2023 year in review

3 Cass County elected officials started off the new year by taking oaths of office for the new term on January 1st at 2 p.m. at the Historic Cass County Courthouse in Linden, Texas.

Officials sworn in, along with their respective offices were as follows:

• Hon. R Travis Ransom, county judge

• Hon. Gary Albertson II, county court at law judge

• Hon. Barbara McMillon, justice of the peace, precinct 1

• Hon. Gina Bassham, justice of the peace, precinct 2

• Hon. Kim Cullins, justice of the peace, precinct 3

• Hon. Bridget Smith, justice of the peace, precinct 4

• Hon. Kevin Young, commissioner, precinct 2

• Hon. Darrell Godwin, commissioner, precinct 4

• Hon. Melissa Shores, county treasurer

• Hon. Amy Varnell, county clerk

• Hon. Jamie Albertson, district clerk

• Hon. Courtney Shelton, district attorney Cass County

January 11

January 11 it was announced that there would be an upcoming ceremony for local Sgt. John O’Neal Rucker—the last enlisted American service member to lose his life in Vietnam and other Vietnam Veterans. Also announced that there would be an upcoming MLK Day Celebration ___________ Queen City students were selected as Texas All-State Musicians On Jan. 7, members of the Band of Champions performed for the chance to make the Texas All-State Music Ensemble at Chapel Hill High School. Preston Scoggins, Kaylin Butler, and Alyssa Delgado, members of the Queen City High School Band will perform with the Texas All-State Concert Band in San Antonio, Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Henry B. González Convention Center as part of the 2023 Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/ Convention.

January 18

___________ It was announced that baby Blake Sampson was able to come home and that the jury selection for the Charles Brooks Jr. trial would soon begin. “Brooks is charged with beating his former stepson—2-year-old Blake Sampson— within an inch of his life at a Dallas duplex in April 2021.” ___________ Linden Heritage Foundation hosts MLK Day Celebration - Linden Heritage Foundation’s annual membership meeting and Martin Luther King Day Celebration kicked off Saturday, with an inspirational oral history from Hon. Judge Mason Darrell Barrett. Barrett, who works as an ad- ministrative law judge for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Alabama and is an active member of the Fairview Community had the Historic Cass County Courthouse rapt with attention as he spoke on an oral history aptly titled “Invisible History: A Slave, A School, and A Scholar.” ___________

January 25

Congressman Nathaniel Moran’s officially opened his Texarkana Office with a grand opening on Wednesday, January 18, on the Texarkana College Campus. Moran met informally with local leaders and residents to welcome the community to his new office. ___________ Linden City Council members voted on the next round of streets to repair as they continue improvement projects for the city. Kaufman and Banger streets were approved by the city council for the latest repairs, according to Linden City Manager Lee Elliot. At a special meeting of the city council last week, Lee said Francis Excavating was awarded the bid for the job. ___________ ___________ Atlanta DECA students qualify for State competition Twenty-two members of the Atlanta High School DECA program qualified for state at the DECA District Competition held on Jan. 18 at the Region 8 Education Service Center in Pittsburg, Texas.

February 1

FEBRUARY

‘2 3

Jarrod Wade Dee, 37, pleaded guilty to seven counts of invasive visual recording Tuesday, January 24 at Bi-State Justice Center in downtown Texarkana, Texas as part of a plea agreement. Dee was facing 51 felony counts of invasive visual recording in Bowie County after being accused of using a covert camera to film a woman and her two daughters in the bathroom of the family’s home, according to previous Journal-Sun reports.

___________ Hughes Springs honors award recipients with Crystal Globes - Banquet also celebrates over 175 years since founding of Hughes Springs ___________ ___________ ___________

February 8

The Historic Cass County Courthouse marked the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War on Saturday, with a reverent ceremony honoring the service of Vietnam war veterans and remembering the late United States Air Force Staff Sergeant John O’Neal Rucker.

After remarks, the packed courtroom moved onto the courthouse lawn to pay tribute with a formal wreath-laying ceremony in recognition of those who served and died in the Vietnam War.

