The Big Lake Wildcat (Big Lake, Tex.), Vol. SIXTY SEVENTH YEAR, No. 43, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 22, 1992 Page: 2 of 12
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October 22,1992
State -i Capital
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HIGHLIGHTS
By Lyndell Williams
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
AUSTIN —Amid the debates and
headline warfare last week, Texas
opened its early voting program.
As reporters watched, Gov. Ann
Richards officially cast the first
ballot at an East Austin grocery
store to announce and underscore
how easy it is to vote in Texas.
“This is the first vote in Texas
cast for Bill Clinton, I’ll tell you
that,” Richards said.
This is also the front line for
electoral votes and Richards and her
Democrats appear poised to win it
in Texas.
Texas Democrats plan to score
1.75 million votes during the early
voting period; Texas Republicans
are just as serious. They are phone-
banking reminders to voters.
Mobile Voting Stations
Texas Secretary of State John
Hannah said mobile early voting
sites — in motor homes and station
wagons —can be used.
That means a vehicle can roll into
a neighborhood and start collecting
ballots, all supervised, of course.
But as opponents of the program
point out, in these days of massive
welfare fraud and other “creden-
tials” crimes, how easy will it be
to commit voter fraud?
Special Session Nov. 10
It’s official. Gov. Richards has
chosen Nov. 10 as the date legis-
lators meet in special session on
school finance.
Press secretary Bill Crycr said
the date, a week from the Novem-
ber elections, would give lawmak-
ers time to prepare.
The Texas Supreme Court three
times has overturned school finance
laws, ruling that they discriminated
against property-poor districts.
Richards said she, Lt. Gov. Bob
Bullock and House Speaker Gib
Lewis arc working on a new plan to
present to lawmakers next month.
The last legislative effort created
higher property taxes which the
Texas Supreme Court ruled uncon-
stitutional, but allowed to be col-
lected.
Back Into Court
The Texas Supreme Court began
hearing arguments on whether the
Texas Constitution mandates that
all citizens have equal access to
public colleges and universities.
In January, Brownsville judge
Benjamin Euresti reversed a jury
and ruled Texas has discrimi-
nated against Hispanics in the Rio
Grande Valley by not building
enough colleges there.
Attorney General Dan Morales
appealed Euresti’s decision; his
staff lawyers argued last week that
the Constitution makes no mandate
for higher education equal access.
Attorneys for Hispanics in the
Valley argued that the Constitu-
tion’s “efficiency” requirement for
lower public school systems also
applies to higher education.
Euresti, in pushing aside the
jury’s finding of no discrimination,
gave the Legislature until May 1,
1993 to draft a remedy or face
a court-ordered halt of all higher
education funding.
Mau/y, Enoch Duel
Allegations of misuse of public
funds surfaced last week for oppos-
ing candidates in a race for Texas
Supreme Court.
First, a former secretary for
5th Court of Appeals judge Craig
Enoch alleged she did campaign
work on state time. Enoch, a
Republican challenger, denied it,
then later wrote the state a check
for about $570 to cover it.
That prompted Democrat incum-
bent Justice Oscar Mauzy, a former
state senator, to comment the al-
legations “raised serious questions
about Judge Enoch’s suitability to
serve on the state’s highest court.”
The ink was barely dry on
Mauzy’s quote when one of his
former secretaries popped up with
similar charges, that Mauzy re-
quired her to do his personal cleri-
cal work on state time.
Enoch has been asked by the
Public Integrity Unit to supply
documents; it is assumed Mauzy
will be asked to do the same,
latest Texas Dill
According to a Texas Poll survey
for Oct. 1-8, Republican Barry
Williamson has overtaken scandal-
plagued Democrat Lena Guerrero
in their railroad commission battle.
Williamson leads Guerrero by
five points, 37 percent to 32
percent, with some 31 percent
undecided.
Guerrero resigned from the com-
mission last month, apologizing for
making false claims on her resumes
and biographies. Her negative rat-
ing in the poll was 50 percent.
The poll also reported that Gov.
Richards has a 59 percent approval
rating, down from 72 percent in
August.
Stop Sludge Dumping
Attorney General Dan Morales
urged the Texas Water Commission
to immediately halt a company
from spreading sludge in West
Texas.
Morales told the commission last
week to revoke permission granted
to MERCO Joint Venture to spread
New York City sludge on a ranch
near Sierra Blanca, about 70 miles
southeast of El Paso.
Morales said the MERCO project
does not meet state regulations.
