More than doubling last year’s effort, a record 5,272 pounds of food was collected to fill the pantry at Wise Area Relief Mission (WARM).

Once again, thank you for helping families affected by the rough economy – and just in time to help families losing school lunches for the summer!

Sincerely,

Stan M. Bedwell
National Association of Letter Carriers and
J. Glenn Webb
Postmaster, Decatur

I have four beautiful granddaughters and one grandson, thanks to my daughter and son-in-law. The son-in law is an avid hunter (the kind that puts meat on the table), and he started almost at birth teaching his children about gun safety.

At the appropriate time they received a BB gun, later a pellet gun, .22 rifle, 410 shotgun, then a deer rifle. The year they became old enough to hunt in the state of Texas, they went on their first hunt and the four oldest have bagged at least one deer each. Their guns know who the boss is and have never harmed a person.

My son blessed us with two fantastic grandsons, but then he and his wife hit a snag and the grandsons are raised by their mother, except for two weekends a month. I hope they are never around firearms.

Accidents are common around the uninformed. There have been two children under the age of 5 shot in the head this week – a 2-year-old shot himself, and a 5-year-old was shot by an 8-year-old friend who was playing with a real gun – and you blame the gun?

If they stopped manufacturing guns today, guns in the wrong hands would still be around for thousands of years. You really have to feel sorry for the anti-gun people, the liberals and the dreamers who envision a perfect, fairytale world.

Fairytales are the product of Hollywood and television. We need to try and fix the real problem – the human problem. Some people are mentally unstable and some just have violent personalities. But when liberals have the inability to see the real problem, they go off in the wrong direction, point fingers, blame something else, make a lot of noise and waste tax dollars.

The only gun law that would work is a background check that looks at criminal history, mental health, drug use and alcohol abuse.

Adrian Boyd
Paradise

We believe Pastor Roger flew over the truck cab somehow, and Marla flew about 50 feet onto the road. It is a miracle that both have survived without major head injuries. Marla had a few bruises caused by her glasses (which did not break), and she had seven stitches in her head. Roger had no damage to his head or face at all, which is hard to believe as his left side (where he must have landed) is almost crushed from shoulder to pelvis.

Lots of miracles, as neither had internal injuries. Both of them have wonderful attitudes and are grateful to several people who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

One of these was a man Pastor Roger saw as he lay on the road, in the path facing oncoming traffic. This man stopped the traffic before it hit Pastor Roger. He would like to find this man to thank him. There were other people who comforted both Marla and Pastor Roger during this ordeal.

If this letter reaches out to these good Samaritans, I know Pastor Roger and Marla would love to tell them thank you in person. He is at Integrity Acute Care Hospital in Denton, on Mayhill Road. His prognosis, like Marla’s, is good.

I would also encourage the young woman who was driving the truck to go see him. I would imagine she has suffered, too. I have found that when I go to bless both Pastor Roger and Marla, I receive a blessing, too.

Catherine Simpson
Denton
Friend and member of First Baptist Justin

In 2012, my oldest stepdaughter moved in with her dad and myself. She was pregnant with her second child. Over the next nine months, we had the opportunity to become very close to our oldest granddaughter who had just turned 3 years old.

Our granddaughter is a bright, happy, cheerful little girl who loves to talk non-stop and loves to learn all she can. I chose to stay home to help care for her while her mom worked.

Our daughter’s boyfriend visited once during this time, for two weeks.

When he was at our home, my husband and I both noticed that if we went out and our granddaughter had to stay home with her “dad” that we would come home and he would be sitting in a chair with her on his lap watching a Disney movie. It did enter my mind as to what 28-year-old man would want to sit for two hours watching a kids’ movie. It disturbed me even more that she was not allowed to get off of his lap until he said so, not even to greet us when we arrived.

After the second child was born, the boyfriend moved in with us. Both of them had jobs and between all of us, we took care of the baby and the 3-year-old.

After less than eight weeks, the oldest granddaughter began getting aggressive. I thought it was just because of the new baby sister. However, she was afraid of her new “dad” and would tell me she was afraid of him. I mentioned this several times to our daughter who totally blew us off. He “loved” her daughter and was so good to her. I began to notice that he would tell her “to be good” while he was gone to work and he would take her to Chuck E Cheese, but somehow it sounded more like a threat than a loving “be good while we are working.”

My husband and I decided to put up a “nanny cam” while we were away. When we returned, we decided I would view it first, for privacy reasons, and show him if anything was wrong. Three days on camera went by and everything was normal. I was so relieved. Then on the last night, I watched as this large man held my granddaughter’s head to the couch by her hair. When she would not leave him alone (he was watching TV), he grabbed her by the neck and thrashed her against the couch four times as her head slammed against the couch and literally bounced off.

