Medicare Prescription Drug Bill Will Impact Seniors’ Health Care

As a doctor in family practice, my life’s work and day-to-day passion have exposed me to the plight of many of our nation’s seniors who do not have access to affordable prescription drugs. For seniors on Medicare, this access has become even more difficult in recent years.

Medicare was designed and implemented nearly 40 years ago, and that in that time, health care has progressed by leaps and bounds. Forty years ago, prescription drugs consumed a much smaller share of this market, and patients needed surgery, nursing home residences, emergency room visits and various other expensive services much more often.

But drug companies have made marvelous progress developing new drugs that treat many more illnesses and conditions, reducing the need for and frequency of these expensive procedures. Even so, Medicare beneficiaries are seemingly stuck in a forty-year time warp because many can’t afford these miracle drugs.

That is why I joined with Senator Rodney Ellis during the 78th Legislative Session in authoring the "Fair Market Prescription Drug Pricing and Prescription Drug Assistance Program" (Senate Bill 797). This bill sought to lower the price of prescription drugs provided by Medicaid and other state programs, and make prescription drugs more affordable, even for people without insurance.

More recently, I participated in a Community Health Care forum in Mesquite sponsored by Congressman Jeb Hensarling. He asked me to provide a state-of-the-state with regard to health care issues. Following my report, many of our constituents stated their real concern for prescription drug coverage within the Medicare program. Currently, many low-income seniors receive their medication through Texas’ Medicaid program. But with the state in a budget deficit this year, Texas cannot afford to provide a drug benefit for all of its seniors in the years ahead. Congress is poised to do something about this problem within the next few weeks, and I believe they should.

There are 10 million senior citizens in this country who have no prescription drug coverage at all. They desperately need prescription drug coverage, and Congress can help by approving a prescription drug benefit within the federal Medicare program. Now is the time to bring Medicare into the 21st Century and empower older Americans to live longer and more productive lives.

Congress will soon consider a Medicare prescription drug benefit that has reached the final stages of negotiation and approval. But final passage must be won before we can declare victory for all seniors. And declare victory we should; the proposals being considered are exactly on track in my view. For instance, the prescription drug benefit currently being considered by Congress would encourage employers to continue coverage of prescription drugs for retirees. At present, many employers are dropping this coverage. Various components of the Medicare prescription drug benefit legislation would make continuing employer drug coverage cheaper in the long-term, to encourage them to preserve this benefit so that fewer elderly Americans would ultimately have to rely upon Medicare for health care coverage.

Of the seniors who do possess some prescription drug coverage, many of their plans are limited and do not provide adequate care. HMO coverage often includes various limits to care, Medigap coverage does not include catastrophic coverage for prescription drugs, and employer-sponsored coverage is increasingly subject to greater restriction. Congress can provide adequate care by working now to pass a prescription drug benefit that will enable 93% of seniors to utilize a complete prescription drug benefit.

Our nation’s seniors are waiting for Congress to approve a prescription drug benefit that encourages them to participate in the program as customers as well as beneficiaries. Each senior participating in the program would contribute approximately $1 per day towards the cost of their premium, and in return realize a 50% decrease in their overall drug costs. This is a long step in the direction of progress and will carry us forward into the 21st Century - as Medicare’s designers intended.

These proposals are part of a comprehensive framework that would give seniors more reliable and affordable options for health care coverage, and will keep Medicare’s benefits financially secure. This plan is about options and choices for seniors, and it will allow seniors to keep the coverage they currently have with no changes if they choose.

Having worked in the medical field for many years, I cannot emphasize enough the need to pass a Medicare prescription drug benefit bill to empower beneficiaries with choice, competitive prices, a reasonable and affordable contribution and the benefits of bulk purchasing - all of which will work to contain costs on a larger scale by keeping our seniors health and out of the hospital.

Bob Deuell, M.D., is a family physician and partner in Primary Care Associates of Greenville. He also represents District 2 in the Texas Senate.

Traffic congestion is a major threat to the efficiency of our highway system and to the productivity of our economy in the state of Texas as well as across the country. As traffic congestion continues to increase, more motorists are required to spend more time in their vehicles waiting through traffic delays. Studies have shown that the average annual delay for peak road travelers has quadrupled in the last twenty years.

With limited funding for road construction, congestion has grown much faster than the ability to fund new roads and road expansions. During the recent legislative session, there were a number of new, innovative tools developed to speed up the construction process in congested areas, as well help make the Trans Texas Corridor a reality in the foreseeable future. However, with the long-term nature of road construction, there is an immediate need for road management tools to help ease congestion.

House Bill 1208 and Senate Bill 514 were both passed during the session to allow the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) as well as individual counties to designate restricted travel lanes by class of vehicle, including commercial vehicles. Municipalities have already had the ability to impose such restrictions on roads within the city limits since 1997, although Houston has been the only city to do so.

The bills allow TxDOT and counties to designate a lane exclusively for a class of vehicle if the road has at least two lanes adjacent to the designated lane for use by non-designated vehicles. In other words, if a lane is designated "truck-only," there would have to be two lanes of the same road in which other types of vehicles can travel. Another requirement for the designation is that it must enhance safety, mobility or air quality.

It is expected that TxDOT will primarily use the restrictions to limit commercial vehicle, or trucks, to designated lanes in an effort to relieve congestion. Supporters of the legislation say that Texas’ mobility problems are most apparent in areas with high volumes of truck traffic. Allowing trucks to only use certain lanes would remove slower-moving truck traffic, enhance traffic flow, decrease congestion and, most importantly, reduce the number of accidents.

In order to implement the legislation, the Texas Transportation Commission, the governing body of TxDOT, proposed rules at its recent monthly meeting. You can view those rules at http://www.dot.state.tx.us/trucklanes/TrkLnRules.pdf. The proposed rules are open for public comment and will be considered in a public hearing in Austin on October 21.

Please feel free to contact me if I may be of assistance regarding any matter of state government. You can contact me by writing to P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768-2910 or by e-mailing me at larry.phillips@house.state.tx.us.

Church Growth Makes Branch A Ward And Establishes

New Bishopric

BONHAM, TEXAS: Steady growth in the Fannin County area enabled the Bonham Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being made a Ward on Sunday, September 14, 2003. The Church divides its congregations into units based on membership. The smallest unit is called a Branch and usually contains 100-300 members. The next size unit is a Ward, and a Stake consists of usually 9 or 10 wards and branches. The Bonham Branch was formed in November of 1998 from members then attending wards in Greenville, Paris, and Sherman. The Branch met in the Sherman Ward Building until temporary facilities were acquired through the use of six (which quickly expanded to nine) modular trailers. In May of this year, the Branch moved into its new building two miles south of Bonham on Highway 78 just north of the intersection of FM 1629. The Ward boundaries include all of Fannin County, and those parts of Grayson and Delta counties that lay within the Whitewright and Fannindel school districts. The Branch’s first meeting had sixty people in attendance, with approximately 150 members on the rolls. Currently, an average of 130 of the over 300 members attend each Sunday.

The new Bonham Ward also sustained a change of leadership during the Sunday meeting. By assignment of the Church’s First Presidency, the McKinney Texas Stake President Gordon K. Wright presided over the proceedings. In his remarks, President Wright emphasized the importance of the event in the life of the membership of the Ward and the individuals involved.

Trenton resident Philip St.George, Lead Software Developer for an Addison Software company, was called as the new Bishop, with Stephen Talley of Edhube , a technician with Southwestern Bell, and Clifton Duncan of Leonard, a sales manager for a building materials supplier, to serve as 1^st and 2^nd Counselors, respectively. The new Bishopric will provide both spiritual and temporal leadership to the Bonham Ward.

