Celebration of life funeral services for Odessa Cooper, 81, of Arlington, will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, May 4, 2024, at Eubank Cedar Creek Funeral Home in Mabank, with Pastor Cass Bowker officiating. Visitation with the family will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday, May 3, 2024 at the funeral home.  
Odessa passed from this life April 25, 2024, surrounded by her loving family. She was born Feb. 26, 1943, in Grapeland to Eldridge Manson and Maudie Lee (Brinkley) Lambright. 

William “Elick” Baxter was born May 27, 1936, in Olney. He departed this life April 28, 2024, at the age of 87. He was the second child born to Jack and Edith Baxter.
Elick worked at various jobs during his life, including years in the oil drilling fields of the Rocky Mountain States. He worked as a custom home builder in the Dallas – Fort Worth area before moving to the Cedar Creek Lake area, where he has been for over fifty years. 
Before long, he began his own business as a concrete construction contractor until retiring in 2010.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Kerens’ Ella Engel gets the sign before stepping back into the batter’s box versus Hawkins.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Jaidin Rickard of Kerens scurries toward first base after making contact against Hawkins.

KAUFMAN COUNTY—During the regular Kaufman County Commissioners Court meeting held April 30, the county approved the purchase of mitigation credits. An environmental study conducted for the State Highway (SH) 34 and US Highway (US HWY) 175 connector road determined that a negative impact to the wetlands was discovered. Because of the negative impact to the wetlands, the US Corps of Engineers requires a mitigation purchase from a mitigation bank to decrease negative impact to the wetlands.