61.40 Howe Enterprise February 12, 2024

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Lady Bulldogs punch ticket for playoffs If you haven’t seen the Howe Lady Bulldogs in person, you’re missing out on seeing one of the scrappiest and toughest players to ever dawn the black and white. Kendall Griffin might be the smallest player on the court most of the time, but she plays like she’s 6’0, 200 pounds. Between Griffin and Jacob Campbell, this probably is the best female and male basketball combo for Howe at the same time since Jay Skipworth and Michelle Haynes some 34 years ago.

Candidates vying for the Grayson County Commissioner, Precinct 1 seat met in Howe on Sunday to discuss topics regarding their qualifications for the job. We’ll recap the entire forum in next week’s edition.

The Kansas City Chiefs became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the New England Patriots pulled the same trick back in 2004 and 2005. This certainly won’t help in quietening down of the Swifties. I predict Taylor will dump Kelce and start dating Jayson Tatum of the Celtics and be seen at every game through the NBA Finals where all her fans will transition to green jerseys. In late summer, she’ll turn her attention to Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers.

Howe, with a 55-46 win over Leonard in a play-in game, clinch first round matchup with Rains tonight in Caddo Mills

Howe Lady Bulldogs moments after knocking off Leonard, 55-46 in a play-in game in Celeste. Staff photo.

The Howe Lady Bulldogs (20-13, 5-7) suffered the lows of lows on Tuesday and the high of highs on just 48 hours later as they knocked off Leonard in a play-in game for a trip to the playoffs for the second season in a row. Howe, with the 55-46 win on Thursday night now face a tough first round opponent in District 12-3A Champion Rains (31-2, 12-0).

Howe, who recorded their 20th victory of the season Thursday night, could have picked it up Tuesday night in Leon-

ard, but early foul trouble for the Lady Bulldogs’ leading scorer Kendall Griffin saw Howe get behind early and stay that way. Griffin had two fouls called on her in the first few minutes of the game and picked up her third early in the second quarter. That led to her playing only one minute on the floor for the entire second quarter and Howe found themselves trailing 9-1. The Lady Tigers made an enormous number of turnovers, but Howe could not capitalize on but just a few.

HoweEnterprise.com Monday, February 12, 2024

Volume 61, Edition 40

Gunter City Council Members who quit are raising a middle finger to the community, town’s mayor says

(Continued on page 7)

EDITOR’S NOTE—This column is reserved as an editorial column and may not necessarily reflect the policy of this publication.

INSIDE

City Sales Tax Record, pg. 4 Chisum Creek?, pg. 5 Bulldogs Basketball, pg. 6 Howe Hump Day, pg. 8 Hot Jobs, City Info, pg. 9 Sunday Water Scare, pg. 10 History/Christian, pg. 10 Local Churches, pg. 11 Chamber Members, pg. 12 Past front pages, 13-20

February 9, 2024 April Towery CandysDirt.com

Howe sophomore Tori Williams made four 3pointers in the Lady Bulldogs play-in game in Leonard. Photo by Michelle Carney.

A quick scan of The City of Gunter’s Facebook page shows the last three posts from the Grayson County community involved the close of busi-

ness: on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Martin Luther King Day. But the screeching halt of operations in the North Texas municipality goes much deeper than a few holiday closures.

In December, all five Gunter City Council members quit their jobs, citing a hostile work environment. The city attorney walked out, too.

The city manager was fired last year following a legal accusation. No (Continued on page 2)

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February 12, 2024

City of Gunter (Continued from page 1)

replacement was named.

Simple business can’t be conducted without a quorum of city officials to vote on it. A sign is posted at City Hall notifying residents of a special election to fill the City Council seats in May. The filing deadline for candidates is Feb. 16. As of late last week, no one had filed.

The five City Council members who resigned — Mayor Pro Tem Spencer Marks, Larry Peters, Patsy Whitaker, Cheryl Cohagan, and Connie Eubanks — remain listed on the city website with a notice that the City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month.

It took a few days to get her on the phone, but Mayor Karen Souther — the only elected policymaker to remain on the job — cheerfully agreed to a candid interview with CandysDirt.com.

“When people talk to us, they’re like, ‘Oh, the mayor doesn’t have horns.

She didn’t create cancer.’ They’re pleasantly surprised because the narrative is that I ran everybody out of town,” Souther said.

Gunter’s “strong mayor” form of government referenced in some recent news coverage about the small town isn’t entirely accurate, Souther explained. Because Gunter has less than 5,000 residents, it doesn’t have a city

a

Gunter Mayor Karen Souther charter and operates under Texas law.

Gunter Mayor Karen Souther The “amazing city staff” including City Secretary Detra Gaines, are keeping day-to-day operations afloat and at least seven people have expressed interest in filing for the five council seats up for grabs in May, Souther said. “[The staff is] really running things, and of course, our day-to-day operations continue,” she said. “What we can’t do is new development, new ordinances. We can’t handle things like that because I don’t have a legislative body.”

What the Gunter City Council members did, Souther said, was to raise a metaphorical middle finger not only to her but to their community.

“By law, when they resign, the governing body has to accept their resignations,” she said. “They engineered it so they did it all at the same time. If the governing body does not come in and accept each other’s resignations and appoint a new person to their seat one at a time, by the eighth day of their (Continued on page 3)

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February 12, 2024

City of Gunter (Continued from page 2)

resignations, the State of Texas accepts their resignations on behalf of the governing body.”

Now the seats are held hostage, Mayor Souther explained. But there’s a caveat called the “holdover provision” in the Texas Constitution.

“They are holdover officers and they must continue to serve for the purpose of continuity of government, so it doesn’t shut down, until each of their successors are duly qualified, meaning whether they’re appointed or elected,” she said. “This council, the aldermen, have a duty to do that. They’re refusing it. That’s a problem. We still have meetings. I still show up to them. I’m running out of patience with them.”

