Ashleigh Whaley



Storm rips through Johnson County



Storms ripped through the county the weekend of April 10-11, causing damage throughout the county.

An EZ Mart Store on North Main Street suffered roof damage and an unoccupied camper trailer blew over.

Fifty homes were damaged or destroyed during the storm. Other damage included downed power lines, fallen trees, branches and other debris. A utility pole fell in the road at the intersection of Chambers and Anglin streets.

The only reported injury was a gas field worker whose arm was severed on the outskirts of Lillian. He was inside a travel trailer at a gas drilling rig which was thrown about in the high winds.

A tornado was confirmed in Alvarado with winds estimated at 90 to 95 mph. Earlier the same month two tornadoes were confirmed near Godley.

— Monica Green