News

Hal Ketchum’s career has been that of a master builder, whether in wood, art or music, dedication to craft has made Ketchum’s efforts stand the test of time.
Ketchum originally moved to San Marcos to work as a cabinetmaker and once there, began to hone his songwriting skills at nearby Gruene Hall. Encouraged by greats such as Lyle Lovett, Ketchum moved on to Nashville and scored a quick ticket to fame in 1991 with his first single, “Small Town Saturday Night.”
With one of the most unique voices in the industry, Ketchum had a string of hits including “I Know Where Love Lives,” “Hearts Are Gonna Roll,” “Stay Forever,” “Five O’Clock World,” and “I Miss My Mary” and “Just This Side Of Heaven.”
Inducted into The Grand Ole Opry in 1994, Ketchum was honored in January of this year at a ceremony in Nashville marking his 20th year as a member of the esteemed organization.

By Angela Guillory
aguillory@casscountynow.com

The Atlanta Area Rotary Club is offering scholarship opportunities for local graduates. Four $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to graduates of Atlanta, Queen City, Bloomburg, Linden-Kildare, or McLeod schools who plan to attend Texarkana College in Atlanta or Texarkana, or Texas A&M in Texarkana.
Jackie Icenhower said the club wants to encourage students to stay in the area after completing their education and eventually become local Rotarians. The scholarships can apply to vocational programs, not just traditional college credit.
 The Peter Van Bergh Memorial Scholarship is for $5,000 and is specifically for an Atlanta High School student. Students from Atlanta may apply for both scholarships.
Applications may be picked up from the Atlanta Public Library or local guidance counselors. The applications are due by 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 30 at the Atlanta Public Library, 101 W. Hiram, Atlanta, TX 75551.
 

Linden-Kildare teacher Gail Dorgan received district level recognition by the VFW Post.
In December, Gail Dorgan won the “Teacher of the Year” competition at the local VFW Post Level. She was selected as the Teacher of the Year for District 12, which covers 14 other VFW Posts.
On March 15, Dorgan was presented a plaque and a monetary award by the State President, Melanie McConaghy, who was visiting at the Quarterly District Meeting.
“Gail has been our ‘go-to’ person at the schools in Linden whenever we need a contact for the various Veterans Programs that are held throughout the year,” said Rosemary Miller, Ladies Auxiliary President, VFW Post 6968. “She took over the Veterans Day Program and restructured it to include students from all campuses. The students are responsible for all aspects of the program. This is a wonderful way to teach them leadership skills, how to work as a group, how to work a problem and how to work with the public.”

Girl Scout Ambassador, Deandra Rose, received notification on March 26, that the Teen U Gold Award Project final report was approved by the Girl Scouts Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas Gold Award Committee.  Rose will be presented with the Gold Award Pin and certificate at the awards luncheon in June at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock.  
Rose presented Teen U (You) “The Other College Prep” at the Atlanta Independent School District board of trustees meeting on Feb 25.  
Rose provided the board members with graphs and data on how well Teen U was received and evaluated by the high school seniors that attend the Teen U event on Feb 1. A short video clip from the event was presented to the board.  

Austin — Forty-one years after the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam, the new Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument was dedicated in a March 29 ceremony attended by a crowd of thousands, including veterans, active duty military, families, friends and relatives.
Some 3,417 Texans died or are unaccounted for in Vietnam, according to the State Capitol Preservation Board.

The Linden City Park Disc Golf course is easier to navigate thanks to a bridge recently constructed by Ag students and volunteers.
The four Ag Mechanics classes at the Linden-Kildare High School just finished a project for the Linden City Park. Students built a 32 foot long, five feet wide bridge that was designed on paper. They built a scale model in the classroom and finally assembled it in the shop as a project for the Linden City Park Disc Golf Course area. The bridge also included re-purposing pipe handrails that the city had removed from the downtown square when new sidewalks and handrails were installed two years ago.
The materials were donated by Trico Lumber Company, and the hardware and stain was provided by the Linden Parks Board.
The students provided the design and construction. Each student routed their last names on the outside rail after applying a waterproof stain.

The Cass County Cattleman’s Association Spring Steer Show and Sale was held on March 27.
On this date, youth FFA and 4-H members exhibited their beef projects they worked with throughout the year.
At the show, honors were given for Grand Champion, Reserve Grand Champion, Senior Showmanship, Junior Showmanship, Top County Bred Steer and Weight Gain.
The beef projects were ranked in sale order and auctioned off to the highest bidder at the sale held that night at the Cass County Expo Center.
Sale attendees had the opportunity to purchase quality beef or add on money to the exhibitors projects.
The Cass County Cattleman’s Association is extremely grateful for those who showed up to help the youth see a return for their investment of time and money in their beef projects.  
 

USDA Rural Development has announced the availability of Rural Utilities Service (RUS) grant funds to be competitively awarded for the Household Water Well System (HWWS) Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2014.  RUS will make grants to qualified private non-profit organizations to help establish lending programs for homeowners to borrow up to $11,000 to construct or repair household water wells for an existing home.
The notice of funding availability was published in the March 26 Federal Register, page 16757, located online at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-03-26/pdf/2014-06621.pdf.  
Obtain application guides and materials for the HWWS Grant Program electronically or in paper format from the following addresses:
1. Electronic copies: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWP-individualwellsystems.htm.

By Angela Guillory
aguillory@casscountynow.com