I burst out crying. There was more “rough-housing” and “playing rough” as he called it, and later CPS called it the same. He continued for an hour to push her down, pull her hair, throw her against the couch, and push her head back – hard. At one point he held her head to his crotch by her hair and would not let her get up. When she did, he slapped her cheeks back and forth and would not let her get away.

Did she cry? No, like any rough-and-tumble 3-year-old she began swinging her arms, trying to hit him back. If he pinched her, she tried to do it back. She is 3 years old. He is 28.

We took this video straight to the Sheriff’s Department. They took it very seriously. It was investigated and turned over to CPS. We were told that the district attorney would not be pressing any charges because there was not enough to charge the boyfriend. CPS ordered parenting classes and closed the case. It was all viewed as “rough play.”

So where are our granddaughters today? They are living in a very small travel trailer with their mother and this man in another town. In the name of love, our daughter knows he will not do this again. Perhaps she can fix him.

This past February, we had the chance to have our granddaughter for two weeks. She was hiding because she did not want to fix her hair before we left the house. I was trying to distract her so I started singing a child’s song, and I clapped my hands loudly to get her attention. She jumped and burst into tears. She said not to do that because it scared her. I asked her why, and she said because “he” (name withheld) slapped her and it makes that noise.

I asked her if she told her mom that he slapped her and she said “No, mom was there.” Upset, I asked her “what did your mom do?” Her answer: “She slapped him back.”

Now, while I applaud her for slapping him back, it’s not what he needs. I know it will only lead to more violence.

So yes, we have a problem. When does Child Protective Services decide what a child should and shouldn’t endure? I leave you with a quote from Silvers: “When children are abused, it changes who they are. It affects the quality of life they have and the type of adults they become.”

I pray every day that this bright, happy little girl will grow up strong and remain as loving as she is today and that her mom will not let anything bad happen to her. But from the outside looking in, she already has.

Barbara Boehm
Chico

Regarding the Decatur ISD board of trustees approving $500,000 for iPads: The board did not approve a purchase of any technology during its March 2013 meeting. It did approve a district technology plan that outlines the coming year’s technology priorities. The plan was approved by unanimous consent without discussion.

Regarding complaints of the lack of infrastructure and bandwidth in the district: Over the past few years we have made significant improvement in our infrastructure while adjusting to a dramatic increase in technology for students across the district. The infrastructure requires further upgrades and improvements but those cannot happen until the central administration staff relocates to the 1939 former high school building that is currently being renovated.

Regarding construction of a new administration building: The district is not building a new administration building. It is renovating and preserving an existing building that many in Decatur hold dear to their hearts. Once the renovation is complete it will allow for technology infrastructure upgrades.

Regarding no major growth to the area in the next 20 years: I will not speak to enrollment growth, however I will speak about changing technology. The rapid advances in technology over the past five years have resulted in a great need for a very stable and powerful technology infrastructure. The district infrastructure needs a stable and permanent location which is planned for the current administration building.

As a Decatur ISD taxpayer, parent and employee, I have a keen interest in making this district the best it can be for all students. I strive to do my job as a good steward of the resources my fellow taxpayers provide. I strive to help teachers and staff be more successful at their jobs so they can strive to continue to have a positive impact on not only your children, but my children as well.

Please recognize there are many complex and technical factors that are hard to address in a short letter to the editor that contribute to technology decisions made by any school district. If you have any questions regarding technology in Decatur ISD, please feel free to call me at 940-393-7150.

Troy Bagwell
Director of Technology,
Decatur ISD

I can’t help but wonder if he were a white kid from a mid- to upper-class family, would he have been arrested at all? And by the way, what race was the kid that was with him – the one they let go home? Why was that kid not arrested? Why did police just go to that kid’s house and have a talk with him and let him off?

What exactly leads to the arrest of one kid, and a stern “talking to” another? Surely it’s not race or who your parents are, is it?

If I sound angry, damn right I am. No, the kid arrested is not my son, but he could have been.

Although my husband and I grew up and graduated in this town, my husband would rather we not live here. Why? Because he’s Mexican. He knows on a personal basis what it’s like to be harassed by local police. Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Back in the late 1980s we had some awesome Mexican football stars playing at Bridgeport. And even then, they were were only valuable to the school and community while they were on the football field. Not a single one of them was guided by a caring mentor toward college and success.

Fortunately, my husband was not one of those kids. Through his father’s good example, a stint in the Army, and the right education, he has achieved personal success. (But, ironically, he was intensely harassed [again] for a while by Bridgeport PD when we first moved back to Bridgeport in 2003 to be closer to family…)

It takes a community to raise a child, and in Bridgeport we have failed again.

