With the news this week that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has assessed more than $120,000 in fines against Formosa Plastics because of illegal emissions at its Point Comfort plant, We are reminded once again that the huge company from Taiwan has not always been the best of neighbors to the residents of Calhoun County.Although Formosa has for decades contributed tax revenue and outright cash gifts to the area's school district and other entities, greatly benefiting its neighbors, it does not seem that it has taken the precautions necessary to protect those citizens by keeping clean its air and water emissions. more >>
A huge celebrity such as Oprah Winfrey coming to Victoria is a good deal for our community. Winfrey is traveling to our fair city to do a show with Howell Middle School student Hunter Spence, who beat the odds with a staph infection known as the "super bug." The infection had caused Spence's body temperature to reach 107 degrees and damaged 70 percent of her lungs. more >>
We are unaware of who the winner of the presidential election is as of this writing, but we do urge our new president (if the win is clear cut) to address some issues as fast as he can: Mr. President, please work to unify our nation. This election has proven to polarize our citizens, and the amount of emotional resolve will be hard to appease. The residual rift among Americans should be rectified and left behind so that we can concentrate on the real problems all of us face. more >>
Most people know today is Election Day. And, as we've said before, you should exercise your citizenship and go out and vote if you haven't taken advantage of early voting. more >>
By the Advocate Editorial Board - We must commend the Kansas City Southern Railroad, the Texas Transportation Commission and local leadership for consummating a historic deal to bypass Victoria with rail. The announcement about the agreement between the state and the rail company came Tuesday. more >>
Some people like to be scared. They watch scary movies for the thrill, and their favorite holiday is Halloween. But, to most people, Halloween merely means "fun." Nowadays, with the economy and state of things in general, fun seems to be something hard to come by. Maybe that's why more and more adults are cashing in on the fun, buying costumes and going to Halloween parties. The October day has its origins in a Celtic festival known as Samhain, a celebration of the harvest. But, according to Wikipedia online, the early people also believed that Oct. 31 was not only a day but also a boundary "between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops." Hence, "the festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them." more >>
From the first moment that Exelon began considering Victoria County as a site for its nuclear power plant (December 2007), the energy company has been forthcoming with information on its operations and accommodating to people with questions and concerns. Now that Exelon has filed its application (in September) with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the company has increased its efforts to answer any and all questions pertaining to its planned 11,500-acre two-unit nuclear power plant in southern Victoria County near McFaddin. more >>
Community, family and heritage are all words that can well describe Yorktown's annual Western Days festival. Begun in 1958, the celebration started to promote the rodeo in Yorktown. But the organizers of the festival always made sure to emphasize the importance of community and heritage. more >>
Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was only 38 years old when, working undercover as a Drug Enforcement Administration agent in Mexico, he was kidnapped by drug traffickers and murdered back in 1985. The death of this true American hero, along with his pilot, stirred such strong emotions in the people of his hometown of Calexico, Calif., that residents there began wearing red ribbons in his honor. more >>
Once again we are in agreement with the farsighted approach that Victoria Mayor Will Armstrong is taking regarding yet another issue facing the city - that of forming a committee to examine the city charter with an eye toward any needed alterations. The proposed makeup of the committee also makes sense. As presently described, it would be made up of three city council members and an undetermined number of interested citizens. more >>
We support the efforts of the Texas Border Volunteers for the very reasons we support Neighborhood Watch. Crime prevention requires citizen eyeballs and proactive civic cooperation with law enforcement. more >>
Anger and power. Victoria County’s district attorney brought this combustible combination into full view this week. Like a spoiled child, DA Stephen Tyler unleashed his fury against those he perceives to be against him. more >>
The Whitmire Canal in the Aransas Wildlife Refuge was a wise and thoughtful idea by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust to create and sustain a significant wetland, thus providing additional habitat for waterfowl, especially the endangered whooping crane. The Whitmire Canal is part of the Myrtle Foester-Whitmire unit in Calhoun County, and it is one of five units within the Aransas Wildlife Refuge. The unit was purchased by the refuge in 1993 and encompasses 3,440 acres. more >>
The past 30 to 40 days, we celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month. For Victorians, the time was particularly special because Victoria was founded by the only Mexican empresario, Martin De León, in April 1824. Empresarios were people who were given land grants to colonize Texas. Most of the other empresarios were of Irish descent. more >>
From the first note played on the trumpet, to the strum of the violin, and gleam from the intricate costumes, there is no denying that mariachi music is a prominent feature in Mexican culture. And it is fast becoming even more part of our diverse culture in South Texas. more >>
Early voting starts today at 7 a.m., and the races are on. At the end of the day on Nov. 4, we will have a new president and vice president and many other elected candidates from the national, state to local levels. What will the results be? Who knows? During the past weeks, the Advocate has provided the League of Women Voters questions and candidate responses to those questions to help you decide who's who on the ballot. We chose only contested races. more >>
Democrats, Republicans and the undecided gathered at the LongLeaf Coffee Co. Wednesday evening to watch the last presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama (Advocate, Oct. 16 front page), and all were civil and willing to have a conversation about their points of view. Regardless of who won the debate (many say McCain won for his aggressiveness), the 25 or so people who gathered at the LongLeaf Coffee Co. demonstrated that people could discuss politics rationally, with levity and civility. Maybe there were no revelations, no conversions, none persuaded to an opposing side, but all engaged in a civil discourse reminiscent of respect and tolerance that our country’s founding fathers had when working out the details of this country’s government. more >>
When the temperatures drop from excessive highs during summer, football season crescendos and the leaves begin to fall, we can be assured that it’s time for county fairs, livestock shows, rodeos and auctions, and all kinds of festivals. Autumnal events can be traced back to 1810 when the first Octoberfest happened in Munich, Germany -- the festival was to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Sace-Hildburghausen. The main spectacle at this week’s long festival was a huge horse race. more >>
