Hood County News from Granbury, Texas • Page 1

4 -i Children send their wishes to Santa Claus in today's Hood County News. See Sections and for what's "hot" and what's "not" on this year's wish list. XTS More than a newspaper, a Hood County legend since 1886 Published Wed. and Sat. Granbury, Texas 7fifM8 Wednesday, December 23, 19H7 ill lL Dear Santa Claus, How are you? I bet you are very busy now! Is Mrs.

Claus O.K.? I want a dinosaur set and Play-skook dinosaurs. Caelb wants a scooter and helmet. He is my brother, you know. Our tree is the prettiest one in the whole wide world. You'll like it.

Cookies will be at my cousin's house waiting for you. My dad wants his two boys to be hapy. I hope you're happy. I love you, "Adrian Dean Arsonists attempt break'in coverup Cochrum and Chisolm The blaze was Granbury 's second arson -related fire this year The X-ray room of the Family Medicine Specialists clinic on Paluxv Road was heavily damaged in Fe TV 'a 'im wJfW Dear Santa, How have you bean? I love you and your reindeer. How is Rudolph? I love his red nose.

Thank you for last years toys. This year 1 want a ghostbuster set and a slime pit and two new tires for my bike and a guitar so me and Nicholas can rock and roll, will leave you a sur prise by my ennstmas tree. Merry Christmas I love you very much, P.S. My mom helped me this letter because I am in Kindergarten, i love your wift too! Joey McCraw Dear Santa, I am not asking for so much ok? I would like a saddle for my horse. I also want some Lee jeans and skirts.

I'd like some jewelry and a tappy shoos too. Thank you Love Suzanne Baker P.S. Please give one of my presents to someone who will not get one this year. Merry Christmas! A fire apparently started to cover up a burglary heavily damaged a South Grove residence Sunday night. The 8:20 p.m.

blaze was apparently set with a flammable liquid in a bedroom of the Mark Swaim residence at 903 Meadowlark Lane after burglars removed stereo equipment and other items from the home, said Mood County Fire Marshal Buck Chisolm. The blaze heavily damaged the bedroom, a bathroom and a closet in an adjoining bedroom, reported Chisolm. Swaim, the home's owner, was in Stephenville at the time of the fire and his two roommates were also gone, said Chisolm. Swaim is the owner of Mark Anthony's men's clothing store in Granbury, said police. Granbury police investigator Elton Cochrum stated that almost worth of stereo equipment and household goods were removed from the house before the fire was set.

The stolen items included Nacamiche compact disc player, Ad-Com pro-amp. stereo amplifier, Pioneer cassettetape deck, Sanyo VCR, Magic Chef microwave, Tri-Star lH-inoh color television and a Pentax K1000 camera, said Cochrum. Swaim was sharing the house two other men. James Cherry and Neal Brennan, at the time of the blaze, Cochrum reported. Several witnesses stated they heard what they described as a loud lxom just before the blaze was reported, Cochrum said.

A neighbor, Colleen Douthitt, spotted the fire and called it in, Chisolm stated. Cochrum, Chisolm and Assistant Fire Marshal Ira Turner spent most of Monday at the scone of the blaze searching for evidence. There are no suspects and the fire is still under investigation, said If jpi Dear Santa, Last year you gave mo a music mackcrand some candy. But this time I want some thing else! A computer is what I want! I hope you can carry that heavy lode. If you can't wait till nexs year.

And I can just git a crimper. Love Sara Deeds Dear Santa I love my sister, brother, mom and daddy. Have a nice trip Around the World. Love Erin Dear Santa I want the dall Julie. I want toys and Julry and clows be looking for cooies.

Mery Christmas evry body out ther. Urn? Julie Whitfil! Dear Santa, I love you. I have been a good boy. We got a dog don't wake him up. I want a car and a airplane.

Love Brit Hull Dear Santa May i have a pound purry and akid sister. Love Jill Duty Foster families brighten holiday for mentally-retarded adults bruary iifter someone appuientlv set a fire to cover traces of a burglary. A man was convicted of the clinic burglary, but was not tried on arson charges, said (Vx'hrum. 9SuUMUStm 7 watch, shotgun, pistol, coin set and assorted jewelry, said Tomlinson. Investigators started checking out leads, but they were pleas- Please we PRESENTS.

