Friday's Internet Edition, 10:38 PM, September 03, 2010.
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| Top damage suffered in the microburst that downed four poles west of Sierra Blanca last Friday evening. |
- The storm that hit west Texas Friday, August 13 was powerful. It claimed 4 transmission poles that carry large amounts of electricity to Van Horn and knocked out power to approximately 1,100 El Paso Electric (EPE) customers.
The outage occurred at 7:08 p.m. EPE crews were immediately dispatched to the area and were able to re-route power through a smaller distribution line. Power was restored by 9:23 p.m. However, because of the added demand on the smaller distribution line, another outage occurred at 11:52 p.m. Power was restored within an hour.
On Saturday EPE crews continued to work on poles and lines that had come down during the storm. The power being provided through the smaller distribution line wasn’t enough to meet the City’s needs. That’s why EPE had to cut power to some customers to prevent damage to the electrical system.
“We called Mayor Okey Lucas and told him what our plans were,” said Hector Puente, Vice President of Transmission and Distribution at El Paso Electric. “We also asked him to contact business owners and others in Van Horn who had back-up generators and request that they turn them on. Several turned-on their generators and that helped us out tremendously.”
Van Horn customers experienced one 90-minute scheduled outage. EPE transmission crews replaced the transmission poles and lines quicker than had been anticipated and by 5:30 p.m. the electrical system that delivers power to Van Horn was back to normal.
“The mayor and everyone in Van Horn who we spoke with were very helpful, accessible and great to work with,” said Puente. “I want to thank all of our Van Horn customers for their patience during the outages.”
Sales tax holiday is this weekend
Texas’ annual Sales Tax Holiday arrives this weekend, just in time for families to save money on clothes and supplies for the new school year. “This is the 12th straight year in which families will take advantage of sales tax savings,” Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said. “This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 20–22, shoppers can stock up on tax-free school supplies, school backpacks and most children’s and adults’ clothing and shoes priced at less than $100.” To help families plan to make the most of the Sales Tax Holiday, lists of tax-free apparel and school supplies can be found on the Comptroller’s website at http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/taxpubs/tx98_490/tx98_490.html.
Column One
By Dawn Simpson
Well, is everyone ready for those three words that bring all kind of different emotions – joy to some (especially parents) and a little reluctance and anxiety to others. Yes, it’s ‘back to school’ time. Sounds like the staff and faculty is ready to go! All they are lacking at this point are all those ‘smiling’ (?) faces to appear on Monday morning. Our best wishes to all students, teachers, and staff for a great year!
It seems like every year lately brings those bittersweet emotions connected to the thought of ‘back to school’. Just about the time I got over crying every year on the first day of school because my girls were growing up, then came along grandchildren and that emotion was just as bad. We just saw yet another granddaughter leave for her first year of college, our baby granddaughter is entering junior high and next to the youngest grandchild is entering high school. Oh My! Am I the only one struggling with these realities of life? Please say I’m not!
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I was looking back in past years of the Advocate at how the ‘back to school’ stories might have changed. One thing I found was pretty amazing and definitely pointed to why our current school finances are struggling, due to the fact that we are paid by the state according to our school enrollment. In 1960 the enrollment at the start of the school year was 652. Ten years later, due to some growth in our town, the enrollment was 1026. In 1980 it was 926. Then 20 years ago it started a real decline. 1990 saw only 778 enrollment and in 2000 it was 694. Last year (2009) it really dipped again, with barely 500. This year they are expecting around 470. So it’s no wonder that they are contemplating having to ask for a tax increase. What we really need are more families with children!
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Another thing that I can’t help but notice in comparing the present with the past when looking back through the pages of the Advocate, is how much some things stay the same. The following Editorial, published in the August 13, 1970 issue of the Advocate could well have been written today…………
School Bells Ring
The month of August, the hottest days of summer are upon the land. With this climax of the seasons, it’s the time for millions of young people to return once again to tens of thousands of schoolrooms across the land.
In days past, when a majority of our people lived in rural areas and scattered small towns, the bell often rang in the typical one room schoolhouse calling youngsters from the dusty lanes, the fields, the swimming holes where they worked and played, learned and grew during the days of summer. Answering its call, they came to resume, often with considerable reluctance, the regimentation of school hours and the traditional pursuit of at least a passing proficiency of the 3 R’s. For most people, an education was something you got through “when you were a kid” so that you could get on about the business of making your way in the world.
The school bells of today carry a far different message and challenges to the nation’s present generation of young people. The store of man’s knowledge is increasing so rapidly that no one can estimate what it may hold 10 or 20 years from now. In such a world, the school room has become, not a place of dull drudgery, but a vital and broadening bridge of understanding and knowledge spanning the present range of man’s accomplishments and offering the young people of today the capacity to build a future beyond our present imagination.
The cost of education today is a major tax burden. With this in mind, many of the “older generation” sometime voice the doubt that “all this school is really worth it.” They wonder what kind of young people we are raising. Protestors, sit-inns, rioters and school dropouts get a great deal of publicity, but they are a tiny proportion of our school population and would probably be in trouble wherever they were and whether they had any education or not.
The real promise of the future lies in the vast majority of hardworking young people who look forward to school days opening again this fall – not only for the social companionship, excitement and fun of activities, but also, because they feel the stimulation of learning about their heritage and opportunities of exploring the vast fields of knowledge now being unfolded to man’s mind.
As they, both the younger and the older students, return to school this fall, they deserve all the encouragement and opportunity which we can give them.
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And I say ‘Amen’ to that last sentence! Here’s some quotes about knowledge to ponder as this school year begins…………
“Knowledge is power and enthusiasm pulls the switch.”
“Be curious always! For knowledge will not acquire you, you must acquire it.”
“All your future lies beneath your hat!”
“All wish to possess knowledge, but few are willing to pay the price.”
“You can only attain knowledge with the help of those who possess it.”
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
August 19th - The Van Horn Eagles are slated to scrimmage the Ft. Stockton J.V. this evening in Ft. Stockton. Members of the Van Horn Volunteer Fire Department will meet this evening at 7 p.m. at the Firehouse.
August 20th - Mountain View Golf Tournament gets underway today.
August 21st - Mountain View Golf Tournament today.
August 22nd - Attend the church of your choice today. Mountain View Golf Tournament continues today.
August 23rd - First day of the 2010-2011 School Year. School district trustees meet at 6 pm this evening. Members of the Van Horn Lions Club are slated to meet this evening at 7 p.m.
August 24th - The Van Horn Rotary Club will meet today at noon at Chuy’s Restaurant.
August 25th - Nothing scheduled at press time.