About 2,500 people live in Gunter, and according to reports like this deep dive from Zach Despart at the Texas Tribune, none of them were made aware of a development agreement with BNSF Railway that would allow for a 949-acre rail facility, the largest development in the history of Gunter.

The council unanimously approved the agreement in May 2023 with no discussion.

“The city had not told residents this was coming; officials never posted details on the city website, nor sought any public input,” Despart wrote in his Jan. 18 report.

The railroad deal would create hundreds of jobs and boost the city budget by $1 million, BNSF Railway officials told council members last year. The city doesn’t have authority over half the site, which is in unincorporated Grayson County, according to the Texas Tribune report.

It seemed like a win for the small community, former council members have said, where the city is struggling to pay for infrastructure.

But by July, residents were storming City Hall, calling for the resignations of those who approved the deal. Gunter City Council members were accused of lying and corruption. Residents said their elected officials brokered a backroom deal years prior and lied about it.

Souther said she thinks some of the claims have a ring of truth.

“We had a culture of corruption for so long, and by corruption, I mean dishonesty for personal gain,” she said.

“Whether or not money is involved, I don’t know. Is there any doubt BNSF has promised something to them? I don’t know how you look at what’s happening right now and say no. They are throwing away their legacies … you don’t go this hard, this far, for no reason.”

The aldermen who resigned have denied the accusations or refused to respond to them. Some said the hostile atmosphere of last summer’s council meetings made them feel unsafe.

But you can’t say you’re scared of the

people while you’re taunting and challenging them, Souther said.

“It’s not about safety and they are not scared of the people,” she said.

“Nobody’s ever threatened them.

Think about it this way. If somebody’s upset, are you going to do more of what pissed ‘em off in the first place?

If you’re truly scared of the people, don’t you think that resigning and holding your seat hostage makes it 10,000 times worse? It shouldn’t be a surprise that [the residents] are more angry than they’ve ever been before.

They didn’t have to do it this way.

They did that.”

The council tried to “float a compromise [with BNSF Railroad] in August,” Despart reported.

“It would impose stricter zoning on the city BNSF land, limiting the kinds of businesses that could be built next to the railroad, while still annexing the county parcel,” the Texas Tribune report states.

The residents kept fighting, saying they would accept no deal with the railroad. So the council agreed in midOctober to cancel the development agreement with BNSF. Mayor Pro Tem Marks resigned in early December and the remaining four council members submitted their resignations the following week, Despart reported.

Souther said if the Gunter City Council members were just mad at her, they would have called her crazy and allowed for another council to be appointed in a proper, timely manner.

“There are 1,544 registered voters in this city,” she said. “If they’re mad at me, they’re going to go punch each one of [the voters] in the face? It’s not about me. They organized and engineered a group resignation and held their seats hostage … [after they] unanimously approved 1,000 acres of heavy industrial without any notice.”

Souther said she “worked like hell” to get rid of the deal and the railroad backed out.

The future is unclear. There’s not really a watchdog in Gunter. There’s no local newspaper and city council meetings are recorded but not posted online. The Texas Tribune reported that private social media groups “are the new public square. Sort of.”

Gunter is known for winning back-toback high school football championships. And while some residents have filed complaints about corruption and the lack of transparency in Gunter City Council with Texas authorities, those grievances appear to have fallen on deaf ears. On the day last week that we (Continued on page 6)

© 2024 The Howe Enterprise

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February 12, 2024

Sales tax hits all-time high for Howe Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced Wednesday he will send cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts $1.3 billion in local sales tax allocations for February, 1.6 percent more than in February 2023.

These allocations are based on sales made in December by businesses that report tax monthly; October, November, and December sales by quarterly filers; and 2023 sales by businesses that report tax annually.

In Howe, the $67,079.60 eclipses the previous high of $66,522.22 set last August. It’s the third time in 12 months Howe has set a new mark. For the year, the total is $115,014.18.

City

Current month

City

Fiscal Total

Sherman Denison aGainesville Celina Anna Melissa Van Alstyne Bonham Whitesboro Pottsboro Gunter Howe Whitewright Leonard Collinsville Southmayd Bells Tioga Tom Bean Oak Ridge Savoy Ector Dorchester

$3,669,747.29 $1,045,346.34 $1,022,450.39 $911,588.95 $768,836.88 $755,390.61 $323,293.99 $284,394.75 $212,709.31 $104,524.21 $84,933.77 $67,079.60 $59,814.71 $52,473.51 $42,147.67 $37,999.38 $37,514.44 $29,994.34 $18,771.21 $16,576.17 $12,887.63 $4,957.73 $1,745.14

Sherman Denison Gainesville Celina Melissa Anna Van Alstyne Bonham Whitesboro Gunter Pottsboro Southmayd Howe Whitewright Leonard Collinsville Bells Tioga Oak Ridge Tom Bean Savoy Ector Dorchester

$6,826,401.75 $1,937,633.56 $1,837,191.15 $1,782,844.81 $1,610,437.14 $1,463,862.83 $615,631.67 $519,803.86 $375,606.71 $210,372.33 $203,760.65 $117,369.48 $115,014.18 $111,745.38 $98,707.83 $75,476.24 $69,336.95 $56,806.60 $38,114.82 $33,315.38 $27,036.51 $8,412.11 $2,981.76

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February 12, 2024

City requests to recognize legendary businessman City of Howe City Administrator Monte Walker was contacted about a discrepancy in the name of the creek that runs alongside Bicentennial Park. As the Noble Ridge development begin construction, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) required a name to be placed on the creek. Walker submitted “Chisum Creek” in recognition of J.J. Chisum, a longtime Howe dry goods store owner from the 1950s through the 1980s. Walker hopes FEMA accepts and that this inspires the developers of the walking trail along the west side of the creek to be named “Chisum Trail.”

