The opening six months of 2007 started with one of Palestine’s favorite sons, Todd Staples, being sworn in as the state’s 11th agriculture commissioner and concluded with a former East Texas lawman being found guilty of six of nine charges in his Anderson County trial.
In between, former Palestine Police Chief Chuck Edge left to assume a similar position in Waxahachie; local attorney Mark Calhoon was appointed Third State District Judge by the governor’s office; and Rashad Q. Mims I finally laid absolute claim to the precinct 2 commissioner’s post.
Items making headlines from January through June in Anderson County included:
January
4 — Flanked by his wife and a host of family members and supporters, Palestine’s Todd Staples is sworn in as the state’s 11th agriculture commissioner in the Senate chambers at the state Capitol in Austin.
10 — The Texas Medical Board indefinitely suspends the license of local physician Michael Lee Williams, deeming him a “threat” to public welfare after arrests for family violence and prescription fraud.
16 — Downtown merchants express frustrations and concerns over recent acts of vandalism during a meeting of the Palestine City Council.
18 — Anderson County commissioners deny the request of Precinct 2 Commissioner Rashad Q. Mims I to pay his attorney’s fees in relation to a lawsuit contesting the results of his election victory over Larry Coker.
19 — Former Palestine physician Dr. Robert Byrnes, 48, whose medical license had been suspended several months earlier, is found dead at his Lake Jacksonville residence.
22 — Local businessman William George Jr. dies in a Houston hospital at age 86.
31 — Twenty-five year-old Gerald Glenn Turner of Palestine, whom authorities say has a penchant for wearing pink clothing, is sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
February
5 — Palestine native Lamar Muse, who helped launch Southwest Airlines in the early-1970s, dies in Dallas at the age of 86.
6 — Rashad Q. Mims I and Larry Coker agree to hold a new election during the spring to decide the Anderson County precinct 2 commissioner’s race.
8 — Fifty-eight year-old Bennie Frank Parrish, who once worked as a Palestine police officer, is sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for possessing child pornography.
12 — Kathi Masonheimer is appointed to fill the vacant District 1 seat following a 3-2 vote of the Palestine City Council.
18 — Twentytwo-year-old Jason Perry of Frankston is murdered outside a residence on FM 315, southwest of Frankston, after being shot once in the back.
22 — Florida-based American Heritage Railways is selected as a potential operator of the 25-mile Texas State Railroad.
March
2 — Palestine Police Chief Chuck Edge confirms that he is among four finalists for the vacant police chief’s job in Waxahachie.
7 — A Palestine couple — 42-year-old Michael W. Jones and 31-year-old Kelly Gibson — is discovered deceased inside a residence in the 200 block of Shamrock Drive in what authorities believe to be a murder-suicide.
17 — Mike Bowden takes over as Palestine’s new postmaster.
20 — Palestine Police Chief Chuck Edge, who has been with the city for four years, accepts the position of police chief in Waxahachie, a city of approximately 24,000 located 25 miles south of Dallas.
23 — Palestine High School senior Brynne Herring is crowned 2007 Dogwood Trails Queen during a coronation ceremony at the Museum for East Texas Culture.
25 — Linda Johnson, 48, and Laura Reyes, 82, both of Carrollton, die as a result of injuries sustained in a head-on collision on U.S. 287 near Tennessee Colony.
29 — Local attorney and former Anderson County assistant district attorney Mark Calhoon is appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to fulfill the unexpired term of Third State District Judge Jim Parsons.
April
3 — Jeramy Lee Kennedy, 29, of Palestine, whom authorities describe as a long-time friend of his victim, is charged with murder in connection with the brutal stabbing death of 27-year-old Jerod Lee Evans in June 2006.
6 — Palestine High School’s soccer team blanks Brenham, 1-0, at Midway High School outside of Waco to qualify for the Class 4A state tournament.
12 — Frisco defeats Palestine, 7-1, in the semifinals of the Class 4A state soccer tournament in Round Rock.
15 — Forty-three year-old George Robert Guthrie is charged with murder after allegedly stabbing 37-year-old Regina Gayle Parker to death outside a unit at the Daisy Lane Apartments.
17 — After six years at the helm, Palestine Area Chamber of Commerce Director Gay Fuller resigns her position to devote more time to her family business.
23 — The Palestine City Council appoints Larry Coutorie as the city’s interim police chief during a regular meeting.
24 — Precinct 2 Commissioner Rashad Q. Mims I holds on his position by defeating Republican Larry Coker by a 2-to-1 margin in a special election agreed upon by the parties.
25 — Fire destroys the popular Coffee Landing Restaurant located on Texas 155 at Lake Palestine, just north of Frankston.
28 — Former Palestine High School and Oklahoma University standout Adrian Peterson is selected by the Minnesota Vikings as the seventh overall pick in the NFL Draft.
30 — Nineteen-year-old Caitlin Creed, a student at Baylor University who resided in Homestead, Ala., is killed as a result of a two-vehicle colision, just west of the Palestine city limits.
May
1 — Forty-four year-old James Edward Vick of Elkhart, a long-time foster parent, is arrested at his residence for allegedly sexually assaulting two of his former foster children.
2 — Thirty-six year-old Charles Ralph Shelton of Anderson County is sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to the charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
4 — Former Anderson County Commissioner Darrell Emanuel, who unsuccessfully ran for county judge in 2006, tells the Herald-Press he has applied for the vacant Palestine police chief’s job.
11 — Twentythree-year-old Hannah Peterson, a first-year social studies teacher and assistant coach at Westwood High School, is killed in an automobile accident.
12 — Dr. Carolyn Salter wins her second term as Palestine mayor by collecting 57 percent of the vote to defeat a pair of opponents, Jack Coleman and Alan Russell.
15 — Prominent Palestine businessman Stephen Wright Sussdorf is arrested and charged with possession of marijuana between 4 ounces and 5 pounds after authorities say they had received information he was transporting a felony amount of marijuana.
21 — The Westwood Independent School District’s Board of Trustees unanimously approves the resignation of Superintendent Ann Griffin who has accepted a job in Tennessee.
30 — The body of a missing 54-year-old Grapeland man, Harold Sissom, is found in his car near Lovelady after he apparently ran off the road and was submerged in a creek swollen by heavy rains.
June
1 — Palestine and Westwood high schools hold separate graduation ceremonies as Ajay Arun Patel and Hailey Bunnell are valedictorians of their respective classes.
2 — Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor tells the Herald-Press that foul play is suspected in the death of 51-year-old Melton Lewis Paris who had been discovered dead inside his northern Anderson County residence the previous day.
5 — The Palestine Independent School District’s Board of Trustees approve a tougher dress code which requires male students to tuck in their shirts and female students to keep midriffs covered.
6 — Palestine police are investigating their third robbery in a three-week span after a armed man enters the Pic and Go Food Mart at 1009 W. Palestine Ave. and makes away with an undisclosed amount of cash.
11 — Soon-to-be state district judge Mark Calhoon resigns his position as a member of the Palestine Independent School District’s Board of Trustees due to a law prohibiting persons from holding two elected positions simultaneously.
18 — Jury selection begins in the trial of James Finch, a 39-year-old former Van Zandt County sheriff’s investigator, accused of shooting and sexually assaulting his ex-wife at her residence outside of Frankston in June 2006.
19 — Kathi Masonheimer is selected as the new director of the Palestine Area Chamber of Commerce.
23 — “Adrian Peterson Day” is held in Palestine to honor the Palestine native for his athletic achievements and entry into the National Football League.
29 — A 12-person jury deliberates for a total of 36 hours over the course of four days before finding 39-year-old James Finch, a former Van Zandt County sheriff’s investigator, guilty of six of nine charges, including aggravated sexual assault.

