The Mount Pleasant Mirror - telephone 903-427-0002
Top front page headlines in the latest issue of The Mount Pleasant Mirror:
TxDOT begins work on Hwy. 49 south of city
Council tables final payment for new sports complex
Bid awarded for repair of town lake spillway and bridge
The Mount Pleasant Business Corner includes the following fine businesses:
Cannaday Financial Services
Dan McCauley, DDS
Redfearn Real Estate
Talco Propane
Mason Hardware
Gary’s Gun and Pawn
Lion's Head Crossfit
Counselor Joseph Hayes
By NIGEL CHRISTOPHER
Correspondent
Titus County and North East Texas are getting shortchanged in the
distribution of the Covid 19 vaccines. Data from the Texas Department of State
Health Services website show that as of last Thursday February 24th, while 3.2
million (14.3%) Texans 16 and older, have received at least one shot of Covid
Vaccine, Titus County only had 2,027 residents (8.3%) who had had received
their first dose. If we were at the State average another 1,500 Titus County
residents would have been vaccinated by now.
Titus County is not alone in being ignored by the Texas DSHS. Cass
County is the lowest in the state with only 1,078 (4.5%) of residents getting
their first shot and Bowie not much better at 5,013 (6.8%).
Morris and Upshur Counties are also below Titus at 7.5% and 7.8%
respectively.
Hopkins (9.3%) , Camp (9.8%) and Franklin (10.9%) are doing a bit
better but still way below the state average.
The Texas DSHS has designated various cisites as vaccination hubs
and these clearly show up in the numbers with Gregg (Longview), Smith (Tyler)
and Lamar (Paris) all being at are slightly above the state average. Titus
County Judge Brian Lee tried to get Mount Pleasant designated as a hub but was
rebuffed by the people down in Austin.
DSHS records the persons county of residence when getting the
shot, regardless of which location the person goes to get the shot.
The Titus County Mirror is reaching out to our local State
Represnetative Cole Hefner and State Senator Bryan Hughes to see what they can
do to help us get our fair share of the vaccine.
If you want to add your voice to this please contact:
Cole Hefner tel. 512-463-0271 or
903-717-8238 Email cole@colehefner.com
Bryan Hughes tel 512-463-0101 or 903-581-1776 Email Bryan.hughes@senate.texas.gov
WATER SERVICE
The City of Mount Pleasant Water System is operational, and there are no plans to shut off service. Mount Pleasant customers are not under a boil notice. Utility workers have been working around the clock to ensure service during this extreme weather.
CIVIC CENTER
The Civic Center is open again today as a Warming Center and will continue to be available as long as needed during this severe weather. If anyone needs access to the Civic Center for shelter after working hours, please first call the dispatch number at 903-575-4004 for assistance.
UTILITY/COURT PAYMENTS
The City's Water Department and Municipal Court are closed until Monday 02/22. The City will not disconnect water for non-payment during this closure. Court tickets and utility bills can still be paid online.
TRASH COLLECTION
Due to the dangerous road conditions this week, trash collection for City of Mount Pleasant customers was suspended. The normal residential collection schedules of Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday will resume next week, beginning Monday, February 22. There will be a commercial collection tomorrow, Saturday, February 20.
Notice is hereby given that a Special Meeting of the Commissioners’ Court of Titus County, Texas, will be held on the 25th day of January 2021 at 9:00 o’clock a.m., in the Titus County Courthouse, County Courtroom, 100 West First Street, Room 205, Mt. Pleasant, Texas 75455, at which time the following subjects will be discussed not necessarily in the order presented:
INVOCATION
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Public Comments and/or Requests for Information on Non-Agenda Items in Accordance With Section 551.042, Texas Open Meetings Act
Consider and Possibly Approve Minutes from January 11th, 2021 Regular Meeting of the Commissioners’ Court
Report From Commissioners Regarding Road Work Status
Consider and Possibly Approve a pay increase for Poll Workers (Pam Holmes, Elections Administrator)
Discuss Professional Services Agreement for Licensed Court Interpreter Services with possible action (John Fitch)
Consider and Possibly Approve a policy related to the payment of CDL license fees and physicals (Tabled 1-11-21)
Discuss letter from Charlotte Spears regarding her property located at 106 S. Jefferson with possible action
Consider and Possibly Approve a resolution supporting in its entirety the STATE OF TEXAS AND TEXAS POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS’ OPIOID ABATEMENT FUND COUNCIL AND SETTLEMENT ALLOCATION TERM SHEET
Discuss formation of a committee to finalize Volunteer Fire Department Contract with possible action
Consider and Possibly Approve the donation of a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria to Morris County
Consider and Possibly nominate a candidate for consideration to fill a vacancy on the Titus County Appraisal District Board of Directors
Approve Oral and Written Reports of County Officials
Consider and Possibly Approve Treasurer’s Report
Approve Budget Amendments
Sign Pay Orders and Approve Payments
Meeting with TxDOT and H.W. Lochner to discuss FM 1735 Project
Closing Comments by County Judge and Commissioners, if any
With early in-person starting next week, I've started to place ads in newspapers. I believe in newspaper advertising, obviously; I own one.
