Sulphur Springs News-Telegram (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 129, Ed. 1 Friday, May 30, 1980 Page: 1 of 14
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Hopkins County Area Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Hopkins County Genealogical Society.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
i : - ■ ■
'MICROr ILh BE.RVI'.. £ ’
- i-'.Q* BOX 454 iO
Dhl-LAs
Al.ES l
*
''5235*
In today's paper...
t *.
T-Viewing
Pull and save
Sulphur Springs
Friday
VOL. 102—NO. 129.
£feuis-Srirnrmtt
\
MAY 30, I960.
15 Cents
TWO SECTIONS
r . —■ :*■ a --
Economy compass
swings to gloomy
{
By EILEEN ALT POWELL
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — A government
index designed to forecast future economic
activity plunged a record 4.8 percent in
April, suggesting that the nation is in for a
steep recession, the Commerce Depart-
ment reported today.
1 The falloff in the Composite Index of
Leading Indicators came as all 10 com-
Government checks as hostage?
House folds hand in
gas fee poker game
WASHINGTON (AP) - House leaders
gave in today and vowed to permit a vote
next month on legislation blocking
President Carter’s unpopular 10-cent-a-
gallon gasoline fee.
The concession came after opponents of
the fee managed late Thursday to link the
issue to a bill needed to extend the
government’s power to pay many of its
bills.
That authority expires at midnight
Saturday unless the legislation — a
temporary 30-day extension of the debt
ceiling — is approved.
Government checks, possibly including
some Social Security benefits due next
week, could be held hostage if the debt
ceding legislation isn’t pas .ed Jw them „
Rep. Richard Bolling, D-Mo., chairman
of the House Rules Committee, announced
today that his panel, where the fee repeal
legislation has been bottled up, would hold
a hearing on the issue on June 10.
“The oil import matter will be up and on
that day I anticipate it will get a rule" to
permit debate by the full House, Bolling
said. “I live up to my commitments.”
With that, his panel voted 11-5 to rush to
the House floor legislation to extend the
debt ceiling — without the gasoline fee
issue attached.
Leaders vowed to keep both the House
and the Senate in session in hopes of
winning final approval of the measure by
tonight.
But Senate Minority Leader Howard
Baker, R-Tenn., told reporters there was a
good chance the Senate might put the anti-
fee amendment onto the debt ceiling bill
even if the House doesn’t.
President Carter has threatened to veto
any measure contaning a repeal of the gas
fee, which was schedued to go into effect
May 15 but has been blocked by a federal
judge’s order the administration is now
appealing.
Baker said a Saturday session was
possible if such a veto was cast and that an
effort would be made to override it.
Meanwhile, O’Neill told, reporters today
that failure to extend the debt ceiling
would mean “there’ll be no checks for
Social Security — we’re sure about that.”
However, a spokesman for the Social
Security Administration said today that
the 35 million Social Security checks for
June were being mailed anyway and
should be received by recipients next
week. The $9 billion in checks are dated
next Tuesday.
“The Treasury Department tells us they
expect the checks will be honored,” said
the spokesman, Jim Brown.
It wasn't funny at the time...
By SHARON COHEN
Associated Press Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — Lairy Anderson is
a convict who likes to write comedy. He
says there’s nothing funny about
prison, but he can always get a laugh by
remembering the day he became a
criminal.
Determined to collect on a debt,
Anderson borrowed a gun he didn’t
know how to use and went to a Cham-
paign restaurant where the debtor
worked. While there, he decided to help
himself to the till.
It soon became evident he was no
John Dillinger.
“I tried to rip the phone off the wall
but I couldn’t,” he said in a telephone
interview. “I told everybody to lie down
but nobody would.
"When I left, the gun went off and
knocked out the power across the
street. And then the guy who was
driving the getaway car out front drove
off without me.”
That was four years ago, and An-
derson has yet to do his first prison
joke.
But there is plenty of funny fodder
around for the writer with time to think
it up. And Anderson, whose calls the
Sheridan Correctional Center home,
has had the time.
For sometimes 10 hours a day, he sits
at a typewriter pounding out one-liners,
gags and television scripts. In less than
a year he’s sold jokes to comedian Joan
Rivers and begun work on a screen-
play.
