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GLORIETA, NM – The First United Methodist Church
of Marathon has won the Bishops Award for Excellence in Evangelism for the
small church category.
The
award came recently at the New Mexico Conference here, a weeklong event at the
conference center.
“There
are 450 churches in the conference and maybe a third are in the small
category,” Hal Henthorne of Marathon said. “That would mean we were competing
with roughly 150 other churches.”
House
bill targets
gun
smuggling
WASHINGTON,
DC - Congressman Ciro D. Rodriguez, a member of the House Homeland Security
Appropriations Subcommittee, today touted the passage of his legislation
aimed at reducing border violence by cracking down on illegal
gunrunning. In April, Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Kay Bailey
Hutchison (R-TX) introduced similar legislation in the Senate.
Rodriguez’s legislation passed as part of the President’s Merida Initiative.
“Criminals
and terrorists are getting more savvy, smarter, and playing dirtier than ever
before,” said Rodriguez. “That’s why it was necessary to add funding,
as my bipartisan legislation did in this initiative, to stop the illegal
trafficking of guns into Mexico from the United States. This is a
necessary step we must take to save lives and stop the violence taking place
in communities on both sides of the border.”
Of
the bill Sen. Hutchison has said, “This legislation will allow the ATF to
establish new teams dedicated to disrupting gun smugglers, improve the
training of Mexican law enforcement, and hire additional agents in Mexico to
improve our ability to trace seized firearms.”
Rodriguez’s bill was inserted in to the
President’s Merida initiative, which would offer as much as $400 million in
military equipment and technical assistance this year to help Mexico in an
intensifying war against drug traffickers that has spilled into U.S.
territory. Mexico reported nearly 500 drug-related killings in May and more
guns are traced back to Texas than any other state, according to the US Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).
The
Rodriguez portion would authorize $15 million in fiscal years 2008 through
2010 to expand the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Gunrunner Initiative,
ATF's southwest border initiative to deprive drug traffickers of firearms and
reduce firearms-related violence on both sides of the border.
The
funding would enable the ATF to hire, train and deploy an additional 80
special agents, enough for at least seven more Project Gunrunner Teams in the
border region to investigate and help prosecute individuals that traffic
weapons into Mexico.
The
bill also authorizes $9.5 million in fiscal years 2008 through 2010 to
enhance cooperation between the United States and Mexico. This funding
would allow ATF to assign an additional 12 agents to consulates in Mexico to
support Mexico’s efforts to trace seized weapons and to train Mexican law
enforcement officials in anti-trafficking investigative techniques.
According
to the ATF, most of the firearms violence in Mexico is perpetrated by drug
traffickers who are vying for control of drug trafficking routes to the
United States and engaging in turf battles for disputed distribution
territories.
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SR
summer enrollment up
ALPINE
– Summer enrollment jumped 11.76 percent over 2007 at Sul Ross State University,
first-day late registration figures show.
A
total of 808 students were enrolled in the first summer session, 81 more than
a year ago.
Semester
credit hours climbed 12.35 percent, from 3384 in 2007 to 3802.
The
current enrollment figures were 4.39 percent higher than the final 2007 first
summer session totals, while SCH were 5.82 percent more than last year’s
final totals.
Junior
enrollment showed the sharpest rise at 34.72 percent while freshman and
graduate numbers were up 22.62 percent and 20.73 percent respectively.
Enrollment
in the School of Arts and Sciences rose 20.94 percent while Professional
Studies showed a 7.51 percent increase and Agricultural and Natural Resource
Sciences was up 6.58 percent.
“All
of these numbers are extremely encouraging,” said Gregory Schwab, associate
vice president for Enrollment Management. “We are confident that students are
seeing the outstanding educational value Sul Ross offers in meeting their
academic needs.”
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Dance
to mark Fourth
MARATHON
– With the Fourth of July right around the corner, so is the annual dance at
the Post Park, sponsored by the Marathon Booster Club.
This
year, the celebration will be on Saturday, July 5, beginning with a barbeque
lunch from noon till “whenever.”
The
cost is $6 per plate.
At
9 p.m., crowds will return for the dance featuring Craig Carter and the Spur
of the Moment Band. They will entertain till 1 a.m. Sunday, July 6.
Couples
will be charged $15. For those who show up stag, the cost will be $8.
