Columns

FROM THE BLEACHERS – Athletic per-pupil expenditures

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Finances keep getting scarcer for school budgets. With this mind, spending on per pupil athletes far outpaces spending per pupil in core subjects. A research of some large Colorado high schools indicated athletic budgets occupied almost 10 percent of each school’s overall budget. Per pupil spending in athletics was nearly double over non-athletic students.
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THE PAIN AND THE HEALING OF THE WOUNDED

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Yep, it’s been a really tough few years for everyone. In just about every possible conceivable way. Financially, physically, and emotionally, and it hasn’t really mattered how old or young you are – life has stunk in a lot of ways. And this horrible onslaught of stress and grief is definitely taking its toll. People are struggling to make sense of their lives and to carry on with some sense of normalcy.
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LINES MATTER…

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The other day, as Freida and I headed to Dallas to celebrate our grandson completing his first trip around the Sun, a thought struck me. And that thought had to do with the center stripe painted on the highway — a line directing my path, signaling me not to stray across it without taking precautions. Then other lines holding sway over our daily lives came to mind. Lines like the one we sign our name on to pay a bill, or take title to a home, or apply for a fishing license. And there’s the line Johnny Cash sang about in “I Walk the Line.” Staying true to that course through five decades of wedded life has been my joy. And then there are lines such as Col. William Travis drew in the Alamo’s dust after Santa Ana demanded surrender or death. Roughly 200 brave Texans stepped over that line, thus entering history as slain heroes. That’s when lines on a map, boundary lines to be precise, gripped me.
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NATURAL BEAUTY …

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Some weeks ago, I peeked out our kitchen window at the patch of ground where we daily spread birdseed and deer corn, just to see what might be out there. And lo and behold, what met my eyes came as a shock. You see, a mere five yards away strode a fullgrown male peacock, pecking away at the seeds, his long tailfeathers flowing behind him like a royal train. (By the way, I know that peacock infers a male of the species, but peafowl sounds dumb to me.) Without giving it proper thought, I tapped on the window, which as you might imagine startled the bird.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Dear Editor,

I want to express my appreciation to Brent Stewart who is an employee of the City of Canton for promptly replacing the flags at the Van Zandt County Sara Norman Library located in Canton. I emailed him about the need for replacement flags, but was told by the city that he would be very busy with First Monday events, but he immediately returned my email. I drove by the library Monday morning and there were the beautiful new flags.

Thank you, Mr. Stewart and the City of Canton, for so promptly handling this issue.

Donna Toups

Letter to the Editor Policy

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•Names will not be withheld.

•Letters will be edited for grammar, space and legal concerns.

•500 word limit.

•Acceptance does not guarantee publication.

•Deadline for inclusion in the current week’s issue is 4 p.m. Monday.

•Unsigned letters will not run.

•All letters must have name, telephone number and address of the writer for verification purposes.

•The opinions expressed are those of the letter writer and not necessarily those of the newspaper, its staff or management.