Shopping Map of Salado, Pages 4-5B Salado VVillageillage VVoiceoice Vol. XXXI, Number 9 Thursday, July 10, 2008 254/947-5321 fax 254/947-9479 www.saladovillagevoice.com 50¢ SWSC asks customers to cut back on watering Salado Water Supply es of the plan,” he said. ing capacity of 40 percent Corporation is asking its Stage 1 one is a volun- for more than 14 consecu- customers to be water tary effort to allow cus- tive days. At this critical conscious, as the area gets tomers to cut back outside stage, outside watering drier. water use on their own to is limited to one day per The state mandated avoid advanced stages of week. Drought Contingency Plan the plan. Stage 5, which is the went into effect automati- Stage 2 is triggered emergency stage, is trig- cally June 1, as that date is when a well pump runtime gered by a well pump the trigger point that initi- is more than 70 percent runtime of 95 percent for ates Stage 1 of the plan. more than 14 consecutive more than 14 consecutive The plan has five stages days or there is a loss of days or a loss of pump ranging from number one- capacity of 20 percent for capacity of 50 percent for mild conditions to number more than 14 consecutive more than 14 consecutive five- emergency condi- days. days. In this stage no out- tions. Stage 3 is triggered side watering of any kind “At current time we are when a well pump runtime is allowed at any time. within four days of reach- is more than 80 percent for All water supply sys- ing Stage 2 of the plan, more than 14 consecutive tems in Texas were man- which starts to put manda- days or a pumping loss dated to adopt a Drought tory limitations on outside of 30 percent or more for Contingency Plan and watering,” SWSC Manag- more than 14 consecutive have it approved by the er Ricky Preston said last days. At this stage specif- state by the year 2000. week. ic reduction requirements Since this time Salado “With an effort to re- such as specific water- WSC has reached only as duce outside water usage ing time and days go into high as Stage 3 two times, by those customers who mandatory effect. the last time being 2006. irrigate, landscape, wash Stage 4 is triggered by For a complete copy of patios or driveways and a well pump runtime of 90 the plan or answers to any wash vehicles, we will be percent for more than 14 questions please call the able to avoid further stag- days or loss of well pump- Salado WSC 947-5425. Locals are Firefighters of Year The Swift Water Res- cue Team members of the Salado Volunteer Fire De- partment were named the 2007 Firefighters of the Year by the Bell County Fire Chief’s Association. The following firefight- ers made up the Salado Fire Department Swift Water Team from 2007: Shane Berrier, Kenneth The Salado Volunteer Fire Department Swift Water Res- Wigley, William Cline, cue Team members were named Firefighters of the Year Ted Morris, A. J. Lopez, Mike Meritt, Al Califano, by the Bell County Fire Chief’s Association. Willem Van De Plas. moving river. Salado fire- to assist in getting the fe- On three occasions in fighters advanced rescue male to shore and he was the month of June, 2007 ropes and lifejackets to the swept away as well. The the Salado Fire Depart- victim and safely got him two managed to grab hold ment Swift Water Team to shore. of some trees in the river. was called upon to assist On June 23, 2007 At that time a third per- Uncle Sam turned heads this past Independence Day when he was spotted in in the rescue of a total of Salado firefighters were son tried to get to the vic- downtown Salado. Behind the mask is Command Sergeant Major Don Felt, who seven personnel. again dispatched to Chalk tims and became stranded owns Salado Cigars with his wife Angie. CSM Felt started wearing the Uncle Sam On June 10, 2007 the Ridge Park for victims in as well. On SFD arrival suit in Holland to the General’s Fourth of July party and would greet the guest as Salado Fire Department the river. SFD arrived on they found the two vic- they arrive. He wore it in Iraq with 1/9 Cav’s Fourth of July celebration and orga- was dispatched to Chalk the scene to find three vic- tims in the trees and the nizational day. When Felt was deployed for the second time to Iraq, Uncle Sam Ridge Park, below Still- tims stranded in the swift third person stranded in house Lake for a person in went around FOB Warhorse wishing all the soldiers