Bishop St.George, serving the Bonham Branch for the past two years as Branch President is well aware of the stewardship this new calling places on his shoulders. In his acceptance remarks, he expressed his love for the Lord and the membership, his desire to serve, and a need for [their] prayers. He attributed the new Ward status to the increasing membership from families moving into the Fannin County area, and the strong recruitment by area missionaries.

A statement which applies to the new leadership called to serve in the Bonham Ward was delivered in an address to the National Press Club (March 2000) by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, "All of our local congregations are headed by local people, volunteers who work at their regular vocations and carry on as they are called to serve…I am amazed at the quality of leaders we are developing. These are men and women of strength and capacity. They are quick learners. They are devoted and faithful. They become better husbands and fathers and wives and mothers under the family-strengthening programs of the Church."

Missionary Returns Home

September 17^th was a "red letter day" for the Troy Brooks family of Honey Grove. They picked up their daughter, Hope, from DFW Airport where she returned from serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Hope served in the Idaho Boise Mission.

Just a few things have changed in the Brooks’ family since Hope left. Her brother, Christopher, returned from his mission to the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission; sister Lauren began college and moved into her own apartment; and a new baby brother, Jared, joined the Brooks family.

In addition, her church family has changed. Hope left from the Bonham Branch, and returns to the Bonham Ward.

Known as Sister Brooks for the last eighteen months, Hope was one of over 60,000 missionaries worldwide serving full-time missions. Most young men begin two-year missions for the Church at age 19, while young women may also serve a mission for a period of eighteen months at age 21. In addition, there are many couples of retirement age who, like the younger generation, choose to give two years service teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a missionary. Currently the church has 330 mission fields throughout the world.

With Hope returning home, the Bonham Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will have three full-time missionaries still in the field: David Andrew Bennett, son of Mr. and Mrs. David Bennett of Bonham, serves in the Mexico Mexico City North Mission, and Brannon Killgo, son of Marianne Killgo of Leonard, is serving in the Arizona Tempe Mission. Aaron Norman, son of Robert and Jane Norman of Leonard, is currently receiving Spanish language instruction in the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, then will serve in the California Los Angeles Mission.

Currently two young men are serving their missions in the Bonham area. These young men are known as Elders. Elder Spence is from Arizona (but grew up in Plano, Texas) and Elder Gilbert is from Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Soapbox

By Paul Berryhill

Cub scout Recognition

We’d like to congratulate two new 2nd year Cub Scout Webelos that earned their Bobcat rank on September 18, 2003. Cub Scouts, Ryan Dickerson and Russell Ryman, completed the requirements to receive this important 1st step.

Way to go Scouts!

Pack 54 Den 7 Leaders, Heather Morelock and Barbara and Steven McCurry.

Disaster Training Begins October 4

The Texoma Area Chapter of the American Red Cross will offer a series of classes for potential disaster volunteers throughout the month of October. Classes will be at the First Baptist Church in Leonard and will be taught by instructors who have worked actual national disasters.

"We very much believe that our local communities should be prepared for response when disasters occur," Sharon Watson, executive director of the Texoma Chapter said. "This essential training assures that we can call upon a cadre of volunteers locally when and if we need them."

The Texoma Area Red Cross is responsible for immediate disaster response for events in Cooke, Fannin and Grayson Counties. "We would like to have coverage throughout these counties and need local volunteers to help us with this coverage," Ms. Watson said.

Class schedule is as follows:

• Saturday, October 4: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Introduction to Red Cross Disaster Services and Mass Care Operations. (These classes may also be taken as a video-driven self-study.)

• Saturday, October 18: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shelter Management and Shelter Operations.

• Saturday, October 25: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Assistance to Families Affected by Disasters.

Classes are free; however, advance registration is required to assure space and materials. To register, call 903.465.1330 or email name, address and phone number to tarc@cableone.net. Persons completing the class and 10 hours of volunteer service are also eligible for Red Cross CPR and First Aid training free of charge at a later date.

All Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of these tornadoes and floods and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 1-800-HELP NOW or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make secure online credit card donations by visiting www.redcross.org.

Raising Awareness

KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON

Did you know that September is the official "Hug a Texas Chef" month? Or that October was "Go Nuts Over Texas Peanuts" month? Texas calendars offer fun celebrations, lively holidays and unique festivals, but in addition to the more lighthearted causes, the first months of fall have two sobering causes to trumpet as well: prostate and breast cancer awareness.

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women. More than 211,000 women will be diagnosed in 2003-nearly 14,000 of them in Texas.Thirty nine thousand will die this year. Prostate cancer is the second most com­mon cause of cancer deaths in American men. In 2003, it is estimated that more than 220,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed -13,200 in Texas. Nearly 29,000 men in the U.S. will die from this disease this year.

Although these statistics are disturbing, there is hope. Both cancers have this in common: early detection means better chances for recovery.

Breast Cancer

Early detection and treatment are the best strategies in decreasing the chances of having to remove the breast and preventing death. Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer at an early stage, when treatments are most effective. They are not fool poof, but after 40 years of research, mammograms are the best way to detect breast cancer. Regular self exams coupled with clinical breast exams are the first line of defense. Women in their 20s and 30s are at a low risk for breast cancer, but should have regular breast exams at least every three years. For women age 40 and older, annual mammograms are recommended.

Women with increased risk of breast cancer because of family history, or past incidences of cancer, should talk to their doctor about the best course of action.

Prostate Cancer

In the last decade, prostate cancer has become the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in men. The National Prostate Cancer Coalition assesses the chances of getting prostate cancer are one in three if you have just one close relative, such as a father or brother, with the disease. The risk is five-fold with two close relatives, and with three, it’s 97 percent certain you’ll get prostate cancer. Thirty percent of new cases occur in men under the age of 65. African American men are at special risk for the disease. They have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world - nearly 60 percent higher than in white males and double the mortality rate.

The American Urological Association encourages routine testing for prostate cancer for men who are over age 50. If there is a family history of the disease, regular testing should begin at age 40. A healthy diet and regular exercise are also believed to help reduce the risk of devel­oping prostate cancer.

Researching a Cure

In addition to a proactive approach to our own health care, it is critical to support cancer research. There are hundreds of organizations - public and private - that are working round the clock to study causes, treatments and preventative measures for all cancers. In Congress we re­cently fulfilled our commitment to double the budget of the National Institutes of Health, which houses the National Cancer Institute (NCI) - our nation’s cancer research arm. With a nearly $5 billion annual budget, NCI scientists are working with leading organizations to help stop these diseases in their tracks. With the government working hand-in-hand with private industry and researchers to find a cure, and the public doing its part to prevent and detect these diseases, we will put cancer behind us.

The following web sites offer additional information and resources on breast and prostate cancer:

Babysitter’s

Training Makes For Fun Day Off

DENISON, TX (Sept. 29, 2003)—School’s out on Friday, October 10, for many schools in the Texoma Area. A day away from school, however, doesn’t have to be a day away from learning. It can also be a fun day for youth taking the Red Cross Babysitter’s training.

The class, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 10 at the Red Cross office at 2527 Highway 691 in Denison, will offer practical training and hands-on exercises to help youth be better prepared to care for younger children.

The class offers skills in recognizing and caring for breathing and cardiac emergencies in infants and children, basic child care, age-appropriate play and discipline, child safety and first aid. Additionally, with parental permission, participants may also elect to become certified in infant and child CPR. Youth should bring a sack lunch; drinks and snacks are available.

