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Welcome to SantaAnnaNews.comJames Pelton's News for and about folks from Santa Anna Texas
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November 10, 2005
WASHINGTON – On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, all Americans should take a few moments to remember the sacrifices of the men and women who have served in uniform.
"During times of challenge throughout our history, men and women have stepped forward to defend our freedom. They're doing that today," said the Honorable R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. "The people of this country understand, appreciate, and respect that sacrifice."
On Veterans Day, Nicholson will join with President Bush, members of Congress and the leaders of the nation's major veterans groups for the traditional wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.
Local commemorative events are being hosted at many of VA's 122 national cemeteries, 158 medical centers and 23 special Veterans Day regional sites across the country.
"The Department of Veterans Affairs is the agent of the American people in taking care of our veterans," Nicholson added. "Our programs are a tangible manifestation of the country's appreciation."
This fiscal year, VA expects to provide health care to 5. 2 million patients, disability pay to 2.7 million, survivors benefits to nearly 350,000, educational assistance to 500,000, home loan guarantees to about 300,000, vocational rehabilitation to 100,000, insurance coverage to 7.2 million, burials to more than 100,000 and headstones to 350,000.
About 24.3 million veterans are still alive. Since the nation's founding, more than 50 million people have served in the military, with 1.2 million deaths during wartime.
More information about Veterans Day, including an audio sound-clip by Secretary Nicholson, is posted on VA's Internet at www.va.gov/opa/vetsday.
Veteran's Day 2005 - Remembering those that have served and those that are serving our country.
You know sometimes it doesn't hit you until it is personal.
Please remember these Santa Anna folks that are serving our country in military combat, training, or support: Maricela (Marty) Siller, Clay Stewardson, Eddie Dawson, Ike Garza, James Watson, Austin Voss, Randy Casey, Mike Montgomery II, Mark Rutherford, Allen Tucker, James Culpepper, Shane Watson, Brandon Beloat, Glen Donham, and Jeffrey Watson.
Pray for our country, its' leaders, and our soldiers and sailors.
Many service men and women return home safely. Operation Tribute to Freedom Homecoming Photographs.
Well football fans the lights will be shining on Bi-District playoff games all over Texas this Friday and they will be shining on the Santa Anna Mountaineers in Rising Star as they take on the District Twelve Champion Blanket Tigers with kickoff set for 7:30. This Friday will mark the first time in many years and the first time ever for the Mountaineers in the playoffs as a six man team.
But it won't be a cakewalk for the Mountaineers as Blanket is ranked 18th and Santa Anna has fallen to 20th in the latest SixManFootball.com poll.
Good Luck Mountaineers, tame the Tigers!
Be sure and get your playoff T-Shirt (see below) and we will see you at the game.
On Wednesday, November 16th, a house party will be held in Santa Anna for anyone who would like to join up in support of Independent Gubernatorial hopeful, Kinky Friedman. The party will kick off at 7pm, with a phone call from Mr. Friedman at 7:30 to all Texas participants. The house party will be at 904 Avenue A. For further information, you may contact Judy Meister (County Coordinator #41) at 325-348-3702.
Wednesday night on the way home from work at City Hall, my wife Cindy struck our neighbor, Pat Fulton, as she was turning down our street to head home on Avenue C. Mrs. Fulton was thrashing and picking up pecans in the street when Cindy turned the corner, struck her, knocking her down, and breaking her hip and three ribs. Luckily Cindy was not going too fast and did not run over Mrs Fulton. Santa Anna Chief of Police, Carlos Torres, estimated from skid marks that Cindy was going about 8 miles per hour and Cindy thought 10 or 12 maybe at the most.
Mrs Fulton was attended to at the scene by our co-neighbor, Rick Reece, who is a member of the Santa Anna Volunteer Fire Department and a First Responder I think. I believe he was also an EMT a few years ago. There were also several other First Responders and fireman that helped at the scene as well. Mrs. Fulton was transported to Coleman County Medical Center by CCMC ambulance for emergency treatment, x-ray, and diagnosis. Bill Gilbreath and Clint and Rita Day also helped take Mrs. Fulton's husband, David, to the hospital in the Fulton's specially equipped Suburban for Mr. Fulton's motorized wheelchair. Cindy had helped Mr. Fulton get a hold of his son who lives near Weatherford. After x-rays showed Mrs. Fulton's hip was broken just below the ball of the joint, it was determined by Dr. Reynolds that she should be transported to Brownwood Regional for treatment by Dr. Streffling.
Cindy's Uncle, Dickie Horner, and First Baptist Church Pastor, Brother Bruce Hess, drove Mr. Fulton from Santa Anna to Brownwood so that he could spend Wednesday night with Mrs. Fulton. We had already stopped by their house to check on their dogs and pickup medications. Cindy and I also stopped by the Dairy Queen in Bangs to pickup a burger for Mr. Fulton since he hadn't eaten anything yet. Then on to Brownwood where we all waited until Dr, Streffling had seen her and to make sure that everything was taken care of for the night.
