Transcription
PRSRT STDUS POSTAGEPAIDThePermit No. 00002Gainesville, TexasECRWSSWeekly Newsof Cooke County 2021 TheWeekly News of Cooke CountyVolume 17, Number 40Cooke County, TexasMarch 3, 2021Cooke County’s LARGEST and MOST READ Newspaper!Spiller Wins HD68 Runoff KingBy Delania RaneyThe Weekly NewsGAINESVILLE –Jacksboro attorney David Spiller (R) defeated Nocona business ownerCraig Carter (R), by a margin of62 percent to 38 percent in theTuesday, February 23, specialrunoff election for House Dis-trict 68. The election was set tofill an unexpired term for Republican Drew Springer of Muensterwho won a seat in the Texas StateSenate.In Cooke County, Carter received a total of 839 votes including early voting by mail,early voting in person and election day ballots, according tounofficial election results on theCooke County Clerk’s Officewebsite.Unofficial Cooke County election results indicate Carter received 839 votes via early votingby mail, early voting in personand election day voting. Spillerreceived a total of 770 votes viaearly voting by mail, early votingin person and election day voting.There are 26,758 registeredvoters in Cooke County. A totalof 1,613 ballots were cast for atotal voter turnout of 6.03 percent in Cooke County.Statewide totals for the election were 4,158 votes for Spillerand 2,452 votes for Carter.AroundTownby Grice KingIf you aren’t planning anything on next Friday, March 12you should come out to Concert for VISTO and Fish Fry.Doors open at 6:00 pm with agood lineup – Morgan & Phillip at 6:15 pm, Oliver White at7:00 pm, and Blackout Betty at8:00 pm – rocking the CookeCounty Fair Grounds. Admission is free to all so come joinin the festivities. GainesvilleKnights of Columbus are offering their amazing Fish platesfor only 10. All proceeds goto support VISTO as they helpsupport our community members in need. For more information call 940-668-6403 orgo to their website www.vistohelps.com. See you there!Here is some more of what’shappening around town thisweek. Helping Hands Distributes Donations - Helping Hands of Faith, amission of Faith Lutheran Church in Gainesville presented 40,000 indonations February 23 to 14 area organizations including non-profitagencies and volunteer fire departments. Pictured above are churchmembers and representatives from various organizations. Picturedat left are Faith Lutheran volunteers. (The Weekly News Photos)GISD Superintendent Aims toReturn Students to Face-to-FaceBy Delania RaneyThe Weekly NewsGAINESVILLE – The COVID-19 crisis continues to affectlocal organizations includingGainesville Independent SchoolDistrict; however, GISD Superintendent Dr. Des Stewart saidduring the Monday, February22 school board meeting, despitethe ongoing pandemic, GISDenrollment is “holding steady.”He noted enrollment is approximately 2,984 students.“Which is roughly about 50fewer kids than we had last year,”Stewart said, “All things beingconsidered, you know I thinkwe are in a great place when wetalk about the number of students that are currently enrolledin our schools.”He also said administratorsclosely monitor attendance.“Again, this is not a situation thatis specific to GISD. This is nationwide as far as in the declinein attendance that school districtsare experiencing,” he said. “We’velooked at every campus andagain, in comparison to wherewe were last year, we have seen adecline in attendance across theboard in all of our campuses Our principals are continuing toget on the phones, make phonevisits to check up on our kids tomake sure that, you know, if theyare well, we’re able to get them toschool because we all know ourkids learn best when they are inthe presence of an educator.”During his COVID-19 update, Stewart said, “This is something we put a lot of effort andenergy into this entire schoolyear. Coming into the school yearthere were a lot of unknowns.We didn’t know much about theCOVID-19 pandemic andfurthermore, we really didn’tknow how it was going to impactour schools.” He added he andhis staff have been working on aplan “to keep everyone safe.”He said the district has, as ofFebruary 22, two faculty members who have been diagnosedwith the coronavirus and threeNorth Central Texas College Donation - NCTC Administrators and some board members presented Abigail’s Arms with the 2021 Ed Wright Community Service Award February23. The award would have been presented at the annual Starlite Gala but due to COVID restrictions, college officials hand delivered the award.