Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 18, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 3, 2002 Page: 2 of 56
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PAGE 2A - POLK COUNTY ENTERPRISE, SUNDAY. MARCH 3, 20M
Texans tired of telemarketers
LIVINGSTON - Over 3.200
East Texans in the 936 area code
have apparently had enough of
telemarketers. That is how many
have signed up to be placed on the
state's first do-not-cal I list, accord-
ing to the Public Utility Commis-
sion of Texas
Statewide, Texans have Regis-
tered nearly 200,000 residential
phone lines for the list, designed to
limit unwanted telemarketing calls.
"The response has been excel-
lent,’' said PUC Commissioner
Becky Klein. ”1 encourage Texans
who want to sign up to do it
quickly so they can get on the first
list"
Customers who enroll by March
31 will be included on the initial
list on April 1 Subsequent lists will
be updated every three months.
Telemarketers then have 60 days to
update their own list. Telemar-
occupations.”
"Nondurable goods manufactur-
ing also added 700 jobs in January,
the first monthly increase in this
industry in over a year,” said
Commissioner for Employers Ron
Lehman “While I'm cautiously
optimistic about what some of this
month's numbers seem to indicate,
I share my fellow commissioners’
concerns with the continued chal-
lenges facing Texas' employers.”
The lowest unemployment rate
among the Metropolitan Statistical
Areas (MSAs) in January was 1.7
percent in Bryan-College Station.
Lubbock was next at 2.7 percent,
followed by San Angelo at 3.2 per-
cent.
The highest unemployment rate
was 14.1 percent in the McAllen-
Edinburg-Mission MSA, followed
by Brownsville-Harlingen-San
Benito at 10.1 percent and El Paso
at 8.4 percent.
Following are January unem-
ployment rates for some neighbor-
ing counties and the percentage of
change from the previous month’s
rate:
Angelina......................6.7% (+1.2)
Hardin...............6.9% (Unchanged)
More Penry
hearings set
from page 1
and again sentenced to death fol-
lowing the July 1990 trial.
Penry was less than three hours
away from death by lethal injection
on Nov. 16, 2000 — his fourth
scheduled date with death - when
the U S. Supreme Court granted
him a stay of execution. Once
again, the issue in question was
whether or not the jury received
unclear instructions regarding his
mental ability.
Arguments were heard by the
U S. Supreme Court on March 27,
2001, prior to the June 4 decision.
Penry was released on parole just
two months prior to the attack on
Carpenter, having served part of a
five-year sentence for the Feb. 17,
1977 aggravated rape of a
Livingston woman.
He also committed the offense of
attempted rape against a Goodrich
woman on Dec. 15, 1976, although
he was never charged with the
crime.
keters must be in compliance with
the law by July 1, 2002, according
to the PUC. Companies not follow-
ing the law are subject to penalties
of up to S1,000 per violation.
'The no-call list was AARP’s
number one state legislative prior-
ity last year," said American Asso-
ciation of Retired Persons (AARP)
Texas President George Ellis. “The
remarkable response is a win not
only for AARP’s two million-plus
members in Texas, but for all
Texas consumers. We urge every-
one to sign up.”
inclusion on the do-not-cal I list is
not intended to stop all telemarket-
ing calls. Charities, non-profit
groups and debt collectors are ex-
cluded from (he law. Companies
with a prior business relationship
with the customer may continue to
call in addition to telemarketers
Houston.................
......3.7% (+2.3)
Jasper.....................
.... 10.5% (+0.2)
Liberty...................
......7.5% (+1.2)
Montgomery..........
......4.4% (+0.7)
Nacogdoches.........
......3.8% (+0.8)
Newton..................
.... 12.2% (+1.8)
Orange...................
......9.6% (+0.9)
POLK....................
......6.0% (+1.4)
Sabine....................
.. . 11.0% (+1.6)
San Augustine........
......6.5% (+1.2)
San Jacinto.............
......4.2% (+0.6)
Trinity....................
......5.3% (+1.3)
Tyler......................
......9.0% (+1.0)
Walker...................
......2.5% (+0.5)
holding a stale license, such as in-
surance agents, real estate agents
and stockbrokers. However, a state
licensee must close any sale or
payment with a face-to-face meet-
ing.
The cost for placement on the
statewide do-not-call list is $2.25
for three years. Residential phone
customers can get their name,
phone number and address on the
list using one of three methods.
• Online
www teiasnorall ram - pay-
ment may be made with Master-
Card or Visa.
• By phone - call toll-free 1-
866-TXNOCAL (1-866-896-
6225). An automated system is
available 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. Payments may be
made with MasterCard or Visa.
• By mail - ask for registration
form by calling the toll-free
number or by downloading and
printing a form from
www texaxnocall.com pay-
ment may be made with Master-
Card or Visa or by mailing a
check or money order to:
TEXAS NO CALL, P.O. Box
313, E. Walpole, MA 02032.
