Wednesday, May 20, 2020 Vol. 92, No. 21 1 Section, 8 pages 50¢ Clower new AD, Louvier named GHS head coach By Suzanne Bardwell Scott Clower was named GISD Athletic Director while Bear head Round-Up Rodeo football coach went to home grown GHS 2002 alum Jonny canceled, first Louvier in a unanimous vote by GISD time in history Trustees at By Jim Bardwell Monday’s For the first time in the Gladewater board Round-Up Rodeo’s 82-year history, the meeting. chutes will not open and the stands will “Coach be silent, empty of excited fans. Clower is a While Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott said CLOWER great man, a Monday he would permit restaurants to great coach operate at 50% capacity and gyms can and a great reopen with limited capacity, but his rules man of on 25% occupancy for rodeos will make character,” it impossible for the Gladewater rodeo to Supt. Sedric open June 10-13 as planned. Clark said. The governor’s rules state: “He will “Effective May 22, 2020, individuals GHS Social Studies teacher ensure may engage in, and sponsors may put on, Sarah Creech along with a stability and rodeos and equestrian events. Spectators team of workers that included LOUVIER continuity in are allowed, provided that indoor venues GHS Principal Cathy Bedair, the program limit the number of spectators to no more government teacher Diane 2020 Seniors honored just as Coach Berry did.” than 25% of the total listed occupancy Clark, asst. principal Becky Clower has worked for of the venue, and outdoor venues may Lanham and Bruce Lanham GISD for a decade and holds operate at up to 25% of the normal volunteers Beverly Tallent, degrees from Stephen F. Austin operating limits as determined by the Cindy and Jon Rowe work University in Kinesiology and facility owner. Six feet of separation to place individual senior Exercise Science and in American between individuals not within the same signs along the railing in History. Clower was named to the household should be maintained to the downtown Gladewater last interim AD position when athletic extent feasible. To the extent the rodeo or Friday. The signs will remain director and head football coach equestrian event has spectators, the person up until all graduation John Berry resigned to take sponsoring the event must ensure that activities are complete on a position at Longview High ingress and egress from the venue allows June 6 when students may School. Clark said there were for 6 feet of social distancing between take their individual signs over seven applicants for the AD/ individuals on entering and exiting the at that time. There will be a head coach positions with some venue. Larger gatherings that include Parade of Graduates Friday, strong candidates in the running. a rodeo or equestrian event, such as a May 29 at 6:30 p.m. A face- “Jonny Louvier is a hometown county fair, are not authorized at time.” to-face graduation will be hero,” Clark said. “There are Rodeo President Chris Thompson said held Friday, June 5 at 8 p.m. some special things he has in his canceling the rodeo was necessary to at Jack V. Murphy Stadium arsenal, he is a great coach. We ensure the safety of participants, fans, with a limit of six guests are expecting great things.” vendors, sponsors and volunteers. He per graduate per social Louvier has coaching stints added it was a difficult decision, made in distancing guidelines. under his belt that include the past consultation with health experts as well Photo By Suzanne Bardwell year at Spring Hill ISD where he Continued on Page 5 Continued on Page 6 Gov. Abbott opens up Phase 2 Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday salons to reopen May 8 under a day. Over the last week, the state announced his next wave of certain restrictions. Monday averaged 25,614 tests per day. reopenings designed to restart was the first day gyms were However, in recent days, it was the Texas economy during the allowed to open up, also under revealed that the state is including coronavirus pandemic, saying restrictions. an unknown quantity of antibody child care facilities can reopen Abbott’s news conference tests in its testing total, casting immediately, bars can open Monday came a day after the uncertainty over the reliability of Friday with limited capacity and total coronavirus cases in Texas that data for the time being. sporting events can return without increased to at least 47,784, Amarillo