(The Weekly News Photo)students who have tested positivefor the virus.“With over 3,000 kids or rightat 3,000 kids, to have three kidsthat are positive says a lot aboutwhat’s being done in our schoolsto keep our kids safe. With over450 employees, to have only twoof them with a positive case againcommunicates that there is something that’s working within ourschool system to keep each andevery one safe. We are continuingto monitor those numbers. Thisis an ongoing process for us.”Stewart also said he is planningfor the 2021-2022 school year.“And with that, I have to address the white elephant in theroom and that is the COVIDsituation,” he said. “Again, as Ijust mentioned I think that theprotocols that have been put intoplace are showing that we arebeing successful in keeping thenumbers in a very, very minimal so much that I’m going tobe considering removing the virtual option, and for us to go fullyface-to-face come next year.”He said he plans to discuss thepotential change to face-to-facelearning with parent groups. “Iam a collaborative individual andI definitely want to hear fromthose who may have questions,”he said.He said data backs up his assertion that students should be ableto safely return to on campusclasses.“You know, we started off theyear with a 70 percent to 30 percent divide,” he said. “Seventypercent being face-to-face and 30percent being virtual. Right now,we are a little bit over 80 percent(Continued on Page 10)Give for Texans! Thereis a blood drive set up byGainesville Fire and Police forWednesday, March 3 from 9:30am to 3:30 pm at the Gainesville Civic Center, located at311 S. Weaver in Gainesville.Give blood and receive a thankyou from McDonalds and Dr.Pepper! Come donate bloodfor a good cause.For more information,please contact Tamara Sieger at940-668-7777. Workforce Solutions Texoma will be hosting a job fair forExpress Employment Professionals on Wednesday March3 between 10:00 am and 2:00pm. To find out what positionsthey will be hiring for checkout www.workintexas.com. The Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce has announcedthatbeginningMarch 9, Rise and Shine willtemporarily be held in the Eucalyptus Room – 320 E. California Street from 7:45 to 9:00am.As many of you may know,the Civic Center is being usedby Cooke County to administer the COVID vaccinations.The Eucalyptus Room ownerJenny Fain offered her beautiful venue to help out. March(Continued on Page 10)
2216 W. Pecan Gainesville, TXOffice: 940.665.2320The Weekly NewsMarch 3, 2021VOAD Activating inResponse to Snow StormCOOKE COUNTY –The Cooke County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD)has reactivated in responseto the recent North Texas snow storms. After aprompt board meeting onWednesday, a decision wasmade to set up an officespace at VISTO, wherecommunity members thathave been impacted by thesnow storm can go to apply for assistance. VOADis designed to unite andactivate after there is anannounced state of emergency or post-catastrophicevents. The purpose isto help the communitynavigate through the toolsand resources that are established, such as federal,state, and local funding, aswell as offer the local support and services that havebeen collected.VISTO is offering acomputer lab where therewill be hands-on volunteer support for those whoneed assistance with technology and forms. VOADhas arranged for volunteers to assist in servicessuch as answering thephones, helping community members completethe online applicationsto available resources, review and give estimates onproperty damage, as wellas help fix and repair damage at the cost of supplies.The office will be open,and operation will go liveon Wednesday, March 3,2021.Any