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Ron Branson has won a hotly-contested mayoral race in Carrollton. With 100-percent of precincts reporting, Branson unseated incumbent Mayor Becky Miller, 54.42 percent to 45.48 percent. Of 5,070 votes cast, Branson received 2,764 and Miller received 2,306.

“I’m doing great,” Branson said. “We got good, positive change here. It’s a big responsibility I’ll work hard to carry through.”

Miller had a 10-percent lead over Branson as early votes were counted, however those votes were cast before another news organization called into question the validity of some of Miller’s past claims. Branson believes those questions raised had a positive impact for him.

“Citizens sent the message character does matter,” he said.

Miller could not be reached for comment Saturday night.

Click on the link below to view results from Saturday's city council, school board of trustees and school bond elections:




Election Results

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Police arrested Oak Point Administrative Services Coordinator Jennifer Ashenhart-Hawkins Sunday on charges of “abuse of official capacity,” according to the arrest affidavit.

In April, Hawkins told Oak Point City Secretary Tamara Null that then City Manager Richard Martin had taken cash from the city’s petty cash fund and incurred improper credit card expenses on a credit card issued to him by the city, according to the affidavit.

Oak Point Police Chief Michael Shackleford said that Hawkins told him Martin had charged amounts on his credit card without submitting proper receipts. She also reportedly said he had taken amounts from petty cash for personal expenses and had not replaced the cash.

She also told the police chief that she had instructed Martin to replace the petty cash with cash rather than a check so as not to cause suspicion and that she had tried to cover it up to protect him.

On April 24, Shackleford interviewed Martin who told him that he and Hawkins had been having a sexual relationship since the summer of 2007 through this spring and confirmed he had used the city’s credit card to make unauthorized purchases and had received petty cash for personal use.

The investigation is ongoing. The credit card charges totaled about $750 and the amount of cash missing from petty cash was $314. “We are currently looking into a number of different avenues where improprieties may have occurred,” Shackleford said.

Martin resigned as city manager in April. Hawkins resigned the week before Martin to take a job as city administrator of Rhome, Texas. In a special meeting Thursday night, the City of Rhome fired Hawkins.

Oak Point City Council has appointed Null as acting city manager. In a specially-called meeting on Thursday the council adopted a resolution to remove Hawkins and Martin from all city accounts.

Currently those authorized on city accounts are Shackleford, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Wohletz, and council member Leslie Maynard. After Saturday’s election and the swearing in of the city’s mayor, the mayor will be added to the accounts. Also, if the council chooses a different council member to be added to the accounts, that person’s name will be added.

As of May 1, Null said the City of Oak Point has been using figures verified by the banks for continuing with city business.

“We verified everything with the banks and where all the money is and checks outstanding and we’re taking that figure and going forward,” Null said.

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National sporting goods retailer Hibbett Sports, Inc has opened its newest store in Little Elm. The new Hibbett store opened at 2700 East Eldorado Parkway, and will employ approximately eight full and part-time team members.

Announcing the opening, Nissan Joseph, President and Chief Operating Officer of Hibbett Sports, noted, " Little Elm, Texas, is a great fit for our company. We believe this convenient new location in the Little Elm Towne Crossing will be a win-win for Hibbett and our customers."

Texas has been a target for Hibbett Sports expansion for several years now. With the addition of the Little Elm location, the company has 69 stores open in Texas. Of those stores, Longview was the first to open in 1998.

Hibbett Sports stocks a large selection of athletic shoes as well as other sports equipment and apparel, including a wide variety of baseball and softball equipment. "With the buying power of a national company, we offer our customers the convenience of buying the best in sports right in their own neighborhoods," said Joseph. "And we extensively train our employees to make sure they can provide superior service to our customers."

The Little Elm location joins a growing number of Hibbett stores in the area, including the stores in Irving and Sherman.

In business since 1945, Hibbett Sports operates over 690 sporting goods stores in small to mid-sized markets, predominantly in the Sunbelt, Mid-Atlantic and the lower Midwest. The Company’s primary store format is Hibbett Sports, a 5,000-square-foot store located in dominant strip centers and enclosed malls. Each store typically lies within 150 miles of another Hibbett Sports location.

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Preparations for the City of The Colony's annual Fourth of July festival, Liberty By The Lake, are well under way. Festivities begin with the 23rd annual Liberty 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run, which is a family event for participants of all ages.

The races start at 8 a.m. at Stewart Creek Park, 3700 Sparks Road. Arrive early to ensure that you are ready for the start of the race.

The annual Fourth of July parade begins at 10 a.m., and starts at the Little League fields on North Colony Boulevard then heads west on North Colony to Blair Oaks, and then south on Blair Oaks to The Colony High School. Lineup for the parade begins at 9:15 a.m.

Traffic at the lineup area can get congested on parade days, so residents not participating in or viewing the parade are encouraged to avoid the area if possible.

Groups that wish to participate in the parade can do so free of charge by filling out the Parade Registration Form and submitting it to the Parks and Recreation Department at 5151 North Colony Blvd., or by faxing it to 972-624-2281.

Games and activities for all ages are on tap during Liberty By The Lake. The Family Fun Zone includes a climbing wall, a mechanical bull, bounce houses, obstacle courses, face painters, and balloon artists. The Fun Zone opens to the public at 3 p.m. All-access passes are $5 for a children ages 4 and under, and $10 for ages 5 and older. Or, purchase an all-access Family Fun Pack (four passes for $30). The afternoon and evening concert schedule includes performances by The Silvertones from 4 to 6 p.m. and Escape, The Journey Tribute from 7 to 9 p.m.

The fireworks are scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. The shoot site for this year’s show will be from the tip of the Stewart Peninsula Golf Course, making Stewart Creek Park the prime viewing area for the show. The fireworks will be shot right over Lake Lewisville, and are choreographed to music that will be broadcast at the park.

This year's event also will be host to the 2008 R5Water-XRacing Tour, one of the country's "up-and-coming" personal watercraft racing circuits, according to a city press release.

Parking is available at Stewart Creek Park and will cost $5 per car. Overflow shuttle parking will be available from LakeWay Family Church but only if on-site parking fills up.

Some events require pre-registration, so organizers encourage residents to review the details of the program. For information, logon to www.libertybythelake.com or call The Colony Parks & Recreation Department at 972-625-1106.