Austin Lewter/Jefferson Jimplecute Holiday cheer is in the air. Local businesses are bustling in Jefferson and Christmastime is upon us. Holiday events and traditions are rolling on. Lions Club Park is aglow with Christmas trees. The annual Christmas Parade returned to Polk and Austin Streets. And the annual Candlelight TourContinue Reading
By Jennifer Middleton/Jefferson Jimplecute Jefferson’s regular City Council meeting opened with public hearings on budget and tax rate, and continued with a delay in hiring a new City Secretary. Council approved a $4,451,836 budget beginning October 1 with a property tax rate of $0.45000 per $100 in valuation. The budgetContinue Reading
Former Jefferson Mayor Carey Heaster reads a proclamation honoring outgoing City Secretary Doris Hines and a reception in her honor last Friday at the transportation building. Hines is retiring after 44 years of service to the city. Friends and family were on hand to thank her for her service. TheContinue Reading
Labor Day weekend played host to a new festival in downtown Jefferson. Sponsored by the Opera House Theatre Players (OHTP), the inaugural Jefferson Pioneer Days featured kicked-off a parade with wagons, horseback riders and walkers. Evelyn Rene Matthews of Texarkana, Arkansas won a trophy and a gift certificate from theContinue Reading
Jennifer Perry Middleton/Jefferson Jimplecute The city’s recently-created Diversity Committee held a healthy discussion during its first meeting August 19 at the Transportation Center. A variety of topics was presented by the more than 20 attendees, including how U.S. Hwy. 59 divides the town between the Historical District and Frogtown, howContinue Reading
Work on the City’s Vale Street Drainage project is well underway with Lawler Construction breaking ground on Vale last Wednesday. The project is installing large underground drainage pipes from the back side of the Courthouse parking lot to the center of Austin Street where it will tie into existing drains.Continue Reading
Jefferson Mayor Rob Baker launched his Citizen’s Action Committee last week and the attendees hit the ground running with ideas ranging from new trash cans to citywide cleanup days. Baker I want out of this whatever the citizens want out of it,” said Baker. “I just want a monthly forum Continue Reading
Jefferson City Council’s marathon two-hour meeting partly focused on building permits and the appointment of vacancies on Tourism and JEDCO, and the announcement of the City receiving $417,000 as a part of the American Rescue Funds. Leading off the evening was the swearing in of newly-elected Alderwoman for Ward 2Continue Reading
Staff Reports/Jefferson Jimplecute Focusing the City’s advertising online and streaming commercials appears to have paid off for the Jefferson Convention and Visitors Bureau Board as they are projected to finish off the 2020-2021 year with $43,000 in extra HOT revenue. The CVVB Board set their budget for $135,000 and shouldContinue Reading
Staff Report/Jefferson Jimplecute Jefferson’s Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) Revenue is over budget with three months still to go, according to reports released at Monday night’s regular Convention and Visitors Bureau Board meeting. The latest revenue numbers of $29,777.35 reflects HOT collected in April and paid to the City in MayContinue Reading
by V. Hugh Lewis II/Jefferson Jimplecute Tuesday’s regular Jefferson City Council meeting ended on a sad note as Mayor Rob Baker announced the retirement and resignation of Ward 2 Alderman Chief Gary Amburn. Amburn turned in his resignation just before the meeting started with an effective date of Wednesday, JuneContinue Reading
The Jefferson City Council voted down the Marion Central Appraisal District’s proposed 2022 Operating Budget during a special meeting Tuesday night. Ward 3 Alderman Richard Turner raised concerns about the benefits increase in the proposed budget by comparing what the City matches to it’s employees retirement funds. “I have troubleContinue Reading
V. Hugh Lewis II/Jefferson Jimplecute The Jefferson Convention and Visitors Bureau approved requesting the Jefferson City Council’s approval to pursue the City seeking to become a Texas Governor’s Music Friendly Community during Monday nights regular meeting. Only a limited number of cities have this designation, and, according to the website,Continue Reading
Staff Report/Jefferson Jimplecute The Jefferson City Council will hold a special meeting at 5:30p.m. Monday to canvass the election and swear in some of the elected Aldermen. Ward 1 Incumbent Jim Finstrom will be sworn in for another term and former Alderman Ward 3 Alderman Richard Turner will return toContinue Reading
Austin Lewter/Jefferson Jimplecute Marion County mourns the loss of one its biggest champions and most influential civil rights activist this week. Former Marion County Commissioner and Jefferson civic leader Eugene Robinson passed away on April 30. “He was an influential man, a respected man and a man of the highestContinue Reading
V. Hugh Lewis II/Jefferson Jimplecute The quiet, but strong and guiding leadership of former Mayor Robert “Bob” Avery will be missed in Jefferson. “It was with heavy heart that I recently notified the City Council of Bob Avery’s passing,” said current Mayor Rob Baker. “Bob will be missed by all that knewContinue Reading
City Aldermen voiced their choice for the next City Administrator for Jefferson in a rare Saturday special meeting. Eric Kuykendall of Talihinia, Oklahoma, came out on top of the two candidates interviewed at the Jefferson Institute building. Sherry Roberts of Gladewater was the other candidate. “I’d like to thank bothContinue Reading
V. Hugh Lewis II/Jefferson Jimplecute Street repaving is on the way after Tuesday night’s Jefferson City Council meeting. Aldermen approved the recommendation of Schaumburg & Polk (SPI), the City’s engineering firm, for Lone Star Equipment Company, Inc., to perform the 2021 street repaving project. Lone Star submitted the low bidContinue Reading
Early voting underway Early Voting continues this week at Jefferson City Hall. Polls will be open this year on Saturday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and again on Monday from8 a.m. – 5 p.m.. The last day of Early Voting is Tuesday, from 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. The GeneralContinue Reading
A Jefferson landmark moved across the bayou on Tuesday. Workers relocated the Humble Oil Gas Station to its new location just south of Big Cypress Bayou on S Polk Street/FM 2208 to make way for new development downtown. For more than 110 years, the building stood on Street in downtownContinue Reading