The
Booster Club supports Marathon Independent School District with funding for
field trips and other needs throughout the school year.
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He
said the award was based on financial, membership and other categories.
“It
was an objective methodology in each category,” he said. “We gladly received
the award and the bishop’s congratulations.”
Henthorne
was a delegate at the conference. He heads the administrative council at the
Marathon church.
Chert
up close
and
personal
MARATHON
– Chert, that white-brown Paleozoic rock that abounds in the Marathon Basin,
was under close scrutiny this week as Professor Kevin Urbanczyk and 29 Sul
Ross geology students invaded the area this week.
The
upper-division students camped at the Marathon Motel and are spending their
days at the Travis Roberts ranch.
There,
they are studying structure and stratigraphy of the rock formations of the
Marathon Basin, including Marathon Limestone and Marathon Chert, also known
as Novaculite Cabellos.
“The
Marathon Basin is much like the Colorado Plateau in western North America except
on a much smaller scale,” Urbanczyk said.
The
Marathon Basin is about 30 miles wide and 40 miles long and consists of
plains, hilly lowlands and low mountain ridges carved from folded Paleozoic
Strata.
“The
whole crust rose up because of things going on in the mantle,” Urbanczyk
said.
Older
rocks are exposed at the surface after uplifting occurs.
Erosion,
like the Colorado River Valley in the Colorado Plateau, can also expose rocks
from an earlier period in the Earth’s geologic development.
The
Earth process of pushing newer rock formations to the surface, like Iron
Mountain, is known as intrusion.
Iron
Mountain is an igneous, or volcanic, rock and rather than shoulder older rock
aside as it formed, Iron Mountain melted its neighbors with hot magma.
In
geologic time, the Marathon Basin was formed at about the same time as the
Ozark Mountains.
They
are related by being part of the same deep ocean trough that covered the two
areas, Urbanczyk said.
Submarine
landslides in this ancient ocean produced the marine deposits that are now
common between the regions.
The
Chert found in Marathon is similar but “more coherent and less fractured in
Arkansas.”
The
Arkansas rock is famous in many places for its use as a knife-sharpening utensil
and is known as Arkansas Whetstone.
Students from the month- long class known as
Field Course Geol 3601 have already spent a week at the Woodward Ranch
studying lava and, after ten days in Marathon, they will go to Van Horn.
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Croy
new SR dean
By STEVE LANG
Sul
Ross News and Publications
ALPINE
– When she moved to Alpine, Dr. Melanie A. Croy waved off mountain
lion alerts, black bear scares and the presence of mule deer in her front
yard.
But,
she nearly retraced her steps when she noticed a snake coiled around the
telescope on the back porch of her new home.
“I
believe there is a good reason for moving to Alpine and Sul Ross,” the new
dean of Professional Studies said. “But that snake almost caused me to change
my mind.”
Croy
assumed her new duties at Sul Ross State University June 1 after 22 years on
the Angelo State University faculty.
She
succeeds Dr. Chet Sample, who resigned after 11 years in the position. Sample
will remain on the faculty as a professor of Physical Education.
“There
are very few places for which I would have left Angelo State University at
this point in my career,” Croy said. “Sul Ross is at the top of that list.
“Sul
Ross is a smaller institution with more interaction between faculty, staff
and students,” she said. “I like the personal touch.
“My
goal as an educator has always been to touch the lives of my students in a
positive manner,” Croy said. “As an administrator, I hope to empower the
faculty and staff of the School of Professional Studies to advance their programs
to the next level.
“I
want people to do a good job at what they do best —be it teaching, research
or professional service,” she said.
A
native of Duncan, OK, Croy graduated from Comanche High School in Comanche,
OK.
She
graduated magna cum laude from Southwestern Oklahoma State University
at Weatherford in 1977 with BS degrees in psychology and health and physical
education and recreation.
She
received an MS degree in exercise science in 1978 and an Ed.D. in educational
administration and higher education from Oklahoma State University at Stillwater
in 1986.
In
2005, she received an MS degree in therapeutic recreation from Indiana University
at Bloomington.
She
has also completed 39 graduate hours in counseling psychology and is nine hours
shy of earning an MS degree in counseling psychology.
