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Waco Tribune-Herald
119 years serving the Heart of Texas

Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011

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Have books, need money

McGregor library faces loss of accreditation without county funds

COMMISSIONERS COURT

New map drawn up by county official

By Regina Dennis
Tribune-Herald staff writer

The county now has two redistricting plans to weigh one prepared by a set of law professors and another drawn by a commissioner determined to boost the minority voting power in his precinct. The county hired Baylor University Law Professors Mike Morrison and David Guinn to redraw the four county commissioner precinct lines to account for an increase in county residents recorded in the 2010 U.S. Census. But Precinct 2 Commissioner Lester Gibson, whose precinct has the largest minority popula- Gibson tion, offered his own plan for the court to consider as well. His proposal aims to predict the future migration of minority communities in Precinct 2 and keep them together. And the Democrat acknowledges wrapping his precinct lines around the most potentially Democrat-voting residents. See GIBSON, Page 9A

Staff photo Duane A. Laverty

GOP chairman wants Skeens resignation

By Michael W. Shapiro
Tribune-Herald staff writer

Trella Hughes (left), librarian at McGregors McGinley Memorial Library, accepts a donation of books Friday from patron Barbara Klein. The library could lose as much as $4,000 in funding from the county, as well as grant opportunities, if its accreditation is pulled.

By Regina Dennis
Tribune-Herald staff writer

The McGregor public library will lose its state accreditation without more funding, and it is looking to the county to fill the gap. The McGinley Memorial Library, housed in the former Ritz Theatre in downtown McGregor, is falling short of a state requirement for local funding. Funding from local governments must meet at least half of the states recommended per capita spending level for library visitors for a library to keep state accreditation. The library is about $1,500 short of that goal, and the target will increase by another $500 for the upcoming

fiscal year. The library is on probation because it fell short of the local funding benchmark set by the state in the 2010-11 fiscal year. The library was warned by the state that it will lose its accreditation Oct. 1 if the situation does not change. The facility can remain open as a public library without state accreditation, but it will mean the library will lose access to some grants and programs that cover necessities. Since 2000, the county has given each of the five rural libraries Hewitt, McGregor, Moody, Mart and West $4,000 a year for operating expenses. But the McLennan County Commissioners Court moved

last week to strike the McGregor librarys share in the preliminary 2011-12 fiscal year budget because of the states accreditation warning. McGregor City Secretary Angelia Sloan said the city plans to increase its library contribution by $2,000 to $11,000 in the 2012 budget in an attempt to help save the accreditation. But Trella Hughes, McGregors librarian, said the county dollars still are needed to keep the accreditation. She will petition the commissioners court Tuesday to restore and increase funding to the library. I dont want the county to think Im complaining or ungrateful, because we really do appreciate the money that they

have given us, and weve worked well with them over the years, Hughes said. But we really need them to give a little more.

County Catch-22
Commissioner Ben Perry, whose precinct includes McGregor, said he hopes to convince the court to grant the library some emergency funds this year to meet the current threshold. Doing so would keep the accreditation in place, which he said is required for the county to give the library money in the future. Its a Catch-22 because theyll lose their accreditation because were not funding enough, but See LIBRARY, Page 8A

A local GOP chairman became the latest official to call on McLennan County Tax Assessor-Collector Buddy Skeen to resign. McLennan County Republican Party chairman Joe Hinton said he hopes Skeen will consider stepping down in light of a series of newspaper articles that have detailed Skeens extensive real estate activity and the tax offices sales of marked-down government vehicles to individuals close to Skeen. Whether its buying Skeen and selling trucks, or buying and selling houses, all this stuff, it doesnt smell good, Hinton said. And when somebodys in a position to be responsible for very large sums of money, theyve just got to be incredibly careful See RESIGN, Page 8A

INSIDE, 3A
Volunteers in Joplin, Mo., are working to organize and return thousands of photos blown away by the tornado in May.

Heavy fighting reported in Libyan capital

By Kareem Fahim and David D. Kirkpatrick
The New York Times

INDEX
Business Classieds Farm & Ranch Horoscope Local & Texas Lottery 7B 10B 6B 12B 1B 9A Neighbor Plus 4B Obituaries 2B Opinion 10,11A Sports 1C TV listings 9B Weather 2A

TODAY
The New York Times Bryan Denton

High: 104 Low: 80

Rebel fighters survey the damage of the citys main square in the strategic oil refinery town of Zawiya on Saturday. Rebels encircled Libyas capital as its residents continued to flee.