Developed in cooperation with the U..S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the course also benefits from the expert review of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Boy Scouts of America, 4-H, Girl Scouts, JCC Association and the YMCA.

There is a small fee to cover student books and materials. Participants will also receive a Babysitter’s First Aid Kit. For registration and more information, call the local Red Cross office at 903.465.1330. In addition to this class, the Red Cross can arrange custom class for groups of 10 or more.

The American Red Cross is dedicated to helping make families, schools and communities safer. Founded in 1917, the Texoma Area Red Cross, which covers Cooke, Fannin and Grayson counties has provided continuous service to its community for 86 years.

Creative Arts Center Artist Of The Month

October’s Creative Arts Center Artist of the Month is Victor Koch. His graceful, dramatic coil built ceramic sculpture titled "Fertility Figure # 14" can be seen in the lobby of Bonham State Bank, the gracious host of the continuing Artist of the Month project.

Victor Koch’s works have been shown at Washington galleries Penn O. Shelton Gallery, Larson Gallery and Gallery One. In Michigan, exhibits in Four Cats Gallery and Arianna Gallery delighted many. He is a member and juried artist of Bonham’s Creative Arts Center, where his work is also shown. Victor attended Central Washington University in Art, but is mostly self-taught. Awards received across the country include First place in Ceramics for four years (1990, 1991, 1992 & 1993) at the Central Washington Invitational Artist Exhibition. He was a member of the Ann Arbor Potter’s Guild in Michigan, in 1996, as a visiting artist specializing in ceramic sculpture. The artist’s pieces have sold for between $250 and $2000.

Since moving to Bonham in 2001, Victor has faced many difficulties, which have kept him from devoting all of his time to his art. No longer a full-time artist, working other necessary jobs fills much precious time. However, when the time is found and the artistic creation takes place, the results are always exceptional. Owners of Victor’s sculptures revel in their fluidity, grace and emotion.

Although Victor’s most recent works are made using ceramics and a coil-type system of building, his passion is for building sculpture using river rocks. Unfortunately for Bonham, it is that passion which will ultimately take Victor back to the mountains of the northwest.

Each month, Bonham State Bank presents to its delighted guests a new piece by one of the Creative Arts Center’s many talented artists. Please drop by and view Victor’s expression in ceramic sculpture throughout October. A new artist’s work will be presented each month, for your pleasure, in the bank’s main lobby.

As Research Is Stemmed, Debate Flourishes, Texas Medicine Magazine Reports

Imagine "training" a living cell to be capable of performing specialized functions of a brain cell, and another to become a kidney cell. Such science fiction fodder is taking place in Texas universities, but it exists in conflict with politics and religion, Texas Medicine magazine reports.

Stem cell research is ongoing in Texas institutions such as the UT Health Science Center at Houston, and Baylor College of Medicine. Scientists are honing their ability to harvest cells and grow them, with goals such as implanting them to regenerate healthy tissue in a diseased or injured individual, the magazine says in its October edition.

"I personally think this is going to revolutionize all of medicine, and hopefully, in a short period of time," stem cell researcher Richard Champlin, MD, tells Texas Medicine. The chair of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Department at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center adds, "It may be a major turning point for medical therapies, in general."

But the turning point has roadblocks. Some people dislike the idea of tampering with nature and humanity.

Stem cells, the article describes, can come from different sources. Some can be saved from umbilical cords usually discarded after a birth. Others can be taken from frozen embryos being discarded by fertility clinics. Some people disagree with the practice, claiming scientists are tampering with the sanctity of human life by doing so, the magazine says. A move by Pres. George W. Bush even restricts the use of embryonic stem cells in federally-funded research. That edict is driving research underground or overseas, experts tell Texas Medicine.

Stem cells "have the potential to amplify, replicate themselves, and become any type of cell in the nervous system," Ping Wu, MD, PhD, of the University of Texas Medical Branch, says in the article. The younger the cells, including those taken from embryos, the wider range of purposes they can be led to serve. They have an unlimited ability to reproduce, so they can be led to become nearly any type of cell.

However "adult" stem cells, co-called because they’re more mature, are mostly taken from the blood of human umbilical cords. Being more mature, they have less range in their variety of purposes they can be grown to serve, limiting research and the latitude of potential benefit, the magazine explains.

Researchers claim the possibilities have few other limits. Doctors envision one day operating on a patient’s diseased kidney and injecting cells that will grow into healthy tissue, thus improving the organ’s function. Or using stem cells to regenerate nerve and brain tissue in patients who have suffered spinal cord injuries or strokes.

Even so, the debate rages on, Texas Medicine, the official magazine of the Texas Medical Association, reports.

"Embryonic stem cell research is not just one isolated thing," Clarke Cochran, PhD, a Texas Tech University political science professor who also lectures on health policy and politics, tells the magazine. "It’s connected to genomics, it’s connected to cloning, and it’s connected to a whole variety of other actual or potential researches and technologies which carry their own major ethical problems."

Physicians and medical researchers say those fears are unfounded, and cry foul at the idea of shunning the research potential in the name of ethics.

"Can we really ethically not go forward with (embryonic stem cell research) knowing that there are so many potential answers to so many diseases?" asks John Jennings, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UTMB.

TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 38,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 120 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective is to improve the health of all Texans.

Free Blood Sugar Screening At

Texoma Ford

Could you have diabetes? The TMC Diabetes LifeCenter, the Grayson County Health Department, TexomaCare and Texoma Ford are teaming up to offer a free blood sugar screening on Saturday, October 18th from 9 a.m.- 1.p.m. at Texoma Ford in Denison.

Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in the United States and effects over 11, 000 people in the Texoma region. An estimated 6, 000 of those people don’t even know they have diabetes!

Some of the risk factors of diabetes include being overweight, having a family member with diabetes, race, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. If you have any of these risk factors, stop by Texoma Ford to have your blood sugar taken and learn what your results mean. Texoma Ford is located at 215 U.S. Hwy 75 North (Exit 69) in Denison.

For more information on this free screening contact the TMC Diabetes LifeCenter at (903) 416-4112.

Baylor Research Team Chosen For Lymphoma Research Projects

HOUSTON - A group of investigators led by Dr. Helen Heslop, professor of pediatrics and medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, today was awarded a Specialized Center of Research grant from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to study targeting cancer cells in lymphoma treatments.

The $5 million grant is distributed over a five-year period. Heslop, director of the adult bone marrow and stem cell transplant program at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, will lead three teams of researchers on projects focused on moving new therapies from the laboratory to patients. The Center for Cell and Gene Therapy is a joint program of Baylor, The Methodist Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital.

Heslop’s team is studying the anti-tumor effects of a class of T cells known as cytotoxic T lymphocytes. These cells provide effective therapy for some forms of lymphoma by triggering the immune system to attack the cancer cells directly. This type of therapy is preferred over chemotherapy, which does not differentiate between healthy and malignant cells.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society awarded three SCOR grants, totaling $15 million, to scientists on the leading edge of blood cancer research. The other recipients were Dr. Riccardo Dalla-Favera of Columbia University Institute of Cancer Genetics and Dr. Scott Lowe of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

"The Society is very proud to be in a position to fund projects like this," said Jay Silver, spokesman for the group’s Texas Gulf Coast Chapter and the chapter’s past president. "This is the largest funding for research by any voluntary group in the country. It supports years of research rather than limiting investigations to a short period of time."