Anderson, a high school dropout who
said he was the worst English student
at Danville High School, said he didn’t
have any goals in mind when he started
a six-year sentence for armed robbery.
Writing comedy was initially an
escape, he said in a telephone in-
terview. “It was to alleviate depression
...to liven things up.”
At times, being in prison helps sell
material, Anderson said. “People will
say, ‘Hey, this guy’s in prison and he’s
doing something.’” Others, he said,
won’t have anything to do with him.
One joke he wrote for Ms. Rivers
deals with inflation and goes like this:
“The prices of food are so high, I went
to the supermarket and the cashier
asked me if I’m paying with cash, a
check or a house mortgage.”
Though he’s only been writing for
about a year, Anderson says it’s tough
to come up with fresh ideas while in
prison.
“You become a little numb in here,”
he said. “You don’t have anything
going on presently to draw from. You
runout of ideas.”
But that part of Anderson’s problem
is almost a bad memory. He said he is
due for release in December and plans
to try writing movie scripts and plays in
California.
Meanwhile, Sheridan’s resident
funny man readily admits his time
behind wire and walls has had the
desired effect.
“Hey,” he said, “this isn’t the life for
me.”
Local job market, economy holds steady
Vs
■ -hM
ponents of the economic barometer fell for
only the second time in the three-decade
history of the index.
.The April decline eclipsed the previous
record one-month drop of 3 percent set in
September 1974, when the economy was
falling into what was its worst recession
since the Great Depression.
The Carter administration has been
predicting a “mild and short” recession
this year, but private economists have said
they believe the downturn will be closer in
magnitude to the 1974-75 recession.
Adren Cooper, a Commerce Department
analyst, said the April slide “probably
does say something about the depth” of the
downturn.
“The index does have some relationship
to industrial production, and that makes
up about one-third of the total economy,”
he said. “In that sense, it suggests a
problem.”
The April slide in the composite index
was the seventh in the last 12 months and
followed drops of 2.1 percent in March and
0.4 percent in February. Revised data
showed no change in the index in January
and December, the report added.
Three consecutive monthly declines in
this economic barometer traditionally
have signaled that a recession was im-
minent.
The Commerce Department index is
made up of 10 measures of economic
health, ranging from the layoff rate in
industry to stock prices and building
permits. ^
Felicks Tamm, a Commerce specialist
on the index, said the only previous time
all components of the index had fallen was
in November 1957, again a recessionary
period.
"Layoff rate contributed the greatest
decline,” the report said, suggesting that
the sharp increase in unemployment from
6.2 percent in March to 7 percent in April
may be followed by further large rises in
joblessness.
/
/
Seeking November votes
Judge C.L. Ray of Texarkana, right, is shown with son Robert Ray, a recant
graduate ol the University of Texas, as the two campaigned in Sulphur Springs
Thursday. Judge Ray, currently an associate justice of the Court of Civil Appeals in
Texarkana, is running for Place 4, Texas Supreme Court. He was unopposed in the
Democratic primary and wilt face Will Garwood, Republican nominee, in the
general election. Garwood is serving by appointment at present.
—SUM Photo
High court candidate
bids for local backing
Senator
cleared
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Justice
Department has completed a probe into
the financial affairs of Sen. Herman
Talmadge and will not seek any in-
dictments, a federal attorney said today.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Philip
Heymann said Talmadge’s attorneys had
been informed that federal investigators
will not seek to prosecute the Georgia
Democrat.
In a statement issued by his Washington
office, Talmadge said he was "grateful
that the Justice Department and the grand
jury have concluded their review of the
facts and laid to rest the accusations."
The Justice Department's investigation
followed Senate Ethics Committee
hearings into allegations that campaign
contributions and Senate expense reim-
bursements were misused by Talmadge’s
office.
The Ethics Committee hearings resulted
in a Senate vote last year denouncing
Talmadge for “reprehensible" conduct.
The 66-year-old Talmadge is currently
campaigning for a fifth Senate term.
Judge C. L. Ray Jr. of Texarkana,
associate justice of the 6th Court of Civil
Anneals, was in Sulphur Springs Tj^'irsday
U* uring Ins campaign for eloctlor io the
Texas Supreme Court in November.
