The Seminole Sentinel (Seminole, Tex.), Vol. 88, No. 73, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 5, 1995 Page: 4 of 10
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PAGE 4, Seminole (Texas) Seniinel, Wednesday, July 5,1995
Free Spirits
By M. Gene Dow, Publisher
\ x'
FROM THE SCRlPTURES-'The hand of the
Lord is upon the horses." Exodus 9:3
* * *
We’ve never been big on horse racing. We’ve
attended the races a few times at Ruidoso Downs,
N.M. and the park near El Paso, but have never
been excited about horse racing or betting. /
Horse racing has been big in
New Mexico and Louisiana, but
it has never caught on in Texas
since parimutuel betting on
horse races was approved just a
few years ago. Most of the race
tracks built in Texas have been
struggling to exist.
It’s a big industry at
Ruidoso, however. They’ve
even built a Museum of the Horse at Ruidoso.
This month on Saturday, July 15, the museum
will unveil a huge new monument to the horses -
that has been named Free Spirits at Noisv'Watcr.
according to museum officials.
The monument is made up of eight running
horses, each is cast at one and one half times life
size. Seven breeds of horses arc represented in the
large sculpture-thc Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse,
Appaloosa, Paint; Arabian, Morgan and Standard
bred.
The Free Spirits at Noisv Water measures 255
feet long by 36 feet high. Each horse is hollow,
poured in about 60 pieces and then reassembled.
The final weight of the figure is between 3,000 and
5,000 pounds.
The "mountain" where these horses are
displayed required over 94,500 cubic feel of dirt.
Almost 1500 cubic feet of cement was required to
anchor the horses.
The Museum of the Horse commissioned artist
Dave McGary to create the monument. His work
took well over a year. Average time required to
create each one of the giant figures in the
monument was 18 weeks. Two foundries were
used, Eagle Bronze, Inc. of Lander, Wyoming, and
Loveland Sculpture Works of Loveland, Colorado.
The unveiling event is probably worth
attending, for those of you who may be interested.
THE OLD INDIAN CHIEF SAYS~"Shucks, I
have 145 horses pulling my wagon. ”
* * *
Horses were put to pasture with the advent of
the automobile early this century, yet horse riding
still remains popular, particularly in this part of the
country. The local Drifters Riding Club is a good
example. There are also 4-H horse shows and
riding events. Sheriff’s Posses in the area, rodeos,
etc. Horses arc still used by cattle raisers and
probably the last of the big cattle drives is now in
progress with a herd of longhorn cattle being
driven from Texas to Montana.
There is still a lot of love for horses remaining
in this country.
* * *
DID YOU KNOW-The King Ranch in Texas is
slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island. It
encompasses 826,000 acres and boasts an average
of60,000 head of cattle.
Opinion
THE OIL PATCH ®
Gordon Bankston
A Yam Reunion
I wrote about my mother a few months ago. She
is now living in a retirement center near my home.
Its’s a little different having your mother as a
neighbor, after living in different cities for so long.
We visit daily in person and by phone. She still
keeps up with friends in Fort Worth, but she is at
home right where she is. "The people here are like
family," she says. Her apartment has the living
room furniture from her home in Fort Worth. Since
it was in the living room, it was seldom used. But
it fits right in and is attractive in her new place. ^
She takes walks daily and has gained nearly
twenty pounds since moving west. She has never
weighed more than 100 pounds in her life. She
looks forward to going to the beauty shop once a
week.
We are in the process of clearing out everything
from her Fort Worth home and selling the house.
I’m taking her back there this weekend for a last
visit. She’ll pick out some items to bring back with
her.
She has made the transition from a home owner
to apartment dweller in grand style. The furniture
helps. She sleeps in the same bed she’s slept in for
25 years.
The residents of the retirement center have
meals together in a large dining room. One day
during lunch Mother commented on how good the
sweet potatoes were. Another^lady at the table said
she especially liked sweet potatoes grown in East
Texas.
Mother asked her, "What part of East Texas?"
The lady, Lilian Hall, replied, "Athens, Texas.”
Mother said, "I graduated from Athens High
School in 1930."
Lilian told mother that she taught at Athens
High School in 1930.
Mother blurted out: "Miss Lilian!"
Miss Lilian said: "Era Smith!"
Tumbleweed
Smith
LEGAL MATTERS
Auto insurance: Get your money's worth
___ Attorney General Dan Morales
When you buy liability insurance for your car,
you expect to be covered inNcase of an accident-
al you should be. Every day. hundreds of Texans
see an agent/or a broker, writd a check, and drive
home safely in the knowledge mat they have valid
automobile insurance. But for a few drivers, that
THAT TAKES CARE OF THAT GATE, I’LL JUST TELL
COWBOY MY BRAKES DIDN’T HOLD.
STATE CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS
Texas could lose $12 billion
if Medicaid cuts adopted
:>
It seems that Mother was in Miss Lilian’s
political science classes during high school. It was
Miss Lilian Barber back then.