Despite the circumstances, Mr. Fulton kept us all entertained with some stories and by making light of the situation which we all found ourselves. I certainly don't recommend running over your neighbors to get to know them better, but it was nice to learn more about them. The Fultons moved to Santa Anna from Phoenix Arizona last year. They were regulars on the fence at Santa Anna football games and were looking forward to this Friday's playoff game. We are going to try and videotape the game so they can watch it later. Mr. Fulton is really quite an intelligent man and I learned that he is a retired systems analyst and used to program in Fortran and Cobol.. which were two computer programming classes I had at Howard Payne that I would just assume forget.. or have forgotten right along with Assembly language.
Thursday evening Cindy and I got to visit with the Fultons some more at the hospital. Mrs. Fulton was doing as good as can be expected and scheduled for surgery on Friday afternoon.
Mr. Fulton, Cindy, and I wanted to be sure and let everyone know how much we appreciated those that helped... Rick, Bill, Clint and Rita, Dickie, and Brother Bruce, the staff and EMT's at CCMC, the First Responders, the Santa Anna VFD, and others.
I ask that you keep the Fultons and Cindy in your prayers as they heal and recover from this accident.
Sorry, but I did not get around to doing anything for Thursday's news. So I will catch you up Friday. Thanks for coming by SantaAnnaNews.com and come back soon!
James
AUSTIN – Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs joined other Texas health leaders today to spotlight diabetes prevention through good nutrition and exercise at a special event at the Texas State Capitol to kick off Diabetes Awareness Month.
Combs talked about the prevalence of diabetes in Texas children and how diabetes prevention can be addressed through good nutrition.
“Preventing diabetes before it strikes is much easier than treating it once it is full blown. Obesity is a risk factor, and our children simply must start eating more nutritious foods and getting more exercise if we want to get a handle on this disease and protect our kids,” Combs said. “From a fiscal health standpoint, the cost of treating both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Texas is a staggering $9 billion annually.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new statistics Wednesday, Oct. 26, estimating that nearly 21 million Americans, 7 percent of the U.S. population, have diabetes. This is an additional 2.6 million since 2002. Another 41 million are estimated to have pre-diabetes.
Diabetes is especially prevalent among African Americans and Hispanics, and it is estimated that roughly one in two Hispanics born in Texas will develop type 2 diabetes unless they take preventative measures. Diabetes among children is also on the rise, with one in three Texas children born since 2000 predicted to develop the disease.
Other speakers included Texas Commissioner of Health Dr. Eduardo Sanchez and Melody Myers, executive director of the Austin-area chapter of the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Sanchez discussed diabetes from a medical standpoint including symptoms, complications and risk factors. He emphasized the link between obesity and diabetes in children.
“When I was in medical school in the 1980s, type 2 diabetes was known as adult onset diabetes, but today children as young as 6 are being diagnosed – nearly all of them are obese,” Sanchez said. “Children with diabetes are at significant risk of having serious complications later in life such as kidney disease, blindness, limb amputation and heart disease. If we want to help our children live longer, more productive lives, it is critical that they get regular physical activity and eat a healthy diet.”
“Diabetes is dramatically on the rise, having gone up 14 percent nationwide in the past two years alone,” Myers said. “Given these increases, we all must continue to work together to find a cure and to educate the public. It is estimated that 6 million Americans are unaware they have this dangerous disease.”
The American Diabetes Association is promoting Diabetes Awareness Month through various activities including a Walk for Diabetes set for Nov. 12 in Austin. The Association is the nation’s leading non-profit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy. Its mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and improve the lives of those who have the disease.
“I'm honored to join Dr. Sanchez and Melody Myers here today to bring awareness to this serious disease,” Combs said. “Collaboration will be key as we move forward to prevent and combat diabetes in Texans across the state.”
Get the lowdown on the Tuesday's election at the Texas Secretary of State's Election Results page and find out what the amendments mean on the SOS Constitutional Amendments page.
I had intended on writing a little more about a few things Monday night but I stayed up too late watching the Indianapolis Colts and Super Bowl Champ New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. Payton Manning and the Colts were ahead when I went to bed in the fourth quarter but I am not sure who won. I guess if you care you know or know where to find out...
Anyhow that is not what I was going to write about. One of the things of interest for the day, at least in the NFL was the Philadelphia Eagles suspension of Terrell Owens. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy! I have written about how Terrell danced on the Dallas Cowboy's star in Texas Stadium last year. The Eagles finally had enough too, and suspended him for four games but the coach said he won't play for the Eagles again. I think the gold chains around his neck cut off the circulation to his big head a long time ago..
That really isn't what I meant to talk about either though.
The constitutional amendments and other voting today will be important. With I believe the second amendment on the ballot banning same sex marriage there has been a lot of controversy. I am not even going to attempt to talk about it here. I would encourage you to seek out your own information and vote your conscious.