In the SCOR program, each recipient works with a team of researchers across disciplines at their own and at other institutions. The concept is that new treatments and cures will be discovered most quickly in an environment of teamwork and collaboration.

"This program is a unique opportunity to further translational research," said Heslop. "It facilitates getting new therapies to patients faster. These types of studies are very complicated and need lots of support."

Project leaders at Baylor, along with Heslop, are Dr. Malcolm Brenner, director of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy; Dr. Cliona Rooney, associate professor of pediatrics; and Dr. Si-Yi Chen, associate professor of molecular and human genetics.

Patients at The Methodist Hospital and Texas Children’s Cancer Center will be participating in the clinical studies that result from the laboratory research.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has funded $67 million for SCOR projects in the past four years. The group is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services.

Stephenson School Schedule

Oct. 2 - Policy Council @ 6:00pm

Oct. 9 - Head Start visits the Bonham Fire Station

Oct. 9 - School Picture Day! (Individual Fall Pictures Only)

Oct. 21 - Breakfast with Dad @ 7:45am-8:15am - Classes - M. Taylor, Owens, Lancaster, S. Taylor

Oct. 22 - Breakfast with Dad @ 7:45am-8:45am - Classes - Shepherd, Fox, Runyon, Lane

Oct. 21 - Parenting Class @ 8:30am in Meeting Room

Oct. 23 - Parent Meeting @ 6:30pm Mrs. Fox class will preform.

Oct. 28 - Parenting Class @ 8:30am - Meeting Room

Oct. 31 - Costume Parade

Future Events:

Nov. 12 - Day Camp - Classes - M. Taylor, Lancaster, Fox, and Lane

Nov. 13 - Day Camp - Classes - Shepherd, Owens, Runyon, and S.Taylor

ATTORNEY GENERAL ABBOTT JOINS 42 STATE AGs IN AGREEMENT WITH WAL-MART TO CURB TOBACCO SALES TO MINORS

Nation’s largest retailer adopts a number of policies to reduce sales to minors

AUSTIN - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott joined attorneys general in 42 other states September 31, 2003 to announce a major agreement with the nation’s 3,400 Wal-Mart stores that will result in tighter policies to reduce the sale of tobacco products to minors.

"We believe the Wal-Mart retailers here in Texas made the right decision in putting the health of some of its youngest customers above profits derived from tobacco sales," said Attorney General Abbott. "The store’s officials have pledged much tighter age screening at checkouts and employee education programs that focus on Texas laws and public health. We salute them for this effort."

Although the retailer had previously implemented many tobacco retailing policies to dissuade purchases by minors, store officials have pledged to minimize the use of underaged employees in positions that may involve the sale of tobacco products.

The stores will conspicuously post age-requirement notices about tobacco purchases and install cash registers that electronically prompt the cashier to check identifications of customers when tobacco products are being purchased. Cashiers are also required to check the identification of any person who appears to be under age 27. The stores now prohibit the placement of self-service displays of these products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has noted that, among U.S. retailers, an estimated one in four attempts to buy these products over the counter by a minor is successful. In addition, an estimated 690 million packs of cigarettes are sold illegally to minors each year in the U.S. According to respected studies, 80 percent of current adult smokers began the habit before the age of 18.

September 30, 2003 announcement stems from an effort by the multi-state Attorney General Tobacco Retailing Group, The group’s investigation found a high incidence of such sales among large retailers with national presence. The group has since obtained similar agreements from Walgreen’s, the nation’s largest drug store chain; ExxonMobil, the largest oil company; and BP Products and its retail outlets BP, Amoco and ARCO

In Texas, Wal-Mart operates 175 Supercenters, 102 Wal-Marts, 68 Sam’s Clubs and 26 Neighborhood Markets.

Bonham SNAP Center

Chicken Fried Steak/Cream Gravy, Texas Potatoes, Green Beans, Bread, Cake & Pears, Milk

Pinto Beans & Ham, Oven Fried Okra, Cabbage,

Cornbread, Plums, Milk

Baked Turkey/Gravy, Cornbread Dressing, Whipped Potatoes, Sunny Mixed Vegetables, Bread, Pudding, Milk

Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Buns, Apple Cobbler, Milk

Beef, Macaroni & Cheese Cass. Hot Spiced Beets,

Tossed Salad/Dressing, Bread, Pineapple, Milk

Dodd City ISD

Elementary Honor Roll

1st 6-Weeks

ALL A’S

Amber Atkinson, Cailee Fry, Kaleb Hammett, Hannah Monroe, Keeshia

Thompson, Hunter Vaught, Ashlee Booth, Gracie Granstaff, Riley Hartnett, Joe David Huff, Makagan Mitchell, Shelby Moore, Madison Phillips, Tiffany Prock, Jenna Wallace

Lane Anderson, Meghann Maggret

Rainy Goodin, Briann Hilliard, Jayson McGehee, Jaiden Pelton, Christie Petty, Sean Skipworth, Hayley Smith, Steven Standlee

Julie Hellwarth, Kaitlyn Massie, D’Artagnan Porter, Connor Reed, Jaylen Wallace

5th Grade

Patrick Moore, Sarah Smeltzer, Seth Stephens

Blake Deweese, Tuff Fears, Karmon Hernandez, Jared Huff, Jacqueline McGehee, Daulton Pilliod, Madison Porter, Talor Spindle, Korbyn Ballard, Dakota Brown, Dalton Underwood

Rodney Coble, Jessica Glatt, James Hellwarth, Mary Hellwarth, Jacob Kemp,

Eric Mcinnis, Lucas Wright

Hunter Brent, Tyler Curfman, Joanna Gilbreath, Misty Goodin, Zachery Greenhaw, Casey Hall, Alex Hilliard, Tyler Knight, Clayton Williams,

Charles Gibson, Lexi Langford, Rachell Lehew

Jonathon Butler, Christopher Glatt, Morgan Hartnett, Tanner Herndon, Rosblandel Hiteshew, Alex Ingold

Kasey Gatlin, Barbara Kemp, Dylan Porter

Ethan Stephens, Callie Maxwell

Lorran Anderson, Chelsea Bell, Kamey Herpeche, Amy Jackson, Ethan Porter

Tina Blevins

HALL INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN TAX REFORM LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON, DC ... At a press conference October 1, 2003 on Capitol Hill Rep. Ralph Hall (D-TX) and Rep. Jim DeMint (R-SC) introduced bipartisan legislation to reform the federal tax code. The Tax Reform Action Commission (TRAC) Act establishes a process to replace the current Internal Revenue Service tax code with one that is less complex and burdensome to taxpayers.

"For years Congress has discussed legislation that would reform the tax code or sunset the tax code and replace it with a flat tax or national sales tax," Hall said. "It’s time for Congress to stop talking about tax reform and start acting on tax reform. As we face serious challenges and costs at home and abroad, it is critical that we in Congress do everything we can to make our government run more efficiently - and there is a no more appropriate target than our 45,000 page federal tax code."

When signed into law, TRAC would establish a commission that would be required to develop a new tax code within two years. The commission, comprised of experts from within and outside government, would examine the current tax system and build a consensus around a responsible reform plan. The new code would be implemented on an incremental basis determined by the commission. This process would allow businesses and individuals ample time to prepare for the new system.

The General Accounting Office estimates that individuals spend over 6 billion hours and 183 billion dollars filling out tax forms each year - and that the government loses about 200 billion dollars in tax revenue annually due to noncompliance.

"Overall, the unnecessary complexity of our current tax code extracts hundreds of billions of dollars from the U.S. economy each and every year," DeMint said. "One of the biggest job killers in America is our complex and antiquated federal tax code that significantly increases the cost of doing business."