P.2A i' Everyone who help the lew fortunate at Chrtetnuttttm Gitchetl Th Country Spirit -At a J. 1 Icxxl County News 101st Year Number 33 Inside: Births 10A Classified 9B-11B Lifestyle 6B Obituaries 9A Real Estate 8B School 8A Sports 1B-5B TV Listing 3D-6D Weather DAY Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday AM 31 40 40 37 PM RAIN 50 0 62 0.10 65 0.55 55 0 1987 rainfall to date 42 JO in. FORECAST: Cloudy with possible thunderstorms through Friday. Temperatures in 40s at night to 70k during day. Readings taken by deCordova weather watcher Bill Quinn ai 7 a.m.

and 7 p.m. 40 pages I'iremcn lrabc arsoH'rclutcd blaze Pair's gift stash seized family to speak of, and lots of times they don't get to go home for Christmas. We could keep them here, hut that makes feel had bec ause everybody else is getting to go home, says Southern. Many of them had older parents who are gone now, and they really don't have any family, or the relatives they do have are so far away they can't join them for the holidays," he adds. The holiday adoption practice provides more than a practice solution to a problem.

It provides mutual sharing and caring, according to Snellgrove. The foster families have every bit as much to gain as do the clients, she says. 'They have so much to give, insists Snellgrove. Until Thanksgiving, we didn't know what we had missed. We didn't have to do anything different.

They just fit right in, like family. Everything went the way it always does only better." Snellgrove did not have much experience with mentally-retarded adults before Thanksgiving. Her limited knowledge about MR clients came from her sister, a staff member at Southern Concepts. It was her sister who approached Snell- Please see SPIRIT, P. 2AJ by CANDACE ORI) MANROE Special Assignments Nicki Snellgrove of Tolar caught the Christmas spirit on Thanksgiving.

That was when she discovered the joy of sharing her family and home with mentally-retarded adults who have none. The experience was so rewarding that Snellgrove is anticipating Christmas. She can hardly wait to do it again. "We brought two women, Nancy Clopton and Denise Davis, in their late 30s and early 40s, here for Thanksgiving. They were a joy a joy to be around and to share your family with, she recalls.

The same two clients from Southern Concepts halfway house for mentally-retarded adults here will share Christmas with the Snellgrove family, joining the family Christmas Eve and returning to the halfway house the day after Christmas. That, says facility owner David Southern, is the normal procedure for "adopting" clients for a holiday. Clients spend three days over Christmas with their foster families, who accept them as members in good standing, sharing not only gifts, food and home, but lives and love. "We have some clients who don't have any tournament Billy Ray Rntlill, of Hod ford, and Michael Rotenberrv, '12, of Fort Worth, were ariested during a Parker County traffic stop alter otlicers discovered their oar was full ol stolen items. Tomlinson said Tomlinson stated Kathv Con-kling returned to her home near Tolar after a two-hour absence Thursday morning to find all of her family's Christmas presents missing, along with a Rolex Martin San db erg 'Sandy' seeks constable job it The only thing Hood County Sheriff Edwin Tomlinson's office needed Thursday was a Christmas tree.

Visitors to Tomlinson's office were surprised to see brightly-wrapped Christmas presents stacked everywhere in the room. The presents were confiscated during the arrest of two men for a Thursday morning burglary on County Road 203 in western Hood County, reported Tomlinson. Robert Ackerman worth a lot to the law enforcement personnel," Tomlinson said. Ackerman said, "It is my intention to make this office a viable office of law enforcement. I consider this position to be very important, and a growing necessity in our community." He continued, "Whether this office is a part-time position or becomes a full-time position, it will be a professional office.

Please see CONSTABLE, P. 2A1 Ackerman goes after constable position Robert (Bob) Ackerman of Montego Bay has filed to run for constable in precincts 3 and 4. Ackerman, 49, a reserve deputy, will run in the March 8 Republican primary. Constables earn $1 a year. Ackerman said he wants to prove to commissioners that constables benefit the county.

Constables give the county "another law enforcement officer on the street," Ackerman said, with hopes of convincing commissioners to make the job a full-time salaried position. Sheriff Edwin Tomlinson said state law says that constables should be paid a "reasonable" salary. "A good candidate is i iff HihhI County NewKtvin Hamilton The recent Granbury Booster Club basketball Tournament for boys and girls saw plenty of action. Here, David Morgan ef Granbury sets up offense in finals against Temple Saturday night. Lady Pirates won thefr division, for more details, see P.

IB Martin "Sandy" Sandhcrg of Hill City plans to run tor constable in precincts 1 anil 2. Sandberg will oppose the present constable, Winford Spencer of Lipan, in the Please see ELECTION, P.2A).