Her
teaching career began in the Amarillo Public School System in 1979 and she
later taught and coached girls basketball and track and field at Amarillo
Christian Schools.
Croy
joined the Angelo State faculty as an assistant professor in the Department
of Kinesiology in 1986.
She
became an associate professor in 1991, a full professor in 1997 and served as
the department head from 1991 to 2003.
Croy
has served on the advisory board and developed a therapeutic recreation
program for the Big Springs Ranch for Children near Kerrville and the Hill
Country Youth Ranch near Ingram.
She
has been a volunteer at the ranches – which are residential treatment
facilities for abandoned, abused and neglected children and adolescents – for
a number of years.
She
has numerous publications in pedagogy to her credit, has made a number of
professional presentations and has an extensive volunteer service resume.
In
2003, she was named Professor of the Year in the College of Professional
Studies at Angelo State University.
At
Sul Ross, Croy will blend administrative duties as dean with classroom
teaching.
“I
enjoy the opportunity to teach in different program areas and to stay fresh,”
she said. “I view Sul Ross as a teaching institution and this university
supports the values to which I subscribe as an educator.
“I
believe that you have to be passionate about your profession in order to be
successful and in turn, I want to enable the faculty in professional studies
to do that about which they are passionate,” she said.
“This
university, this position and this beautiful area of Texas make this the
perfect place for me professionally and personally,” Croy said. “I am delighted
to be a part of this community.”
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“I’m also working on the portico outside
the church so I guess I’m also on the building council,” he said.
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Summer
reading
under
way
MARATHON – The Marathon
Public Library, a branch of Alpine Public Library, began its Summer Reading
Program last week.
Jackie
Boyd read “The Legend of the Bluebonnet” by Tomie DePaola.
The 15 children
attending colored pictures of bluebonnets while listening to the story.
During the craft
time, they made painted pine cones to look like bluebonnets.
The program is from 1 to 2 p.m. every Wednesday during
the months of June and July.
Children of all ages
are invited to join the fun.
“Please come by MPL to register for
the program,” Librarian Carol Townsend said.
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Alumni
run/walk set
ALPINE
– The second annual 5K Run/Walk
will be at 8 a.m. Saturday, July 19,
here, hosted by the Sul Ross State University Alumni Association.
Proceeds
from the event benefit Sul Ross scholarships.
The
run/walk is open to everyone. The registration fee prior to July 16 is $20
for adults and includes a “Branding Together” T-shirt and ticket for a
pancake breakfast following the race.
Children
12 and under may enter free of charge but will not receive a T-shirt.
Prizes
will be awarded to the overall male and female winners plus first, second and
third place for both male and female age groups, 12 and under, 13 to 19, 20
to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69 and 70 and over.
The
5K, or 3.1-mile, course starts and finishes at Kokernot Lodge on North Harrison
Street, also known as Loop Road, and winds through the loop.
Registration
will be $25 after July 16.
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Shore
new SR
housing
assistant
By JASON HENNINGTON
Sul Ross News Writer
ALPINE
– John Shore has been named assistant director of Sul Ross State
University Residential Living.
A
native of St. Louis, MO, Shore has worked in the residential
living field for several years and has been at large and small schools.
He
feels that Sul Ross fits the criteria for his experience.
“I’ve
worked at cities as large as eight million to as small as here,” Shore said.
He
said he enjoyed visiting the area before applying to work in Alpine.
“I
stumbled upon it [Alpine],” Shore said. “I really liked the area and have
made two trips to Big Bend.”
Before
coming to Sul Ross, Shore worked with high school students in Louisiana and admits
there is a difference in both the area and the students.
“The
environment is certainly different,” he said. “In Louisiana, I worked with
high schools. Colleges are more adult.”
Shore
worked in the Hunter College, NY, Residential Living department, which was 40
miles away from the main campus.
“It
was like two different worlds, one where they lived and the other where they
went to class,” he said.
Shore
believes there are advantages to being at a smaller university, including
getting to know people more quickly.
“I’ll
have to survive without 100 restaurants and shopping malls,” he said.
With
summer camps and summer classes underway, he quickly became immersed in the
Sul Ross environment.
“Things
are moving along. I’m taking it up pretty quickly,” Shore said. “We’ve got
camps coming and going. I want to use the summer to get my feet wet and then
in the fall hit the ground running.”
