Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 113, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 28, 2010 Page: 4 of 18
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Viewpoints
Page A4 ■ Sunday, March 28, 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
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publisher@sweetwaterreporter.com
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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 editorial 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,
Nelson
GUEST COUIMN
March school
board meeting
The HISD board of trustees met for their regular
monthly meeting on March 23rd. Randy Leonard, con-
struction superintendent, gave an update on Phase 1
construction. Roofing materials have been delivered and
roof installation should begin on or before March 29.
Drywall installation will start as soon
as the building is weather-tight. The
project is still on schedule for comple-
tion before school starts in August.
Architect Joe Grimes presented
final drawings for Phase 2 of the con-
struction project for the board's con-
sideration and approval. The draw-
ings will be released for bids by the
end of March. Bids will be awarded in
April, and construction will begin in
June. In Phase 2, the remainder of the
GUV 1937 building will be demolished and
replaced with seven new classrooms
and new campus administration offic-
es. Portions of the 1982 building addi-
tion will be remodeled as well.
In other action, the board adopted TASB Local Policy
Update 87, discussed the 2010-11 budget, and re-
employed all classroom teachers for the 2010-11 school
year.
School Health Advisory Council
Highland's SHAC (School Health Advisory Council)
consists of five parents and two school employees. The
Council is a diverse group with positive input and ideas,
and takes an active interest in the total health and well-
ness of students, staff and community. Donna Stewart
(SHAC Chair and Elementary Principal), presented a
report to the HISD board on SHAC activities.
The Council is organizing a spring Health Week for
April 19-23. A variety of activities are planned for stu-
dents, parents, teachers and community. Students will
keep a food diary, an activity diary and parents will be
given information regarding healthy food choices for
students. A screening will be held for vision, hearing,
cholesterol and blood pressure for staff, parents and
community. A presentation on how to deal with stress
will be held for all interested. There will be two evening
activities: a Dance for Diabetes involving all K-5 stu-
dents and a Family Walk night.
The council has recommended student education on
Hygiene for grades 3-5, Puberty and Sexual Changes
for grade 5 and Healthy Relationships for appropriate
grades. The school is in the process of scheduling these
programs.
Highland faculty was surveyed regarding wellness
needs. From this survey, the council is organizing a
"Hall Walkers" program for adults to walk after school
hours and is scheduling health screenings and health
presentations for staff.
Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS)
testing
TAKS testing for 2009-10 continues on April 6 with
5th and 8th grade Math and April 7 with 5th and 8th
grade Reading. Fifth and eighth grade students must
pass the TAKS Math and Reading exams to be promoted
to the next grade.
Guy Nelson is the Superintendent at Highland
Independent School District. Comments about this col-
umn may be e-mailed to editor@sweetwaterreporter.
com.
letter to the Editor Policy
The Sweetwater Reporter welcomes Letters to the
Editor for possible publication in the newspaper. A let-
ter must be original, signed by the writer and bear the
address and phone number of the writer. Only the name
and the city will be published with the letter, but the
phone number and address are necessary for verifica-
tion or clarification of content.
The Sweetwater Reporter reserves the right to edit
all letters. If deemed derogatory, libelous, unclear or
for other reasons determined by the newspaper to be
unwise to print, it will not be used.
It is the feeling of the newspaper that an unsigned
letter has little meaning, and thus it will not publish
anonymous letters to the editor.
During elections, the Sweetwater Reporter will accept
Letters to the Editor discussing the issues or offering
endorsements. However, the deadline for letters during
elections will be two weeks prior to election day.
The publishing of Letters to the Editor are offered
by the newspaper to the community for expression of
personal views on matters of concern. Residents are
encouraged to use the column in a constructive man-
ner, sharing their views on subjects of interest with the
newspaper's readers.
OTPOURRI
Who let the dog bite
Our weather is moder
ating and spring is in the
air. After weeks of tem-
peratures and winds not
conducive to out-
door activity, peo-
ple are headed out
again. The next sign
of spring that will
be seen around the
County Attorney's
Office will be com-
plaints concerning
biting dogs.
