City leaders made a little more way for the Pecan Creek Rechanneling Project Tuesday.
At the Gainesville City Council meeting Tuesday evening, the Council voted to sign waivers for four properties to be obtained by the city, in which there were delinquent taxes due from previous owners.
Councilmen Jim Goldsworthy and Woodrow Williams were not present.
The properties could be used for the Pecan Creek Rechanneling Project as well as urban redevelopment.
Lots at 809 Gossett Street and 508 North Schopmeyer Street would be used for the Pecan Creek project, in which the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will work to expand the creek’s capacity to prevent future flooding.
The Schopmeyer Street property was ceded to the city after the resident, who claimed inability to pay taxes due, realized it would help the city.
“The owner signed it over because we needed it,” City Manager Barry Sullivan said.

Prospective Regents for the North Central Texas College board have put up a strong, local campaign for the May 10 election.
Candidates include: Place 1, incumbent Lynn Williams and challenger Ken Arterbury; Place 3, Patsy Wilson and Mike Morrison (Regent Troy Idom did not file for re-election); Place 5, Karla Metzler and Stephen Harlow (Regent Dr. Milton Dickson did not file for re-election).
Williams, Wilson and Metzler are campaigning together on a slate under the heading “Vote For NCTC,” while Arterbury, Morrison and Harlow each said they are running independently (see Sunday’s Register).

A question over truth in advertising revealed that a moot vote was not recorded in the official minutes of the North Central Texas Community College District’s Board of Regents.
An advertisement on page 2 of Monday’s Register by Place 1 Board of Regents candidate Ken Arterbury raised some eyebrows at the North Central Texas College Administration Building when it accused Place 1 incumbent Lynn Williams of voting “to raise taxes 7 percent or $140,000.”
Arterbury cited his source as the July 24, 2007, Register story titled “NCTC gets ready to up tax, tuition.”
Williams was not available for comment due to illness.

Police are investigating an aggravated assault that occurred Tuesday night at a residence on South Grand Avenue.
A suspect apparently struck Marietta, Okla., resident Casey Giourgas, 23, using both his fist and a baseball bat.

Texas Operation Lifesaver Partners with Gainesville Police Department and BNSF Railway to Increase Rail Safety Awareness

Anna Leigh London, a horse trainer and resident of Babcock Ranch, was crowned Mrs. North America 2008 in a contest hosted by the Mrs. Globe pageant, and became the oldest woman to win a title in the pageant system.

Rodeos are competitive events, but according to Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce Director John Broyles, they are also part of the American culture.
Broyles said attendance at last weekend’s Chamber of Commerce Rodeo — his first as director — was as good as or better than last year.
“We don’t have any of the numbers yet, but our attendance at the rodeo was better, I think, than it has ever been. The rodeo has grown, and the community has reacted so positively toward it. We count it as one of the main activities we do each year,” he said.

Running together as a slate has proven to be advantageous for candidates in certain local races in years past.
So will a team of candidates seeking election to the governing board of North Central Texas College on May 10 find victory in numbers?
A slate of three candidates are publicly campaigning together, under the headline “Vote For NCTC,” in their races for open seats on the college’s board of directors. The slate consists of: Patsy Wilson, a retired long-time NCTC librarian seeking Place 3; Karla Metzler, a local Xerox service business owner seeking Place 5; and Lynn Williams, who currently serves on the Board of Regents on Place 1.
Candidates Ken Arterbury, running for Place 1, Stephen Harlow, seeking Place 5, and Mike Morrison, seeking place 3, each said they are not running together but independently.

For rodeo queen candidates, outfits are a big part of competition.
Sadie Shellenberger never forgot her favorite rodeo costume. The blouse was purple with sequins and the pants were a shiny silver with sequined designs. She made them both herself when she was a rodeo performer.
Shellenberger, 77, was one of a group of seniors from Pecan Tree Rehabilitation and Health Care Center who watched the first performance of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce Rodeo Thursday night.