"I have long supported comprehensive tax reform and reform of the IRS," Hall said. "We need to bring fairness to the tax code, simplify the revenue collection process and reduce the burden on taxpayers." The TRAC Act has gained the support of numerous advocacy groups, including Americans for Tax Reform, National Taxpayers Union, Americans for Fair Taxation, Citizens for an Alternative Tax System, Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation, National Retail Sales Tax Alliance, and National Small Business United. The Act currently has 40 original cosponsors.

100% of the proceeds from the contest will go to the Friends of Fannin County Critters. The contestants for Kiss a Pig are:

· Derrell Hall ~ Fannin County Judge,

· Tommy Eskue ~ Fannin County Fair Board President,

· Elizabeth May ~ American Bank,

· Myles Porter ~ Fannin County District Attorney,

· Morgan Malone ~ First Baptist Church,

· Roger Reeves ~ Reeves Printing

· Ruth Ann Moore ~ individual jar at Fannin Bank- thanks to her co-workers

Locations for Kiss a Pig Jars are American Bank, Fannin Bank, Los Amigos, Bonham State Bank, Rolando’s, River Bend, Shumardii’s, Fannin County Courthouse, Lehde’s Meat Market and The Smoke Shop.

Bonham Kiwanis Club Held Officer Installation Banquet

The Bonham Kiwanis Club held their Officer Installation Banquet on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 at the First Christian Church, Bonham. Chuck Downs, Lt Governor Texas/Oklahoma District and Joe Barrett Durant Oklahoma Club and past Lt. Governor were guests at the event. Holly Shelley, was installed as President, Mary-k Ashley Wilson as Vice-President, Mary Karl as Secretary and James Woodall as Treasurer. James Woodall was also awarded Kiwanian of the Year by the Club.

Ector High School Employee Of The Week

Ector High School Employee of the Week for October 8-12 is Tena Ball. Mrs. Tena is currently a high school teacher aide and annual staff coordinator. She has been employed with Ector ISD for 8 years. Mrs. Tena assists teachers in the class room and works one-on-one with the students. Her hobbies include babysitting her wonderful grandson, Terry Marcus and horseback riding. She is married to Terry Ball and has 4 great kids, Nathan, Wendi, Shane, Brandi and a great daughter-in-law Trista. The things she likes best about working at Ector ISD is the support of the staff and the atmosphere. Tena, thank you for all that you do for Ector ISD and for the students. We would like to congratulate you as our employee of the Week and let you know you are truly appreciated.

Ector High School Employee Of The Week

Ector High School Employee of the Week for September 29 - October 2 is Dawn Bohannon. Mrs Bohannon has taught for 8 years in the public school system. She is currently teaching Jr. High and High School Business/Computers. She is also our Technology Coordinator for both campuses. She is married to Gary Bohannon and has tow sons Derek and Scott. The great kids are her favorite part about her job at Ector ISD. Her hobbies include shopping and cooking. We at Ector ISD would like to congratulate Mrs. Bohannon as employee of the week, to thank her for all that she does and her continued support. Thank you for making a difference at Ector ISD.

Attorney General Creates New Fugitive Unit That Targets Child Predators

By Greg Abbott
Attorney General of Texas

As a parent, I can think of no other crimes worse than those committed against children. As a Texan, I want our communities to be safer. As your Attorney General, I am taking action. I have formed and launched a new Fugitive Unit, with a focus on child sexual predators.

Our initial mission is to locate, arrest and send back to prison convicted predators who have violated the conditions of their parole. Just weeks into the program we’re already making neighborhoods safer. In recent weeks, my investigators with the Fugitive Unit have arrested 14 of these child sex offenders wanted for parole violations. Each of these men had convictions for sex crimes against children. One such felon was arrested while watching children play on a busy playgound.

The Attorney General’s Office is not targeting offenders who comply with the terms of their parole and abide by the law. In order to be a target of the Fugitive Unit, a person must be a child sex offender who has violated the terms of his or her parole.

The recent arrests continue a long string of apprehensions of child predators by the Attorney General’s Office. Our Cyber Crimes Unit, formerly the Internet Bureau, was already in existence before the formation of the Fugitives Unit. My investigators in that unit target child predators who hunt for victims in Internet chat rooms. So far, the Cyber Crimes Unit has successfully facilitated the arrest and indictment of fifteen men.

Each of the men used chat rooms to solicit sex with individuals whom they believed to be underage girls or boys. Unknowingly, the men were actually setting up meetings with Attorney General investigators. They were arrested when they showed up to meet the "children" in person. One of the more recent arrests occurred in Bastrop County on September 5. Donald Lee Westbrook III, an employee at Selectron, an Austin high-tech company, was arrested at a restaurant along Texas Highway 71 as he arrived to meet a 13-year-old "girl" he had met in an Internet chat room. The Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office assisted in this arrest. Westbrook has since been indicted.

Our record of success in arresting these individuals shows that the problem exists on a scale some parents may not realize. In fact, we may just be scratching the surface. That is why the Attorney General’s office will continue to work side by side with local law enforcement officials and with parents to safeguard our children. We are confident that the number of these arrests made by the Fugitives Unit and Cyber Crimes Unit will continue to grow.

We are very pleased that our efforts to date have been successful, but we will not rest on our laurels in our quest to remove child predators from chat rooms and neighborhoods. We must all remain vigilant and united in the protection of our children.

By Greg Abbott
Attorney General of Texas

Electronic mail has made personal and commercial correspondence expedient and convenient. Unfortunately, e-mail has also made it easy for businesses and individuals to inundate consumers with unwanted advertisements and solicitations. That is why the 78th Texas Legislature passed a new anti-spam law to protect Texas consumers and precisely why I plan to enforce it.

The new law does not make unsolicited e-mail advertisements illegal. However, effective September 1, 2003, it does provide penalties for failing to meet certain requirements.

Texas law now bans people from sending e-mails that contain false, deceptive or misleading information in the subject line, or from falsifying the e-mail address. E-mail advertisers must also include a working e-mail address so that consumers can ask to be removed from the advertising list. If you make such a request, the advertiser must remove your e-mail address within three days.

Normally we recommend that you do not use the remove feature. When you respond this way you are indicating that your e-mail address is an active one. Instead of getting less spam, you are likely to get even more.

In the past, spammers have also been known to use this feature to commit a certain kind of identity theft. Spammers can actually use your valid e-mail address as the apparent source of their advertisements.

With the new law in place, you may want to consider using the remove feature for e-mails received from reputable companies and not using it for e-mails where the sender is not identifiable. You should use your best judgment when exercising this option. Unsolicited e-mail advertisements must also include the letters "ADV" in the subject line. If the message contains pornographic material, "ADV: Adult Advertisement" must be included in the subject line.

Spammers who break the law by sending obscene materials without a label face being charged with a Class B misdemeanor and may spend up to 180 days in a county jail and be fined up to $2,000.

Unsolicited obscene e-mails are a great nuisance to parents everywhere. While the new law is a step in the right direction, we are not out of the woods yet. It is believed that much of the pornographic e-mail is produced in Eastern Europe and Russia.

Ideally, the new law should be followed by all businesses and individuals that send unsolicited e-mail to and from Texas. Realistically, only reputable, law-abiding businesses and people will follow the law. The newly enacted legislation may not deter illegal spam from other states or countries where spam laws may not exist or where enforcement is a low priority. Nigerian Fraud (also known as advance fee fraud) and foreign lottery scams are prime examples of spam that will probably not be slowed by anti-spam legislation. These solicitations are based out of foreign countries, which makes enforcement and prosecution extremely difficult.

