Gabriela Aguilar
The Front Page
Rain
Well we got a little shower Thursday morning and evening. I don't know how much yet.. the SantaAnnaNews.com Official Weatherman hasn't checked in and my Coleman County Telephone Coop rain gauge is still laying in the dirt with a broken holder.
I did get a new gauge from somewhere the other day but I think the desk ate it. It was one of those nice new Santa Anna National Bank rain gauges. I think it was delivered to me through the City Secretary by the Mayor on order from the President. It made me feel like a big shot!
I used to call him Mr. Cheaney out of respect for my elder. Then I started to call him "Little Six" when he started calling me "Big 12".
It's a long... OK, a short story, so why not? I was working for the Dr.. you know Dr Pepper.. when part of the Southwest Conference merged with the Big Eight Conference in 1996 and Dr Pepper was a major sponsor. We had these baseball caps that said "Big 12" on the front and Dr Pepper on the back and so it goes I became "Big XII".
I have been called worse and I am pretty sure he has too but I guess I will have to show a little more respect now that he is a big shot... hmm... I kind of like that... Big Shot! Or how about El' Presidente?
Seriously hail to the Chief and sometimes Voice of the Mountaineers.. and congratulations to the new Santa Anna National Bank President - Rob Cheaney .
Oh, and thanks for the new rain gauge Mr. President.. my desk liked it.. I think!
Have a good Friday Rob!
ATTORNEY GENERAL ABBOTT’S MEDICAID FRAUD OFFICERS ARREST NURSING HOME BUSINESS OFFICE MANAGER
Gabriela Aguilar charged with stealing trust funds of Waller County nursing home residents
HEMPSTEAD - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit’s investigators arrested the business office manager of the Brookshire Nursing Center in Waller County, following a grand jury indictment handed down on April 11.
Gabriela Ortiz Aguilar, 26, of Houston, was charged with second-degree felonies, one count each for theft and misappropriation of fiduciary property in connection with alleged theft of trust funds from nursing home residents. She was arrested and booked into the Harris County Jail on April 13. Her bond was set at $75,000 and she is awaiting transfer to Waller County.
“As nursing home business officer manager, this individual had a duty to protect the residents of this nursing facility, including their finances,” said Attorney General Abbott. “The allegations that she arranged to have residents’ trust funds transferred to her personal use is an outrage and never will be tolerated in this state.”
Medicaid fraud investigators found evidence that Aguilar misappropriated more than $32,000 from trust fund accounts belonging to residents, then deposited these funds into her personal bank accounts between August 2003 and September 2004.
Relatives of individual residents may elect to have Medicaid funds and deposits from family members held in nursing home “trust fund” accounts for the needs of the residents. Nursing home officials – in this case Aguilar – are entrusted with managing these accounts and making cash distributions based on the requests of the residents or their relatives. The accounts may be audited by the state at any time.
In this case, officials with the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services made a surprise visit to the facility to audit the accounts after several delays prompted by Aguilar. The agency found that Aguilar wrote 33 checks from the combined trust fund pool to her personal accounts. These officials then referred the case to the Attorney General’s Medicaid Control Fraud Unit for criminal investigation.
At the request of the Waller County District Attorney’s Office, Aguilar’s case will be prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Carolyn Denero.
To obtain more information about the Attorney General’s efforts to fight Medicaid fraud, access the agency’s Web site at www.oag.state.tx.us.
Santa Anna HDO Receives Grant
The Santa Anna Historical Development Organization recently received a grant check for $1500 from the Coleman County Foundation
From left to right: Kyra Neff, CCF Representative Carla Finley, CCF Representative Jo Tyson, Tex Wright, Rod Musick (accepting the check), Marie Silvis, and Montie Guthrie.
The CCF grant provides the momentum necessary for making an interpretive sign at the Santa Anna Park and Civic Center documenting the life and work of stonemason and stone carver Thomas T. Perry. A Humanities Texas grant writing seminar was the genesis of the idea to tell the story of this Texas artisan in stone, and the local grant will provide matching funds for the collaborative project.