I was born in Bridgeport. My twin sister and I were delivered in the “old” Bridgeport hospital by Dr. Bryant. Most days I’m proud to say this. But not today.

To the boy whose handsome face and name were so shamefully printed by this local paper, I’m sorry we failed you. I hope you will fight the charges against you! Hire a good lawyer and have every kid who was not arrested subpoenaed to testify to the events that occurred the night of your arrest.

It’s time for our community to truly respect and encourage, appreciate and promote the equality of each of our young people! Regardless of their skin color, their last name or which side of the tracks they live on, they each deserve a future filled with success. And as the adults they are looking to for guidance, we should all be stepping up and helping them get there – not using them for our Friday night entertainment, then discarding them carelessly to the wayside when football season is over!

Tammy Richardson-Pinon

The board just approved (March meeting) $500,000 dollars in iPads for pre-K through fifth grade, and we haven’t even moved into a new technology center that will hopefully support all of the devices. Currently, teachers consistently complain of a lack of infrastructure and bandwidth for what we already have.

There is only one GT teacher for the entire district. We have no art classes in the elementary school, and for all the technology we are purchasing, the students don’t spend enough time in technology classes learning HOW to use it. Elementary teachers should be using time in class teaching subject matter, not how to use technology devices. That should be taught in technology classes. Again, we have one technology teacher that serves three elementary schools and aides that teach the classes.

For every child our district loses to private school, home school or another district, we lose $6,500 dollars per year. With our district being property-rich, we will not be getting any money from the state. We will get around $95,000 next year and half of that the next. After that, we could get even less. That’s very little in the grand scheme of things.

So, it’s like looking at your checkbook right now and saying for the next five years or so, we aren’t going to make any more money and we will have to live on what’s left in the bank. That should make our district and superintendent a little more frugal.

Couldn’t this money be better spent on our students and what they need?

Dr. Sara L. Hurst
DISD Parent

My mom, Shirley Wasson; my niece, Delise White, who is a Wise County jailer, and I attended the Taylor County Law Enforcement Memorial Service on May 1. There have been several years we’ve attended that we have had some connection to the state roll call. Of course the Abilene officers, Jeff McCoy and Rodney Holder, are always close to our hearts, as Daddy was formerly Abilene PD. Then there was Wes Hardy, a Plano motor officer who grew up in Wise County; Decatur’s James “Pancho” Bennett; Bridgeport Police Officer Randy White; and most recently our family friend, David Slayton, a trooper from Montague County. Thank God that we didn’t see the name of Montague County Deputy James Boyd on that list.

I was honored to once again answer roll call for my grandfather, Deputy Jessie Bryan “Jake” Wasson Sr., and I count it a privilege to be a part of the law enforcement family.

Donna Bean
Alvord

Phone calls began to pour in from all over. Some of the callers wanted to donate money, even to pay the entire balance, while others demanded justice from the funeral home.

Just to clarify one comment from my previous letter, I serve a 150-mile radius around Decatur, to include portions of five counties. The funeral home I referred to was within this radius but not necessarily one close by.

Within 24 hours of word getting out the local VFW Post 10374 raised the balance necessary to “break him out!” It took a few conversations with the funeral home and a few phone calls, but our forgotten Marine is no longer forgotten.

I cannot describe the feeling when I walked outside into the sunshine with him. I felt like I had just rescued a prisoner of war! I wondered if he felt as free as I hoped he did. He is on his way home to his final resting place.

His interment amongst thousands of other heroes is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. May 10 at the DFW National Cemetery. We will all meet in Lane ‘C’ and escort him to his final home. He will be buried with full military honors.

Although no family members will be present, I hope to see some of his Wise County family and fellow veterans there to give him the proper burial that is 23 months overdue.

Bobby Harris
Boyd

I would hope Mr. Jones has the courage to take the next step and resign before his impending prosecution. If he is proven innocent, I will be the first to call for his reinstatement or support his reelection.

Mr. Jones’ top concern in 2011, when campaigning for the NISD board of trustees, was “Make sure the focus of NISD stays on the kids, our children, and that we do not lose sight on our primary objective: the education of every child, every day.”

As an elected leader, he should be aware that his present situation diverts precious time, energy and resources from accomplishing his own stated priority within the district. Your predicament is not about you, Mr. Jones; it’s about our kids. Make the honorable choice and resign.

Jeff Kennedy
Fort Worth

They have dug terraces and white tanker trucks come out and dump this white smelly drilling mud onto the ground. It has a chemical smell and from what I understand, it can have benzene and arsenic in this mud.

