Crowley Star (Crowley, Tex.), Vol. 25, No. 21, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 29, 2011 Page: 4 of 14
fourteen pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Page 4 ★ Crowley Star ★ Thursday, September 29, 2011
www.crowleystar.net
Severe drought in
Texas costing billions
Devastating wildfires across Texas in recent weeks have been
the most visible evidence of a year-long drought that Texas of-
ficials have declared to be the worst on record. Behind the highly
visible carnage caused by the fires, the drought also has inflicted
a toll on the Texas economy that will have
long-term ramifications across the state.
The dry, hot conditions have placed
severe strains on the ranching and farm-
ing industry, as well as threatening our
recreational hunting and fishing sector.
Experts with the Texas AgriLife Exten-
sion at Texas A&M University estimate
that the drought has cost Texas $5.2 bil-
lion in crops and livestock.
In fact, many Texas ranchers may be
forced to go out of business as a result
of the devastating weather conditions in
our state. The drought has killed much
of the grass used for grazing, and ranchers are faced with a
choice. They sell off their starving cattle before they’ve fully
matured, pay unusually high prices for hay in order to keep
their herd alive, or move their herd out of state where condi-
tions are better.
Almost all the hay for Texas ranchers is coming from out
of state, and officials with the Texas Farm Bureau say that the
cost to transport a bale of hay is now more expensive than the
bale itself. Meanwhile, some out-of-state hay producers are
using the shortage to charge exorbitant prices.
Understandably, many Texas ranchers have opted to sell
their cattle under these circumstances. One survey by the
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA)
found that ranchers have sold off 40 percent of their cattle this
year compared to an annual average of 5 percent to 10 per-
cent. Officials with the Texas Farm Bureau believe that per-
centage has gone up even higher in the last month. The Farm
Bureau also reports that they are hearing from many ranchers
who plan to leave the business for good after they sell off their
herd. TSCRA’s survey confirms that 1 in 10 ranchers have left
the industry this year.
Farmers also have suffered. Texas Agriculture Commis-
sioner Todd Staples reports that cotton farmers have lost $ 1.8
billion due to the lack of rain; lost revenue from hay is $750
million; and corn losses are $327 million. Officials with the
Fower Colorado River Authority recently announced that
they may be requesting permission to cut off water to farm-
ers downstream of Austin because water reserves are so de-
pleted. If that happens, rice farmers in Matagorda, Wharton
and Colorado counties could see losses of $75 million and the
elimination of 1,000 farm labor jobs, according to a report in
the Austin Am erican-Statesman.
Even hunting and fishing, one of Texas’ most beloved pas-
times, could take a hit. Wild turkeys and deer are struggling to
find water to drink and moist foliage to eat according to Kirby
Brown of the Texas Wildlife Association, who reports that fawn
production will likely be down. Before discounting this as just
an inconvenience, consider that hunting and fishing is a nearly
$9 billion industry in Texas according to a 2006 study.
The economically harmful effects of the drought are com-
pounded by the fact that it is taking place as we face the most
serious recession since the Great Depression. The stagnant na-
tional economy is driving up unemployment across the coun-
try, including Texas. Making matters even worse is that some
of the regions of Texas with the highest unemployment - the
south Texas counties near the Rio Grande - are regions where
farming and ranching play a large role in the local economy.
The economic damage done by this drought will be long
lasting even if rain comes soon. Ranchers forced to sell off
cattle before reaching their peak value can never recover that
loss, and replenishing their lost inventory will take major cap-
ital investments. The farmers and hunting-related businesses
who lose income can’t make it back when the rain returns.
The $5.2 billion of losses in crops and livestock that the
drought is said to have cost is a conservative estimate. It
doesn’t include fruits, vegetables or peanuts. Nor does it in-
clude the indirect impact of the drought, which has been es-
pecially pronounced in regions where agriculture is the larg-
est sector of the economy. Businesses that sell feed, fertilizer,
seed, heavy machinery, and other agricultural supplies are
adversely affected by these negative conditions.
Texas has fared better than any other state during the
current economic challenges and has led the way in private-
sector job creation over the past decade. That is due in part to
our strong agriculture sector which has always played a vital
role in our state. One out of every seven jobs in Texas is tied
to that sector. But this devastating drought has imparted seri-
ous and real damage. Texans must be prepared to deal with
the long term economic and human costs of this drought for
years to come.
Tom Pauken is Chairman of the Texas Workforce Com-
mission and author of ‘Bringing Am erica Home. ”
Tom
Pauken
Commentary
JosliuavStar
Volume 41, Number 26
14 Pages in 1 Section
(USPS-010-545)
Periodicals Postage Paid at
Burleson, Texas &
additional offices
www.joshuastar.net
817-295-0486
Texas Press 4 ^
Association V ^
AwmlyWinner
The Joshua Star is an independent newspaper pub-
lished once a week on Thursday in the interest of
Joshua and adjacent areas by Graham Newspapers,
Inc., 319 N. Burleson Blvd., Burleson, Texas 76028. Any
erroneous reflection on any individual or firm will be
corrected if brought to the attention of the editor.
