Texas to Receive Supply of H1N1 Vaccinations

The State of Texas will receive its first supply of the H1N1 vaccine today and will distribute them to a high priority populations, such as children, pregnant women, and those with serious medical conditions.

It is estimated that the Lubbock Health Department, as well as Texas Tech, will not receive a supply until mid-to-late October sometime. Texas Tech has requested 35,000 vaccinations.

I’m certainly not qualified to say whether or not you should get the vaccine once it arrives, but personally, I would rather take the chance of getting the swine flu than take a vaccination that has not been tested yet.

Ever since we passed the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREPA) in 2006 that gave vaccine makers immunity from illnesses and deaths related to their vaccines, I can’t say that I trust anything they make. How can vaccine makers be held accountable for their products if it kills people? If they have immunity, they can’t be held accountable, so this rush to push the H1N1 vaccine without any testing is scary to me. There are no consequences if it causes serious problems.

Sources:
News Radio 1420
The Daily Toreador

Lubbock Hero of the Week: Lawyer Ben Webb

Ben Webb

Lubbock lawyer Ben Webb was strip-searched and jailed because he refused testify against his former client as ordered by Judge Jim Bob Darnell. Yes, his real name is Jim Bob.

Webb’s courage to stand up for his former client’s rights is a shining example of true patriotism.

A Lubbock attorney this morning was exculpated after a judge signed an order finding him not guilty and releasing him of his bond obligations.

Ben Webb was arrested and jailed in June of this year after he refused to testify against a former client on trial in the 140th District Court.

Judge Jim Bob Darnell found him in contempt and ordered him arrested.

He was strip-searched and jailed before another judge released him on a personal recognizance bond.

Darnell also stipulated he must pay back any attorney fees he collected for representing the defendant he refused to testify against, Donald R. Johnson.

Visiting Judge Paul Davis, appointed after Darnell recused himself, freed Webb by signing the order agreed upon by Rod Hobson, Webb’s attorney and John Grace, who represents the county.

“I feel two things today: pride and vindication,” Webb said at a news conference on the courthouse lawn. “It feels good to know what I felt was right was right.”

Darnell declined comment.

Source: Lubbock Avalanche Journal

City of Lubbock Gets a New Look

The City of Lubbock has begun implementation of its new logo. The new logo has a much simpler, cleaner feel to it than the current logo does. The graphic to the left of the text is supposed to be symbolic of a windmill.

The older logo was very cluttered and bright, but in the shape of the top of a jukebox.

This new implementation affects quite a bit as it will require updating all letterhead, business cards, reports, etc. Among the largest changes are updates to city vehicles and street signs. The overall cost to implement the change is unknown at this time. However, I will submit an information request on the cost of implementation soon and will keep you posted.

Old Logo:

New Logo:

Lubbock Police Arrest and Stun Tech Student

Lubbock Police officers used a stun gun on a Texas Tech student Saturday afternoon during the “Tour de Tech Terrace”.  The student was charged with evading arrest with a vehicle, resisting arrest, failure to identify and public intoxication.

Hunter Temperton, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, was arrested at about 6:40 p.m. Saturday at the Tech Terrace Park at 23rd Street and Gary Avenue, according to Lubbock Police Department officer Sgt. Jon Stewart. Sgt. Stewart said the subject was in the street when officers told him to go into the park. Temperton did not comply with officers and was subsequently arrested, he said.

However, students witnessed Temperton walking to a group of students while one of the officers was writing him a ticket and then the officers tackled him from his bicycle and pinned him to the ground.

As you can see in the video, it appears as though Temperton is subdued on the ground by two officers and is offering little resistance.

However, in the audio, one of the officers can be heard saying “keep your hand down.” The officers then stun him with a stun gun and say, “Now give me your other hand or I’m going to tase you again.” The student’s hands are obscured by the body of one of the police officers in the video.

Source: The Daily Toreador

Former President Bush Speaking In Lubbock

Former President Bush to speak in Lubbock

The former president will speak at a dinner to benefit Lubbock Christian University this Tuesday night at 7pm at the Civic Center.

The event is sold out. Nine hundred people are expected for the dinner portion of the event and 1,400 people are expected for a speech afterward. LCU hopes to raise between $125,000 and $175,000 for scholarships. It will be his first stop in Lubbock since he was Governor. The President did not visit Lubbock while he was in office in Washington. The former First Lady made an appearance during the Vatican Art Exhibit in 2002.

Source: New Radio 1420

Federal ‘Stimulus’ Money to Pay for I-27 Maintenance

I-27 Maintenance

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – TxDOT will close parts of I-27 next week. It’s for routine maintenance paid for by stimulus funds.