This property is sloped toward mine and the others in the neighborhood and a creek bed runs behind all of our properties, which people’s livestock drink out of. We also have a community water well in the neighborhood, and I am afraid of the water table being polluted.

I called the Railroad Commission, and they did issue a permit for this to be done – but they couldn’t tell me what the law is on how close to a neighborhood they could dump this. They didn’t know the rules on it.

I asked them who is testing to see what is in this stuff, and they say the drilling company the stuff is coming from, and they submit it to the Railroad Commission. No one from the government is testing the stuff from these tankers so it is like the fox watching the chicken coop.

I asked for a copy of their reports that they have been submitting and asked the Railroad Commission guy to take a sample of what they were dumping and told him I want a copy of this report. I have informed them I will be taking my own samples and having it tested – and if arsenic and benzene are in this, I will be informing the Environmental Protection Agency next.

These farmers in the Wise County area seem to like the money they are getting from this dumping, and it makes their fields greener. But do they realize they are poisoining themselves and the livestock they sell to the rest of their neighbors?

Someone needs to look into this and bring this out to the open as to what is going on here. Wise County should not let this go on.

K. Peters
Rhome

The party in Dallas was for a 2-year-old little boy … surrounded by doting parents, family and friends. Bounce houses, happy-go-lucky kids running and playing in the park, complete with sunshine and blue skies.

The commemoration in Decatur was for my 80-year-old Aunt Virginia … she too was surrounded by family and friends. A bit more calm, there were tables covered in linen, live music provided by Josh McDaniel of Chico and adults hugging and visiting … complete with sunshine and blue skies.

Both were celebrations of life. And here was my birthday wish for both. I wished for Joseph to enjoy his 80th birthday surrounded by family and friends. And I wished for my Aunt Virginia to stay young at heart (carefree as Joseph) all the days of her life.

Actually, I wish that for us all!

Irene Wilson
Slidell

There is a reason these immigrants weren’t able to obtain a driver’s license or do things other citizens do. They or their parents knowingly broke our nation’s laws to come to this country and did not go through the proper channels to become citizens.

United States citizens should have special rights. It’s not that our country is cruel or discriminating against people by not letting them have the same rights as citizens. It is simply that our nation’s laws were created for a reason. Laws are meant to be followed, not willingly ignored for a certain circumstance. And we should never reward anyone for knowingly breaking the law, no matter what the reason is.

I understand that these immigrants desired a better life. I get that. In fact, I have lived that. I was born in Spain. My parents, myself and my three siblings came to the United States in 1997, when I was 12. However, my parents did it legally.

They didn’t break or ignore the law to arrive here. They didn’t cheat the system or try and jump ahead of all those immigrants who attempted to obtain citizenship legally. Instead, my parents spent every last dime they had to get our legal status. Furthermore, we waited and waited and waited some more until our documentation was legal. It was difficult and expensive, but my parents followed the laws and did it the right way.

So, I have a different perspective on illegal immigration. I don’t believe that someone who comes to this country illegally and stays in the United States illegally should ever be unhappy or complain about their circumstances. There is always a consequence for breaking the law.

Though we may sympathize with why the immigrant wanted to come to the United States, I don’t think sympathizing with committing a crime is setting a good example.

When the media makes the illegal immigrant out to be the victim, you are frustrating and discouraging all those immigrants who are submitting their paperwork and waiting patiently to receive legal status.

Keep in mind, most of the immigrants who have applied for legal status and are currently waiting are also from impoverished and dangerous countries. Yet they wait for our government to grant them legal status instead of deciding they don’t want to wait in line, complete their paperwork and pay the fees.

Most of them are living in harsh situations, in war-torn impoverished countries. But they continue to wait because they have respect for the law and our nation. Many tend to forget that point.

Sincerely,
Lydia Moreno
Denton

I was not mindful of its effect until I reached the window where the server explained that the driver of the car that had just pulled away had paid for my latte.

In embarrassment, I realized that my benefactor, a woman in a blue car, had surmised from the “beep” that I was not in a very good mood and was wanting to brighten my day with a complimentary cup of joe!

What a wonderful gesture, and yes, it did brighten my day.

Thanks for your kindness.

Carla M. Hardin
Decatur

Without publishers and without brave, dedicated reporters and writers, lynchings would have never been described on the front pages of papers across the U.S., “McCarthy Era” wouldn’t be part of the lexicon, hunger in Appalachia would still be a rumor, the Civil Rights movement would never have gotten off the ground, Watergate would just be a hotel somewhere, and it’s doubtful we would have ever learned that in Saddam’s Iraq people had to get a license to own a typewriter.