”1 could hardly believe it,” says Mother. "And to
think that was so many years ago and so many
miles away. And here we are living-in the same
apartment building."
Mother is 84. Miss Lilian is 92.
Miss Lilian told Mother, "You sure were a
popular little girl. And you haven’t grown much
since I saw you last."
Mother said Miss Lilian was a good teacher.
She was head of the history, government and social
studies departments, coached debate and sponsored
the senior classes. Miss Lilian was elected
Henderson county school superintendent, a
position she held for eight years. She later worked
for a congressman in Washington.
Miss Lilian had kinfolks in the Big Spring area
and lived with them before moving into the
retirement center. \
They have talked about the Athens high school
days many times since that initial meeting. Miss]
Lilian remembers my dad, Herbert LeWi$. the class/
valedictorian. He was extremely well liked. He
exploded a fire cracker in class one time and
nobody would tell who did it.
by Lyndell Williams & Ed Sterling, TP A
sense of safety is an illusion.
The overwhelming majority
)f insurance agents
are honest and provide a necessary service to their
customers. However, a few agents and brokers
simply pocket the premiums or they issue a policy
on a company that just does not exist. After
stealing from as many people as possible, the
dishonest agents disappear, only to set up business
elsewhere and start their sharp practices all over.
Here at the Office of the Attorney General, we
are committed to doing everything in our power to
stop these practices. The consequences of being
scammed can be catastrophic~if you are at fault in
a serious automobile accident, you could be liable
for personal and property damages totaling
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Protect yourself
What steps can you take to protect yourself?
Knowing your agent, and his or her reputation, is a
good first step. Ask your friends and family to
recommend an insurance agent with a proven track
record.
You can also call the Texas Department of
Insurance. Ask if your agent is certified and
licensed to sell insurance, what line of insurance
(auto, life, etc.) he or she is allowed to sell, and if
he or she is authorized to sell a specific company
or policy. You may also ask if there are any
complaints on file against a specific agent.
When paying for insurance, never pay with
cash. Instead, pay by check, money order, or
cashier’s check, and get a receipt. That way you
establish a paper trail and documentation. If your
agent or broker tells you he or she needs cash to
bind the company to your risk, fin^ someone else.
Financing a car?
Not all insurance problems are the result of
illegal practices. When you finance a new or used
car, the creditor will normally require that you
have comprehensive insurance. It’s a reasonable
requirement—after all, they want to protect their
investment in your car.
Under normal circumstances, the financial
institution cannot tell you where to buy your
insurance. The only exception is if you let your
insurance lapse for any reason. In that situation,
the bank or other financial institution will purchase
insurance on your behalf from a company of their
choice, at a cost which can range up to $300 a
month. It’s called "forceplacing," and it is entirely
legal under these circumstances.
When you get valid insurance again and notify
your financial institution, it will stop the
forceplaced policy. But you will still owe your
creditor for the period when you did not have
insurance. Refuse to pay, and the premium can be
added to your loan amount. The financial
institution may even reposess the vehicle if the
premium amount, added to the loan, is never
repaid.
The lesson? When financing a car, make sure
you have comprehensive insurance, and that it
does not lapse. Contact your financial institution
and insurance agent for further information.
For more information
To obtain information about your insurance
agent, call the Texas Department of Insurance at
(800) 252-3439. If you wish to file a complaint,
you should know that all complaints to TDI must
be in writing. Call the toll free number to get the
proper complaint from or write to; The Texas
Department of Insurance, Consumer l^otection,
P.O. Box 149091, Austin. Tx 78714-9091.
AUSTIN — State Comptroller
John Sharp warns that Texas stands
to lose up to $12, bilitiaaduef the
next seven years if Hfiirtnidpct-
slashing Congress adopts a block
grant method in its effort to revamp
the 30-ycar-old Medicaid program
which provides health care for
indigents.
Last week, as adoption of grants
looked increasingly likely, Sharp
predicted the need for a special
session of the Texas Legislature to
pay for a projected shortfall of $750
million over the next two years
in state Medicaid and other social
programs. The tab for Medicaid
alone over the next two years is
$18.7 billion.
Under the proposed Medicaid
block grants, Sharp said, states
with shrinking populations would
get more money, while states
with increasing populations, like
Texas, would get less, and suffer
disproportionately.
Sharp estimated, for example,
property taxes for the Harris
County Hospital District would
have to increase by 17 to 27
percent to make up for proposed
federal cuts, the Houston Chronicle
reported.
“Washington should abandon
these failed formulas of the past
and turn to a simple solution
instead: Send the money where the
people arc,” Sharp said at a Capitol
news conference in Austin, before
leaving for Washington, D.C.,
to lobby the Texas congressional
delegation to support his funding
formula, which is based on the
number of qualified Medicaid
recipients.
Texas would receive a lump
sum tinder the proposed block-
granting formula; under the present
formula, the federal government
pays about two-thirds of Texas’
Medicaid costs.
