The Port Lavaca Wave (Port Lavaca, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 22, Ed. 1 Saturday, December 27, 2014 Page: 4 of 12
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Calhoun County Area Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Calhoun County Public Library.
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A4 ►► FORUM
THE PORT LAVACA WAVE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014
THE FORUM
1
LANCE CATCHING
Boldness has genius, power
an
at
-Benjamin Franklin
THE PORT
Share your thoughts - send letters to the editor to
editor@plwave.com. The Wave accepts
political letters on issues, but does not run
letters endorsing or opposing local candidates for
public office.
*
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
POC board meeting
votes
have questions. The time spent
with family even on the somber
occasion still held laughter
and good memories. I believe
that is how the late Nellie Bell
“Jackie” Johnson would have
wanted us to handle it.
In other aspects 2014 was a
time of great joy. Many people
announced engagements, got
married or celebrated the birth
of a child. Plenty more finally
got the job they were hoping for
or purchased their first home.
This year someone beat cancer
and others had positive life
changing experiences.
We paused in the sports
world to cheer for our country
at the Winter Olympics in
Sochi, Russia and again at the
World Cup in Brazil. In the
United States we watched as
the Seattle Seahawks won their
first Super Bowl and as the San
CUMMINS COMMENTARY
‘Your life goes as your energy flows
plans.
Here’s wishing you
incredible 2015.
May the rest of your life be
the best of your life.
Warmly,
Jim
never know when that time
will end. I will take those words
with me into 2015 just like I do
every year. I wish everyone a
blessed journey into the next
year wherever your travels
take you.
JUDY MAREK
Business Office, ext. 102
CHRISTY AGUILAR
Advertising Dept., ext. 105
ASHLEY KONTNIER
Advertising Dept., ext. 106
LANCE CATHCINGS
Sports., ext. 110
JAY WORKMAN
Newsroom., ext. 197
9 TURNER
Director of Creative Services., ext.107
ROSA GONZALES
Pre-Press, ext. 110
TRACY HOREJSI
Press Mgr., ext. 120
JIM CUMMINS
Guest columnist
ED STERLING
State Capital Highlights
TPA MEMBER 2014
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIAT I O N
state contract with Challenges faced throughout 2014
tech firm prompts
calls for probe
residents of Port Lavaca. Not
only does CR 101 provide access
to the fair grounds and the
Calhoun County Emergency
Medical Services headquarters,
but also the Texas Lakeside RV
Resort, located in CR 101 as well,
is visited by RV travelers from
throughout North America.
All are greeted by an unsafe
and a practically impossible-
to-drive public road. Is safety
not an issue here? I have made
inquiries into the matter, and
it was revealed that some of
the material to be used in the
repaving has been received.
When can we expect this project
to begin and to be completed?
Is there not a reasonable
expectation that we, the public,
be informed of the progress of
this project nearly a year and a
half later?
Doug Schiller
Antonio Spurs picked up their
fifth basketball title.
My year was filled with
laughter and time well spent
with friends and family.
Whether it was taking trips
with close friends, grilling
steaks with my folks or Sunday
church with my aunt and
uncle, 2014 held a lot of great
memories. Often we get caught
up in moving so fast forward
we don’t pause to enjoy the
moment.
I have never seen a hearse
with a trailer hitch and I have
never heard an elderly person
say they wish they had spent
more time at work than with
family and friends. The truth of
the matter is from the moment
you open your eyes into this
world you are on a time clock.
Most of us have the luxury
of how that time is spent, but
brought up for another vote
by the board because the
board had new members after
the November elections. The
request was granted and placed
on the agenda for the Dec. 11,
2014 meeting, item number D14.
A vote was called for and Teddy
Hawes voted yes again, Tom
Ekstrom this time changed
his vote to yes, Doyle Adams
changed his vote to yes, Leon
Brown voted no, and Marshall
Bradford voted no.
The item was passed three
to two. Now the three members
have chosen to allocate over
$100,000 dollars of the rate
payers money to fight the
petition by Mr. Brown and keep
the January rate increase in
place. Just thought you might
want to know.
Marshall Bradford
Director POC-ID
Dear Editor:
At the Sept. 11, 2014
Port O’Connor Improvement
District meeting, the board
of directors voted to allocate
$50,000 to over $100,000 dollars
(of the rate payers money) to
pay for outside counsel for
representation in the rate
appeal. This is the petition that
Mr. Brown started after the
rate hike as of January 2014.