Chisum, a 2017 inductee of the Howe Hall of Honor by the Howe Area Chamber of Commerce, was perhaps the most loved man in Howe from the time he opened Chisum's One Stop Grocery Store in July of 1957. He was called the "One-ManChamber of Commerce" as he helped give information to anyone that asked. Mr. Chisum often ran open tickets for families knowing

© 2024 The Howe Enterprise

J.J. Chisum well he would never get paid. His response was always that he couldn't stand to see anyone not having food on their table. Mr. Chisum was the Norma J. Wallace Citizen of the Year in 1985.

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Bulldogs sliding late in district, lose at Leonard The Howe Bulldogs have had stretches of brilliance and then there are stretches that are represented more through the words of Paul Simon’s song “Slip Slidin’ Away. Howe has won 19 games and lost nine on the 2023-24 season including a district record of 74, however, the Dogs have lost 3-of-4, and the three losses came to teams they had previously beaten earlier in district play. Since Jacob Campbell was recognized as reaching the 1,500-point milestone, the Bulldogs have gone from the district to having a chance to only secure the third or fourth seed by only defeating Blue Ridge in district during that four game span. On Tuesday night, Howe lost at Leonard, 57-46 and never seemed to get on track.

11-3A Boys Basketball Standings x Pottsboro 9-2 x Gunter 9-3 x Leonard 7-4 x Howe 7-4 Bells 5-6 Blue Ridge 1-9 Bonham 1-10 x-clinched playoffs berth that point on to close out the game.

Howe will finish the regular season tomorrow night (Tuesday) at Bonham.

They have already clinched a playoff berth, but some help could give them the third seed instead of the fourth.

City of Gunter (Continued from page 3)

spoke to Mayor Souther, she’d already taken three phone calls from the state Capitol in Austin.

“It’s embarrassing,” Souther said.

“When things like this happen, we just sound like a bunch of backwoods hicks who don’t know anything about civics. We look stupid.”

Under the “Procedures to Obtain Information” tab on the city website, a disclaimer cautions interested parties: “Please bear with us — while electronic records exist for many documents created in the past few years, older records are stored away in boxes, and we need to search for them between normal daily activities.”

A CandysDirt.com reporter visited Gunter and had a hard time finding someone willing to talk. An administrator of the “OurGunter” Facebook page advised there were a few locals who might talk, but they ultimately didn’t respond to requests for an interview.

Howe scored the opening bucket of the game, but at no point led Leonard again throughout the night. At one point in the third period, Howe trailed by as much as 16 points with the score at 30-14.

Howe trailed 10-5 after the first period and 25-12 headed to the locker room for the halftime intermission. Howe shaved off a bucket in the third and trailed 37-26 heading into the final stanza. Howe climbed within nine at 49-40, but Leonard sunk Howe from

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February 12, 2024

Brandy Cochra with the Gunter Chamber of Commerce provided the following statement to CandysDirt.com on Friday morning.

Cooper Jones against Blue Ridge.

Photo by Michelle Carney.

Gunter Chamber of Commerce state-

ment The Texas Tribune report references a tentative deal to “resolve the council vacancy crisis.”

“The council members are open to attending a meeting to conduct timesensitive city business — like renewing a sales tax key to the city’s budget — with the assurance that the mayor will not attempt to appoint interim replacements before the special election in May,” the report states.

An agenda was posted for a Jan. 18 meeting, but none of the council members showed up.

Souther was there, she said, and she’ll be at City Hall again on Feb. 15 because she took an oath of office to do so. Despite the bad blood in the community and with the former council members, Souther said there are a lot of residents who support her and want Gunter to thrive.

“I can’t even explain how much support I have,” Souther said. “People who don’t want to complain and don’t want to put things on Facebook text me and call me. I had an elderly couple call me and ask if they could do anything to support me.”

Stay tuned to CandysDirt.com for updates as this story develops.

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Lady Bulldogs

Howe guard Kendall Griffin had 14 points Thursday night against Leonard. Photo by Michelle Carney.

(Continued from page 1)

Late in the game Tori Williams hit a 3pointer to bring them within six at 4135 with 1:47 remaining. Addison Bond was later fouled with 18 seconds left and was successful on both attempts to bring Howe to within two at 42-40. But the finals seconds clicked quickly, and Howe had to square off against the same Lady Tigers on Thursday night in a do-or-die play-in game.

Thursday’s game was held in Celeste, but Howe was the home team. Early in the game, the crowd including the student section and cheerleaders gave the Lady Tigers what seemed like a home court advantage. It only helped that Leonard raced out to an early 15-5 lead. But Kendall Griffin, this time with fouls to give, scored six-straight points to bring Howe within four at 15 -11. Moments later Emery Snapp hit a jumper with 3.8 seconds remaining in the first period to make the score 1813 after one.

Presley Shockey got the scoring going in the second period followed by a steal by Griffin and a long pass to Bond to make tie the game at 18 each.

A foul called on Leonard sent Snapp to the line where she gave Howe their first lead of the night at 19-18. Snapp then hit a jumper to give Howe a 2118 lead with 6:02 left in the second. A minute later, she then hit another bucket to extend Howe’s lead to 2318.

A backboard 3-pointer by Leonard cut Howe’s lead to 23-21 and they eventually tied the game at 23 each at the 2:30 mark and Howe found themselves trailing again 25-23 until Griffin stole the ball and drove for a layup to tie the game.

With 42.1 seconds remaining before halftime, Griffin was fouled, and her first shot gave Howe again the lead at 25-24 which became the halftime score.

To begin the third, Griffin was fouled where she sunk both foul shots and Shockey then followed with a field goal to extend the lead to 32-24 with 5:12 left in the third. Williams then broke the game loose when she drained the second of her three 4pointers that pushed up the Lady Bull-

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February 12, 2024

11-3A Girls Basketball Standings x Gunter 10-1 x Bells 10-2 x Pottsboro 9-2 Howe 6-7 Leonard 4-7 Blue Ridge 1-10 Bonham 0-11 x-clinched playoffs berth dogs’ lead to 35-25 with 2:59 left in the in the third.

