Archer County News (Archer City, Tex.), No. 52, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 24, 2009 Page: 3 of 14
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The Archer County News - Thursday, December 24,2009 - Page Three
YARD OF THE MONTH
^ Archer City’s Yard of the Month for December is
Sonny & Charlotte Clemens’ home at 523 East Main.
Give the gift
of life this
Christmas
season
The temperature is dropping
and while we're all warm and
cozy there are patients who need
^ your donation. The American
Red Cross reminds you that the
need for blood doesn't stop.
Please add giving the "gift of
life" to your list of important
things to do.
Archer City and county
residents can stop by the First
United Methodist Church on
Tuesday, December 29 from
2pm to 6pm.
The American Red Cross is in
your community not just hosting
A blood drives; volunteers are
™ there in times of disaster, training
community members in life-
saving and in CPR and they assist
military personnel when needed.
Support your Red Cross today -
together we can make a
difference.
Just call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to
make an appointment today.
.....^ ' s „ . w • > •
Letter to the
W\
Dear Editor,
CONGRATULATIONS! to
Archer Nursing Center for earn-
ing 4 out of 5 stars in the state
evaluations on nursing facili-
ties. They also earned 83 out of
a possible 100 points on QRS
rating. These numbers are as
good as and much better than
most of the facilities in the
Wichita, Archer and Clay coun-
ties. Once again we see how
fortunate we are to have this
facility in our community. Even
though they are working in a
much older building than other
homes they continue to provide
exceptional care as well as love
and kindness for our loved ones
who can no longer care for
themselves. God bless each of
you as you carry out this spe-
cial mission and thank you so
much for all that you do.
Donna Lindemann
PUBLIC NOTICE
COMMUNITY TELPHONE
TELEPHONE CO. INC.
PUBLIC NOTICE
FUSC Surcharge Factor
Increase
Effective January 1, 2510, the
amount of the Federal Universal
Service Charge (FUSC)
appearing on your bill each
month will increase as a result
of an increase in the Federal
Communications Commission's
(FCC) universal service fund
contribution factor from 12.3%
Limited Offer
Requires mmimum conmHnient
Service is siiject to availability
For Hofe Intonation Contact Commune Teleplwne Co Inc. 940423^01
#51-53
American Legion Post
★ #198 ★
Archer City, TX
f NEW YEAR'S EVE *
DANCE
, 8:00 - 12:30 .
Come observe the YEAR
EE A TURING
CLASSIC COUNTRY
t
$10 per person
$15 per couple
Blackeyed Peas
Cornbread served at
midnight!
j
A
4
A
A
4
CHECK IT OUT
ARCHER PUBLIC LIBRARY
by Cheryl Beesinger
to 14.1%. The amount of the
FUSC on your bill is calculated
in accordance with Federal
Communications Commission's
rules by applying the new
universal service contribution
factor of 14.1% (0.141) to the
rates for interstate services that
you used. The federal universal
service fund program is designed
to keep local service rates
affordable for all customers, in
all areas of the United States.
52/1 tc
33i||Ji
The Archer Public Library was
used by five hundred thirty-three
patrons during the week of
October 26-30. Five hundred
nineteen books and two hundred
sixty-one videos were checked
out during that time.
Thank you to Glenda Martin
Nicklas and Jeanie Graham for
their donations in memory of
Ann Walsh and Dollie Gaulden,
Barry & Trecie Morrison for
their donation in memory of Ann
Walsh, and Donna Haile for her
donation in memory of Dollie
Gaulden. Also, thank you to
George & Kathy Spires for their
Christmas donation to the
library.
immttmttiitimmttwmniiiimiiiniiminumum
Set at Christmastime in 1943,
The Unfinished Gift is the
engaging story of a family in
need of forgiveness. W ith simple
grace, it reminds us of the small
things that affect powerful
change in our hearts-a young
boy's prayers, a shoebox of love
letters, and even a half-carved
soldier, long forgotten. Check
out The Unfinished Gift by Dan
Walsh at the Archer Public
Library.
Each story in this collection
pays tribute to the wisdom and
resilience of children, even in
the face of the most agonizing
circumstances.
A family living in a makeshift
shanty in urban Kenya scurries
to find gifts of any kind for the
impending Christmas holiday.
