Temple Daily Telegram's Columnist Listings http://www.temple-telegram.com Wed, 14 May 2008 22:32:28 -0500 Wed, 14 May 2008 04:00:00 -0500 tdt@temple-telegram.com (TDT) webadmin@temple-telegram.com (Webmaster) en-us Copyright 2008, Temple Daily Telegram http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/05/10/49260 Addressing the economic future of Temple and Bell County, noted economist Mark Dotzour told a group of 250 real estate professionals and others to buckle their seat belts and hang on for another year. The road ahead should be smoother than what’s in the rearview mirror. Dotzour said he expects the economy to turn around next spring, based on three factors: mortgage foreclosures should peak by then; the federal government should act to open the mortgage market; and political uncertainty (November presidential election) will be resolved. Sat, 10 May 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/05/10/49260 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/05/07/49172 Diamonds are forever. But so are stamps. And they cost a lot less. With the price of a first-class stamp set to increase from 41 to 42 cents next week, the U.S. Postal Service is offering customers a way to freeze prices. Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/05/07/49172 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/05/06/49144 In the midst of Monday morning’s downpour, Diana Polk backed up to a side door at the Wal-Mart on 31st Street and loaded about $250 worth of groceries into her pickup. She says not long ago the same amount of groceries cost about $180 or $200. Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/05/06/49144 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/05/04/49097 It’s not like Texans need another excuse to eat barbecued brisket. We woof it down at roadside stands, family reunions and in expensive restaurants. Almost everyone has a favorite barbecue joint, sauce or cooking method. Now a recent study from Texas A and M University reports that brisket is healthier than all other cuts of beef, including sirloin and ribs. Sun, 04 May 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/05/04/49097 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/05/02/49048 Matt Schuetze knew right away the brick home for sale in North Temple would be perfect for his wife and 2-year-old son. But there were two problems: red carpet and money for a down payment. Under the Homes for Texas Heroes program, Schuetze’s job as Temple College police officer enabled him to get a grant that he could use for the down payment. Fri, 02 May 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/05/02/49048 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/30/48988 The numbers are in, and 2008 Bell County home appraisals increased over last year by 7.33 percent, up $856 million. Marvin Hahn, chief appraiser for the Bell County Tax Appraisal District since 2003, said new homes were responsible for about half of the increase, and the other half was due to a rise in existing property values. He said the increase reflects the value of area real estate. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/30/48988 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/29/48978 BARTLETT - A helicopter takeoff gone awry in Bartlett on Monday morning resulted with the pilot pulling his friend from the burning chopper and running to a nearby home for help. “When he was cranking it up, he was in the mud, it turned on its side and caught fire,” eyewitness Roy Williams said. “He probably would have died, but the other dude pulled him out.” Williams said he saw the horrific turn of events unfold from about a block away, at a convenience store on State Highway 95. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/29/48978 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/28/48963 BARTLETT - A helicopter carrying two men crashed in a open field in Bartlett late Monday morning, missing a house in the 300 block of S. Dalton Street by about 75 feet. The helicopter crashed about a block from Highway 95. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/28/48963 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/27/48937 The operator of a coal-fired power plant now under construction about 45 miles northeast of Temple is touting the facility’s clean technology and contribution to the local economy. But environmentalists say the plan could affect Bell County air quality. The project is a joint venture between Houston-based Dynegy Inc., its subsidiaries and a management group of companies specializing in the power industry. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/27/48937 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/25/48889 Like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock film, area ranchers say they continue to have problems with black vultures swooping in and attacking their livestock. “They’ll peck the eyes out of the baby calves. It doesn’t take very long when you have 20 or 30 of them,” said Bell County rancher Randy Cross. “The calves don’t have time to get up and on their feet.” Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/25/48889 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/21/48773 On a clear and windy March afternoon in southwestern Falls County a herd of black Angus cattle are grazing on copious green shoots. The spring rains have been kind to the rich black soil. In the midst of this bucolic setting, American consumerism and waste is manifest in the mouth of one calf, about 6 months old. For 10 or 15 minutes, instead of chewing its cud, the cow gnaws a white, plastic shopping bag, occasionally shaking its head until the wind catches the bag like a small parachute and rips it from the cow’s jaw. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/21/48773 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/18/48709 If their walls could talk, the houses featured in the 2008 Parade of Homes would tell stories about the cool stuff their builders have included in the 19 homes that will be showcased beginning this weekend. Everything from high-tech sound and computer stations, to tankless water heaters, to swimming pools with waterfalls will be on display at these Bell County beauties. The 35th annual event, sponsored by the Temple Area Builders Association, will run the next two weekends. Eleven different builders will open their doors at homes in Belton, Salado, Temple, and one in Moffat. The parade begins wherever you want. Pick a location and get ready to ooh and aah at the craftsmanship, interior design and energy-saving features. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/18/48709 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/17/48696 When Ralph Townsend researched traveling from his California home to Temple for an interview at Scott and White Memorial Hospital, he discovered his wife could ride with him on the train for the cost of him flying alone. Doretha Royal from Buffalo rode Amtrak’s steel wheels to Temple to visit her brother because she is “fed up with flying.” Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/17/48696 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/12/48590 Although Temple and Belton home sales have dipped slightly in the first quarter of 2008, the area continues to stand out as a stable real estate market, insulated from the decline in values and sales in other parts of Texas, and the East and West Coast. According to figures from the Temple-Belton Board of Realtors, the number of home sales are down 13 percent, and dollar volume 8.11 percent, for first quarter 2008, compared with first quarter 2007. Sat, 12 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/12/48590 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/10/48539 The Republican runoff election for District 55 representative is now in Ralph Sheffield’s rear view mirror. But the road to Austin could be a bumpy one if he can’t safely negotiate one final detour - Democrat Sam Murphey. Murphey is a 22-year U.S. Army veteran who settled in Harker Heights in 1977. He was reassigned for several years in the 1980s, but returned to the same house and lives there today with his wife. For the past 16 years, he has served as district director for U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/10/48539 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/09/48525 Ralph Sheffield won big in Tuesday’s runoff election to represent the Republican Party in the state District 55 general election this November. Speaking from his Las Casas restaurant in Temple on Tuesday night, Sheffield said he wasn’t surprised by the wide margin of victory. Sheffield said pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, staying on message and endorsements from former opponents John Alaniz and Mike Pearce paid big dividends at the ballot box. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/09/48525 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/07/48476 Republican voters are expected to turn out in heavy numbers Tuesday to determine whether Martha Tyroch or Ralph Sheffield will represent their party this November in the general election for state District 55 representative. The runoff election is necessary because none of the four original candidates in the March primary garnered more than 50 percent of the vote. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/07/48476 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/04/48404 Growing up in Temple, Andrew Machuca wasn’t interested in following his father’s footsteps. That’s because in his dad’s line of work - a professional arborist - the senior Machuca’s feet often dangled two stories above the ground. But three years into his father’s tutelage learning the family business, the 21-year-old Machuca is aiming for heights his father has never seen - the Texas Tree Climbing Championship in Fort Worth’s Trinity Park. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/04/48404 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/03/48370 Just a few days before their April 8 showdown, the sparring continues between state District 55 Republican candidates Martha Tyroch and Ralph Sheffield. The latest jab was thrown from Sheffield’s downtown Temple campaign headquarters when the president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility denounced Tyroch for lavish spending on “junkets,” which included billing taxpayers “for a meal at a posh D.C. restaurant that cost more than $1,000, including $300 in alcohol.” Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/03/48370 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/02/48359 Gene Pemberton wasn’t born in Temple, but he got here as soon as he could – at age 2. Back in 1942, Pemberton’s father, an engineer for the Santa Fe Railroad, moved the family from Cameron. In the ensuing six decades, the 1958 Temple High School graduate has become a fixture in the community. For 31 years with Temple–based American Desk, he sold stadium seats to such major sports venues as the Georgia Dome. He’s entertained Temple Wildcat football fans with lively radio broadcasts for more than 20 years, officiated high school basketball for 23 years, and he’s the first and only Houston Astros team chaplain. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:00:00 -0500 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/2008/04/02/48359