Palestine resident Todd Staples, left, takes the oath of office as Texas Commissioner of Agriculture on Jan. 4, 2007 as his wife Janet, center, watches. Swearing in Staples is Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson.
- ERICH SCHLEGEL/Dallas Morning News File Photo
The Palestine Herald, Palestine, Texas

Palestine High School graduate Adrian Peterson returned home in June for a pep rally to celebrate being drafted No. 7 by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2007 NFL Draft.
- SCOTT TYLER/Palestine Herald-Press File Photo
The Palestine Herald, Palestine, Texas

Anderson County Judge Linda Ray takes her oath of office from 369th State District Judge Bascom W. Bentley III in front of her family and friends at the Anderson County Courthouse on Jan. 1, 2007. Ray became the county's first female county judge.
- BETH FOLEY
The Palestine Herald, Palestine, Texas

A late snow dusts blooming bright pink and white azalea blossoms on April 7, 2007, possibly a record for snowfall that late in the year.
- BETH FOLEY
The Palestine Herald, Palestine, Texas

Former Southwest Airlines CEO Lamar Muse, seated, donated $350,000 to the Palestine YMCA on Jan. 29. Muse died on Feb. 7 at age 86.
- BETH FOLEY
The Palestine Herald, Palestine, Texas

The Palestine Wildcat soccer team advanced to the Class 4A state semifinals in April.
- LOURDES SHOAL/Special to the Herald-Press
The Palestine Herald, Palestine, Texas

Palestine High School senior Brynne Herring was named Dogwood Trails Queen for 2007 on March 23, 2007.
- MARY RAINWATER
The Palestine Herald, Palestine, Texas

The annual Anderson County Youth Livestock Show, held during the final week of April, drew thousands of entries from area youngsters involved in FFA and 4-H programs.
- BETH FOLEY
The Palestine Herald, Palestine, Texas

Colorful hot air balloons lit up the evening sky on June 1 for the Fourth Annual Heritage Balloon Festival at the Palestine Municipal Airport. The two-day festival drew crowds to see the balloons and enjoy music and crafts.
- BETH FOLEY
The Palestine Herald, Palestine, Texas
Looking Back
- By PAUL STONE
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