I want to be sure and mention my daughters, Chrystal and Jennifer. Both celebrating birthdays this week with Chrystal's on Sunday and Jennifer's Tuesday. I don't say it often enough, but they are both very special to me and I am very proud of them.
What a nice weekend it was. The weather was great and Cindy and I went to Early Friday night to watch the Coleman Bluecats take on the Early Longhorns in what was billed as their District Championship. We also took advantage of the games' location and ate out at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Mi Familia in Early. I may have told you before, but we ate there on our first date when it was the Mexico Inn a little over 24 years ago. We have gone back many times since and it is always a good place to eat.
The game could have been Santa Anna's standout quarterback in the early eighties and Bluecat Head Coach Rusty Buzzard's first District Championship at Coleman, but fumblitis struck the Bluecats and the Longhorns took an early lead in the and never let the Cats in the game. The Bluecats had several opportunities but they all seemed to end in a turnover.
There were lots of fans there, including several from Santa Anna at the game as the Mountaineers had week off before their run in the playoffs.
I got the pleasure of visiting with our old head football coach in high school, Roger Goodwin, at the game while Cindy caught up with Coach Heath.
The loss to Early left the fate of the Cats in the hand of other teams and it turned out that Jim Ned's win over Ballinger gave the Cats a ticket to the playoffs. Congratulations to Coach Buzzard and the Bluecats and good luck in the playoffs.
Well I didn't get any big buck photos from any of you so I guess the deer won this past weekend. I did hear of one young man from Santa Anna getting a nice one. There were also some nice entries in the Shoppin' Baskit's Big Buck Contest over the weekend. The girls and I got to see a couple of nice ones measured in Saturday and Sunday when we worked there.
Watch out for all those deer hunters!
If you care you know but for those that don't deer hunting season started this past Saturday.
Send your big buck or wild turkey (not Wild Turkey!) photos and stories to news@santaannanews.com.
Stuck at the house? Bad weather and can't go hunting? Be sure and check out FantasyHunt.com for one of the coolest online hunting sites ever..
And to all you hunters out there, be safe and good luck!
Santa Anna Yearbook Staff is selling Christmas Poinsettias to help in the purchase of some new Yearbook Equipment. They will be selling these plants until November 14th, 2005. If you would like to purchase one of these beautiful plants for $12.50 each , please contact the yearbook staff at the school at 325-348-3137.
These plants have 3-5 blooms and will be decorated with a colorful pot cover and a beautiful Christmas ribbon. Plants will be delivered the first week in December. Free Delivery within a 25 miles radius.
by Dr. Jenna Anding, Associate Professor and Extension Nutrition Specialist
With prices rising on everything we purchase, it can be difficult to make our food dollars stretch enough to feed our families.
It seems that everyone is trying to save money by reducing food costs. Being a thrifty shopper takes some skill, but there are ways that consumers can lower their food costs. Dr. Jenna Anding, Associate Professor and Extension Nutrition Specialist for Texas Cooperative Extension, gives these suggestions for how to:
Save Food Dollars With Smart Shopping Skills.
1. Keep a "short list" - a list of items that you need to buy (a notepad attached to the refrigerator with a magnet works great). When you run out of something, write it down as soon as possible.
2. Study the store's sale advertisements.
3. Look at the foods you already have on hand. Use these foods, along with store specials, to plan your meals and snacks.
4. After you plan your meals and snacks, make a shopping list. Be sure to include the items you listed on your short list.
5. Check your coupons to see if any can be used with the items that you have on your shopping list.
6. Make a list of non-food items (soap, laundry, personal care items). Can you buy these from a discount store? Do you have coupons for any of these items?
7. When shopping, consider store brands over national brands to save money. Even with coupons, some store brands may be cheaper.
8. Think twice about convenience foods. Pancake and cake mixes, along with canned soups, fruits, and vegetables, can help you save time and money. Other foods like frozen dinners and coating mixes for meat and poultry may not save you enough time to justify the cost.
9. Check out bakery thrift stores for great buys on bread. Save money on fruits and vegetables by shopping at farmers markets.
10. If possible, shop alone, when you are not hungry, and when store is not crowded. This helps you to get in and out of the store in the shortest amount of times.
11. Store food properly to maintain quality and to avoid spoilage.
For more practical information about these suggestions and other ways to reduce food costs when grocery shopping, come to the November Better Living for Texans class entitled "Feeding Your Family without Starving Your Wallet." The class will be Thursday, November 10. at Loaves & Fishes in Coleman, at the corner of Pecan and Nueces, at 6:00 p.m. The program is FREE of charge, and everyone is welcome. Debbie Hailey, County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences, will demonstrate how to adopt cost-cutting practices to reduce food costs. If you have any questions, call Debbie at 325-625-4519.
Submitted by:
Debbie Hailey
Coleman County Extension Agent
Family & Consumer Sciences
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