The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 109, No. 20, Ed. 1 Friday, March 12, 2004 Page: 4 of 22
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4-A
The Clifton Record
Friday, March 12, 2004
Well, we into March, and the
martins is back. Them suckers
got back before
I had a chance
to clean out last
year’s nests,
but they stayin’
anyhow. It’s fun
to watch ’em
battlin’ them
chee-chee birds
fer a place to
stay. The martins is the tuffest,
though. They give them other
birds a fit. Hummingbirds ain’t
showed up yet. Lookin’ forward
to them cornin’ back.
Y’all heard about the North
Bosque Ambulance Service bein’
in big trouble? Well, it seems they
are. Ya know, these are folks that
ya just don’t think much about,
til ya need ’em. Then what?
What if they ain’t there? I just
hope somebody can come up
with a solution to this problem.
How bout if everybody in this
end of the county just, fer now,
send ’em a check? ’Cause we’ll
dad-burn shore miss ’em if they
gone. I’m talkin’ life-and-death
situations! Let’s send some do-
nations to: North Bosque EMS
Hind, c/o Bosque County Bank,
Box 527, Meridian, TX 76665. By
the way, almost all of our volun-
teer fire departments operate on
donations, too. Let’s not forget
them fine folks. They all put their
lives on the line fer all of us ev-
ery time they go out. Our money,
and our prayers, are much
needed... now!
Meridian gonna be the site fer
a heck-of-a-deal on March the
19th, 20th, and 21st. The National
Championship B-B-Q Cookoff
Committee is puttin’ on a “Chuck
Wagon Cookoff.” They expectin’
at least 20 wagons fer this unique
contest. Be plenty of good grub
fer all what show up. Don’t cost
nothin’ to git in on Friday, where
ya can see the wagon judgin’ at 5
p.m. and enjoy the “open mike”
at the John A. Lomax “Bull-
Fire.” By the way, this is all
gonna be in conjunction with the
John A. Lomax Musical Festival.
Now on Sattidy, it’ll cost ya five
bucks to git in the grounds, or 10
bucks if’n ya want a meal ticket.
Bargain here. There will be en-
tertainment all day Sattidy, with
the cooker awards takin’ place at
4 p.m. Sunday mornin’ they
gonna have a chuckwagon break-
fast at 7 a m. and Cowboy Church
at 8 a m. Sounds like a fun week-
end to me. Give the young folks
a taste of how things usta be. And
bring back memories fer some
old times.
More to eat. Yep! Be down to
the Community Center here in
The Gap on the 11th of March.
Methodist Ladies gonna serve
up some good grub to the March
meetin’ of the Cranfills Gap Com-
munity Chamber of Commerce.
Gonna eat at 6 p.m. Y’all all come,
it’ll be a good ’un.
Wet, windy, and warm Texas
weather. Ain’t nobody ’round
what can out guess Texas
weather. Fust of March and the
temps in the 60s and even low
70s. What a hoot. Ain’t shore what
my martins think of it, either.
Bet still keepin’ an eye on them
Cowboys. Seems they lookin’ at
a quarterback, and one of them
runnin’ back fellers. She’ll tell ya
that both of ’em are much
needed. Reckon the “Big Tuna”
is in hidin.’ Ain’t heard nothin’
hardly from him since the season
ended. Seems he don’t talk much
to the media, and forbids any of
his staff from talkin’ with ’em.
The new multi-purpose
school building might nigh
ready for move-in. I know the
kids and the staff is big ready.
Kitchen is operational, and
they servin’ all them meals in
the main room now. Know they
was ready to git out from that
portable building. Many folks
really impressed with this facil-
ity. Done been a couple of com-
munity functions held up there,
and it was great.
We got military folks all over
the world — many of them in
extremely dangerous situa-
tions — and now we sendin’
troops to Haiti. Gonna try and
help straighten out their mess.
Many differin’ opinions about
us helpin’ other folks when we
got several big problems rat
here at home to deal with. Medi-
cal care, education, homeland se-
curity, national debt... just a few of
the many problems that serve our
attention and prayers.
By the way, the “Sunday Din-
ner” put on by the Septemberfest
Committee on the 29th of Febru-
ary was a huge success. Thanks
to all who helped git this done.
See ya next week,
Marc,
Marc at The Gap
The Clifton Record
Bosque County’s Leading Newspaper
The Clifton Record (USPS-118-100 • ISSN-1086-9352) it publithed weekly, on Fridayt, by
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Rock Island Railroad
From the March 11,1904, issue
of The Meridian Tribune.
