Wharton Journal-Spectator (Wharton, Tex.), Vol. 123, No. 94, Ed. 1 Saturday, November 24, 2012 Page: 2 of 12
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A2
Wharton Journal-Spectator, Saturday, November 24, 2012
journal-spectator.com
Wharton’s Local Weather
Checkjournal-spectator.com for current conditions and updated forecasts
Sat
11/24
Sun
11/25
Mon
11/26
Tue
11/27
Wed
11/28
w
68/44
j£M
/- ft
■
76/48
76/59
81/59
74/49
Showers in
Abundant
Mix of sun
Times of sun
More clouds
the morning
sunshine.
and clouds.
and clouds.
than sun.
with isolated
Highs in the
Highs in the
Highs in the
Highs in the
thunder-
upper 60s
mid 70s and
low 80s and
mid 70s and
storms in the
and lows in
lows in the
lows in the
lows in the
afternoon.
the mid 40s.
upper 50s.
upper 50 s.
upper 40 s.
©2009 American Profile Hometown Content Service
— Burn ban could return
Continued from Page A1
ing.”
A chance of rain was fore-
cast for Friday, according to
the National Weather Service
forecast for the area.
The county’s eight volun-
teer fire departments are
starting to get reports of grass
fires, Kirkland said.
Those choosing to burn this
week, Kirkland said, should
pay heed to the wind.
“If they’d do it before the
wind (picks up) it wouldn’t be
so bad,” he said.
Those wanting to burn
need to contact the WCSO at
543-1371 or 532-1550 to notify
deputies of the location.
Burning can only be con-
ducted during daylight hours
and must be monitored con-
tinuously to be considered a
controlled burn. Only resi-
dents of rural areas are al-
lowed to burn, as it is banned
in all three municipalities in
the county
Kirkland will review the
KBDI measurement again on
Monday to determine if a burn
ban is warranted.
If so, the ban will go into
effect at sundown on Wednes-
day
— Soard joins St. Thomas
Continued from Page A1
Soard served as an assistant.
That was his first church after
graduating from seminary in
Austin.
A Houston native, Soard
went to college at Baylor.
Upon graduation, he worked
for five years as a special edu-
cation teacher. Although that
was a rewarding job, he began
to feel that he was being called
for a higher purpose.
Initially, he headed to grad-
uate school, with the idea of
studying linguistics and even-
tually becoming involved in
Bible translation. That plan
changed.
“I found that I wanted to
work more with people,” he
said.
Personal relationships,
in fact, are at the heart of
Soard’s ministry His goal at
St. Thomas is to help every
person who walks through his
office door find a deeper, more
meaningful, bond with God.
‘Abu have to get to know
each person and their back-
ground and what it is they
need,” he said. “You have to
recognize their needs and find
resources as a community to
meet them.”
When asked what direction
he sees St. Thomas going in
under his leadership, Soard
said it’s too early to tell.
He’s preached only one ser-
mon, after all.
“This is a moving train that
I’m trying to jump onto,” he
said. And then, with a smile,
he added, ‘We’ll have to wait
and see if anybody shows up
next week.”
Governor says no to creation
of health care exhanges
AUSTIN — Nov. 16 was
the deadline for Texas and
the other states to declare
their intentions regarding
the formation of health care
exchanges, as set forth in
the federal “Affordable Care”
law, referred to by some as
“Obamacare.”
Gov. Rick Perry’s declara-
tion cam e in the form of a
Nov. 15 letter to U.S. Health
and Human Services Secre-
tary Kathleen Sebelius.
“As long as the federal
government has the ability to
force unknown mandates and
costs upon our citizens, while
retaining the sole power in
approving what an exchange
looks like, the notion of a
state exchange is merely an
illusion,” Perry wrote,.
“It would not be fiscally
responsible to put hard-work-
ing Texans on the financial
hook for an unknown amount
of money to operate a system
under rules that have not
even been written,” Perry
added.
Perry originally declared
his intention not to imple-
ment a state exchange or
expand Medicaid under the
Affordable Care Act in a July
letter to Sebelius.
Meanwhile, on Nov. 15,
state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-
Houston, filed Senate Bill 84,
legislation proposing to create
a state health care exchange.
The legislation would
make it possible for Texas
families and individuals who
are unable to obtain coverage
through their employer to
purchase a reasonably priced
policy through the exchange.
