The Llano Ledger
Newsletter Text V11
This Website Is Full. Starting With The December 25, 2000 Newsletter,
All Future Editions Will Be Posted In The Llano Ledger 2, Found By
Clicking http://maxpages.com/llanoledger2.
*******************September 27, 1999****************
Old habits die hard, -- if ever. Our illustrious Sheriff is once again
apparently stonewalling. The following letter was recently snail-mailed
to him.
*****************************************************
Sheriff Nathan Garrett
Llano County Sheriff's Dept.
100 W. Sandstone
Llano, Tx. 78643
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
http://maxpages.com/llanoledger
Rt 2 Box 464A
Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609
September 24, 1999
Sheriff:
Why waste my time as well as that of your chief investigator by
providing an e-mail address you apparently had no intention of
responding to? Didn't Mr. Bauman indeed forward the two messages dated
September 16 & 22 to you? ... Or is this part of the ongoing
pattern of stonewalling?
As previously agreed on Thursday September 9, I'm writing a third
time to schedule an appointment to review the booking records. I
anticipate needing no more than several hours to complete the task. As
discussed, a Wednesday or Thursday appointment would be just fine.
Could we finally schedule the review for Thursday September 30? Any
time convenient for the jailers would be satisfactory.
If this date is unsatisfactory, kindly suggest another one. Having
been recently contacted by the office of the Texas Attorney General,
you're surely well aware booking records are indeed public documents
and must be made available for inspection under the Texas Open Records
Act. I fully understand jail operations take precedence, however, and
would be more than willing to return at a later date and time should
booking become busy during my visit. Thank you for your time,
consideration, and eventual cooperation.
Regards,
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
cc: File
********************************************
Readers should understand booking records are indeed public
documents. Sooner or later the Sheriff will have to grant access under
the Texas Open Records Act. Having been contacted by the office of the
Texas Attorney General, Garrett is well aware of his responsibility.
If he doesn't comply, he's in violation of the law. ... If scheduling a
review of booking records is this difficult, can you imagine the
obstacles to scheduling the pending interview regarding the jail-rapes
scandal? ... If he doesn't indeed change his mind and renege? Equally
pointedly, I have heard nothing from the Sheriff regarding my request
for access to the Kerrville billing records. Readers will remember this
information was requested in person September 9. Copies could have been
made, or access granted, at that time. Apparently, he's still
"considering" (stonewalling?) the request. Interesting, no?
-- "Ain't" bureaucracy grand? We even get to pay for it. While
indeed petty and undoubtedly the least of it, all stonewalling will be
promptly and completely reported by this publication. After all, the
public needs to be fully informed as to how our illustrious officials
operate.
... Our taxpayer dollars effectively and efficiently at work, no? The
Sheriff apparently wants all requests in hardcopy. Why? To generate
additional unnecessary paperwork and cost to the taxpayers? -- To
further stonewall? ... Nathan, why foolishly provide more fodder than I
already have? You're making it too easy. After all, you only have so
many tail feathers to pluck, and the next election is fast approaching.
Hard to believe it's been nearly six months since the launch of
_The Llano Ledger, isn't it? Time indeed seems to pass more quickly
each day. There have been over 2600 hits to date. I'm deeply grateful
and truly humbled. ... These aren't hollow or empty words, but
genuinely felt and expressed.
To be truly effective, this publication demands tireless effort. --
Seven days/week, 16-18 hrs. each day. ... One day blends into the next.
I often forget what day of the week it is. All joking aside, a
commitment to excellence demands no less.
This publication is non-profit, and will remain so. After all, how many
local businesses would be willing to advertise in an alternative news
source targeting corrupt and abusive officials? Interestingly, these
businesses are regulated by the same officials targeted. Ironic, isn't
it? -- Especially since support of this publication would ultimately
result in less bureaucratic regulation and abuse. More importantly,
recent unethical and highly abusive pressure was brought to bear by the
Mayor and Llano City Council on the Chamber. Other than _The Ledger,
who reported it? Where were the media?
Although non-profit, _The Ledger requires financial support to
survive, thrive, and be most effective. As repeatedly asserted, this
publication receives no income from banner advertising. The existent
ads pay only for the site itself. I receive no financial renumeration
as publisher.
As many of you already know, I don't even own the computers used to
access the Internet. I have no phone, nor fax. Considering who I
target, it's just as well. -- All my time would be spent on the phone
dealing with harassment. All joking aside, I do prefer e-mail, since it
provides a date and time stamp. Best of all, there is no phone tag.
Quite frankly friends, I need your help. For this publication to
survive and proceed to hardcopy a grassroots effort is absolutely
required. ... An effort supported by the people it truly serves, -- all
of you. Minimal financial support or sponsorship by readers would not
only literally keep beans in the pot, but more importantly allow buyout
of the banner advertising on this website.
Why is a buyout so important? It would allow the placement of my own
sponsors here. While local businesses may initially be reluctant to
risk supporting _The Ledger, eventually that would change after the
growing level of public support is fully appreciated by these
businesses.
More importantly, local sponsorship would allow this publication to
proceed immediately to hardcopy. Public exposure would certainly
generate additional funding as circulation increases.