Our office continues to urge consumers NOT to send money to e-mailers who claim that you have won a large prize and not to provide your personal identifying information (i.e. credit and Social Security card numbers). These spammers, mainly from Canada and Europe, have robbed thousands of Texans. Cooperation among states and countries is crucial to curtailing illegal spam.

While spam laws will be challenging to enforce, rest assured that our office is firmly committed to protecting Texas consumers. We will work to find the most effective, reasonable method of enforcement.

Parental Involvement Means More Than Just Paying Child Support

By Greg Abbott
Attorney General of Texas

When parents are involved in their lives, children have a better chance at growing up healthy, happy and well adjusted. Most parents instinctively understand this and do what is needed to provide the foundation for success. However, sometimes a healthy reminder, doesn’t hurt. President Bush recently set aside "Family Day" for the nation to engage in activities "to strengthen the relationships between parents and children."

In issuing his proclamation, the President noted that parents play a central role in steering their children toward healthy behaviors and clear of harmful ones. Simple activities such as sharing a meal or going to a ball game together provide ideal opportunities for this kind of interaction. While the September 22 observance has passed, parents really can choose any day — ideally, all days — as their own Family Day.

As the one charged with ensuring that Texas children receive the financial support they need from parents, I see every day the need for fathers and mothers to be involved in their kids’ lives. This starts with regular child support payments. Children depend on child support to provide basic needs like food, shelter, health care, and clothing. Research shows that children who receive regular child support reap intangible benefits as well, such as making better grades in school, being more likely to finish high school and attend college, and even having fewer behavior problems at school. Without a doubt, paying child support is one critical way parents can demonstrate their love for their children.

But money is only part of the equation. Too often, children would benefit from more, not less, involvement from the parent who pays their child support. My office is working across Texas to encourage parental involvement through such programs as the Parenting and Paternity Awareness Program (P.A.P.A.), which teaches middle and high school students about responsible parenting and the skills needed to build strong, stable families. We are partnering with teachers and other groups in many communities to bring P.A.P.A. to students in area school districts.

President Bush noted that children from two-parent families have increased chances for success in life because they are less likely to end up in poverty, become addicted to drugs, suffer abuse, or have a child out of wedlock. I agree with his assessment, and so does social research. In some instances where the safety of mothers and their children is in danger, marriage may not be suitable. But where appropriate, programs produced by my office -- such as P.A.P.A. -- extol the benefits of getting married before becoming parents. Parental involvement can thrive the most where both parents are present.

I am thankful that most parents faithfully carry out their responsibilities to their children, doing such things as paying court-ordered child support each month. All children deserve the security that comes from knowing their parents care enough to make regular child support payments. For those parents who need extra encouragement, I have several enforcement measures at my disposal that can remind them of their duty to pay.

My hope, however, is that more parents will truly understand just how necessary they are to the success of their children. I look forward to the day when we won’t have to have a Family Day to remind us of that.

September Grand Jury Cases - September 24, 2003

Tarlochan Singh, age 33 of Leonard, theft by check o/$1500. u/$20,000.

Tyrone Cuba Simmons, age 24 of Leonard, burglary of a building.

Ann Margaret Roberts, age 39 of Leonard, Possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine.

Julie Vance Leverson, age 34 of Leonard, stalking.

Mona Michelle Null, age 30 of Van Alstyne, forger of a check by making, passing and possession.

Lakesha Cuba, age 21 of Honey Grove, burglary of a building.

Troy Glen Taylor, age 33 of Greenville, possession of anhydrous ammonia unapproved container.

Levi Jordan Stroud, age 19 of Randolph, possession of a controlled substance, marijuana.

Ronald Lynn Hodges, age 42 of Ladonia, possession firearm by felon.

Joe David Brown, age 43 of Dodd City, aggravated assault of a deadly weapon.

James Dean Doyle, age 36 of Commerce, aggravated assault of a deadly weapon and endangering a child.

Joshua Joel Hayes, age 21 of Ravenna, burglary of habitation.

Theresa Ann Peek, age 40 of Garland, aggravated kidnapping, unlawful restraint.

Lela Dawn Redcloud, age 32 of Dallas, aggravated kidnapping, unlawful restraint.

Jose Manuel Porcayo, age 31 of Bonham, DWI 3rd.

Jose Manuel Porcayo, age 31 of Bonham, forgery.

Christopher Beam, age 26 of Ivanhoe, possession firearm by felon.

Kevin Bandy, age 43 of Whitewright, theft over $20,000.

Jenninfer (Martin) Denton, age 31 of Bells, possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine.

Delbert Lee McDowell, age 36 of Ector, possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine.

Joshua Joel Hayes, age 21 of Ravenna, burglary of a building.

Te-neisha Sha-von Briggs, age 20 of Sherman, forgery of a check by making, passing and possession.

Kellie Juanette Holley, age 31 of Bonham, possession of firearm by felon.

Marty Dwayne Preston, age 18 of Bonham, burglary of a building.

Terri Elaine Perdew, age of 43 of Allen, DWI 3rd offense.

Dan Arvil Russell. Jr, age 34 of Bonham, delivery of a controlled substance cocaine.

Traci Lenee Hazelip, age 33 of Ivahone, possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine.

Steven Jarrett Despain, age 21 of Irving, delivery of a controlled substance, methamphetamine.

Teresa Fay Hindsley, age 27 of Bonham, aggravated assault of a deadly weapon.

Rex Allen Chesser, age 48 of Bonham, delivery of a controlled substance, marijuana.

Shae Lynn Prescott, age 21 of Bonham, possession of a controlled substance.

Theresa Inge Brown, age 38 of Bonham, interference with child custody.

Timothy Michael Cordell, age 35 of Bonham, evading arrest or detention, use of motor vehicle.

Brent Earl Titus, age 19 of Commerce, possession of a controlled substance, marijuana.

Robert John Morgan, age 40 of Denison, delivery of a controlled substance, marijuana.

Brenda Chesser, age 43 of Bonham, delivery of a controlled substance, marijuana.

Justin Shawn Gray, age 23 of Bonham, possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine.

Justin Shawn Gray, age 23 of Bonham, aggravated assault (deadly weapon).

David Eugene Bohannon, age 45 of Bonham, fail to register as sex offender.

Student-Run Bonfire To Burn Again In 2003

College Station , TX – Thursday on the Texas A&M University campus, students belonging to the organization known as Student Bonfire (formerly Unity Project) will officially kickoff their drive towards Bonfire 2003. The same organization in 2002 safely returned the tradition of Bonfire to the students and former students of Texas A&M University.

The Bonfire tradition, one of the oldest and most sacred to Aggies, was permanently suspended by university administrators citing litigation surrounding a 1999 collapse of Bonfire. Student Bonfire’s mission is to actively preserve the student involvement in Bonfire as safely as possible.

Student Bonfire distributed Bonfire-related literature and solicited members on October 2nd from 9:30a.m. until 4:00p.m. in the Rudder Fountain Area despite pressure from university officials to desist. Officials told Student Bonfire that they may not collect donations while on the A&M campus.

"We are dedicated to safely preserving the tradition of Bonfire for future generations of Aggies," said Kerri Ward, a leader in Student Bonfire. "It is hard to believe that our own university would work so hard to prevent students from sharing that experience."