Ellis said SB 84 “will bring
tens of billions of dollars to
the state, expand Medicaid
to approxi-
mately 1.5
million ad-
ditional Tex-
ans, set up a
state health
insurance
exchange
that works
for Texas
and guar-
antees that
the Com-
missioner of
Insurance
has the tools
necessary to
ensure rates
are fair and
affordable.
The expansion of Medicaid
costs less in four years than
what Texas hospitals spend
on the uninsured popula-
tion in one year. The needs
of these individuals will not
disappear if we fail to expand
Medicaid, but we will lose out
on a nine to one match that
other states will utilize and
we will continue to pass the
cost down to local hospitals
and ultimately to taxpayers,”
Ellis added.
Ellis, in his effort, faces
Republican majorities in the
state Senate, the state House
and the governor’s veto
power, should SB 84 pass
both Senate and House.
Prediction: busy
Texas roads
Texans who travel over the
Thanksgiving holiday will
have plenty of company on
the road, Texas Department
of Transportation reported on
Nov. 14.
According to TxDOT,
results of a reader survey
from Texas Highways — the
state’s of-
ficial travel
magazine
— show “48
percent of
Texans plan
to travel,
and among
those, 92
percent said
they will be
traveling by
car on Texas
roadways.”
Before
setting out,
drivers can
check road
conditions
by visiting
www.drivetexas.org.
Officials call
for drug screening
Gov. Perry on Nov. 14 was
joined by state Sen. Tommy
Williams, R-The Woodlands,
state Rep. Brandon Creigh-
ton, R-Conroe, and other
Republican lawmakers to
call for reforms to the state’s
welfare and unemployment
benefit programs, including
authorizing drug screenings
for those applying for Tem-
porary Assistance for Needy
Families and Unemployment
Insurance benefits.
Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Lew-
isville, pre-filed SB 11 for the
upcoming legislative session
to require drug screening for
temporary assistance pro-
gram applicants, and Wil-
liams, Perry’s office reported,
plans to file a bill to require
drug screening for unemploy-
ment insurance applicants.
A governor’s office news
release reported the Texas
Association of Business and
National Federation of Inde-
pendent Business joined the
officials in a news conference
in support of the proposed
welfare reforms.
Tax revenue
increases again
State sales tax revenue in
October was $2.03 billion, up
8.2 percent compared to Octo-
ber 2011, Texas Comptroller
Susan Combs said Nov. 7.
Combs pointed out that
the growth in sales tax rev-
enue continued to be led by
collections from the oil and
natural gas-related sectors,
while strong consumer spend-
ing drove gains in retail trade
and the restaurant sector.
Combs said she would
send November local sales
tax allocations totaling $611.5
million to cities, counties,
transit systems and special
purpose taxing districts,
up 5.4 percent compared to
November 2011.
Unemployment
figures improve
Texas Workforce Commis-
sion on Nov. 16 reported the
state’s unemplojmnent rate
dropped to 6.6 percent in
October from 6.8 percent in
September.
Also, employers added
36,600 total nonfarm jobs in
October for a total of 277,400
jobs added in Texas over the
year. The national unemploy-
ment rate was reported at 7.9
percent.
Ed Sterling writes a
weekly State Capital High-
lights column for the Texas
Press Association, where he is
director of member services.
Email: edsterling@texaspress.
com.
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
State j Capital
H I GH LI GHTS
By Ed Sterling
NEXT WEEK’S MEETINGS
Monday, Nov. 26 lam St., Wharton. Tuesday, Nov. 27
• Wharton County commissioners • Wharton City Council meets at • Wharton School Board meets at 6
meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Wharton County 7 p.m. at City Hall, 120 E. Caney St., p.m. at the WISD Education Support
Commissioners Courtroom, 309 E. Mi- Wharton. Center, 2100 N. Fulton St., Wharton.
rr
LJateline Wharton
Upcoming events in and around our community
Continued from Page A1
include: Why Don't You Do Right, Beat Me
Daddy Eight to the Bar, Cow, Cow Boogie
and others. The concert is free to the public
and will be held in the Horton Foote Theater
in the Duson-Hansen Fine Arts Building on
the Wharton Campus.
■ BHS Blood Drive
Boling High School will host a blood
drive from 8 a.m until 2:30 p.m. on Wednes-
day, Nov. 28, at the BHS Homemaking Build-
ing. Call Melissa Salas at 657-2816 for an
appointment. Walk-ins are welcome.
