The Front Page
SantaAnnaNews.com goes over 50,000 Hits
I am not real sure how accurate the counter is but a little over a month before its' second birthday on August 12th SantaAnnaNews.com went over 50,000 hits this past Thursday! It still amazes me those that read the page. I will do my best to keep it up and to reflect a positive image on Santa Anna.
Thanks for coming by and come back soon!
Morris D. Mann, M.D. Laid to Rest
Morris D. Mann, M.D. of Coleman passed away on Tuesday July the 4th. Dr. Mann was a longtime doctor in Coleman, 44 years, and also of mine for many years. I came to know Dr. Mann in a couple of ways over the years, as a doctor, as a customer when I worked at the Shoppin' Baskit, and as a Scouter when I was Scoutmaster in Coleman. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Coleman which sponsors Troop 221 and was on the Troop Committee that oversees the adult leadership and business of the troop.
I especially enjoyed visiting with him about old times in Scouts. He was a good man.
Laid to rest on Thursday July the 6th, Dr. Morris D. Mann, gone but not forgotten.
County EEA Gathers for Meeting & Cultural Arts Contest July 14th
The Coleman County EE Association will have their County Cultural Arts Contest, which will take place on Friday, July 14th at the Coleman County State Bank Club Room. Members should bring their entries from 9:00 to 10:00 am, with judging to begin at 10:30 am. All members who have items to enter are urged to bring them for the contest.
EEA members in District 7 are eligible to enter the Cultural Arts Contest, which consists of hand crafted items in numerous categories, as well as photography. Winners of the District Contest will be entered in the State Contest at the Texas Extension Education Association Conference in Lubbock in September. Members of the Extension Education Association have been busy lately getting ready for the EE District Camp, to be held at the 4-H Center on Lake Brownwood, August 8th and 9th. The Coleman County Extension Education Association is Co-Host of the event, along with Host McCullouch County.
As Co-Hosts they will be in charge of decorations and craft programs, among other things. Next year they will host this event. This will also be the final work day for the EE Camp preparations, as well as an early planning meeting for the Holiday Fair, which will be take place in November.
Members should bring any items which can be used for table decorations, including, but not limited to; speckled pitchers or cups, votives and candles, small quilts, other antique-style items. Please label all items with your name. All Extension Education Association members are invited to attend the 4-H County Fashion Show, to be held this Friday, July 7, at the Bill Franklin Center. Judging will begin at 6:00 PM, and Awards will be presented at 7:00.
If you are interested in this active, delightful organization, talk to one of the members of the Good Neighbor Club or the Gouldbusk Club, or call the Coleman County Extension Office at 325-625-4519.
Texas Attorney General Law Enforcement Update
Counterfeit U.S. Postal Money Order Scam
Texas consumers have been warned repeatedly by my office and other law enforcement to beware of counterfeit cashier’s checks in connection with advance fee frauds, international lotteries, and scams against charities. Recently, in a troubling new twist, Texas financial institutions and consumers have alerted my office to the existence of high quality counterfeit U.S. Postal money orders that are being used to defraud consumers into cashing them and wiring part of the money abroad.
As you know, perpetrators of advance fee frauds and similar sweepstakes schemes attempt to trick the victim into thinking a sweepstakes or lottery prize has been sent to them by wiring a phony cashier's check. Finding that consumers have caught on to the counterfeit check scam, scammers are now using phony U.S. Postal money orders instead of cashier’s checks.
Many consumers are wise not to pay until they see the money that has been promised to them, but the phony U.S. Postal money order disarms this precaution. They have in their hand what appears to be a very sound financial instrument. They believe the money order is valid. The victim then lets down his or her guard, believing that the scammer has actually sent the money, and sends funds to the crook for the fees or taxes associated with their "winnings" only to find out later that the money order was bad.
In another variation, we have heard from people who call us after trying to sell a big-ticket item such as a car or boat. Most often, the item was listed online, but in some cases it was listed in the newspaper or a specialty magazine. The consumer is contacted by a buyer who agrees to pay the asking price, but offers to pay with a cashier's check or U.S. Postal money order made out for an amount that is considerably higher than the agreed amount of the sale. Buyers offer various stories to explain why the check or money order is so large, such as saying that an earlier deal for a similar item for which the large money order was issued has since fallen through. The scam artist then asks the consumer to wire back the difference. The victim deposits the check or money order in a personal bank account, withdraws the cash, often relying upon part of the amount credited by the bank upon deposit of the bogus money order, and wires it to the buyer. The seller is then notified by the bank days later that he or she has passed a counterfeit check or money order and is liable for the overage.
The reason these ploys work so well is that most people place great confidence in cashier's checks and money orders. Cashier's checks and money orders are generally considered much safer than personal checks, since they are issued by financial institutions that have already verified the existence of sufficient funds.