ZAWIYAH, Libya For the first time in months, witnesses in Tripoli reported heavy fighting across the capital late Saturday, even as rebel forces claimed to have encircled the city by taking major towns to its east, west and south. Rebel leaders in Tunis and eastern Libya hailed the beginning of a new uprising in the capital against Moammar Gadhafis rule. And after months of rebel offenses that crumbled or stalled despite heavy support from a NATO airstrike campaign, it marked the first time since the uprising began in February that the rebels threatened Qaddafis ultimate stronghold. We are coordinating the attacks inside, and our forces from outside are ready to enter Tripoli, said Anwar Fekini, a rebel leader from the mountainous region in western Libya, speaking

by telephone from Tunis. If you can call any mobile number in Tripoli, you will hear in the background the beautiful sound of the bullets of freedom. Phone calls to several Tripoli residents from different neighborhoods confirmed widespread gunfire and explosions. And there were reports of frequent NATO jet overflights and airstrikes a common accompaniment to the drumbeat of the rebel advance in the past week. But in an audio message broadcast on state television, his second in a week, Gadhafi rebutted claims of rebel gains, saying his forces had beaten back the Tripoli uprising within hours and announcing military successes in the same cities rebels had claimed to seize Saturday. He gave the date and time several times to confirm that he was speaking as events were unfolding. See LIBYA, Page 9A

8A

WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2011

RESIGN
From Page 1A
of how its handled, he said. This guy needs to think hard about resigning, Hinton added. Asked about calls for his resignation Friday, Skeen declined comment. The Texas Rangers began investigating the longtime tax assessor-collector in July, after McLennan County Auditor Stan Chambers reported Skeen had avoided paying $1,375 of sales tax on a personal truck purchase in February. According to a court doc- Hinton ument, Skeen admitted to a Ranger that he claimed a tax office vehicle hed just sold as a trade-in, knocking down the sales tax on his truck purchase. A few days before the investigation became public, Skeen announced he had signed paperwork to join the Republican Party. McLennan County Democratic Party chairwoman Karen Petree has already suggested that Skeen resign or retire. I just dont see how he can survive, Hinton said, but a lot of people say he wont quit. Skeen was first elected in 1988 and hes up for re-election next year. Hed have to have an awful good story and be extremely popular to survive the allegations made against him and get re-elected, said Terrell Blodgett, a retired professor at the University of TexasAustins LBJ School of Public Affairs. Blodgett, a former Waco city manager and a local government expert, said the whole thing even if he hasnt done anything illegal doesnt pass the smell test.
mshapiro@wacotrib.com 757-5707

LIBRARY
From Page 1A
now we cant turn around and fund them anymore because theyre not accredited, Perry said. According to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the McGregor library has a target service population of 7,559. The commission set the minimum required per capita spending at $3.85 per person, or $29,102 for the current fiscal year.

Funding targets
The library has to have at least half that amount, $14,551, come from local government sources. The city of McGregor for 2010-11 budgeted $9,000, plus utilities and in-kind services that cannot be counted towards the per capita spending, while the county gave $4,000, for a total of $13,000. Grants and donations from local residents and businesses cant be counted toward the states per capita spending requirements. A commission official notified Hughes in an Aug. 4, 2010, email that the library would be on probation through the current fiscal year for failing to reach the $14,551 in funding. In the 2011-12 fiscal year, the library needs to meet a $3.97 per capita threshold of at least $15,005 to keep its accreditation. With the citys decision to increase its funding to $11,000, the library needs at least $4,000 from the county. Theyve given us the same $4,000 every year since the county first started funding the rural libraries in 2000, Hughes said. Its helped us, but at the same time theyve never increased it, and we really could use the extra help. When the commissioners voted unanimously last week not to give the countys usual $4,000 to the McGregor library, it increased the fund-

Staff photo Duane A. Laverty

Patrons use public computers inside McGregors McGinley Memorial Library on Friday. The library is planning on staying open even if the state pulls its accreditation. ing for the four other libraries to $5,000 for the upcoming fiscal year. County Judge Jim Lewis said the countys contract requires the libraries to be accredited in order to receive funding. But a Sept. 29, 2009 letter from Lewis office to McGregor library board president Tom Kirk states that libraries have to be recognized by the state of Texas as a public library, as well as have a state-certified librarian and provide free access to all services in order to receive county dollars. Hughes said even without the accreditation, the library will still be recognized as a public library by the state. The accreditation status is what qualifies the library for state funding, grants and other discount programs. For example, Hughes said without the accreditation, the library will lose its Erate discount, which covers 80 percent of the telephone, electrical and Internet costs. That program is worth about $3,000 a year. Lewis contends the county has to use accreditation as a benchmark to determine whether a library has met state standards to operate. If we dont follow the contract, then theres no need in having a contract, be it the library or any other services, Lewis said. A person in another part of the county could say Why are you spending my money over there? Its a city of McGregor library, even though they serve other people. The county cant be the answer to everything. Perry noted the city of McGregor already foots most of the librarys budget. A lot of the mothers work in the daytime, and many of the kids are at that stage where theyre too old for a day care, but too young still to be at home alone, so they will come here in the summer time or after school, Hughes said. Its a safe place for them to be on the computer or do their homework. Hughes is the only paid staff member. Local teenagers volunteer to help with library programs during the summer, in addition to a handful of adult volunteers. Hughes said without county funding or accreditation, the library will be in a bind financially, but it will not close anytime soon. Instead, it will have to lean more heavily on support from the community, and be more aggressive in hunting grants that do not require accreditation to cover the funding losses. The library is also having a book sale on Sept. 18 that it hopes will generate funds to buy new books. We have too many people in the community who love the library and would do whatever they can to see it stay open, Hughes said. We may not be able to keep buying books every month like we are now and we might have to rely on book donations . . . but were still here.
rdennis@wacotrib.com 757-5755

Announcing the retirement of

J. Clay Sawyer, M.D.
from the practice of medicine effective September 1, 2011. Records will remain with Dr. Duttons ofce.

