The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 184, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 2, 2004 Page: 4 of 16
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Wednesday, June 2, 2004
Opinions
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Save the ferry
Harris County should buy new boats
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sides, were cleared from the
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teachers paying for sundry
About us
EXIT
TODAY IN SUN HISTORY
TODAY IN HISTORY
■ Depi
red Fort
David Bloom,
, * Managing Editor
Cheers to Exxon Mobil for
sponsoring this team, and then
going the extra mile to honor
thier accomplishment.
Jeers to The Baytown Sun for
sloppy reporting. Yes, the game
was marred by something that
Shamblin, Tharp and
Henderson. All of these men
showed excellent character the
entire season. What a scrappy
to mention that our students
would be better educated.
Maybe I don’t understand
from The Baytown Sun attrib-
uted this occurence to the fans
I
IRAQ
PUSH
Child $4.
General A
■ native Poland on the first visit by a pope to a
Communist country.
In 1986, for theffirst time, the public could
watch the proceedings of the US. Senate on
television as a six-week experiment of tele-
vised sessions began.
In 1987, President Reagan announced he
was nominating economist Alan Greenspan
to succeed Paul Volcker as chairman of the
Federal Reserve Board.
In 1997, Timothy McVeigh was convicted
of murder and conspiracy in the Oklahoma
City bombing.
Ten years ago: The International Atomic
Eneigy Agency, the UN. atomic watchdog,
reported it could no longer verify the status
of North Korea’s nuclear program, prompt-
ing the United States to seek economic sanc-
tions. President Clinton met at the Vatican
with Pope John Paul II.
Five years ago: South Africans went to the
polls in their second post-apartheid election,
giving the African National Congress a deci-
sive victory; retiring president Nelson
Mandela was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki.
TROY (R) ...
SOUL PLANE
BREAKIN’ALL
DAY AFTER 1
DAY AFTER 2
VAN HELSING
RAISNG HELE
MEAN GIRLS
SHREK 2 (PG)
SHREK 2 (PG)
SHREK 2 (PG)
*N<
BA
Wi
YOUR
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A
A Chan
ed in com
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near BayL
Friday.
Guillen
charged w
render ass
The First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of-
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
Government for a redress of grievance?.
Hapny Hot!
Drink Special
5-7 PM
Our editorial board
The Baytown Sun’s editorial board meets weekly at 2 p.m.
Wednesday. Individuals are encouraged to visit the editorial
board to discuss issues affecting the community. To make an
appointment, contact Managing Editor David Bloom by calling
281-422-8302.
Members of the editorial board include: Wanda Garner Cash,
editor and publisher; David Bloom, managing editor; Joseph
Lohan, city editor; Dee Anne Navarre, business'manager; Jim
■ Finley, retired Sun managing editor; and Jane Howard Lee, retired
Sun reporter.
George VI.
On this date:
In 1886, President Cleveland married
landed on the moon and began transmitting
detailed photographs of the lunar surface.
In 1979. Pope John Paul II arrived in his
■ Frances Folsom in a White House ceremony.
In 1897. Mark Twain, 61. was quoted by
the New York Journal as saying from
London that ‘ ’the report of my death was an
exaggeration.”
In 1924. Congress granted US. citizenship
to all American Indians.
In 1941, baseball’s "Iron Horse,” Lou
Gehrig, died in New York of a degenerative
disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
In 1946. the Italian moriarcby was abol-
ished in favor of a republic.
In 1966, the US. space probe Surveyor 1
the city championship to claim
the title of 2004 Majors City
Champs. What a scrappy bunch they would give
of boys, and everyone on the
team contributed. ..._J _____________________
Cheers to Coaches Delacruz,____ going to help me look for a
water leak, that I probably had
one and did not know. My
answer to that was, I had my
water pipes put in new prior to
this incident. She would not
transfer me to a higher-up to
complain about the amount. So
1 had to pay it. 1 was not happy
at all by her attitude and how
she handled the matter.
Dodia S. Alaniz
Baytown |
j Today is Wednesday. June 2, the 154th day
of 2004. There are 212 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On June 2.1953. Queen Elizabeth II of
Britain was crowned in Westminster Abbey,
16 months after the death of her father. King
more than 100 fans were pun-
ished for one person’s behavior,
and all this without any warn-
ing. Yet, the reporter took it
upon himself to blame the East
League fans. Then to top it off,
salaries as well. Apparently, that there was no team picture pre-
bit of my high school econom-
ics doesn’t count. Someone
around here needs to acknowl-
edge that the teachers do the
majority of the work, and who
therefore deserve the majority
of the accolades and the pay. If
Sultis wants to leave because
she isn’t making enough
money, I say let her go, and
promote one of our more quali-
fied teachers or principals to
the position. I’m sure he or she
would appreciate the raise.
Water bill woes
I am writing in response to
the letter to the editor by Cindy
Dempsey, published May 17,
Ivy L Crawford regarding her water bill.
