Use Back button
to return to Page 1 Mar.
25, 2011
|
SANDERSON –
More food choices and a “high quality” presentation could help solve the
shortfall in Terrell County schools’ cafeteria budget, expected to top
$100,000 this year, the School Board heard Monday. Alfred L.
Walker, III, president of Walker Quality Services of Richmond, said the
district should concentrate on the revenue side rather than the cost side. If the
district were to use his services, he said, his firm would spend about two
months training cafeteria staff at making the food service more appealing to
students, many of whom now elect to go home or a restaurant for meals during
the school day. He said a
similar approach improved the revenue at Christoval ISD by $750 per day. That
district has about 450 students, which compares to 140 at Terrell County ISD. Walker said
another client is the Santa Gertrudis ISD at Kingsville. It had a $100,000
shortfall in its cafeteria and is “now at about breakeven.” Board
President Ada Lee Robins said “breakeven” was not likely here but would
settle for a deficit of $20,000 to $30,000.
Walker
suggested new ways to prepare and serve food that “looks good, tastes good
and presents well.” He said
students in cafeterias that have used his services “get excited” about eating
there. Varied menus
with more than one choice can increase the number of students who choose to
eat in the cafeteria, he said. Students would
provide their orders in the morning so staff would know how many of each
choice to prepare. Parent Tonya
Tate said she has small children and they might decide they want something in
the morning and completely change their minds by lunch time. Walker said
one solution is to provide color-coded tags with the students’ choice of
meals that can be presented to the servers. He said extra
portions of each also can be prepared without an inordinate increase in costs
because some students will change their minds. Many students
also will want second helpings, so it pays to have extra portions on hand, he
said. Other
suggestions include a salad/fruit bar, a deli station, menus offering
oriental, Italian or Mexican cuisine, television sets in the cafeteria,
opening the cafeteria to the public and catering events in the community. Walker noted
TCISD spends more than 100 percent of the revenue it receives for food when
that should be about 50 percent of revenues. Another 100
percent plus goes for labor costs, he said, with the district getting about
four meals per labor hour when the industry standard is more than 15 MPLH. He said his
service could “make a good business great.” If selected,
he said, he would work on the cafeteria service “from A to Z, the whole
gamut” of issues. Robbins said
that while “it sounds really good,” she wanted a formal proposal so she could
study it before making a decision. Robbins said
the board will meet several times over the next few weeks and suggested a
contract could be awarded “as soon as next week” if board members like what
they see in the proposal. SANDERSON –
Terrell County ISD will have to cut $200,000 to $300,000 from its budget next
year but the only action Monday was the naming of a committee to look into
ways to cut expenses. Board
President Ada Lee Robbins appointed a committee of Business Manager Blain
Chriesman, Board Members David Marquez, Cheryl Seidel and herself and the
four “administrators.” Vice President Johnnie Couch will be an alternate. The
“administrators” include Superintendent Gary Hamilton and acting principals
Mark Dominguez, Jerry Garza and Tanna Lowrance. “We normally
work on the budget in July and August but we know we’ve got to cut $200,000
to $300,000, if not more,” Robbins said.
The committee
is to look at various ways to trim the budget and report back to the School
Board. She said a lot
depends on action of the Texas Legislature, which is trying to deal with an
overall $27 billion shortfall in the next biennium. Local school funding is
dependent on state and federal contributions, among others. The state was
deliberating school funding at this writing in the face of demonstrations
opposing any cuts in education support. Pending action
of the Legislature was also cited in several other actions Monday. There was no
action on teacher contract renewals pending word from Austin. A discussion
of graduation requirements was put on hold because it could change between
now and graduation next year depending on legislative action. Board members
agreed that any changes in graduation requirements should be phased in or
made effective with the freshman class so students would not face changes
after starting high school. The Board
adopted a calendar for the 2011-12 school year, also with the proviso that it
could change with legislative action. It envisions
spring break the week of March 12 to 16. Hamilton said the “rumor mill” was
saying the Board had adopted those dates before action had even been
suggested. But he said
the new “STAAR” tests would require that it be that week in spite of the fact
most people would like it earlier. The STAAR test
will replace the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, or TAKS, which is
the criterion-reference assessment program that has been in place since 2003.
