The Colony Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 44, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 20, 1989 Page: 6 of 37
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6A The Colony Leader, Wednesday, September 20, 1989
OPINION
Random
Thoughts
Jeffrey
Ball
The glass seems to reach to the sky. It is held to earth by a graceful
brick arc.
Inside the sunlight streams through the overhead canopy of glass. The
banners hung high overhead divide the space and add glorious color.
We sat chatting at a round table in the central promenade. The
discussion was not a review of a morning of shopping. Rather we spoke
,of schools and businesses working with schools.
Although the structure could perhaps be mistaken for an upscale
shopping mall it is rather the newest middle school in the LISD and The
Colony. It is Lakeview Middle School.
Principal Ben Swearingen and I shared only ideas across the table.
There was not a chili dog or nacho in sight. The subject was the
Adopt-A-School program.
The intent of the Adopt-A-School program, according to the program
handbook, is to “foster a partnership between business and schools
which leads to “a better understanding of the community’s school
system.”
In order to adopt a school a business makes a commitment to meet
some of the school’s needs during the school year. It is not a matter of
financial support. Sponsorship can take several different forms including
providing employees to serve as tutors, donation of services or working
with special program.
Last year The Colony Leader adopted The Colony High School. In
conjunction with The Colony Chamber of Commerce we worked on a
program that Principal Malcolm Dennis proposed.
He wanted to be able to recognize the students that work hard and
achieve academic success, but often do not get the notice that they
deserve.
The result was the “Gold Card,” which is an academic honor card
issued to students on the semester honor roll. Businesses in the com-
munity signed on to honor holders of the Gold Card with discounts and
premiums.
It is a fledgling program. It is a worthwhile program. It is also probably
no surprise that it has been a bit rocky getting the honor card off the
ground. The program is continuing and I look forward to the time when
every business has a sign that indicates the gold card is honored, right
along side the one for Visa and MasterCard — and every student of The
Colony High School carries one.
At this time there is only one school yet to be adopted in The Colony.
Brookshires and Texas Instruments have adopted The Colony High
School. The Colony Rotary Club and First Colony Bank have adopted
Griffin Middle School and The Colony Leader has adopted Lakeview
Middle School. Carney Elementary has been adopted by Huffines Chev-
rolet, Peters Colony by Wal-Mart and B.B. Owen by Seidler Family
Denistry.
Meanwhile Ben Swearingen and the faculty at Lakeview are brain-
storming a project with which we at The Colony Leader can assist them.
Being a parent — even the adopted parent of a school — is a big
responsibility. We look forward to working with them.
By the end of the year, hopefully, I will be able to visit Lakeview and
not feel like there is an “anchor store” right at the end of the concourse.
Jeffrey Ball is managing editor of The Colony Leader.
MARRI
FOR HE
MONE
^^^^^^^SSSSSSBBSSJBJS^^^
INNIVERSARY
Mattox campaign ‘bomb’ just a firecracker |
AUSTIN — Jim Mattox must be scratching his head these days and as might seem likely. The news media dutifully reported the incident, but J
wondering what it takes to stir up a good scandal on a political opponent, didn’t chase it as a major scandal of the yet young campaign.
The attorney general was licking his political chops last week over the Some reporters joked privately that Mattox — the state’s top law officer :
prospect of knocking State Treasurer Ann Richards out of the governor’s — should be embarrassed that his campaign leaked information so easily. :
race, where she is an official candidate and he, an unannounced one. Can anyone walk in off the street and immediately be given access to J
It seems that Mattox’s unofficial campaign had discovered a spy in its sensitive information either at the campaign headquarters or the attorney :
midst, a 21-year-old Mexican citizen who really was working for Richards, general’s office?
For a politician with Mattox’s knock-’em-down-and-kick-’em style, the And there was this business of a state employee going out to the youth’s
T I incident must have seemed like the symbolic serving of Richards’ head on a house at night to shake him down about political spying. Is that a proper act 1
AVAT ThTOtS 111 I OtG plate. . by a state employee? Would it have been done if anyone other than the ‘
V C1A C P — V V V All that was needed was preparation of the proper symbolic references, state’s attorney general were making the accusation?
such as “Watergate-style tactics,” and a press conference on a slow news
Attorney Bill Trantham never not individually responsible for court day to throw the political bomb.
even made it to the deadline this costs. = That all occurred last Tuesday, but the explosion was more of a firec-
time. But Trantham’s assertions that racker.