The type of people who win Pulitzer prizes are the screaming-demon nightmares of dicators and wrongdoers, and we should thank them daily for making the world safer and better.

My appreciation and addiction to good newspapers began when I got a route to throw the Abilene Reporter-News in my high school days, in the early 1960s. It was my foolish teenage habit to stay out late on Saturday nights, drive down to the paper plant at the edge of downtown Abilene and sit on the loading dock, waiting for my route to be bundled as it came off the presses. (Yes, the pressmen really did wear those funny hats made out of folded-up newsprint).

With the presses humming and clunking in the background, the wire-photo machine a few feet away making strange sparking sounds and metallic smells, I’d pick up a copy of the previous day’s afternoon edition and read just about every word: news, sports, stock market, ads, want ads, obits – you name it, my 14-year-old brain absorbed it. To this day, over a half-century later, when I smell a newspaper I get a flash of 2 a.m. at the back of the Abilene Reporter-News.

Later, not smart enough to be a newspaperman, I found myself as a young street reporter and sometimes anchor at a news radio station owned by the parent company of the Dallas Morning News. At one time I gained the incredible privilege of visiting the News’ “morgue” every day, spinning through microfilm of old newspapers for a “This Day in History” series I did on radio. The presses were bolted to the floor of the basement in the old News building on Young Street in downtown Dallas, and while sitting at the table where microfilm readers were sitting, on the third floor, I could feel those mighty machines shaking the whole building. It was a laugh-out-loud kind of thrill. Sometimes I’d leave the Morning News building by way of the newsroom and the joy of actually seeing The Truth being typed out in front of my eyes was thrilling beyond any words I can come up with.

And so, you can see I am a connoisseur of newspapers, and I claim to know a good one when I read it. I’ve traveled in every one of the U.S. 48 contiguous states, and I’ve read a newspaper or two in almost every one of those states, and I can tell you I have never encountered one better than the Wise County Messenger.

Count your very lucky stars, readers. You have a national treasure right here at your doorsteps in Wise County. Good reportage, great photography, outstanding sense of community service and some pretty darn good writing. It’s all found right here in Wise County. Read it, tell your friends to read it, read it to your kids and grandkids.

Just remember this: the first order of business for dictators, scoundrels, professional liars and persons in high power with low character is to shoot the Messenger!

Ken Bateman
Rhome

While this year we got a late start waiting for a contractor that never showed up, we were able to make several of the chicken coops. I enjoyed meeting all the owners who have a particular love of their chickens and was impressed with the accommodations that some of our feathered friends are afforded.

Even though it was a shortened tour for us, we again enjoyed it. I encourage all looking for something a little different on a lazy, spring Saturday afternoon to take the tour and just meet the wonderful folks and their feathered friends.

I hope that next year we will be able to add our names to the list of coops to be toured – and will be looking forward to meeting many of our Wise County fellows.

C.W. Randolph
Decatur

The smiling brown eyes of an 8-year-old boy and the promising future of two young women cut short because of hate and violence. Others maimed, their lives forever changed. But goodness cannot be stopped. After the explosion during the Boston Marathon, many people ran toward the danger zone to help the injured, unsure if there would be more bombs. The City of Boston stood united around those who were in need.

And Wednesday night in the small town of West we saw acts of bravery after the devastating explosion of the fertilizer plant. Firefighters, policemen, doctors, nurses and citizens on the street moved in harm’s way to serve those hurting and injured. And now the state of Texas comes together to take supplies, give blood, donate money.

The United States of America doesn’t always agree. … We don’t have to … that’s what makes us America. But you can take this to the bank: We rally when called upon.

The best way to show it? Love God by serving others. Carry on, America!

Irene Wilson
Slidell

Personally, they have helped my family by donating cases of water to a poker run we had for my husband’s uncle when he had a stroke and was hospitalized for months. Now, when the city of West has had the fertilizer plant disaster, they have gone out of their way to help me gather things to donate to the victims.

Next time you are in the grocery store make sure you thank them.

Crystal Holt
Runaway Bay

Within minutes a Decatur fire truck arrived, followed minutes later by a Wise County EMS ambulance. The firefighters and ambulance attendants could not have been more gracious and helpful as they took me to Wise Regional Health System for a needed visit to the emergency room.

How lucky we are to have such dedicated young men and women who serve and protect all of us in time of need.

Gwen Combs
Decatur

The amount of community support that our agency receives is key to our mission – to end family violence and sexual assault in Wise County through safety, support, prevention and social change.

We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you.

Pat Slayton
Executive Director