County-Henderson County Now

Henderson County Sheriff Warns of Scam

Sheriff’s Office press release

On Wednesday, July 9, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office received report of a burglary on FM 317 in the Leagueville area.

An elderly complainant advised deputies that two white males, one in his 40’s and another in his late teens, knocked on her door and advised her that there was a problem with her electric meter. The subjects then told her that they had fixed the problem and requested money for the repairs. The subjects, at some point, entered the victims home while she was retrieving money. The victim paid the suspects in cash and later learned that a large amount of cash was missing from her home.

Sheriff Nutt would like to inform members of the community that this is a common type of scam that generally targets elderly subjects. If anyone has had a similar occurrence or are approached in this manner they are asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (903) 675-5128.

US 175 Between Baxter and Poynor gets $70 million

TxDOT press release

In support of efforts to enhance safety and reduce congestion across the Lone Star State, the Texas Transportation Commission recently approved $90 million for projects on US 175, SH 31 and US 69 in the Tyler District to be included in the Unified Transportation Program (UTP), a 10-year plan to guide and fund transportation project development in the state. This action is part of an ongoing process and commitment from the Texas Department of Transportation to act upon requests from the legislature, community leaders, public and local transit authorities to identify those projects that will improve mobility across Texas.

“These are much-needed projects that will benefit all East Texans,” said Commissioner Jeff Austin III, Texas Transportation Commission. “These upgrades will have a tremendous impact on the region as they improve safety and mobility, while helping spur economic development opportunities. It was a good decision to prioritize these projects and I’m glad they are moving forward.” Continue reading “US 175 Between Baxter and Poynor gets $70 million”

DA’s Office Begins Summer With Busy Week of Trials

District Attorney’s Office press release

It was a busy week for Scott McKee’s District Attorney’s Office last week as four prosecutors were wrapped up in two trials in the Henderson County Judicial Complex. 1st Assistant District Attorney Mark Hall along with Assistant DA Nancy Rumar were busy in Judge Mark Calhoon’s 3rd Judicial District Court while Assistant District Attorneys Jenny Palmer and Danny Cox were prosecuting a case in Judge Carter Tarrance’s 392nd District Court.

A jury of seven women and five men convicted and sentenced Jeffrey Arlen Quinn, 31, of Athens to 17 years in prison after hearing evidence presented by 1st Assistant Hall and ADA Rumar that on October 21, 2013, Quinn, who was wanted on a parole violation at the time, was driving a Ford Ranger pickup north on Highway 274 just south of Seven Points at about 5 p.m., and was accompanied by another wanted felon, Kristy Kidan

While making an unsafe pass of the car in front of him, Quinn narrowly avoided a head-on collision with Tool Police Chief Rodney Henderson, who was traveling south toward Tool. Chief Henderson immediately turned around to make what he thought would be a routine traffic stop, but soon realized that Quinn had no intention of stopping. Quinn turned east onto Highway 334, then left onto John Thomas Drive. He then turned onto Pritchett Lane accelerating to speeds in excess of 100 mph on the unmarked, two lane road, causing numerous vehicles to pull over to avoid collision. Continue reading “DA’s Office Begins Summer With Busy Week of Trials”

Athens Troop 343 Boy Scouts Trek Through Wilderness

Athens Boy Scout Troop 343, June 2014 trek at Philmont NM. Pictured L to R, Ian Collins, Will Perryman, Nathan Johnson, and Temple Hendrickson.

Boy Scout Troop 343 press release

An Athens crew of teenage Scouts and their leaders armed with hiking poles went on a June 2014 life changing trek through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. Philmont covers 137,000 acres of vast wilderness with trails that climb from 6,500 feet to as high as 12,441 feet. Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America’s premier high adventure camp and the largest youth camp in the world, serving nearly one million participants since it was gifted to the Boy Scouts by Oklahoma oilman and philanthropist Waite Phillips in 1938.

The crew made what amounts to a Scouting pilgrimage with their trip to Philmont. During their trek, Boy Scout Troop 343 hiked 74 miles over 12 days, including 22,916 feet of vertical ascents up and over a number of mountains and ridges. The group of Scouts and their advisors carried 50-60 pound backpacks with everything they needed to survive during the trek while hiking from camp to camp. Along with their tents, sleeping bags and gear, sometimes this also included a 4-day supply of food and 2-days of water. While on the trek, the Scouts endured tough challenges including backpacking in bear and mountain lion territory, pitching a new camp every evening with a hot meal while implementing strict bear procedures, near freezing temperatures at night, drinking safe water from mountain streams, steep climbs, and driving rain with threatening lightning. Continue reading “Athens Troop 343 Boy Scouts Trek Through Wilderness”

Analysis Puts Henderson County in Lowest Third of the Country

A recent data project tried to determine which counties in the United States were the hardest to live in.

The Upshot — a data analysis group teamed up with the New York Times — ranked each county in the nation according to the following six categories: education (percentage of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree), median household income, unemployment rate, disability rate, life expectancy and obesity.

Henderson County ranked 2,261 out of 3,135 … or in the bottom 28 percent.

The individual numbers were:

Median Income: $41,000
College Education: 14.2 percent
Unemployment: 7.3 percent
Disability: 1.8 percent
Life Expectancy: 74.9 years
Obesity: 39 percent

From the Henderson County Connect LinkedIn Group.