School Districts Sue State
Nearly 200 Texas school districts
are suing the state to recover
hundreds of millions of dollars they
say they’ve lost in the last 10 years
due to an error in the funding
formula for state education aid.
The dispute is scheduled to be
tried July 3 before Austin state
District Judge Scott McCown, who
has presided through the state’s
seemingly endless school finance
case.
State Comptroller John Sharp,
whose agency each year determines
property values used in the formula
for calculating state aid to schools,
is the defendant.
-Representing the plaintiffs is
Austin lawyer Buck Wood, who
said though he believes the funding
error was unintentional, the school
districts have been unfairly penal-
ized and will seek compensation.
Past losses of funding arc being
attributed to a miscalculation of the
home values of citizens over age
65, whose taxes arc frozen under
the state constitution. For the past
decade, The Dallas Morning News
reported, the state has given only
partial credit on the values lost
through the property tax break for
•senior citizens.
Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, Sharp’s
predecessor, indicated that the state
will come up with the money if the
courts iulc fi»i the school districts.
decision “an ill-advised act of a
damaged politician who is selling
out his district to Newt Gingrich
for a Ways and Means Committee
seat.”
Also switching party affiliation
to Republican were state Rep.
Warren Chisum of Pampa and 17
other district judges and county
officeholders.
Chisum’s switch increases the
number of Republicans in the 150-
seat Texas House to 63.
Immigration Reform Bill
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchi-
son introduced a bill last week that
would permanently disqualify un-
documented immigrants from re-
ceiving legal status as U.S. resi-
dents.
Her bill also would put 6,000
Border Patrol agents on the job and
erect barriers at favorite crossing
points along the Rio Grande.
^Hutchison’s bill includes recom-
mendations by former U.S. Rep.
Barbara Jordan of Austin, who
heads the U.S. Commission on Im-
migration Reform.
The measure also provides Tor
the establishment of a national
employment verification database,
a tamper-proof Social Security card
and an electronic registry of birth
and death certificates.
Benefits Card Expanded
—Texas’ new cfcctTorric wctfarc
luughlin Switches to GOP
U.S. Rep. Greg Laughlin of
West Columbia quit the Democratic
Party last week, saying that he was
switching to the Republican Party
because his district’s “conservative
principles” arc not acceptable to the
leadership of the Democratic Party.
Texas Democratic Rirty chair-
man Bob Slagle called Laughlin's
benefits system will expand, to
90 counties on Aug. 1, slate
Comptroller John Sharp announced
last wetk. \
The Lone Star card, which
replaces traditional food stamps, is
expected to reduce welfare fraud.
The system was implemented
in February in Houston and was
expanded to Dallas-Fort Worth knd
Gulf Coast areas in June.
The Seminole Sentinel
Oldest Established Business In Gaines County
P. O. Drawer 1200 (USPS 489-400) Ph. 915-758-3667
Sanlmle, TX 79360 FAX No. (915) 758-2136
Published each Wednesday and Sunday at The Seminole Sentinel
Building, 406 S. Main, under the act of March 3,1879.
Entered ai Second Class Matter at the Seminole, Texas, Post Office,
Seminole, Texas 79360.
M. GENE DOW
Editor and Publisher
David Fisher_______________________________________*.__________________ News Editor
Joyce Dow --------------..._____________________—.....-------------Social Editor
Rudy Leyva ____...___________________________________________________Sports Writer '
Misty Ramirez--------------------National, Classified A Composition
Barbara Parker ....___________________________________ Retail Advertising Sales
Patricia Roberson...................... Office Supplies A Radio Shack
Gene Gaines____________________________________________________________Photography
Laura Shain................................____...... Bookkeeping/Circulation
Anna Froese A Milton Anderson ...------------------—.... Distribution
In County by Mail or Home Delivery In Seminole — $22.50
In Adjoining Counties by Mail_________________________$26.50
Elsewhere by Mall____________________$29.50
Any erroneous reflection upon the character of any person or firm
appearing in these columns will be gladly and promptly corrected
upon being brought to the attention of the management
Letter! policy: Letters to the Editor are welcomed. All letters
should be kept as brief as possible. They must be signed with name,
address and telephone number, in case need for verification arises
(address and phone number will not he printed). The Sentinel re-
serves the right to edit letters to prevent libel. Invasion of privacy
or untastehil language without changing the desired context If
requested, editors will use Initials only, but only rardy and for
compelling reasons. A signed letter carries more weight frith
readers. Letters do not necessarily reflect the editorial polIcNf or
beliefs of this newspaper. No letters about candidates seeking ejec-
tion or "Thank You" letters will be accepted.
MEMBER 1995
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
WEST TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
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Dow, M. Gene. The Seminole Sentinel (Seminole, Tex.), Vol. 88, No. 73, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 5, 1995, newspaper, July 5, 1995; Seminole, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth864393/m1/4/?q=%22~1%22~1&rotate=180: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Gaines County Library.