voluntary organization looking to get involved is encouraged tojoin VOAD. Those lookingto help volunteer can alsooffer their assistance. Anyone in the trades serviceswho would like to offertheir services (parts, supplies, and permit fees willbe covered) may also volunteer. Donations to helpreplace damaged items arealso being accepted. PleaseCooke CountyAgencies Provide1,300 VaccinesGAINESVILLE – TheCooke County COVIDvaccination team of NorthTexas Medical Center,Muenster Memorial Hospital, the city of Gainesville, Cooke County,Cooke County Community Emergency ResponseTeam Lake Kiowa andNorth Central Texas College nursing students administered 1,300 vaccinesThursday, February 25,according to the CookeCounty Pandemic Information Page.Officials urge residentsto inform them via email ifthey have already receivedthe vaccine at another loca-tion. Residents are also encouraged to help individuals who need the vaccineand may not have access toa computer to sign up fora vaccination appointmentat www.co.cooke.tx.us.The latest informationreleased by the county indicates the number of newly recovered cases is 0. Newlaboratory confirmed casesis 7. Residents currentlyhospitalized is 17.Active cases, according to the pandemic pageare 106 with total cases at3,556 and 58 fatalities.The highest number ofCOVID cases in Texascontinues to be reported inHarris County which includes Houston – the citywith the largest populationin Texas. Harris Countyreported, as of Monday,March 1, 2021, 348,848cases. Dallas County reported 245,278 cases,Tarrant County reported205,676 cases.For counties whichborder Cooke County,Grayson County reported 10,788 cases. DentonCounty reported 48,806cases. Wise County had5,804 cases and 1,696 caseswere reported in MontagueCounty. Love County,Oklahoma reported 1,425cases.GISD SchedulesVirtual Job FairsGAINESVILLE – If you’relooking for the supportand growth opportunitiesto take your teaching career to the next level, thenwe have just the event foryou. Sign up for one ofthe GISD teacher job fairswhich are scheduled forthe Spring. Due to socialdistancing protocols, theevents will be held virtuallyvia Zoom.Job Fairs for teachers willbe held from 4:00 to 5:00p.m. on March 2, March25, April 8, April 21, andJune 9. An additional jobfair will be held on June 8from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.For those looking tojoin our team of instructional coaches, join us at aseparate job fair on April7 or April 27 from 4:00 to5:00 p.m.What to expect: Hearfrom district leadership tolearn more about GISDand the opportunities wehave to offer. Also, allparticipants will be able tohave small group meetingwith Principal and teacher leaders from all of ourcampuses and explore whatit would be like to teachhere.Candidatesinterestedin a position at GISD arehighly encouraged to apply online for positions ofinterest prior to attendingthe job fair. This will allowcampus administration access to review credentialsprior to the event.Register for the job fairand apply for teachingpositions at: gainesvil-leisd.org/humanresources.Once you register, you willreceive the zoom login information.If you have questionsprior to the event, pleasecontact Paula Moore,Director of Human Resources, at 940-665-4362or pmoore@gainesvilleisd.org.call (940) 665-8505 if youare interested in any volunteer or donor opportunities.VOAD Cooke County’sgoal is to help as manycommunity members receive the assistance theyneed and get back theirliving conditions prior tothe disaster. Thank youto those who have alreadymade donations and volunteer contributions, including Atmos Energy,CoServ Energy, NortexCommunications, Salvation Army, and several private donors.VOAD Cooke Countyservices are available asfollows: VISTO, 1305 NCulberson Street, Gainesville, TX 76240. Mondaythrough Thursday, 10:00a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Friday10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.