■ Java Jam
Brennan Leigh is the featured guest for
our next Java Jam at 6 p.m. on Thursday,
Nov. 29, at Milam Street Coffee Shop. Bren-
nan plays a mandolin. The format is 6 to 7
p.m. opening music; 7 to 8 p.m. a buffet
and 8 to 9 p.m. second round of music.
Bring a covered dish, enough for you and a
bit extra. There is a $15 per person to help
pay for the guest musicians. Dessert will be
served.
■ BHS Cheerleader Event
The Boling High School Cheerleaders will
host an evening of fun, food and entertain-
ment for ages 2 and older from 4 to 11 p.m.
on Friday, Nov. 30, at the Boling High School
Home Economics Building. As an early bird
special, pay by Nov. 26 and the cost is $20
for the first child, $10 for each additional
child. Pay after Nov. 26 and the cost is $25
for the first child, $15 for each additional
child. For more information, contact Leslie
Barron at lbarron@bolingisd.net.
■ Special Musical at Plaza
The world premiere of a new musical
based on Wharton author Marilyn Sebesta's
children's book Scout, The Dog Who Saved
The Nutcracker, with music by Houston
composer Suzanne Davis Marion. The musi-
cal will be performed on the Plaza Theatre
stage on Friday through Sunday starting
Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and Dec. 2; and again from
Dec. 7 to Dec. 9. Friday and Saturday curtain
times are 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees
are at 2:30 p.m. General admission is $17
each. Seniors, students and groups of 10 or
More are $15 each.
Susanna lives in a small town much
like Wharton with her lovable but clumsy
chocolate-brown Labrador retriever, Scout.
Scout joins Susanna and her friends in ballet
class, getting ready for the town's first-ever
production of The Nutcracker. Mice from
the neighboring feed store invade the dress
rehearsal looking for the Mouse King, and
Scout's clever response earns her a starring
role in the show. Part of the proceeds of this
production will benefit Wharton County
S.P.O.T. (Stray Pet Outreach Team), a volun-
teer animal rescue organization.
■ Basketball Tryouts
Open run tryouts for the Zero Gravity
Texas 2013 season will be held at Just Do
It Now, 1619 Martin Luther King Blvd. in
Wharton. Tryout days and times for boys
will be Saturdays, Dec. 1, Dec. 8 and Dec.
22. Fourth through sixth grade boys tryout
from 4 to 5:30 p.m., seventh and eighth
grade boys from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and ninth
and 10th grade boys from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Tryout days for girls will be Sundays on Dec.
2 and Dec 16 for junior high and high school
girls from 3 to 6 p.m. All participants must
be accompanied by an adult and registra-
tion for each age group will be 30 minutes
before each tryout time. A $5 tryout fee will
be charged per person per night. The tryout
is mandatory for anyone who would like to
participate in the season. If selected there
is a fee to play for Zero Gravity Texas. For
more information concerning tryouts and
Zero Gravity Texas visit zgbasketball.com or
call Pete Esposito at 979-559-0074.
■ Music Workshop
Rev. Christopher Dwayne Ellis and Cool-
ing Water Ministries will host a Music De-
partment Workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
on Saturday, Dec. 1, at New Faith Church,
2412 N. Walnut in Wharton. Registration
and breakfast will be held from 8 to 9:45
a.m. There will be a musical following the
workshop that evening at 7 p.m. For more
information, call 979-257-6073.
■ T.L. Pink Meeting
The T.L. Pink National Alumni and Ex-
students Association will hold its national
meeting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, at
the Wharton County Library. All members
are encouraged to attend the event. Final
plans for the annual scholarship dinner will
be made at the meeting. For more informa-
tion, call 979453-0405.
■ Cowboy Church Play Day
Coastal Plains Cowboy Church will host
a Holiday Buckle Play Day at 1 p.m. Sunday,
Dec. 2, at the CPCC Arena, FM 1301 and
Newgulf Rd. outside of Boling. Registration
begins at 1 p.m. and Play Day starts at 2
p.m. Participants need to call Michelle Han-
cock at 281-814-1634 or email treymichelle-
hancock@gmail.com before going to the
event. Trophy buckles will be given for first
place all-around in each age group. Awards
will also be given for second through fourth
place in each age group.
■ Hospice Luncheon
Hospice Support, Inc. invites the pub-
lic to join in the annual Celebration of Life
Tree Lighting Ceremony and Luncheon. The
Wharton luncheon is at noon on Wednes-
day, Dec. 5, at First Baptist Church in Whar-
ton. RSVP by Monday, Nov. 26, for the lun-
cheon. If anyone would like to purchase a
2012 ornament, visit hospicesupportinc.
org to view the ornament and get an order
form, or stop by the office at 1102 N. Me-
chanic St. in El Campo.
