People, Places & Events

Victims of Domestic Violence to receive grant assistance
Special to The Monitor
ATHENS–The spirit of cooperation between Break the Chain Against Domestic Violence and The Family Peace Project has resulted in a little financial help for both groups.
The two groups recently received a joint grant from the Faith and Community Technical Support (FACTS) program. FACTS is a joint venture between Baylor University’s Program on Prosocial Behavior and the state of Montana’s Office of Victims Services.
Both The Family Peace Project and Break the Chain help provide temporary housing to women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
The Family Peace Project is dedicated to Henderson County while Break the Chain helps victims from both Henderson and Kaufman counties.
The two agencies have cooperated on several projects in the past three years, conducting fund-raisers together and providing shared services to local victims.
The $72,000 grant is earmarked for a very specific purpose, said Jan Wood, director of Break the Chain Against Domestic Violence. The funds will be used to expand the housing options available for area women fleeing violent situations.
“We can only use this money for particular expenses and housing,” Wood said. “The grant will help us continue to work together to build and develop more safe housing options for families dealing with domestic violence in the local rural communities.”
“However, support is always needed for other areas of our operation.
“This grant money will be very helpful in expanding our housing options, but it is only through the kindness of local supporters that we can provide not only housing, but school supplies, clothing, health items and other accessories to those who may have nothing more than the clothing on their backs.
“The grant money cannot go toward those everyday items,” Wood explained.
In addition to funding, those who receive the grant also get technical assistance and training.
After receiving the grant, Wood and Marlena Taylor, director of The Family Peace Project, attended grant training in Colorado.
FACTS oversees a national grant competition, which provides funds to support small, rural faith-based and/or community-based programs that provide services for victims of domestic violence.
Victims of domestic violence residing in rural communities face unique challenges that are often times exacerbated by the geographic isolation said Dr. Byron Johnson, professor and director of ISR.
“For example, the delivery of social services in remote communities may be too late or even absent.
“This project is designed to be intentional in building capacity so that appropriate social service delivery can be made available even in remote places,” Johnson said.
The award is part of the federal support for faith-based organizations. The Office on Violence Against Women, Department of Justice, supported this project.
For further information on helping victims of domestic violence, contact Wood at (866) 869-4663 or Taylor at (903) 477-5297.

Local businesses eligible for USDA emergency loans
Special to the Monitor
KAUFMAN–Economic Injury Disaster Loans provided through the Small Business Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture are available to eligible small businesses dependent on farms and ranchers in counties that received the disaster declaration.
The Secretary of Agriculture designated eight Texas counties as primary natural disaster areas.
The counties are Dallas, Gonzales, Henderson, Kaufman, Neuces, Parker, Rockwall and Van Zandt.
Also 29 contiguous counties are also eligible for help.
Those nearby counties include Anderson, Ellis, Freestone and Navarro.
The time period for drought damage began Jan. 1 and continues.
The deadline for filing a loan application is June 25, 2007.
Small, non-farm businesses can file for a low-nterest loan through the Farm Service Agency, Texas State FSA Office, 2405 Texas avenue South, P.O. Box 2900, College Station, TX 77841.
Loans of up to $1.5 million at an interest rate of 4 percent are available.
“They are based on financial impact only, not on actual property damage, for a maximum term of 30 years, and restricted to businesses without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship,” SBA director of Field Operations Center – West, Alfred Judd said.
For information and applications call toll-free (800) 659-2955 or visit the website at www.sba.gov/disaster. The hearing impaired may call (800) 877-8339.

Horse owners urged to implement best management practices to prevent EVA
Special to The Monitor
AUSTIN–Texas equine producers, veterinarians and livestock health officials have become increasingly concerned about Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA), which has been detected in New Mexico and Utah this year.
A viral disease of horses, donkeys and other equine animals, EVA causes mares to abort, can cause mild to severe respiratory disease in some horses and may also cause some stallions to become chronically infected and shed the virus in semen.
EVA is not a reportable disease in Texas. Regulations have been implemented in some states, including Kentucky, New York and Colorado.
Owners should be alert and notify their accredited private veterinary practitioner if horses or foals develop signs of EVA, including fever, depression, diarrhea, coughing or nasal discharge, or swelling of the legs, body or head.
Laboratory testing is necessary to confirm a diagnosis, as other equine diseases can present similar clinical signs.
“EVA is not currently a reportable disease in Texas,” Texas’ state veterinarian and head of the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency Dr. Bob Hillman said.
“However, we urge veterinarians and horse owners to report suspected and confirmed cases of EVA to the TAHC to ensure we have the most accurate picture of the disease in the state,” he said.
Horses can be infected through natural service of a mare by a carrier stallion.
Stallions that shed the equine arteritis virus in their semen can infect unvaccinated mares, causing a respiratory disease and abortion.
Acutely infected horses spread the infection to other horses via the respiratory route.
Cleaning and disinfection of stalls, trailers and equipment can reduce the risk of EVA exposure.
Know the EVA status of stallions, semen shipments and mares before they are introduced onto your farm.
Consult your veterinary practitioner about vaccination protocols for brood mares, stallions and colt foals.
“If you are shipping breeding horses out of state, check to determine the entry requirements of the receiving state and allow time to comply with any testing, vaccination or isolation requirements,” Hillman said.
Many breeding farms have implemented ‘best management’ practices, testing and vaccination procedures to prevent the introduction or spread of EVA.
“Although only supportive treatment can be provided, most affected mares, geldings or sexually immature stallions will eliminate the virus and recover,” Hillman said.
Sexually mature stallions, however, can become carriers of the disease and shed the virus for long periods.
Shedding stallions should be isolated and bred only to vaccinated mares.
“It is very important to have breeding horses tested, and if appropriate, vaccinated prior to the breeding season,” Hillman said.
“After vaccination, stallions and mares should be withheld from breeding for at least 28 or 21 days, respectively.
“Vaccinated horses also must be maintained away from pregnant mares for at least 28 days,” he said.
“EVA vaccine may be acquired only by veterinarians, with prior TAHC approval,” he added
Additionally, mares vaccinated for the first time and bred to a carrier stallion should be isolated from other equine for 21 days after breeding.
“Several horse breeders and a number of equine veterinarians have contacted the TAHC about EVA and to urge Texas equine producers to take all necessary precautions to prevent establishing EVA in Texas horses,” Hillman said.
Equine producers and veterinarians believe this disease can be handled through judicious application of best management and biosecurity practices, coupled with appropriate use of testing and vaccination of breeding animals.
“The current EVA situation will be reported to TAHC commissioners at their meeting Tuesday, Dec. 5, in Austin,” he said.
Development of EVA rules is not anticipated at this time. Horse breeders are urged to work with their veterinarians to institute best biosecurity practices to protect their investment and the health of their animals.
EVA can be prevented and controlled by sound management practices and selective use of the EVA vaccine.
Additional information about EVA may be accessed at the TAHC’s web site at http://www.tahc.state.tx.us .

