Brownwood Bulletin (Brownwood, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 154, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 17, 2013 Page: 4 of 8
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4 Brownwood Bulletin Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Senate approves drug-testing bills
AUSTIN — Two Senate bills making the
award of certain financial benefits for certain
individuals contingent on drug testing were
passed by the Senate last week and have
now moved to the House for consideration.
SB 11 by Senate Health and Human
Services Committee Chair Jane Nelson, R-
Flower Mound, would require applicants for
benefits under the Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families program to submit to a
screening for controlled substance use. If the
screening assessment indicates good cause
to suspect drug use, an applicant would be
required to submit to a drug test. A person
who fails a drug test would be allowed to
retake the test after six months before they
could receive benefits. Notably, the children
of an applicant who fails a drug test would
still be able to receive benefits through a
“protective payee.”
SB 21 by Senate Finance Committee Chair
Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, would
amend the Texas Unemployment Com-
pensation Act so that the Texas Workforce
Commission may drug test applicants for
unemployment benefits who fail a pre-
screen test and work in certain industries,
such as transportation.
In other action, the Senate approved legis-
lation proposing to increase the number of
charter schools that could operate in Texas
from 215 to 305 incremen-
tally over the next six years.
SB 2, by Senate Education
Committee Chair Dan Pat-
rick, R-Houston, also would
give the state the authority
to close charter schools
after three years for poor
performance.
Google plans big for
Austin
Corporate officers of
Silicon-valley based Google
Inc., accompanied by Gov.
Rick Perry and officials
with the city of Austin, on
April 9 announced a plan
to install Google Fiber —
an ultra high-speed fiber optics broadband
network with Internet speeds up to 1 gigabit
per second — in Austin in mid-2014.
Google launched a similar broadband
infrastructure project in Kansas City, Kan., a
few months ago.
One gigabit per second is about 100 mega-
bytes of information transfer per second, or
about 100 times faster than what is consid-
ered a fast Internet connection presently in
the United States.
Sales tax revenues climb
State Comptroller Susan Combs on April
10 reported that state sales tax revenue
in March was $1.98 billion, up 5.5 percent
compared to March 2012. Combs said her
office plans to send cities, counties, transit
systems and special purpose taxing districts
their April local sales tax allocations totaling
$521.9 million, up 6.8 percent compared to
April 2012.
Drought affects water rights
The Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality on April 5 informed water rights
holders that the agency may need to admin-
ister water rights on a priority basis, as long
as drought conditions persist.
If restrictions become necessary, junior
water rights, or those rights issued most re-
cently, are suspended or adjusted before the
senior water rights in the area, the agency
said.
Texas remains under a drought-related
emergency disaster proclamation originally
issued by the governor on July 5, 2011.
Water release is welcomed
State Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville,
on April 5 reported an announcement by the
International Boundary and Water Commis-
sion that Mexico will release water from an
upstream reservoir to recharge Falcon and
Amistad Reservoirs.
“This move,” he said, “marks the first time
in quite some time Mexico has responded
to Texans’ pleas to uphold the 1944 Treaty
which allocates water that enters the Rio
Grande River.”
“I am pleased to hear Mexico is finally tak-
ing first steps to resolve their water deficit
with the United States. However, with a wa-
ter deficit that stands over 400,000 acre-feet
a onetime release from one reservoir will not
solve the Valley’s water woes.”
TxDQT launches campaign
The Texas Department of Transportation
on April 8 began its new “Talk-Text-Crash”
campaign to coincide with National Distract-
ed Driving Awareness Month.
As part of the campaign to get Texans to
stop using their portable communications
devices for text messaging while they are
driving, TxDOT said it is asking Texans “to
do their part by making a simple commit-
ment to focus on driving when they get
behind the wheel.”
Although all the age groups are repre-
sented in the total number of traffic crashes
caused by distracted driving, of the 90,378
traffic crashes in 2012 in Texas, the top
two age groups are: 28,443 ages 16-24 and
23,784 over the age of 45, TxDOT reported.
Ed Sterling is member services director for
the Texas Press Association, headquartered
in Austin.
Capital
Highlights
Ed Sterling
TELL US WHAT
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Uncle Mort’s 80-year marriage
EDITORIALS
Focus on the
victims, not
hate speech
Patriot’s Day — it was suppose to be a day full of
celebration as the participants of the Boston Marathon
crossed the finish Monday, but the celebration quickly
turned into horror in a blink of an eye.
For some runners, competing in the oldest marathon in
the world was a lifelong dream that they worked months,
if not years, to accomplish. Even if they crossed the finish
line, the memory of that tremendous feat will be over-
shadowed by the twin explosions.
Along with their triumphant achievement, they will also
remember smoke, screams, blood and first responders
racing to assist the wounded.
For some, they watched the explosions live as a local
television station was broadcasting from the finish line.
Before any confirmation has been made on who is re-
sponsible for this horrific attack, some have started to lay
the blame on Muslims.
