The Colony Courier (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 11, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 20, 1999 Page: 4 of 10
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4A The Colony Courier
This Paper is Recyclable
Wednesday, January 20,1998
SCHOOLS & YOUTH
Wright
(Continued from page 1A)
Palace, I knew that's what I wanted
to do," Ashley said.
But getting from point A - the
desire to perform there; to point B -
the actual performing; was anything
but easy.
"On Saturday, about 200 people
showed up (for the audition)," said
Lisa Wright, Ashley's mother. "They
called back 20 for auditions (on Sun-
day). But what we didn't know is that
there had been some people already
invited to those call-backs, such as
previous performers in the show. So
when we got back on Sunday, another
100 people had shown up for call-
backs."
When Six Flags over Texas opens
this spring, Ashley will be perform
ing in Southern Palace's review,
"Hooray for Hollywood," which is
being produced by WOW Produc-
tions. In the meantime, Ashley will
rehearse weekends and evenings
starting in late February to prepare
for the park's opening. In addition,
she'll juggle dance class (at
Lewisville's Top Hat Dance Studio),
studies and school (Booker T. Wash-
ington School for Performing and
Visual Arts).
Although she will be 16 by the
time the park opens, Ashley will be
the youngest member of the troupe,
a fact that doesn't bother her a bit. "I
feel that by working with more ma-
ture people, it will mature me and
help me grow more as a dancer," she
said.
"Ashley is the baby in the troupe,"
her mother added, with a laugh. "The
other dancers were all telling her last
night, they'd be her mamma."
While Ashley may be young, she
is definitely experienced beyond her
years as a dancer. A student of Top
Hat's Sharon Todd Burris since she
was two-and-a-half years old, Ashley
has won dance scholarships with
prestigious dance centers on the East
and West Coasts, and has successfully
competed in a variety of dance
competitions, including the nationally
known Starlight and Showbiz dance
competitions.
Hooray for Hollywood will mark
Ashley's first experience with a per-
formance "run," something she be-
lieves will help her in the long run.
"This takes me one step closer to
my dream of Broadway," she ex-
plained. "I'm also looking forward to
meeting new people, working with
different choreographers and becom-
ing close with the cast."
Crime
(Continued from page 1A)
thousand dollars.
All three individuals were ar-
raigned and bond was set at $5000
each. TCPD will continue the inves-
tigation in an attempt to match the
property recovered to its owners.
"With what Renfro extracted from
one of the suspects," Clark added,
"will probably put them away."
Booster Club Board elections coming up
OPINION
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Police protection
Every once in a while 1 stumble
across a "Letter to the Editor" that
gets my blood flowing a bit. Such was
the letter written by a local resident
concerning civilians and police offic-
ers. I get a bit emotional when people
think of police officers as civilians.
It is my personal belief that law en-
forcement is no different from mili-
tary life. Both serve their government,
protect the rights of individuals, and
keep law and order in a certain de-
mographic area. How can people who
wear a badge and gun, put their lives
in danger so others can pursue the
rights and privileges of a civilized
society, be considered regular resi-
dents of the community? That's like
comparing an apple to an orange.
How many or your neighbors and lo-
cal residents go to work everyday
with the thought in the back of their
mind that they may not go home to
their families at the end of the day?
The "wedge" that you think ex-
ists between the police and local resi-
dents is created by those who have
no respect for themselves, their
neighbors, and the law or those who
enforce it; but yet, they are the first
to call the police.
Those of us who abide by the rules
of society realize and appreciate the
sacrifices that these "special" people
have made. So, for you to assume that
police officers are just like other resi-
dents is "ridiculous," sir. It's a proven
fact they are not. These extraordi-
nary people protect you, your fam-
ily, and belongings from the violent
individuals who have no desire to
obey the rules and laws of a commu-
nity. Do not judge an officer of the
law until you have walked a mile in
his boots, had the courage to wear his
gun, and the honor and integrity to
wear the badge.
I have been blessed twice in my
life with two older brothers who have
served their communities in a civil
service capacity; one as an officer of
the law and the other as a. firefighter.
I know first hand how "special" one
must be to chose a career like that.
I urge the residents of The City of
The Colony and surrounding areas to
take the time to appreciate and thank
the fine group of men and women
who "protect and serve" their com-
munity.
Thanks TCPD for a job well
done!!!
Valerie Lcmgo
The Colony
Be aware
Recently I had the opportunity to
check up on some of the goings on
here in The Colony and was abso-
lutely shocked at the December 14,
1998 council meeting regarding the
removal of Mr. Randy Robinson from
the 4A Board. What shocked me was
that former Mayor Bill Manning
wasin council speaking in support of
Mr. Robinson and his position on the
board, once again he doesn't show
that he was the best interest for The
Colony in mind. It is my understand-
ing that councilman Bill Longo had
requested an agenda item to remove
Mr. Robinson from his position be-
cause he no longer worked or lived
in the city. Seems fair to me, how can
you be expected to give 100% to a
place you are technically no longer
"involved" in. Shouldn't he be on a
board where he now resides?