Trantham threw in the towel last the commissioners should pay for Some Capitol reporters chased the story for that day but found the
week on a possible bid for a district the court costs out of their own Richards campaign with some plausible explanations about the incident,
judgeship, for which he designated a pocket, not from the county treas- The campaign worker admitted he had gone by Mattox’s political head-
campaign treasurer in July. He had ury, has commissioners upset at his quarters downtown on Congress Avenue a couple of times because he was
no particular bench in mind, just the apparent “mockery” of the entire curious about Texas politics,
one which would be the “easiest” to rollback issue. He also admitted that, yes, he had sat several times at a table by the
win. Trantham said he has no problems window of a Chinese food restaurant next to Mattox’s headquarters, as the
Part of Mattox’s problem in stirring up the press to attack opponents is
that he has cried wolf and made emotional attacks on opponents too many
times in the past. It is his nature to attack an opponent with a bazooka when a
pellet gun would seem more appropriate, and every political reporter in the
state knows that. aid L
Dave McNeely, longtime political columnist for the Austin American-
Statesman put it this way: “Mattox knows a newspaper poll is in the field,
and probably is trying to sully Richards’ name. It is a time-honored Mattox
campaign tactic to sling as much mud as possible, hoping that some of it will
stick.”
The one-time Denton County pro- with the Nov. 7 election. He also attorney general had claimed. What’s wrong with that? he asked. The food Because of the timing of the newspaper poll, it may be that Richards was 1
secutor, fresh off an appeals court denied the quote attributed to him by was good and a window seat much nicer than one farther back. hurt more by the spying charge than was obvious. Mattox has labored in :
win over the commissioners, de- Luna, which was Trantham wanted He said he didn’t realize he had done anything improper until an Attorney recent months to paint her campaign as inept and Richards’ chances as :
cided he wasn’t desirous of joining the election “closer to the (primary) General’s Office employee, a close aide to Mattox, visited him at home the hopeless. And the quick headlines and TV news spots on last week’s incident
the Carroll Courts Building atmos- election of the Commissioners night before and threatened to deport him back to Mexico if he didn’t fess up may have helped spread that desired image.
phere. Court” in March 1990. to political spying. But, unless more dirt about campaign spying comes out, the incident will ’
“It’s such a gloomy, depressing Commissioners Jacobs and Cole Mattox indignantly maintained the youth could have obtained access to rank as no more than a bleep on what obviously is going to be a get-down-
place,” said Trantham. “It’s just a were openly puzzled by Trantham’s sensitive campaign information under the pretext of supporting the attorney and-get-dirty campaign.
bad atmosphere to work in. 1 refusal to agree to a motion by Luna general for governor.
“I call it the glum palace,” he con- looking to change the court’s man- Mattox got some political mileage out of his accusations, but not as much Jim Davis is Austin bureau chief of Harte-Hanks newspapers.
tiriued. “There’s just so much back date. Commissioner Lee Walker ^--^^^mmm^—.^—i.i^^i^_^hm—^^m^m.^.
biting. All of’em are into it. It’s just wondered Friday if Trantham was T) 1 . • , **- . -
all-political backbiting, and it’s not an not going to be losing his support LACKSiairC tho W/hsto UAnicA
atmosphere I’d like to work in.” among the regular county critics P $ P T ±JLUU.OC
■ who want the rollback question ---
It is no secret Trantham is receiv- answered on Nov. 7. By HELEN THOMAS The Cabinet was invited to the Committee. Jimmy Yarosh, a Secret Service
ing most of the fingerpointing, It's a good question, so who else UPI White House Reporter White House to watch the perform- When told by interviewer David agent in Chicago, who won a weight
though, for using a personal and to askbut ..... ance. . Frost that Quayle has been 20 per- lifting contest — lifting 485 pounds
“political” angle in the rollback elec- Bob Powell: “I had about six or WASHINGTON — President The president had been coached cent to 25 percent behind him in the — is being assigned to protect for-
tion (“political” seems to mean bad seven people (from the association) Bush changed his television style for by his campaign operative, Roger polls, Bush said, “I couldn’t care less mer President Ronald Reagan when
naughty yuch sleaze shame- call me to ask me what the situation his first prime-time address to the Ailes, during the day, going through what the polls says right now, unless he is at his ranch in the Santa Ynez
shame-shame and The American was. And once I explained it to them, nation. He kept his usually flailing a complete rehearsal with his Tele- it was a good one and then I’D be mountains near Santa Barbara, Calif.