a happy 4th of July and passing river. A 15 year old female the river. One victim was out cards that were made by grade school kids. The picture from last deployment the river. SFD arrived on quickly rescued. Salado had been swept down the was in the Times magazine. He loves wearing it and representing what Uncle Sam scene to find a 20 year old firefighters assisted by river. A Fort Hood soldier stands for. With 25 years in the military, CSM Felt has not only represented what male stranded in the swift had jumped in the river SEE FIREFIGHTERS, PAGE 12A Uncle Sam stands for, but defended Uncle Sam and all Americans. INSIDE Bulk Rate Fourth Annual U.S. Postage Paid ALENDAR OF VENTS C E 2B Permit No. 50 CLASSIFIEDS 1C Melodrama Salado, TX 76571 FORUM 2A OFF THE RECORD 2A at Salado Silver Spur Subscribe SHOPPING MAP 4B Today Rooted in Salado See story, page 11A Since 1979 254/947-5321 Page 2A, SALADO Village Voice, July 10, 2008 GOPers “weasel” around McCain-Feingold statute that limits campaign donations FORUMFORUM The most rec­ent squabble, between our “gloves-on, gloves-off” c­andidates Off the An Open Exchange of Ideas for President, deals with raising money for the general elec­tion c­ampaign. Record Barac­k Obama initially indic­ated by Ken Clapp he would sign up for the presidential elec­tion spending c­ap - $84.1 million. bling Congress, were dismal. Several The federal c­ampaign fund is “autho- readers asked about spec­ific­ stats - so we rized” by “c­hec­koff” on taxpayers revisited our notes and found that only annual inc­ome tax return. 12 percent of Americans polled, had John Mc­Cain indic­ated he would expressed confidence in our elected rep- also sign the public­ financ­ing “spend- resentatives in Congress - whic­h was the ing c­ap” agreement. However last lowest level ever rec­orded, about any unit month Obama c­hanged his mind and of our government, sinc­e Gallup began GOPhowls were heard from “sea to c­ollec­ting opinions in 1973. shining sea.” Obama dec­ided his inter- Fac­t is - we c­ouldn’t find lower num- net fund raising sc­heme would pro- bers anywhere, going all the way bac­k to duc­e more “walking around” money our “Founding Father’s” time. for the expensive general elec­tion - so GOP VIEWPOINTS he opted out of the program. In the c­ourse of our researc­h, we c­ame Obama’s c­ampaign predic­ted he ac­ross two “interesting” Republic­an points would rac­k up an additional $200 mil- of view c­onc­erning the low ratings of the lion prior to the November 4 elec­tion, 435 members of the House and Senate. c­ompared to the $84.1 million that Seven year veteran representative Tom John McCain: Let Them Eat Honor Mc­Cain will rec­eive from the govern- Davis (R-Virginia) didn’t minc­e words: “If The pric­e of everything, not just driv- ment. we were dog food - they’d take us off the ing, is going up in the era of $130-a-barrel The Democ­ratic­ nominee-in-wait- shelf.” Wow - that’s saying it like it is oil, but our presidential c­andidates have ing had c­ollec­ted $297 million “pri- without the usual political shadings and a hopelessly thumbless grasp of poc­ket- Rich mary” dollars, c­ompared to Mc­Cain’s obfuscation. Davis is one elec­ted offic­ial book politic­s. $119 million. who apparently believes the “handwriting Their mutual slogan c­ould be “Let Lowry WEASEL TIME IS UPON US on the wall” sinc­e he’s dec­ided to retire. them eat abstrac­tions.” Barac­k Obama Republic­ans c­an stop fretting He served five suc­c­essful years (1998- famously c­ouldn’t c­onnec­t with work- about having to wage a “poor boy” 2002) as c­hairman of the National Republi- ing-c­lass voters in the primaries, offer- From there, his position on energy only c­ampaign, without the nec­essary c­an Congressional Committee - the group ing them an airy diet of hope and c­hange. gets messier. He opposes drilling in the wherewithal to c­ombat the flow of charged with getting GOPers elected to John Mc­Cain rose on his personal honor, Arc­tic­ National Wildlife Refuge, another money pouring into the Obama c­amp. the House. whic­h is why on energy he’s fumbling position undertaken largely for reasons of Why? Bec­ause Mc­Bush supporters Rep. Tom Cole, an Okie Republic­an away the GOP’s best domestic­ politic­al self-image -- as the Teddy Roosevelt-style have unc­overed an “additional” sourc­e took over Davis’ job at NRCC and offered opening in years.