It has always
been - and con-
tinues to be - my
position that, unless
it is actively work-
ing in the immedi-
ate presence of its owner,
no dog should be loose.
Most cases of dog bites are
avoidable by the animals'
owner. Under certain cir-
cumstances, any dog with
teeth will bite, and even
small ones can inflict seri-
ous bodily injury or cause
death. An owner who
says otherwise is mistak-
en. Of the twelve people
(approximately) who die
from dog attacks each
year in the United States,
most fully believe that the
dog in question will not
harm them. The trial of
the owner of the Presa
Canari responsible for the
death of Diane Whipple
is a prime example. In
her testimony, the owner
expressed continuing dis
belief that her dog could
do this deed. As the ver-
dict showed, the jury was
convinced, not only that
the dog could kill, but that
the owner was responsible
for its actions, even to the
point of a murder convic-
tion.
The California trial is
one of the first, if not the
first, times a person has
been convicted of assault
or murder as a result of
the actions of a dog, espe-
cially when the dog did not
have a record of having
bitten before. It is prob-
ably a solid prediction of
the direction our laws and
communities are heading*
ownership of a dog carries
responsibility for anything
the animal does when
outside its home or yard.
The facts in that case indi-
cated that the dog was in
the common area of an
apartment building, and
that neither its owner not
property were threatened.
The owner of a loose dog,
one being walked that is a
threat to others (the dog
BOUT RIGHT
lisa
Peterson
in the criminal case was
on leash when the attach
occurred) or one that the
owner is not strong enough
to control needs
to be aware that
there may be both
civil and criminal
responsibility as
a result of the
dogs' actions.
With that said,
there are steps
that can help pre-
vent bites; things
that children as
well as adults
need to know.
It is possible
to avoid being a
dog bite statistic. First,
never approach a dog
without the approval of
the owner. Medications,
health problems, the pres-
ence of puppies and sev-
eral other things can alter
the temperament of a dog
you think you know. Even
if you, or your child, has
been friendly with the dog
in the past, double check
with the owner before pet-
ting it. There are many
medications and health
conditions that can turn a
normally sociable animal
surly.
When approached by
a strange dog, be calm.
Whether you like dogs
or not, whether it seems
friendly or not, agitation
on your part will increase
the likelihood of the dog
responding with aggres-
sion. Some authorities
recommend that children
and people afraid of dogs
learn to "be a tree". By
standing perfectly still with
their arms at their sides,
they do not appear to be
a threat. By closing their
eyes, they are more likely
to remain calm, helping to
defuse the situation.
Never run from a dog.
The laziest lapdog traces
its heritage to an animal
that caught other ani-
mals to satisfy its hunger.
Called the "prey drive",
the instinct to chase any-
thing that runs still exists
- hence the wonderful
chases dogs have with cats!
When anything, including
a person, runs from a dog,
the prey drive kicks in and
inhibitions about biting
disappear. Rapidly rais-
ing your hands from your
sides in an effort to fend
off the dog has a similar
effect. The dog follows
your hands, resulting in
it jumping up and often
knocking the person to
the ground. This creates
another dangerous situa-
tion.
When knocked to the
ground by a dog, the smart
move is to curl into a ball
and be perfectly still. This
helps protect the throat
and abdomen. By placing
the hands over the face
and curling inward, this
highly vulnerable area is
protected. Research has
shown that, if the person
remains still and quiet,
few dogs will continue the
attack.
Many otherwise docile
dogs are unintentionally
encouraged to attack by
an unwitting person look-
ing into their eyes in an
attempt to "stare them
down". This is a challenge
to most breeds, and a dog
that does not respect you
will accept that challenge.
Obviously, disturbing a
dog that is eating, drink-
ing, or caring for puppies
should not be disturbed.
Any person bitten by
a dog needs to contact
law enforcement. There
is still a rabies quaran-
tine in effect in Texas,
making it important to
insure that the dog has
been properly vaccinated.
Tetanus shots may also
be needed. In most cases,
law enforcement will take
the steps allowed by law
to prevent this from hap-
pening again.
Dog bites are traumatic
for both the victim and
the owner - and can be
fatal to both dog and
victim. Following these
suggestions (and keeping
dogs under control!) can
help avert a serious con-
frontation.