■ WCJC Choir Concert
The Wharton County Junior College
Concert Choir and Chamber Singers will
present their annual Candlelight Christmas
Concert at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6 at
First Baptist Church of Wharton on Fulton
St. The concert will include narrators read-
ing scripture and inspirational readings ap-
propriate for the season. The concert will
conclude with the singing of the Hallelujah
Chorus from Handel's Messiah. Anyone in
the community who has sung this chorus
is welcome to sing with the choir on stage.
Messiah scores will be available. This free
concert is a Center of the Arts Series presen-
tation. For more information, call the WCJC
Communication and Fine Arts Division sec-
retary, Vicki Hudson, at 532-6300.
■ GS Christmas Mall
Boling Girl Scouts is hosting its first
Christmas Mall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Boling Community
Center. Vendor spaces available for $20.
Contact Mary Flores at 361-935-1105 or
mhflores72@yahoo.com. The group is look-
ing for craft booths, jewelry, independent
sales reps, etc.
■ Local S.P.O.T. Adoption
Wharton County SPOT will host a dog
and cat adoption on Saturday, Dec. 8, at the
Wharton County Junior College campus,
Parking Lot No. 2. Abandoned dogs and
cats, which have been rescued and received
vet care, will be available for adoption. There
is an adoption fee and application to com-
plete. For more information, contact SPOT
at 979-253-3446 or wcspot@hotmail.com.
■ Wreaths Honor Soldiers
At 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, a
wreath from the Wreaths Across America
project will be laid at the Wharton County
Veterans Memorial on Monterey Sguare.
Following will be a ceremony at 12:30 p.m.
when wreaths will be laid in the St. John's
Cemetery in Hungerford. The public is invit-
ed to both events. It is a time to remember
the fallen, honor those who serve and teach
children the cost of freedom.
■ Free Dinner, Toys
The Come Up From Nothing Trail Riders
will host a Christmas Dinner and Toy Drive at
3 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 24, at the C.U.F.N.
Hall, 110 S. Ford St. in Wharton. All the
food and toys will be free to all families in
need. Food and toy donations will be taken
by calling Daisy at 979-543-0740, Crystal at
979-616-0068, Alicia at 979-257-6540 or
lesha at 979-257-9021. Donations will be
accepted up to Saturday, Dec. 15.
■ Food Drive
Wharton Veterinary Clinic will host a
food drive through Dec. 31. All proceeds
will be donated to Share to restock their
pantries. Donations will be accepted dur-
ing the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday and 8 a.m. until noon on
Saturdays. Especially needed are toiletry
items such as toilet tissue, soap, shampoo,
toothpaste, etc.
Dateline Wharton is a free listing for
nonprofit events and fundraisers open
to the public. We encourage local civic
groups, organizations and groups with
activities that will benefit local residents
to submit information. Submissions must
be in our office three weeks prior to the
event, deadline for registration or ticket
sales. Submissions subject to editing. The
listing will publish in up to four issues. Send
listings to bparsons@journal-spectator.com
or 115 W. Burleson St. TX 77488. Please
include contact information.
Wharton Journal-Spectator
Established 1889
USPS #681400
Volume 123, Issue No. 94
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Periodicals Postage Paid at Whar-
ton, Texas 77488. Annual subscrip-
tion price 45.00* per year in Wharton
County, Eagle Lake, and Pledger;
$60.00 per year elsewhere in Texas;
$85.00 per year out of state.
‘Carrier delivery extra
The Wharton Journal-Spectator is
published semiweekly by Wharton
County Newspapers, Inc., PO. Box
111, Wharton, TX 77488. Postmaster:
Send Change of Address Notices to:
PO. Box 111, Wharton, TX 77488.
Subscribe to the Wharton Journal-Spectator Today! Call 979-532-8840
By Mail
In County
$45-00
(Incl. Eagle Lake & Pledger)
By Mail
Out of County
$60-00
(In Texas)
By Mail
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$8500
(In Texas)
Carrier
Delivery
$5T00
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Surrounding Area
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Wallace, Bill. Wharton Journal-Spectator (Wharton, Tex.), Vol. 123, No. 94, Ed. 1 Saturday, November 24, 2012, newspaper, November 24, 2012; Wharton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth658204/m1/2/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Wharton County Library.