Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 091, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 2, 2010 Page: 4 of 10
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Viewpoints
Page 4 ■ Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
1—x Sweetwater 1
Reporter
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
325/236-6677
Fax: 325/235-4967
Website:
www.sweetwaterreporter.com
E-mail addresses:
publisher@sweetwaterreporter.com
business@sweetwaterreporter.com
advertising@sweetwaterreporter.com
circulation@swee1waterreporter.com
editor@sweetwaterreporter.com
composing@sweetwaterreporter.com
TA
MEMBER
2010
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
Sharon E. Rrfedander
publisSier/ad director
Danica Hickson
business mgr.
Michelle Ashford
circulation mgr.
Tadana Rodriguez
managing editor
Pablo Rodriguez
composing mgr.
Rleu Reyes
production mgr.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The edi torial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
those labeled "Editorials" reflect the opinions of the writ-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
Hamilton
GUEST COLUMN
Who s right?
God bless America, and how 's everybody?
Japan's media accused the U.S. Congress of unfairly
bashing Toyota executives on Wednesday. Overall Japan
broke even for the day. They kill a lot of people on U.S.
roads by making Toyotas but they save a lot of lives at
SeaWorld by harpooning whales.
Toyota's president Akio Toyoda
was subjected to a brutal grilling by
Democrats in Congress Wednesday. His
composure was remarkable. He did very
well considering this was the first time
he ever appeared before the board of a
rival car manufacturer.
Toyota officials told Congress they are
f 1 B working to fix the sticky accelerators
-v mkil and brake problems. They knew about
Amihc t'10 problem in Japan and they fixed it,
I Argus they knew about the problem in Europe
and they fixed it. An American car won't
admit it has a problem until somebody
hits it with a golf club and it starts to
lose endorsements.
SeaWorld in Orlando shut down on Wednesday after a
killer whale leaped out of the water and killed the trainer
as the audience watched in horror. These things happen
in show business. Nobody ever paid a nickel to watch
Casper the Friendly Whale.
ABC News president David Westin announced the
firing of three hundred ABC News employees. He said
the remaining eight hundred news staffers will have
to multi-task now. Diane Sawyer will read the evening
news and make coffee for the executives.
The White House began planning to set up a headquar-
ters in Chicago for the campaign to re-elect President
Obama. That's news. Last week he told ABC News he'd
rather be a good one-term president than a mediocre
two-term president but apparently he's changed his
mind.
Superman's debut in Action Comics drew a million-
dollar bid on Monday. It came out seventy-two years
ago. Today parents have to explain to kids what a phone
booth is and kids explain to parents why a flying man in
tights isn't interested in Lois Lane.
Archaeology Today reported the discovery of an
ancient wall in Jerusalem built by King Solomon. He
was hugely popular. King Solomon had hundreds of
mistresses and wives but he got away with it because he
never told his sponsors he was monogamous.
Charlie Sheen checked into rehab Thursday with four
episodes of Two and a Half Men still left to shoot for CBS
this season. The actor has an ironclad deal regarding his
production schedule. If shooting goes a minute overtime
he gets paid time and a fifth.
Tiger Wroods checked into a new clinic in Arizona
Monday. He went to a rehab in Mississippi to treat his
sex addiction, then to Arizona to deal with his prescrip-
tion drug use. After that he goes to New York City where
his next apology opens off-Broadway.
The White House backed a bill Friday giving ethnic
Hawaiians a share of public lands if they can prove their
pure Hawaiian blood. It's crazy. Why on earth would
President Obama back a bill that forces every Hawaiian
to produce a birth certificate?
Ole Miss got rid of Mississippi's Rebels nickname
Tuesday after they'd replaced the Plantation Owner
mascot. Not all the Confederacy's ideas turned out to be
bad. Here in the middle of a swine flu epidemic everyone
wants their own drinking fountain.
Argas Hamilton is the host comedian at The Comedy
Store in Hollywood. He can be reached for speaking
engagements by e-mail at argus@argiishamilton.com.
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I would like to compliment the Rolling Plains Memorial
Hospital and people associated with it. I have been in
the hospital several times and have received very good
treatment each time. In particular, I would like to praise
my local doctor, Dr. Frederick Kassis. He has helped me
through heart surgery and the aftermath, as well as a
number of other medical problems.
As a result of the heart surgery I have been going to the
hospital three times a week for cardiac rehab. The heart
rehab is a fantastic place. They are helping many people
to recover from heart procedures and quite frankly,
helping to keep them alive and healthy. The two that
oversee our exercises each time are Wes "Stafford and Jill
Adams. They make sure we are healthy enough to do the
exercises and keep an eye on us while we are exercising.
