2007 brought good and bad news to day trippers from the 80th Texas Legislature.
Good news: Texas' state and local parks received an increase in funding. After years of neglect and $125 million backlog in repairs, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department received a $5 million boost to its $20.6 million budget. The money will assist in operations, repairs to the Battleship Texas and parks infrastructure repairs.
Kudos to Rep. Harvey Hilderbrand, R-Kerrville, for finally ushering the spending through the House. The bill also includes $36.3 million for local park grants and $52 million in bonding authority.
But then there was bad news: House Speaker Tom Craddick blocked a $2 million allocation that would have saved the Texas State Railroad. The beleaguered historical railroad between Rusk and Palestine has been on the verge of closure for the last few years.
Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, got lawmakers to approve a Texas State Railroad Authority, but Craddick refused to let the money be spent. We'll have to wait and see if the trains will actually run in time to see the dogwood blooms.
At Lake Tawakoni State Park, 50 miles east of Dallas, it was the spiders that were making news last year. Scientist believe that thousands of spiders from different species worked together to make a web that stretched nearly 200 yards. Twelve kinds of spiders worked on the communal web that caught countless bugs and national attention including a live Web camera so people could go online to see the eerie structure.
Just when you thought is was safe to go back into the water, a Nacogdoches man was infected with flesh-eating bacteria during swim July 8 at Crystal Beach in Galveston County. The 58-year-old man was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a tissue-destroying disease caused by the vibrio bacterium. The man survived, but was in critical condition for a while.
Physicians said healthy swimmers probably had nothing to fear, but those with open wounds or chronic illnesses shouldn't wade into the Gulf of Mexico during the summer months.
In Lubbock, the divide between the city and Buddy Holly's estate got a little wider this year. The City Council rescinded a 1995 resolution creating the Buddy Holly Walk of Fame and Buddy Holly Terrace after Maria Elena Holly asked for $10,000 in annual licensing fees. The locations will now be known as the West Texas Walk of Fame and the West Texas Terrace.
Previously, the city changed the name of the Buddy Holly Music Festival after Holly's widow increased the fee for the event held around the musician's Sept. 7 birthday. The concert is now known as the Lubbock Music Festival. Ms. Holly still gets a percentage of the Buddy Holly Museum's gift shop sales.
This past year, everyone from farmers to swimmers were happy with one of the wettest springs in recent memory. West Texas and the Panhandle enjoyed a March with more than 4 inches of moisture in an area that normally gets less than 2 inches.
But the long-term outlook is not that rosy. Researchers at Columbia University said that Texas and the Southwest will see a trend of drier and hotter weather over the next two decades. Computer models conclude that the region will face serious drought conditions as early as 2021. While the droughts of the Dust Bowl and the 1950s were driven by natural temperature variations, the forecasted water shortage is the result of higher global temperatures.
And finally, what is hosting a Super Bowl worth? The Dallas City Council's bid for Super Bowl XLV in 2011 included an exemption for all local taxes. At the same time, Dallas law enforcement, fire, and medical services will provide free game-related services.
• Gerald E. McLeod's Day Trips, Vol. 2 is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, P.O. Box 33284, South Austin, Texas 78704.
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