The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 108, No. 65, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 13, 2003 Page: 1 of 12
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NORWEGIAN CAPITAL OF TEXAS
A TEXAS MAIN STREET CITY
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© 2003, The Clifton Record
All Rights Reserved
— Serving Bosque County Since 1895 —
ONE SECTION-PLUS supplements CLIFTON, TEXAS 76634 VOL. 108, NO. 65 — WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2003
‘Dangerous Results’
Funding Cuts To Mental Health Programs
Pose Increased Threats To Patients, Public^
By David Anderson
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
CLIFTON — While the 78th
Legislative Session of the State of
Texas continues to be in flux in the
most recent of special sessions,
actions already taken by the leg-
islators are having far-reaching
consequences. Faced with one of
the largest budget deficits in the
state’s history, Austin lawmakers
slashed funding to a multitude of
departments, programs, and ser-
vices throughout the state, and
many of those budget cuts are pro-
ducing dangerous results.
As the state wrestled with an
estimated $10 billion in cuts from
the $117 billion state budget, leg-
islators cut $55 million from men-
tal health centers, eliminating
mental health services for adult
Medicaid recipients, cutting pro-
"By de-funding the mental health system, in
reality what the state has tried to do is to dump
these people into the criminal justice process...”
— Phil Robertson, Clifton Attorney
grams for persons with mental re-
tardation and mental illnesses,
and cutting $5 million in funding
for psychiatric drugs.
The cuts come at a time when a
just-released federal study re-
ported that between five and
seven percent of adults in the
country have serious mental is-
sues, and that five to nine percent
of the juvenile population suffer
from similar problems. The re-
port, compiled by a presidential
commission comprised of almost
two dozen members, also said
that state and federal mental
health systems are often “frag-
Heat Wave Still No
K W* A
i Anderson
ATI EDITOR
CLIFTON—While area resi-
sts have sweltered since the
st iff August under daily tem-
aturesbreaking the century
, the temps that hit as high
! 110 degrees last Wednesday
ad Thursday still are a long
r from the estimated 140 de-
i registered one night near
is Weather,” the 1975
: by Harold Taft and Ron
; is one of the few publi-
cations to detail what has 1
called “The Strangest Storm in
Texas... or, The Night the World
Almost Came to an End in
Kopperl.”
Clifton Independent
Districts’ School W
Weather website i
temperature at i
Thursday at 89.3 degrees, i
than 50 degrees lower I
shortly after midnight <
15,1960.
“Under clear skies i
• See HEATI
mentary, disorganized, and inef-
fective.”
The budget cuts’ results are
forcing officials to prioritize who
can be helped with the limited
funding available, a process that
often leaves many persons need-
ing treatment overlooked.
And while MHMR had some fa-
cilities to take care of long-term
juvenile and adult patients, there
are not nearly enough to meet the
needs of the state, and even those
facilities are being victimized by
the state budget cuts. Centers
across the state have been forced
to drastically curtail services and
hours of operation, and many have
been closed altogether.
“There’s this huge hole in the
mental health system. We’ve got
people wtMong4en»p9yehiafrjc
problems who are dangerous to
society, and the state’s doing ab-
solutely nothing to keep them off
the streets and out of the commu-
nities. The only time the state
seems willing to do anything about
it is if they hurt somebody,” said
Clifton attorney Phil Robertson.
“By de-funding the mental
health system, in reality what the
state has tried to do is to dump
these people into the criminal jus-
tice process, and that process
sometimes can’t handle them. It
has an escape valve to kick out
people so dysfunctional, and it just
• See DE-FUNDING, Page 2
GRELLE PRINT FOR AUCTION — Martin Grelle’s signed, limited edition reproduction print, “Seeking Buf-
falo,” will be auctioned at the National Championship Barbecue Cookoff in Meridian on Friday, Aug. 22, at 7
p.m., at the Meridian Civic Center. The print and frame were donated by Stonewall Collections in Clifton,
represented by (top left) Don Knustrom, and First Choice Power Company, represented by (bottom left) Todd
Clift, to the auction, represented by (right) Marilyn Ridings. - stati photo ey Nathan Diebengw
Limited Edition Grelle Print
To Be Auctioned Aug. 22
At National Championship Barbecue Cookoff In Meridian
CLIFTON — A signed, limited
edition, reproduction-on-canvas
print of Martin Grelle’s painting,
“Seeking Buffalo,” will be sold off
at auction at the the National
Championship Barbecue Cookoff
Bosque Commissioners’ Court Expected To
Implement Outdoor Burn Ban At Aug. 11 Meeting
§~ Wildfires Increases: High Temps, Dry Conditions Fuel Flames
College station — As the
drought indexes push over 500
across several regions of the state,
rural firefighters prepare for what
could be a busy fire season. The
Texas Forest Service elevated
state fire preparedness to Level
2 last week, indicating moderate
to high fire occurrence in West and
Central Texas regions. Bosque
County Commissioners’ Court
planned to implement an outdoor
burning ban at last Monday’s
(Aug. 11) meeting joining at least
47 other counties in doing so.
