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Charles Townsend files for Gun Barrel City Council seat
Special to The Monitor
GUN BARREL CITY–Charles Townsend has filed as a candidate for the Gun
Barrel City Council, Place 3 West, now held by Keith Crozier.
His platform is:
• add street lights in various neighborhoods to help promote safety for
citizens,
• add fire hydrants to protect homes and lower insurance rates,
• add a full-service hospital,
• upgrade neighborhood streets,
• add a highway which would link U.S. Highway 175 and Main Street,
paving the way for new development,
• institute Town Hall meetings to develop community pride and assist
with community projects, and
• add a satellite college campus to provide a labor source, thereby
attracting new business to Gun Barrel City.
Townsend attended Texas Tech University majoring in business
administration.
He served in the U.S. Army as an air traffic controller, certified by
the FAA.
His business career was spent in the transportation industry, where he
held positions in management and sales.
He also worked six years in commercial real estate and was instrumental
in forming the commercial and investment division of the Irving Board of
Realtors.
He has an extensive background in community service.
He served as president of the Lubbock Junior Chamber of Commerce and was
a state officer of the Texas Junior Chamber of Commerce. He was director
to the Gonzales Warm Springs Foundation.
Townsend was the president of the Irving Texas Chamber of Commerce
membership committee and an ambassador of the Irving Chamber.
Currently, he serves as a director of the Loon Bay Property Owner’s
Association.
He is an active member of the Greater Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of
Commerce and an ambassador of the chamber.
Welch, Anderson selected to
perform in Hula Bowl
Special to The Monitor
MABANK–Mabank Middle School head cheerleader Tristyn
Welch and cheerleader Macy Anderson were selected All American
Cheerleaders during summer camp at Southern Methodist University.
Welch is the daughter of Kevin and Shannon Hazelip and granddaughter of
Phil and Kathy Jordan.
Anderson is the daughter of Coy and Mary Anderson and granddaughter of
the late Alan and Dian Allison.
The cheerleaders were chosen to perform during the Hula Bowl in Hawaii.
They are under the instruction of Nikki Hawkins-Romero.
Jan. 9, Welch and Anderson boarded a flight for Hawaii. Chaperones were
Mary Anderson and Stephanie Gurley.
The girls were greeted at the Sheraton Waikiki Resort on Waikiki Beach
with an “Aloha” and a lei was placed around their necks.
Orientation began at 9 p.m. and guidelines were given for the remaining
week.
The National Cheerleaders Association appointed one of their staff “a
buddy” for every 25 girls.
Melissa Kohls was buddy for Welch and Anderson’s group.
Many hours a day were put in practice, and they made many friends at the
tropical paradise.
The 61st annual Hula Bowl All-Star Football Classic celebrated its
second season on the island of Oahu, after its move from Maui two years
ago.
The game was televised on ESPN.
The dazzling halftime extravaganza included 150 cheerleaders from all
over the nation performing to the music by country music entertainer
Bryan White.
Anderson is in all honors and is active in volleyball, track and
basketball. She was a student council member in 2005-06, and played
soccer for the Sting Soccer Club.
Welch is in honors and active in volleyball, track and basketball. She
was a student council member in 2005-06, and is currently active in
tumbling in Forney.
Need financial
help getting your large dog fixed?
Special to The Monitor
GUN BARREL CITY–Friends of the Animals Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic has
received a grant enabling people needing financial assistance in getting
large dogs, male or female, spayed or neutered.
This grant will pay for the surgery of dogs more than 45 pounds at the
time of surgery. A co-pay is requested.
The reason the grant is so specific is that smaller dogs are usually
easy to place and have small litters.
Large dogs, however, languish in shelters as no one wants them, and can
have litters of up to 15 puppies two to three times a year, most of
which end up being put on the trash heap.
Large dogs are also the ones who tend to run in packs if allowed to roam
doing much destruction to property, people and other animals.
The grant is, at this time, excluding cats mostly because the price for
spaying/neutering cats ($25 for males, $35 for females) is so low
already and they feel the large dogs need the attention at this time.
The Family Resource Center (903) 887-4711 and the Christian Life Center
Food Pantry (903) 887-5429 Tuesday and Thursday), both in Gun Barrel
City, have vouchers for making appointments, or you can call
(903)-887-PETS.
Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake is a 501[c][3] non-profit
organization running the Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic in Gun Barrel City.
This clinic is open to anyone anywhere and does surgery every Tuesday by
appointment only, at 903-887-PETS (7387).
In more than 4½ years of operation, the clinic has performed more than
10,000 surgeries, saving and preventing literally millions of lives and
helping to control the animal overpopulation.
For more information about the clinic or to learn how to volunteer, call
(903) 887-PETS or go to the web site at www.friendsoftheanimals.org
The oral health of your pet is as
important as your own
Special to The Monitor
MABANK–Fido’s or Fluffy’s bad breath could be more than a smelly
annoyance, it might signify a serious health risk with the potential to
damage not only the animal’s teeth and gums but its internal organs as
well.
To address the significance of oral health care for pets, several
veterinary groups are sponsoring national Pet Dental Health Month in
February.
Sponsors include the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA),
American Veterinary Dental Society (AVDS), Academy of Veterinary
Dentistry, American Veterinary Dental College and Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Inc.
According to AVDS, 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats show signs
of oral disease by age three, often indicated by bad breath, a change in
eating or chewing habits, pawing at the face and mouth and depression.
Besides causing receding gums and tooth loss, the infection may enter
the bloodstream, potentially affecting the heart, liver and kidneys.
“Oral disease is the most frequently diagnosed health problem for pets,”
DVM president of the AVMA Dr. Henry Childers said.
“Just as the public has come to realize that their own oral health is
linked to their overall health, veterinarians want people to understand
that dental health is essential to maintaining the overall health and
well-being of the family pet,” he added.
Bacteria, combined with saliva and food debris between the tooth and
gum, can cause plaque formulations on the tooth, which turns to tartar.
If not removed from the teeth, pockets of infection may appear along the
gum line, separating the teeth from the gum.
If untreated, this disease, called periodontitis, can lead to tooth loss
and the infection caused by the disease may enter the bloodstream,
potentially affecting the heart, liver and kidneys.
Each regular visit to the veterinarian should include a complete oral
health checkup to determine if an animal has tartar buildup or
periodontitis and what the appropriate course of treatment should be.
Veterinarians can help pet owners begin a pet dental care routine at
home, and encourage them to continue regular veterinary checkups to
monitor their pet’s oral health.
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