Jim Bouse, an Agricultural Development major and leader in Student Bonfire was equally dismayed. "Despite polls indicating that students overwhelmingly support the return of Bonfire and the success of last year’s Bonfire, our administration seems more inclined to be a roadblock than a partner in Bonfire’s future."

Jim added, "Students should not be deterred from participating in Bonfire by our administration’s apathy. We encourage all students to talk to us about becoming involved."

Jennifer Evans, a senior and leader in Student Bonfire said it is important for former students to be involved as well. "We believe that the largest asset that we have for building Bonfire are dedicated former students willing to share advice. We are always willing to listen to and Old Ag."

Matthew Maddox, a senior management major and a leader in Student Bonfire is optimistic. "Last year’s event brought out thousands of Aggies, and this year should be even larger. We believe that Thursday will be a continuation of last year’s success, and we encourage the Texas A&M community to join us."

Student Bonfire will be held this year on November 22nd at a near-campus location TBA as to avoid conflicts with university-scheduled events.

The Webeloes of Bonham, Pack 260, Den 6, toured the Fannin County Special office on Monday, Sept. 29. They were shown how a newspaper is developed from the beginning all the way down to the last fill in. The most interesting thing that the boys found was Tim Meeks's demonstration on how a web site is built and how he changes and maintains it every week.

The "Special" would like to say "Hat’s Off" to Gina Webb, Bonnie Johnson and Stanley LaRue for caring enough to give of their time and energy to this group of boys. The Scouting program is a good program to have your child experience.

Taylor Reunion Held

September 13, 2003

Descendants of Samuel Dawson and Nora Clay Taylor (1867-1949) gathered at the Windom Community Park at 4:30 p.m. September 13, 2003 for a covered dish meal and to celebrate their heritage and family relationships, approximately sixty attended.

The Issaic Taylor only attendant was Zelma (Taylor) Marr of Bonham, Zelma was the oldest in attendance.

The Benjamin Taylor attendants were Jack and Vivian Taylor, Jackie, Zack, and Colin Taylor, Connie Peeler, Stevie and Marion Taylor, Meredith Killingsworth, Colby Killingsworth and Shelton Killingsworth, Lacie Taylor, Lance and Roni Taylor, Barry and Kim Williams, Keith and Clayton, R.D. Taylor, Janice Taylor, Dean Taylor, Evelyn Renfro, Dr. Roy Renfro, Jr., Nathan Renfro, Wayne and Marilyn Johnson, Juanita Davis, Buck and Nelda Smith, Bill and Susan Easley, Chris Lane, Frankie and Shirley Horton, Mindy Horton, Jeramie Horton, Jane Johnson and Cole, Sallie Rencher, Craig and Marjory Taylor, Jani Taylor, Shawn and Darla Rencher and Logan (Logan was the youngest in attendance).

The Sidney Taylor attendants were: Nelle (Taylor) Hankis, Marianna Thornton and Dad of Midlothian, Tx. They won the Taylor Banner for coming the fartherest distance.

The Grace (Taylor) Devault only attendant was Sam Devault of Bonham.

The Charles L. Taylor attendants were Charlotte Sue (Taylor) Bankston, Steve, Jerilou and Taylor Bankston, Jessica Brooks of Brookston, Debbie Vest, Amber Vest, and Wayne Willie of Bonham.

A brief business meeting was held. The group voted to meet the same place and time next year, Sept. 11, 2004.

Guest attending were: Price Howell of Bonham, Rev. Albert Fisher and Patsy of Tom Bean, Rev. Albert Fisher offered the blessing. The 2004 Planning committee is Debbie Vest, Doyce Taylor, Craig Taylor, Vivian Taylor, Charlotte Sue Bankston, Sallie Rencher, and Susan Easley.

Thc Historic Cemetery Program One Of

First In Nation

AUSTIN, Texas --Texas Historical Commission (THC) staff is traveling the state, recording, investigating and ultimately protecting historic cemeteries throughout Texas. Appropriately named the R.I.P. program for its focus on recording, investigating and protecting, the initiative denotes anything but resting in peace for those involved in the research.

THC staff is in the fieldwork stage of the program that is funded by a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation to expand the Texas Historic Sites Atlas by including historic cemeteries. The atlas, a database of more than 200,000 sites, documents Texas history and is available on the THC web site at www.thc.state.tx.us. A THC team is photographing and gathering on-site information about historic, and often forgotten, cemeteries to include in the atlas, which can lead to further preservation activity through historic designations and developing educational curricula.

The survey is one of the first of its kind in the country. The THC is surveying cemeteries in 107 of the state’s fastest growing counties believed to be most vulnerable to encroaching development. Several thousand previously unmapped cemeteries already have been identified in an earlier research phase of the program.

The THC believes cemeteries are important reminders of the past, particularly early settlement patterns, genealogy, and religious and architectural trends. The program is expected to continue through 2005. For more information about the R.I.P program, contact Gerron Hite in the THC’s History Programs Division at 512/475-4167, or visit www.thc.state.tx.us.

Communities Across Texas Celebrate Archeology Awareness Month

AUSTIN, Texas -- Each October, Texas celebrates its unique heritage with activities and demonstrations recognizing our prehistoric and historic cultures. From fairs to free events across the state, visitors can learn about everything from ancient artwork to Civil War sites during Texas Archeology Month (TAM).

Coordinated by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) in association with the Texas Archeological Society and the Council of Texas Archeologists, 2003 TAM marks the expansion of the La Salle Odyssey, a series of exhibits in six coastal towns that tell the story of French explorer La Salle and his travels to the New World in 1684.

Other TAM-related events taking place in October include: Tours of the Kreische Brewery in La Grange every weekend; an archeology lab open house at Fort Hood; an exhibit on the African Americans of Hall County on display in Memphis; a children’s archeology fair in Seguin Oct. 23-24; the Texas Archeological Society’s Annual Meeting and Conference Oct. 24-26 in Fort Worth; and Chamber’s County Archeology Week Oct. 27-31 in Anahuac.

Details on these and other statewide TAM events are on the TAM brochure on the THC web site at www.thc.state.tx.us. For more information, or to request a free TAM brochure, contact the THC’s Archeology Division at 512/463-6096.

Savoy Elementary Honor Roll

First Six Weeks

Update On Pubic School Finance

Recently, the Senate Research Center published "School Days and Legal Maze, Constitutional Challenges to Public School Finance in Texas." The report focuses on the Edgewood court cases, and I have included portions of the report in this article. Copies of the full report can be obtained by contacting my Capitol Office.

On May 29, 2003, a majority of the Texas Supreme Court (seven justices, with another concurring in the judgment), in West Orange-Cove Consolidated I.S.D v. Alanis, 207 S.W. 3d 558 (Tex. 2003), reversed lower court decisions dismissing a claim brought by four plaintiff school districts, and remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedings. The majority ruled only that the allegations in the plaintiffs’ petition were sufficient to state a claim that the state’s system of funding public education in effect forced the districts to impose a state ad valorem tax, which is barred by the Texas Constitution. The decision did not rule on the constitutionality of the state’s current system of public schools, instead remanding this issue for consideration in the trial court.

The issue concerned Article VII, Section 1, of the Texas Constitution, which provides that: A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of free public schools.