“A drought index of more than
500 indicates severely dry condi-
tions and high fire risk,” said Tom
Spencer, fire risk assessment co-
ordinator for the Texas Forest Ser-
vice. “These hot and dry
conditions, typical of late summer
and early fall in Texas, contribute
to intense fires.”
Several hot spots have ignited in
• See BURN BAN, Page 2
in Meridian, Friday, Aug. 22, at 7
p.m., at Meridian Civic Center.
With a retail value totaling
$1,700, the 30x36 print and frame
were donated by Stonewall Collec-
tions in Clifton and First Choice
Power Company. The print was
released in May, and is second in
series of five.
“Right now, Martin Grelle is one
of the hottest artists in the south-
west,” said Todd Clift, First Choice
customer account manager.
“Teller of Tales,” the first in the
series of five, won the top award
at the Prix de West Invitational
held at the National Cowboy and
Western Heritage Museum in
Oklahoma City in June 2002, and
was chosen for inclusion in the
museum’s permanent collection.
“The reason we picked out
‘Seeking Buffalo’ is because it re-
minded us a lot of Bosque County,”
said Clift. “It’s like you could see
this exact same view from one of
the bluffs overlooking the Bosque
• See GRELLE, Page 2
Bosque County Central Appraisal
District Approves Smaller Budget
By Nathan Diebenow
STAFF WRITER
MERIDIAN — On Thursday,
Aug. 7, the Bosque County Central
Appraisal District unanimously
approved its 2003-2004 budget.
This year’s budget is $367,935, a
drop of $27,615 from last year.
The budget cuts include post-
age, utilities, supplies, and capital
equipment purchases. Actions
“put on hold” are city map updates
into the appraisal district’s com-
puter system.
Chief Appraiser Janice Henry
• See BCCAD, Page 2
August’s Sales Tax Rebate Payment
Takes 30-Percent Nose-Dive In Clifton
By David Anderson
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
AUSTIN—After an increase of
27 percent last month, the August
sales tax rebate check to the City
of Clifton did an about-face, com-
ing in at just over 30 percent less
than in August 2002. In all, four of
the seven incorporated cities in
Bosque County were down when
compared to payments issued in
the same month last year, after
the county saw five cities with in-
creases last month.
The City of Clifton received a
payment of $37,328.32, down 30.31
percent from August 2002, and the
city’s year-to-date rebates are still
in the red, down 10.05 percent
over the first eight months of2002.
Walnut Springs’ August rebate
was up the most in the county,
with that city’s payment rising
39.48 percent compared to August
2002. Iredell’s payment increases
10.4 percent compared to last
year’s at this time. Meridian saw
a modest increase of 1.85 percent.
/COATING THE SWING SET — With “safety green” paint donated by Leon’s Floors, (from left) Jeff ward and
*^vld Dixon of Blllman Painting volunteered their time to paint a swing set at Clifton Elementary School on
— Staff Photo By Nathan Diebenow
Davie
^Wednesday, Aug. 6.
br-
other than Clifton’s drop, the larg-
est declines were seen by Valley
Mills (down 43.43 percent) and
Cranfills Gap (down 32.91 per-
cent). Morgan experienced a 7.83-
percent drop over August 2002’s
payment.
Year-to-date, Walnut Springs
• See REBATES, Page 2
Jimmy Schmidt,
The Unknowns To
Play Plaza Nights
CLIFTON — Plaza Nights will
return to Heritage Plaza on Sat-
urday, Aug. 16, with Jimmy
Schmidt and the Unknowns.
Because of the summer heat,
the shows will now start around
8:30 p.m. in downtown Clifton. ~
“It’ll be lots of fun,” said
Damaris Neelley, Main Street
manager. “Bring your coolers and
chairs, and enjoy the easy-going
atmosphere.”
For more information, contact
Neelley at (254) 675-2732.
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Smith, W. Leon. The Clifton Record (Clifton, Tex.), Vol. 108, No. 65, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 13, 2003, newspaper, August 13, 2003; Clifton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth790322/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Nellie Pederson Civic Library.