This ad is running in the Greenville Herald-Banner this weekend and in the Rains County Leader (Emory) on Tuesday. The Texarkana Gazette is having its election edition on Oct. 24 and I've committed to an ad with them also.
By LILLIANNA BYINGTON
Food Dive
Pilgrim's Pride has permanently replaced
Jayson Penn as CEO and president. Penn, who is currently facing price-fixing
charges, is no longer with the company, according to a company news release
last week.
The Board of Directors appointed Fabio
Sandri as president and CEO, effective immediately. Sandri, who was previously
CFO at Pilgrim's, has been serving in the interim CEO role since Penn took a
paid leave of absence in June.
Four top executives at Pilgrim’s Pride
and Claxton Poultry Farms were indicted in June for conspiracy to fix prices
for chickens sold to grocers and restaurants from 2012 to 2017. Penn pleaded
not guilty to the charges.
Pilgrim's Pride is trying to move past
the price-fixing investigation that has plagued its operations by permanently
replacing the leadership associated with the charges.
A federal grand jury in Colorado
indicted Penn and former Pilgrim’s Vice President Roger Austin three months
ago, along with executives at Claxton. If convicted, those four executives face
a statutory maximum penalty of ten years in prison and up to a $1 million fine.
Shortly after the indictment was
announced, Penn began a paid leave of absence "to focus on his defense."
Austin's LinkedIn currently lists him as retired/consultant.
These indictments were the first charges
in the DOJ's ongoing antitrust investigation into the chicken industry, which
was publicly disclosed last year when the DOJ intervened in a lawsuit filed in
2016 that accused chicken companies - including Pilgrim's, Perdue Farms, Tyson
Foods and Sanderson Farms - of colluding to inflate prices.
After the indictment of Pilgrim’s and
Claxton, Tyson said it was cooperating with the DOJ's price-fixing investigation
under the antitrust division's Corporate Leniency Program.
Pilgrim's choice to promote someone
internally to lead instead of going through an extensive outside search could
help the company pivot away from the scandal faster. Sandri started at Pilgrim's
as CFO in June 2011 and was appointed interim president and CEO on June 15.
Before Pilgrim's, Sandri was the CFO of
Estacio Participações, a private educational institution in Brazil, and former
corporate controller of Braskem S.A., a petrochemical company in Brazil. The
company has started the search process to find a new CFO to replace Sandri.
Penn's tenure at the helm of Pilgrim's
didn't last long. He was appointed CEO last year to succeed Bill Lovette, who
retired after eight years leading the company. Penn originally joined Pilgrim's
in 2011 and has served as senior vice president of the commercial business
group, executive vice president of sales and operations, and president of
Pilgrim's USA during his tenure.
Pilgrim's, which is majority owned by
JBS USA, makes up about 17% of the U.S. chicken market and produces about 13
billion pounds of poultry each year. For years, the chicken industry has faced
price-fixing allegations.
Poultry companies have faced multiple
similar lawsuits, as well as an investigation by the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission and the scrapping of the Georgia Dock price index.
Across the food industry, antitrust
investigations have escalated in recent years as the DOJ has cracked down with
higher sentences and bigger fines. After an investigation into the tuna
industry, former Bumble Bee Foods CEO Chris Lischewski was sentenced to 40
months in prison and given a $100,000 fine after being convicted of
price-fixing.
Scott Wagner, a partner at Bilzin
Sumberg, previously said he suspects there will be more to see out of this
chicken investigation going forward, including people agreeing to plead guilty.
Pilgrim's is likely trying to distance itself from any sentencing or guilty
pleas by implementing new leadership now.
"These indictments are the
beginning, not the end, of what we're going to see in the chicken
industry," Wagner said.
Mount Pleasant, TX, September 11, 2020…City Council meetings will re-open to the public beginning with the Regularly Scheduled Meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 6:30 p.m. at the Mount Pleasant Civic Center.
Attendance capacity will be limited to the first 60 people to arrive in order to ensure social-distanced seating. Attendees will be required to wear masks and have their temperature taken prior to entering the Civic Center.
The City Council meetings will also continue to be broadcast and instructions on how to dial in or join will be included on posted agendas, which can be found at www.mpcity.net.
The free COVID-19 testing that is being offered at the Civic Center Mondays – Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. will close early on Tuesday, September 15 at 2 p.m. to provide the City time to fully sanitize the facility prior to the City Council meeting.
