Stamford American (Stamford, Tex.), Vol. 72, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 20, 1997 Page: 1 of 8
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fa 3995 99/12/31
SOUTHWEST MICRO
2627 E. VANDELL DR.
EL PASO TX W3
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STAMFORD AMERICAN
“Your Hometown Newspaper”
Leader Vol. 96, No. 47
American Vol. 72, No. 48
8 pages, 1 Insert
Thursday, February 20,1997
50 cents news stand price
■ : •
This picture, showing the west side of the square looking north down Swenson, was taken in 1918. With
all of the men in white shirts lining the sidewalk, can it be that men actually shopped for groceries back
then? »
Proposed state senate bill could
affect fall activities for students
by Angie Cook
Senate Education Committee
Chairman Teel Bivins (R-Amarillo)
is proposing a bill that would sus-
pend students from participating in
fall activities if they earn a failing
grade in the last six-week grading
period of the school year, even if
students pass the course overall.
However, if students pass the
failing course in a summer school
course, they would then be eligible
to participate in extracurricular ac-
tivities the next fall.
Robert Damron, superintendent
of the Stamford Independent School
District, questions Bivin’s proposal:
“What if a student fails a course not
offered in summer school, such as
agriculture?” Funding for smaller
school districts, like Stamford, does
not allow for every class to be of-
fered during the summer session.
Mr. Damron further notes that “if
a student is passing a course, one
grading period's low grade should
not make him ineligible.” He pro-
poses that the current procedures,
which work well, remain in effect.
Under the current no-pass, no-
play rule, suspensions resulting
from failing grades last for a three
week period, as long as the grades
can be raised to passing in that time,
and the suspensions do not carry
over from one school year to the
next.
Bivin’s intention behind the pro-
posed bill is that it would “ensure
that those students during the sum-
mertime not only practice band or
debate . . .but also do a little work
in the summertime to get ready to
get their grades in good shape in the
first six weeks of the next year.”
Mr. Damron, however, argues
that with a new school year, a stu-
dent should have the opportunity for
a new beginning and not have the
previous year’s difficulties carried
over into the new year.
Overall, Mr. Damron is not wor-
ried about Bivin’s bill: “If all rami-
fications of the bill are considered,
it probably won’t pass the legisla-
ture.”
Juveniles back in jail
after violating probation
by: Sandra Chittum
Two juveniles are back in jail
after violating a tcn-year proba-
tion sentence they were scrying
for their part in the murder of a
Stamford man last June.
Israel Ibarra and Adam Men-
dez, Jr. are currently being held in
the Jones County Jail wailing for a
March 20 hearing on the state’s
motion to revoke their probation.
The two young men were certi-
fied to stand trial as adults in con-
nection with the murder of John
Thomas Hicks on June 29, 1996.
Hicks was stabbed to death after
answering the door al his Slam ford
home. .
Also, three adults indicted by a
Jones County grand jury last Au-
gust in connection with the homi-
cide, arc being held in the county
jail on bonds of $25(),(XX) each.
Indicted for lirst-degree murder
were Norman Ben Acosta, 32; Jude
Pardo, Jr., 19; and Gary Edward
Acosta, Jr., 17 all of Stamford.
The three men, along with an-
other juvenile certified as an adult,
Dario Jesse “D.J.” Pardo, arc
scheduled for a pretrial hearing on
March 6, and a jury trial on April
22.
Old Glory Musical
The Old Glory Musical is Saturday, February 22, at the Community Cen-
ter. Concessions open at 5:30 and the musical starts at 6:00 p.m.
TAAS Testing
Stamford schools will administer the TAAS test to grades 4.8, and 10 on
Tuesday, February 25.
Sagerton Worship Service
A band from Youth Encounter, Captive Free, will lead the worship ser-
vices at Faith Lutheran Church on February 26. Everyone is encouraged
to attend.
School board
meeting held
At the February 13, 1997, meet-
ing of the Stamford County Line
Independent School Distirct Board
of Education, a number of topics
were discussed, particularly the
topic of contract extensions.
Mr. Astin moved to extend the ■
following employee contracts by
one year under the terms listed:
Tommy Bearden, 2 year term con-
tract at; Steve Gill, 2 year term con-
tract; Zenita Gardner, 2 year term
contract; Susan Graham, 2 year term
contract; Staci Robertson. 2 year
term contract; Joan Stribling, 2 year
term contract; Jerry Taylor, 2 year
term contract; and Gail Haterius, 2
year term contract. The motion
passed unanimously as Mrs. Walker
seconded the motion.
Furthermore, the School Board
voted yes on the upcoming school
election to be held on the first Sat-
urday in May. At that time, school
board ^president Don Cobb and
school board member Lewis
Alambar will be up for re-election.
TAAS to be
administered
Ttiesday
Stamford schools, along with the
rest of the State of Texas, will be
administering the TAAS test to
grade 4,8 & 10 next Tuesday, Feb-
ruary 25th, 1997.
Wednesday and Thursday,
sophomores and other students not
yet passing the exit will also be
tested.
Parents, please be sure your stu-
dents are well rested and fed break-
fast before the tests.