Shore
hopes to keep a good relationship with the student workers in Residential
Living as a way to meet new students and keep things running smoothly.
“The
students in our office have been helpful and are always on the job. That’s
good,” he said. “I just want to build a good work relationship with my
student staff and meet as many residents as fast as I can.”
Shore
takes his job seriously, but at the same time has a sense of humor about
life.
“It’s
good to have a healthy sense of humor in residential living,” he said. “You
have to enjoy what you do and don’t make every decision a life-or-death one.
“Everyone
I met so far has been so friendly,” he said. “One of the guys cutting the
grass even stopped and waved.
“I’m
looking forward to meeting everyone and getting more involved on campus,”
Shore said.
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Friends
of Marathon Library News
By ARLENE GRIFFIS
Library Friend
MARATHON
– The Friends of the Marathon Library met last month to discuss plans for the
summer reading program.
I
was elected president of the group for the coming year by virtue of the fact
that I was the only one who expressed a willingness to serve.
My
husband, Steve, has served as president for the past two years so we are
keeping it all in the family.
On
May 23, the Friends presented a program at the school to introduce the summer
reading program.
The
program featured a puppet show, “Last
Day Blues,” starring Jackie Boyd as Mrs. Hartwell, Steve Griffis as
Rocky the Coyote, Carol Henthorne as Horace the Horse, Carol Townsend as Alli
the Alligator and yours truly as the narrator.
This
year, the summer reading program has the greatest incentive prizes in the
history of the program.
First
of all, an anonymous donor provided four brand-new bicycles.
There
is a 16-inch bike in lime green, complete with training wheels, perfect for a
pre-schooler.
The
20-inch bicycle is pink and purple and, for the older kids, there are two
26-inch bikes, a girl’s model in pink and cream and a boy’s in bright
blue.
In
order to be eligible to win one of these bicycles, boys and girls must go to
the library and register for the summer reading program and then read ten
books between June 1 and August 6.
They
will then be given a ticket, which they may place in the drawing for the
bicycle of their choice. The drawing will be come at the end-of-program party
in August.
To
participate in the summer reading program, all you really have to do is read,
but we also meet at from 1 to 2 p.m. at the library each Wednesday for
stories, crafts, songs, activities and snacks. Please come join in the fun.
In
the past, the library has had great participation from the pre-school and
elementary students but our goal this year is to get the middle school and
high school students more involved.
So
we have provided an additional incentive program especially for them.
Participants
should read a total of 10 age-appropriate books between June 1 and August 6.
Using
one of the computers in the library, they should write and print out a one
page or shorter review of the book.
And
they should put the book review in the binder provided in the library.
All
readers who complete the requirements will receive a prize of $100.
Since
the major purpose of the column this week is to promote the summer reading
program, I will keep the book review portion short.
I
would, however, like to recommend one that is a real page-turner, “Bicycling
beyond the Divide: Two
Journeys Into the West “ by Daryl Farmer
On a journey begun 20 years earlier, Daryl Farmer, a
20-year-old, two-time college dropout did what lost men have so often done in
this country. He headed west.
Twenty years later and seventy pounds heavier, with the
yellowing journals from that transformative 5,000-mile bicycle trek in his
pack, Farmer set out to retrace his path.
This is his story of pursuing that distant summer and that distant
dream where home is endless space, a roof of big sky and a bed of dry earth.
Just as the years altered the man, so, too, have they altered
the West and Farmer’s second journey affords a unique perspective on these
changes—as well as on what lasts.
Whether caught in a Colorado snowstorm or braving a Yellowstone
herd of bison, kayaking with orcas in Puget Sound, trading Ninja moves with a
homeless man in San Francisco or getting the lowdown on aliens on Nevada’s
Extraterrestrial Highway, Farmer charts a moving landscape of people and
places.
This is the West where the natural world and personal character
are inextricably linked and where one man’s ride into the past and present
takes us to the heart of that ever-evolving connection.
Note to high school students:
This would be a great book to read as one of your ten.
I think you would really enjoy it, particularly boys who think
they don’t like to read. You won’t be
able to put this one down.
Happy
Reading.
Arlene
Griffis is a volunteer at Marathon Public Library, which is a branch of
Alpine Public Library.
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