Patriots Day Program
The VFW Post 4376 and Ladies Auxiliary are presenting Patriots Day program at 2 p.m. Sunday (today), Sept. 11.
There will be a special guest and food after the program.
Please come join us in honoring our fallen 9/11 heroes.

Rockin’ Country Church
Rockin’ Country Church has moved to a new location in Seven Points at 737 North Seven Points Blvd. (S.H. 274). Sunday service starts at 10 a.m. Bring a camping chair and a friend. For more information, please call Pastor Woody at (214) 418-8996.

‘Meet the Teacher’ Night
Mabank High School “Meet the Teacher” night will be Monday, Sept. 12. Band and choir students and parents will meet in the auditorium from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. From 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. students and parents can make classroom visits.

MISD Gifted and Talented Programs
A parent meeting regarding the Mabank ISD gifted and talented programs will be held at the MISD Boardroom at 310 E. Market St. in Mabank on the following dates: • 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 12 • 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13 • Noon and 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15. This meeting is mandatory for your child to be screened for GT.

El Distrito Escolar de Mabank
Una reunion con los padres acerca de el programa dotados y talentosos sera celebrada en la sala de juntas en 310 E. Mabank St., en las feshas siguientes: • 10 a.m. Lunes, 12 de Septiembre • 6 p.m. Martes, 13 de Septiembre • 12 p.m. y 6 p.m. Jueves, 15 de Septiembre.

Free movies move to Mondays
During the school year, beginning Sept. 12, free kids movies (provided by Family Video) will be moved to 10 a.m. Mondays in the Community Room of the Tri-County Library, located at 132 E. Market Street in Mabank. For information call (903) 887-9622.

Square Dance lessons
Square Dance lessons will begin Sept. 12 from 7-9 p.m. each Monday at the Log Cabin Swingers Square Dance Club at the Promenade Hall, 1210 North Tool Road (SH 274 in Tool). First and second lessons are free. Adults and teens are welcome. High school teens can work toward a scholarship. For information, call (903) 340-9672 or (214) 543-8641.

Literary Club of Cedar Creek Lake
The Literary Club of Cedar Creek Lake will meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13 at The Library at Cedar Creek Lake. The program will be given by author and journalist Dave Lieber. For information, call Ruth Pimm at (903) 778-4752.

The CCL Tea Party
The Cedar Creek Tea Party monthly meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13 at the Seven Points Dairy Queen. For information call (903) 432-2188 or (903) 778-2586.

Precept Bible Study
A new 8-week study on Daniel titled “The Word of the Holy One to Israel” will begin this month. Students may attend either of the two weekly classes held at First Community Church at 1401 Trinity Drive in Crandall. New Precept Bible Study students will have an introductory lesson at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13 or 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14. For previous Precept students, they will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20 and 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21. Please call (972) 932-8466.

Girl Scout Recruitment
Girl Scout Recruitment date, time and locations are as follows:
• Mabank area recruitment at Mabank Junior High School at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15.
• Kaufman area recruitment at Kaufman County Library from 6-8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19.
• Kemp area recruitment will be held at Kemp First United Methodist Church at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22.
• Crandall area recruitment will be held at First United Methodist Church at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23.

KHS Mum Night
Kemp High School’s Mum Night will be held Friday, Sept. 16, when Kemp plays Malakoff at the Kemp Yellowjacket Stadium. The Football Sweetheart presentation will take place before the game.

Country Breakfast
A country breakfast hosted by Gun Barrel City No. 1114 Order of the Eastern Star will start at 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Cedar Creek Lake Masonic Lodge, located at 1431 Legendary Lane in Gun Barrel City.

Marvelous Meatloaf Dinner
The Auxiliary at the American Legion Post 310 in Gun Barrel City is hosting a marvelous meatloaf dinner from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17. Proceeds will go to the Auxiliary’s Poppy Fund to assist area veterans and their families.

Rootseekers Genealogical Society
Rootseekers Genealogical Society will hold their next meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19 at the Tri-County Library in downtown Mabank. The guest speaker will be Harry Erb.

Sarah Maples Chapter of DAR Meeting
The Sarah Maples Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will meet at the Cedar Creek United Methodist Church in Tool at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21. The speaker will be retired Dean of the TVCC Palestine campus Charles Akin.

Four Mile Lutheran Church Sale
Four Mile Lutheran Women of ELCA will hold their annual yard and bake sale Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 22-24. The sale will end at noon on Saturday. The sale will be located at Four Mile Lutheran Church in the Prairieville Community, two miles east of the Prairieville Store at Hwy. 90 and VZ CR 2607. For more information, call (903) 887-0833 or (903) 385-0017.

Property of God Ministries
POG M/M invites you to their third annual Unity Rally beginning at 7 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Sept. 23-25. There will be a bike ride at 10:30 a.m Saturday, Sept. 24 and will end at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25. Property of God Ministries is located at 3491 FM 316 in Eustace. For more information, visit www.pog-m.com.

Cedar Creek Clean-up
The 13th annual Cedar Creek Clean-up will be held Saturday, Sept. 24 at CR 4023 of Hwy. 274 South. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and volunteers will clean until 11 a.m. T-shirts will be provided. Post clean-up party will be held at Tom Finley Park in Gun Barrel City.