Address all correspondence to the Editor, Joshua Star,
P.0. Drawer 909, Burleson, Texas, 76097-0909.
The contents of each issue are protected under the
Federal Copyright Act. Reproduction of any portion of
any issue is prohibited without prior written consent.
Robb Krecklow........................Publisher
Advertising
Ashley Carter......Advertising Manager
Sharon Cregg........Classified Supervisor
Shelley Blain..................Real Estate Rep.
News Staff
Brian Porter...................................Editor
Composing Staff
Eric Allenson...............Creative Director
Matt Luttrell.... Graphics Asst. Manager
Duane Boyd...........................Pagination
Cole Justice.....................Special Sections
Front Office
Allyne Middleton...................Manager
Subscription Price $23.99
Per Year In Johnson & Tarrant Counties
Senior Citizens $16.99
Other Areas of Texas $30.99
Outside Texas $36.99
a iiaMediaNews Group newspaper
Printed on recycled paper
Errors & Adjustments: Please check your ad the first day it runs to ensure all the information is correct. We must limit your financial respon-
sibilities, if any, to the charge for the space and cannot be responsible for incorrect ads after the first day of publication.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Joshua Star, P.O. Box 909, Burleson, Texas, 76097-0909.
COPYRIGHT© 2011 Graham Newspapers, Ine.
Watching Travis collapse was surreal
The scene was surreal Sunday night
at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel
in Fort Worth.
My wife and I were sitting at Star
Group Media’s table
at Huguley Memo-
rial Medical Center’s
18th annual Crystal
Heart Gala. We,
along with publisher
Robb Krecklow and
his wife, Carolyn;
ad manager Ash-
ley Carter and her
husband, Chris; and
Burleson Star editor
Kristi Parker and her
date, Chuck, were
listening to country-
music superstar Randy Travis when he
suddenly collapsed on stage.
I was stunned, as was everyone else
in the room. Minutes earlier, Travis had
apologized to the crowd because he felt
his vocal cords going bad, and he didn’t
sound his best. But that sometimes hap-
pens at live shows —what you hear isn’t
always as it sounds on the CD, and that’s
good. I want to hear a more raw sound
at a concert. If I want to hear the latest
album, I’ll download it on iTunes.
I had never seen Travis in concert.
His repartee with the audience seemed
kind of disjointed Sunday night, but
maybe that was just him. He had forgot-
ten the words to “Digging Up Bones,” or
at least that’s what I was told.
Being a Huguley function, a host of
doctors rushed to the stage and, as Bur-
leson Mayor Ken Shetter said after Tra-
vis left the stage under his own power,
if something like this had to happen, it
was lucky it did at a hospital event at
which a lot of doctors were present. He
was attended to quickly as the audience
waited with bated breath.
Murmurs of talk could be heard here
and there, but for the most part, the
gala was on hold as Travis lay on the
stage. The members of his band stayed
put in their spots, seemingly as stunned
as everybody else. Surely, there was a
lot of praying going on.
After about 10 minutes that seemed
like three hours, Travis was helped up by a
couple of doctors, walked off stage and gave
a thumb’s up sign to the crowd, which was
applauding, the same way the crowd at a
high-school football game applauds when
an injured player comes off the field. Then
Shetter came up, followed by Huguley CEO
Ken Finch, who delivered an appropriate
and heartfelt prayer for Travis.
The still-stunned crowd then dis-
persed, with those who had winning
bids for silent-auction items paying up
and the rest heading for home.
Reports Monday were that Travis
was fine and resting, and that his tour
will continue as planned. A combination
of decongestant and coffee was to blame
for his collapse, his representatives said.
That’s good.
The incident shows just how sudden
things can happen. One second, one of
the greats of country music is singing
about the preacher, the teacher and the
prostitute in “Three Wooden Crosses,”
the next, he’s flat on the ground. What
had been an elegant and joyous occa-
sion turned into a very scary moment.
The audience should be compliment-
ed for remaining calm. It would have
been very tempting to rush to the stage to
see how he was doing and just to witness
the scene. But that didn’t happen —just
be glad this wasn’t Justin Bieber collaps-
ing before an audience of 12- and 13-year-
olds. Everybody respectfully stayed in
their seats and awaited the outcome.
Many theories have been advanced
as to why Randy Travis collapsed, but
we’ll likely never know if they’re true.
And it’s too bad the incident will over-
shadow the amount of money Huguley
raised Sunday night to help those in
need get medical care.
But the 500 people who were there
will never forget where they were the
night of Sept, 25, 2011. Randy Travis
likely won’t, either.
Dave Sorter is editor of the Crowley
Star. Contact him at crow ley star @
thestargroup.com.
(
-7#
\W\
Dave
Sorter
Commentary
...warns YU "We v^acr sepoBucan StovesMSM.