The courthouse ceremony, hosted by the city of Linden, Texas, was conducted by the Air and Space Forces (AFA) and AC-119 Gunship associations, with special remarks from the retired #14th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF #14) Gerald Murray and USAF Staff Sgt. John Coontz. The family of SSgt. Rucker was present to honor his sacrifice as a portrait of Rucker was unveiled. The portrait, which brought many to tears, was painted by Colin Kimball with the North Texas Fallen Warrior Portrait Project. Rucker was tragically killed just 11 hours before a cease-fire was to go into effect on January 27, 1973. Rucker was the last American to die at Da Nang during the Vietnam War. He was off duty when a rocket attack was launched that killed him as he slept in the barracks. Rucker was only 21 years old. ___________ Lance is lone finalist for Superintendent - On Jan. 30, the McLeod Independent School District Board of Trustees named Jennifer Lance as the lone finalist for the position of Superintendent of Schools. Following a 21-day period, the Board will once again convene to act on the employment of Jennifer Lance as Superintendent of Schools. ___________ ___________

February 15

More than 75 businesses and 500 students attended the first Cass County Career Fair held Wednesday, Feb. 8., which was a collaborative effort among surrounding Cass County school districts. ___________ Atlanta’s Corbyn Wilson and Queen City’s Preston Scoggins, Kaylin Butler and Alyssa Delgado earned their way into The Association of Texas Small School Bands, All-State Concert Band. The musicians performed on Saturday, Feb. 11, in San Antonio. ___________ As part of a national recognition program, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform and the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals have designated Atlanta Middle School in Atlanta, Texas, and Atlanta ISD as a Texas School to Watch. Atlanta Middle School joins approximately 55 other campuses across Texas with this distinction and honor.

___________

___________ ___________

February 22

Rush Street began cement stabilization over the weekend after wet weather, internal delays from the state and waiting for much-needed change orders, according to Linden, Texas City officials. “Today, Rush Street will be receiving cement stabilization,” according to Linden city officials on the City of Linden, Texas’ Social Media page posted Thursday, February 16. “Weather permitting, within the next few weeks, Rush Street should be overlaid. Public frustration is well understood.” ___________ Atlanta High School audio/video production students will attend the University Interscholastic League State Film Festival in Austin on Feb. 22, where their film is among the top six 1A-3A narrative films in the state.

March 1

A Cass County teen was cuffed Thursday as one half of a duo allegedly connected to a shooting at Jucys Taco restaurant in Marshall, Texas last month, Cass County Sheriff Larry Rowe confirmed. Seth Wilson, 19, of Queen City, Texas, was taken into custody by Linden, Texas Police, and Cass County Sheriff ’s deputies. An alleged co-conspirator, Jamaal Jones, 26, of Tampa Florida, was also apprehended, according to a press release from Marshall Police. ___________ CNB Bank opened a branch in Downtown Atlanta ___________ ___________

MARCH

‘2 3

March 8

Crump’s Food Center in Linden, Texas was commended with the Exceptional Independents Award for 2023 by The Shelby Report at the National Grocer’s Associations convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Crump’s Food Center is honored to receive the Exceptional Independents Award for 2023,” Crump’s owners said in a statement.“ Debbie and I didn’t need our arms twisted to come out here, it was easy. We are so grateful to our thousands of friends and customers, as well as our terrific team, that has made this distinctive honor possible,” explains owner Chris Spencer. ___________ The Texas Legislature is currently in its 88th legislative session. The Texas Legislature meets for 140 days in every odd numbered year. Each session, community members from around the state make the pilgrimage to Austin and meet with lawmakers and staff members to provide feedback and insight as well as learn about the process of governing the Lonestar State. Last week a large contingent of Mayors, County Judges, Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Groups, and civic leaders from northeast Texas did just that. The Northeast Texas Coalition met with legislators and staff from state agencies to provide a northeast Texas perspective to policy makers in Austin. The NETX Coalition is led by the Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) which is comprised of nine Texas Counties including Bowie, Cass, Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Morris, Red River, and Titus. City, County, and civic leaders from communities within those ten counties formed a group numbering close to one-hundred participants. ___________ Cass County man Otha Smith III was one of five arrested in a child predator sting after he traveled five hours from Linden, Texas to a hotel in Mustang, Oklahoma in an effort to meet up with a young girl, according to Sheriff Chris West, of Canadian County Oklahoma Sheriff ’s Office.

March 15

___________ Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), along with Gov. Greg Abbott proposed an unprecedented

u See REVIEW page 3 $100 billion 10-year transportation plan meant to increase the number of projects to maintain roads, improve traffic congestion, and increase road safety throughout the state, according to Abbott. “Last year our 10-year plan was 87 billion so this is a big jump,” said Rebecca L Wells, Atlanta district engineer. ___________ Linden Spring Fling kickoff - Linden locales kicked off spring with a fling Saturday afternoon at the square, with food, festivities, flowers, and folksy homemade specialty merchandise from vendors. ___________ A Cass County Cares Family Fun Day at Mattie Lanier Center in Atlanta brought lots of fun, free food, prizes, and a chance to learn about the many resources for families that are available in Cass County. Scores of families turned up from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. to find an array of resources that provided advice that helped with everything from utility payments, and continuing education, to a chance to talk to advocates for children and veterans. Food, bounce houses, and giveaways were popular, with Atlanta Independent School District educators handing out brand-new clothing and attire donated by Wal-Mart.