Starting Tuesday, TxDOT will begin work on the fly-over at I-27 and the south Loop 289. Traffic will be reduced to one lane on the bridge, and motorists should expect delays.

During the next several weeks, drivers will also see lane closures at the 24th Street bridge, the 34th Street entrance ramp, and the 19th Street exit ramp.

I find it funny that we are spending “stimulus” money on highway maintenance. We already pay to build and maintain our roads and highways through the gas tax, so spending funds meant to stimulate the economy on such a project seems a bit absurd.

The term stimulus is a bit of a joke in itself, as well. We take money away from individuals and successful businesses and spend it on special interest projects to “stimulate” the economy. The government is creating a false economy by pushing funds into an area that would otherwise not receive them in the free market. This is what happened to create the housing bubble. Money was spent to promote home ownership which created a bubble.

Don’t be surprised if we experience another bubble soon; only this time the bust will affect the economy much worse.

Source: KCBD

LISD Celebrating Banned Books Week

Banned Book Week

Banned Books Week is an annual event that celebrates the freedom to read and the First Amendment. It has been observed since 1982 and is sponsored by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Banned Books Week for 2009 started Saturday and runs through Oct. 3.

The American Library Association prepared a list of books that are often considered to be literary classics that have been banned or challenged. Some of the titles include “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Great Gatsby,” “The Grapes of Wrath,” “Of Mice and Men” and “Catch-22.” For the complete list, see the American Library Association banned book list.

Terry Lewis, who is the Irons Middle School librarian and the Lubbock Independent School District’s library facilitator for secondary schools, said school librarians work hard to provide material appropriate to the ages of their readers while at the same time avoiding the censoring of ideas.

That can be challenging in an environment where books can draw opposition from parents for a variety of reasons.

It takes more than controversy to keep LISD libraries from stocking books, Lewis said. The Harry Potter books have drawn opposition in some places, but they are on the shelves of LISD libraries, Lewis said.

“They’re very popular, and I love them all. But they have been controversial,” she said, adding, “Not in the LISD that much.”

Similarly, in some places “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn” are considered controversial, but they are available for LISD students to read.

Lewis noted books in schools fall into two areas. The first is curriculum, where certain books are required reading for various classes. The second is in a school library collection, where the books are on the shelves available to be checked out by students who want to read them.

Regarding books in the library collection, they are optional, Lewis said. No one is required to read them.

From Lubbockonline.com

Books that have been challenged in the LISD library collections or curricula.

• Oct. 3, 1990: “Ordinary People” – It was retained.
• Oct. 11, 1990: “My Mama Says There Aren’t Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins or Things” – It was retained.
• Nov. 19, 1990: “Witches in Fact and Fantasy” – It was removed due to readability level and mature nature of themes.
• Also on Nov. 19, 1990: “Curses, Hexes & Spells,” “Schemers, Dreamers and Medicine Men” and “Man and Magic” – All three books were retained.
• Jan. 14, 1991: “21st Century Fox” – The reconsideration committee recommended retention, but the librarian removed the book because she did not feel it could be supported in an appeal.
• Feb. 4, 1991: “Marked for Murder” – It was moved to restricted circulation, which is a section where students have to have parents’ permission to check out a book.
• May 1, 1991: “The Giant’s Toe” – It was retained.
• Oct. 28, 1991: “Stonewords: A Ghost Story” – It was retained.
• Dec. 16, 1992: “Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm” – It was retained.
• Jan. 28, 1993: “The Amazing Bone” – It was retained.
• Oct. 13, 1993: “1984″ – It was removed from junior high curriculum only.
• May 17, 1994: “The Way to Happiness” – The committee ruled the booklet should be removed from K-12 curriculum and should not be placed in elementary libraries, but a single copy of the booklet could be placed in junior high school and high school libraries.
• Oct. 22, 1996: “Blubber” – It was retained.
• Sept. 15, 1997: “Long Live the Queen” – It was removed from junior high collections but retained at the high school level.
• Dec. 12, 2006: “Of Mice and Men” – It was retained in high school curriculum.

Source: Lubbock Avalanche Journal

Books that have been challenged in the LISD library collections or curricula.

• Oct. 3, 1990: “Ordinary People” – It was retained.

• Oct. 11, 1990: “My Mama Says There Aren’t Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins or Things” – It was retained.

• Nov. 19, 1990: “Witches in Fact and Fantasy” – It was removed due to readability level and mature nature of themes.