Perhaps the most cherished item in Santa Anna is the “Santana Stone”, a carved piece of limestone weighing more than two tons. The sculptor, most likely Perry, carved a profile of an Indian warrior with the letters SANTANA below. When the Santa Anna Sand Plant shut down in the late 1960s, the equipment was sold to a company in Arkansas. The buyer wanted the stone for a lawn ornament, so it was loaded onto a railcar and moved to northern Arkansas, thirty miles from the Missouri state line, where it remained until 1996. It was tracked down, and the new owners of the sand plant agreed to allow the stone to be returned to Santa Anna.
When the Texas Department of Transportation began a project to widen and sidewalk a section of FM 1176 in Santa Anna, excavation uncovered several carved limestone pieces in the front yard of one of the homes. A few feet away stood another carved piece about eight feet long. Still another was in the side yard. The residents of the home had all passed away, and it was for sale. It was at this point that citizens began to realize the importance of this artist in stone so individuals began an effort to safeguard the carvings.
With the Coleman County Foundation in the lead, the Perry project will accomplish several goals for Santa Anna. As oil and agriculture decline, historical and heritage tourism become a vehicle for economic prosperity. With facilities such as Frontier Texas! in Abilene providing information about day-trips, this project will promote tourism, bring shoppers to Santa Anna’s retail community and enhance the area economy. Also, other projects are being discussed as spin-offs of this project. One idea is to document the company of the 142nd Infantry of the 36th Division, which was stationed in Santa Anna’s Armory prior to World War II. Projects such as these create roots in a community—providing tangible links to our collective past.
Anyone with pictures or data on Perry or the old High School building, or persons interested in helping in any aspect of these projects, please contact our local historical group at www.santaannatex.org or at 325.348.3535.
SAHS competes at Area Meet Last Thursday in Bangs
The Santa Anna High School Boys and Girls Track Teams both competed well at the 2006 District 15/16 Area Track Meet held in Bangs last week. I was amazed at the crowd that was there supporting the teams from Santa Anna. Before and after each race or when a Santa Anna competitor was announced a roar could be heard that filled the stadium.
The Santa Anna Girls Team finished in 2nd Place out of nine teams with a team total of 83 points while the Boys Team finished in 4th Place out of ten teams with 54 points.The Girls 4x200 Relay team finished in 1st Place with a time of 1:50.64 pulling ahead from last week's 3rd place finish.
Kendra Coleman finished 1st in the 100 Meter Dash with a time of 12.61, 1st in the 200 Meter Dash with a time of 27.01, 3rd in the Long Jump with a jump of 15-2, 3rd in the Triple Jump with a jump of 32-4 1/2.
Kendra leads the way in the 100 Meter
Layken Deleon finished 1st in the 400 Meter Dash with a time of 1:04.05 and Jelisa Kirven finished in 2nd Place in the Long Jump with a jump ahead of Kendra at 15-2 1/4.
Layken makes it a race in the last 20 meters of the 400 Meter
The Santa Anna Boys 4x200 Meter Relay Team finished in 1st Place in the 4x200 Meter with a time of 1:34.94.
Terrance Jackson finished in 3rd Place in the Triple Jump with a jump of 40-8 3/4, and 2nd Place in the 100 Meter Dash with a time of 11.46.
Terrance brings it home for the 4x200 Meter Relay
Patrick Kerr finished in 2nd Place in the 300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles with a time of 42.44 and Demetrius Reese finished in 1st Place in the 200 Meter with a time of 23:55.
Patrick get ready to run the hurdles
See TexasTrack.com for the complete results.
The Regional Meet will be in Abilene on Friday and Saturday of next week.
See the Area Track Meet Photo Album for more photos.
Sometimes
Sometimes you forget... about the things that are important.
