Eizek

His five-year contract now runs through January 2017. His annual salary remains $182,000. And you are ABSOLUTELY correct.

Yeah, if Tatum does move up in realignment, it will the Eagles and Panthers heading the district in basketball, both boys and girls.

I listened on the radio. Jefferson had an 8-0 to close the Tatum lead to 40-39 with just under two minutes to play in the third quarter. By the end of the third, Tatum led 51-41, then outscored Jefferson 33-5 in the fourth to win, 84-46.

I'm glad its Hughes Ellis doing the sports reporting now and not me. It always amazed me how so many people complained, but so few people actually approached me to complain in person. It was as though they knew inherently that their complaint lacked merit. Not that covering news is the opposite.

After all of these posts, I find it interesting that no one has mentioned that this bracket has a glaring error, IMO. The 2007 Tatum Eagles, a state runner-up, is listed twice in this bracket. I would have used the 1993 or 1997 Tatum teams in place of putting 2007 in twice, but that's just me. As for all of the posts between Longview and the small towns, I have had my banter with certain Lobo fans in the past. But there is definitely a complex among some of you posters from Daingerfield and other smaller towns. That is sad, considering every time your spouse wants to go shopping, Longview is among your primary destinations. Despite its mid-December misfortunes, Longview is in many ways the icon of East Texas football, because of its incredible fan base and success against Dallas-area teams. 1983 Daingerfield. 1937 Longview. 2005 and 2006 Tatum. 1980 Pittsburg. 2010 Henderson. Can't we all just get along? Let's try something a bit more constructive, like how Daingerfield hopes to erase one little statistic that it can't seem to shake. Something about being winless against a certain team in the playoffs?

I assume he wouldn't mean that, since Tatum advertised in Sunday's LNJ that it had 247 transfer students among its 1,500-plus enrollment.

The close to 30 people that packed the Kountze Intermediate School library for a special board meeting on Wednesday night went home happy. Many of them were there to support championship-winning basketball coach Duane Joubert, whom they feared would leave the district if he was not given the athletic director job. While Lance Dale of Class 2A powerhouse Tatum was hired as the new football coach and athletic director, Joubert was given the new title of assistant athletic director and a raise to compensate for that. “(Joubert) has accomplished a lot for this district and we wanted to do what we could do to help him,” said Kountze superintendent Kevin Weldon. Joubert will also help coach football as part of the arrangement. “I am a Kountze Lion and I am going to stay here,” Joubert said. “I appreciate the chance to be assistant athletic director. I’ve been coaching for 15 years and this is a great opportunity for me and my family.” Joubert had talked with Silsbee earlier about the head boys basketball coach job that came open when Travis Williams left for Class 5A Port Arthur Memorial. “I haven’t talked with Silsbee about a money amount,” Joubert said. “Right now I am a Kountze Lion.” Joubert and Dale have known each other since they went to elementary school together at Hamshire-Fannett. “I have known him my whole life,” Dale said. “I love working with him. We’ve remained friends. When he coached against teams from East Texas I’d give him scouting reports and when (Tatum) coached against teams from Southeast Texas he’d help me out.”

got an oilfield job. obviously couldn't wait til graduation.

And thank you, Overton, for obviously enjoying playing your playoff series in Tatum. Convenient for me and good location.

I've noticed only two area districts with long-term sustained growth: Hallsville and Tatum.

I've noticed only two area districts with long-term sustained growth: Hallsville and Tatum.

Mayor Jay Dean said the strong approval of Longview’s streets bond package resulted from six years of town meetings where residents repeatedly asked for better road infrastructure. On Saturday, residents sounded off again — at the ballot box, voting 1,321-820 in favor of $52.6 million in upgrades for local thoroughfares, intersections, sidewalks, primitive roads and utility infrastructure. “I think as a result of those (town meeting) requests, I’m proud that the citizens of Longview spoke today and agreed with the need to move our community forward and improve our most basic asset, which is our streets,” Dean said. Voters agreed to a total 2.33 cent property tax increase over much of the next 20 years to repay the bond. Taxpayers will see a 1.69 cent rate hike as early as 2012. For a $50,000 home, it amounts to an $8.45 tax bill increase; for a $500,000 home, add $84.45 to the bill. Most of the projects are locked in: intersection overhauls for Hawkins Parkway crossings with Gilmer, Judson, McCann and Eastman roads plus Pine Tree Road at George Richey Road; reconstruction of Center, Methvin and Green streets downtown, East Cotton Street, Fenton Road and South Green Street; widening of Magnolia Lane and Hollybrook Drive; repaving of High Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard; and sidewalk construction along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Birdsong Street. Meanwhile, Longview Public Works officials will evaluate the city’s 45-plus miles of roads that have an oil-dirt surface. Five million dollars of the bond package is dedicated to pulverizing many of those street surfaces and reconstructing them to current city of Longview standards. The city could turn dirt on the first projects as early as 12 months, Dean said. He expects municipal engineers to complete design work within the next six months. That timetable schedules municipal street construction after the fall, when Longview Independent School District concludes construction of its $266.9 million facilities overhaul. School construction has helped Longview maintain unemployment rates below state and national averages for at least two years, Dean said. The streets package will continue public construction and employment. “Even though our unemployment rate is outpacing the state and nation, this could well be an opportunity to put more of our residents to work,” Dean said. Included in the bond The following are projects and estimated costs as part of the Street Bond Election: * Reconstruct oil dirt streets, $5 million: Reconstruct arterials and substandard condition oil dirt streets to current standards using pulverize-mix methods * Magnolia Lane widening, $3.1 million: Reconstruct Magnolia Lane to four lanes from Judson Road to McCann Road with utility adjustments as identified in the 10-year Master Transportation Plan * Downtown-Green Street, $6 million: Reconstruct Green Street downtown from Cotton Street to Whaley Street * Downtown-Center Street, $5.5 million: Reconstruct Center Street downtown from Cotton Street to Whaley Street * Downtown-Methvin Street, $5.5 million: Reconstruct Methvin Street downtown from Green Street to High Street * Intersections, $5 million: Construction of additional lanes and signal installations at Hawkins Parkway and U.S. 259 North, Cotton Street and Eastman Road, Hawkins Parkway and Dundee Road, Hawkins Parkway and McCann Road, Hawkins Parkway and Judson Road, and Pine Tree Road and George Richey Road * Cotton Street, $8.565 million: Reconstruct Cotton Street's four lanes from Green Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, including $2.4 million for utility adjustments and $100,000 for sidewalks * Hollybrook Drive, $4.5 million: Reconstruct Hollybrook Drive to four lanes from Eastman Road to East Loop 281, including $725,000 for utility adjustments * Fenton Road, $3.4 million: Reconstruct Fenton Road from Gilmer Road to George Richey Road, including $840,000 for utility adjustments * Green Street, $5.08 million: Reconstruct Green Street from Cotton Street to Young Street, including $1.085 million for utility adjustments * High Street, $110,000: Repaving High Street from Marion Drive to Garfield Drive * Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, $175,000: Repaving Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from Cotton Street to Young Street * Foster Middle School sidewalks, $670,000: Construct sidewalks along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from Cotton Street to Johnson Street, and along Birdsong Street from Lilly Street to Mobberly Avenue

I hope the regional championship is again at Tatum.

If Daingerfield makes a comeback and wins the LSC, why do I feel certain Kevnasty will change his tune? Oh well, why should I care?

I watching it live on DirecTV channel 680.