Catching Up

    One of the traits of a good blogger, if there is such a thing, is being disciplined enough to blog on a regular schedule so that the audience will become accustomed to looking at the blogger’s website and an audience can be built.

    Looking at my last posting, written more than a month ago, certainly indicate that I’m not very disciplined. That comes as no surprise to those who know me.

    As a sort-of retired guy, I can always find something else to do rather than bang out a few words for my loyal readers. To that mass audience, I apologize for slacking off last month and will try to do better.

    So, let’s catch up on some of the news in the Hub City with my special and biased slant:

    Electric rates—I saw in the newspaper that Xcel Electric Company was going to increase the rates in Lubbock by $7 per month because of some sort of natural gas pass-through. I really don’t understand that, but it’s something that the power company can do. It doesn’t have to, but it can. When I read about that I immediately thought, “Wow, I’m glad I’m on LP&L because this will give the city-owned utility a chance to show that the decision to buy Xcel’s assets in Lubbock was a good one that will save ratepayers and taxpayers a lot of money.” How wrong could I have been! Just a few days after Xcel’s announcement, LP&L followed suit. Note to utility board—Bypassing this charge would have been a great way to silence the naysayers who are opposed to your acquiring Xcel. Now you are going to be hard-pressed to convince anyone that this purchase will save me money. I was for the takeover at the time it was announced, but now I’m having second thoughts.

    New County Jail—When the county began talking about building its new jail near the airport, officials pointed out that inmates who were on trial at the courthouse would be held at the current jail directly across the street from the courthouse. Now, though, the county is planning on building a holding area in the basement of the courthouse at a cost of almost $1 million! When I was editor of The Avalanche-Journal, we editorially supported the bond proposal to build the new jail, and I personally wrote in support of it. Now that it is coming in millions of dollars over what the voters approved, I’ve given up. Our county commissioners have lied about this project for more than a year. I will never vote for a county bond proposal again…the commissioners simply can’t be trusted.

    Estacado High School—Lubbock Independent School District officials have been singing the praises of the test scores this year for the students at Estacado High School. Last year, EHS was declared a low-performing school and the federal government has basically taken it over, requiring that most of the staff be changed. Now the school district is pointing out how much the scores have improved! Sorry to say, but I don’t believe it. Somebody is playing with the numbers.

    LISD Dress Code—The Lubbock school board has approved a new dress code that will allow for ear piercings for males and all types of hairstyles, provided it doesn’t interfere with the academic environment. In other words, anything goes. Sorry, but I’m not on board with this either. Students need some discipline in their lives and parents need some support from the school. Are schools no longer concerned with preparing students for the business world?

    Fourth on Broadway—Now beer is going to be sold at the annual Fourth on Broadway. Sorry, but beer and a family event don’t go together. I’ve heard that the organizers are allowing the beer sales so they can make more money. If that’s the case, give me a call and I’ll tell you about some other non-family-friendly activities that will really increase your coffers.

    Linda DeLeon—She’s off the City Council and says she is moving out of town. Thank goodness.

    That’s enough for now. I’ll try to be more diligent in the future. Thanks for reading!