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EL UVALDE TIMES
October 12,1991
This I Have To Say
I	By Olga M. Rodriquez
Happy Cactus Jack
I hope to see many of you at the Cactus Jack Festival and if I I don’t have a good time for me. Congratulations in advance to the organizers. I met Kim Lanning, Executive Director of the Uvalde Chamber of Commerce this week and she told me how great it was to have the support of so many people for this year’s event. We both agreed that Uvalde has had so many succesful activities because of the people here seem to be working together so much I more these days. We all love this town and it takes everyone doing their share to make things happen. The Christmas lighting project needs everyone’s support. Make a donation, regardless of how small so that we can truly say this was a community effort. When it all comes to be we can all be proud of it.
The Grade Incident
At press time I was told that the Texas Education Agency had ruled that the grades of the students in the chemistry class that made news last week could not be changed. What devastation the parents and the students must feel. I sincerely do not believe that that many of our top achievers in our high school could fail. I question the ability of the teacher to teach effectively. Coult it be possible that the issue would have to be settled in court: I know of some teachers that get so set in their ways and no one is going to make them change. Parents, please keep in close contact with your child, the principal and the teacher. While I don’t encourage disrespect or slander, I insists that if there is a wrong that chould
= Decollated, have the courage to stand up for your child.
Time is flying by....
My newspaper keeps me very busy and sometimes I long for the long quiet afternoons I had before I started this newspaper. I haven’t had time to read any more books on U.F.O.’s lateley, for a while that was all I read. Before that I was attending night classes at U.T.S.A. and that was like having another part time job. i Always in the back of my mind was writing and publishing this newspaper again. As hard as it is to put it together, I guess its going to stay in may blood. Here we are publishing our 7th isssue. Thanks again for all your support.
School Board Meetings..
I have mixed emotions about school board meetings. I enjoy talking with the administrators. I have received warm welcomings and courtesies have been extended to me on every occasion. I see a group of people totally involved in the education of our children. Some of the procedures that the current school board inherited do upset me and a lot of people. I urge the board members to have the courage to stand up for the people you represent. If an administrator or a teacher does wrong, please have the courage to so something about it. Why wait till a group of parents has to come to you as they did last Tuesday .October 1 and not knowing procedure sat patiently as the audience to patrons was passed by. Assistant Superintendent Judy Tindol was very understanding and courteous and assisted in getting the parents heard although the meeting had moved into the section where the audience no longer can participate. Yes the rules can be changed. They are not set in concrete. Attitudes, too, can change. Lets leave . the hang-ups of past school board members behind. Lets treat the | patrons of the school board with respect and dignity. We hear a constant call for parental involvement, restiricting them as they arc now by a temporary school board policy has got to stop.
Writers, Reporters Welcome!
If you enjoy writing about people and events. El Uvalde Times needs you. We encourage writers who arc familiar with one of the many issues that confront us as taxpayers, as parents or simply as concerned citizens. Help El Uvalde Times present a variety of articles and a variety of perspectives. We are here to serve Uvalde I and the surrounding area. Help us to create respect, understanding and unity toward a better quality of life.
We are also interested in humorous and entertaining articles and stories. We need writers of short news items, social events as well as for detailed reporting. If you arc interested, please write to:
Olga M. Rodriquez, Editor, El Uvalde Times; P. O. Box 691701, San Antonio, Tx 78269-1701.
Facts about the Jail Expansion
By Enrique L. Vasquez, A Concerned Taxpayer
A presentation of facts concerning the issuance of bonds to create a total county debt of $5,300,000.00.
We the citizens of Uvalde County will be heading to the polls on November 5, 1991 to vote for or against the issuance of $3,150,000.00 certificates of obligation indebtedness. It is important for us to be properly informed as to the issues involved and how we should be voting. Have all the facts and statistics been made available to the citizens of Uvalde County? Do we have a desire to learn the facts? Should we ask questions? Is it right to allow ourselves to continue to be victimized by an inefficient group of elected officials? The answers are obvious. We have to increase our knowledge about how our government is being managed.
Let’s Start with Identifying the Undisputed Facts
Do we need to enlarge our old county jail from 28 beds to 96 beds?
1.	The answer ís.hq, when we take into consideration the population and economic growth of Uvalde County for the past
2.	The answer is no, when we look at the statistics of the average stay of the prisoners in
jail, not only in Uvalde jail, but also in our neighboring county jails.
3.	And the answer is no, when we read the June 18, 1991 front page article of The Wall Street Journal, which says that spending tax money for larger jails is a poor investment.
We Want to Associate Ourselves with the Truth
How is it that our Uvalde County Commissioners failed to comply with the many State inspection reports of noncompliance defects at the Uvalde County Jail? Since 1988, the problems of noncompliance began to emerge at the County Jail at a very prominent level.
The truth of the matter is that the Uvalde County Commissioners Court failed to address the deep problems at the jail in the Uvalde County budget for fiscal year 1988-89. The Uvalde County Commissioners Court were willing to expend unbudgeted monies for other non-emergency projects. One project alone cost $90,000.00. How is it that nothing was properly repaired at the Uvalde County Jail? Some of the defects were audible communication within the jail, missing commodes and sinks, inoperable faucets, air circulation, failure to comply with progress reports relevant to noncompliance defects progress, and segregation on inmates. We learned that because of the failure to comply we were in trouble. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards
gave us a final ultimatum on June 21, 1991. The letter stated: Fix the Uvalde County Jail or we will close you. With this, finally, the County Commissioners did agree to comply. The defects have been corrected. No written mandate exists which requires us to enlarge our county jail.
All of a sudden, we are being pressured by our elected officials to enlarge the jail from 28 beds to 96 beds. Where was their concern and interest when the problems first emerged? What has our Uvalde County Commissioners Court been telling the Texas Commission on Jail Standards? Have the laws been suspended by our elected officials to disseminate public information to the citizens of Uvalde County? Surely, there is a demonstrated need to reform our government because graffiti is beginning to appear more and more.
The End Result will Imperil the Wallets of Citizens of Uvalde County
To borrow $3,150,000.00 and pay back $5,300,000.00 will cost each citizen of Uvalde County $135.00 in county taxes. We need to take into consideration that not all of the 23,350 county citizens are property owners. Can the disabled citizens, retired citizens, the poor citizens, and in fact, all the citizens, afford to pay more taxes? This is the issue. We, the voters of Uvalde County must vote on November 5, 1991 and decide whether to create more county debt.
I will vote NO!
Letters to the Editor are always welcome.
EL UVALDE TIMES
El Uvalde Times is published monthly on the second Saturday of each month at 231 S. Getty, Uvalde, Tx 78801. Deadline for news is a week before publication date.
El Uvalde Times se publica mensualmente en el segundo Sabado de cada mes en 231 S. Getty, Uvalde, Tx 78801. El ultimo dia para recibir noticias es una semana antes del sabado de publicación.
Publisher/Editor: Olga Muñoz Rodriquez Business Manager: Maria Elena Gonzales
Photographer: Ricardo Flores
Contributing Writers:
Jane Chavez	Richard O. Gonzales, Attorney Ricardo Flores	Gracie Romo
Geronimo ’’Jerry” Chavez	Alejandro Perez Alfredo R: Santos
Original articles appearing in this newspaper are the property of El Uvalde Times and should not be reprinted without the consent of the publisher. Errors or omissions will be prom pity corrected in the next publication when brought our attention.
231 S. Getty St., Uvalde,Tx 78801 512 278-6007
	• San Antonio: P. O. Box 691701, San Antonio,Tx 78269-1701