It will be
used for the 12 end-of-course assessments mandated by SB 1031 in 2007 and the
new assessments for grades three to eight mandated by HB 3 in the 2009
legislative session Graduation on
next year’s calendar will be Saturday, May 26. One action did
not depend on the Legislature. The Board approved a $47,700 contract with
Honeywell for heating, ventilating and air condition maintenance. Hamilton noted
all HVAC units are new so maintenance requirements will be less. The current
contract was for $80,000. He said the
cost for maintenance could be expected to rise again as the equipment ages. Maintenance
Director Arnie Serna said work will start soon on the air conditioning work
in the High School Auditorium, one of the last projects in the May, 2009, $14
million bond issue program. The auditorium
is nearing completion with new paint and ceiling tiles. Serna said the
curtains will be cleaned before being replaced after the work is completed. He said he
hopes the work will be completed in time for the Spring school concert in
May. SANDERSON – A
team of three “70-plus” bicyclists riding in support of pediatric cancer
research had raised more than $105,000 by the time they reached here Friday,
far more than hoped. And the
cross-country event was less than half over when the team arrived here. “We thought if
we could raise $10,000, we’d be doing great,” said Lois Libenson, who drove
the “sag” wagon and provided medial support for the team. As it turned
out, she would be one needing medical care when she suffered an attack of
appendicitis in Del Rio after leaving here. Funds raised
on the cross-country venture will go to three hospitals, St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital, CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation and St.
Joseph’s Hospital of Tampa. Libenson
credited corporate sponsors and the American Association of Retired Persons
for the success of the drive. The ride was
in honor of Sammy Rotman of Lebanon, NH, who died in 2009 of cancer at the
age of 9. Her
grandparents, Mike and Lois Libenson, joined with three other bikers for the
“SammyRides” trip from Sun City, AZ, to Sun City, FL, where the “70-plus”
grandparents now live. Three of the
riders, followed by the “sag” wagon, stopped in Sanderson Friday and were
honored at a reception and meal at American Legion Hall, sponsored by the
Legion Auxiliary. Riders
included Libenson, Mike Brown and Adolph Lex. John Bear will join the group
in Austin where he is undergoing treatment at Veterans Hospital for an old
war injury. After leaving
here Saturday, Lois had an attack of appendicitis in Del Rio and was
hospitalized. She was out of surgery Monday to remove the appendix. Pastor Jean
Reardon of Brackettville was preparing to host the group and received the
call that Lois was in the hospital. She arrived in Del Rio just as Lois was
going into surgery and stayed with Mike throughout. Mike Brown and
Adolph drove the van to Brackettville where they met up with the Libensons to
continue the ride. Terrell County
hosts could not find any children suffering from cancer still here but
Auxiliary President Nancy Henderson said Sanderson Elementary students
prepared 45 to 50 cards for children being treated in hospitals elsewhere. “Sammy was a
lively, athletic girl, a very happy little girl from Lebanon, NH,” Mike
Libenson told the group dining on chicken, tuna and ham salad and trimmings
Friday. “She was seven
when it started,” he said. “She complained of a sore knee but, because she
was athletic, we didn’t pay much attention to it. But it kept getting worse
and it turned out to be bone cancer. “There has
been a lot of misery,” Libenson said. “She lost her leg and that really hurt
because she was so athletic and a dancer. “It was a
really, really horrible situation,” he said. “It left a hole in our hearts. “The loss
doesn’t go away,” he said. “We are doing this to help find a cure. Cancer
kills more kids than any other cause. “Texas is much
too big a state,” Libenson said of the ride through the Lone Star State. “In
New Hampshire, you can spit and reach another state.” The tour left
for Del Rio Saturday, going part of way in the van because the 120 miles
exceeded their one-day range of 50 to 60 miles. “I hope to
meet this Roy Bean guy,” Libenson quipped about the 19th Century saloon owner
and self-proclaimed “Law West of the Pecos” from his “Jersey Lilly” saloon at
Langtry. The group planned to stop at the Roy Bean Visitor Center there. “Thank you
just doesn't seem to be enough,” Church Events Coordinator Jan Welch said in
an e-mail to Auxiliary contact Lea Hawn. “The
SammyRides stop in Sanderson was just wonderful and I can't thank you enough
for all of the time and effort you put in to making this event such a
success. “The riders
felt so welcome and were thrilled to meet the Sanderson community,” she said.