The Democratic nominee is seeking the
position currently held by Will Garwood,
who was appointed to the post and is the
Republican nominee. The position at stake
is Place 4 of the Supreme Court.
Ray succeeded Wm. J. (Billy) Fanning,
formerly of Sulphur Springs, to the ap-
pellate court in Texarkana after his
retirement. Earlier, Ray had served as a
Texas legislator and as judge of Harrison
County.
The native of Waskom is a graduate of
Texas A&M University and received his
law degree from the School of Law at the
University of Texas. He is a lieutenant
colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
Judge Ray was introduced to area
citizens in a reception at the courthouse by
John R. Ramey and Coy Johnson, who are
assisting with his campaign in Hopkins
County. Judge Ray was accompanied by a
son, Robert Ray, a recent graduate of the
University of Texas who goes to work soon
as a reporter for The Dallas Times Herald,
and Cliff Brown, publisher of the Ennis
Press.
Ray’s initial practice of law began in
Marshall, where he was with the law firm
of Smith and Hall. Sam B. Hall Jr., one of
the firm members, is now the U.S.
Congressman from the First District of
Texas.
Ray, while in Sulphur Springs asking for
votes in the November election, lashed out
at his opponent, noting that he had never
been elected to public office. He said
Garwood has a personal wealth of over $50
million and is expected to spend lavishly in
an effort to win election.
Ray said that he planned extensive
personal contacts in Texas in an effort to
gain support and offset Garwood’s "big
spending tactics.”
Ray and his wife have six children. The
oldest, a daughter, is a practicing at-
torney.
During his visit in Sulphur Springs, Ray
made direct approaches to all people he
met.
"I want your vote in December,” was a
typical response after he introduced
himself to prospective voters.
Funnels dance
across state
Funnel clouds moved across North
Central Texas along the Red River
early today as a thunderstorm system
moved eastward out of the Texas
Panhandle.
Several funnels were sighted
around Electra, Iowa Park and
Wichita Falls a few hours after a
tornado touched down at Wellington in
the Texas Panhandle, damaging some
homes, tearing up some trees and
knocking down some utility lines.
Closer to home, the forecasters are
calling for partly cloudy skies with
warm temperatures and high
humidity for Sulphur Springs.
Thunderstorms are expected to
develop Friday afternoon in the west,
moving eastward tonight with most of
the activity along the Red River.
Sulphur Springs may catch the
southern edge of the frontal system as
it moves through.
Skies should be partly cloudy
Saturday and Sunday with scattered
thunderstorms possible Saturday.
Temperatures through Sunday
should range from daytime highs in
the mid 90s to overnight lows in the
70s, according to National Weather
Service forecasts.
Tax board reviews fund status
Members of the Hopkins County Tax
Appraisal District (HCTAD) were in-
formed at their meeting in the Sulphur
Springs Library Thursday that a total of
$22,222 has been formally committed to
their budget and that 17 applications have
been received for the position of chief tax
appraiser.
Chairman Ray Johnson told board
members G.V. Hughes, P.J. Ponder, Joe
Bob Burgin and Ed Stevens that letters
have been received from the City of
Sulphur Springs, Sulphur Springs In-
dependent School District, Hopkins
County, Miller Grove Independent School
District and the City of Cumby committing
themselves to their shares of the funding of
the board’s $30,000 budget for the period of
July through December, 1980.
The board agreed to have Johnson send
letters seeking formal action to grant the
remaining funding to the HCTAD. Those
letters will be sent to the Como-Pickton
Independent School District, Saltillo In-
dependent School District, Sulphur Bluff
Independent School District, City of Como,
North Hopkins Independent School
District and Cumby Independent School
District.
Hughes said that the Saltillo ISD had
voted to approve the funding although no
letter has been received by the HCTAD.
Benefit payment crisis no problem here
—Staff Special-
Federal unemployment benefit
payments to 600,000 jobless Americans,
from auto workers to ex-servicemen, will
come to an abrupt h“!t next week unless
Congress rushes to the aid of a nearly
depleted Labor Department fund, The
Associated Press reported Friday.