Mabank man indicted for aggravated assault
Monitor Staff Reports
ATHENS–A Mabank man was indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by the Henderson County Grand Jury.
Ronnie Lee Revis, 28, of Mabank was indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, including a repeat offender enhancement.
The indictment against Revis was one of 45 True Bills returned by the grand jury Tuesday, according to information released by District Attorney Donna R. Bennett.
Other indictments were returned against:
• James Daniel Cole, w/m (white male), 51, from Athens, indicted for Injury to a Child (habitual criminal enhancement).
• Timothy Eugene Ratliff, w/m, 17, from Gun Barrel City, indicted for Assault on a Public Servant.
• Theresa Lynn Hambrick, also known as Theresa Lynn Andrews, b/f (black female), 42, from Athens, indicted for Robbery (repeat offender enhancement).
• Barry Steven Killingsworth, b/m (black male), 43, from Malakoff, indicted for Assault on a Public Servant/Assault on a Public Servant, and also indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance.
• Haley Ann Reed, w/f (white female), 21, from Gun Barrel City, indicted for Assault Family Violence with Prior Convictions.
• Kristy Gonzales, w/f, 32, from Mount Pleasant, indicted for Forgery.
• Cody Mitchell Kuykendall, w/m, 23, from Athens, indicted for Forgery.
• Kurtis Donivan McNary, w/m, 47, from Chandler, indicted for Fraudulent Use of Identifying Information.
• Tracy Ann Reed, w/f, from Frankston, indicted for Fraudulent Use of Identifying Information.
• Cory Dean Shelton, w/m, 30, from Trinidad, indicted for Theft Over $1,500.
• Marcus Da’Wan Taylor, b/m, 20, from Athens, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance (two indictments), also indicted for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, also indicted for Possession of a Prohibited Substance in a Correctional Facility.
• Christopher Matthew Kuykendall, w/m, 32, from Gun Barrel City, indicted for Theft Over $1,500 (two indictments).
• Bradley Wayne Taylor, w/m, 25, from Chandler, indicted for Failure to Comply with Registration Requirements.
• Saul Alberto Salazar, w/m, 18, from Corsicana, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance.
• Michael John Taylor, w/m, 37, from Brownsboro, indicted for Burglary of a Habitation.
• Donald Ray Green, b/m, 44, from Malakoff, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance.
• Wendy Paola Velasquez, w/f, 26, from Athens, indicted for Burglary of a Habitation.
• Eddie Lee Crockett, b/m, 60, from Terrell, indicted for Driving While Intoxicated (repeat offender enhancement).
• Billy Jack Lewis, w/m, 31, from Trinidad, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance with Two Prior State Jail Convictions.
• Dason Leedantrelle Robertson, b/m, 17, from Brownsboro, indicted for Possession of a Prohibited Substance in a Correctional Facility.
• Lisa Ann Waterson, w/f, 31, from Seven Points, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance.
• Eric Charles Sevick, w/m, 34, from Dallas, indicted for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle/Theft Over $1,500 (habitual criminal enhancement), also indicted for Failure to Stop and Render Aid (habitual criminal enhancement).
• Shannon Wayne Smithers, w/m, 42, from Tyler, indicted for Burglary of a Habitation (three indictments).
• Thomas Nathaniel Ross, w/m, 49, from Athens, indicted for Driving While Intoxicated.
• Anthony Danar Jordan, b/m, 35, from Athens, indicted for Failure to Appear.
• Debra Ann Khaswan, w/f, 36, from Athens, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance.
• Carl Eugene Julian, w/m, 46, from Malakoff, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver (repeat offender enhancement).
• Many Nichole Riggins, w/f, 17, from Athens, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance.
• Debra Ann Wade, w/f, 45, from Athens, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance.
• Connie Loraine Stokes, w/f, 39, from Athens, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance (two indictments, with habitual criminal enhancement on each indictment).
• Katherine Marie Goddard, w/f, 17, from Malakoff, indicted for Debit Card Abuse.
• Brenda Jean Tennison, w/f, 43, from Dallas, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver.
• Amber Elaine Chewning, w/f, 27, from Trinidad, indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance.
• Christopher Leon Huddleston, w/m, 27, from Larue, indicted for Burglary of a Building.