has been a hotspot due fans at the end of the month. including 1,336 deaths, according to outbreaks at its meatpacking Abbott also said he would to the latest data from the state plants, and earlier this month, permit restaurants to operate at Department of Health Services. the state dispatched one of its 50% capacity starting Friday, up Out of Texas’ 254 counties, 222 Surge Response Teams to the from 25% that’s allowed now. are reporting cases. city to try to get things under At the same time, Abbott The number of cases — and control. Of the 1,801 new cases exempted two hotspots — deaths — keeps rising in Texas, that Texas reported Saturday, over Amarillo and El Paso — from though the testing tally has also 700 were linked to the Amarillo his latest decisions, saying they gone up, reaching 693,276 as meatpacking plants, according to would need to wait a week. of Sunday. Abbott, meanwhile, Abbott’s office. Abbott’s news conference continues to highlight the In El Paso, the situation has came 18 days after he started a relatively stable number of deteriorated enough that the phased reopening of the state, hospitalizations and declining county judge, Ricardo Samaniego, starting with letting restaurants, infection rate. and other local officials asked Not all Gladewater Fire Department calls are for a fire. Last week the GFD received a stores, movie theaters and malls While testing has ramped up, Abbott last week to exempt call for a rescue, but not a person - it was of the four-legged variety. A person’s dog open up at 25% capacity. He it is still failing to regularly reach the county from the reopening had become stuck in a drainage culvert and GFD was able to get him out without then allowed barbershops and Abbott’s own goal of 30,000 tests process. harm. GFD photo Local sales tax slips -5.05% GREGG COUNTY Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced last week he will send cities, Clarksville City 1.000% $9,265.27 $6,374.72 45.34% $29,995.93 $22,378.26 34.04% counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts $824.1 million in local Easton 1.000% $4,852.83 $2,243.88 116.26% $17,753.79 $9,593.70 85.05% sales tax allocations for May - 5 percent less than in May 2019. These allocations Gladewater 1.500% $103,007.99 $108,491.02 -5.05% $513,020.90 $431,266.72 18.95% are based on sales made in March by businesses that report tax monthly, and sales Kilgore 1.500% $716,084.29 $914,140.15 -21.66% $3,366,089.86 $4,305,977.85 -21.82% made in January, February and March by quarterly filers. Lakeport 1.500% $23,762.02 $24,493.11 -2.98% $90,477.92 $87,708.26 3.15% Widespread social distancing requirements were not in place across much of the state until late March, meaning the impact of those measures affected only a Longview 1.500% $2,995,536.81 $3,310,896.29 -9.52% $14,104,439.36 $14,293,678.47 -1.32% portion of allocations for this month. Warren City 1.000% $1,309.48 $1,790.67 -26.87% $7,218.74 $8,840.84 -18.34% The agency expects next month’s allocations, based on April sales, will show White Oak 1.500% $97,106.91 $92,095.82 5.44% $432,107.57 $464,739.49 -7.02% steeper declines compared to a year ago. UPSHUR COUNTY Gladewater’s sales tax revenue slipped to -5.05 percent compared to last year Big Sandy 1.250% $21,677.79 $21,260.68 1.96% $88,664.37 $87,675.40 1.12% at this time - $103,007.99 compared to $108,491.02 in 2019. But Gladewater’s East Mountain 1.000% $3,204.66 $3,776.26 -15.13% $17,421.23 $14,383.83 21.11% previous double-digit performances this year has the city’s totals well above last year by 18.85-percent - $513,020.90 compared to $431,266.72. Gilmer 1.500% $208,572.21 $171,835.76 21.37% $859,643.11 $786,328.88 9.32% Clarksville City posted a 45.34-percent rise, White Oak posted a 45.34-percent Ore City 1.500% $23,176.18 $17,696.92 30.96% $89,627.36 $76,826.21 16.66% increase, while Warren City posted a -26.87-percent slip. Union Grove 1.000% $268.49 $496.33 -45.90% $1,641.64 $2,076.96 -20.95% Page 2, The Gladewater Mirror, Wednesday, May 20, 2020 OPINION/EDITORIAL Ed Sterling Who’s the fool? I am mad and I am sad. I don’t know which weighs in more. I Suzanne Capital pray that sad does because that would speak better for my character. Sunday I went grocery shopping at a Longview Wal-Mart. There were Highlights no buggies inside, no sanitizing wipes, no crowd capacity checks. Bardwell That was dramatically different from the week before.