(940) 665-8505. Email:VOADCC@gmail.com.THIS IS ALL YOUNEED TO PAYYOUR BILLSWith our extensive bill-paying services you can pay your bills over thephone, or even pay your bills online with your computer or tablet. Thechoice is yours. Nobody does bill-paying faster or more conveniently.Muenster State Bank201 N. Main St., Muenster940/759-2257940-668-8814The Weekly Newsof Cooke CountyThe Weekly News reports the news and events of Cooke County and isdistributed to households and businesses throughout Cooke County.The Weekly News is a locally-owned publication.216 W. Pecan Gainesville, TXBusiness Office - 940.665.2320Fax - 940.665.2162News Line - 940.665.0733www.TheWeeklyNewsCC.com1601 W. Hwy 82, Gainesville940/665-7900Free InspectionsInsured ResidentialLocally Owned & OperatedOwner / Publisher / AdvertisingGrice KingGrice.King@TheWeeklyNewsCC.comAdvertising ManagerAmber HillisSales.Team@TheWeeklyNewsCC.comEditorial StaffDelania RaneyDelania.Raney@TheWeeklyNewsCC.com
www.TheWeeklyNewsCC.comFax: 940.665.2162The Weekly NewsMarch 3, 20213ObituariesJimmie EdwinaFergusonServicesFuneral services forJimmie Edwina Ferguson,85, of Gainesville, arescheduled for 11:00 A.M.on Friday, March 5, 2021at Whaley United Methodist Church in Gainesville with Pastor MariaSmith officiating. Thefamily will receive friendsfrom 10:30 to 11:00A.M. on Friday, March 5,2021 at Whaley UnitedMethodist Church.HistoryMrs. Ferguson wascalled home by her Lordon February 26, 2021, atNocona General Hospital in Nocona, TX. Jimmie was born on July 31,1935, in Gober, Texas, toTom and Pauline Summerlin. She was bornthird out of four girls. Shemarried her high schoolsweetheart Floyd T. Ferguson on November 21,1951, at First BaptistChurch in Bonham, TX.Jimmie was only 16 yearsold and Floyd was 19 atthe time they married.Jimmie worked mainlyretail for Duke & Ayersand Ellen’s then workedfor the City of Gainesville and later retired fromGainesville Daily Register.She was preceded indeath by her parents andsisters.SurvivorsShe is survived by herhusband Floyd, of 69years, and son David Ferguson and his wife Shelly;grandchildrenShawnaand Chad Krueger, andBradly Ferguson; greatgrandchildrenCarson,Isaac, and Elliott Ferguson, and Kaitlynn, Kayleb, and Kayleigh Krueger;brother-in-law Lloyd; several nieces and nephews.PallbearerswillbeBradly Ferguson, ChadKrueger, Eddie Copelin,Phil Ferguson, Gary Hinkle, and Dave Stark.You may sign the onlineregistry at www.geojcarroll.com.Sandra NicholsServicesFuneral services for Sandra “Sandy” Kay Nichols, 77, of Gainesville,are scheduled for 11:00A.M. on Saturday, February 27, 2021 in theFellowship Hall of FirstUnited Methodist ChurchALABAMA-COUSHATTATRIBAL EMPLOYMENT& TRAINING PROGRAMLooking for Native American Indians, Alaskan Nativesor Native Hawaiians needing assistance findingemployment or vocation trainingMust be a member of a U.S. Federally recognized tribe with asupporting document from a U.S. Federally recognized Tribe’sTribal Rolls and Records office and reside within our designatedservice area in TexasWorkforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Section 166,20 CFR 684.300(a) (1) An Indian, as determined bya policy of the INA program grantee; or (2) An AlaskaNative; or (3) A Native Hawaiian.Call 1-877-717-6101or apply online at www.acwia.orgof Gainesville with Rev.Adam Spore officiating.Interment will follow atFairview Cemetery. Thefamily will receive friendsfrom 6:00 to 8:00 P.M.on Friday, February 26in the Fellowship Hall ofFirst United MethodistChurch.HistoryMrs. Nichols was calledhome by her Lord on February 21, 2021, at TexomaMedical Center in Denison, surrounded by manyloved ones. Her husband,Robert, preceded her indeath in February 2018.Sandra was born June5, 1943, in Gainesville,Texas, to Mayo and Katherine Peterson. She graduated from GainesvilleHigh School in 1961. Shemarried her high schoolsweetheart Robert NicholsJr. on August 18, 1961,at First United Methodist in Gainesville. Sandrareceived her cosmetology license in 1975 andowned her own beautyshop for many years. Sheclosed her shop in March2020 due to COVID andreturned to work in Mayat The Cottage, whereshe worked until January2021.She and Robert hadthree children and spenttheir time being dedicated, loving