“Please know how grateful we are.” SANDERSON – As
announced earlier, “TCNL rates going up,” News Leader, March 4, Page 3, the advertizing
rates will go up next week, April 1, for the first time in more than two
years. At the same
time, we will begin charging for obituaries. “We are about
the last paper in the free world to not charge for obits,” Publisher Jim
Street said. “We have always believed that people have a right to have their
names in the paper when they are born, when they get married and when they
die.” But reality
and the economy have teamed up to make the change necessary. Starting with
the April 1 paper, obituaries will cost 15 cents per word. “The benefit
to families of the deceased is that the obit will now run as the family
writes it, not edited to fit our style,” Street said. “We still retain the
right to edit out offensive material and to correct obvious grammatical
errors but, otherwise, they will be run as written.” If someone’s
passing is particularly newsworthy, we will run it as a news story without
charge but will then edit it to fit style. “We retain
sole authority to decide if a passing is ‘newsworthy’ or not,” Street said.
“Some papers have reported conflicts over this issue. We decide what is
newsworthy every day and we won’t sacrifice that right on this issue.” The News
Leader will continue to run birth, engagement and wedding announcements
without charge, at least for now. Street said
the paper continues to lose money and hopes the charges can reduce loses. SANDERSON –
Sanderson High School senior Juliana Elizabeth Castro has been selected for
the 2011 Sanderson Good Citizen Award by the Comanche Springs chapter of the
Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is the
daughter of James Castro, Sr., and Justice of the Peace Corina Castro, both
of Sanderson. Juliana serves
as president of the Sanderson Student Council and as Senior Class vice
president. She was a
representative to Bluebonnet Girls State and has been a regional qualifier
for UIL poetry. Juliana also
has been a state qualifier for the History Fair, participated in Varsity
Cross Country as a qualifier, varsity basketball, tennis, golf and was a
varsity track area and regional qualifier. She is also a cheerleader. She has been
very active in community services and plans to pursue a teaching career in
English. The DAR is a
volunteer service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving
American history and securing America’s future through better education for
children. Only one
senior student may be selected from each high school. The student
selected as the school’s “DAR Good Citizen” must have the qualities that
demonstrate good character such as dependability, service, leadership and
patriotism. AUSTIN – The
Texas Autism Research & Resource Center has launched a website to help
Texans find the information and services they need to support people
diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
The website
could be helpful to families with a child recently diagnosed with ASD, a
developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and
behavioral challenges. In addition to
general information about the disorder, such as signs and symptoms, the
website provides detailed resources to help guide families through the
decision-making process and direct them to services and programs in their
communities. “Texas has
needed a resource like this website for a long time,” said Frank McCamant,
chairman of the Texas Council on Autism and Pervasive Developmental
Disorders. “We know that families often feel the frustration of not
knowing where to turn for reliable information on ASD – for instance, which
treatments really help or where to go to get them. “This new
resource eases that learning process and empowers parents to tackle the
challenges ahead,” he said. The website
also supports professionals including educators and law enforcement personnel
who work with individuals with ASD. Developed with
input from a diverse group of Texans, including people with ASD, parents,
service providers and staff from universities, nonprofit groups and education
service centers, the virtual resource center is the first major initiative of
the Texas Autism Research & Resource Center. The center is
a project of the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services and the
Texas Health and Human Services Commission. It is being
developed in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency, the Texas
Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, the Texas Department of
Family and Protective Services and the Texas Department of State Health
Services. The website
can be reached at www.tarrc.org. SAN ANTONIO –