A Rwandan girl relates her
family's struggles to maintain a
facade of normalcy amid
unspeakable acts. A young
brother and sister cope with their
uncle's attempt to sell them into
slavery. Aboard abus filled with
refugees-a microcosm of today's
Africa-a Muslim boy summons
his faith to bear a treacherous
ride across Nigeria. Through the
eyes of childhood friends, the
emotional toll of religious
conflict in Ethiopia becomes
viscerally clear.
Check out Say You're One of
Them by Uwem Akpan at the
Archer Public Library.
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The Archer Public Library will
close for Christmas on
December 23 at 5:30 p.m. and
will reopen Monday, December
28 at 9 a.m. Merry Christmas to
all!!!
SIBLING RUNNERS
Brother and sister, Randy Hoff and Jenny Barton,
recently completed the 26 mile Dallas White Rock
Marathon. It was Randy’s 8th full marathon and Jenny's
7th. They get their endurance and running ability from
their parents, Neil and Barbara Hoff of Windthorst.
GOING TO BOSTON
Jenny Hoff Barton recently completed the 26 mile
Dallas White Rock Marathon with a time of 3 hours and
38 minutes. Her time was good enough to qualify her for
the world famous Boston Marathon in April of 2011.
Jenny is the daughter of Neil and Barbara Hoff of
Windthorst. courtesy photos
Home and Garden Festival vendors!
No Place Like Home is our
theme and we invite all vendors
to have a home with us at the
thirteenth annual Arts Alive!
Home and Garden Festival in
Wichita Falls, Texas. The 2010
show will be held on February 27
- 28,9 A.M. - 6 P.M. on Saturday
and 11 A.M. - 5 P.M. on Sunday
at the MPEC Ray Clymer Exhibit
Hall in Wichita Falls.
Again, this year vendors will
have booths that are 10' by 10'
and include a draped table with
two chairs. Booth prices are $395
for inside aisle booths (non-
corners) and $450 for outside
comer booths. Back for its third
appearance at Home & Garden is
the "Go Texan" members that
will be featured together in their
own area.
More information can be found
at www.gotexan.com. Artist
Rooms will be specifically for
•FINANCIAL FOCUS;
by Grady R. Schenk, Jr.
I
\0
the artists. Limited 10x10 space
is available in this area which
debuted in 2009 with 17
participating 17 artists. Your
deposit and signed contract must
be mailed or faxed to the Kemp
Center for the Arts to reserve
your booth(s). Reserved booths
will be held for 30 days until
deposit is received. Please be
certain you have returned a
completed show contract.
The Home and Garden Festival
has enjoyed a two day attendance
with an average of 10,000 neople
that attracts satisfied vendors
from throughout the United
States. We look forward to having
you join us for the Home and
Garden Festival in 2010! If you
need any additional information
you may contact Carol Sales at
carols@kempcenter.org or at the
Kemp Center for the Arts at 767-
2787.
PUT UNUSED VACATION
DAYS TO WORK - IN YOUR
401(h)
Now that the year is almost
over, you may want to explore
some last-minute steps you can
take to potentially boost your
financial fortunes and improve
your tax returns for 2010. And
one good place to look is your
401(k).Your 401(k) is a great
retirement savings vehicle. You
typically fund your plan with
pretax dollars, so the more you
put in, the lower your taxable
income. Plus, your earnings can
grow on a tax-deferred basis,
which means your money can
grow faster than if it were placed
in an investment on which you
paid taxes every year. Also, you
can spread your 401(k) dollars
among a range of investments to
match your risk tolerance, time
horizon and retirement goals.
Clearly, then, it would be nice to
"max out" on your plan each
year. But during difficult
economic times, it may not be
easy for you to defer more of
your salary into your 401(k).
Fortunately, there may be a way
in which you can boost your
401(k) contributions - without
cutting into your take-home pay.
