Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 107, Ed. 1 Friday, March 18, 2011 Page: 5 of 12
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Life
Sweetwater Reporter
Friday, March 18, 2011 ■ Page 5
Little given Sweet
Tater award
*
The Southeast Elementary "Sweet Tater" Award for the month of February
was awarded to Christy Little. She is always ready to lend a helping hand wher-
ever she is needed.
Annie's Mailbox
1RI
BY KATHY MITCHELL AND MARCY SUGAR
Dear
j Annie: My
neighbor
| "Linda" has
been single
and lonely for years. A
few months ago, she told
me that she was commu-
nicating with a man she
met on a personals web-
site. I was initially happy
to hear this, but quickly
changed my mind.
Over the past few
weeks, Linda has told me
they have lengthy phone
conversations every day,
although they haven't
met. He originally told
her he lived nearby but
travels a lot on business.
Now she says they will
meet as soon as he gets
home, but that keeps get-
ting delayed.
I am positive this guy
is a con man, but noth-
ing I say convinces her.
I don't know if Linda has
already given him money,
because every time I bring
it up, she gets angry. Will
you please share with
your readers the dangers
of these romance scams?
— Concerned Friend
Dear Concerned:
We don't know f this
guy is taking money
from Linda or if
he's simply a mar-
ried man, but we
agree that something
doesn't seem right. A
legit romance allows
you not only to meet
each other in a public
place, but to be intro-
duced to family and
friends. A man who
finds excuses to avoid
meeting you is hiding
something. One who
never lets you meet
his friends or rela-
tives is probably mar-
ried. And asking for
a loan is completely
off limits until a gen-
uine commitment is
in place.
You cannot protect
Linda from her own
risky impulses, but
you can warn her that
not all such relation-
ships are honest and
tell her you hope she
will be careful.
Dear Annie: Two of
my daughter's friends
are joining us in plan-
ning a party for her 30th
birthday. The invita-
tion they printed states
"Please bring $37 cash
per person for the meal.
Alcoholic beverages will
be an additional cost.
Following dinner there
will be a party at one of
the local bars which will
require more money for
drinks."
I have always been
under the impression
that the hosts pay for the
party. I told the other
two hosts that if I ever
received an invitation like
that, I would not attend.
Am I just old-fashioned?
Is this the way things are
done now? — Confused
Mother
Dear Confused: The
hosts should pay for
the party. Otherwise,
they are setting a
price for the others
without consulting
them, which is both
rude and inconsider-
ate. Unfortunately,
many young people
are unaware of this
custom and see no
reason to follow it.
We recommend you
bow out of this par-
ticular responsibility
and let your daugh-
ter's friends throw
whatever party they
choose. You can
attend and be billed
like all the others.
Dear Annie: I strong-
ly disagree with your
response to "Thrown for
a Loop," whose husband
is meeting "Mary," a for-
mer co-worker, for occa-
sional lunches. Now the
wife is moving out. You
said she is overreacting.
I think that devalues
her fears. Possibly, he
does miss his job and
wants to keep up with
office gossip. But if it's
so innocent, why did he
keep it a secret from his
wife? How humiliating to
have found out about the
lunches from friends.
He doesn't have to
be having sex with this
woman for it to be hurt-
ful and devastating to his
marriage. And, if Mary
is signing her e-mails,
"Love, Mary," it's obvious
she is hoping for more
than lunch. I think Bill
enjoys the attention from
his former co-worker
and the thrill of meet-
ing her without his wife's
knowledge. — Hope You
Rethink Your Answer
Dear Hope: You are
right that the husband
should not be hiding
these lunches from
his wife, and we said
so. But it seems an
overreaction for the
wife to simply walk
out on her marriage
instead of seeking
counseling or work-
ing on other ways to
remedy the situation.
And we will stand by
that.
Annie 'sMailboxis writ-
ten by Kathy Mitchell
and Marcy Sugar, long-
time editors of the Ann
Landers column. Please
e-mail your questions
to anniesmailbox@com-
cast.net, or write to:
Annie's Mailbox, c/o
Creators Syndicate, 5777
W. Century Blvd., Ste.
700, Los Angeles, CA
90045. To find out more
about Annie's Mailbox
and read features by
other Creators Syndicate
writers and cartoon-
ists, visit the Creators
Syndicate Web page at
www.creators.com.
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Some spring breakers in
Texas do volunteer work
VIRGINIA SANDOVAL
Brownsville Herald
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) - There
were no beads, no bikinis but certainly
lots of gardening at an Alternative Spring
Break event organized by the Center for
Civic Engagement.
In a wee when many students are hit-
ting the beach to party, others are choos-
ing to stay in Brownsville.
The "alternative" events are gaining
the attention of many students within
the community who are eager to serve
and give back.
Th is is the Center for Civic Engagement's
eighth yeai of organizing Alternative
Spring Break.
On Wednesday morning, 40 students
representing the center and other orga-
nizations, among them Keep Brownsville
Beautiful, Sigma Psi Delta and the uni
versity's Aspire Club, joined forces with
Rio Bravo Wildlife to plant "learning
gardens" at Lincoln Park on University
Boulevard.