New Railroad Assured
Waco, Texas, March 8—Absorb-
ing interest is felt in the new rail-
way for which surveys are in
progress east and west of Waco,
and it is probable that one of the
great systems of the Southwest is
back of the enterprise. Something
not observable on the surface is
imparting energy to the move-
ment. It has been noted that engi-
neers of the Rock Island system
are in the field, and it is suspected
that they have orders in connec-
tion with the movement.
One of the strongest delegations
here is from Meridian, Bosque
County.
Depot Robbed
Monday Morning about daylight
M. W. Latham, local agent at the
Santa Fe at Valley Mills was held
up in his office by two masked men
and robbed of about $60.
Latham was at his desk, and
hearing a knock upon the door,
opened it thinking it was the mail
carrier, when a man wearing a
mask covered him with a revojver.
It is said Latham threw his arm
around the robber’s neck and
threw him to the floor, when the
second robber appeared and
struck the agent on the back of the
head and with chloroform ren-
dered him unconscious, in which
condition he was later found by the
section boss.
From what Mr. Latham could
see of the robbers he took one of
them to be a white man and the
other a Negro.
Sheriff Hornbuckle was notified
and he and Deputy Sheriff Randal
went immediately to the scene and
are now busy at work on the case.
One Hundred
Years Ago In
Bosque County
n
tm.
dm
A Wool Covered Calf
J. N. Tanner invites every body
to visit his place and see an Ameri-
can wonder in the way of a freak
bull calf. The calf is covered with
short stubby growth of kinty wool.
The tail is as bare as that of the
‘possum, and the forehead has a
small bunch of long hair, other-
wise, the calf seems to be a thor-
oughbred.
Judge Word this week received
a package containing five shade
trees for the courthouse yard sent
from U. S. Agricultural Depart-
ment by Congressman Beall. The
trees have been planted and no
doubt will grow to be both service-
able and beautiful.
Estray Notice
Taken up by H. N. Hanson liv-
ing about eight miles southwest of
Meridian and estrayed before P S.
Hale, J. P Pre. No. 1, on Feb. 20,
1904, one brown mare, about nine
years old and branded G.E.O. on
left thigh, wire split in right ear,
about 14 hands high, one white
hind foot, shod all around. D. J.
Cutbirth, County Clerk, Bosque
Co., Texas.
Mac Lott of Clifton will open up
a photo gallery here March 21, and
will work three days of each week
— Monday, Tuesday and Wednes-
day. He is a first-class photogra-
pher and will guarantee all work.
• LOCAL ELECTIONS
Continued From Page One
co-owner of Cross Creek Furni-
ture, and Erickson, 39, general
manager of Byford Machine, both
are seeking re-election.
Early voting runs from Wednes-
day, April 28, through Tuesday,
May 11. The elections will be held
Saturday, May 15.
Candidate packets for the City
Council can be picked up at City
Hall, and candidate packets for
trustees can be obtained at the
CISD administrative offices lo-
cated on the middle school cam-
pus. Candidate packets for races
in other communities in the
county can be obtained at the of-
fices of the respective entities.
The last day to register to be eli-
gible to vote in the city and school
elections is Thursday, April 15. Voter
registration cards are available in
Clifton at City Hall, the CISD tax of-
fice, and The Clifton Record offkk.
In Meridian, cards can be obtained
at the office of Bosque County Tax
Assessor-Collector Denise E.
Wallace, located at the northwest
corner of Morgan Street (Hwy. 22)
and Main Street (Hwy. 144).
99c Double Cheeseburger
Expires March 31, 2004
102 S. Ave. G, Clifton
After 5 p.m. Special
After 5 p.m. Special
After 5 p.m. Special
After 5 p.m. Special
Gap Country Store
“The grocery store for the Gap”
301 N. 3rd St., Cranfills Gap, TX (formerly Gap Hardware)
(254) 597-2700
Groceries
Greeting Cards - Drinks • Snacks - What-nots
Postage Stamps • OC Chopper Hats
Lunch Served 11 a.m. - 9
David & Joyce Benzenhoefer, Owners
Letters To The Editor
Dear Editor,
1 am writing in response to the
recently published article regard-
ing North Bosque EMS. I cannot
imagine the devastation and trag-
edy that would occur if we, the citi-
zens of Bosque County, allow this
service to close. The time has
come for us to pull together and
show this service how much we
appreciate them.