March 22

Two players in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, or what is known as March Madness, have ties to Atlanta: Damion Collins playing for the University of Kentucky, Marcus Sasser Jr. University of Houston (Family Ties, but not from Atlanta) ___________

March 29

HOMICIDE DECLARED in July the deaths of three Cass County children. Three sisters pulled from a pond off Texas Highway 77 West, outside of Atlanta, Texas in late July have had their deaths classified as a homicide, according to autopsy reports as described by Cass County District Attorney Courtney Shelton.

“Autopsy reports concluded the manner of death for all three girls was homicide, indicating evidence of strangulation,” Shelton said.

All three girls also suffered “lacerations” to their faces, she added. ___________ It was released by the Cass County Sherriff ’s department that Cass County Detention officer Mark Thomas was arrested on March 23 on a felony warrant for allegedly bringing prohibited items into the Cass County Jail. ___________ Ray Harp Jewelers celebrates 70 years in Cass County ___________ Atlanta Local Spring Maker’s Market made its mark once again downtown, with folks flocking from all over east Texas and surrounding states to check out lovely, unique wares of the most talented artisans within a 50-mile radius.

Overseen by the Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce, Saturday’s March market denotes the first four Atlanta Local Maker’s Markets for the year.

Held quarterly, there will be a summer market on June 10; an autumn market on October 7; and a winter bazaar on December 9.

Each one is slated to help showcase goods that are homemade, handmade or homegrown by people from in and around Atlanta.

April 5, 2023 APRIL

‘23

Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual Chamber Banquet Saturday night celebrating the area’s top leaders in the Atlanta area. This year’s winners included Miranda Johnson, Woman of the Year; Terre Gaston, Educator of the Year; Adam Cox, Man of the Year; Clare Wong, Youth of the Year; and Stanco Safety Products, Business of the Year. ___________ ___________ CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System broke ground Tuesday on a new emergency center. Located at 4250 Gibson Lane in Texarkana, construction on the 12,000-square foot facility is scheduled to begin in the next few weeks, with a projected completion date of summer 2024. ___________ The Linden Main Street Meeting was held on March 28 to discuss a variety of topics such as the success of the Linden square “Spring - Fling”, details of an upcoming Linden area event, on May 13, plans to support Linden’s newest business, and the possibility of a Main Street history window walk. The Main Street Club, established in 2017, is made up of individuals in the community that helps support and assist in Linden’s economic and social economical issues. They assist the city of Linden by lending helping hands in city events such as the Wildflower Trails, and even the “Spring Fling” event hailed as a huge success that took place in the Linden square on March 11. The Main Street Club also helps and supports new and growing businesses in the City of Linden by doing things such as advertising on social media platforms. ___________ ___________

April 12, 2023

Mother of three girls in July strangulation case speaks to Nancy Grace, The Daily Beast - About two weeks ago, a press release from the Cass County, Texas District Attorney’s Office classified the death of three sisters pulled from a pond just outside Atlanta on Texas Highway 77 last July as a homicide.Since then, Shommaonique ‘Bre’ Oliver-Wickerson, the mother of Zi’Ariel Robinson-Oliver, A’Miyah Hughes, Te’Mari Robinson-Oliver, has been using her platform to speak out with outlets such as Nancy Grace’s Crime Talk podcast and The Daily Beast to talk about what she’s learned since finding out that her children were murdered. ___________ The Texas Parks and Wildlife issues a consumption advisory for those who catch and eat fish in Lake Kimball in Hardin and Tyler counties and Lake Pruitt (Black Cypress Creek) in Cass County due to the mercury levels.

The TPWD issued the advisory for all species of fish, adults should limit consumption to no more than two, 8-ounce meals per month, and children under 12 years of age should limit consumption to no more than two, 4-ounce meals per month. ___________ ___________

April 19, 2023

Timothy Jan Leftwich has been sentenced to prison for the sexual assault of a delivery driver. Leftwich will receive 20 years in prison and $30,000 in fines. In an earlier story published in December of 2020 by then, Journal-Sun reporter Lacy Gross, the Hughes Springs man was accused of sexually assaulting a woman while she was making a delivery to his home. At the time, Leftwich, then 59, was arrested by Cass County Sheriff ’s deputies and charged with second-degree sexual assault. ___________ ___________ Governor Greg Abbott today announced the Texas Music Office (TMO) and the City of Linden will co-host a Music Friendly Texas Community workshop on Monday, May 1. “Music is key to the Texas brand and to our local economies,” said Governor Abbott. “I thank the Texas Music Office for helping communities large and small develop creative partnerships and grow new jobs. Working alongside local leaders like those in Linden, we can ensure Texas communities have the tools needed to succeed.”