Friday

I have a lot to do this weekend so I decided to take one of my last vacation days and spend it on the roof of my house.. hopefully to cover up a little bit of my roof if the weather will cooperate. I had hoped to get a few shingles down Thursday but as I was coming in to Santa Anna after work it was starting to rain a little. It didn't rain enough to put any in my gauges but it was just enough to keep me off the roof. Cindy and I decided to go to Noreta's instead.

When we first started on the roof I knew that it was going to be a job. Our house was built in the 20's and I think it has had at least four roofs and is getting it's fifth. It had just got a new roof when we moved in about 1983. In about 1985 it came a pretty good hail storm that got it but not too bad. We decided to do it our selves and with the help of my Dad, Stepmother Marian, and a few friends, Cindy and I put a layer of white three tab asphalt shingles over the old asphalt shingles. There was a layer of wood shingles under the two layers of asphalt shingles. We probably should have took them down to the lathes back then and redecked but the kids were little and we wanted to put up a fence with the extra money we saved by doing it ourselves.

National Guard ahead of schedule for Operation Jump Start

By Sgt. Jim Greenhill

A Texas National Guard Soldier and Border Patrol Senior Agent Chad Wamsley accompany Ricky I, a Belgian Malinois, as the detection dog checks a tractor-trailer truck for drugs or concealed people at the Border Patrol's Interstate-35 checkpoint north of Laredo, Texas. The Soldier, who is not named, for security reasons, volunteered to serve one year on Operation Jump Start, the National Guard's assistance to the Border Patrol securing the U.S. border with Mexico.
Sgt. Jim Greenhill

LAREDO, Texas (Army News Service, July 17, 2006) – The National Guard is exceeding operational goals to place 6,000 troops along the 1,300-mile border in four states from Texas to California by Aug. 1, according to National Guard Bureau Chief Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum.

Some 800 Soldiers were promised to be in place for Operation Jump Start by June 15, but 1,000 arrived by that date. And by month’s end, 300 more Soldiers than the 2,500 promised had reported for duty.

The $770-million operation rose from President Bush’s mid-May request for the Guard to help strengthen the Border Patrol. The mission could continue for up to two years as the Border Patrol – already the nation’s largest law-enforcement agency – beefs up from approximately 11,000 agents to more than 17,000.

Border Patrol agents and nearby residents seem pleased about the Guard’s presence.

“I’m really glad they’re helping us,” said Senior Patrol Agent Antonio Parra, who has trained Soldiers to operate border cameras from a room in the Laredo North Station in the Laredo Sector. “It helps get more agents in the field so we can apprehend more undocumented immigrants.”



One man at an Interstate-35 rest area yelled “Thank you! I’m glad the Guard is here,” when he spotted a Guard member in Army Combat Uniform.

Pfc. Michael Perry of the Texas Guard’s 249th Maintenance Support Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, will work as a welder at the Laredo North Station.

“We’re freeing up agents to go do their job,” he said.

Guard members are building patrol roads and fences; adding lights, cameras and sensors; conducting aerial reconnaissance; providing medical assistance and communications support; maintaining Border Patrol vehicles; drilling desert wells to bring water closer to Border Patrol agents; performing administrative duties; gathering intelligence from border cameras for agents to act upon; and assisting at highway inspection stations.

About 2,500 troops are expected to serve on entry-identification teams.

“They basically observe illegals or people coming across the border day and night with night-vision goggles and GPS (Global Positioning Systems),” Blum said. “They radio that information to the Border Patrol so agents can intercept those people, determine whether it’s criminal or it’s legitimate, and then take the law-enforcement action necessary.”

Guard Soldiers are also reaching out to the communities in which they serve, reassuring residents that the National Guard is not militarizing the border. In Laredo, the Soldiers have volunteered at a blood drive, a charity fundraiser and an Independence Day celebration.

“We’re not putting up to 6,000 armed National Guardsmen on the border as a show of force,” Blum said. “We are in support of a homeland-security operation, or a customs and border-protection operation.”

