People, Places & Events

Realtors hear comparison of Mabank, Kaufman ISDs
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
KEMP–The Henderson County Women’s Council of Realtors were treated to a slide show of statistics on both Kaufman and Mabank Independent School Districts.
The two schools are within just a few students in size, as both have almost 3,600 students, Todd Williams, superintendent of Kaufman ISD said.
Wednesday the Realtors and guests were told at the monthly breakfast at Cedar Creek Country Club just how important those few students were.
“Although we have almost the same number of students, Kaufman ISD is a 3A district while Mabank ISD is now a 4A,” Williams said.
That means Mabank sports players will compete against much larger schools, he explained.
Realtors were encouraged when Williams bragged on Mabank High School and the district as a whole.
“It is a very good school district, and I am really impressed with the new high school,” he said.
“I am somewhat envious of Mabank’s grades, as they are higher,” he admitted.
While the district has a higher tax rate than some areas, he said that is not necessarily a bad thing.
“It says a lot about the public, that they’re willing to back their students,” Williams said.
A short slide show demonstrated the demographics of Kaufman ISD.
“In the 2006-2007 school year we had a zero dropout rate,” he said.
However, he was not so encouraging about the “No Child Left Behind,” goal that every child would be reading at grade level by 2010.
“I just don’t see that happening,” he said.

One-woman show about Willa Cather at Seven Points
Special to The Monitor
SEVEN POINTS–The community of Seven Points will have a rare opportunity to witness literature come to life when Betty Jean Steinhouer, an actress and literary scholar from St. Petersburg, Fla., stops at The Library at Cedar Creek Lake in Seven Points at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 29, to present her one-woman portrayal of the great American author, Willa Cather, who wrote such classics as “O Pioneers!,” “My Antonia,” and “Death Comes for the Archbishop.”
The program is open to the public free of charge.
Bruce Bumbalough, reference librarian at Grapevine Public Library, is serving as project director for a grant from Humanities Texas to provide partial funding for Steinshouer’s stay in Texas.
Bumbalough heard that the Weatherford library was bringing Steinshouer in as part of a Big Read Grant they received from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“Cather is an author I admire greatly. I am looking forward to having Betty Jean Steinshouer here and seeing the program,” he said.
Steinshouer said, by telephone from her home in Florida, “I am grateful to Bruce and all the other Texas librarians who want to get people excited about reading. To be in Texas in April is pretty heavenly. And Bruce Bumbalough is a Cather scholar in his own right. He’s been to Red Cloud, Nebraska, almost as many times as I have.”
Red Cloud, Neb. and its environs provide the settings for at least half of Willa Cather’s books, including the one that is responsible for bringing her to Texas this year.
“My Antonia” is the book that so many communities across the country have been reading en masse for the past few years, she said.
“I spent last April in South Dakota, Texas and Washington State, and this April I’ll be in Minnesota and Illinois before coming back to Texas. It’s great to have everybody reading that wonderful book at the same time,” she said.
In “Willa Cather Speaks,” Steinshouer dresses as the author and draws on more than 25 years of research, answering questions from the audience both in and out of character.
She encourages people to attend even if they have never read anything by Willa Cather. “You will want to check out one of her books as you leave the library, I’d be willing to bet,” she said.
Steinshouer can also be seen in “Meet Laura Ingalls Wilder,” at the library in Watauga April 19, in Wylie April 21, and in Coppell April 27.
All programs are free and open to the public, with partial funding provided by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The library cordially invite all our patrons, supporters, friends and donors to attend the presentation at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 29.
For more information, please call, (903) 432-4285.

Nutt describes county drug problems to Rotarians
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–The Republican candidate for Henderson County sheriff listed drug statistics.
Former Texas Ranger Ray Nutt talked about the seriousness of the drug problems and technology advances since he entered law enforcement.
Nutt said he joined the Department of Public Safety in 1969 and was a Texas Ranger from 1978 to 1995.
He cited gun laws, the use of force rules and technology as having changed since his early days as ai lawman.
“DNA has really changed law enforcement,” he said, adding that it makes identification of a perpetrator simpler.
He advised the audience to be proactive in the prevention of crime.
As for drugs, he said kids are often influenced by other kids, often users.
“They buy a small amount of something, split it and sell it to kids,” he said.
In one shocking statement Nutt warned parents to teach their kids the harmful effects of drugs.
“If you have a child on drugs, unless you are independently wealthy, there is no help,” he explained.