At the meeting, John Childers
(no longer a member) voted
yes, Wanda Redding (no longer
a member) voted yes, Teddy
Hawes voted yes, Doyle Adams
voted no, and Tom Ekstrom
abstained from voting.
On Dec. 2, 2014, I sent
a request that this item be
all acts of initiative, there
is one elementary truth, the
ignorance of which kills
countless ideas and endless
plans: That the moment one
definitely commits oneself,
then providence moves, too. All
sorts of things occur to help
one that would never otherwise
have occurred. A whole stream
of events issues from the
decision, raising in one’s favor
all manner of unforeseen
incidents and meetings and
material assistance which no
man could have dreamed would
come his way. Whatever you
can do or dream you can, begin
it. Boldness has genius, power
and magic in it.”
Figure out what you need
to do to make your dream a
reality and then begin at once.
As soon as you take that first
“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neigh-
bors, and let every new year find you a better man.”
AUSTIN — State Sen. John
Whitmire, D-Houston, on Dec.
18 requested that the special
prosecution unit of the Travis
County District Attorney’s
Office “begin a formal and
thorough investigation” into
transactions between the State
of Texas and 21CT, a software
intelligence firm with offices
here and in Vienna, Virginia.
Information about the
transactions came to light via
an ongoing investigation and
stories published by the Austin
American-Statesman.
“I am particularly
concerned about the reported
involvement of Jack Stick and
any other state employees in the
negotiation and approval of the
contract with 21CT,” Whitmire
wrote in a letter to Gregg
Cox, director of the special
prosecution unit.
Stick resigned Dec. 12 as
general counsel for the Texas
Health and Human Services
Commission after the agency’s
executive commissioner, Kyle
Janek, questioned a $20 million
contract and a $90 million
contract extension with 21CT
to provide healthcare fraud
detection and neutralization
services.
Gov. Rick Perry and House
Speaker Joe Straus, through
their spokespeople, have called
for investigations.
DPS to post more patrols
Texas Department of Public
Safety on Dec. 18 announced
the number of DWI patrols will
increase for a 15-day period that
includes both the Christmas
and New Year holidays, Dec. 19
through Jan. 2.
StatetrooperswillfocusDWI
patrols in high-risk locations
at times when alcohol-related
crashes are most frequent. DPS
Director Steven McCraw said,
“Holiday celebrations create the
increased potential for drinking
and driving incidents and we
urge Texans to designate a
sober driver or find alternative
transportation if they plan to
drink.”
During the Christmas/
New Year holiday enforcement
effort last year, state troopers
made 1,505 DWI arrests and
enforcement also resulted
in 24,928 speeding citations,
2,997 seat belt/child safety seat
citations, 1,078 fugitive arrests
and 797 felony arrests during the
enforcement period, according
to the DPS.
Student loan debt grows
The Office of the State
Comptroller on Dec. 9 released a
report, “Footing the Bill: Rising
College Costs, Deepening Debt,”
examining the growth of college
tuition costs and student loan
debt.
According to the report, in
Texas, average in-state public
university tuition and fees rose
by 90 percent between 2003 and
2012. Yet enrollment in Texas
degree-granting institutions
rose 49 percent from 2000 to 2012
“despite rising tuition costs and
student loan burdens.”
Furthermore, the
agency pointed out, the rise
in enrollment is expected to
continue, “making it imperative
for students to know how their
tuition and fees are spent and
to have better access to tools to
help them get a full picture of
college costs.”
The report can be accessed
www.window.state.tx.us/
specialrpt/student_loan.
Also related and noteworthy
is an Oct. 27, 2014, release by
the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board, reporting
The year that was 2014 is
coming to a close and 2015 is
on its way in. Time, very much
like life, never stops moving
forward but it is always good
to pause and reflect. Each year
contains ups and downs but
2014, like every year before and
after was unique.
For many individuals 2014
was their worst year in recent
memory. Some experienced
tragedies, defeat and loss.
Many people lost a parent,
sibling, spouse, friend or child.
Homes, property and jobs were
lost and many experienced
hardship. Hopefully time will
heal those wounds, but 2014
will always carry that memory.