Baytown
Exxon Mobil
“I feel that Exxon Mobil will not
own this plant much longer or in a
few years it will be shut down. I had
seen lots of injuries and the majori-
ty never get reported to OSHA.
7 have seen 50 percent of the
jobs reduced and contractors do
jobs that used to be Exxon Mobil
employees'.
“This is how Exxon Mobil is mak-
ing the millions: by reducing the
numbers of employees and not
repairing equipment."
(O!
TkMKiTo
gf these pis^u^rr ’
i 3 CARPS, WE STILL HAVE
fEl SOMETHING To EAT
fg!\ AFTER WE PAY i
EE \ foRPRUGS. J
Here are today’s hot topics
from The Sun’s online forum,
Baytown Talk. To participate,
click on the Baytown Talk link
on The Sun’s Web site,
www.baytownsun.com.
u.
31^.
718
Sultis given raise
7 am a Lee High School stu-
dent. Monday at school, some of
my teachers told me that we
needed to bring paper to do our
end-of-the-year exams on because
the school has run out of supplies
for this year. Then over at Cedar
Bayou Junior School, where my
younger siblings go, some of the
teachers were cleaning out the
closets and giving away staplers,
index cards, copy paper, Post-It
notes, etc. I know this because
my younger sister came home
with some of the items.
“Thisjust doesn't make sense to
me. Sultis is getting a $10,000
raise just to compete with other dis-
tricts doesn't make sense either. I
wish Steve Fischer. Goose Creek
school board’s president, who stat-
. ed he valued the work Sultis has
done, would put in writing what she
has done for Goose Creek."
in recent years. (Last year, Harris County spent
$830,000 for improvements to the ferry and its
landings.)
The study considered everything from the boats
operating only during peak hours to buying one larg-
er boat to building a bridge or a tunnel where the
’ ferry now crosses to charging a user fee, maybe $2.
As with any tax-supported operation, an assess-
~ merit of associated costs is essential to customer ser-
vice, in this case, taxpayer service.
The Lynchburg Ferry is far too important to Texas
history to be eliminated like some over-indulgent
county program. Furthermore, it is still an important
part of life for the motorists who use it daily.
Nathaniel Lynch established the Lynchburg Ferry,
the oldest continuously operating ferry in Texas, in
1822. Harris County, which has set rates for opera-
tion since 1837, took over the ferry in 1890 and
turned it into a free service and continues to do so
to this. day. . '
Today, Harris County pays $1.6 million a year to
ferry drivers between Crosby Lynchburg Road and
San Jacinto State Park. The boats operate 24 hours
per day, seven days a week; free of charge.
Even though the boats carry almost 1,000 vehicles
a day, the ferry is no longer the primary bearer of
traffic across the ship channel. The Fred Hartman
Bridge, Washbum Tunnel, Beltway 8 Toll Bridge
and Sydney Sherman Bridge shoulder most of that
traffic.
Harris County Commissioners Court will likely
discuss the ferry’s future at its June 15 meeting.
The Lynchburg Ferry is a vital, well-managed
operation that contributes significantly to the
region’s quality of life.
But it’s more than a ferry — it’s a place that
evokes memories for thousands of Texans who
passed through Harris County daily of on their way
to and from other adventures in their lives.
And hey, it’s the cheapest bridge you can build.
Let us hear from you
The Baytown Sun welcomes letters of up to 300 words and
guest columns of up to 500 words on any item of public interest.
Guest columns should include a photograph of the writer. We
publish only original material addressed to The Baytown Sun
bearing the writer's signature. An address and phone number not
for publication should be included. We ask that submissions be
limited to one per month. All letters and guest columns are sub-
ject to editing. The Sun reserves the right to refuse to publish
any submission.
Please send signed letters to: Wanda Garner Cash or David
Bloom, The Baytown Sun, P.O. Box 90, Baytown, 77522. Or, fax
them to: 281-427-1880. Or send us an e-mail at sunnews@bay-
townsun.com.
Outrage does not even begin
to describe how I felt when 1
read Wednesday’s'article that
stated that Goose Creek super-
intendent Barbara Sultis will
receive a unanimously board-
approved 5.9 percent annual
raise for'the next four years, in
addition to her current
$ 170,000 salary. In addition,
she receives a car and cell
phone allowance, not to men-
tion high-speed Internet in her
home. Begging the school
. board’s august pardon, but what
exactly was going through your
collective mind when you made
• this decision?
Supposedly, this decision
was meant to keep Sultis’
salary competitive with other
districts of our size because
apparently it is the superinten-
dent who makes theTAKS
scores go up. Right, because it
is the superintendent who is in
the classroom every day, the
. superintendent who achieves
that personal relationship with
the students, and the superin-
, | tendent who stays up late mak-
ing lesson plans and grading
homework. Oh, wait —those
are the teachers! The teachers,
about how her salary is market- behavior. But what’s sad is that
driven, because clearly, the
teachers’ salaries are not. Since
teaching is one of the most
demanding professions in the
country, one would think that
they would have market-driven
sented in the paper for this
team’s accomplishment.