State
Attorney
General’s
Rep. to speak
A representative from the Texas
Attorney General’s office will be the
principal speaker at the meeting of
the Jones County Retired Teachers
Association in March. The meet-
ing will be held at the Hamlin High
School Cafeteria on March 8, 1997.
A delicious meal will be served at
11:30 at a cost of $4.00.
David Counts discusses pending state
legislation during town hall meeting
by: Sandra Chittum
Stale Representative David
Counts discussed pending slate
legislation with a handful of citi-
zens during a town hall meeting at
the VIP Center in Stamford Fri-
day afternoon.
The major item on the agenda
was the Governor’s tax reform
proposal and how it would affect
residents and businesses.
Counts stated that Governor
Bush is proposing a “Business
Activity Tax” (BAT) as an alter-
native to replace the current school
property lax and state franchise
tax.
“It would be a lax on business’s
mark-up, with a deduction fornew
capital investment,” Counts ex-
plained.
The BAT is somewhat “sensi-
tive” to profit, and profit is a por-
tion of the tax base. With all else
equal .higher profits means higher
taxes, although it would be taxes
at a much lower rate than profits in
other states. Labor costs and
capital depreciation also make up
a port ion of the B AT base, m ak i ng
it more stable than a standard
corporate profits tax used in other
states. The BAT’s chief strengths
include its ability to generate sig-
nificant revenue at a low rate, to
grow with the economy, and to
impact industries in proportion to
their stake in the economy.
According to a hand-out pro-
vided by Counts at the meeting, to
provide sufficient tax revenue to
the State and to enable the Slate to
increase its share of local educa-
tion costs to about 60% (the state
now funds about 47% of local
education costs) the following
“scenario” could be enacted:
1. Create a BAT to apply tocor-
porations and limited liability part-
nerships using a 1 % rate
2. Increase stale sales tax by 1/
2%
3. Increase the motor vehicle
sales tax by 1/2%
4. Usci budget surplus/savings
measures' to complement addi-
tional taxes
5. Repeal the current corporate
franchise tax
6. Repeal business ad valorem
tax (school portion) on business
inventories
7. Increase homestead exemp-
tion to $25,(XX) (is currently at
$5,(XX))
8. Require local school districts
to reduce the local tax rate com-
mensurate with the increased
funding the state will provide.
Estimates are that the rate “roll-
back” will be between 200 and
250 per $100 valuation.
9. Require a public vote if, in
the future, local school districts
attempt to raise local school prop-
erty lax rates more than a slight
percentage (2% has been mo-
tioned)
“A form, attached to the hand-
out, should be completed by ev-
eryone to sec how the proposed
tax would affect you,” Counts
recommended.
Representative Counts, who
served as Chairman of the House
Natural Resources Committee,
said another big issue on the legis-
lation table is water. “I agree with
the governor that we need to have
a plan for water in the future for
our children and grandchildren.”
“One of the major problems we
have with water is that we have
always lived with the understand-
ing that all the water under our
property belongs to us,” Counts
said. “There is some problems
with continuing with the same * rule
of capture’: If it is under your
property, you can pump all you
can get.”
Counts indicated that times
have changed to where the legis-
lation may need to reevaluate the
current water bill and its affects
upon rural Texas.
Upon conclusion of the meet-
ing, Counts urged interested and
concerned citizens to write or call
iwajlftwi wW thwr opinions,
* suggestions and ideas.
P.O. Box 2910 Austin, Texas
76768-2910 or 512-463-0480
P.O. Box 338 Knox City, Texas
79529 or 817-658-5012
Participants in the Stamford Electric Cooperative, including winner Daisy Renee Cothron.
S.E.C. announces winner in speech contest
Haskell sophomore Daisy Renee
Cothron will join over 1,500 other
teens from across the country for a
13 day, all-expense-paid tour of
Washington, D C., as the winner of
the Stamford Electirc Cooperative,
Inc. Youth Tour Speech Contest held
February 13th.
Cothron, the daughter of Steve and
Frankie Cothron of Haskell, is in-
volved in Clean Slate Organization,
Fellowship of Christian Athletes,
UIL events, and the school news-
paper
Her hobbies include playing the
saxaphone, photography, reading,
traveling, cross-stitching, and meet-
ing people.
Jasmine Mayfield, a junior at
Hamlin High School, was named
alternate. Other contestants in-
cluded Derrick Haterius and Callie
Bunn, both sophomores at Stamford
High School; Stephanie Jowers,
Anson High School sophomore; and
Amanda Cothron, a junior at
Haskell High School.
Each contestant presented a speech
on the subject of “How People Ben-
efit by Using Cooperative Services”
and answered questions from
judges.
Judges for the contest were Ronny
Doan from Taylor Electric Coopera-
tive in Merkel. Edwin Jackson from
Midwest Electric Cooperative in
Roby, and Rene Brown from
Coleman Electric Cooperative in
Coleman.
CONGRATULATIONS, DAISY -
you're on your way to Washington.
DC!
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Cook, Angie. Stamford American (Stamford, Tex.), Vol. 72, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 20, 1997, newspaper, February 20, 1997; Stamford, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1186756/m1/1/: accessed July 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Stamford Carnegie Library.