This program is a wonderful asset for Sweetwater and
the surrounding area. I should also praise Wes Bishop
and his staff for the wonderful job they are doing.
Thanks so much for all you have done for me.
Clifton Carter
Sweetwater
THE GREEN TEAM
Hie Shape 01 a tree
Have you ever wondered
about the shapes of partic-
ular trees? Have you ever
noticed a tree that has a
really crooked trunk push-
ing the whole canopy of the
plant off in a direction away
from its base and wondered
why it grew like that?
While there are several
things that can influence
trees to grow crooked, or
at angles, the usual culprit
is very basic and simple. In
most cases, it comes down
to sunlight. Steady prevail-
ing winds will have some
influence on tree shape but
the search for either direct
sunlight, or just the right
amount of sunlight is what
causes plants to grow and
expand in different direc-
tions. A tree that is grow-
ing alone without any com-
petition will usually grow
equally in all directions and
also In height. It's not so
much that this particular
example is growing straight
because that is a good shape
as much as it is just growing
equally in every direction
because the light it craves
is available all of the way
around and above.
The shape of a tree or
other plant being influenced
by the search for light is
called a phototropic reac-
tion. In the arborist world,
we usually use or think
of that term when we are
discussing trees that have
grown out of shade and
towards light. The reality
is though, that the "normal
shape" of a tree is equally
a phototropic reaction. In
that case it is a reaction
to having equal, even, and
adequate light.
Trees need approx. six-
teen micro and macronu-
trients to live and grow
and these elements come
to plants in a passive man-
ner. Just as trees have to
sit still and take whatever
happens to them, they also
have to stay in place and
make do with the minerals
that exist on site or come
to them. The only method
that plants have to better
their chances of gathering
enough or more of these
nutrients is to grow exten-
sive root systems and put
on abundant foliage. Light
is a little bit of a different
story though. While all of
the required nutrients are
absolutely essential, sun-
light is the very base force
of the photosynthetic pro-
cess and plants seek it out
by growing towards it.
Often, we refer to this
as growing away from the
shade. That is actually
incorrect. Plants don't grow
away from shade, they grow
towards a light source. If a
tree or some other plant that
would normally grow in full
sun is completely shaded,
it will not be able to grow
towards a light source that
it can't detect. A sun loving
plant in these conditions
will do one of two things, it
will either live a stunted life
growing very slowly if at all,
or decline and die.
Some plants are good at
hanging on until the larger
plants around them die and
open them up to sunlight.
At that point they would
take off and in turn over-
shadow the smaller plants
around them. This process
is what causes a slow spe-
cies change in natural for-
ests.
Many species of plants
and trees do have a geneti-
cally determined shape that
they would prefer to grow
into. I think it's safe to say
that most of us are famil-
iar with the thick spread-
ing canopy of oaks and the
upright tapered look of
pines. While almost all spe-
cies of plant have this gen-
eral form that they strive
for, their ideal shape only
happens in the presence of
adequate light.
Most of the time when
we are dealing with these
issues in a landscape, what
we are trying to do is pre-
vent the need for plants to
grow towards light. Usually
if we have planted or are
going to plant something,
we would like it to attain it's
normal adult shape and live
a long and happy life. To
get this result, we have to
make sure that plants aren't
growing into or above each
other. As the largest plants
with the thickest canopies
are usually trees, what we
are talking about here is
tree trimming or in extreme
cases, removal.
There are instances where
this reaction can be used
to advantage. I recommend
against cluster oak trees
because of the problems
they develop at the trunk
as they mature, but the rea-
son that they develop such
a large impressive canopy
is because the trunks lean
away from each other and
form a very large tight cano-
py with each trunk filling all
the area it can snatch from
its brothers. By the way, the
trunk problem can be elimi-
nated. Planting multiple
single trunk trees within a
few feet of each other will
give the cluster effect with-
out all of the health issues
that a true cluster tree is
doomed to suffer.
When you look at the
plants in your yard and
think about how you would
want them to look and be
shaped, remember to con-
sider the sun they do or
don't get. Working with the
shape and layout of plants
and not considering the
sun is a frustrating, losing
battle.
The next KWKC Green
Team workshop will be
titled Final Spring Prep
and will be held 2 P.M.
February 27th at Willow
Creek Gardens, 1820 South
Treadaway, in Abilene. The
Green Team will also have
a booth at the Big Country
Home and Garden Expo.
March 6th and 7th at the
Abilene Civic Center. Come
visit us at both of these
events.