Hopefully in the future, spe-
cific fans will behave them-
selves better and The Sun will
report things more accurately.
Susan Clements
Baytown
Council vacancy
“The residents of the district
should choose their representa-
tive. Otherwise, they will be stock
with a Council person selected
because he/she is familiar with
council members ', not because
he/she best understands and will
be responsive to their interests.
So what if it costs money to hold
an election? That’s what we’re,
supposed to do in a representa-
tive democracy: hold elections..
Letting Council choose smacks of
patronization."
ONLINE OPINIONS
Bayt^fc
The same incident happened
to me. Only my daughter and I
lived in our home. One day I
received a water bill for the
same $88 amount. I wrote them
a letter saying their meter,read-
ers were inept. They called me
and inforrhed me that they were
well-trained for their job. I also
mentioned that the one we had
reading our meter could not
have read it because the meter
some come-from-behind win in was foil of leaves and covered
with dirt and. on top of that it
was broken. She assured me
me a new.
water meter, which they did.
They also told me that she was
In 1940, Vernon Marshall, 17, fell from a
fishing boat and drowned in the San Jacinto
River, four miles north of Highlands.
In 1975. voters in Harris County Water
Control and Improvement District No. 1 in
Highlands approved the first of seven water-
sewer bond proposals.
‘In 1990. Crosby High School graduating
senior Kim Phillips was scheduled to com-
pete in the “Congressional Debate” at the
National Forensic League competition June
16-23 in San Jose, Calif.
In 2000, Chambers County officials were
striking by air and ground to get rid of the
mosquitoes that were swarming the county.
In 2002, After two counts, Mayor Pete
Alfaro was re-elected by 53 votes.
Unofficially, the final count was 2,833 votes
for Alfaro and 2.780 votes for retired police
chief Charles Shaffer.
In 2003, a fose blown at a transformer in
the 4600 block of Garth Road left one
home without power and caused lights to
blink at an estimated 1,100 other residences
and businesses.
t1
recall ever having seen Sultis in was said to the homeplate
any of my classes, ever. In fact, umpire. All the fans, from both
I don’t recall ever having seen
Dr Roy or Dr. Griffith either. stands, yet the good of reporter
Perhaps if we readjusted our from The Baytown Sun attrib-
priorities in this district, our
TAKS scores would go up, not from East League. If that were
the case, why were both sides
cleared? Don’t get me wrong.
I’m not trying to excuse poor
Blue flu?
“(Cough, cough) I was just won-
dering, has anyone else heard
about the possibility of a ‘blue flu'
hitting the city of Baytown Public
Works departments around budget
time? I hear it's just because they
are tired of high turnover rates and
getting 25 cents an hour raises per
year (based on an employee mak-
ing $10 an hour, which many
don’t.) I thought the main reason
the city manager could keep his
thumb on them was that they did-
n't have a union and couldn't do
things like that. I realize it is a tool
, used by police and fire depart-
ments in the past, but surely our
public works people wouldn't do
that just because they want stabili-
ty and security for their families.
(Cough, cough)”
Todays editorial was written by David Bloom,
managing editor of The Baytown Sun, on behalf
. of the newspaper’s editorial board. ,
Sign up to receh
***:N(
®f)e Sfeptoton S>un
Founded 1922
Wanda Gamer Cash, I
Editor and Publisher |
Fred Hartman, Publisher Emeritus
1950-1974
'■^reserving the state’s rich heritage is vitally
important. We hope members of the Harris
JL County Commissioners Court agree and buy
two new boats to keep the historic Lynchburg Ferry
in operation.
A study of ferry operations concludes the
Lynchburg Ferry needs new boats to replace today’s
40-year-old vessels — the William P. Hobby and the
Ross S. Sterling.
While new boats would cost about $2.5 million.
the study says, buying them instead of keeping the
current boats would save $19 million over 20 years.
Ferry and ferry-related costs have risen dramatically
Superintendent's salary outrageous
who make around $35,000 a
year, and for whom the school
board is magnanimously con-
sidering a 2.9 percent raise.
Well, that’s grand. As it stands,
Sultis makes in one day what
your average teacher makes in
about three weeks.
So what is it, really, that
Little League
cheers and jeers
I thought I would write this
letter in the same format of a
popular piece in The Baytown
$o what is it. really, that Sun. First, cheers to the
| Sultis does for which she needs Baytown East Little League
upward of $ 170.000 per year?' Major Cardinals for thier awe-
What is it. really, that she does
that she needs the school dis-
trict to pay for high-speed
Internet at her house? Couldn’t
that money be better used else-
where? If we aren’t going to
pay the teachers more, perhaps
we could spring for, say, class-
room equipment so that our
j teachers aren’t bifying it all out
of their pockets.
I am outraged at this because b.unch of men.
I remember going to school
here, and I remember Van de
- Graaff generators that worked
intermittently, books that were
upward of 10 years old and
teachers paying for sundry
items in my classes. I don’t
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Cash, Wanda Garner. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 184, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 2, 2004, newspaper, June 2, 2004; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1185614/m1/4/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.