A grassroots movement that started only a week ago in a rural Texas county between Houston and Austin is now reaching out to the citizens and leadership of Cooke County and dozens of other rural and urban counties across Texas. 

From her 90-year-old farmhouse surrounded by cattle Linda Stall, a legal secretary, formed CorridorWatch.org, a high tech challenger to Governor Perry's Trans Texas Corridor project.

"A month ago I couldn't find anyone who had ever heard of the Trans Texas Corridor. It's incredible that our Governor has been able to get approval for a project that will put all of us in debt more than $180 billion dollars," said Linda Stall.  "There are so many problems with this corridor project that's it's hard to know where to start," added David Stall, Linda's husband.

"Using the Internet we've been able to access community newspapers across the state and discover that the issues and concerns we were raising are not unique," said David. "We are in full agreement with Gainesville Community Development Director Carlos Vigil, the corridor will take revenue away from communities."

"We were able to validate our experience that the local TxDOT officials who conducted a recent blitz of county hearings were not well versed in the corridor project. More often than not when they attempted to answer questions not on their prepared script, the information they gave the public was wrong," he said. 

Linda has been on a non-stop speaking circuit trying to keep up with the groups who want to hear her message about the corridor. Her efforts have lead to an increasing number of radio and newspaper interviews with no end in sight.

"What concerns us the most is that the issues raised so far are not even the greatest threats. There is an urgent need for public disclosure before it's too late," Linda said.

Fayette County Judge Ed Janecka agrees and told TxDOT's District Engineer that he would like to see another meeting in his county. The Judge also insisted that Governor Perry and Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson come explain the Trans Texas Corridor to the people.

This husband and wife team may be located in one of the most unlikely places to have launched a polished and high-tech campaign aimed at thwarting what TxDOT calls the largest engineering project in this state's history.

However, using the power of the Internet, CorridorWatch.org is coordinating a massive effort across Texas with lightening speed and efficiency.

"We do almost everything over the Internet, from newsletters to our business cards," said David the one man technical support and research department.

Linda encourages everyone in Cooke County to visit her website and discover what impact the Trans Texas Corridor may have in our community.

Naturally additional information is available on the Internet at CorridorWatch.org.

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