Odessa area considers homestead exemptions and tax debates
In Monday's Commissioners Court agenda the panel will weigh homestead exemptions from 1 to 40 percent with a $5,000 minimum, after failed talks for a uniform rate with Odessa and ECISD. Judge Watkins favors a universal 1 percent exemption plus the $5,000 minimum. Also on the docket is a $2,000 bill for housing nine EC prisoners in Andrews County and discussion of a potential 23 percent tax hike to fund next year’s budget amid local layoffs and public anger over council pay raises. Community members criticize salaries and taxes, while layoffs and rising costs shape the mood.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Commissioners Court
Odessa
Ector County Independent School District
Watkins
Ector County
Andrews
Barnett
Gary Moyes
Rt. 2
Loretta Brown
Fitch Ave
Burt Richerson
Dunn Street
Sergio Lopez
Amburgey Ave
Earl Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald
W. 29Th St
County considers prison transfers and land buys in county seat
Prisoners from 1A to Andrews on June 26 to ease Ector overcrowding. Andrews County bills $15 per day per inmate, per auditor Wilson. A closed-door talk targets land acquisition south of the courthouse as negotiations with a fifth owner progress. An $80,000 pawn shop award, including $12,000 to move merchandise, may be contested as overpriced.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Andrews
Ector County
Andrews County
Wilson
Watkins
Sharpstown Scandal reshaped Texas politics in 1971
The SEC probed Houston wheeler-dealer Frank Sharp linking him to Democratic leaders, triggering the Sharpstown scandal. The 1972 elections punished many incumbents as reformists cried for accountability, altering Texas political history and sparking debate on motive, scope, and legacy of the affair.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Securities and Exchange Commission
Houston
Frank Sharp
SEC
Sharp
Sharpstown
Bank and
Watergate
Texas
Gib Lewis
Lewis
Fort Worth
Ben Barnes
Gus Mutscher
John Henry Faulk
Waggoner Carr
Not Guilty Carr Describes Sharpstown Scandal Fallout
Former Texas official Carr recalls a three year political and financial ruin from the Sharpstown stock scandal. He details a curt SEC accusation, the collapse of his career, and his exoneration after trials in which he defended himself. The piece notes Sharp’s plea deal and its wider political impact.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Waggoner Carr
House
Carr
Securities and Exchange Commission
Austin
Gus Mutscher
Texas
Mutscher
Rush McGinty
Tommy Shannon
Sharp
Washington
Brenham
John Osorio
Osorio
Sharp’s Insurance Company
Sharpstown
SEC
Sharpstown cast list and fates in the scandal saga
AP profile outlines Frank Sharp and allies Preston Smith Waggoner Carr Gus Mutscher John Osorio John Singleton Ben Barnes and others. It notes Sharp’s guilty plea, Smith’s unindicted status, Carr’s acquittal and law practice, Mutscher’s conviction and current role, Osorio’s prison brief and advising work, Singleton’s federal judicial appointment, Barnes’s rise and later wealth in Brownwood.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Carr
Sharp
Sharpstown State
Preston Smith
Ben Barnes
Gus Mutscher
U.S
John V. Singleton
John Singleton
Lyndon Johnson
Singleton
Johnson
Texas
Barnes
Sharpstown
Brownwood
Napalm used to battle rugged Happy Camp fire
A helicopter method known as helitorch was deployed by the U S Forest Service to backfire and expand the blaze to about 2300 acres near Happy Camp California, where bulldozers cannot operate in the rugged wilderness as rains aid firefighters elsewhere. The report notes fires under control in other areas after rain.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Happy Camp
Calif
U.S. Forest Service
Klamath National Forest
California-Oregon
Jack Darnell
Weather Outlook Hits Odessa With Hot Sunny Days Ahead
Forecast calls for mid-90s in Odessa today and Monday with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms and mild mid-60s nights. Central Texas saw heavy storms Saturday while statewide skies varied from partly cloudy to scattered showers with highs in the 90s. Readings from Midland show a high of 93 and a low of 66, with no precipitation in the last 24 hours and July totals at 3.21 inches.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Odessa
Texas
Marfa
McAllen
Big Bend
National Weather Service
Midland Regional
Odessa American Subscription Rates and Delivery Details
The Odessa American lists home delivery options and mail subscription prices including daily and Sunday service, Sunday only, and various 3, 6, and 12 month terms. Delivery problems contact numbers and processing details are provided for mail customers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Émo
Imo
Also Mentioned on This Page
Precinct 4
Willie Hammond
Bill Hicks
Precinct 2
Precinct 1
David Childers
Julian Pressly
Precinct 3
Gary Watkins
Hicks
Texas House
U.S. Senate
Sharp’s
National Bankers Life Insurance Co
Smith
Sharpstown State Bank
Lubbock
Napalm Blaze
San Diego
Darryl I. Summons
Ranger
Navy
Paul T. Gilchrist
Summons
Fort Jackson
S.C
Tom Turman
Elliott Abrams
State Department
el Salvador
Abrams
Fair
Knoxville, Tenn
Michael Gerald King
Eddie Irwin
King
B&o-Chessie
Confluence
Peking
Chiang Ching-kuo
Taiwan
Peking Radio
Xinhua
China
Hi Lo
Longview
Abilene
Alice
Amarillo
Lufkin
Dalhart
Dallas
Midland
del Rio
Palacios
el Paso
Victoria
Galeston
Waco
Wink
Fourth Street
Odessa American
P.O
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