Imagine your family member
having a heart attack or being in-
volved in a car accident. Really
picture them. How much is North
Bosque EMS worth to you
then? You cannot put a price on
that.
What I am asking is for the citi
zens of Bosque County to
help. Think of the impact $5 to $10
dollars could make if it were com
ing from 1,000 or 2,000 concerned
citizens on a monthly basis. This
is a conservative number when
you add the populations of Merid-
ian, Cranfills Gap, Iredell, Morgan,
Walnut Springs, Kopperl, Lake-
side Village, and any other citizen
in northern Bosque county.
I would also like to know more
about what our county officials are
doing to assist in this matter. Do
we have 12 months to have a pro
posal ready for which the citizens
of Bosque County can vote?
Again, I urge the citizens, busi-
nesses, towns, and officials of
northern Bosque county to help
North Bosque EMS. We can pull
together to keep this vital service
alive.
Sincerely,
Larissa Montes,
Clifton
Dear Editor,
I hate to hear that Coach Scott
Barnett (“Barnett Leaving AD/
Football Coach’s Post”) is resign-
ing and that future students will
not be able to enjoy his teaching
and coaching. He is an amazing
teacher and coach, and I wish him
the best.
Angela Clouse Bartholmey
Dear Editor
Due to the quick response by
Bosque County Sheriff’s Deputy
David Artzt and Texas Depart-
ment of Public Safety Trooper
Steve Adcock, an 18-foot car-
hauler trailer that was reported
stolen in September 2003 by Jones’
Construction in Laguna Park was
found, confiscated, and released to
owner Jerry Jones last week.
Although the thief or thieves
have not been apprehended at this
time, the Joneses have faitji in the
Bosque County Sheriff’s Depart
meht that the thief or thieves will
be found and justice will be served.
The Joneses want to thank the
sheriff’s department and the DPS
troopers for all they have done
concerning this investigation.
Jerry Jones,
Laguna Park
Letter to the Editor,
On Thursday, March 4, one of
our large trees blew over in our
front yard, and also into the street.
The city crew was quick to place
cones to caution drivers. We want
to thank them and all of the fine
people who called to offer their
help.
Friday morning’s light showed
us just how close it had come to
our house. Early that morning we
received a call from Jason Davis
with Davis Truck and Equipment
offering a large dumj/box for the
disposal of the tree. His thought-
fulness in delivering and disposal
of the box saved us a lot of work.
These are the reasons that we
are proud to call Clifton our home.
Thanks!
Doug and Kristye Fehler,
Clifton
Dear Editor,
It makes sense (“Clifton
Record To Become Weekly News-
paper Again”) the way the reasons
for consolidation were presented.
It is still the best hometown paper
out there!
Marcelle Kipp
Dear Editor,
I want to thank The Clifton
Record and David Anderson once
more for the excellent coverage
(“Barbi Ernst Receives CTEN’s
Prestigious Lynn Francis
Award”). The Clifton Record con-
tinues to be one of the best news-
papers in the Central Texas area!
Marlene Zipperlen
Dear Editor,
I would like to take a moment to
address the rapidly growing drop-
out problem that the entire state
of Texas is now facing.
The dropout problem within the
state seems to be growing at an
alarming pace. Countless hours
and dollars have been spent study-
ing this problem. No one seems to
have an answer or solution to this
problem.
The Texas Education Agency
will say that the drop out rate is
declining; however, the amount of
people taking the GED is steadily
increasing. The reason for the de-
clining percent is that the TEA
changed the formula for determin-
ing the dropout rate.
Texas has one of the highest
dropout rates in the nation. Only
two other states have higher per-
centage of dropouts. Students who
do not finish school and do not get
a diploma are more likely to expe-
rience poverty, unemployment,
teenage parenthood, and become
involved, in criminal activity. Fur-
thermore, a recent report by Com-
munities In Schools indicates that
89 percent ofTexas prison inmates
did not complete high school
There (lave always been stu-
dents dropping out of school for
one reason or another. However, I
feel thp problem is only going to
continue to grow. 1 believe the rea-
son for such a high among of stu-
dents not finishing school is due to
the intense pressure put on “kids,”
starting in the third grade.
Take a moment to think back on
your elementary years at school.