Like a breath of air... or a heartbeat.
Sometimes you forget how fortunate you are.
Sometimes you forget how short life can be.
Sometimes you wish that there was something you could do to make things better for someone you love or to make a pain or hurt go away.
But, you come to realize that there is not much that you can do other than have faith in God, and to hope and pray that his will is done.
I ask that you remember young Rebecca Martinez and her family in your prayers and also Jessica, Patrick, and baby Luke.
Easter Gift
The Kerr's and Pelton's shared a gift from God on Easter Sunday. Luke Coglan Kerr was born to Patrick and Jessica (Pelton) Kerr at 12:28 PM Easter Sunday, April 16th at the Abilene Regional Medical Center. Of course the proud grandparents are Bob (Coach) and Lillie Kerr, and James and Cindy Pelton, all of Santa Anna.
He came as a little bit of a surprise as we did not expect him for a few more weeks but he weighed in at a little less than a bag of sugar at 3 pounds and 7 ounces and measuring 17 inches long. Mom and baby are doing well, but Luke will get to spend a few weeks getting spoiled by the nice nurses at the ARMC neonatal nursery before he gets to come home.
Luke and Mom's hand
Ila Drake Passes Away
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Ila Drake. Mrs. Drake was one of mine and Cindy's customers when we were in the service station business. Mrs. Drake was 93 and which would have put her in her 70's when we were in business. It wasn't unusual back then to see her and a couple of friends headed no telling where in her old Blue Chevy. She was always such a nice lady... gone but not forgotten... Ila Drake.
Texas Cooperative Extension to Offer Food Protection Management Training Course
Submitted by Debbie Hailey - Coleman County Extension Agent Family & Consumer Sciences
Eating out has never been more popular. Almost half of the money we spend on food is spent away from home. Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that approximately 1 in 4 Americans will get sick from eating contaminated food at home or at food service establishments. This spring in Coleman County, Texas Cooperative Extension is offering training to reduce those numbers of illnesses.
The Food Manager Certification Training Program, called "Food Safety: It's Our Business" seeks to reduce the risk of food borne illness. By taking the course, food service managers can receive the latest information on personal hygiene, how to use thermometers, how to store food safely, how to prepare and serve food properly and how to keep the food preparation areas clean and sanitized. Participants can fulfill requirements for Food Manager Certification if they pass the certification exam offered at the end of the course.
The training session for this area is April 17 & 18, 2006 at Coleman Housing Authority High Rise Community Room. The cost is $ 79.00. Registration deadline is April 3, 2006. For more information, contact Debbie Hailey, County Extension Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences, at 325-625-4519.
State Nature Tourism Seminar Scheduled in Albany
A $5 BILLION dollar industry in Texas alone, Nature Tourism is growing. Mark your calendar and plan to attend a full-day Nature Tourism Seminar & Tour titled "The Nature of Everything: Integrating Public Desire for Nature with Your Tourism Product." Sponsored by the Texas Travel Industry Association (TTIA), the Texas Nature Tourism Council (TNTC) and Texas A&M Cooperative Extension (TCE), the workshop will be held on April 19, 2006 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Stasney's Cook Ranch in Abilene. Just $35.00! Includes Lunch & Transportation from Abilene!
The workshop focuses on providing attendees useful market information for integrating the public's desire for nature related activities with existing or potential tourism products. Expert presenters from across Texas will provide market data, success stories and helpful planning resources.
Convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce private landowners, business people, marketing organizations and anyone interested in increasing economic development through nature tourism are invited to attend and participate.
The workshop is being held at the same time as the Texas Department of Transportation's annual Travel Counselors Conference. Those attending the nature tourism workshop may also sign up to attend TxDOT's evening dinner after the workshop (additional fee required).
Please contact Jennifer Roush or Rose Koosman at the TTIA office for more details, to register or for answers to any questions, 512-476-4472, http://www.ttia.org/.
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