“It’s a great mission, something that’s important,” said Spc. Benito Garza of the Texas Guard’s 436th Chemical Company. “So far it’s working great. Border Patrol agents and Guard members are working side-by-side with each other.”

Garza and fellow unit member Spc. Fernando Santa Cruz are maintaining Border Patrol vehicles at the Laredo North Station.

“They need a hand,” Santa Cruz said. “We’re helping out a lot.”

Sgt. Hector Rodriguez of Texas’s 111th Aerial Support Group is currently training to operate cameras and monitor sensors and other border-surveillance equipment.

“He’s a good man to work with, and I’m glad he’s here,” said Senior Patrol Agent Ron Graves. “This help is great because we’re shorthanded. We need more agents.”

Many of the more than 3,300 citizen-Soldiers stationed in the border states on July 16 volunteered for the mission, some for as long as a year. And many of them are working in their own states.

“It’s good – Texas taking care of Texas,” said Spc. Erika Hinojosa of the 436th Chemical Company as she directed tractor-trailer trucks through a Border Patrol checkpoint north of Laredo July 14. Hinojosa said she volunteered for one reason: “My country.”

The National Guard and the Border Patrol have worked together at the southwest border for 20 years during such missions as counter-drug operations, Blum said.

Some Border Patrol agents are members of the Guard, and have served in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Some of the Guard Soldiers who have volunteered to serve for a year say they are interested in Border Patrol jobs.

“It’s an opportunity to find out what the Border Patrol does,” said Garza.

(Sgt. Jim Greenhill writes for the National Guard Bureau Public Affairs Office.)

ATTORNEY GENERAL ABBOTT OBTAINS GUILTY PLEAS IN BOWIE COUNTY VOTER FRAUD CASE Texarkana city councilwoman and co-defendant admit to ballot offenses

TEXARKANA - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has accepted guilty pleas from two Bowie County women who admitted they illegally handled mail-in ballots during the November 2004 general election. Texarkana Ward 2 City Councilwoman Willie J. Ray, 69, pleaded guilty Monday to the Class B misdemeanor charge of handling mail-in ballots of another person and agreed to serve eight months probation and pay a $200 fine. Co-defendant Jamillah Johnson, 30, agreed to six months probation and a fine of $200. A third defendant, Melinda Hunter, 35, will undergo a supervised six-month pretrial diversion, the successful completion of which will determine whether a similar charge against her is dropped. All three defendants were indicted by a Bowie County grand jury in February. “These guilty pleas demonstrate precisely why it is so important to uphold the integrity of our election process in this state,” said Attorney General Abbott. “We will visit justice upon any who ignore the fact that we have election laws in Texas and they apply to everyone.” The three women illegally assisted elderly and other voters in their applications for mail-in ballots. When the ballots were delivered by mail, the women collected the completed ballots, then mailed them for the residents. The offense is a violation of Chapter 86 of the Texas Election Code. Today’s development results in six guilty pleas, one conviction and nearly a dozen indictments entered since the Attorney General began investigating referrals alleging voter fraud from the Secretary of State in mid-2005. On June 28 Trinidad Villalobos, 60, of Pecos in Reeves County was found guilty by a jury of illegally possessing and handling election ballots of several voters during the March 2004 primary election. She was sentenced to six months probation on each count. Also in June, the Attorney General obtained his administration’s first felony indictment for voter fraud. In this case, the Attorney General alleged Maria Dora Flores, 65, of Nueces County, illegally marked ballots for other voters without their consent during early voting for the March 2006 Democratic primary. The offense is a third-degree felony that could result in from two to 10 years in state prison and a $10,000 fine. In a separate case, four other Nueces County women were indicted in December for mail-in ballot violations during the May 2005 Robstown Independent School District election. Two of those defendants have pleaded guilty and one was sentenced in May to one year probation and a $500 fine.

HARTMAN GET-TOGETHER IN SANTA ANNA

THE DECENDENTS OF I. E. AND REBA HARTMAN HELD THEIR ANNUAL REUNION ON SATURDAY, JULY 15TH AT THE SANTA ANNA COMMUNITY CENTER. NUMBERS WERE DOWN SLIGHTLY DUE TO ILLNESS, BUT 36 WERE IN ATTENDANCE.

