The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 116, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 24, 2006 Page: 3 of 44
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THE CANADIAN RECORD
THURSDAY 24 AUGUST 2QQG
3
State Capital
Highlights
Bali Sterling
TmSPMSSmBEIMIOH
AUSTIN—Mercury, the liquid metal and not the planet clos-
est to the sun, has been topping 105 degrees over much of the
state in recent days. Fortunate folks don't seem too worried
about the heat as long as they can flick a switch and cool air
comes-a-flowing.
And flick their switches they did on Aug. 17. Enough Tex-
ans ran their air conditioners to set an energy-use record dur-
ing one of the hottest hours of the day: 4 to 5 p.m. During that
short period, Texans used 63,056 megawatts of power, eclips-
ing a record set one month earlier, the Electric Regulatory
Council of Texas reported.
Kinky unveils Texas energy plan
Continuing on the subject of energy, Kinky Friedman on
Aug. 16 made public his energy-generation goal for Texas.
The independent gubernatorial candidate said he "aims to
reverse the state's current position as a net importer of ener-
gy by expanding existing development of renewable energies
while systematically improving conventional power genera-
tion in Texas."
Friedman said "Texas has the resources to be self-suffi-
cient. We have enormous solar, wind and biofuel capabilities.
What we lack is leadership."
Public education ratings improve
The Texas Education Agency reports 87 percent of Tex-
as school disti'icts made what is termed "adequate yearly
progress" under an evaluation system created by President
George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.
The "AYP" formula calls for measurable annual achieve-
ment objectives for all students, racial and ethnic groups, eco-
nomically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities,
and students with limited English proficiency.
That's an improvement. Last year, 78 percent of the state's
nearly 8,000 campuses made adequate yearly progress.
"While this is a strong performance," said Education.Com-
missioner Shirley Neeley, "the No Child Left Behind Act re-
quires all campuses and districts to meet increasing adequate
yearly progress targets through 2014, so we must continue to
improve performance levels."
Child support collections are up
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced that child
support his office collected topped $2 billion with 15 days re-
maining in the state fiscal year that ends Aug. 31. This year's
collections exceed last year's by $140 million. Abbott's staff is
on target to collect more than $7 billion since he took office in
December 2002.
State's bonds earn high rating
Texas sells tax revenue anticipation notes every year to
meet its financial obligations from Sept. 1, the beginning of
the new fiscal year, until tax revenues hit the coffers.
Wall Street has a high level of confidence in those notes.
Comptroller Carole Keeton Stray horn announced the
state received the highest ratings for its short-term notes
from bond rating firms Standard & Poor, Moody's Investor
Service and Fitch Inc.
High bond ratings mean lower interest rates, and lower in-
terestrates mean decreased debt service costs.
"The money from the sale of these notes helps the school-
children of Texas by funding sehool districts at the beginning
of the School year," Strayhorn said.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Past gives substance
to the present
AFTER READING THE MOST RECENT
round of letters regarding the WCTU library,
I would like to offer a final response.
Some apparently would banish forever the
last trace of creativity and initiative for your
County Judge and make this position bereft
of new and novel ideas. To this I say, what nar-
row vision. In our political system, govern-
ment is subordinate to the will of the people.
I happen to believe that an effective Coun-
ty Judge is a leader who in the course of public
business should be attentive to this general
will. As a custodian of public trust however,
the County Judge must also consider the
needs of the future. Do We ignore our past?
Not so, for the past defines and gives sub-
stance and meaning to our present; the past
represents the collective culture and heritage
that we hope to pass on to our children.
Why then you might ask, has a reasonably
informed member of our community adopted
a eontrarianviewon the WGTU library issue?
I know that this is not very popular.
To my way of thinking, the WCTU library
Controversy should not be about getting a
refurbished WCTU building on the cover of
Texas Monthly, the Architectural Digest, or
in other ways bringing fame to our commu-
nity. This discussion should not even be about
the preservation of the WCTU building. This
discussion should be about a larger and much
more important issue. One that I haven't
heard expressed, or if so, not very loudly.
This issue to which I refer, is the informa-
tion needs of our children: the library and
its role in our community, not the manner of
building that will house the library.
I think that the grand old ladies of the
WCTU may indeed be looking down at us,
and if so with worry. I don't think that they
are very much concerned about whether we
remake the WCTU building into a mausole-
um in their honor. I do not think that this is
what they would want at all. I think that they
just might want to whisper in our ears, "Look
after your children's needs, this is what is im-
portant."
Our library discussion should not be about
buildings and monuments, it should be about
what is best for our children, grand children,
and hopefully great grandchildren.
For the record, I care not one whit wheth-
er we house our county library in the WCTU
building, the city hall, or some other edifice.
What I care about and so should you, are not
monuments with their ephemeral architec-
tural beauty, but issues of substance—such
as the needs of our children, for they are
primary beneficiaries of the librax-y and are
Leave it alone
I WANT TO ADD a "Please leave the WCTU
building alone." Even though it's been many
years since I left Canadian, I have such fond
memories. I went to the library at least three
times a week for my mother. I played for Ro-
tary Club and WCTU meetings. I used to walk
the rails while waiting for my dad—Dave Ray-
the future of our
County.
As an adult, I
have a personal li-
brary of thousands
of volumes that
meet my unique
needs and that won-
der of the ages., high speed internet. These
tools, however can be unwieldy to aceess and I
believe that children benefit most from read-
ily indexed materials, carefully assembled in
content by thoughtful adults.
Of course, our library should also cater to
the needs of the adultpopulation, but I believe
that their needs are subordinate in this mat-
ter to those of our children.
Can we create such a place in the WCTU
building? Undoubtedly. The question is, can
we create a better facility elsewhere, a facil-
ity more attuned not only to our present needs
but with the potential for expansion, chang-
ing information needs, and technology, that
the future may require?
Given the funding time line for renovation
and/or creation of a new library building, it
would appear that your next County Judge
will work with this issue. Should I be elected
to this position, I shall put the needs of our
children and their children first in this mat-
ter, ahead of the needs of any main street ar-
chitectural beauty committee.
This does not mean that I shall not con-
sider renovation of the WCTU building as a
library, especially as new information will be-
come available with time that may help each
of us better make a studied decision on this
issue. This does not mean that I would want
an ugly new library building that doesn't fit in
our community,
It does mean however, that in order to sup-
port renovation of the WCTU building for a
library, I must be convinced that a second ma-
jor WCTU "renovation" will last our commu-
nity for Say, the next 100 years, rather than
the 20 years that have elapsed following the
previous major renovation.
Should the collective wisdom at this future
time indicate that our best choice is to con-
struct a new library building, I shall be the
first to welcome the creativity of the Abra-
hams and all interested others, and work with
them to insure as well, a renovation of the
WCTU building that captures its full glory
in order to better redefine its new role in the
lives of the citizens of Hemphill County.
Let us ask ourselves what Mrs. Barker
and her worthy predecessors would want us
to do; what their priorities for our community
would be. I submit that they might say, "Mind
the needs of your children. Our reputation
does not rest upon monuments."
STEVE VANDIVER
mond—to get through work at the depot. I live
in a town that has torn down every landmark
and it makes me sad—so please preserve
what you do have. My paper was past the vot-
ing time so I hope the next issue brings good
news.
JEANETTE RAYMOND
HUTCHINSON, Kearney, NE
OUR POLICY
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Brown, Laurie Ezzell. The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 116, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 24, 2006, newspaper, August 24, 2006; Canadian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth220746/m1/3/?q=1980.005.121: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hemphill County Library.