Shortly after the explosions, FOX News contributor Erik
Rush used his Twitter account to imply the culprits of the
attack were from Saudi Arabia. When asked by another
Twitter user if he blamed Muslims, Rush responded with,
“Yes, they’re evil. Let’s kill them all.” Sadly, Rush wasn’t
the only one jumping to conclusions — several residents
from across the nation were making similar accusations
and hate-filled remarks.
The culprits from Monday’s attack remain unknown
but their intent is clear — generate fear and terror.
As a nation, we should focus on the victims of this hor-
rific event, not instigating hate.
By instigating hate, we are no better than those attack-
ing us. As a nation, we need to rise above the hate speech
and rhetoric.
Brownwood Bulletin
Kinfolks and neighbors threw an 80th anniversary recep-
tion for my Uncle Mort and Aunt Maude the other day. It
was a sunny afternoon of fretful breath-holding that vio-
lent springtime weather predicted would take a different
route. And it did.
No doubt Mort had a hand in preparing invitations. They
stated “no gifts expected, unless from charitable hearts
without any reservation.” (Yep, he arranged for these
words to be in bold face type.)
Gifts and gift cards covered the kitchen table, and guests
leaned back in cane-bottom chairs to hear “way back
when” stories from the pair whose combined age is 200.
Figuring there’d be much ado about their 80th anniversary
this month, Maude kept a low profile for her 100th birth-
day in March. Mort, on the other hand, has several walls
adorned with calendars. They are turned ahead to July,
with big circles around the fourth, when he’ll be 101....
Someone asked what attracted her to Mort back in 1933.
Slow to answer, Maude said three occurrences prior to
their marriage set the stage — a “carnival game, a tornado
and Mort’s freak injury.”
Early in their courtship, a carnival came to town. Mort
and Maude took it in. On the midway, one tent was bulging
with stuffed animals of all sizes. But the big ones were
gigantic — reserved for winners who knocked down all six
milk bottles.
And true baseball pitching marksmen could take a big
prize home for a mere nickel — though no coins were
“mere” in those days....
In 20 minutes, he had emptied his pockets of all nickels,
as well as several other coins exchanged for nickels. Alas, a
bottle or two shook a few times, but none toppled.
Red-faced, Mort was speechless one of the few times in
his life.
He was stunned and, well, uh, “mortified.”
“You’d better get me home soon,” Maude suggested. “It’s
coming up a cloud.”...
Her suggestion — like her life so far — was understat-
ed. Maude and Mort were safe in their respective homes
moments before a storm hit with a vengeance — including
a tornado that ravaged the carnival.
At daybreak, Mort was on the scene where laughter and
gaiety had reigned the night before. Now, though, the
carnival was unrecognizable — the Ferris wheel flattened,
hobby horses untethered and Tilt-a-Whirls unhinged. The
scene was a war zone. Game tents were shredded with
stuffed animals ripped and scattered
asunder. One of the biggest teddy bears
— somehow undamaged — was snared
in a low-slung mesquite tree.
Mort gingerly removed it, his mind
whirling with anticipation of thankful
shrieks from his true love when gifted
with a giant panda. Then he glanced
toward the spot where his three-dozen
baseballs failed to fell a single milk
bottle. There they stood, one on top of
two and the two on top of three....
Madder’n hops that he’d been hom-
swoggled by the slick-talking pitchman,
Mort gave the bottles a mighty kick. Still,
they stood. Sadly, though, he injured
his foot and wound up at the doctor’s office. He had a frac-
ture, but felt better when Maude arrived just before the
doctor fashioned a cast.
When she spotted the teddy bear Mort salvaged from the
storm, she cradled it. It was the very one she had hoped
he’d win.
The doctor left the room, and Mort began his spiel about
the “fixed” midway game. Maude, with her right index
finger, zipped it across his lips in the same manner she
has repeated many hundreds of times across the past
eight decades. The “zipper” works; it shushes him. Then
she gave him a big kiss—the one he had hoped for at the
carnival....
Mort, thankful there are worse fates than milking sympa-
thy, invited her to join him for a Cherry Coke down at the
drug store. He “crutched” slowly, the woman who would
be his wife a few months later alongside to provide help if
needed.
A coke with two straws ordered, he fished in his pocket
for coins. There were none, but Maude pulled a nickel
from her purse to rescue him. Gathering her courage, she
asked, “Mort, where did you learn to kiss like that?”
“Beats me,” he answered, “Unless it was siphoning gaso-
line out of the tractor.”...
Dr. Don Newbury, chancellor of Howard Payne Uni-
versity, is a speaker and author whose weekly column
appears in 180 newspapers in six states. He welcomes
comments and inquiries. Call him at (817) 447-3872, or
send email to newbury@speakerdoc.com. His website is
www.speakerdoc.com.
The Idle
American
Don
Newbury
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Stuckly, Derrick. Brownwood Bulletin (Brownwood, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 154, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 17, 2013, newspaper, April 17, 2013; Brownwood, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth740758/m1/4/?q=technical+manual: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Brownwood Public Library.