REGISTRATION BEGAN AT 9:00 WITH VISITING AND GAMES TAKING UP MOST OF THE MORNING. AFTER A BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH, THERE WAS A SHORT BUSINESS MEETING. IT WAS DECIDED TO MEET AT THE SAME LOCATION NEXT YEAR AND ALSO TO DONATE $200.00 TO THE SANTA ANNA CEMETERY ASSOC. A WHITE ELEPHANT AUCTION WAS HELD WITH THE PROCEEDS GOING TOWARD REUNION EXPENSES. AUCTIONEER RANDY BLANSCETT, WITH RUSTY BLANSCETT ASSISTING, KEPT THE BIDDING LIVELY. THE GREAT, GREAT, GRANDKIDS REALLY GAVE THE AUCTION AN ADDITIONAL SPARK. WHAT FUN!!!

GRANDPA'S CATERING (AKA STANLEY HARTMAN, TERRY AND JORDAN MACH) PREPARED THE MEAT FOR THE EVENING MEAL WHICH CONSISTED OF GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN, SAUSAGE, AND CHICKEN TENDERS WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS. PEACH, CHERRY AND APPLE COBBLER WITH HOMEMADE ICE CREAM TOPPED OFF THE EVENING MEAL.

GUESSING HOW MANY M&Ms ARE IN A JAR HAS BECOME AN ANNUAL EVENT AT THE REUNION. WITH TWO JARS, CHILDRENS' AND ADULTS', FILLED WITH M&Ms, EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE TO GUESS THE NUMBER IN THE JARS 85WITH THE WINNERS TAKING HOME THE JARS OF M&Ms.

M&Ms WINNERS:
CHILD- HAYDEN HARTMAN
ADULT- MATT BOYLE


PRIZES WERE ALSO AWARDED AS FOLLOWS:

OLDEST IN ATTENDANCE- RUBY HARTMAN, SANTA ANNA
YOUNGEST IN ATTENDANCE- HAYDEN HARTMAN, BANGS
TRAVELED THE FARTHEREST- THE MACH FAMILY, MIDLOTHIAN

THOSE IN ATTENDANCE WERE:
MIDLAND- WINNIE , DONNA, RANDY, AND RUSTY BLANSCETT
TAUNIA SPAIN

SNYDER- MIKE, DONNA, TRAVIS AND BRENNA HARTMAN

BURKETT- DARYL AND CINDY BOYLE

LEWISVILLE- MATT, JONNA, TAYLOR, CAYDEN, BAYLLE, AND MATTIE
BOYLE

BANGS- JAMES, TANYA, MAEGAN, KATIE AND HAYDEN HARTMAN
SANDRA WALKER
SHANNON BOYLE

BROWNWOOD- EDDIE AND MARY ANN HARTMAN

MIDLOTHIAN- TERRY, ROBIN, BRITTANY, AND JORDAN MACH


SANTA ANNA- EDD AND RUBY HARTMAN
STANLEY AND JUDY HARTMAN
STEPHANIE AND HANNAH HARTMAN



A SPECIAL VISITOR WAS OVELLA WILLIAMS, A FORMER CLASSMATE OF WINNIE''S AND EDD'S. OVELLA LIVES IN SANTA ANNA.

NASA WELCOMES SPACE SHUTTLE CREW BACK TO EARTH

RELEASE: 06-280
The Space Shuttle Discovery and its crew are home after a 13-day, five million-mile journey in space. The mission, STS-121, succeeded in testing shuttle safety improvements, repairing a rail car on the International Space Station and producing never-before-seen, high-resolution images of the shuttle during and after its July 4th launch.

Discovery's Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Mark Kelly and mission specialists Mike Fossum, Piers Sellers, Lisa Nowak and Stephanie Wilson landed Monday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., at 9:14 a.m. EDT.