• Also on Nov. 19, 1990: “Curses, Hexes & Spells,” “Schemers, Dreamers and Medicine Men” and “Man and Magic” – All three books were retained.

• Jan. 14, 1991: “21st Century Fox” – The reconsideration committee recommended retention, but the librarian removed the book because she did not feel it could be supported in an appeal.

• Feb. 4, 1991: “Marked for Murder” – It was moved to restricted circulation, which is a section where students have to have parents’ permission to check out a book.

• May 1, 1991: “The Giant’s Toe” – It was retained.

• Oct. 28, 1991: “Stonewords: A Ghost Story” – It was retained.

• Dec. 16, 1992: “Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm” – It was retained.

• Jan. 28, 1993: “The Amazing Bone” – It was retained.

• Oct. 13, 1993: “1984″ – It was removed from junior high curriculum only.

• May 17, 1994: “The Way to Happiness” – The committee ruled the booklet should be removed from K-12 curriculum and should not be placed in elementary libraries, but a single copy of the booklet could be placed in junior high school and high school libraries.

• Oct. 22, 1996: “Blubber” – It was retained.

• Sept. 15, 1997: “Long Live the Queen” – It was removed from junior high collections but retained at the high school level.

• Dec. 12, 2006: “Of Mice and Men” – It was retained in high school curriculum.

Is Lubbock in a Recession?

Lubbock National Bank - Economic Index Report

While the US has been in a recession for quite a while and Texas joining the rest of the states in March, Lubbock has been fairly immune to the economic downturn. However, the latest figures from the Lubbock National Bank – Economic Index Report shows a 5.8% drop from a year ago.

The Lubbock Economic Index fell to 126.4 in August, down from 127.2 in July, and down 5.2% from the August 2008 LEI of 133.3. The Lubbock Economic Index has now declined for 11 consecutive months, and is down some 5.8% from its peak of 134.0 in September of 2008.

Source: News Radio 1420

Lubbock Woman Dies From H1N1 Swine Flu

The Plainview Daily Herald is reporting that a Lubbock County woman has died from the H1N1 swine flu, and eleven children at La Mesa Elementary School have been infected.

While the cases have been filed with the Plainview/Hale County Health Department, environmental health inspector Jack McCasland said there have been no confirmed cases of swine flu.

There seems to be a pattern lately that if you are experiencing flu like symptoms, it is classified as swine flu without any further testing. Dr. Stephen Turner said non-season type-A flu, by default, is considered H1N1. Also, see the example of Greg Bruce at UMC citing 100 cases of swine flu in Lubbock County. He later admits that they had not been tested and confirmed, just assumed cases. And you know what they say about assumptions.

Texas health officials issued a directive in June to stop testing for swine flu. At the time, the Lubbock Health Department had been overwhelmed by performing 706 tests. Eight of those tests were confirmed to be swine flu.

While the swine flu is said to hit a little harder than the seasonal flu, the CDC notes that “this strain is especially nasty if you have lung disease. Lung disease and heart disease are a really bad combination with the swine flu.”

Officials in Lubbock County confirmed that the woman who died on Monday at UMC also had underlying health conditions that complicated her recovery. The article doesn’t state whether the woman was confirmed to have the swine flu or merely suffered from similar symptoms. (UPDATE: The Lubbock AJ reported that UMC ordered a test at the Health Department that confirmed it was swine flu.)

While the effects of the swine flu can be quite damaging and the potential to spread quickly is real, I’m glad we live in Texas and not Massachusetts.

Source: The Plainview Daily Herald

Lubbock Stores Approved to Sell Alcohol!

Alcohol sales approved for Wednesday

“I can say now for certain that there will be permits issued tomorrow.” Those were the words of Carolyn Beck, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission spokeswoman.

The TABC will issue permits for more than 80 stores to sell alcohol in Lubbock today. Many stores, such as United and Wal-Mart, have already begun preparing to sell alcohol by creating space to stock supplies. If you’ve shopped at any number of grocery stores in the last couple of weeks, you’ve probably noticed the extra space.

Because we haven’t been able to purchase alcohol in Lubbock for decades, they are anticipating crowds to be pretty large to begin with. So, if you want to get some alcohol, I’d go a little early.

“Distributors who will deliver to the stores across the city warned of a chaotic start but smooth business within two weeks.

United needed a day to reprogram cash registers to check IDs, Owens said. Wal-Mart expected some similar growing pains.

‘If everything works out, we’re hoping for the weekend,’ said Kirk Davis, market grocery manager.”

Source: The Lubbock Avelanche Journal