The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 130, No. 21, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 20, 2005 Page: 4 of 12
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the The Old Jail Art Center.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Opinion Page
\
H
The Albany News
Since 1875
Oldest journalistic venture west of the Brazos
Publisher Donnie A. Lucas
Editor
Melinda L. Lucas
Advertising Manager
Donna Hargrave
Moran Correspondent
Audrey Brooks
Office Manager
Sheryl Spore
Typesetter
Betty Viertel
Office Assistant
Jordan Lucas
editorial
Seeing Red
Red Ribbon Week is next week.
After 17 years, local adults may not be
paying much attention to the events that go
on during this annual event, but the efforts
of the Red Ribbon organization and other
anti-drug campaigns seem to be making a
difference in student usage of drugs.
Last year, about 215,000 Texas students
in grades 4-12 participated in the Texas
School Survey of Substance Use, the largest
of its kind in the nation. The statewide
survey has been conducted every two years
since 1988. Among the findings:
• The percentage of 7-12 graders report-
ing they had used tobacco in the month
before the survey fell again, from 18.2 per-
cent in 2002 to 17.0 percent in 2004. Sev-
enth graders reported a 21 percent decline,
and ninth graders reported an 18 percent
drop.
• Alcohol continues to be the most widely
used substance among Texas students with
68 percent of students reporting they had
used alcohol at some point in their lives.
This percentage has dropped four percent
since 2002, and the past month use has
dropped six percent.
• Students at all grade levels have been
showing a sharp decrease in Ecstasy use in
the past two years.
• Marijuana remained the most com-
monly used illicit drug among students.
Thirty percent of all 7-12 graders in 2004
reported having smoked marijuana at some
point in their lives, down from 32 percent in
2002. Past-month use of marijuana was
12.6 percent in 2004, compared to 14.4 per-
cent in 2002. The percentage of 7-12 grad-
ers reporting they had ever used any illicit
drug remained stable.
• Inhalant abuse declined for lifetime
use but remained stable for past-month
use. The overall rate for lifetime use in 2004
was 17 percent and the past month use was
seven percent.
Red Ribbon Week gives us as adults a
chance to be visible and vocal in our desire
for a drug-free community, and research
shows that children are less likely to use
alcohol and other drugs when parents and
other role models are clear and consistent
in their opposition to substance use and
abuse.
Let's be clear and consistent.
policy
THE ALBANY NEWS
(USPS 012-400) is published weekly, except for one week in
July 2005 and one week in December 2005, for $28 per year
for subscriptions within Shackelford County, $33 per year
for subscriptions within Texas, and $38 per year for out-of-
state subscriptions by Lucas Publications Inc., 49 S. Main,
Albany, Texas 76430. Periodicals postage paid at Albany,
Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE
ALBANY NEWS, PO Box 278, Albany, Texas 76430-0278.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
All letters to the editor must be signed by
the author and include a complete ad-
dress and telephone number. Only the
writer's name and city will appear in print.
The publisher reserves the right to edit or
to refuse any letters. Send letters to THE
ALBANY NEWS, PO Box 278, Albany TX
76430-0278.
CORRECTIONS
Any erroneous reflection upon the char-
acter, reputation or standing of any indi-
vidual, firm or corporation will be cor-
rected when notification in writing is g'
to the publisher within 10 days after ]
lication.
RATES
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Albany & Moran $28.00
including tax, Texas addresses $33.00 in-
cluding tax, other U.S. addresses $38.00,
foreign addresses available upon applica-
tion.
ADVERTISING: National rate $6.20 per
column inch. Local rate $5.15 per column
inch. Notices $1.00 line. Classified ads, $4.00
minimum for first 15 words, 10c word for
additional words paid in advance.
AFFILIATIONS
2005 MEMBER: Texas Press Association,
West Texas Press Association.
panderings by Pat
By Pat Lidia Jones I
I was not born in the church nor
raised in it. No one that I know of on
either side of my family attended regu-
larly. My maternal grandparents were
split between the Baptist Church (Boe
Wright) and the Methodist (Mother
Wright). She attended fairly often; he
never did.