Matalle Stewart then gave Howe an 11-point lead with a field goal. With 1:23 left in the third, the sharp shooting Bond nailed a 3-pointer to give Howe a 13-point lead at 40-27. With 30 seconds remaining in the third, Snapp heaved a long pass to Griffin for an easy layup to give the Lady Bulldogs a 42-31 lead. The quarter ended 42-32 after a Leonard foul shot.

Williams opened up the scoring in the final frame with her fourth 3-pointer of the night to extend Howe’s lead to 45-32. Bond elevated the lead to 15 points with a long 2-pointer just inside the arc. Leonard scored the next three points before Stewart hit a layup with 4:17 left. The Lady Tigers got within eight points with 2:51 left, but fouls kept sending Howe to the line where Bond and Griffin made only two of seven. However, the game was out of reach for Leonard as Howe took the 55-46 win.

Howe reached the 20-win milestone for the first time since before COVID when the 2019-2020 Lady Bulldogs finished in the regional quarterfinals and totaled 29 wins. It’s the second year in a row for Head Coach Ashley Anderson to take her team beyond district play. She picked up her 165th career victory Thursday night. The Lady Bulldogs improved from a 1318 record from a year ago but had a better district record at 6-6. For the season, Howe has outscored their opponents 1,460 to 1,179 which equates to an average score of 44.24 to 35.73.

During district play, Howe’s average score was 42.69 to 40.31. A year ago, Howe gave up more points than they scored, on average in both overall season stats and district play.

Howe will play tonight at Caddo Mills versus one of the north Texas juggernauts in the Rains Lady Wildcats. Tipoff is at 6 pm.

Date

Opponent

Howe

Opp

11/07/23 11/10/23 11/14/23 11/17/23 11/24/23 11/20/23 11/28/23 12/01/23 12/01/23 12/02/23 12/02/23 12/05/23 12/07/23 12/07/23 12/07/23 12/12/23 12/15/23 12/19/23 12/28/23 12/28/23 12/28/23 12/28/23 01/02/24 01/05/24 01/09/24 01/12/23 01/19/24 01/23/24 01/26/24 01/30/24 02/02/24 02/06/24 02/08/24

at Muenster Bland Honey Grove at Community Grand Saline at Whitesboro at Aubrey Dodd City Detroit Leonard Tom Bean at Collinsville Valley View Burkburnett Sacred Heart Gainesville at Bonham Pottsboro Tioga Gainesville Valley View Era at Bells Gunter at Blue Ridge Leonard Bonham at Pottsboro Bells at Gunter Blue Ridge at Leonard *Leonard (play-in)

41 37 60 43 32 38 27 26 67 37 32 55 54 36 54 71 36 29 41 72 55 27 42 37 45 60 63 25 36 40 47 40 55

58 35 33 28 24 44 48 36 19 31 20 48 20 38 28 29 9 50 43 30 17 26 62 48 30 44 17 54 46 42 32 44 46

The playoff bound Howe Lady Bulldogs. Photo by Michelle Carney.

Howe math teacher and basketball clock operator Billy McCormack (left) and former Howe boys coach Tim Rose get excited during the Lady Bulldogs win in Celeste Thursday night.

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February 12, 2024

Chamber held second Howe Hump Day of the year

Howe Hump Day crowd. Staff photo.

There were 19 in total that showed for the Howe Area Chamber of Commerce’s monthly networking breakfast called “Howe Hump Day.” The event was sponsored by The Llama Realty Group. Donuts and pigs-in-a-blanket were served with coffee, orange juice, and lemonade.

One local candidate was in the audience—John Kermit Hill who is running for Grayson County District Attorney.

Upcoming Howe Hump Day events are March 6 (HIT Roof & Exteriors), April 3 (Jesse Brown Farmers Agency), May 1 (Essential Home Performance), June 5 (Legend Bank), July 3

(open for sponsor), August 7 (open for sponsor), September 4 (at Independent Financial), October (open for sponsor), November (open for sponsor), December (Howe Mercantile).

The chamber has scheduled a Members Luncheon at 903 Brewers in Sherman at noon on March 20, 2024. All members or interested members are invited to attend. Lunch is not paid for by the chamber.

The chamber will also host the Howe Hall of Honor on May 3 at 6:30 at Summit Gardens the evening before the 38th Annual Founders Day Festival on May 4 which will take place downtown from 4 pm—8pm.

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February 12, 2024

Hot Jobs Job Title MAINTENANCE CUSTODIAN workintexas.com Posting ID 16236994 Location Denison Posting Close Date 03/29/24 Posting Link https:// bit.ly/3uqIpJY Description A local company is looking for a MAINTENANCE CUSTODIAN who will drive the assigned college vehicle to destinations as assigned; adheres to all traffic laws and safety requirements. Performs grounds keeping duties and non-trade specific repairs to campus buildings.

This position requires a High School Diploma or Equivalent, and a minimum of 6 months of related experience.

Job Title PARATRANSIT BUS DRIVER workintexas.com Posting ID 16430856 Location Sherman Posting Close Date 05/06/24 Posting Linkhttps:// bit.ly/3SUedAp Description A local company is looking for a PARATRANSIT BUS DRIVER who will provide passengers with safe, reliable transportation and excellent customer service.

This position requires a High School Diploma or Equivalent, and a minimum of 6 months of related experience.

Bulk Trash Pickup 2nd Friday of each month in Howe.