Other Highlights
s Gov. Richards took Morales’
advice and appointed a prosecutor
to head the state prison board: for-
mer district attorney Carol Vance
of Houston. Vance, who already
sits on the board, replaces Shel-
don Hale, who resigned last month;
Morales said then that a prosecu-
tor would negotiate a prison law-
suit settlement tougher on prison
inmates.
■ Richards asked the State Board
of Insurance to adopt a plan to use
independent information to set auto
insurance rates, not data supplied
by insurance companies. Industry
representatives said the new plan
would drive up premiums.
■ Fortune magazine ranked Hous-
ton second behind Seattle in a list
of best U.S. cities for business.
V
‘Tfiatikjybu
Thank you to all contributors to the 13th annual Big Lake Chili
Cookoff Association. Your contribution is greatly appreciated
and will be put to good use in helping a fellow citizen right here
at home. Thanks also to all those who helped put on this event
and to contestants and workers. The Big Lake Chili Cookoff
Association is proud to be a part of this community helping our
fellow citizens.
Big Lake Chili Cookoff Association
©be 3io » Ml&cal
Established in 1925
USPS Publication Number 055-860
Published every Thursday by the Big Lake Wildcat, Inc. in Big
Lake, The County Seat of Reagan County, Texas at 309 2nd Street,
Big Lake, Texas 76932.
David Werst..................................Editor
J.L. Werst, Jr................................Publisher
Alicia Werst Laurie Weatherby
Leticia Leija Tracie Murray
POSTMASTER: Sand address changes lo
THE BIG LAKE WILDCAT, P 0. Box 946.
Big Lalw. Texas 76932 Entered as sec-
ond class matter January 2, 1926 at the
Post Office in Big Lake. Texas under the
Act of Congress of March 3. 1879._
Subscription Rates: Big Lake addresses
$15.50 per year. Out of town Texas
addresses $17.50 per year. Ouf of state
addresses $19.50 per year. Subscrjjtton
are payable in advance.
915/884-2215
Publisher is not responsible for copy omissions, typographical
errors or any other unintentional errors that m ay occur further than to
make correction in next issue after it is brought to his attention.
Publisher reserves the right to cancel any advertisement at any time.
Member of the Texas Press Association
and the West Texas Press Association
Employers Must Elect to Give
Employees Time Off to Vote
Dear Commissioner Nabers,
With the presidential elections
around the comer, many of my
employees are asking if I will give
them time off to vote. I know that
voting is important, but I can't afford
to let all my employees take time
during the work day to vote.
One of my managers said that he
thought we legally have to give
employees time off to vote in an
election. I don't want to do anything
illegal. Can you tell me what the law
says about this?
B.R.
Austin
Dear B.R.,
An employer who refuses to
allow an employee time off to vote,
or penalizes an employee for taking
time to vote, is guilty of a misde-
meanor. This means that you must
allow employees adequate time to
vote, and you cannot dock their
wages for the time, or force them
to use accrued sick leave or
vacation time. This law applies to
all elections.
You do not legally have to
allow your employees time off to
vote if the polls are open for voting
two consecutive hours outside of
the voter’s working hours. For
instance, if voting polls are open
from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and your
employees work from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m., you do not have to give your
employees time off because they
have two hours from 5 to 7 p.m. to
vote. If your employees work
from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.,
however, you would have to allow
time off, because your employees
would not have a two-hour block
of time in which to vote.
This two-hour rule does not
apply to state workers. State
employees must be given time off
to vote during work hours,
without losing pay or accrued
leave time.
Dear Commissioner Nabers,
I work for a small company
that is relatively new. My employer
pays each of us a specified salary
twice a month. We don’t receive *
COMMISSIONER
Mary Scott
Nabers
TEXAS BUSINESS TODAY
overtime, but my employer also
doesn’t dock our check if we are
late or leave early.
Even though I always receive
the same amount of money, my
boss makes all of us keep very strict
records of our time. Whenever we
come to work or leave the office for
lunch or an appointment, we must
sign in and out to the exact minute.
This is time consuming and
frustrating, and it seems pointless
since it doesn’t affect our pay. Can
an employer require salaried
employees to keep timecards?
G.R
San Antonie
Dear G.R.,
I realize your employer’s
policy is an inconvenience, but
your employer can legally ask
every employee, regardless of how
he is paid, to keep accurate time
records.
The bigger issue in your
situation is whether or not you are
truly exempt from receiving
overtime. Not all salaried employ-
ees are automatically exempt from
overtime compensation. Unless
you are in a professional, manage-
rial or administrative position,
you may not be exempt from
receiving overtime. If you are
non-exempt, your employer
should pay you time and a half for
every hour worked over 40 in a
week.
For more information, call
the U.S. Department of Labor
Wage and Hour Division near you
at 512-229-4515.