On Dad's side of the family, my
Grandpa Lidia owned some land
which had on it a tiny Methodist
Church (for his wife) and a tiny Bap-
tist Church (for him) and a nice-sized
cemetery. The two little churches are
gone, but Oak Dale Cemetery is right
there, full of my family and other
Stephenville folks.
Grandpa died when I was a tiny
child, but I don't remember Grand-
mother ever going to church, not for
any reason, not even for a wedding or
a funeral. No one bugged or nagged
anyone else about going. It wasn't a
big deal.
I married into a family where go-
ing to church was not only a big deal,
it was a done deal. I found that I liked
his church. I liked Brother Aden, the
minister, and everything about it ex-
cept Sunday School. I just hated it.
But Sunday School or not, I joined
the First Christian Church of Albany,
Texas on Palm Sunday, my senior
year in Albany High School.
I don't know whether Bro. Aden
was afraid I'd change my mind or
what, but he baptized me right off the
bat. It wasn't a bad idea because as I
looked into that deep water and saw
Bro. Aden beckoning to me, I wanted
to run away as fast as I could. I don't
swim; I've always been afraid of wa-
ter. I don't even take a deep bath.
But there I was, barefooted, clad in
a white robe with a preacher and my
boyfriend's mom both now beckoning.
So in I went. Bro. Aden held me under
until I thought my time had come. He
kept talking about "saving me." Well,
I needed saving by then. When he
dragged me out of the baptistry and
pushed me into the towels Nellie Jones
was holding, I was so thankful to be
breathing air again. Free at last.
It was no time before Nellie had me
teaching Sunday School, helping her
with Vacation Bible School and at-
tending the Ladies Missionary Soci-
ety.
I struggled, but I wasn't a very
good Church Lady. I married A.V.
and off to Norman we went. He went
to class all day and studied all night.
My mother and her mother, both
excellent cooks, had neglected to teach
me anything except how to set the
table properly and how to dry dishes
after supper. They didn't trust me to
wash dishes.
I was living in a nightmare. A.V.
was still a growing boy with a major
appetite. I frantically wrote my
mother for instructions on how to do a
roast beef, how to cook pinto beans,
how to bake potatoes - anything.
A.V. never complained, but he was
amazed at how much I didn't know.
He kept telling me how they cooked at
Boy Scout camp outs, but I didn't
cotton to cooking outside. It was win-
ter.
It was painful - we both almost
starved. It was expensive to eat out,
but oh, it was good. I decided to try my
hand at a roast. Think of the variety
of meals my mother did with one - my
mouth watered. Mother's instructions
to your health
were woefully lacking in details.
"Dredge it in flour," she wrote; I won-
dered what "dredge" meant. It
sounded like a lot of flour to me - and
it was. I never got the thing browned,
but I .certainly got it dredged. The
flour and lard burned and the meat
was brownish outside and red inside.
A.V. sliced it and fried it. I wanted my
mother and so did A.V. Sj[
In the midst of all this, his first
cousin came over and I hid the roast
in the cabinet and threatened to go
home if A.V. told his cousin, whose
mother was the best cook in Okla-
homa. He didn't.
I finally got to where I could cook -
and it was fit to eat, but it never came
naturally to me.
I watch that TV show where the
peppy girl cooks wonderful meals in
30 minutes. The thing that amazes
me is no matter what she does, she
already has all the ingredients, knows
the recipe by heart and has all the
right pots and pans ready.
A.V. and I should have married a
good cook like the TV 30-minute
queen.
By Ryan Ford, M.D.;
What does it mean to be healthy?
Let's face it, we can't keep from get-
ting sick from time to time, but that
has nothing to do with being healthy.
Some of us get the short end of the
genetic stick and wind up with medi-
cal problems as a result of familial
inheritance while others bring dis-
ease upon themselves. This applies to
all of us, so here is some healthy
advice.
Being healthy, or living a healthy
lifestyle, is a choice. It's a difficult
choice to make because it requires
discipline, knowledge, focus and com-
mitment. It means living today for
tomorrow and all the tomorrow's to
come. It takes a conscious decision
and a solid plan of action.
