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Front Page Headlines
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Council Again Discusses Golf
Carts on City Streets
By LAURA KESTNER, Editor
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Golf carts on city streets were once
again the subject of discussion at the most recent meeting of
the DeLeon City Council, Thursday, March 26, 2009.
All council members -- Mayor Danny
Owen, Gayle Stroud, Lee Childers, Billie Lightfoot and Pauline
Villarreal -- were present for the meeting. Also present were
Police Chief Ralph Dickey, City Administrator Karen Wilkerson,
Judge Wayne Parsons, Public Works Administrator Rob Duncan and
Comanche County Emergency Management Coordinator Ray Helberg.
The golf cart discussion was a
follow-up to a request by Jeanette Ward (at the Feb. 26 meeting)
that the council draft some sort of ordinance making it legal
for DeLeon residents (with certain restrictions, such as senior
citizens only) be allowed to drive golf carts on city streets.
Ward explained that her husband, O.C., had suffered a stroke
last year and the family didn’t believe it was safe for him to
drive a car.
For full article, subscribe to the
DeLeon Free Press. E-mail
edition is only $20/year. |
Despite Recession, DeLeon’s
Sales Tax Receipts Growing
By JERRY MORGAN, Reporter
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The first quarter of 2009 has been a
rough one for the national economy, with bad news being topped
by more bad news. Locally, however, the situation may not be
quite so bad, even though some have lost jobs as some area
employers have cut back their staffing.
Sales tax receipts are often used as
a barometer of the health of a local economy. Here in DeLeon
that reading is showing some growth. Even though the rate of
growth is relatively small, when gauged against the declining
national economy, it becomes much larger.
Sales tax receipts for the first
three months of 2009 have grown by 1.68% over the same period
one year earlier. As reported by the Texas Comptroller of Public
Accounts, the city’s 1.5% portion of the total 8.25% sales tax
collections is $45,519.58 in 2009, versus $44,767.61 in 2008 and
$44,430.29 in 2007.
The same period figures for Comanche
County as a whole show a small 1.38% decline. County sales tax
receipts for the first three months of 2009 are $73,016.47,
versus $74,040.47 in 2008 and $65,467.19 in 2007.
Sales tax receipts for the City of
DeLeon grew by 2.6% in calendar 2008, and for the County of
Comanche by 8.8%. |
Local Business Burglarized
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Daniel Garcia, owner of Garcia’s Tire
Service, on Texas Street, reported this week that his business
was burglarized over the weekend.
“It had to have happened sometime
between noon on Saturday, March 28, and Monday morning at 7:30
a.m.,” Garcia said.
Garcia said that the burglars took
all the cash from the cash register. “It was somewhere between
$190 and $240,” he said. “And they also took some lug nuts.”
According to Garcia, the lug nuts,
valued at $83, were the only items taken besides cash.
“I believe it had to be somebody
familiar with the store,” Garcia said, “because they knew just
where to find those particular lug nuts. Also, whoever it was,
knew where the surveillance camera was located because they went
straight to it, and turned it around towards the wall.”
Anyone with information should call
the DeLeon Police Department at 893-3244 or Garcia at 893-5563. |
White Receives Sports
Reporting Recognition
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 Tim
White, sports editor for the DeLeon Free Press, has been
selected as the Golden Hoops Sports Writer of the Year for the
West Texas/Pan Handle region by the Texas Association of
Basketball Coaches.
White was nominated by DeLeon High
School boys head basketball coach Brad Janek.
Janek wrote in his nominating letter,
“I am nominating Pastor Tim White for the Golden Hoops Award. He
has been fantastic covering all the basketball programs.
He not only is the sports editor for
the DeLeon Free Press, he is the lead pastor at Desdemona
Baptist Church. He never misses a game. He and his wife (Laura)
are our number one fans. They cover not only the varsity, but
the JV and junior high programs. During basketball that is a
daunting task.
“Sometimes they are watching hoops at
least four nights a week. I don’t know how he does it. We are
always covered weekly in the paper. Not only does he write the
stories but takes pictures at the games.
“This is truly dedication to the
sport of basketball. If you don’t know about DeLeon, this is
mainly a football town and thanks to him basketball has gotten
some great coverage and our games are attracting more fans. He
is a great asset to the game of basketball and deserves great
consideration for this award.”
White, who has previous newspaper
writing experience with the San Angelo Standard-Times, the
Palestine Herald Press, the Forney Messenger, and the Dallas
Times Herald, will receive a plaque signifying the award. |
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ROPING
ON COWBOY DAY. Ashtyn Welch, a student in Sharon Coan’s
kindergarten class at DeLeon Elementary School, gets a lesson on
roping from Frank Haardt during a Cowboy Day field trip to the
Haardt Ranch southwest of DeLeon on Monday. Haardt is the father
of kindergarten student Samantha “Sam” Haardt. Also
participating in the cowboy fun were Sam’s mother, and her
grandmothers. Each student, in all three kindergarten classes,
got to try their hand at roping and riding before the day was
over. |
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LEARNING ABOUT SADDLES AND HORSES. Joey Hancock, a student
in Brenda Huddleston’s kindergarten class gets a lesson on
saddles and other horse related items from Ann Haardt during
Cowboy Day at the Haardt Ranch southwest of DeLeon on Monday.
Ann Haardt is the grandmother of kindergarten student Sam Haardt. |
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HORSEBACK RIDING ON COWBOY DAY. Lena Dove, a student in
Cindy Abbey’s kindergarten class, was one of dozens of students
who got a chance to ride a horse at the Haardt Ranch, Monday, to
celebrate DeLeon Elementary’s Cowboy Day. Also pictured are
Shannon Haardt, right, mother of student Sam Haardt, and Regina
Marston, Sam’s grandmother. |
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BLUEBONNETS. Although bluebonnets are a little on the sparse
side this year, due to dry conditions in the fall, there are a
few starting to pop up around the area. The bluebonnets pictured
above, with an Indian Paint Brush in the center, were spotted on
Hwy. 587, west of DeLeon. |
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Danny Owen, the Mayor of De Leon,
has a personal website.
Open Danny's
website by Clicking Here
Scott Hall has
creating an Internet website with history & photos of our town.
Click Here
to visit his website
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