In 1989, in Edgewood Independent School District v. Kirby, 777 S.W.2d 391 (Tex. 1989), the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the state’s public school finance system, with its heavy dependence on local property taxes, violated this provision of the state constitution. The system, held the court, resulted in wide disparities in the quality of public education between poorer and wealthier school districts. The Texas Legislature responded with legislation, which was subsequently challenged, resulting in a series of cases known as the Edgewood cases. In 1995, in Edgewood Independent School District v. Meno (Edgewood IV), 893 S.W.2d 450 (Tex. 1995), the court finally ruled that the revised system implemented by the Texas Legislature met constitutional muster. However, the court in that case warned that the new system, because of remaining funding disparities, could again become unconstitutional.

The warning in Edgewood IV concerned Article VIII, Section 1-e, of the Texas Constitution, which prohibits the levying of state ad valorem taxes. The funding system challenged in Edgewood IV created a two-tiered system:

Tier 1 guarantees sufficient financing for all school districts to provide a basic, program of education that meets accreditation and other legal standards. Under this tier, a school district that cannot generate revenue equal to a "basic allotment" through the minimum tax rate receives state funds to make up the difference.

Tier 2 provides for partially state-supported local supplementation. Under this tier, for each penny a district raises the tax rate above the minimum, the state guarantees a certain yield per weighted student. The tax rate for maintenance and operations continues to be capped at $1.50, subject to various adjustments and exceptions. There is also some state funding for facilities, sometimes referred to as Tier 3 in the system.

The court in Edgewood IV ruled that this system did not impose an unconstitutional state ad valorem tax, because while it did set minimum and maximum tax rates, districts and their voters still had the discretion within these parameters to choose the tax rate and control the distribution of the proceeds. However, the court warned that if the cost of education rose to the point that a district was forced to tax at the maximum tax allowed under the bill just to meet minimum accreditation standards, the tax would In effect become an unconstitutional state-mandated ad valorem tax.

In West Orange-Cove Consolidated I.S.D, four school districts alleged that the court’s warning had been confirmed, because they and other districts were now forced to tax at maximum rates set by statute in order to educate their students. These local taxes, they alleged, had now effectively become an unconstitutional state-mandated ad valorem tax. The district court dismissed the plaintiffs’ complaint and the appellate court confirmed.

The state had argued in part that the plaintiffs’ suit was not ripe because the system did not require all districts throughout the state to tax at the rate of $1.50, and therefore did not result in a statewide ad valorem tax. The majority rejected this argument, stating that the constitution prohibits state ad valorem taxes upon any property within this state. The issue, the majority said, is not the pervasiveness of the tax, but the state’s control over it. An illegal state ad valorem tax is a tax imposed by the state, either directly or indirectly. Therefore, the majority asserted, a single district could make a claim that it is unconstitutionally constrained by the state to tax at a particular rate.

The state made four other arguments which were rejected by the majority:

The state asserted that the duty to provide an adequate public education belongs to the legislature, not local school districts. School districts, the state claimed, are not forced to tax at any rate, but instead choose to tax and educate at desired levels. The state is only encouraging certain choices, not compelling them. The majority said that the state was in effect arguing that nothing short of virtually absolute state control of ad valorem taxation violates the constitution. The constitutional prohibition, declared the majority, is violated whenever state control denies a taxing authority meaningful discretion. The legislature has a duty under the constitution to make suitable provision for a general diffusion of knowledge through free public schools. As long as the legislature establishes a suitable regime that provides for a general diffusion of knowledge, the legislature may decide whether the regime should be administered by a state agency, by the districts themselves, or by any other means. In fact, the legislature, through the Education Code, sets school accreditation standards and imposes sanctions for noncompliance. These provisions require school districts to provide an adequate education, and leave no meaningful discretion for districts to do otherwise. The majority reiterated its view that the current system can effectively deprive school districts of meaningful discretion and force them to tax at maximum rates.

The state argued that the only requirement of school districts is that they provide an accredited education as defined by the legislature, and that the plaintiffs cannot allege in good faith that any district is forced to tax at the maximum rate just to meet this requirement. On the contrary, the state asserted, districts taxing at maximum rates do so to provide enhanced educational opportunities and not merely to maintain accreditation. The majority rejected this argument, stating that accreditation standards are not the only requirements the state imposes on school districts. The state has chosen to rely heavily on school districts to discharge the duty to provide "a general diffusion of knowledge essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people." The public school system the legislature has established, the majority held, requires that school districts provide both an accredited education and a general diffusion of knowledge. Because both requirements are binding on the districts, if a district is being forced to tax at a maximum rate in order to meet accreditation standards or to provide a general diffusion of knowledge, this in effect becomes an unconstitutional state ad valorem tax.

The legislature has granted a partial homestead exemption from school district taxation, which a district may increase up to a certain amount at its option. The state argued that no school district that has opted for an increased homestead exemption can allege that it is forced to tax at maximum rates because it has the meaningful discretion to deny the increased exemption and tax at a lower rate. The majority disagreed, stating that to obtain dismissal of the plaintiffs’ action based solely on the pleadings, the state must establish that the mere existence of local-option exemptions precludes as a matter of law the allegation that school districts are forced to tax at maximum rates. The state, the majority held, has not met this burden because the plaintiffs may be able to show that even without granting additional homestead exemptions, they could not provide an accredited education or a general diffusion of knowledge. Also, the majority noted, while school districts have discretion whether to increase homestead exemptions, it is far from obvious that this discretion is meaningful,

The state argued that the plaintiffs cannot allege a violation of the constitution unless they tax at the applicable absolute maximum rate, not merely near that rate. The majority rejected this argument, responding that the constitutional issue remains the extent of the state’s control. A district taxing a few cents below the maximum rate may no longer be able to provide an accredited education or a general diffusion of knowledge even by raising the rate to the maximum, and the majority held the district should not be forced to raise the rate to the maximum just to prove the point.

Hometown Military News

October 03, 2003 (FHTNC) - Navy Seaman Recruit Kevin E. Godsey, son of Sandra Godsey of Bells, Texas and Travis Sawyer of Powderly, Texas, recently graduated from the Basic Enlisted Submarine Course at the Naval Submarine School in Groton, Conn.

During the six-week course, Godsey learned the basic theory, construction, and operation of nuclear-powered submarines. Godsey also learned shipboard organization, damage control, and submarine safety and escape procedures.

Godsey participated in hands-on training with reality simulators, practicing firefighting and flood control on board a submarine. Godsey also learned about a submarine’s basic hydraulic, water and air systems, and practiced escaping from a simulated sinking submarine.

Godsey is a 2001 graduate of Hillsboro High School of Hillsboro, Texas and joined the Navy in April 2003.

Army Pvt. Jesse R. McCarley has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military

courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.

He is the son of Charles McCarley of Bonham, Texas.

McCarley graduated in 2003 from Bonham High School.

Fannin County Commissioners Hold Special Meeting

On Monday, September 29th, Fannin County Commissioners met and voted to set salaries for October 1 - December 31, 2003 and January 1 - September 30, 2004.

They also voted down a discount for early payment of taxes.

County Clerk Margaret Gilbert said they haven’t done that in years. However, they still have to tell the Fannin County Appraisal District their decision. Gilbert said, "The Court decided way back 10 years ago that it didn’t bring in enough to pay off."

The Court also talked about establishing a safety program that would meet the recommendations by the Texas Association of Counties, a representative is scheduled to meet with the County to discuss more. The Court also talked about HB 1117 and a County Road map.

The Court has until 2009 to put into action the new bill showed to them by Gilbert.

Gilbert said that we have to have a certain size map, and have a public meeting, also determine what roads are county roads and leave them that. And to open a new one, there will be a deed.

Gilbert said the first thing the court will do is make a map that meets new law requirements, which is close to a 6 foot by 6 foot square. However, the County does not have a way to print a map that size.