parents.She and her family spentmany summers at thelake camping and fishing. Robert and Sandraalso spent much of theirearly married lives squaredancing with their friendsas members of the 49’erssquare dance club.Sandra was knownas “Nana” to her manygrandkids and greatgrandkids and her homewas the gathering placefor all holidays and specialoccasions. Her love language was food and cooking. She loved her familydearly and nothing madeher happier than spendingtime with them. She rarelymissed any of their activities and was their biggestfan. She could be seen andheard at any given timecheering and yelling “GoRed”. Her Yorkie Pepperwas always by her side andcould be seen travelingaround town with her inhis car seat. Her granddogs Turbo and Ace lovedto go to Nana’s housewhere they were showeredwith love and treats. Shenever met a stranger andloved to visit with peopleeverywhere she went. Shewas loved by many andwill be greatly missed byall who knew her.SurvivorsSurvivors include: son,Jeff Nichols and wife, Tinaof Gainesville; daughter,Shari Marshall and husband, Gary of Gainesville; son, Shane Nicholsof Gainesville; grandchil-dren: Toby “T.J.” Nichols,Kayle Nichols, HunterNichols, Hayden Nichols,Kelli Kuykendall, KolbyKuykendall and wifeKrystynn, Dakota Nichols and wife, Paola, andKenedy Nichols and fiancé, Carlos Almeida; greatgrandchildren: Kadence,Bryar, Wesley, Kamden,Kanin, Keagyn, Kaise,Kain, Elle, and Memphis; brother-in-law, JerryTucker of Gainesville;brother-in-law, SammyNichols and wife, Keleenof Gainesville; sister-inlaw, Jane Wagner andhusband, Jim of Sanger;sister-in-law, Patsy Christie and husband, Phil ofDallas; sister-in-law, SueComer of Gainesville; andmany nieces, nephews,and cousins.Mrs. Nichols was preceded in death by: parents, Mayo and Kathryn(Curtiss) Peterson; husband, Robert Nichols, Jr.;sister, Patti Tucker; andfather-in-law and motherin-law, Robert “Shorty”and Mamie Nichols, Sr.You may sign the onlineregister at www.geojcarroll.com.Pictures with a Snowman! - Moss Lake residents Jimmy and Barbara Mosmanbuilt a hay bail snowman outside their home at 7480 FM 1201 near Moss Lake.Residents are welcomed to stop by for photos. They said the snowman will likelybe replaced by an Easter bunny as spring approaches.(Courtesy Photo)Marriage LicenseRequests ReceivedCOOKE COUNTY – Thefollowing applications formarriage were received bythe Cooke County Clerk’sOffice.Tyrique Abdul Jones, 27,Gainesville and AntashiaRaven Thompson, 23,Gainesville.Ernesto Juarez Sifuentes,38, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Loida EuniceFlores, 36, Oklahoma City.William Glenn Childers,66, Pawnee, Oklahoma,and Debra Ann Gray, 64,Pawnee.Trevin Anthony Estep,32, Covington, and TaylerIrene Breshears, 28, Ardmore, Oklahoma.HOMETOWN AREAHIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALLTUESDAY & FRIDAY NIGHTS
216 W. Pecan Gainesville, TXOffice: 940.665.2320The Weekly NewsMarch 3, 2021Gainesville PoliceReceive ReportsGAINESVILLE – Gainesville Police Departmentreceived the following incident reports.Quick Mart No. 1 reported fraud in the 1800block of East Highway 82.Jynna Ware reportedburglary of a vehicle inthe 2000 block of NorthI-35.Christina Scott reportedburglary of a motor vehiclein the 600 block of SouthMorris Street.Site Safe Solutions reported stolen vehiclefrom a locked, gated areain the 900 block of CasonDrive.Jeffrey Scott reportedanimal attack in the 1300block of Clements Street.Severino Vazquez reported unknown object/item struck awning causingdamage to building in the300 block of North Commerce Street.Wesley McCollum re-ported damaged phone andlaptop in the 900 block ofSouth Dixon Street.Megan Seal reportedburglary of a habitationin the 800 block of NorthClements Street.Sandra Bowen reported debit card ab
County Fair Grounds. Admis-sion is free to all so come join in the festivities. Gainesville Knights of Columbus are of-fering their amazing Fish plates for only 10. All proceeds go to support VISTO as they help support our community mem-bers in need. For more infor-mation call 940-668-6403 o