Start simple. Try a good multi-
vitamin. If you're not willing to go the
whole nine yards, at least try a vita-
min. Better still, add more fruits and
vegetables to your diet. Three to four
servings each of fresh fruit and veg-
etables would be excellent. If you've
always hated veggies, try again.
Maybe you've developed a taste for
asparagus.
If you can't do veggies, take a fiber
supplement. Fiber keeps our colons
healthy and may slow the absorption
of dietary sugars; this helps rest the
pancreas and decreases our risk of
diabetes. Take your pick over the
counter, it is generally safe to add
fiber to your diet, but take it slow.
Keep your kidneys healthy with
plenty of water, eightfull glasses daily.
This improves kidney function and
helps prevent the formation of stones;
trust me, you don't want a kidney
stone. These stones, sometimes as
small as a grain of sand, shred your
urethral lining on an agonizing jour-
ney from the kidney to the bladder
that if you're lucky will only take
three hours to complete. Of course,
water worth drinking comes from a
one dollar bottle, but with three dol-
lar gas some are developing a taste for
the kitchen tap. If you take diuretics
see your doctor regularly to check
electrolytes while increasing your
daily intake of water.
Exercise! Do something. Virtually
everyone is capable of exercise. If you
can't get out of bed, you can still work
your muscles. Try holding your limbs
up against gravity. If you can walk,
keep walking for as long as you are
possibly able. Is your wheelchair on
order yet? If not, keep walking. If your
legs or joints hurt when you walk, see
a doctor, but don't stop walking. Exer-
cise makes us more efficient biological
machines. It is without a doubt one of
the most important secrets to longev-
ity. Start exercise within yo\i? "6#rt*'
round and about
capability, don't over-do-it and win&
up with a nagging injury.
Ladies, you probably need morg
Calcium with Vitamin D. Calciunj
helps maintain bone mineralization
and the Vitamin D helps get calcium,
to the bones. Most women need 120(fe
1500 milligrams of Calcium per daj§
Constipation is a side effect, but tr|p
some fiber at the same time. Probler#
solved and it's good for you.
The best thing you can do is give ui
bad habits like smoking, chewing, anfl
drinking. This is often a sticking pointj
There is nothing that a doctor couL
prescribe that would cure better thai
a prescription to "quit bad habits'
Think about it. You can do it! Everjfl
one is capable.
Don't talk to me about the Blu§
Bell. Thanks for reading, send que^
tions and comments to docrdforj
By Emalyn (Sam) Gillispie
Albany has seen a lot of people
coming and going. The reenactment
was held at Fort Griffin this weekend
and from all accounts they had a large
crowd. Our streets were crowded for
two days. On Sunday morning I went
to a local restaurant and it was really
crowded. The Class of'55 had its 50th
reunion and they had breakfast where
I did.
I arrived just in time to meet Red
Steagall. He was coming out the door
as I was going in. We had met on
several occasions when I worked for
Mr. Watt. He introduced me to his
lead guitar player Richard Neel and
we had a nice chat. He had been
involved at Fort Griffin. It was good
to see him again.
A surprise birthday party was held
in Hamlin on October 14 for Sue
Codington. About 14 people showed
up at her favorite eating place and
she was not expecting anything out of
the ordinary. Bonnie Moore of
Seagraves rode with Edwina Falken-
bury of Levellanjl whiljff^drove from
Albany.
I visited with'Vhe Siiftftions family
who were here frfctfri' Wfed-damaged
Vidor, Texas. I spoK^fco nally and her
J : W'
sisters Tiletha and Lethia. They had
been staying with a cousin in Breck-
enridge until the Red Cross put them
up in a motel in Abilene where they
joined other members of their family,
Tommy Williams and Jolene. They
were here for three weeks and re-
turned home October 12. Hally said
they had a lot of wind damage in
Vidor which knocked down all elec-
tric lines in the area.