City of Howe SECONDS COUNT IN AN EMERGENCY! That's why the City of Howe has instituted the CodeRED Emergency Notification System - an ultra high-speed telephone communication service for emergency notifications. This system allows us to telephone all or targeted areas in case of an emergency situation that requires immediate action (such as a boil-water notice, missing child or evacuation notices). The system is capable of dialing 60,000 phone numbers per hour. It then delivers a pre-recorded message describing the situations to a live person or an answering machine in the affected area possibly including instructions requiring action on the part of the recipient. Once the situation is remedied, another call will be placed to the area signaling that the issue has been addressed and that normal activities can be resumed.

The following information is required to add a telephone number into the "CodeRED" database: first and last name; address (physical address, no P.O. boxes); city; state; Zip Code; and primary phone number. The system works with cellular phones but requires a valid street address. When entering information, please fill out all of the screens because the newest data entered will replace the old data. Sign up by visiting http://www.co.grayson.tx.us/page/oem.cred

2023-24 Local taxation State Sales Tax General Revenue Sales Tax Economic Development (Type B) Sales Tax Total

6.25 % 1.25%

City of Howe Tax Rate Howe I.S.D Tax Rate Grayson County Tax Rate Grayson College Tax Rate Total (per $100 valuation)

$0.53 $1.05 $0.31 $0.15 $2.04

0.75 % 8.25 %

City Hall 116 E. Haning St., 903-532-5571 Mayor: Karla McDonald City Council: Michael Hill, Rodney Hough, Billie Ingram, Sarah Myrick, Joe Shephard City Administrator (interim): Monte Walker City Secretary: Regina Harris Utility Billing and Municipal Court 116 E. Haning St. 903-532-5571 Utility Clerk: Beccy Roberts Court Clerk: Tammy Grisolia (After hours night drop available) Public Works 317 S. Hughes St. Public Works Director: Mickey Phillips Code Enforcement 317 S. Hughes St. Code Enforcement Officer: Benjamin Fuhr Howe Volunteer Fire Department 118 E. Haning 903-532-6888 (nonemergency) Fire Chief: Robert Maniet Howe Police Department 700 W. Haning St. 903-532-9971 (non-emergency) Dispatch 903813-4411 Police Chief: Carl Hudman Economic Development 100 E. O’Connell St. 903-532-6080 EDC Director: Monte Walker City Council meets third Tuesday at 100 E. O’Connell St. at 6 pm.

Planning & Zoning Commission Meets third Monday as needed Howe Community Facilities Development Corporation Meets as needed For more information visit the city website www.cityofhowe.org

Cityofhowe.org City of Howe Water, Sewer, Refuse collection rates - one bill

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February 12, 2024

Texas History Minute It often takes courage to stand up for a principle. Because of people who do, the world starts to change.

One Texas dentist, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Ken Bridges changed the way Americans vote. A 1944 Supreme Court decision forced Texas and states across the country to change election laws.

bother to offer candidates for many elections and never held a primary. In Texas in the 1930s, Republican candidates often received less than 10% of the vote in statewide contests. In the 1940 gubernatorial election, when Smith was attempting to vote, Democratic nominee W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel won re-election in the November general election with 94% of the vote. As a result, all political races in the state were decided in the Democratic Primary.

Dr. Lonnie E. Smith was born in 1901 in Yoakum, a small community east of San Antonio. When he was still young, the family moved to the East Texas community of Providence near Palestine. He graduated from Providence High School in 1919, a rare achievement in a time when many communities still did not have high schools.

After the stinging rebuke at the polls, Smith began talking with civil rights officials with the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. NAACP lawyers had been going across the South challenging segregation laws and voting restrictions to undermine the Jim Crow system. A team led by future U. S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall agreed to take Smith’s case and filed the case Smith v. Allwright in federal court in 1942.

Smith enrolled at what is now Prairie View A&M University where he nurtured his interests in the sciences. In 1921, he enrolled at the Meharry School of Dentistry in Tennessee, one of the few dental schools in the South that would accept African-American students at the time. He received his dental degree in 1924. After graduation, he married Janie Mae Dunn, and the two settled in Galveston. In 1929, after a few years of practicing with Dr. E. A. Etta, Smith and his wife moved to Houston where Smith would open a new practice. By any measure, Smith was successful and was a respected, civic-minded citizen.

In 1940, the primary election was held in July. Elections for U. S. Senate, all statewide offices, legislative positions, and a host of Harris County offices were being held. On Election Day, Smith went to his polling location to vote. However, an election judge, S. E. Allwright, refused to let him vote because he was black.

The primary election had only been established in Texas in 1905. In 1923, the state legislature passed a law declaring political parties to be voluntary associations and ordering them to establish rules of operation and membership. Conservative leaders, following other state party organizations in the South, ordered that only white voters could participate in the primary, what came to be called the “white primary.”

The South was entirely a one-party region. All political power rested with the Democratic Party. But the party was beset by numerous competing factions, from reform-minded liberals to die-hard conservatives and everything in between. The only primary election in Texas at the time was the Democratic Party. While the Republican Party did exist, it often did not

By 1944, the case reached the Supreme Court. Marshall argued that Smith’s rights were denied because of the white primary arrangement. In April, the Supreme Court issued an 81 decision agreeing with Marshall that race restrictions were a violation of Smith’s right to equal treatment under the law as espoused in the Constitution. The white primary was thus unconstitutional, and the primary would now be open to all races in all states.

Because of the Supreme Court ruling, the nascent civil rights movement was energized. Marshall’s strategy of using the court system to undermine the obstacles facing minorities began to prove to be successful. He later considered this his most important case, one setting the stage for other civil rights rulings. Within ten years, segregation in the schools would be declared unconstitutional. Within twenty years, voting restrictions for minorities were eliminated under federal law. The number of registered AfricanAmerican voters increased rapidly, from 200,000 across the South in 1940 to 800,000 in 1948. By the 1960s, most African-American and Hispanics were registered to vote in the South.

Millions of citizens now had the ballot available to them. all starting with Smith’s case.