A separate law establishes a do-
not-call list to prevent telemarket-
ing calls from retail electric provid-
ers. However, inclusion on the
statewide list will already prevent
calls from retail electric providers.
For a charge of $4.80, residential
customers may register their phone
number for both lists for five years.
Both business and residential cus-
tomers may register for the electric
do-not-call list.
Seme Texans Take Their Cars Personally
In 2001, there were an estimated 203308 specialty plates on
vehicles in Texas. Almost 82,000 of thosa were simple “vanity*
plates, with the driver's name or other text Some plates, such as
the “Animal Friendly' plates, may be purchased by anyone. Many
other plates require membership in a group or some other special
status, like “Purple Heart' recipient plates. Many plates Include a
fee that is returned to a group or organization.
Other Popniar Categories
State of the Arts
Conservation Plate (Homed Liiard'
m
TEXAS
Texas A&M
UT Austin
* 6,693
2.516
Sourcf C«fol, K««<on XyUndt.TuM Cornpuolw twww.wtndowJUU.lmn) ttuTwM D«p«wrw>t
otTrenspoxwlon (hitpyA^xloL«M».te.u^rwWloiri>iyh»>tfvlintBliiliViWil>w1/»l|p>»i»i^p>
Do you like to road
or watch TV in bed?
Select a position
at the touch of a button.
If you like to read in bed,
thereTs nothing better than
a Flex-a-Bed. And nothing
better for getting a really f
good night's sleep. You’ll
love the way it feels!
FLQX-A-BeD
Jobless rates up
from page 1
VOTE
Paul Harrell
For
Polk County Commissioner!
Precinct 4
J Control of Spending
J Utilization of All Assets
J Maintenance and Upgrade of All Roads
/ Protect and Preserve Our Natural Resources
A Conservative Family Man with Christian Values.
I Ask For Your Vote On March 12th.
I'aid I’olitkul Adirrtlwmtm H> Paul Harrell, Houle 3, Box 220, t.lvlnprton, TX 77351
ormnuK photo nr m_____,
RENEWING MEMBERSHIP - Rodger Derden, a member of the Livingston Specialty
Merchants’ Guild, presents his check for membership renewal to Dena Harriger. Becky Wilson
and Beverly Athey, the Guild’s membership committee. 2002 marks the Guild’s second year
in existence and the board recently kicked off this year’s membership drive. For those
interested in joining, call Raindance Designs at (936)366-5312 or look for a membership *
application on the Guild’s website at www.LivinustonTexasMerchants.com.
Social Security program ageless
By DANIEL BOWLINE, Dis-
trict Manager
Social Security Administra-
tion
Most young people don’t think
a lot about Social Security, and
those who do perhaps think of it as
retirement for their grandparents’
generation. They should know that
Social Security provides much
more than just retirement benefits.
Social Security provides bene-
fits to young workers and their
families if they become disabled.
Social Security’s disability cover-
age is equivalent to a $208,000
insurance policy for a young
worker with average wages and a
spouse and two children. The aver-
age monthly disability benefit paid
to a family of this size is $1,360.
In addition, Social Security
provides benefits to survivors of
deceased workers, including their
children. About one out of seven
Americans can expect to die before
reaching age 67. Social Security’s
survivors insurance is equivalent to
a $403,000 insurance policy for a
young worker with average wages
and a spouse and two children. The
average monthly survivors benefit
paid to a family of this size is
$1,764.
A young worker can obtain
both disability and survivor insur-
ance protection very easily. A
worker under age 24 who pays So-
cial Security taxes for just one and
a half years is covered. A worker
under age 31 who pays Sofia! Se-
curity taxes for half 1fti» time
Jr
elapsed since age 21 is also cov-
ered.
For more information on how
Social Security protects younger
and older Americans alike, log onto
our website, Wum/ MB gAV call our
toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213
or visit the Lufkin Social Security
office. In addition, the annual So-
cial Security Statement provides
specific monthly benefit amounts
that workers and their families can
expect to receive in caae of disabil-
ity or death. The statement is
mailed to workers over age 25
about three months before their
birthday if they are not receiving
benefits on their own record. Last
year, over I3S million Social Secu-
rity Statements were mailed to
workers. • —
T® A* Qttyg
# w
estem Hoedown
THURSDAY, MARCH 7,2002
6:30 P.M.
VFW HALL, HWY 59 NORTH
Livingston, Texas
ENTERTAINMENT BY
WALTER PLANT
Tickets are $10.°° per person
Silent Auction
HIGHLIGHT
OF THE EVENING
'TAKE STOCK IN YOUR CHAMBER DRAWINGS/
$15,000.°° CASH will be given away!
Certificates are on sale now!
Certificates may be purchased from any Board
Member, Ambassador, or at the Chamber Office.
This event is sponsored by
Polk County Chamber of Commerce
Benefiting Chamber programs.
For more information contact
Polk County Chamber of Commerce
936-327-4929
f ■
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 18, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 3, 2002, newspaper, March 3, 2002; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth791294/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.