Sanderson Junior High students Grace Jahn, Alexis Olivares, Jesse Roberts and
Megan Seidel will travel to San Antonio to compete in the regional version of
Quiz Bowl, called the Texas Quiz Show, Saturday, April 16. The team will
spend the rest of the weekend seeing the sights here. The Quiz Bowl
is a TV quiz show in which students answer questions about all things Texas. Each spring,
teams of three students representing their respective schools battle it out
to determine which teams will advance to the semi-finals. The
semi-finals and finals will be at the Bob
Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin and rebroadcast on community
television stations. It is a
fast-paced game show about all things Texas designed to build excitement
about Texas history while satisfying a school's statutory requirements for
Texas History Month. Middle school
students have the chance to compete at the classroom, school, regional and
state level to see which students know the most Texas History. The Grand
Champion team wins prizes that vary but include trophies, medals and
merchandise from sponsors. Regional
competitions will be in the Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San
Antonio areas with the top two teams advancing to the State Finals in Austin. The Texas Quiz
Show is a project of the Texas State
Historical Association and many other supporting public and private
organizations. Contest
schedules and airtimes for the Texas Quiz Show are posted in the “Tune In”
section of the tshaonline.org website. Video clips
from the Quiz Show will also be posted online in that section. AUSTIN – Texas
has earned a grade of “A” in “transparency in government spending by the US
Public Interest Research Group. The group
described Texas as “one of the true leaders in the transparency movement” and
gave the state the highest possible score in 10 out of 12 scoring categories.
Texas
Comptroller Susan Combs said she was pleased with the ranking. “Our office is
proud to be at the forefront of transparency efforts throughout the nation,”
Combs said. “We constantly look for ways to put more government
information online, using new tools to make data accessible and understandable
to taxpayers.” Combs said the
Texas Transparency website, developed and maintained by her office, also
offers information about local government spending, which few other states
do. Combs said she
rewards cities, counties and school districts that show progress in financial
transparency with the Comptroller’s Leadership Circle awards. “I believe
transparency is important at all levels of government and all levels of
government must do more to ensure a free flow of information,” she
said. “In this uncertain economic climate, expanded transparency
initiatives are vital and open books allow government to function with the
scrutiny and respect of citizens.” USPIRG said 40
states now provide an online database of government expenditures with checkbook-level
detail, making it easier for citizens to follow the money and monitor
government spending. But the group
said a far greater effort is needed. Only nine
states earned grades of “A” or “B” for transparency. Texas’ big-state
competitors, New York and California, received a “C” and a “D+,”
respectively. Combs’ said on
her third day in office, the agency was the first in Texas to open its books
and reveal how it spends taxpayer dollars. Later, she
said she began posting other state agency expenditures on the Where the Money
Goes website, the state’s online check register. That effort
has expanded into the Texas Transparency Web portal, an open-books initiative
geared toward anyone interested in Texas government financial information,
Combs said. SANDERSON –
Eric Okerblom, was a 19-year-old college student with big dreams, solid plans
and a great life. The avid cyclist was home on vacation from college when he
set out for a bike ride, the last he would ever take. His dad, Dr.
Robert Okerblom, of Santa Maria, CA, passed through here Wednesday on a
cross-country bicycle ride to raise awareness regarding the dangers of
distracted driving, particularly texting. In the summer
of 2009, the Tour de France had just ended and Eric became enamored with
cycling. He was intent on joining the California cycling team in the fall. On July 25,
2009, Eric was bicycling on a straight, unobstructed, country road. Although
visible for hundreds of yards, he was struck and killed by a teenage driver
who neither swerved nor braked. A subpoena of phone records revealed the
driver had been texting just before the collision. Searching for
his own inner peace and hoping to raise public awareness of the issue, Dr.
