News

Get your tastebuds ready for a new tradition in Cameron.

The Cameron Chamber of Commerce and Working for Cameron will host SteakTober Fest this Saturday in historic downtown Cameron.

The event will feature a steak cookoff competition, historical tours of downtown museums and the courthouse, a steak dinner and artisans to shop with. The festivities will kick off at 10 a.m. and go until 8 p.m.

The Steak Cookoff Association competition will feature 44 Farms ribeyes.  Fifty cookers will compete for a chance to move on to another competition. Working for Cameron is sanctioned by the SCA and the winner will win an invitation to compete in the Fort Worth Championship Cookoff at Billy Bob’s.  

Cameron Independent School District will continue its series of community meetings as part of Cameron Connection on Oct. 10 at Bea’s Kitchen.

CISD invites all parents and community members to give input to help them better understand and reach youth in the community to help them achieve the Cameron ISD mission.

CISD Superintendent Allan Sapp said he hopes the initiative will give parents a chance to tell the district what their son or daughter needs to be successful academically.

“We want to build on the great community we have here in Cameron,” he said. “We hope everyone can make one meeting.”

He said the meetings will be held out in the community in efforts for a relaxed sense and that all community members are invited, not just parents.

Sapp along with staff from each campus and school board members will be on hand for the discussions.

Sapp said the first two meetings went well and he invites everyone to come out for the last two.

Yoe High Senior Terryn Adamss was named Homecoming Queen during halftime of the game against Franklin on Friday night. Other nominees were Marquazia Workman, NaQuiria Gibbons, Cailynne Hoelscher and Amy Guillen.

Former Milam County Treasurer Donna Orsag faces a felony charge for allegedly taking money from Bea’s Kitchen deposits and destroying e-mails and records on her county computer’s hard drive to cover it up.

Orsag, 56, resigned from her position on Sept. 25 following allegations of theft made by the Milam County Sheriff’s office. She is charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, a third-degree felony. She also may be charged with theft by a public official after a forensic audit is completed.

Orsag was arrested and taken to the Milam County Jail on Oct. 3. She is out on bail.

According to the probable cause statement from the Milam County District Attorney’s Office, Milam County Chief Deputy Chris White was contacted on Sept. 13 by Milam County auditor Danica Lara who said Orsag was “floating” money from the weekly receipts and deposits from Bea’s Kitchen.

A Cameron man is dead following an altercation on Sept. 27.

Cameron Police officers responded to the 400 block of South Jefferson in reference to a shooting last Wednesday afternoon.  Upon arrival, Courtney Latrell Williams, 32, was found dead at the scene with a shotgun wound to the head.  

According to the Cameron Police Department, the suspect, Alvin Melton, 35, was reported to be arguing with his brother John Melton, 46. John Melton threatened his brother Alvin Melton with a knife. Alvin went to his bedroom and retrieved a shotgun.  Alvin advised that the shotgun went off and struck the victim Williams in the head.  

Alvin and John Melton were located next door and taken into custody to the Milam County Jail.  

Alvin Melton is charged with murder, a first degree felony; and John Melton is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second degree felony.  

Grace Church in Cameron will host its annual Family Fun Fest on Oct. 7.

“We would like to invite everyone out to our festival,” Melissa Boyer with Grace Church said.

The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Events are planned for the whole family. 

Boyer said there will be activities for everyone and Grace Church is excited to host.

Activities include craft, specialty items and food booths as well as live music, auction, a petting zoo, bounce houses, train rides and horse drawn buggy rides. 

The church is located at 808 W. 16th Street in Cameron.

For more information, contact Melissa Boyer at (254) 291-3116 or Lonnie Yates at (254) 482-0855.

Linda Acosta was sworn in as Milam County Treasurer on Thursday, Sept. 28, by District Judge John Youngblood. Acosta will fill the position vacated by Donna Orsag, who is under investigation for theft of public funds. Orsag, of Cameron, resigned from her post on Sept. 25 after she was confronted by Milam County Sheriff`s deputies in connection to an investigation of theft of funds from her office. Milam County District Attorney Bill Torrey said criminal charges of theft by a public servant will be filed and are pending at this time. Acosta previously was appointed to a two-year term as County Treasurer in 2010 when Danica Lara left to become County Auditor.

The 2017 Homecoming Court for Yoe High School has been announced. The Homecoming Queen will be named at half time of Friday’s game against Franklin. Court members are, from left, Sophomore Duchess Karen Cervantes, Junior Duchess Katelyn Martinez, Senior candidate Marquazia Workman, Senior candidate NaQuiria Gibbons, Senior candidate Cailynne Hoelscher, Senior candidate Terryn Adams, Senior candidate Amy Guillen, and Freshmen Duchess Kayla Whitmire.

By Lindsey Vaculin

General Manager

Jim Camp will retire from the Cameron Police Department on Sept. 30 having spent over 30 years helping the community during some of its scariest moments.

Camp has worked in dispatch for CPD for 30 years and nine months. The department will hold a retirement reception on Oct. 4 from 2-4 p.m. for Camp and the Cameron Police Department on Highway 36 in Cameron.

Camp, who spent 17 years as a professional drummer, came to Cameron in 1981 to play for Jerry Neil. He said he was tired of the traveling life and decided to make Cameron his home.

“I love the small town life,” he said. “This was really the first place I lived by myself after so many years on the road.”

Camp joined the Cameron Fire Department for 10 years and then saw that the police department needed a dispatcher and decided that would be a good fit for him.

The City of Cameron is back on the search for a new police chief once again after Shane Snider, who was hired a few weeks ago, notified the city that he will no longer accept the position.

According to City Manager Rhett Parker, the city received notice from Snider in a letter withdrawing his name from consideration and citing instances of untrue allegations lodged against him. 

Parker said that after offering the position to Snider, the city received unverified information raising concerns over the hiring of Snider and his qualifications for the job.  Upon hearing the concerns, the city acted quickly and determined that the unverified information was false.  The city believes that Snider is qualified and capable to be police chief.

Parker said that after encountering a campaign to undermine him before he even started, Snider withdrew as police chief.

“This is a huge disappointment.  We had a good man who would do right for our citizens,” Parker said.