Also in Albany is Don Hare's mother
and sister. They lived at Sulpher,
Louisiana. Don's mother likes it so
well here she is seriously thinking
about moving here.
What do you do with two pickup
loads of trash when the BFI men close
up the collection site early? If you
know the answer to that question,
would you please call me and let me
know? I am sure about eight more
irate drivers behind me would like to
know also.
On Albany cleanup day I got stuck
with trash I could not find a place to
unload. It seems that due to no dump
grounds, we are at the mercy of who-
ever plans these things. Oh, by the
way, do you know it is against a city
ordinance to have trash piled up on
Agriculture Commissioner
Susan Combs
your property. You can be fined, but
only if someone signs a complaint
against you. It is another ordinance
that I do not understand.
Albany had some excitement the
other evening. I was out walking my
dogs and saw this red glow coming
from the east side of Albany. It looked
like that whole side of town was on
fire. So I jumped in my car and fol-
lowed about half the citizens of Al-
bany up toward hilltop. We got there
and the old hospital building was on
fire. The firemen were working hard
to keep the flames from going across
the street and catching the houses on
fire. The fire smoked for three or four;
days. I don't think anyone came up;
with why it caught fire because all-
utilities were off and the building was J
being torn down.
Hope everyone is enjoying the!
lovely weather we have been having.'
This is Sam and I will see you Round;
and About.
During the past few years, favor-
able policy changes and strong de-
mand have been good for Texas pea-
nut producers. Peanuts are a major
part of Texas agriculture and accord-
ing to the Texas Peanut Producers
Board, the Texas economy gains a
hefty $1 billion annually from the
peanut industry.
Part of the reason for the success of
the Texas peanut industry is simple
economics. People in Texas and
throughout the nation are eating more
peanuts. As we become more health
conscious, it's not surprising peanuts
are one of the most popular snacks.
Peanuts account for two-thirds of
all the snack nuts consumed in the
United States. Figures from the Na-
tional Peanut Board show that Ameri-
cans eat more than 600 million pounds
of peanuts and 700 million pounds of
peanut butter each year. In fact,
Americans spend nearly $800 million
a year on peanut butter.
Peanuts contain mostly unsatur-
ated fat and are naturally low in so-
dium. The human body needs 20 es-
sential minerals for normal growth
and maintenance and peanuts con-
tain a whopping 35 percent of these
essential minerals.
Texas is only as strong as the health
of our Texas families and the Texas
Department of Agriculture has cre-
ated materials designed to help par-
ents and children navigate their way
to good nutrition. It's clear peanuts
are definitely part of a nutritious diet
and TDA highlights peanuts, trail
mix and other nuts as nutritious snack
options in various brochures and
marketing pieces.
As Texas firmly holds its position
as the second-largest peanut-produc-
ing state behind Georgia, peanuts will
remain one of our most important
commodities and continue to be a
healthy option for those looking for
great taste and nutrition.
/4 z_ /v v
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
OCT. 19
OCT.2Q
OCT. 21
OCT. 22
OCT 23-29
OCT. 25
OCT. 29
OCT. 30
OCT. 31
City council - City Hall, 5 pm
Lions Club - Icehouse, 12 noon
Masons - Masonic Lodge, 7:30 pm
Senior Day Luncheon - Youth Center, 11:30 am
Chamber luncheon - Ft. Griffin Gen. Mdse.,
12 noon
Albany Lions vs Rotan - Nail Stadium, 7:30 pm
After-game fellowship - Harlow home, 10:30 pm-
12 midnight
UIL Band Contest - Shotwell Stadium in Abilene,
10:10 am
Red Ribbon Week
Relay for Life meeting - Friendship Baptist Church,
5 pm
ESL classes - Resource Center, 6-8 pm
PTO Fall Fest - NSES campus, 5:30-9 pm
Running Man - Presbyterian basketball court,
9 pm
Community Hymn Sing - First Baptist Church, 6 pm
Commissioners court - Courthouse, 9 am
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Lucas, Melinda L. The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 130, No. 21, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 20, 2005, newspaper, October 20, 2005; Albany, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth413177/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The Old Jail Art Center.