Okerblom set off from San Diego, CA, on Feb. 28 for this solo cross-country
ride. At least ten
bills addressing texting and driving have been introduced to the Texas
Legislature for the 2011 session. Two new
distracted driving laws are in effect. One bans teen drivers from using cell
phones and text messaging devices. The other prohibits drivers from using
handheld cell phones in school crossing zones. Terrell County
and several other local governments have erected signage to that effect,
which is required for enforcement of the ban cell phone use in a school zone. ALPINE – The
Big Bend Amateur Radio Club will host “SKYWARN” training by the National
Weather Service Midland Office beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 29. The training
will be in Room 101 of the Warnock Science Building on the Sul Ross State
University campus. The public is invited and there is no charge. “Amateur radio
has remained an important part of the National Weather Service mission for
many years,” a radio club release said. “Without amateur radio operators
spotting storms in the field, the Weather Service is often faced with using
information obtained solely by instrumentation. “Thus the
spotter becomes the ‘eyes and ears’ for the Weather Service,” the release
said. “Our radar operators rely on spotter reports to validate what we are
seeing. “Even with the
latest technology, the National Weather Service continues to need trained
spotters in the field,” it said. “SKYWARN” is a
concept developed in the early 1970s that was intended to promote a
cooperative effort between the NWS and communities. The emphasis
often is focused on the storm spotter, an individual who takes a position
near their community and reports wind gusts, hail size, rainfall and cloud
formations that could signal a developing tornado. Another part
of “SKYWARN” is the receipt and effective distribution of NWS information. The
organization of spotters and the distribution of warning information lie with
the NWS or with an emergency management agency within the community. This agency
could be a police or fire department, or often is an emergency management/
service group, something people might still think of as civil defense groups. SKYWARN
spotters are not by definition "storm chasers." While their
functions and methods are similar, the spotter stays close to home and
usually has ties to a local agency. Storm chasers often cover hundreds of
miles a day. The term storm
chaser covers a wide variety of people. Some are meteorologists doing
specific research or are gathering basic information like video for training
and comparison to radar data. Others chase
storms to provide live information for the media and others simply do it for
the thrill. Storm spotting
and storm chasing is dangerous and should not be done without proper
training, experience and equipment, the radio club said. For further
information, contact Bob Ward, WA5ROE, at 432/837-2061. ALPINE –
Sanderson Elementary students from kindergarten to third grade will be in the
audience when “A Wolf’s Tale” takes to the state Thursday, March 31. Assistant
Principal Tanna Lowrance said the kids will eat lunch before the show, all
financed by proceeds from the concession stand at Eagle basketball games. “A Wolf’s
Tale” is an original children’s musical by Sul Ross State University graduate
Chris Perkins of Alpine. The play,
which Perkins also directs, will be presented Thursday as a day of children’s
theatre in conjunction with a canned food drive for the West Texas Food Bank.
Perkins’ work,
which began as a project on diversity for his Master’s degree, evolved into a
musical production with specific lesson plans developed for young students. Perkins worked
on the script with Sul Ross Theatre faculty member Dona Roman, developed
lesson plans with Education faculty member Jennifer Jordan and received
musical assistant from Dr. Michael Lippard. Cast members
include Daniel Salcido of Alpine playing the “big, bad” Bob Wolf, Amanda
Swopes of El Paso who portrays Red, Mitchell Waechter of Devine who plays
Troll, Missy Wallace of Alpine who is Grandma and three unusual little pigs. Performances
will be for area elementary and middle school students at 11 a.m. and 1:30
p.m. in Marshall Auditorium on the second floor of the Morelock Academic
Building. Admission
charge is one canned food item per student. A performance
for the general public will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 2. Tickets are
available on the Sul Ross Theatre website at www.sulross.edu/theatre or by
calling the Fine Arts and Communication Office at 432/837-8219. SANDERSON –
Joe and Juanita Hinojosa of Amarillo were here to celebrate their 50th
anniversary last week. They are the
uncle and aunt of Julie Ramirez and kids Justin and Jaylie. Also making
the trip from Amarillo was Julie’s uncle Robin Villarreal and wife Corina.