Not only Mr. Longo had a prob-
lem with this turn of events but so did
Mayor Mary Blair Watts. It seems
that she had a problem with Mr.
Robinson being the banker for two
other board members (later identified
is one of the papers to be John Gor-
don & Rich Seidler) who had recently
purchased land for themselves on
FM423/Main Street for some type of
development purposes. This informa-
tion was obtained through the board
itself.
These two men also got up and.
voiced their support for Mr. Robinson
(hmmm, I wonder why?). Then Mr.
Jeff Meyers, who had previously ap-
plied for a positin on the board spoke.
Again Mr. Robinson's favor. This
wasn't much surprise since Mr.
Meyers, I believe, is a CPA for Mr.
Gordon and Mr. Seid;er, according
again to one of the local papers. And
if I'm not mistaken, didn't Mr. Gor-
don and Mr. Seidler vote on October
1998 to turn the Cty's banking busi-
ness over to The First State Bank of
Texas in The Oclony, where wonder
of all wonders, Mr. Robinson
worked! Boy if that ain't true friend-
ship.
Back to the December 14, 1998
meeting, another well known face
around here, Mr. Don Blackwood, a
resident of The Colony, spoke on Mr.
Robinson's behalf. Some of you may
know Mr. Blackwood as a represen-
tative for Henry Billingsley, a local
developer in the area but much bet-
ter known as being a convicted
felon(acording to news reports) whop
got caught smugglung in Libyans into
Texas for business deals and who now
owns our own local Austin Ranch
development. I wonder who funded
his loans out here?
Ultimately Councilman Longo,
Councilwoman Bernetta Henville-
Shannon and Mayor Watts voted
against keeping Mr. Robinson in con-
trol of the City's money. Our money!
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Vol. 2, No. 11
Publisher Shawn Moore
Advertising Manager Brandy Moore
Editor Susan Chiniewicz
Circulation Shelli Garver
Editorial Staff:
Mike Catt, senior columnist, Jim Barnes, staff writer, Dave Sorter, staff writer, Teresa Sidwell,
columnist, Lisa Jones, staff writer.
Advertising Staff:
Jeanne Smith, sales associate.
Photography Staff:
Greg Ream
Office Staff:
Jenny Zimmerman
The Colony Courier is published eveiy Wednesday by Moore Publications. Inc., 5201 South Colony Blvd., Suite 480, The
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of the Publisher.
Councilman Dillard, Garcia and
Stanwick voted to keep him. As well
as the usual swing vote cast by Dave
Kovatch. Is he really going to run for
mayor this year or what?
Now just to take a look at the big
picture. John Gordon is rumored to
be in the running for either Bill
Longo's position on the counc il or a
comeback (after his leave of absece
from his dictatorship). Who's next on
the good old boy train? Joe Agnew!
Then they could fill the ticket for the
next election with the M.A.G. ma-
chine instead of the M.A.C. attack.
Heads up citizens. They're on the
move again!
Joan K. Talley
The Colony
Longtime resident
I have been a resident of The
Colony for 18 years and in that time
I have seen many mayors and coun-
cil members come and go. For the
most part they have done a good job
representing the needs of our com-
munity and it's citizens. The current
administration under the leadership
of Mayor Watts is, however, an aber-
ration.
The current administration, under
the leadership of Mayor Watts, has
removed from the tax rolls, for per-
petuity, one of the most valuable
pieces of commercial property in the
city, The decision to purchase the
Food Lion property not only costs the
city several thousand dollars each
year in lost tax revenues, but has or
will cost millions of dollars to pur-
chase and renovate. The result of that
decision is that the citizens of The
Colony will spend, now and in the
future, millions and millions of dol-
lars to have a city hall that looks like
a grocery store.
Some in the current administra-
tion, under the leadership of Mayor
Watts, subjected each property owner
in the city to a potential assessment
of tens of thousands of dollars to pay
damages to business owners who
wanted to do business along state
highway 121, but under the mayor's
plan, would not be allowed to do so.
The mayor apparently objects to the
fact that these businesses sell liquor.
The citizens voted on that issue many
years ago and to my knowledge, that
election has not been overturned. The
suits that resulted form the current
administration's position on this is-
sue not only expended the entire
year's legal budget, but delayed the
openings of these businesses and re-
sulted iu the loss of thousands of dol-
lars in sales tax revenue to the city.
Some of the current administra-
tion (Mr. Longo and Ms. Henville-
Shannon) under the leadership of
Mayor Watts, wanted to remove Mr.
Randy Robinson from The Economic
Development Corporation Board (4A
Board) for reasons unclear to me. Mr.
Robinson certainly has just the kind
of credentials needed for this under-
taking. When the vote to remove Mr.
