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Comfort in the classroom:
Juneteenth -- the anniversary of the day that Texas received the news of the Emancipation Proclamation, two-and-a-half years after the fact -- celebrates the beginning of racial integration in Texas. But 133 years later, there are still parts of the state that need to catch up. The Hill Country town of Comfort just graduated the first African-American student to spend all 12 years in the school district since its founding in 1954. There were other black students besides Krishna Perkins, 19, to attend Comfort schools off and on since 1940 when the "colored school" was closed down, but no one who stayed all twelve years until now. Only one other black student was enrolled in class this year. Currently, the school district's body is made up of 602 Anglos, 436 Hispanics, six African-Americans and one Native American. The good news: despite the racial imbalance, Perkins' father said he seldomly encounters overt racism among his Hill Country neighbors.
 Texas tinderbox: The month of May set a record for dryness in Texas, and now 80 percent of the state could be in danger of wildfires. Governor Bush and other state officials encouraged local governments to consider outdoor burning bans and restrictions on water use. The governor also asked President Clinton to declare a state of emergency, which would transfer U.S. Forest Service firefighters and equipment to Texas as a precautionary measure. Two big wildfires have already ignited in West Texas, destroying thousands of acres in Presidio and Edwards counties. The water supplies in most reservoirs are at normal levels, but the lack of rain is worrisome since the typically hottest, driest part of the summer is yet to come. Though state agricultural producers may suffer millions of dollars in drought-related losses, the early peach crop -- a fruit suited to dry conditions -- is flourishing. Dust add water: Speaking of dry, the annual American Institution of Architects Sandcastle Competition was held last weekend in Galveston. Among the 75 sculptures that lined East Beach, there was a South Park sandcastle called "Oh my God, the sandcastle killed Kenny;" a bloated Taco Bell chihuahua titled "Yo quiero Rolaids;" and a shark following the Jack-in-the-Box clown head titled "Jaws 6: Swim Jack, Swim!" A sand sculpture of the Statue of Liberty being groped by President Clinton also received its share of attention. Constructed by teams made up mostly of architecture and engineering firms, the castles compete for the Golden Bucket, engraved with the names of past winners. The overall winner this year was titled "The Day the Grinch Stole Summer." One team took the concept of 'sculpture' one step further when their wedding scene, featuring sand church pews and attendants -- Best Man O'War and Mermaid of Honor -- hosted a real live wedding on the evening of the competition. Lap of luxury: Two homeless tabby cats adopted by the swank Dallas Crescent Court Hotel have been given their own custom-built crescent cat hotel, an extravagant, two-story purr palace complete with wall-to-wall carpeting, an inlaid-tile water bowl modeled after the hotel's courtyard fountain, a wall mural painted by a Deep Ellum artist, and a domed skylight. The $6000 structure sits near the Crescent Court's outdoor café, so now on top of the oodles of attention they get from the staff, hotel guests will be able to hob nob with Beau and Nash (named after the hotel's restaurant) too. But don't think these pampered pets aren't earning their keep, the former blue-collar kitties have a job: to bounce the birds out of the hotel's outside dining area. (6/15/98) |
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