Julie’s aunt Lupe Verega stopped in as well from Fairfield, CA. Before their
visit here, Julie and kids traveled to Amarillo along with Anna Martinez to
visit the pair. Joe and
Juanita will be back in town in May on their way to Comstock for the Hinojosa
Family Reunion. SIERRA BLANCA
– US Border Patrol agents seized more than $5 million in cocaine at the
checkpoint on Interstate 10 here Saturday. The drugs were
found in the sleeper of an 18-wheeler after a K-9 alert during a routine
immigration inspection. The vehicle
was driven by a 50-year old man from Mississippi. Also in the vehicle was a
28-year old man from Georgia. The 160.435
pounds of cocaine with a “street value” of $5,133,920 was hidden in duffel
bags and wrapped in aluminum foil. Agents also
recovered 44.69 pounds of marijuana and 25 pounds of promethazine cough syrup
with codeine. The marijuana
is worth $35,752 and the cough syrup was valued at $718.75. In addition to
the drugs, agents seized $156,974 in US currency, a pistol and ammunition. The two men,
the drugs, the cash and the vehicle were turned over to the Drug Enforcement
Administration. The weapon was turned over to Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
agents. The Border
Patrol is part of US Customs and Border Protection, the unified border agency
within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management,
control and protection of the nation's borders at and between the official
ports of entry. Observatory Open House April 9 FORT DAVIS –
The McDonald Observatory near here plans an Open House on Saturday, April 9.
The day of family-friendly events will be from 2 to 10 p.m. at the facility
on State Highway 118 northwest of here. It will
include tours of large research telescopes, sci-ence talks, a star party and
other telescope viewings. Guests will
see live telescope views of the Sun and Moon in the public telescope park
outside the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center. Local Boy
Scouts will demonstrate a solar oven and hotdogs, balloons and face painting
will be offered. Research
telescope tours include introductions to the 2.7-meter Harlan J. Smith
Telescope and the 9.2-meter Astronomy
talks will begin in the Visitors Center theater at 5 p.m. when Steve Odewahn
will discuss “Galaxies Near and Far.” Matthew
Shetrone will follow at 5:45 with his talk “A Night in the Life of an
Astronomer.” Both are
Hobby-Eberly Telescope staff astronomers. At 6:30, J.
Craig Wheeler will discuss "Black Holes, String Theory and the
Holographic Universe." Wheeler is a
professor of astronomy at The University of Texas at Austin and an
internationally known expert on the exploding stars called supernovae. At 7:45 p.m.,
a special Twilight Program will focus on Saturn's rings and a star party will
follow in the public telescope park. To reach
McDonald Observatory, visitors coming from the south should take Highway 118
north through Fort Davis to the Observatory. Established in
1932, The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory hosts multiple
telescopes undertaking a wide range of astronomical research under the
darkest night skies of any professional observatory in the continental United
States. McDonald is
home to the consortium-run Hobby-Eberly Telescope, one of the world's
largest, which will soon be upgraded to begin the HET Dark Energy Experiment.