Do you doubt your Salvation?
There are many Christians who privately struggle with doubts about their salvation. If you are struggling, there is help for you at www.knowimsaved.com. This is a ministry of Central Baptist Church in Mabank.

Save the Date
Resource Conference
The Njoy Foundation has secured top speakers to attend the Resource Conference that relate to different disabilities. Some of the topics that will include autism, advocacy, mental health, special education, financial planning and much more. The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Lockheed Martin Recreation Association Clubhouse, located at 3400 Bryant Irving Road in Fort Worth. For information, call (817) 917-2631.

October Fest 2011
Mary Queen of Heaven Catholic Church will sponsor an October Fest from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2 at the Malakoff Community Center, 503 N. Terry Street. Chicken dinners will be available for dining in or take out with prepaid ticket. There will be music, entertainment, donkey rides, a cake walk, silent auction, games, bounce houses and a fishing booth. Call (903) 489-2366 for information.

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City lifts boil water notice
Monitor Staff Reports
KEMP–The city of Kemp lifted its boil water notice Thursday, Sept. 8.
It was the second boil water notice the city has issued in a month – this one lasting about a week.
After making repairs at the water plant to dispense the right amount of chlorine into the water treatment process, a sample was sent off to a lab in Tyler.
Negative results for pathogens came back Thursday, which means the water is safe for drinking and making ice.
The city remains in Drought Stage 3 with water restrictions in place – no outdoor watering, no washing of cars, conservation measures should be taken.
Public Works director Chris Burns reports city workers are dealing with about four pipe breaks a day, but nothing major.
An article covering the town hall meeting set of 7 p.m. Thursday in the Kemp High School Auditorium will be published in the Thursday, Sept. 15 issue of The Monitor.
 

Utility approves $1.76M bond sale
Cryer named to board; Watkins named VP
Susan Harrison
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–East Cedar Creek Fresh Water Supply District directors approved the sale of $1,760,000 in bonds Sept. 6.
Proceeds from the much anticipated sale will cover a $1.1M payment to the city of Mabank for some 800 water meter customers, the transfer of a portion of Mabank’s license to provide water (a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, CCN.)
“The district is in great shape,” Sabonis told board members in a conference call during a Sept. 6 special meeting.
The remaining $660,000 will pay for additional construction and material costs to connect the water lines and pipelines to ECCFWSD’s water.
Sabonis told the board that 90 percent of the bond bidding will be done via the Internet and also cautioned the board that Standard & Poor’s is issuing more stringent criteria for bond insurers these days.
“With S & P taking a closer look at the insurer, how does that impact us?” Board member Carol Meyer asked.
“Currently, ECCFWSD is rated an A-. You can sell debt without an insurer and without a surety bond, but you will have to pay a higher interest rate on the bonds, have a higher reserve and fund it with cash,” Sabonis explained.
“As your advisor, I have to tell you that your insurer could be downgraded. Even if the insurer is downgraded a half a notch, you may have to pay a little higher rate, but it is still cheap,” Sabonis added.
General manager Bill Goheen explained that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) had approved ECCFWSD for the $1.76M bond sale.
“Can we ask to be upgraded from an A- to an A?” Goheen asked Sabonis, since TCEQ approved the sale.
“I’m very cautious. We asked to be reviewed for an upgrade, and we have to sometimes ask two to three times to be upgraded. And you are financially in good shape, so we’ve asked for the upgrade,” Sabonis answered.
“Just don’t expect an upgrade when they are downgrading the federal government,” Sabonis added, as board members chuckled.
“We anticipate a good sale. This is the final piece of the puzzle, and it will get you where you need to be. I congratulate the board for this vision,” Sabonis said.
The bond interest rate is estimated to be 4.3 percent. TCEQ requires the interest rate to be below 5.58 percent.
In other business, board members:
• accepted a letter of resignation from board vice president Howard Smith.
• appointed Jerry Cryer of Enchanted Oaks to fill Smith’s unexpired term ending May 2014.
• elected director Richard Watkins, as board vice president.

Drug charges result from search warrant
Monitor Staff Reports
ATHENS–Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt reports the arrest of two Payne Springs men and a third man from Dallas on drug charges Sept. 7.
Jason Collum, 27, the subject of a drug trafficking investigation, was taken into custody at his Del Mar addition residence Wednesday.
A number of narcotic investigators came with a search warrant. Collum was found to be in possession of a quantity of marijuana, more than 4 ounces and under 5 pounds, a state jail felony offense. He is being held on a $10,000 bond.
At the time, Tyler Redden, 21, was also at the residence. Redden was wanted on a warrant out of Collin County for criminal mischief more than $1,500 and less than $20,000. Both men were transported to the Henderson County Jail. Redden is being held without a bond.
Also on Sept. 7, while investigating reports of suspect narcotic activity in the Wildewood Addition of Gun Barrel City, deputy Kenny Collard stopped a vehicle on Red Robin Street and identified the driver as Esequiel Hernandez, 20, of Dallas.
He didn’t have a driver’s license and a search of his person uncovered a cigarette box containing a clear plastic baggie filled with a clear crystal-like substance, believed to be methamphetamine.
Hernandez was taken into custody and taken to the Henderson County Jail, where he was booked for manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance greater than a gram and less than 4 grams, a second-degree felony, punishable up to 20 years in prison and a fine not to exceed $10,000.