As for Smith, he was content to live a quiet life. He voted faithfully in each election afterward. He continued his dental practice and was active in local civic organizations and civil rights organizations. He would regularly serve as a Democratic precinct committeeman, helping others exercise their own right to vote. Smith died at his home in Houston in March 1971 at the age of 70.

© 2024 The Howe Enterprise

Grace that is greater than all our sin Since you were conceived God has wanted your attention.

He has never neglected or ignored you. If you were to write down all the blessings Dr. Billy Holland and victories He has given over the years, they would prove He has been guiding and helping you all along. How could any of us even consider we were created by chance? The truth is that God specifically called you and has many wonderful things planned for your future.

You are His masterpiece.

I’ve noticed in my life, that even though I know these things are a reality, it does not prevent the enemy from picking a fight with me. We know there will be battles when our faith will falter, we feel lonely, empty, exhausted, or just plain sad. Emotions are feelings that contain powerful persuasions, however, they cannot force us to be depressed. There will be moments where discouragement wraps its tentacles around you and attempts to pull you further into the darkness, but this is where you have a choice to submit and wave the white flag for another pity party, or to stand strong in your faith and embrace God’s truth that can set you free.

God’s love is the best news in the history of mankind! In trials of fear and anxiety, we can find redemption and power in His name to help give us a true perspective of reality. If we choose to trust in God’s written word and obey His still small voice, He will either guide us away from the valley of the shadow, or He will walk with us through it. There is no one greater to hold hands with than the Almighty.

Will we follow the voices that mock and entice us to give up, or will we humbly give God our heavy burdens and boldly expect Him to demonstrate His amazing grace in our lives?

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save, nor His ear so deaf that He cannot hear” Isaiah 59:1.

Our God is bigger than any misery or embarrassment we may experience, any rejection we may face, or hardship

that tries to break us. The Lord is bigger than any doubt, fear, or failure, and when you feel like your world is spinning out of control when you’re unsure whether you have the strength to continue, remember Isaiah 49:16 as it promises that God never takes His eyes or ears from you. “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; the condition of your situation is continually before me.” You might believe that you’re going through this alone, but this is just another example of evil voices that try to confuse and deceive. God knows your thoughts and the warfare you are dealing with and is ready to make you more than a conqueror!

The greatest message that anyone could proclaim is that God loves you so much that He gave His Son to be tortured on the cross for you. Jesus died and shed His blood for those who will accept Him as their Lord and Savior. There is no greater love. Some days you may feel undeserving, blemished, and bruised, but God does not want His precious child to be controlled by negativity. He knows exactly what you’ve done and what others have done to you, but more importantly, for those who call on His name, He sees you forgiven. He wants the best for you, just like you want the best for your children. He sees you as a holy vessel that can be used for His glory and is trying to get you to see it. God has more faith in you than you have in Him, and there is nothing you can do to remove His hope in you to be victorious.

Romans chapter five talks about how God’s followers are justified and redeemed by faith through His grace and the blood of Jesus which is the foundation of our eternal salvation. No sin, failure, or mistake is more powerful than His desire to forgive and forget.

Once sins are sincerely repented they are erased, and the only one that will ever remind you is the accuser of the brethren. When you have a moment, listen to the encouraging hymn, “Grace that is greater than all our sin.” May we place our complete trust in God’s grace to wash away our shame and guilt and be filled with His righteousness and peace today.

Dr. Holland is an ordained minister, author, and chaplain. Read more about the Christian life at Billyhollandminis-

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February 12, 2024

Attend the Church of Your Choice

Each Sunday...

Times are subject to change. Please check with each church for any possible changes

First Baptist Church Dorchester Zach Poling, pastor 11831 FM 902, Dorchester, TX 75459 903-476-5525 Wednesday 6:30 pm - Worship service Sunday 9:00 am - Men's Prayer Time 9:45 am - Sunday School 10:45 am - Worship Service 5:00 pm - Evening Service Summit View Church Brett and Deb Hetrick, pastors

Community Bible Fellowship Jeremy Moore, pastor

Howe Methodist Church of Howe JB Bryant, minister

415 S Collins Fwy, Howe, TX 75459 Wednesday 6:30 pm - Food and Fellowship 7:00 pm - Community Kids (ages 3 6th grade, nursery available) 7:00 pm - Youth and Adult Bible Study Sunday 10:30 am - Worship Service

810 N Denny St, Howe, TX 75459 903-532-6718 Tuesday: 8:30am - 1:00pm WeeCare Daycare (Registration needed) 9:30am - Women's Bible Study 6:30pm - Boy Scouts Wednesday: 9:00am - Wednesday Workers 6:00pm - 1st and 3rd Wednesdays Family Night Thursday: 8:30am - 1:00pm - WeeCare Daycare (Registration needed) Saturday: 9:00am-12:00pm - Feed My Sheep (1st & 3rd Sat. of each month) Sunday: 8:30am - Coffee and Donuts 9:00am - Sunday School 10:00am - Worship Service 3:00pm Cub Scouts

First Baptist Church Howe Roger Tidwell, pastor 100 E. Davis St., Howe, TX 903-5325504 Wednesday 5:30 pm—Free Meal 6:30 pm - Team Kid 6:30 pm - Youth Ministry 6:30 pm - Adult Bible Fellowship Sunday 9:15 am - Bible Fellowship 10:30am - Worship Service 6:00 pm—Potluck Fellowship and Bible Study

910 S Denny St, Howe, TX 75459 903-532-6828 Wednesday 7:00 pm - Radiate Youth 7:00 pm - Sanctuary of for prayer Sunday 9:30 am - Sunday School (kids, youth, women, men) 10:30 am - Worship Service 10:30 am - Kids Church Howe Church of Christ Aaron Alsbrook, minister 1205 N Collins Fwy, Howe, TX 75459 903-532-6441 Wednesday 7:00 pm - Bible Classes (all ages) Sunday 9:00 am - Bible Classes (all ages) 10:00 am - Worship Service 5:00 pm - Worship Service

Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Sheryl Bentley, Coldwell Banker (903) 821-7653 yourrealtorsheryl@gmail.com

ADVERTISING/MARKETING Howe Enterprise P.O. Box 595 Howe TX 75459 howeenterprise.com 903-339-0100 news@howeenterprise.com AGRICULTURE Norman Farms 4871 Mackey Rd Howe TX 75459 903-815-5545 ajnorm4@aol.com ANTIQUES Howe Mercantile 107 E. Haning St Howe TX 75459 facebook.com/Howe-Mercantile1639767196252428/ (817) 313-2168 georgiacaraway@aol.com AUTO Bob Utter Ford 2525 Texoma Parkway Sherman TX 75090 bobutterford.net 903-892-3555 BANKING Independent Financial 100 South Denny Howe TX 75459 independent-bank.com (903) 532-5521 beth.harville@ifinancial.com Legend Bank 201 W. Grand Whitewright, TX 75491 legend-bank.com 903-532-4778 Brandon.grooms@legend-bank.com First National Bank of Tom Bean 109 S. Britton St. Tom Bean, TX 75489 https://www.fnbtb.com/ 903-546-62752 rbridges@fnbtb.com First United Bank 2011 Texoma Parkway Sherman TX 75090 firstunitedbank.com 903-813-5760 sarah.myrick@firstunitedbank.com BARBER SHOP Good Fellas Barber Shop 105 E. Haning Howe, TX 75459 9725020559 goodfellasbarbershoptx@gmail.com BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Provider Business Partners 106 W. Young St. Howe TX 75459 providerbusinesspartners.com 903-487-2248 sharla@ providerbusinesspartners.com Smith-Garner, PC 609 N. Denny St., P.O. Box 1019 Howe TX 75459 http://www.howecpa.com/ (903) 532-1040 amanda.garner@howecpa.com BUTCHER Don’s Smokehouse 111 E. Haning Street Howe, Texas 75459 Donssmokehouse.com (214) 881-8377 DonsSmokehouse@gmail.com CATERING Tracy Events Catering & Carryout Shop 211 S Preston Van Alstyne, TX 75495 Tracyevents2006@gmail.com CHILDCARE Koti Academy of Howe 105 Doyle Street Howe TX 75459 https://www.kotiacademy.com/ 903-532-9663 cassie@kotiacademy.com

INTERNET

CHURCHES

FUNERAL HOME

First Baptist Church Howe 100 W. Davis Howe TX 75459 http://www.fbchowe.org/ 903-532-5504 info@fbchowe.org

Scoggins Funeral Home & Crematory 637 W. Van Alstyne Parkway Van Alstyne TX 75495 scogginsfuneralhome.com 903-482-5225 tommywscoggins@hotmail.com

First United Methodist Church 810 N. Denny St. Howe, TX 75459 903-532-6718 Church@fumchowe.org https://www.fumchowe.org/ Summit View Church 910 S. Denny St., P.O. Box 295 https://summitviewhowe.com/ info@summitviewhowe.com CONSTRUCTION/BUILDING SERVICVES DIFY Home Services 204 Tate Circle Sherman, TX 75090 9037440435 ernie@difyhs.com Hunter Knephsield of Texas, LLC P.O. Box 759 Van Alstyne, TX 75495 https://www.hkparkandplay.com/ 8004514138 (Main) hktexas@flash.net (Main) RockExpress, LLC 1434 Schneider Rd Howe, TX 75459 https://rock-express-llc.business.site/ 903-818-2386 rockexpressllc@gmail.com TLD Design Consulting LLC 103 E. Haning St. Howe TX 75459 http://www.tld -dc.com/ 903-436-4601 tdefrange@tldconsulting.net CONVENIENT STORES Quick Check #4 411 W. Haning Street Howe, TX 75459 903-532-5265 zackwilks82@yahoo.com

HAIR SALON Good Fellas Barber Shop 105 E. Haning St. (972) 502-0559 goodfellasbarbershoptx@gmail.com HEALTHCARE ER of Texas 115 W. Travis St Sherman, TX 75092 http://oroftexas.com/ 903-770-9099 tiffanyr@eroftexas.com HEATING/AIR CONDITIONING Baker A/C & Heating, Inc. 215 N. Denny St. Howe TX 75459 903-532-6225 bakerac.mark@yahoo.com Essential Home Performance, LLC 509 Borrow Way Van Alstyne, TX 75495 https:// www.essentialhomeperformance.com/ 14695459125 Info@essentialhomeperformance.com HOUSING Bainbrook Apartments 511 S. Collins Fwy Howe, TX 75459 (469) 712-4082 bainbrook75459.com M&M Properties 901 N. Denny St Howe TX 75459 903-815-8355 mariecurtis16@gmail.com.

INSURANCE

DENTAL Anna Kids Dentistry 2016 W. White St. Anna, TX 75409 214-831-2400 Annakidsdentistry.com info@annakidsdentistry.com

Cory Hernandez State Farm 2114 Texoma Parkway Sherman, TX 75090 http://insurancequotetexoma.com/ 9038938400 cory@insurancequotetexoma.com

Howe Family Dentistry 100 S. Collins Freeway, PO Box 960 Howe TX 75459 howefamilydentistry.com 903.532.5545

Ed Meacham, State Farm 1303 N Sam Rayburn Frwy, Ste. 200 Sherman TX 75090 https://www.statefarm.com/ agent/US/TX/Sherman/EdMeacham-3TGY5753JAK 903-892-3923 ed@mredinsurance.com

EDUCATION Howe Community Library 315 S. Collins Freeway Howe TX 75459 www.howeisd.net/Page/83 903-745-4050 atchison.melissa@howeisd.net

Jesse Brown Farmers Insurance 403 W. Haning St. Howe, TX 75459 https://agents.farmers.com/tx/howe/ jessie-brown 9034824063 jbrown9@farmersagent.com