An
internationally known leader in astronomy education and outreach, McDonald
also is pioneering the next generation of astronomical research as a founding
partner of the Giant Magellan Telescope. All Open House
events are free. The hosts recommend visitors make reservations online for
all events, as they are likely to fill up. For complete
schedules and to make reservations, go to http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/openhouse BIG LAKE -
Cordell Lawson, Casey Couch and L.A. Galvan placed first at the Big Lake Team
Tennis Tournament here Tuesday. Cordell was first in boys' singles. Casey and
L.A. were first in the boys' doubles. Roxanna
Rodriguez was second in girls' singles. Third place
went to Kelly Lomas in boys' singles and fourth went to Robert Montalvo. Jalen
Chriesman and Daniel Luevano were fourth in boys' doubles. Jalen and
Cameron Baker were medalists
at the Jack Probst Invitational «olf tourney. Jalen had a
total of 144 and Cameron carded a total of 130. Roy Shoemaker
shot a total 114 and Robert Martinez had 119. Cordell Lawson
had a total of 131 and Casey Couch had 136. William
Roberts placed first in two events at the Wall Track meet last weekend. William had a
time of 2:02.07 in the 800-meter run and 4:45.06 in the 1,600-meter run. Julianna
Larrinaga was second in shot put with a distance of 30 feet and two inches
and fifth in discus with a distance of 74 feet, 8.5 inches. Shawn Stegall
was second in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:27 and third in the
1.600-meter run with a time of 58:69. Roy Shoemaker
was fourth in shot put with a distance of 38 feet, 4 inches. Jalen
Chriesman was sixth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 18:04 and the
300-meter hurdles with a time of 46:01. Tim Hopkins,
Abraham Orozco, Daniel Luevano and Jonathan Calzada placed sixth in the
4X400-meter relay with a time of 3:50. They also
placed sixth in the 4X200-meter relay with a time of 1:43 Tim, Jalen,
William and Jonathan placed sixth in the 4X100-meter relay with a time of
48:09. SANDERSON –
Terrell County Independent School District was rewarded with a $7,380 check
Monday for increasing energy efficiency of its lighting and air conditioning
systems district wide. Program
Specialist Grace Hsieh presented an oversized check to the School Board
Monday as an incentive under the Texas-New Mexico Power’s SCORE Program, for
Schools Conserving Resources. Hsieh said the
school will save 89,690 kilowatt hours, resulting in a decrease of 64 metric
tons of carbon dioxide. She said that equates to the savings of 7,239 gallons
of gasoline per year. “It’s
important that our district sets a positive example for our students and
reducing energy use is a critical step,” Superintendent Gary Hamilton said in
a prepared TNP news release. “In addition to the energy savings, our students
and faculty are appreciating better light quality and increased comfort in
the classrooms.” “It has been a
beneficial program because it helped us identify ways to further reduce
energy use,” Business Manager Blain Chriesman said. “The SCORE Program
allowed our district to address energy saving projects that otherwise would
not have been implemented.” AUSTIN – A
state leader here noted the first anniversary Monday of passage of the
Healthcare reforms by the US Congress with concern over its impact on state
finances. “One year ago,
Congress completed one of the most audacious power grabs in our country’s
history when it gave final approval to ObamaCare,” said Arlene Wohlgemuth,
executive director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. She said TPPF
was a vocal critic of the ObamaCare proposal “as our research showed it would
increase health care costs and medical price inflation, slow our national
economy and still leave 30 million Americans uninsured. “The events of
the last year have only vindicated that assessment,” she said. “Even in its
early stages of implementation, ObamaCare is increasing the cost and reducing
access to health care,” she said. “When the Foundation’s health
insurance came up for renewal, our premiums increased at a faster rate and
there were fewer alternatives in the marketplace.” She said the
Obama Administration had granted more than 1,000 waivers to prevent millions
of Americans from losing their health care coverage. “The most
worrisome aspect to Texas is the effect ObamaCare’s dramatic expansion of
Medicaid will have on our state budget,” Wohlgemuth said. “The 2012-13
budget begins a long-term pattern where education, public safety and other
key functions of state government are crowded out by the escalating demands
of Medicaid.” She said TPPF
research shows that the 2014-15 state budget will require an additional $14
billion to $15 billion in new state revenue for Medicaid, absent fundamental
reform. “That will
mean dramatic cuts in education funding or a sales tax increase of 4.5 cents,
giving Texas the highest sales tax in the nation,” Wohlgemuth said. “We
encourage Congress to continue its efforts to stop ObamaCare, chipping away
at the most onerous aspects and defunding it until it can be fully repealed
in 2013. “On the state
level, the Health
Freedom Act and the Interstate
Health Care Compact are two ways the Texas Legislature can mitigate the
harmful effects that ObamaCare is inflicting on Americans’ health care,” she
said. ALPINE – Dr.