For more of your, it was a fun time
learning, and being with your
friends The foundation for the
rest of your educational career
was laid, along with the love of
learning.
This continued through the
eighth grade. High school came
along and you began to think about
a career and that’s where the test-
ing began. And yes, the children
did learn and learn well. These are
the people that are now running
our government.
Now if you have children in
school, ask them what they are
doing. TYemendous pressure and
stress are being put on them to
pass a standardized test, the
TAKS. Everything they do is
geared to passing this test.
This goes on until these third
graders become seniors in high
school. There are some third grad-
ers taking this test three times in
six months in order to pass to the
fourth grade. These are eight and
nine year old kids. How do you
think this makes these kids feel?
Well, they think they are not as
smart as everybody else, and won-
der why they have to keep taking
the test while other kids do not?
I’m not talking about just one test;
some grades have as many as five.
Think about it, after six year of
very intense pressure and stress,
the kids are completely burned
out! By the time they get to high
school, they begin to look forward
to the day when they can drop out
,not the day they get to graduate.
Some of these kids are “late
bloomers.” They take a while to
get started and mature enough to
realize the need for an education.
With our current system in place,
these kids don’t stand a chance.
Again, think about when you were
in school, we took a standardized
test. The teacher came in on Mon-
day and said, “We are going to
have a test on Wednesday.”
That was it. No fuss. No stress.
No pressure. The teacher could
use the entire year to do what he
was taught and love—teach. Ev-
erything the teacher did was not
focused around one single test.
“They,” the lawmakers who
don’t quite know what’s going on
in classrooms, say this test is a
way to make the teachers account-
able. Well, the teacher is a part of
a school system, and the system
is accountable. We all work to-
gether to make sure all the kids we
teach, walk across that stage on
graduation night.
Until these “tests” came along
and our students started dropping
out at record numbers, we did a
great job at doing just that. We
have many good kids dropping out
because of this constant stress. We
also have many good teachers
leaving the profession due to this
same pressure.
We have good teachers. We
have good schools. Let’s use
them in the way they were in-
tended.
Our students dropping out is a
problem that must be fixed. We
must turn out successful and pro-
ductive members of society It is a
shame when we can get a “coke”
banned from our schools because
it is deemed bad for our kids, and
this issue gets national news cov-
erage. Then an issue like “high
stakes” testing, which can be just
as bad for our kids, is swept under
the rug.
We must strive to resolve this
problem because unless we do
something about it, it will continue
to grow. Our schools’ hands are
tied These are mandates that
come down from the state level.
We need to let our state represen-
tatives and state legislators know
how we feel about the situation.
These people were elected by us
to represent us. If they don’t rep-
resent us. let’s elect someone who
will
John Johnson
Beeville
aerokissl976(<' yahoo.com
Dear Editor,
1 would like to say “thanks” to
Kenny Burdwood for speaking out
about the trauma he and many
other of our brave servicemen
underwent as veterans of the Viet
Nam War.
The protesters provided aid and
comfort to the enemy prolonging
the war and helping lead to the ul-
timate defeat of our efforts, ac-
cording to various documents
including some by high
ranking North Vietnamese
officers. We should not have been
involved in this disastrous situa-
tion, but in as much as we were,
the citizens of our country should
have shown support of our fight-
ing men rather than vilifying them.
Our troops had not requested
this situation, but were ordered
into it by misled and misleading
leadership of our country at that
time. Kenny’s letter and the recent
program at Rotary by a former
Viet Nam Prisoner of War empha-
size the rightful disdain and dis-
gust patriotic and caring people
should feel for those traitorous
and foul mouthed demonstrators.
There are many other Viet Nam
veterans in our community and
around the country who should
speak out reminding us of what
happened and who was
involved. President Bush may not
be perfect, but he has not tied the
hands of our troops in Iraq as was
done to our soldiers by the Viet
Nam era leadership.
I pray that we are not so blind
as to place in that high office an-
other of that nk who, by his/her
record, would probably dance to
the tune of appeasement and strip
our soldiers of their ability to pro-
tect our liberty and preserve our
freedom.
Thank you Kenny, and all
veterans. God bless you, and God
bless America.
W. C. (Bud) Sparks,
Clifton
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Smith, W. Leon. The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 109, No. 20, Ed. 1 Friday, March 12, 2004, newspaper, March 12, 2004; Clifton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth789019/m1/4/?q=technical+manual: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Nellie Pederson Civic Library.