Specifically, you may be able
to convert any unused vacation
and sick time to your 401(k) or
other employer-sponsored
retirement plan, such as a457(b)
or403(b). Many employers have
offered this conversion option
for years, but relatively few
employees have taken advantage
of it. Now, however, the Obama
administration has asked the
U.S. Department of the Treasury
and the IRS to issue new rulings
on the topic in the hope of getting
more people to increase their
retirement savings. And this is
an important goal, because many
of us still need to put away much
more money on a regular basis if
we're going to enjoy the type of
retirement lifestyle we've
envisioned.The ability to
convert vacation or sick time to
your 401(k), 403(b) or 457(b)
plan can help you make progress
toward that lifestyle. While the
conversion feature won't enable
you to exceed the contribution
limit for your plan Nwhich for
2009 is $16,500, or $22,000 if
‘you're 50 or older - it may make
it easier for you to beef up your
contributions for this year,
particularly if you have unused
vacation or sick time you can't
carry over. Not all employers
are willing or able to turn
vacation or sick hours into
retirement plan contributions, so
check with your human
resources or benefits office to
see if you can make this move. If
it is allowed, though, consider
taking action. Once you know
how many retirement plan
dollars can result from your
unused vacation or sick days, go
over your 401(k) or other plan,
perhaps with the help of your
financial advisor, to determine
an appropriate allocation of your
money. For example, you may
have accounts within your plan
that are currently under-funded.
Or you might benefit from
"rebalancing" your plan by
adding some new money into
different accounts. Keep in
mind, however, that
diversification does not
guarantee a profit or protect
against loss. In any case,
consider this opportunity to add
to your retirement plan. The
more you save today, the brighter
your outlook could be for
tomorrow.
USDA announces new Dairy Economic Loss
Assistance Payment program to provide
financial relief to struggling dairy producers *
Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack today announced the
implementation of the new Dairy
Economic Loss Assistance
Payment (DELAP) program.
The 2010 Agricultural
Appropriations Bill authorized
$290 million for loss assistance
payments to eligible dairy
producers.
“Through this program,
eligible dairy producers will
receive economic assistance that
will help stabilize their
operations during these tough
economic times,” said Vilsack.
“I have personally heard from
hundreds of struggling dairy
farmers from all across our
country who have been hit hard
by declining prices over the past
year, and now, we’ll be able to
offer them help:”
Milk prices declined
substantially through early-to-
mid-2009, with the national
price for milk averaging $16.80
per hundredweight (cwt.) in the
fourth quarter of 2008 and
averaging $ 12.23 per cwt. in the
first quarterof2009, a27-percent
decline. On average, the price
U.S. dairy producers received
for milk marketed in the summer
of2009 was about half of what it
cost them to produce milk.
“The dedicated employees of
the Farm Service Agency
deserve a great deal of credit for
acting quickly to provide this
critical assistance to America’s
dairy farmers,” said Jim Miller,
Undersecretary of USDA Farm
and Foreign Agricultural
Services.
Eligible producers will receive
a one-time direct payment based
on the amount of milk both
produced and commercially
marketed by their operation
during the months of February
through July 2009. Production
information from these months
will be used to estimate a full
year’s production for an
operation to calculate the
payments, using a 6-million
pound per dairy operation limit.
Dairy producers who have
production records at the USDA
Farm Service Agency (FSA)
county office because they
participated in another FSA
dairy program do not need to
apply for the program. FSA will
use existing production records
for February through July 2009
to calculate and issue their
payments.
Producers who have not
provided production data for
those months to FSA, and have
not already been contacted by
FSA to provide such data, have
30 days, until Jan. 19, 2010, to
apply. FSA officials estimate
that more than 95 percent of
eligible producers will receive
benefits without having to fill
out a new application.
A national per hundred weight
payment rate will be determined
by dividing the available funding
of $290 million, less a reserve
established by FSA, divided by
the total pounds of eligible milk
production approved for
payment. Based on current
information, FSA estimates that
875 million cwt. of milk
production will be eligible for
payment. The reserve will cover
new applicants and appeals. The
expected payment rate is
approximately $0.32 per cwt.
To be eligible for DELAP, the
dairy producer and the dairy
operation in which the producer
has a share:
Must have produced milk in
the United States and marketed
milk commercially at any time
from February through July
2009;
Must have milk production data
for those months;
Must certify to all milk
production produced and
marketed by the dairy operation
during that time.
Also, any dairy producer who
has an annual average adjusted
gross nonfarm income of more
than $500,000 for calendar years
2006 through 2008 is not eligible
for DELAP.
For more information and
eligibility requirements on the
new DELAP program, please
visit your local FSA county
office or www.fsa.usda.gov.
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Lewis, Shelley. Archer County News (Archer City, Tex.), No. 52, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 24, 2009, newspaper, December 24, 2009; Archer City, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth811307/m1/3/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Archer Public Library.