Jill Mulholland will present “Explorations in Light,” focusing on her
research at Sul Ross State University Tuesday, March 29. The
presentation will include the dissertation installations, teaching and
research, all of which focused on light. A lecturer at
the Texas A&M College of Architecture, Mulholland’s dissertation resulted
in four installations of light art, one of which was temporarily installed at
Big Bend National Park. She relocated
to the Big Bend region to carry out her investigations of light and
perception. Mulholland
devised an experimental project to analyze the effects of light when the
element of colored glass or plastic is introduced. The images of
light inspired her to visualize her work as an art form. Mulholland
holds a part-time position at the International Association of Lighting
Designers where she promotes and coordinates a volunteer board that furthers
lighting education. Mulholland’s
presentation will be at 6:30 p.m. in ACR Room 204. There is no
admission charge and the public is invited. For more
information, contact Donna Greene at 432/837-8233 or dgreene@sulross.edu. By
ANNA La FLEUR Production
manager SANDERSON –
When Terrell County School Board President Ada Lee Riggs, now Robbins, was in
fifth grade, Wilda Nelson stood at the front of the class and imparted
wisdom. Wilda, now
Wilda Worth, was in Sanderson this week seeking to refresh her memory for her
autobiography. She told the
News Leader she was born in a farm house in New Bethlehem, PA, and graduated
in 1954 from Texas A&M – Commerce, a teachers college back in her day. The day after
graduation, she married a fellow graduate and moved to Sanderson to fill a
teaching position. She showed off
staff photos of her class and recalled stories of her students. “One day on
the playground, there were some boys speaking Spanish and they were not
allowed to do that on the playground,” she said. “I went to another teacher
and repeated a few of the words the boys had said. She told me they were
saying their favorite cuss word. “I decided to
confront them when I lined them up to return to class,” Worth said. “I made
them wait while the others went up the stairs. “I gave them a
huge guilt trip and told them I knew they said cuss words and made them
promise not to speak Spanish out there again or I would tell the principal
and they knew he had a paddle,” she said. “The boys promised never to do it
again and they didn’t.” Worth wanted
to contact her former students here to visit with them and find out about her
other students. In 1959, the
Nelson’s daughter, Tana Marie, was born at Wellington. The couple
then moved to Reserve, NM, in the Mogollon Mountains. Their son Rhys
Andrew was born and the couple was transferred to Tucumcari where she taught
for two years and divorced her husband. She then moved
to Sunnydale, CA, where she met husband Michael Worth, who died 30 years ago.
When he died,
she had four children to raise and worked into a new job doing demonstrations
and technical writing for a company that supported US Air Force contracts. A few years
ago, she was laid off and moved to Colorado Springs, CO. She took up
the hobby of hand quilting and did extensive travelling over six continents. She has six
grandchildren ranging from three years old to 21. Worth has
decided to travel back to each of the schools where she taught and try to
look up some of her students and college friends. While in
Sanderson, she wanted to see the former Southern Pacific Railroad depot and
find out who might have barbeque goat meat for sale. She remembers
when she lived here all those years ago, there was one grocery store here and
every Thursday the grocer made goat barbeque and people would order it, she
said. Worth said she
would buy ten pounds of it and take it home and freeze it. Before heading
back home she decided to stay at a motel in town, eat some dinner at a local
restaurant and see what there was to see. |