Rio Bravo Wildlife Program coordina-
tor S. Grady Deaton admired the work of
the students
"I think they're our heroes," he said.
"When I see more people volunteering,
taking more time out when they could
be at the beach, I applaud them. And we
couldn't see this project through without
the effort of volunteers. I hope they all
feel a sense of ownership in this project
because it's a Brownsville project. . It's
our money. It's our park."
Rio Bravo Wildlife, with the sponsor-
ship of Wal-Mart, is directing several
park projects for the Alternative Spring
Break volunteers. The Lincoln Park effort
is directed at utilizing the nature center
and the bird blind built some time ago
but not used to their full potential
Deaton stressed the impact of the vol-
unteers on this particular project.
'Really what we're doing here at this
urban ecology center is not reinventing
the wheel. ] s taking tax dollars and city
budget that was spent on something and
really continuing to follow that vision,"
he said. "We're just trying to see that
mission all the way through."
Wednesday's event was just one
out of three that the Center for Civic
Engagement offered students for their
service.
Brenda Gallegos, a junior accounting
major, was one of those participating.
She said she spent her Tuesday after-
noon fellowshipping with the e lerly at
the Good Samaritan Nursing Home on
Paredes Line Road.
The students played bingo and other
games with those n the nursing home
and created friendships with them.
Gallegos said the event was fun and
was a great chance to give back.
On Wednesday, she was busy shovel-
ing away, planting gardens that will ben-
efit boti :he park and communi
"I really like volunteering," Gallegos
said. "Every time I see an e-mail or an
opportunity :o volunteer, I come.. That's
just me. I like to volunteer and contrib-
ute to the community."
jallegos said she knew that most peo-
ple were at South Padre Island but this
week was a chance to do something more
with her time.
She challenged other teens saying, "It's
their community and they sho d be
active. If they think there's a change that
needs to be done, then they shoulc stand
up and do something about it."
Waco-area woman accused
in husband's 2008 death
WACO, Texas (AP) - A
Central Texas woman has
been charged with the 2008
death of her husband in
an alleged murder-for-hire
case.
McLennan County Jail
records showed 65-year-
old Joyce Sturdivant of
Robinson was held Thursday
on $1 million bond. A grand
jury Wednesday indicted
Sturdivant on capital mur-
der and attempted capital
murder charges.
Joe Sturdivant Jr. was
found shot to death in
October 2008.
Special prosecutor Guy
Cox says Joyce Sturdivant
told police she returned
home and discovered the
body of her 68-year-old
spouse.
Cox says two men weeks
earlier accepted money from
the woman, but never car-
ried out her alleged killing
request. He didn't elaborate.
Defense attorney Jason
Darling did not immediately
return a message Thursday
from The Associated Press.
Darling previously said he
did not expect Sturdivant's
indictment or arrest.
Defense tries to save dad
convicted of killing son
GALVESTON, Texas
(AP) — Attorneys for a
Southeast Texas man con-
victed of capita murder
in the 2008 death of his
3-month-old son are trying
to demonstrate he was the
product of an extremely
dysfunctional family back-
ground rife with neglect
and sexual abuse in an
effort to spare him from
the Texas death chamber.
Galveston County pros-
ecutors are seeking the
death penalty agains
Travis James Mullis, 24, of
Alvin for the sexual assault
and stomping death of his
son, Alijah. Jurors' only
alternative is life impris-
onment without parole.
Mullis was convicted
Friday. Passers-by found
the child's diaper-clad body
on a remote berm near
Galveston's East Beach.
Mullis had fled to the
East Coast, where he sur-
rendered to Philadelphia
police.
Defense attorneys
began calling witnesses
Wednesday, and they were
expected to present more
witnesses on Thursday.
Court-appointed defense
investigator Gina Vitale
told jurors Wednesday that
Mullis' mother neglected
him, visiting him only 10
times in the first 71 days
after his birth, until he was
adopted upon her death
by her half-brother. That
uncle later went to pris-
on for sexually molesting
Mullis when he was 6.
Vitale told the jury of
five men and seven women
that from the age of 4.
Travis Mullis was treated
for homicidal and suicidal
behavior. By the time the
molestation by his uncle
was discovered, Vitale was
13 and sent to a Maryland
school for troubled juve-
niles until he was 17.
Before the defense began
presenting its case, prose-
cution witnesses complet-
ed their portrait of Mullis
as a twisted, violent man.
Police have said Mullis
admitted to stomping
on his son's head to stop
the baby from crying.
Test samples taken from
the baby's body showed
the child had been sexu-
ally assaulted first, Texas
Department of Public
Safety DNA analyst Tanya
Dean testified.
Prosecutors showed
jurors pictures Tuesday
of jail cell ATitings that
included a list of le ini-
tials of 62 people they said
Mullis felt had mistreated
him. Galveston County jail
officials also told of a sui
cide attempt Mullis said
was bred of desperation to
:mpt
ofde
get out of jail.
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 107, Ed. 1 Friday, March 18, 2011, newspaper, March 18, 2011; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth229423/m1/5/: 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.