The problems with the server for the new site have been resolved. The content is about to be uploaded, and the new site should be available soon.

Update – the new site is now available at http://www.elliscountyobserver.com/

We’re still in the process of uploading the content and adjusting the site’s appearance, so it will be changing regularly for a while, but it is now up and running.

The Observer is in the process of being moved to a different service.  The domain name elliscountyobserver.com is currently inactive.  There was some trouble with the new host.  We are trying to resolve the problem.  This version of the Observer will continue to be available at eco2.wordpress.com.  We hope to have the elliscountyobserver.com domain name restored by tomorrow.

Readers, please direct your attention to the Classifieds tab at the top.

The following was added:

For Sale – Materials
Railroad ballast rock in Dallas – Call 214-882-1349

This ad works well with others. Only $20/month.

Our thanks again to Chris and Tamera Moses for sending these photos of the flooding in the Red Oak area yesterday. Mr. and Mrs. Moses report that approximately 5.6 inches of rain fell.

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Byron Walker, Ward 1 councilman, had a warrant issued for “felony fraud” out of Clay County, Texas, according to a news tip to The Ellis County Press today.

Ennis Police Chief John Erisman reportedly told Clay County authorities that Walker would turn himself in today.

Details TBA…

It was an interesting night for Bardwell Police Chief Michael Spurgeon.   Volunteer firefighters discovered the Bardwell Chief on a stretch of county road near the Navarro County line asleep in his squad car.  Volunteer firefighters, unable to awake the Chief, contacted the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department who dispatched a deputy to the location.   The Chief was on the border of the Navarro/Ellis County line, in uniform in the city police car- asleep at nearly midnight over the weekend.    This was an interesting call on the scanner to say the least.   Question-  Why was the Bardwell Chief so far out of the city, on a county road, asleep close to midnight, in uniform and in the police car?    Better Why was he difficult to wake, forcing the firefighters to call Ellis County dispatch?    Medical condition?  Drunkedness?        We can bet it wasn’t a medical condition, since there was no ambulance called.    

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What would a Libertarian sheriff administration look like? The first person candidate Mike Treis sought to bring on board was Constable Steve McKinney, who finished two percentage points out of the March 4 GOP primary. McKinney, who is set to endorse James Ledbetter publicly, declined the offer.

Meanwhile, Robert Guest has picked up the chairmanship of the Libertarian Party of Ellis County. You can reach him at robert@robertguest.com or 972-207-2540.

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition – LEAP – will be making an Ellis County stop.

Now this should provide for an interesting April 8 run-off.

We haven’t spoken in a while and I wanted to make you aware of something we were doing in your area soon.

A production company in Waxahachie has produced a 1st episode of a movie called “The Colombianization of Mexico” and they want one of our top speakers in it. On Sunday, Norm Stamper is flying into DFW and then on Monday or Tuesday he will go down to Waxahachie for 3 hrs of interviews. On the day that he is not in Waxahachie, we want to keep him busy around Dallas. For instance, I have already written Mark Davis to see if he would like to have Norm on his radio show. I will email/call other talk show hosts. I also thought “why not reach out to city council members, the mayor, and others in the criminal justice system like the police chief, sheriff or the DA?”

The Dallas city council is on vacation next wk but we might find a few still in town and available…

City Councilwoman Dr. Elba Garcia, for instance, is the chair of the public safety committee. Good place to start.

Pauline Medrano is chair of the Govt Services committee.

David Neumann is on the public safety committee.

Dwaine Caraway is vice chair of the public safety committee

Vonciel Jones Hill is a judge

Carolyn Davis was recently elected; housing committee

Tennell Atkins—public safety committee

And Angela Hunt appears to be an up-and-comer.

I didn’t list them all but what I intend to do is try to set up some mtgs with a few of these people to talk abt drug policy in general and some Texas initiatives. Being a Texas resident and since you practice in Dallas County, I wondered if you wanted to go along on any of these mtgs? Maybe you have some insight about these people. I haven’t looked at the county leg folks…

Any suggestions for newspaper contacts? TV?

Maybe you could broker mtgs in Kaufmann County? Didn’t know if you wanted to do that since that’s where you run your practice…are there any radio shows down your way in Kaufmann or Ennis?

Finally, I’d like to get you involved in the organization. Maybe you’d like to place a blog entry or two onto the LEAP blog. How about an occasional OpEd? Would you like to speak to a civic club? I’m not asking for everything all at once; once a month is fine for any of the above. No matter. What I’m concentrating on for now is Norm’s visit to Dallas next wk.

Let me know what you can do—I know it is last minute.

Thanks

Mike Smithson

This is not far-fetched to say, but the King of Spain is a partner with Cintra, the Spanish company reaping the 50-year-plus tolls in their contract for the Trans-TX Corridor; what makes this more interesting is that Juan Carlos also has a major stake in the Australian media conglomerate that bought 40 newspapers in Texas last year, including the Waxahachie Daily Light, the Ennis Journal, the Midlothian Mirror, the Ellis County Chronicle and the Italy News-Herald.

The WDL ran anti-TTC articles repeatedly before the buyout ($80 million was the asking price for these papers), and after, Publisher Neal White was demoted to editor and all the archived articles on the WDL website were deleted.

- Brandy Owen/The Ellis County Press