Following landing, Lindsey and his crew did the traditional walk around, post-landing inspection of the shuttle. "I have been on four flights, and this is the cleanest vehicle I've ever seen," said Lindsey. "We had two major objectives and we accomplished both of those, and we're ready to assemble the space station."

NASA's Space Shuttle Program managers also were pleased with Discovery's performance. The flight verified the safety of the biggest aerodynamic change to the external fuel tank in shuttle history. The protuberance air load ramps were removed after a piece of foam came off this area during Discovery's flight last year.

STS-121 is the most photographed shuttle mission ever, with more than 100 high definition, digital, video and film cameras documenting the launch and climb to orbit. Data from these images helped assess whether the orbiter sustained any damage and whether that damage posed any risk to Discovery's return to Earth.

The STS-121 mission also bolstered the International Space Station. Fossum and Sellers, with the help of crewmates, completed three spacewalks. The third spacewalk was confirmed after mission managers determined there was enough electrical power to add another day to the flight.

The astronauts tested the shuttle's 50-foot robotic arm boom extension as a work platform. They removed and replaced a cable that provides power, command and data and video connections to the station's mobile transporter rail car. The transporter is used to move a platform containing the station's robotic arm along the truss of the complex. During the third spacewalk, the astronauts tested techniques for inspecting and repairing the reinforced carbon-carbon segments that protect the shuttle's nose cone and leading edge of the wings.

Discovery delivered more than 28,000 pounds of equipment and supplies to the station, as well as a third crew member. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter joined Russian Pavel Vinogradov and American Jeff Williams. This marks the first time since May 2003 that the station crew has three members.

President George W. Bush called the astronauts to congratulate them on a successful mission and to thank them for their work to further America's Vision for Space Exploration. The vision calls for NASA to return humans to the moon, and then venture to Mars and beyond.

Texas Governor Rick Perry also made a call during the mission to fellow Texas A&M University graduate Fossum.

With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the resumption of International Space Station assembly. Preparations continue for Space Shuttle Atlantis' launch targeted for late August/early September for the STS-115 mission to deliver additional truss segments to the station. Atlantis is expected to be moved to the launch pad early next month, and NASA managers plan to meet shortly thereafter to clear the shuttle for its first mission since October 2002.

For more on the STS-121 mission and the upcoming STS-115 mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

All Stars Game

Cindy, Jessica, Luke and I joined several others from Santa Anna including Coach Bob Kerr and his wife Lillie, and son Nate, Coach Lloyd Fields and his wife Judy all to watch Patrick Kerr play in the Texas Six-Man Coaches Association All-Star game Saturday night at Lowery Field in Lubbock. It was a great venue and a cool West Texas evening for the game.

Coleman County Educators Award Scholarships

Coleman County Association of Texas Professional Educators has awarded three $200 scholarships to graduates from Coleman, Panther Creek and Santa Anna High Schools.

The recipients are as follows:
Elizabeth Lindsay of Coleman High School and attending Texas A&M University
Whitney Gober of Panther Creek High School and attending University of Central Arkansas
Kevin Sanderson of Santa Anna High School and attending Ranger Junior College

The local ATPE unit is pleased to be able to help these fine young people further their education.

Submitted by Sarah Beal, Coleman County ATPE President

Home Pest Management Program

Candace Beal, Extension intern, will be presenting a program on Home Pest Management on Wednesday July 19th, beginning at 1:00 at the Coleman Housing Authority Community Room. All interested persons are welcome to attend. For more information call the office at (325) 625-4519.

Santa Anna Elementary Student Receives Treatment for Encephilitis

Ethan Mendoza, age 8 and a student at Santa Anna Elementary is currently hospitalized at Cooks Children's Medical Center in Ft. Worth due to a diagnosis of Encephilitis. He has been there since early June and will likely remain there for several weeks due to physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Ethan is the son of Sandi Watson of Santa Anna. Send any well wishes to Ethan Mendoza, Room 2816, Cooks Children's Medical Center, 801 7th Avenue, Ft. Worth, Texas 76104. If he changes rooms, his mail will follow him.

Please remember Ethan and his family during his recovery.

2006 Homecoming

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