Commissioner Mary Scott
Nabers is the Texas Employ-
ment Commissioner who
represents all employers.
Address questions to: TEXAS
BUSINESS TODAY, 638 TEC
Building, Austin, Texas, 78778.
THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN A
Letters...
to the editor.
Write him and express
,vour viewpoint or opinion^,
Dear Editor:
Change. If we listen to the News
Media and the Democrats they say
we need a change. That change they
want us to undergo is a new "Tax
and Spend" President to go with the *
old "Tax and Spend" Congress.
WOW! What a Change.
I suggest a Change all right.
Change Congress. Throw the
Democrats out. You know, the ones
that have run things for 38 years.
Replace them with men and women
of integrity.
Integrity seems to be missing
in Bill Clinton's vocabulary. He has
not told the truth about much, es- '
pecially his draft experience. Mr.
Clinton's Oxford College room-
mate, Giff Jackson, has said that
Bill Clinton lied to him and to Col.
Fullbright, then head of the Arkan-
sas Selective Service when Clinton
received his draft notice. Bill
Clinton went to Col. Fullbright and
he promised that if Col. Fullbright
would get him (Clinton) a slot in a »
National Guard program, he would
serve his Nation by enrolling in that
National Guard program. When
Fullbright found Clinton a slot and
when Clinton received his new draft
notice with no chance of his being
drafted, he reneged on his word to
serve his country.
If President Bush had done that,
the News Media would have
hounded him until he resigned. ^
Where is the media now? Out to
lunch when their darling Bill
Clinton is involved.
Where is Bill Clinton's Integrity,
his Honor, his Patriotism, that he
accused President Bush of Ques-
tioning? I hope that we as Ameri-
cans remember those that died for
us, that those deaths were not in
vain. Liberalism, Socialism and
Marxism are failed policies. Return
our Nation to Fiscal Conservatism
and Capitalism. These are policies
that work. America is great because
Her People are GOOD. God have
mercy on us if we fail to elect men
and women of Integrity and Moral
Excellence.
Richard L. Martin
Teachers and ex-students
scholarship fund memorials
The Teachers and Ex-Students
Scholarship Fund gives a scholar-
ship each year to a deserving senior.
A $2,000.00 scholarship was given
to Jason Ketchum, a 1992 graduate.
This fall during the homecoming
game, Reagan County teachers do-
nated their time and money for the
concession stand. Their efforts de-
posited $1,677.4 1 into the Teachers
and Ex-Students Scholarship Fund.
A simple thank you seems inad-
equate for all the work that these
teachers contributed in one night. A
very special thank you to Rita Dell
Statham, who organized and do-
nated her time to make this night,
successful. Another thank you goes
to Mrs. Hodge and her homcmaking
classes that made chili and sand-
wiches for the concession stand. By
working together the Teachers and
Ex-Students will be able to offer
another nice scholarship in the
spring.
Some donations have also been
given as memorials. In memory of
Mae Lucas, mother of Joseph
Lucas, memorials were given by
Marjorie Russell and the Elemen-
tary Faculty. In memory of Dick
McReavy memorials were given by
the Elementary Faculty, Paul and
Linda Lippe, and Beverly Briley.
Anyone wishing to make a me-
morial or a donation the Teachers
and Ex-Students Scholarship Fund
can send the donation to Beverly
Briley, 909 Pennsylvania.
TO ALL INTERESTED
PERSONS AND PARTIES:
CONCHO CONCRETE COMPANY has
made application with the Texas Air Control
Board for renewal of Permit No. 1067A for a
CONCRETE BATCH PLANT in BIG LAKE,
REAGAN County, Texas. The location of
the existing facility is 201 South Main
Street, Big Lake, Texas 76932. Additional
information concerning this application is
contained in the public notice section of this
newspaper. This notice is to be published on
October 22, 1992 and October 29, 1992.
"One of the main jobs of a Commissioner is to get maximum value for our tax dollar.
I have gained the experience in doing just that. I sincerely ask for your vote and
continued support in Early Voting and on Election day in November."
— Bill Schneemann
Get your money's worth
Re-Elect
Bill Schneemann
Commissioner, Pet. 3
Reagan County
Early Voting through October 30,1992
General Election November 3,1992
M Pol. Mv. by BUI Schneemann, 1005 Plaza Ho Lake, TX 70832
0 j
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Werst, David. The Big Lake Wildcat (Big Lake, Tex.), Vol. SIXTY SEVENTH YEAR, No. 43, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 22, 1992, newspaper, October 22, 1992; Big Lake, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth658281/m1/2/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Reagan County Library.