These counterfeits are so good sometimes that even bank tellers have been fooled. Frequently, the consumer has taken the precaution of asking the bank teller to verify that the cashier’s check or U.S. Postal money order is valid, and in some cases, the cashier's check even appears to be drawn on the very bank that is being asked to cash it.
Banks and other financial institutions generally will not absorb the loss if consumers fall victim to this scam. In some cases, victims have even faced criminal charges for inadvertently cashing these counterfeit checks or money orders.
Three years ago in Houston, a woman received a $4,000 forged check as payment for her $500 computer, which she had advertised online. The con artist told the woman to wire the $3,500 difference to Nigeria. When the woman tried to cash the check, the cashing business realized it was a forgery and she was arrested. Houston authorities eventually dropped the charges when it was determined that she was the victim of a scam.
A buyer in Holland responded to a Tomball woman’s online ad to sell her 1997 Ford Mustang for $5,500 dollars, for which she received a cashier’s check in the amount of $12,500. She sent the $7,000 difference to Europe, only to discover days later through her bank that the check with which she had been paid was worthless.
My office has also received reports that Texas charities are now a possible target. We were recently contacted by a Central Texas nonprofit that unexpectedly received what appeared to be three legitimate U.S. Postal money orders totaling $2,700. No explanation was given as to who had sent them or why. These arrived in an envelope bearing several Nigerian postage stamps. Even more puzzling, the check writer’s handwritten return address on the money orders was in Memphis, Tennessee. A representative of the nonprofit got in touch with my office, and we were able to confirm that the money orders were counterfeit.
Criminals will continue to contrive new ways to defraud citizens, so law enforcement must also evolve and create new methods to protect the public and minimize these new crimes. Most of these criminals reside in foreign countries, making prosecution nearly impossible. The most effective way to combat these kinds of fraud is through the cooperation of law enforcement agencies and the dissemination of timely information.
Not much news...
There may not be very much news the next few days, weeks, and maybe even months unless you send it to me at news@santaannanews.com.
We will be replacing the roof on our house after the hail storm a few weeks ago and based on how things are going so far I will be too exhausted for thinking!
I saw my favorite banker and his schoolmarm wife in the grocery store Tuesday. I was making an ice and Powerade run and they were loading up on holiday groceries and fireworks. I don't see him without a tie and button up shirt very often. How often do you see the President of the United States without a coat and tie? I guess the 4th of July holiday was a special occasion for chilling out in a T-shirt. I promised him a special SantaAnnaNews.com T-shirt last year but had some supplier problems. This year I am planning a little ahead and going to see if I can come through with one...
I think that tie must cut off a little circulation sometimes anyhow!
Seriously I think it great that someone shows that high a degree of professionalism and dresses appropriatley for the job. Maybe he will be SantaAnnaNews.com's "Best Dressed Man" this year... especially with that SantaAnnaNews.com T-shirt on Football Fridays at the bank!
He did tell me he was needing some roofing done... but I sure didn't volunteer! No, ____ no!
I have come to the conclusion that roofing has to be the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Including two-a-days under Coach Goodwin even with "Mean Juice". Even wrenching rods and pulling wet tubing with crummies in the Fry.
I am not as young as I was the last time we put a roof on the house...
That is about all I have for you. Oh and Happy Birthday America!
Birth
Adriana Lorelle Murphy along with her parents Kayla Davon Cloer and Reginald Murphy welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world on June 1, 2006. They named her Saydi Yvonne Murphy. They are all doing well at their home in Fort Worth, Texas. Proud grandparents are Wayne and Yvonne Kuykendall. Aunts and Uncles: Jaci and Jessie Ellerbe, Kindi Cloer, Peyton Kuykendall, Danyce Steger and Cousin Madilyn Kuykendall.
Walk Across Texas Celebration
Debbie Hailey, CEA-FCS
Come celebrate with us at the Coleman City Park on Thursday, July 6, at 6 p.m. We will have hamburgers and hot dogs, cooked by Chuck Baker. Bring a side dish or dessert and a lawn chair, if you like. We’ll have certificates for every participant, and prizes, too. It would help us if you could call the County Extension office, 325-625-4519, and let us know how many plan to come, so we can have plenty of meat and buns.
If you have lost weight because of Walk Across Texas, or if you have a success story about how this has helped you, bring that information to the Celebration. Or, you can enter this information online at the WAT Website, at www.walkacrosstexas.tamu.edu. Those are significant pieces of information for the WAT program. Many people have worked hard to make Walk Across Texas the best one ever, this year.
But more than that, you are the ones who have benefited, by increasing your activity and improving your health. Hats off to you, Coleman County! If you missed Walk Across Texas this year, watch for news of it next March. And keep on walking!!
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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