We at the Italy Neotribune have been producing it at no cost to the city or the school for many years. It is our donation to the betterment of Italy. Some of our staff lives within the city limits and many live outside the city limits, but we are all part of the City of Italy family.

Just wanted to commend the City of Italy Chief of Police Diron Hill and Fire Chief Don Chambers for another great job lastnight. I personally had an incredible time in the City of Italy at the 2nd annual Guns and Hoses softball game.

Dear Italy Friends and Family,

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We recently received this “letter to the editor” here at the ItalyNeotribune. The subject matter posed a quandary for the editors. Based on personal experiences, Italy Neotribune editor, Mike South chose to publish the letter along with a letter of his own.

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My name is Jackie Dwayne Cate, and I have been a volunteer firefighter for 25 years with the Italy Fire Department. I have been employed with the City of Ennis as a Firefighter/Paramedic for the last 15 years. I am the President of the Emergency Service District #3 (ESD 3), and have served on this board for 14 years.

Right now the voters in Italy and surrounding area will decide to approve or decline a property tax increase for our fire department. I would not ask a doctor to save my life without the proper equipment and I will not ask our fire personnel to do that either.

The following is in response to the video coverage of the recent ‘Meet and Greet’ by the two Italy mayoral candidates.

It happens—my daughter got a speeding ticket during her spring break from college while driving on the interstate through the city of Italy. So that’s on her. But what happened next is on the city of Italy.

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January is School Board Recognition Month, and Italy ISD takes this opportunity to thank our local leaders for devoting their time to support public education and serve our district.

The events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut bring to light just how vulnerable schools can be. As parents, Cassie and I send our kids to school with an expectation they are learning and they are safe.

As we begin the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, a certain group has faded from the memory of most of the public. This organization was made up of veterans from World War 2 who simply wanted the benefits that had been promised to all returning veterans, but were in fact kept from most minority veterans.

Heath Sims, a lifetime resident of Ellis County, is seeking re-election as Ellis County Commissioner, Precinct 3.

Friends send a message of love to the family of, Laura Garcia, who recently lost her life in a tragic car accident.

If you own property and get your water from this organization you are a member. Their annual meeting will be April 30, 2012 at their office in Italy, Texas. You should be aware that the decisions this organization makes through their board of directors directly effects YOU.

Another Easter Party has come and gone, and my, how I look forward to next year‘s event!

The Italy Gladiator Regiment Band and Booster Club would like to thank the many generous people of this community who donated items and who attended the spaghetti dinner fundraiser Saturday evening.

I am curious as to why Coach Bales was asked to resign by the Superintendent?  Was this an action that the entire School Board prompted?  Or was this brought about by one or two School Board Members bringing pressure on the Superintendent at their bidding?  If so did the rest of the Board KNOW that this was taking place?

As we enter the new year of 2012 we want to communicate with great joy how blessed the past year of 2011 has been.  We have been blessed to partner with churches, businesses, city governments, schools and individuals in bringing hope to so many.

My mother, Beverly Carter is a resident of Trinity Mission in Italy, Texas. While we were putting away the Christmas decorations in her room, I noticed there were more decorations to put away than I remembered putting out earlier in December.

As Americans, we are blessed to live in the greatest country on earth where freedom is one of our biggest blessings. This freedom is one of the most expensive luxuries we have. It was paid for with the lives of members of our Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. These men and women have given us so much without expecting anything in return. The least we can do is to say “thank you”.

To set the record straight the “hammer and sickle” are not symbols representing Russia today.

Perhaps the ISD should pay a little more attention to teaching history instead of band. The school board should have been shocked by the lack of knowledge displayed by the students and either the lack of knowledge or the misrepresentation by a teacher. And I am shocked by the lack of knowledge by the School Board.

I stopped by City Hall and expressed my concerns to Mayor Jackson on Monday since I would be out of town on Tuesday and could not make the Italy EDC meeting.  While I appreciate that some of the citizens would like a community center, I feel that the Italy Economic Development Corporation needs to take a step back and consider some issues that are more vital to our future economic development. 

Just an idea, why not sell the bricks from the old Community Center? Some residence of Italy may be sentimental about those bricks.  The money made from the brick sales could go towards the new Community Center or beautification of Italy.  I would be a brick buyer!

Dear Italy Independent School District Patrons,
With end-of-school activities, vacations and adjusting our daily schedules for summer, we have all been busy these past weeks since the school board election. However, I did not want any more time to pass without thanking you for electing me to the board.

The Relay For Life of Central Ellis County will be held on Friday night beginning with the Survivors’ Reception at 6:00 p.m. The event was originally scheduled to be held at the Waxahachie Sports Complex on Hwy 287 and Broadhead Road. Due to the possibility of storms, the event will be held at the Waxahachie 9th Grade Center, 275 Indian Drive in Waxahachie.

The problems we are encountering in this country did not begin in Washington DC. Unfortunately they began in the smallest of towns and communities across this country. If we could restore the ethics from the ground up, then the United States of America might be able to stop the cliff we are getting so close to falling off of.

A survivor is anyone who has ever heard the words “you have cancer”. Cancer is one of the scariest diagnosis a person can have. However it does not have to be a death sentence.

Last week, the Texas Comptroller’s Office publicly announced that the names, addresses, Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses of more than three million Texans were inadvertently stored on a publicly accessible website. The information exposed on the website included data from the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), the Texas Workforce Commission and the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS).

The Central Baptist Church Relay For Life team would like to express our thanks to everyone in the community that supported our recent garage sale. We were so blessed with donations, volunteers and shoppers.

My family and I moved to Italy in 2007, so I am not a long time resident of the city. But I am a native Texan. My personal belief is that the City Government could use some new blood. No one has opposed Mayor Jackson for several years, and 2 years ago, after he faced no opposition, his salary ballooned to the point that he is paid more than all of the other mayors in Ellis County combined. (see story excerpt 2 & 3) What else has happened in Italy during Mayor Jackson’s tenure?

I am very blessed to have been born in America for many reasons. Here we have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to bear arms, etc. We are so blessed to live in the most wonderful country in the world and have so many rights that other countries don’t offer.

The Italy Gladiator Regiment Band and Band Booster Club would like to thank the many generous people of this community who donated items and who attended the spaghetti dinner and dance Saturday evening.

This letter is to inform you that the award winning Italy Gladiator Regiment Band is seeking donations for their upcoming spring trip to Orlando, Florida. The trip is a reward for their outstanding achievements over the last 5 years of competition.

The Relay For Life of Central Ellis County is set for May 20-21, 2011. Last year’s event raised $130,000 for the American Cancer Society and there were 701 participants on teams. This year’s goal is 750 participants and $150,000. At present there are 232 participants and $23,055 raised.

The Italy Ex-student Association needs your help. For the last eight years, I have sent out the letters and kept up with whatever needed to be done. And I have loved it! I would like to continue but my failing eyesight just won’t let me. I guess sometimes you just have to know when to stop.

During the loss of our father we want to say thank you to all the wonderful support we received in so many ways from friends and relatives. Your kindness and sympathy at this time are more appreciated than any words can ever express.