The Carter administration is asking
Congress for an additional $1.1 billion to
keep the unemployment checks flowing,
but government officials have virtually
ruled out the possibility of congressional
action before next Wednesday, when the
fund is expected to run dry.
Whether or not Congress is able to take
action next week is almost an acedemic
question in Hopkins Cotyity.
According to Texas Employment
Commission records, as of April only six
local residents were receiving federal
unemployment compensation.
Although the recession is taking its toll
in other parts of the country, so far
Hopkins County has remained relatively
unaffected. The lastest figures from the
TEC state that in March Hopkins County
had an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent,
or 517 persons jobless out of a work force of
9,368. During that same period the national
unemployment rate was 6.8 percent.
“I don’t expect the recession to be felt in
this area marly as much as it will be up
north,” said Bryan Campbell, office
manager for the TEC in Mt. Pleasant.
"Judging from ogr figures it appears
that Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County
are still in very good shape. It does appear
that growth has slowed down a bit, but it
hasn’t stopped,” he said.
Campbell added that there are jobs
available in Sulphur Springs. “It is just a
matter of matching skills with the jobs
available,” he said.
The money problem has developed
because the Labor Department grossly
underestimated the number of benefit
recipients from the slumping auto industry
when the department submitted its budget
request to Congress last year, according to
wire reports. Now, action on the request
for additional money for this fiscal year
has been tied up by Congress’ wrangling
over the next fiscal year’s budget.
Congress is expected to approve the
money request without a fight, mainly
because the increased spending is
required under laws passed by Congress.
But the nation’s complex legislative
process can be slow in handling even
routine matters, and Labor Department
officials believe benefit payments will be
interrupted for at least two to three weeks.
“Theoretically, if Congress wants to
work as hard as possible, it could get the
job done next week or very early the
following week,” said one department
official, who asked not to be identified.
“Chances are, however, that it trill take
somewhat longer, maybe another week.
And, even after the bill Is signed, it will
take another 5 to 12 days to resume the
checks.”
Those receiving the unemployment
benefits include 334,000 workers — mostly
in the auto industry - who have lost their
jobs because of foreign competition,
190,000 former federal and portal em-
ployees and ex-servicemen who are
ineligible for regular state unemployment
insurance, 73,000 former CETA public
service job holders, and 3,000 loggers in
California who lost their jobs when the
Redwoods National Park was expanded in
1978.
Payments average nearly $100 a week
and are distributed either weekly or every
Benefit Account known bureaucratically
as“FUBA”. ^
A discussion of whether the various
taxing entities would have to pay the entire
amount at one time or in payments was
brought up and it was decided that the
entities would be able to pay in thirds as
long as the payments were in advance.
Johnson told the members of the HCTAD
that each should become a spokesman for
the group and explain its functions to the
people of Hopkins County at every op-
portunity.
"Our job is to comply with the Property
Tax Code,” he said, “to raise all ap-
praisals to market value. We have nothing
to do with the tax assessments or collec-
ting taxes.”
Following a discussion of whether the
Hopkins County Hospital District should
be included in the $30,000 budget, it was
decided that as the hospital district does
levy a tax it should be included and a letter
will be sent to the hospital board as well as
to a levy district in the northern part of
Hopkins County. The amount that each is
to pay toward the budget will be based on
the amount of taxes levied by the district.
Board members expressed concern that
there had been no bids for the bank
depository of the HCTAD.
Ponder said that he was concerned about
the federal grand jury subpoenas being a
cause of the lack of response but Hughes
sakl that the deadline for submitting bids
was June 8 and that the banks might be
waiting until closer to that deadline to
submit their bids.
Of tiie 17 applications tor chief tax ap-
praiser, Johnson told the beard members
that there were several good applicants
and that the applications needed to be
narrowed down to four or five before in-
terviews could be scheduled.
gto execut
II
j
M
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.
Keys, Clarke. Sulphur Springs News-Telegram (Sulphur Springs, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 129, Ed. 1 Friday, May 30, 1980, newspaper, May 30, 1980; Sulphur Springs, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth824301/m1/1/?rotate=90: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hopkins County Genealogical Society.