If you have any land-
scaping, landscape main-
tenance, or tree questions
you would like answered in
this column, submit them
care of editor@sweetwa-
terreporter.com or info@
Broken Willow, com.
The KWKC Green Team
is made up of Bruce Kreitler
(Broken Willow Tree Service
325 675 6794 or info@
BrokenWillow.com) Adam
Andrews (Willow Creek
Design and Landscape 325
673 2329 or Willow Creek
Gardens 325 676 3616)
and Stephen Myers (Steele
Myers Landscaping 325
673 7478). Catch them on
KWKC 1340 Saturdays at
noon.
£
The KWKC Green Team is made up of Adam Andrews, Stephen Myers and Bruce Kreitler. Catch them on KWKC
1340 Saturdays at noon. If you have any landscaping, landscape maintenance, or tree questions you would like
answered in this column, submit them care of editor fl>weetw aterrep0rter.com or info@BrokenWillow.com.
GUEST COLUMN
Child support evader John Lowry
Attorney General Greg
Abbott needs your help locat-
ing Child Support Evader
John Lowry, one of the
Most Wanted Child Support
Evaders in Texas. Lowry, who
was added to the Child
Support Evader list in
December 2004, owes
$72,403 for the care of
two daughters, ages 15
and 16; and a son, age
12.
The parents divorced
in 2002 and Lowry was
ordered to pay $657 per
month in child support.
Lowry, who had the abil-
ity to make his payments,
did not follow the court's
order to support his chil-
dren financially.
As a result ofhis noncompli-
ance, the Office ofthe Attorney
General filed a legal action to
compel Lowry's adherence to
the order. The enforcement
hearing was set for October
2003, and an arrest warrant
was issued after Lowry, who
received proper notice, failed
to appear.
Lowiy has never followed
the terms ofhis child support
order. His last partial pay-
ment of $83 was made more
than eight years ago. By refus-
ing to provide the financial
resources his son and daugh-
ters need, Lowry has turned
his back on his children and
violated the law. A combi-
nation of missed payments
and interest that accrues on
unpaid child support adds
up to $72,000 in
unpaid child sup-
port Lowry now
owes.
Investigators
from the Attorney
General's Office
have searched the
state for Lowry.
His last known
address was in
San Antonio, TX.
He may be work-
ing for cash or
self employed to
avoid garnishment
of wages to pay child sup-
port. Contact the Attorney
General's Office at (866)
EVADERS (382-3377) to
report information that may
lead to the arrest of John
Lowry.
Last Address: San
Antonio, TX
Occupation:
Uph olste ry/Wi 11 dsliield
Repair
Bom: 10/28/59
Height: 5V"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Color of Eyes: Brown
Color of Hair: Brown
Greg
Abbott
Race: Caucasian
Texas law requires the
Office of the Attorney General
to publicly identify certain
parents who are delinquent in
the payment of child support.
The Child Support Evaders
are selected because they have
the ability to take responsi-
bility for their children but
refuse to do so. Incarceration
is the only option for parents
who repeatedly ignore court
orders to pay child support.
The Attorney General's Office
helps parents who lack the
ability to pay child support by
referring them to job training
and employment services.
Visit the agency's Web site
www.texasattorneygeneral.
gov to find out about other
Child Support Evaders, and
to obtain information about
the Attorney General's Child
Support Division.
Greg Abbott is the Attorney
General of Texas. Comments
about this column may be
e-mailed to editor@sweet-
waterreporter.com.
The SWEETWATER REPORTER
(USPS 5300-860) is published daily
except Saturdays and holidays by HPC
of Texas Inc. (Periodical Postage Paid)
112 W. 3rd, Sweetwater, Texas 79556
Postmaster: Send address changes to:
SWEETWATER REPORTER
P.O. BOX 750.
SWEETWATER, TX 79556
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per year, 6-months $50.00, 3-months
$26.00. By mail In-County Rates
3-months $36.00, 6-months $65.00,
12-months $115.00. Out-Of-County
Rates 3-months $50.00, 6-months
$88.00, 12-months $140.00.
Correction Policy
Editorial:
As a matter of policy, the
Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
The corrections will be
made as soon as possible
after the error has been
brought to the attention of
the newspaper's editor at
236-6677.
Advertising:
Publisher reserves the right
to reject, edit or cancel any
advertising at any time with-
out liability. Publisher's liabil-
ity for error is limited to the
amount paid for advertising.
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V
__ Sweetwater
Reporter
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 091, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 2, 2010, newspaper, March 2, 2010; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth229105/m1/4/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.