Robinson failed, our mayor, in my
opinion, libeled Mr. Robinson and
two other members of the 4A Board.
The mayor and councilwoman
Henville-Shannon the suggested that
the tax collected for the economic
development of our community, a tax
approved by a vote of the citizens of
The Colony, should be discontinued.
I was embarrassed by our mayor's
reaction to her failure to get her way.
I entered the council meeting of
December 14, 1998, disagreeing for
the most part with the positions our
mayor has taken, but confident she
was voting her conscience. I left the
meeting knowing that she had been
voting her agenda. The record speaks
for itself.
Apparently with our mayor it's
"My way or the highway".
William D. Janime
The Colony, Texas
Band Booster Club Board Mem-
bers general elections for the 1999-
2000 school year take place during
the Pancake Breakfast & Pre-UIL
Concerts on Saturday, March 27th
from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at TCHS. Club
members who interested in pursuing
a board position should make their
interest known by contacting Wanda
Fargnoli at (972) 625-2807 so she can
enter names onto the voting ballot.
Club members are encouraged to
participate in the pancake breakfast
and voting process. The following is
a list of the current board members
serving the 1998/1999 school year:
Presidents-Charles & Susie Islas, VP-
Vicki & George Fink, TCHS V.P.-
Wanda Fargnoli & Suzi Alberson,
ACMS V.P.-Charlotte Walker, GMS
V.P.-Pat Ollek & Debbie Morrison,
Rhonda
Groce
The Drumline
LMS V.P.-Debbie Brandon & Shelly
O'Connor, Secretary- Richard &
Becky Funkhouser, Treasurer-Roger
& Maxine Tinney, Chaperones-Tina
Brawdy & Kathryn Jones, TCHS
Consession-Barbara Manton, GMS
Concession-Pat Olleck, Concession
Volunteers-Mary Beth Patrick &
Laurie Manning, Fundraising-Pat
Roberts, Membership-Barbara Davis
& Karen Green, Publicity-Rhonda
Groce. All board member offices are
100% voluntary (unpaid) positions.
The booster club congratulates
All-State Band students who travel to
San Antonio with their directors to
participate in the Texas Music Edu-
cators Association (TMEA) Conven-
tion on February 3-6, 1999. TMEA
is a nationally recognized organiza-
tion consisting of over 8,000 school
music instructors committed to state-
wide music education. TCHS Band
Director, Dick Clardy continues to
hold an Executive Board Position
with TMEA. Parents are encouraged
to visit TMEA's website 'http://
www.tmea.org' for information, facts
and endorsements promoting the im-
portance of music academics.
Rhonda Groce is the publicity
chairperson for TCBBC and can he
reached via email at
rg roce @ ea rthlink. net.
Photos by Greg Ream
The Colony Leo Club and the Library sponsored a speech contest in which TCHS juniors and
seniors and home school students were invited to participate. The winner received a $250
savings bond sponsored by Artie. Amy Moffett (left) and Darrell Worthy competed for the
chance to advance to the district event held later in the year. The speeches were about how to
keep my peers off drugs.
*
!
Submitted photo
The Griffin Middle School December Students of the Month are Vanessa Litton, Melanie Bueno,
Kristine Test, Kera Espinoza, Nathan Edgerton and Crystal Davis.
It's all in a Senior Song
Symbolism plays a key role in the
memories of all our lives. There are
little symbols that remind us of the
times that we miss the most. For all
those who graduated I'm sure it is
probably your class song or slogan.
TCHS seniors are facing a di-
lemma about the issue of our senior
song. Earlier in the year we took a
census on our class song and the ma-
jority ruled for a song performed by
Madonna. A lot of seniors felt that
this performance was not an adequate
representation of the year that we
graduate. We are the class of 99, a
class being thrown out in to the world
at the dawn of a new millennium. We
don't know what the future holds in
store for us, or how the Y2K issue
jmil
* j
A" "
will affect our career choices. This is
why some seniors want to have our
song changed to the classic Prince hit
which states "tonight were going to
party like it's 1999." This song is a
perfect illustration of the thoughts of
almost every senior this year.
Some TCHS seniors are taking
action hoping to have the song
changed. Led by senior Danny
Brown, petitions are being distributed
throughout the school. "I just don't
like the Madonna song, the Prince
song just represents our class better."
said Brown.
When reflecting back on my se-
nior year I want to be able to have a
memory of a song that reminds me
of those many years that I walked the
halls of TCHS. Madonna's song is not
going to send me on a trip down
memory lane. The lyrics of the songs
consist of a constant humming which
have absolutely nothing to do with
graduation.
The seniors were given a choice
and they chose this song. I just don't
think that we really want this song to
represent our class of 99 because on
graduation day we will all be party-
ing like it's 1999.
- Your Neighborhood Paper -
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Chiniewicz, Susan. The Colony Courier (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 11, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 20, 1999, newspaper, January 20, 1999; The Colony, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth393135/m1/4/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Colony Public Library.