Howe Independent School District 105 W. Tutt St. Howe TX 75459 howeisd.net/ (903) 745-4000

Kathy McGarry, Mayo Agency 215 S Ray Roberts Pkwy, P.O. Box 519 Tioga TX 76271 940-437-2378 kathy.mayoagency@gmail.com

ELECTRIC Rapid Electric, LLC (903) 421-8100 http://www.RapidElectricCo.com/ brent@rapidelectricco.com

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, Darren Foster – Agent 1363 S Waco St Van Alstyne TX 75495 https://www.txfbins.com/ insurance/agent/grayson/ 32707/darrenfoster 903-436-2470 dfoster@txfb-ins.com

ENTERTAINMENT Chill Out Shaved Ice Howe, TX 75459 Chillout903@hotmail.com 903-436-0708 FINANCIAL Rethink Wealth—Kristen Harkless 559-681-7461 Kristen.Harkless@rethinkwealth.com FIREARMS Guns N More 281 Celtic Road Howe, TX 75459 GunsNMore.net (903) 267-1091 jared.c@gunsnmore.net

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, Loretta Anderson – Agent 1363 S Waco St Van Alstyne TX 75495 https://www.txfb -ins.com/ insurance/agent/grayson/ 23242/lorettaanderson 903-819-1041 landerson@txfb-ins.com

TekWav 223 N. Walnut St. Sherman TX 75090 http://www.tekwav.com 903-375-9787 jj@tekwav.com IT/DATA Texas Data and VoIP Security 109 W. Tilton Blue Ridge, TX 75424 https://www.tdavinc.com/ (972) 924-5010 dana@tdavinc.com MORTGAGE The Wood Group of Fairway – Lacey Tucker https://homeloanbylacey.com/ 469-910-0375 lacey.tucker@fairwaymc.com NON-PROFIT Goodwill Industries of Northeast Texas 2206 E. Lamar St. Sherman, TX 75090 goodwillnorthtexas.org spierce@goodwillnorthtexas.org

Maureen Kane, REALTOR®, Paragon-REALTORS® 614 E Lamberth Rd Sherman, TX 75090 402-202-1540 maureen@paragonrealtors.com Michael Taylor – Keller Williams Realty P.O. Box 575 Howe TX 75459 mtaylor@kw.com Nicole Faye Sells Texas, LLC 215 N Quinlan St Howe, TX 75459 https://nicolefaye.fathomrealty.com/ 972-872-0529 nicolefayesellstexas@outlook.com The Llama Realty Group Dana Thornhill 204 Tate Circle Sherman, TX 75090 903-821-6890 llamarealtygroup@gmail.com RESTAURANTS El Patio Escondido Mexican Restaurant & Cantina 495 W. Van Alstyne Pkwy, P.O. Box 637 Van Alstyne TX 75495 elpatioescondido.com 903-482-5538 williampacheco519@yahoo.com

United Way of Grayson County 713 E. Brockett P.O. Box 1112 Sherman, Texas 75091 903.893.1920

Palio’s Pizza Cafe 303 W. Haning St. Howe TX 75459 https://www.palioshowe.com/ 903-532-0390 paliospizza@att.net

PARTY RENTALS/DÉCOR

ROOFING

Chase’s All Time Jumpers 2519 CR 4215 Bonham, Texas 75418 https:// www.chasesalltimejumpersllc.com/ 903-227-6488 Coltonlawrence24@yahoo.com PERSONAL SERVICES AND CARE Debby Edwards Pink Zebra 1403 S. Travis St. Sherman, TX 75090 https://pinkzebrahome.com/ debbyedwards 903-820-8914 debbyedwards2@gmail.com PHOTOGRAPHY Beyond the Barn Photography 3354 FM 902 Howe, TX 75459 469-951-4054 Sara@beyondthebarnphotography.co m PLUMBING Brother Plumber 708 Maple St. Howe, TX 75459 469-968-4487 trent@brotherplumber.com http://Brotherplumber.com/ Torque Plumbing 102 S. Collins Frwy Howe TX 75459 (972) 658-1515 torquemayes@yahoo.com PUBLIC UTILITIES Atmos Energy 5111 Blue Flame Rd. Sherman TX 75090 http://www.atmosenergy.com/ 1-888-286-6700 (Main) 1-866-322-8667 Natural Gas Emergency Jan.Rugg@atmosenergy.com Grayson -Collin Electric Cooperative, Inc. P.O. Box 548 Van Alstyne TX 75495 www.grayson-collin.coop 903-482-7100 mmcginnis@gcec.net REAL ESTATE Bill French Properties 315 N Travis Suite B-3 Sherman TX 75090 billfrenchproperties.com 903-893-BILL (2455) bill@billfrenchproperties.com

Definitive Roofing & Specialty Coatings, LLC 1094 Marlow Rd Bells, TX 75414 9038202110 roofingsc1@gmail.com HIT Exteriors, LLC Howe, TX 75459 972-977-1523 sergio@hitexteriors.com Southern Cross Remodeling & Roofing Howe, TX 75459 Roofingbysoutherncross.com 972-800-9383 roofinbysoutherncross@gmail.com SHOPPING Cora Grace Boutique 407 W. Haning St Howe, TX 75459 903-821-0456 coragraceboutique@gmail.com STORAGE Anchorz Boat & RV Storage 311 Old Highway 6 Howe, TX 75459 903-444-2500 info@anchorzboatrvstorage.com Howe Mini-Storage 609 N. Denny St. Howe TX 75459 903-532-7867 amanda.garner@howecpa.com TV SERVICES Cavender Home Theater DISH 6202 Texoma Parkway Sherman TX 75090 http://www.cavendertv.com/ 903-892-3499 chris@cavenderht.com TOWING Adams Automotive & Towing 85 Redden Rd Van Alstyne TX 75495 adamsautotow.com 903-482-5784

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