CiaiN£
cckjuose
WRK
Q)M
Y' \ i Ww- ■ o/yi
Live up to your name, whatever it is
In 1996, the Cleveland Browns moved
to Baltimore and they had to change
the name of their team. Cleveland’s new
team was going to keep the Browns
name, which I think is way, way down
there when it comes
to football names. Are
you kidding me, the
Browns? The name
doesn’t strike terror
in my heart or tell
me anything about
Cleveland. It’s just
ridiculous.
The Cowboys,
now there’s a name
fit for Texas. The
49ers is a great name
for a team from San
Francisco, but what
the heck are the Browns?
Anyway, there had been problems
with names of teams in this town be-
fore. For the two seasons before that,
Baltimore was home to a Canadian
Football Feague team. As disgraceful
as that is for a city to host a Canadian
football team, something akin to an
Iraqi museum of political history being
put in downtown Fort Worth, it gets
even worse. They were called the Colts,
that is before being sued by the NFF,
and then they changed their name to
the Stallions.
Silly Canadians didn’t think the
NFF would mind them having a team
called the Colts, and I guess they didn’t
consult Rocky Balboa before calling
themselves the Stallions.
When Baltimore finally got another
NFF franchise, they booted the Stal-
lions back to Montreal and they re-
named their French-Canadian team the
Alouettes. In my opinion, this is just as
ridiculous, because everyone knows al-
louette is French for “I surrender.”
A little farther south of the border
—not much, but a little —Baltimore
wanted a name that would suit their great
city. So they named them the Ravens.
The Baltimore Ravens are not
named after birds of prey or a terrible
scene from a Hitchcock movie, but a
poem. Edgar Allen Poe hung out in Bal-
timore in the 1830s, and while Crockett
was firing off rounds at Santa Anna,
Poe was writing a poem about a super-
natural bird. That’s right, the Baltimore
Ravens football team is named after a
stinking poem. Is nothing sacred any-
more? It’s things like this that convince
me Jesus is coming back soon.
Forgive me for my rant. I am actu-
ally just having fun and spicing up my
column a little. The Ravens is as good
of a name as any, I guess. It’s just inter-
esting to me how things come together.
In the Bible and in God’s Kingdom,
there is a lot that goes into a name. A
name is a really big deal. It tends to be
a prophetic term for identity, and in the
Kingdom, identity is everything. Who
you are, or I should say, how you’re
willing to live up to who you are, un-
locks heaven’s treasures and positions
you under open windows of heaven.
Fiving up to a name can make you crazy
or make you blessed, and the Hebrews
know that.
Jabez, for example, is a name that
means pain. The guy made famous for
his prayer that caught God’s attention
(1 Chronicals 4:9-10) was somebody
who didn’t want to live up to his name.
He wanted to be a blessing instead of
a pain-maker, and God granted his
prayer. He refused to be who people
had named him
I want to encourage you to not live
up to stupid names. Be careful who you
let name you in this life. You are going
to be named and labeled as things you
are not. You will be misidentified and
outright called terrible things at some
point or another but that’s not your
identity. Jabez proves you don’t have to
live up to a terrible name.
God knows who you really are, and
not according to your history but your
destiny. Fet him name you and, by His
grace, live up to it.
And I w ill also give him a
w hite stone w ith a new name
written on it, known only to him
w ho receives it.
—Revelation 2:17 b
Troy is pastor of Open Door Church
in Joshua. Contact him via www.open-
door exp erience.com.
Troy
Brew er
Commentary
letters policy
The Crowley Star welcomes letters to the editor for consideration for publi-
cation. Letters to the editor are offered by the newspaper to the community for
expression of personal views on matters of concern.
Residents are encouraged to use the column in a constructive manner, shar-
ing their views on subjects of interest with the newspaper's readers. Letters are
individual opinions and not those of this newspaper.
Each letter must be original, limited to 300 words or fewer, signed by the
writer and bear the address and phone number of the writer. Only the writer's
name and the city will be published with the letter. The Crowley Star does not
withhold the writer's name for any reason. Anonymous letters or letters signed
by an unidentifiable pseudonym will not be published. The phone number and
address are necessary for verification of authenticity or clarification of content.
Letters which cannot be verified will not be published.
The Crowley Star reserves the right to edit all letters. Letters deemed
libelous, slanderous, unclear or otherwise unacceptable will not be published.
Thank-you expressions singling out individuals or organizations will not be pub-
lished. Poetry is unacceptable as a letter to the editor.
During election campaigns, the Crowley Star will accept letters to the editor
discussing issues or offering endorsements. The deadline for election-related
letters is two weeks prior to Election Day.
Address letters to: Editor, Crowley Star, P.O. Box 909, Burleson, TX 76097-
0909. Letters may also be faxed to 817-295-5278, or e-mailed to publisher@the-
stargroup.com. Faxed and e-mailed letters must include the writer's complete
address and daytime telephone number.
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.
Sorter, David. Crowley Star (Crowley, Tex.), Vol. 25, No. 21, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 29, 2011, newspaper, September 29, 2011; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth809273/m1/4/: accessed June 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Burleson Public Library.