This year I held the hand of
my cousin in tears as we laid her
only remaining grandmother
to rest. Death brings the could
have, would have and should
baby step towards your goal,
you start the wheels in motion
to manifest your dreams.
Let’s break this down
a little bit. First of all, to
accomplish a big dream or goal
you must have the high energy
level of commitment. No matter
what the obstacles are, you must
still be able to feel the energy
of excitement, desire, belief,
determination, etc., without a
strong commitment and belief
you will never accomplish your
highest goals.
Secondly, perhaps
completely without our
awareness, all sorts of things
occur, i.e. assistance from the
universe, God, or whatever
energy you think powers
the universe and as he says,
the ignorance of which kills
countless ideas and endless
Hi everybody,
Wow, can you believe
another year has flown by?
I hope this has been a good
one for you. What I would like
to take a look at today is our
biggest goals and dreams, not
the little stuff. This may be
something that races through
your, mind every once in a while
and you think, “That is what I
would truly love to do, or be or
have,” but another year passes,
and we have not put any real
energy into making it happen.
Why not? If not now, when? Is
this going to be the year?
I want to share this poem
by a Scottish explorer, William
Hutchinson Murray, that
addresses this issue. “Until one
is committed, there is hesitancy,
the chance to draw back, always
ineffectiveness. Concerning
that Texas ranks ninth-best
overall in a WalletHub analysis
of student debt in the United
States. Seven key metrics went
into the analysis, such as average
student debt, unemployment
rate and percentage of students
with past-due loan balances.
Decrease in injuries
noted
Texas Department of
Insurance on Dec. 16 published
information showing the
number and rate of work-related
injuries and illnesses requiring
days off work decreased in 2013.
According to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics Survey
of Occupational Injuries and
Illnesses, the state agency said,
“private industry employers
in Texas reported 51,890 cases
involving days away from work
and an incidence rate of 66.6
injuries and illnesses per 10,000
full-time equivalent employees
in 2013. These are decreases
from 53,290 cases and a rate of
70.1 in 2012. The Texas rate is
below the national rate of 99.9.”
Gansu delegation visits
Texas Agriculture
Commissioner-elect Sid Miller
in early December hosted a
group of officials from the
northwest China province of
Gansu, population 26 million.
Meeting with Miller
“to grow agriculture trade
opportunities between Texas
and Gansu” were the province’s
Executive Vice Governor H.E.
Luo Xiaohu and five other high-
ranking officials.
Exporting Texas beef to
Gansu, according to the Texas
Department of Agriculture, is
one of the first items on Miller’s
list of trade opportunities to
facilitate.
Texans asked to waste less
Texas Commission of
Environmental Quality on
Dec. 15 encouraged citizens to
generate less holiday-related
garbage through its Take Care
of Texas campaign.
Examples of recommended
actions to generate less garbage:
1. Plan an eco-friendly
party. Choose reusable plates,
cups, linens and utensils instead
of disposable ones; and avoid
disposable hats, noisemakers,
streamers, balloons or other
throwaways.
2. Use reusable bags.
3. Buy local.
4. Recycle your tree.
5. Reuse gift wrap.
Tesla’s founder to speak
Texas Department of
Transportation on Dec. 17
announced Tesla Motors CEO
and co-founder Elon Musk will
deliver the keynote address
at the 10th Annual Texas
Transportation Forum on Jan.
15 at the Hilton Austin Hotel.
Transportation leaders
will meet at the forum, Jan. 14-
16, to explore ways to improve
the state’s transportation
infrastructure.
Dear Editor:
Sixteen months ago there
appeared in The Port Lavaca
Wave a front page article stating
that $150,000 had been allocated
for the repaving of County Road
101. At that time County Judge
Mike Pfeifer laid out details
regarding those responsible for
material, labor and equipment.
County Judge Pfeifer also
stated, “We may not get to it this
year.” But wait, that was August
of 2013. We are mere days from
2015. What gives?
The continuing
deterioration of the roadbed
has been met with only meager
patching. This much-traveled
road is an embarrassment to all
Questions raised
about County Road
101
MA1ACAWE
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French, Tania. The Port Lavaca Wave (Port Lavaca, Tex.), Vol. 124, No. 22, Ed. 1 Saturday, December 27, 2014, newspaper, December 27, 2014; Port Lavaca, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1301403/m1/4/?q=green+energy: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Calhoun County Public Library.