Way). they were all for it. Bill is a flam- arms still and his hands clasped on PrompTers. talking about it. And if it was a bad Yarosh’s brother, Sam, has been
Trantham won the case for four boyant kind of guy, and what Bill his desk in the Oval Office. With the speech he raised the sub- one, I’D say people don’t understand with the Secret Service 16 years and
members of the Denton County decided to do was get the commis- Bush is a bouncy man at the ject of an anti-drug war to top prior- yet what I understand — that he’s a is assigned to the White House.
Taxpayers Association in their legal sioners to do what the appeals court podium. But he wanted to project a ity on his domestic agenda. very able man and he’s a team player ------
fight to overcome the commission- ruled. ” controlled image for his major ------and I made a good selection, and I’m
ers' invalidation of the rollback peti- Bill Berka: “I don’t think that’s speech rallying Americans behind a„ . glad he 8 doing his job.
+ h 1096 plausible ” The taxpayers drive to win the battle against the President Bush is Vice President
gag- H®g. gs
Luna said the commissioners were said sanctions are involved. He wore the presidential uniformThe White House, incidentally, not tip your hand so early in the new national drug policy director
sued in their off io1 aranits on such occasions: a navy blue suit, a has a continuous supply of polls, same. William Bennett. The team acted in
Paciy' Glen Fest is a Daily Leader staffer. white shirt, and a patterned red tie. courtesy of the Republican National tandem, deferring to one another.
Letters to the Editor
Thanks for help,
say Boy Scouts
On July 22, while enjoying the play with his sister, or give a glance and carried her to shore. She was means that I get home about once
activities of the water sports at his when he wasn’t with her to see how scared and crying, but alright. every 10 to 14 days. My only means
dad’s company picnic, Alex, 10, per- she was doing even though mom was Nobody saw Lindsey go under the of getting home is my truck. I do not
formed an heroic act by saving his also watching. boat and without Alex s quick action have a local terminal nor are there
sister’s life (Lindsey age 5) and believing in what he felt, this any truck stops close by in which to
It was a quiet afternoon, with the , After a few hours of playing Alex summer could have been the worst leave it.
Texas sun burning down on the pic- glanced over to his sister and sh« summer of my life, but instead it
me atiities I ake Texoma A was holding onto the rubber boat. At made us very proud of our children. What I propose is that a space be
rnhhpr boat was exone with that particular moment she lost hold set aside for the truckers that live
====== ====== WF ======
play toy could determine the fate of energy, he ran (struggled) through sticker to place in our window or on
Play oV rouchest high water (about 10 feet to our truck and then ticket the rest.
5 the boat) screaming that his sister Trucker tells his side We live here, spend our money,
About 30 to 40 kids were in the was under it. Very few people gave : pay our taxes and volunteer our time
water at the time and some of the him notice until he was at the boat, 01 Parins issue in the community. We would like
parents were on the shore line telling the other kids to get off and To the Editor: very much to be able to come home
Methodist church on Paige and Av-
ery at 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Ann Grundy
Troop 226
Boy Scouts of America
To,the Editor:
Boy Scout Troop 226 would like to
thank Wal-Mart and Brookshires for
helping us with our Labor Day fun-
draiser. Stop ’N Go, 7-Eleven, Taco Watchful brother a
Bell, Taco Bueno, Wendy’s and father pride
McDonald’s also supplied us with ice P
for drink and snowcones and nap- To the Editor:
kins. Hot dogs for 25 cents were With the summer finally over, a
sold by 14 Boy Scouts Saturday, person looks back to review and ev-
Sunday and Monday. Funds raised aluate events that have affected
will go towards summer camp activi- one’s life, and in the process a per-
ties for the troop. son realizes what could have been
They’ve also voiced interest in .
traveling to a high adventure camp in
Florida, so you might see us again,
selling more hot dogs for 25 cents.
We meet on Monday at the dangerous situation.
Well, you thank God that it didn’t watching the younger kids. Alex was turning the ends up trying to find I would like to tell you my side of in our truck and be able to park with-
come about and for a son that was in the water with some of his new her. Then all hearts fell, there she parking in the community. out problems,
quick to react to a potentially found friends, but being a brother, was struggling to get out, but I earn my living as a long haul Roger L. Swiger Sr.
he would periodically go over and couldn’t. Alex quickly grabbed her driver. I do all 48 states, which The Colony
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Ball, Jeffrey. The Colony Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 44, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 20, 1989, newspaper, September 20, 1989; The Colony, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1666611/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Colony Public Library.