Lisa Peterson is the
County Attorney for
Nolan County. Comments
about this column may
be e-mailed to editor@
sweet water reporter.
com.
A YoTitfe BooTH
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Quilting and crochet
When we see old quilts
and crocheted things that
Granny or Aunt Mabel
made a long time ago, we
marvel over the time that
was spent on them, lots of
time. We shake our heads
in wonder. How
did they have so
much time? Well,
there has to be an
answer and some
answers are quite
simple if you take
a deep breath and
jump off in them.
Way back when it
was fairly common
to have a radio,
okay, the quilting
and crochet could
still go on because
you could listen to
it and still quilt or
crochet. Then the bi;
eyed instrument of t
Stan
Johnson
one-
le old
red spike-tailed pitchfork-
carrying devil himself
appeared. Its name was
television. In a few short
years it had invaded virtu-
ally all homes and then
offices, lobbies and now-
even vehicles. It's every-
where, all the time. As the
years went by, television
became more available
and more affordable. All
too soon, though, we left
behind such favorite pro-
grams as General Electric
Theatre, Perry Mason,
Andy Griffith, High
Chaparral, Big Valley,
Guns moke, Rawhide,
Maverick, Hondo, The
Rifleman, YancyDerringer,
The Twilight Zone, and Ed
Sullivan. As these showed
a letup in popularity, the
answer from the networks
to keep us watching was
more stations and more
trash and more and more
and more... You can't get
a lot of quilting done while
you're watching this stuff.
Then we jumped over
into cell phones. I'm an
old fogey and not usually a
frontrunner, but I
did get a cell phone
in September of
1994. I still have
the same low num-
ber. We all had a
sixty-minute talk
plan per month—
wow! I remember
one month I talked
seven minutes. But
then the other day
I talked to one of
my friends for fifty-
one minutes! Hey,
we don't talk very
often and I even
let him do some of the
talking. We wouldn't have
got much quilting done.
Now this texting deal has
come along .... an abso-
lute madness. I don't do
that, but it goes on around
me all the time. Then
the other night Frances's
phone made a real strange
sound like that might be its
final noise forever. I asked
about it and she said, "Oh,
that means somebody's
sent a picture Good
lord!
Recently I decided to cut
way down on my televi-
sion watching, although I
didn't watch it much any-
way. I read where men who
watch Fox or CNN news
have higher blood pres-
sure than men who don't.
I figured it was worth a
try. March 4 was my last
day of watching television
regularly and 1 decided not
to keep up with anything I
usually watch. I've seen
a couple of things since
then, but that's all. One
night a friend called and
said "Undercover Boss"
was going to be at a horse-
racing track so I watched
that. And the night we had
a loud storm I saw Weather
on the 8's one time. I real-
ize now that I have so
much more reading and
writing time. Apparently it
just takes more time than
seems possible to watch "a
little" television.
Please understand,
I'm not saying people
shouldn't watch televi-
sion. Even a lot if they're
inclined to. Everyone "has
the same amount of time
in a day and I just decided
I had to give up something
in order to have more time
for other things. Since
I'm not really "computer
literate" (even though I
have my own computer)
it wouldn't get me much
time if I gave that up. I do
know I'd probably spend
more time on a computer
if I could work one better.
I know Granny and
Aunt Mabel did a stag-
gering amount of work,
what with the way they
washed, ironed, cooked,
canned, cleaned and kept
flowers and a vegetable
garden growing. If they'd
had television, telephones,
cell phones and comput-
ers, they might not have
left us all these beautiful
quilts and crochet work.
P. S. It's concerning to
me when I realize that
technology may be the
new religion.
© Stan Johnson 2010
Stan Johnson lives and
works in Nolan County.
Comments about this col-
umn can be emailed to edi-
tor@sweetwaterreporter.
com.
The SWEETWATER REPORTER
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except Saturdays and holidays by HPC
of Texas Inc. (Periodical Postage Paid)
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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.
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V
__ Sweetwater
Reporter
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 113, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 28, 2010, newspaper, March 28, 2010; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth229125/m1/4/?q=1980.005.121: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.