Community hangout
Friday morning, four youngsters manned the computer stations at the front of the library, checking emails and surfing the Internet. Most of the computers were purchased with money the library received from the state or grants from companies.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your physician.

Voices of Valor
Honoring our men and women in uniform
By ROBERT GAMBOA Special to the Tribune-Herald . orris Barker, born and raised in Electra, Texas, . was drafted and assigned to the Army Artillery . Corps but not for long. . Barker decided he was destined to serve in the Army Air Corps and requested a transfer. He was assigned to the 726th Bombardment Squadron, 451st Bombardment Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force. Barker was assigned to the tail gunners hole with two 50caliber guns, squeezed into a very small compartment in a freezing cold, unpressurized cabin. He would always be on a mission of destruction, to kill or be killed. Stationed in Castelluccio Aireld, Italy, in 1944, the 726th attacked such targets as oil reneries, marshalling yards, aircraft factories, bridges, and airelds throughout Europe. They prepared the way for and participated in the invasion of Southern France Aug. 15, 1944. Seven days later, the 726th was assigned the bombing mission over Lobau oil storage installations near Vienna, Austria. The 19-year-old Staff Sgt. Barker, a seasoned combat veteran of six previous missions, would y as tail gunner on the Dreamer for this ight. Each member of the B-24 ight crew was issued a survival kit containing a chocolate bar, a map, silk thread, an ampule of morphine, a prayer and some blue seal silver certicate currency. The currency was to buy your way out in case of capture by the locals or the enemy sympathizers. Barker recalled that the mission was to be own without the benet of ghter protection. Losses could be high. A ferocious German counter attack was expected. This mission would be etched in tail gunner Barkers mind forever. The early liftoff from Italy was lled with 451st B-24 bombers from the 724th, 725th and 727th Squadrons joining the 726th and several other bomber groups. The ight was typical: Take off, climb 25,000 feet, get on course, y over the Adriatic Sea, the Alps, through Austria.

sponsored by the patriots at

Staff photo Duane A. Laverty

A native of Electra, Morris Barker served as a tail gunner in a B-24 during bombing runs as part of the 726th Bombardment Squadron, 451st Bombardment Group. After his plane was shot down down by German ghters on Aug. 22, 1944. He was held as a prisoner of war until May 3, 1945.
Two of the crew were killed in the explosions. Another died when he bailed out but his chute didnt open. Barker and the others bailed safely but were captured upon landing. Barker and most of his crew spent the remainder of WWII in Stalag Luft IV, Gross-Tychow, Poland, until Feb. 6, 1945. The Russians, U.S. Allies, were closing in on the area surrounding Stalag IV, which held up to 17,000 POWs. Barker was ultimately repatriated May 3, 1945. He retired as a personnel manager for General Electric and continues to work in various veteran organizations, especially those related to POWs. The Waco resident recently was elected National Commander, American Ex-Prisoners of War Association. The 451st Bomb Group was one of the most highly decorated groups in the 15th Army Air Force. It was also one of the most battered: In 216 missions, 135 B-24s were lost.
Voices of Valor, which features Central Texas veterans, runs every other Sunday, alternating with a Medal of Honor winner. To suggest a story of a Central Texas veteran, email voicesofvalor@wacotrib.com.

German attack fast, furious

At about 10 a.m. over Hungary, swarms of Focke-Wulf 190s, the Luftwaffe ghters, began attacking in groups of ten or more without regard for losses. The Messerschmitt 109s also joined the destructive assault on the formation, inicting heavy damage on the squadrons. Morris saw three Me 109s beginning to circle from the rear when suddenly two zeroed in on his aircraft. Morriss ring took them out, but the third plane hit its target. The B-24s No. 2 engine was left blazing and bullets ripped the entire aircraft. The pilot battled for control of the craft. Ordered to abandon ship, Barker bailed out in time to see the aircraft tail blown apart and two explosions destroy the aircraft. His seventh mission was quickly coming to an end.
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Imprisoned and on the run

On that February day, the Germans began moving all the prisoners in an attempt to escape the Russians. Barker and the other POWs were marched for 86 days in knee-deep snow, sleeping in lthy barns and being fed twice a day with whatever the Germans could force from the local farmers.

At JOHNSON ROOFING We believe in America and proudly stand behind the men and women of our armed forces.

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