Newton County News (Newton, Tex.), Vol. 32, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 9, 2000 Page: 2 of 10
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Page 2, Newton County News, Thursday, November 9, 2000
Letters To The Editor
Dear Editor,
We give praise to the Newton
County Historical Commission and
the the Newton County citizens. We
send a heartfelt thank you from our
family.
We appreciate the celebration.
Everyone participating did an out-
standing job. The amazin restora-
tion project surpasses all expecta-
tions. There are so many fine people
who have given willingley many
times over to realize this dream.
We thank you all and are very
proud to be associated with you in
this effort.
A special thank you to Bonnie
Smith, whose caring heart and hard
work brought this project to realiza-
tion.
Kay Helen Hampton
Joanne Keys
Mary George Ewing
Dear Editor:
I have been thinking of the fire
department in Bon Wier and how
many times they have helped me,
and it came to me, the cost they pay,
putting their lives in possible dan-
ger, using their own trucks, paying
all the expenses.
Then, the fire truck that’s used.
Day or night with no pay and some-
times not even a thank you. Just call
379-3636 and help is on the way.
How about that? Someone paid
my part. Shame on me for my free
ride. Would you join me in making
a small donation to the fire depart-
ment?
Thank you.
H.L. McKinney
Bon Wier
Dear Editor:
The nation’s prisons and jails
hold more persons with mental ill-
ness than are hospitalized in state
mental hospitals.
Texas is no different. Estimated
16,000 to 24,000 persons with men-
tal illness are in Texas jails and pris-
ons. While some of these individu-
als have been imprisoned because
they committed and were convicted
of a violent or serious crime, the
vast majority of them don’t belong
there.
Many were convicted of so-
called minor crimes such as theft,
disorderly conduct, trespassing,
alcohol or drug abuse and vagrancy.
Sadly, these inmates are taking up
valuable prison space that could
otherwise house violent and danger-
ous criminals.
Texas prison officials say they
will ask the Legislature to approve
another round of building to add
more than 15,000 beds at a cost of
nearly $755 million. That’s about
$52,000 per bed, not counting the
additional operating costs.
The irony of this situation is that
beds being used by persons with
mental illness in prison would be
available if the person had never
fallen through the cracks and into
the criminal justice system in the
first place.
The jailing of persons with schiz-
ophrenia, bipolar disorder and
major depression can usually be
attributed to the shortage of effec-
tive treatment. Treatment that costs
considerably less than new prisons
and guards to watch over prisoners.
Mental disorders are biological
health conditions that respond posi-
tively to new generation anti-psy-
chotic drugs. Community-based
mental health services can divert
people with mental illness from jails
by treating them and keeping them
out of the criminal justice system in
the first place.
A decade ago, the National
Alliance for the Mentally 111 and the
Public Citizen’s Health Research
Group published a report that
showed the proportion of inmates
with severe mental illnesses in
American jails were four to five
times as high as mental illness in the
> general population.
The trend has worsened in the
last 10 years. A. U.S. Justice
Department report issued last year
confirmed that 16 percent of all
inmates in America suffer from
schizophrenia, manic depressive ill-
ness, major depression or other
severe mental illness.
As Texas’ prison population
nears 150,000 inmates, the state’s
public policy needs to emphasize
treatment of the mentally ill and not
the warehousing of patients in cost-
ly prison cells.
It is neither wise nor effective to
use Texas tax dollars to jail a person
with a mental illness if their behav-
ior is solely a manifestation of an
untreated illness. To do so would
make use of the same unfounded
public policy that promoted leper
colonies in the first half of the 20th
century.
In 1999, the Texas Legislature
recognized that mental illnesses are
biologically treatable — much like
heart disease, kidney disorders, dia-
betes and even cancer — when they
approved nearly $70 million for
new generation medicines and sup-
port services.
The legislative initiative was
recognition that Texans won't toler-
ate a “revolving door” system for
people with mental illness that
includes repeated hospitalizations,
re-admissions, abandonment to the
streets or incarceration because ade-
quate care was not available.
The legislative effort was only
the first step.
Lawmakers should consider a
system that recognizes a person
with mental illness in the criminal
justice system as the same person
being seen in the public mental
health system. Treatment should be
standardized with screening and the
addition of more mental health pro-
fessionals in the criminal justice
system.
A jail diversion program needs to
be developed to divert people with
mental illness from custody at an
appropriate time and into fully
funded community treatment pro-
grams.
Texas law enforcement officers
should receive crisis intervention
training and Texas parole officers
should be trained to recognize the
needs of people with mental illness
so that costly “technical” recidivism
can be reduced.
Lawmakers can do much more to
correct the current system. But
long-range improvements will only
come with increased public aware-
ness of mental health issues and
their impact on communities and
families.
The U.S. Surgeon General
reported earlier this year that as
many as one if five Texans may
experience a mental disorder in any
given year. Texans can’t afford to
turn their backs on 20 percent of the
population.
Tom Hamilton
Editor’s Note: Tom Hamilton
is president of the National
Alliance for the Mentally 111 of
Texas, the state’s largest mental
health advocacy organization. He
is also the father of a son with
schizophrenia and is chairman
and chief executive officer of EEX
Corp. in Houston, an energy
exploration company.
THOUSAND DOLLAR WINNER AT BROOKSHIRES — James and Carolyn Butler of Route 2,
Newton won $1,000 in Brookshire Bros’ “Bring It All Back Home” giveaway last week in Newton.
Presenting the check is the store’s director, Ernst Jordon, right. See Brookshires’ inserts each week
and learn how to win cash, vehicles, cruises, certificates, cents-off coupons and free product offers.
Who To Call In Government....
