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Mabank police officer exonerated
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
MABANK–An agreement has been reached in the wrongful
termination suit filed by six-year veteran Mabank Police Officer Darrell
Dean.
Dean was terminated from the Mabank Police Department, the effective
date of June 27.
In the list of agreements the city of Mabank dropped all charges that
led to Dean’s termination.
The controversy was in connection with the disappearance of computers
and fax machines missing from Mabank School District where Dean worked
as a campus resource officer.
The original letter to the state stated he was dishonorably discharged
and terminated. That statement was retracted, Dean said.
“I just want my name cleared, my benefits, back pay and retirement,” he
explained.
The agreement reached provided for the payment of back pay and
retirement funds to Dean plus the city was instructed to send a
completed F-5 form to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement with the
notations, honorably discharged, resigned and in good standing, which
allows him to pursue his law enforcement career.
Dean served with Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department before going to MPD.
He is currently employed as a patrolman with Eustace PD.
“I just want people to know, I’m not what I was portrayed as,” Dean
explained.
Dean said he was a juvenile certified officer for 6½ years with the
Mabank Police Department, serving at Mabank Independent School District.
“What do those kids think of me now? I miss the kids and I miss the
job,” Dean said.Spirit
Week in Panther Country Sept. 24 -28
MHS Homecoming Court kicks off Spirit Week
fund-raising for Habitat for Humanity
Special to The Monitor
MABANK–Monday begins a very exciting week for the Mabank Independent
School District and its surrounding communities.
The Mabank Independent School Districts’s seventh annual Spirit Week
fund-raising event begin Monday, Sept. 24 (tomorrow).
This promises to be a monumental year for both the district and the
charity, Habitat for Humanity of Cedar Creek.
In addition to its tradition of raising money for a deserving charity,
MISD will enhance its fund-raising efforts by awarding a Habitat home to
a family who works for the district or is a resident of the school
district.
And, to make the event even more special, the district plans to be
instrumental in the construction of the house as well.
“There is so much excitement about this year,” Spirit Week coordinator
Tonya Chapman said.
“Spirit Week is such a feel good time of year anyway. The fact that we
have so much invested in this particular Spirit Week is what makes it so
special,” she added.
The week of Sept. 24-28 will be filled with a number of activities to
help raise money for Spirit Week.
Each campus in the district will host its own fund-raising activities
and a number of activities are planned for district-wide and community
participation.
“Part of the fun of Spirit Week is seeing the ideas that people come up
with to help our cause. I love it when we come up with a fund-raiser we
have never done before and I get a huge kick out of listening to people
get excited about Spirit Week,” Chapman said.
Community activities this year include the annual Spirit Rally, the
Spirit of Charity Golf Tournament, and the Catch the Spirit Fun
Walk/Run.
Added to the slate of community activities this year is a spaghetti
dinner hosted by the MISD food services department, a garage sale
sponsored by the Central Elementary staff and Parent Teacher
Organization and a Powder Puff football game hosted by the high school
student council.
The Spirit Rally is set for 6-8 p.m Monday, Sept. 24 at the Andrew Gibbs
Rodeo Arena with games, food and performances. Donations will be taken
for entry.
The third annual Spirit of Charity Golf Tournament tees off 1 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 24, at Cedar Creek Country Club.
The driving range opens at 11:30 a.m. and lunch is at 11:45 a.m. Contact
is Cris Cary at Mabank High School.
The Catch the Spirit Fun/ Walk/run takes place 6:30 p.m Tuesday, Sept.
24.
The three-mile-event begins at the high school.
Entry fee,$15, includes everything.
Registration forms are available at any campus office. Contact is
Melissa Sullivan at Lakeview Elementary.
The Spirit Week spaghetti dinner is served 5-7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 25,
in the high school cafeteria.
Spaghetti, tossed salad, garlic bread, banana pudding and tea is $6/$3
for adults/children under 10. A silent auction follows.
Wednesday, Sept. 26, the entire community is invited to Central
Elementary’s staff and PTO garage sale from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the
front lawn.
Thursday, Sept. 27, the Mabank High School Student Council hosts a
powder puff football game featuring the junior and senior girls at
Panther Stadium beginning at 7 pm. Admission is $1.
One way businesses can help is through “in-kind” services, which relates
to donating labor and materials for specific areas of construction –
roofers may want to donate the labor/materials for roofing the home, as
may plumbers, framers, electricians, etc.
For more information about Spirit Week, please contact Tonya Chapman at
(903)880-1340.
Monitor Photo/Pearl Cantrell
Shown are the Mabank High School 2007 nominees for Homecoming Queen.
Pictured are (from left, back row) Brooke Ashlock, Chelsea Morton,
Lauren Hamilton, Courtney Morman, Chelsey Dillon and Jessica Cowin;
(front row) Melody Lander, Crystal Morman, Katie Cross, Ashleigh Wood
and Erin Hankins.
EDC seats
members, reviews promo materials, website
By Kerry Yancey
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–Gun Barrel City Economic
Development Corporation board members reviewed website photographs and a
sample brochure and formally seated two new members Tuesday.
Both the website information and brochure were prepared by Fort Worth
consultant Jack Thompson, and feature a new motto: “Gun Barrel City –
It’s a straight shot to the water’s edge.”
“We’re really focusing on the lake,” Thompson told the EDC board during
its regular meeting.
Thompson presented printed copies of photographs generated by a
three-day shoot by a hired photographer.
Board members indicated they liked some photos better than others, and
Thompson noted their preferences for inclusion into the website.
The proposed brochure – checkbook-sized with a heavy binding and cover –
drew very favorable comments from board members, who said they had never
seen anything like it.
“We were going for the cutting edge,” Thompson said. “To me, this really
screams ‘Hey! We’re a progressive group’.”
Thompson said the brochure was ready to print, if the board didn’t have
any major changes, and would be distributed to major developers,
community builders and the local area chamber of commerce.
In a related report, Thompson said the planned four-page newsletter
insert for the Dallas Business Journal was nearly ready.
“I’ll have a proof for you at the next meeting,” he told the directors.
The insert will have short stories, along with a number of charts and
graphs, he added.
Information on the insert will direct readers to the EDC’s website and
office.
“We’ve already budgeted another one (insert) for next year,” he said.
“We probably will focus on (getting the insert in) the first quarter of
’08.”
New Gun Barrel City Manager Gerry Boren, who attended the meeting,
reported he had been speaking about the city with many of his developer
contacts.
Boren suggested the city needed to start working on developing festivals
and other events, such as fireworks shows in conjunction with the annual
Christmas parade and Independence Day holiday.
In other business, the board:
• formally seated new members Mike Wagner (a superintendent for Dallas
general contractor Spring Valley Construction) and retired Zales CPO
Sandy Janow, who were appointed by the city council.
• reorganized the board, naming Steve Webster (owner of Sun Commercial
Roofs) as president, retired Verizon communications specialist Richard
Wendel as vice president, veteran banker Dennis Baade as treasurer and
Wagner as secretary.
• agreed to replace the old tape recorder used to keep minutes with a
voice-activated digital recorder.
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