U.S. Government:
President Bill Clinton
White House
160.0 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20010
(202) 456-1414
U.S. SENATOR:
Kay Bailey Hutchinson
283 Senate Russell Bldg.
Washington D.C. 20510
(202) 224-5922
Austin: (512) 482-5834
U.S. Senator Phill Gramm
370 Russell Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-2934
Congressman Jim Turner
208 Cannon House Office
Bldg.
Washington. D.C. 20515
C02) 225-2401
FAX: (202) 225-5955
State Government:
Gov. George Bush
PO. Box 12428
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711
(512) 463-2000
STATE SENATOR:
Drew Nixon
PO. Box 368
Carthage, Texas 75633
(903) 693-9133
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
State Rep. Ron Lewis
PO. Box 119
Maruiceville, Texas 77621
1-800-464-1645
PO. Box 2910
Austin, Texas 78768-2910
TU
MEMBER
2000
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
Newton County News (UPS
766- 520) is published weekly
on Thursday by the Newton
Publishing Company, 112
Glover Drive, Newton, Tx.
75966. Subscription rates are
$19 per year in Newton
County, Jasper, Kirby ville,
Brookeland, Merryville and
Orange and $24 per year else-
where. Periodical postage paid
at Newton, Texas. Postmaster
send address changes to
Newton County News, P.O.
Box 65, Newton, Tx. 75966.
Phone and fax is 409-3792416.
Publisher.......Glen A. Mitchell
Editor.................Mary Collins
Office Mgr.......Angie Mitchell
Advertising...Barbara Mitchell
PRACTICING her skills at making cotton candy was Lisa Simmons. Willing “tasters were
Michelle Land and Anna Shonts.
THE CLYDESDALES PERFORM — The magnificent Clydesdales were in Newton last Monday,
performing around the courthouse square. The event was a fund-raiser for the Courthouse
Restoration Fund.
SPOOKY! — Getting Newton Middle School’s “spook house” ready for Tuesday’s Halloween cel-
ebration were Debbie Bishop, Tina Guillory and Stacey Arcenaux. Other volunteers included Rita
Hughes, Rohdna Wilkerson and Jeannie Griggs.
Three Attend GTCBT Marketing Forum 1
Three Newton area residents
were in Tyler County Oct. 19
attending the Tyler County
Chamber of Commerce’s “Birds of
a Feather” marketing forum.
Representing the Newton
County Chamber of Commerce
were Susan Karpel, Pam Wright and
Buddy Hollis.
Keynote speaker was Ted
Eubanks, president of Fermata, Inc.,
and “father” of the Great Texas
Coastal Birding Trail. He pro-
claimed GTCBT an unqualified
success, as it accomplished what it
was designed to do: pump money
into rural Texas, and stimulate an
appreciation for Texas’s exceptional
birdlife.
Representatives from area com-
munities, businesses and organiza-
tions agreed to future development
of the region as a major birding
travel destination. The Big Thicket
region will be promoted at the
American Birding Association’s
annual convention being held in
Beaumont April 18-24, 2001.
Another opportunity for Big
Thicket/Pineywoods regional pro-
motion will be during the Upper
Texas Coast 5th Annual Great Texas
Birding Classic, to be held in Jasper
on April 21 next year.
Wright and Karpel made the fol-
lowing report:
“Our Chamber of Commerce has
fully supported GTCBT/Upper
Coastal Birding Trail/Big Thicket
Loop from the ‘git go.’ By network-
ing and cooperating with our sur-
rounding communities, we have
increased awareness of the Big
Thicket Loop birding sites on the
GTCBT maps.
“The Chamber will continue to
get the maximum benefits from our
four sites — UTC 2 at Bon
Wier/Sabine River Bridge; UTC
003 at Wild Azalea Canyon, UTC
004 at Toledo Bend Reservoir
Observation Tower; and UTC 005 at
Canyon Rim Trails.
“The Chamber has made it a pri-
ority of letting birders know
Newton County is aware of and
interested in bird watching.
Through birding trail maps, bird
checklists, brochures and signage
we are letting visitors know our
county is birder-friendly.
“By pooling our economic
resources with area communities,
businesses and economic develop-
ment entities, Newton County is
included in the major ad campaign
of the Upper Coastal Birding Trail
sponsored by the Texas Department
of Transportation and Texas Parks
& Wildlife Department.
“It is believed that the more peo-
ple and communities involved, the
more successful the birding trail
will be. Through a variety of
approaches, the Chamber hopes to;
make visitors want to come back
and experience those things they?
didn’t have time to experience the
first time around.
“By bringing out the maximum
diversity of our community, we
stand a better chance of getting?
repeat business. Another Chamber
priority is attending conferences
and conventions throughout the;
Southeast Texas area to help create:
an image that Newton is a nature
tourism destination.
“The Chamber is doing as much j
as possible to get the word out about
Newton. What the Chamber needs?
from the Newton community is that
our citizens, businesses and their
employees inform themselves about
our region.
“Personally visit each of the four
birding sites. Be able to give direc-
tions and provide basic information
about some of our interesting
species in and around Newton. Be
able to help travelers find accom-
modations and restaurants.
“This is not a difficult request
and yet it is critical to our commu-
nity that we show our visitors we
cater to birders and are eager to
have their business. We want to
establish Newton County as THE
place to watch birds." their report
concluded.
Help Keep Newton Beautiful—
Adopt-A-Block! Call Mertis At 379-5061
It's Up To Usl
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Collins, Mary. Newton County News (Newton, Tex.), Vol. 32, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 9, 2000, newspaper, November 9, 2000; Newton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth635127/m1/2/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Newton County Historical Commission.