To quickly generate hardcopy without capital, however, a grassroots
effort would indeed be required. All of you, owning a printer and
willing, could be part of the effort. While each newsletter edition
would remain as is, a shorter more concise edition suitable for
downloading and printing as a one page hardcopy edition would be made
available. -- The weekly Newsbriefs section could be expanded to an
abridged one page edition suitable and convenient for printing.
Anyone interested could print as many, or as few, copies as desired or
affordable. You could then distribute them to family, friends,
associates, bulletin boards, etc.. Convenience stores contacted have
expressed an interest and willingness to distribute them free to the
public. If you're willing to participate, let me know.
For the last six months, I've concentrated solely on producing the very
best product week after week. Needless to say, I've also tirelessly and
aggressively fought off harassment and stiff opposition from our
illustrious officials.
Virtually nothing about this publication is conventional, -- from
philosophy to the aggressive tactics employed to target and expose
corrupt and abusive officials. Conventional business wisdom would
dictate _ The Ledger should not have survived to date. After all, I've
broken most, if not all, the rules conventional business thinking
demands. Yet, _The Ledger has not only survived, but generated
mushrooming public interest. ... Who "could'a", "would'a", "should'a",
"thunk" it, no?
All joking aside, the one constant, however, in all this has been
absolute adherence to honesty. -- Credibility is the one commodity
priceless and non-negotiable to any publication of substance.
Friends, I need your aid and support. Simply put, if you believe in
_The Llano Ledger and what I'm trying to accomplish, kindly financially
support the effort. If we don't do this together as citizens of Llano
County, no one will. Other area media have certainly demonstrated no
inclination or willingness to cover the issues routinely reported here.
I can't indefinitely do this alone without your help. The financial
support has to be there, -- not only from businesses, but from all of
you. Help me to help you. Again, as should be clear by now, these are
not empty or hollow words. Regardless, _The Llano Ledger is, and will
continue to be a force for positive change in our community. One way or
the other, this publication is here to stay. Help me to take it to the
next step, -- hardcopy.
Financial support at the grassroots level is critical for another
far more important reason: independence. _The Ledger has been, and will
always be, fiercely independent of powerful financial interests as well
as abusive government. This publication would willingly go under first
before succumbing to undue influence of either. ... There is an old
adage short, sweet, and to the point: "Better to die one one's feet,
then to live on one's knees. Indeed, _The Llano Ledger truly belongs to
the people, -- and always will.
Tim Chorney, Publisher (Scroll down for earlier edition.)
*******************September 20, 1999****************
In an update to a story published September 7 regarding the
proposed Chamber-HCWM merger, James Babcock, President of HCWM, has
apparently succumbed to pressure and decided to back off, -- for the
moment. It has been strongly and repeatedly asserted by credible
sources Chamber Executive Director Regina Eldridge has indeed stood
firm to enormous pressure placed on her by Mr. Babcock, Mayor Terry
Hutto, and Lance Center. Since Ms. Eldridge has continued to stonewall
all requests for information, I have not been able to confirm this. If
indeed true, she must be commended for having the courage and fortitude
to stand up to unethical and abusive governmental authority.
The level of stonewalling in this case has been unusually high (even by
Llano County standards), leading me to believe there is much more to
this story than I originally thought. It's indeed amusing how our most
egregious foibles are so easily swept under the rug, isn't it? More
pointedly, where are our prosecutors? While the merger is apparently
off for now, the ongoing status of this situation will be very
carefully monitored.
When will public officials finally understand there are indeed finite
limits to their power? More pointedly, when will they finally refrain
from abusing that power to aid and abet a crony? Figuratively speaking,
when it comes to governmental abuse, the policy at this publication has
been, and will always be, to "take no prisoners". ... It's time for the
Mayor and several of his cohorts on the Council to finally wake up.
Llano County Jail inmate David Paul Frost, 19, escaped from the
facility at 9:25AM, Tuesday, September 14 through an electronic gate he
managed to force open wide enough to get past. Sheriff Nathan Garrett,
other deputies, Llano city police, DA investigators, and others were
all immediately in hot pursuit of the prisoner. Freedom lasted
approximately 13 minutes when Frost was captured by DA investigators
and Llano city police at Sandstone and Ash Streets near the Llano
River. Complaining of back injuries, he was taken to Llano Memorial
Hospital, released shortly, and returned by officers to the jail.
Frost, who had earlier been convicted of a June 1998 aggravated
robbery at the Kingsland Slab, was to be transported September 17 to
TDC to serve a 30 yr. sentence. He will be bench-warranted back to
Llano County to face a third-degree felony escape charge. As readers
may remember, the earlier conviction had captured wide-spread attention
when Robert Frost (the father of the prisoner) criticized the severity
of his son's sentence as compared to those of three other juveniles
involved in the crime.
Our illustrious County Judge and the Commissioners have formally
approved a $6,483,761 budget and set the tax rate at $.3693/$100
evaluation. Coupled with the egregious ongoing overappraisal of
properties by Chief Appraiser Gary Eldridge and his cronies, the
taxpayers can expect a 7.15% increase in County taxes on the average
homestead. Aren't we lucky? ... We must remember these leeches at
election time.
Similarly, our illustrious new LISD Superintendent Jack Patton and his
cronies on the School Board have shafted the taxpayers with a whopping
tax increase to $1.6572/$100 evaluation. This outrageous increase is
exacerbated by an equally egregious increase in property appraisals
courtesy of Chief Appraiser Eldridge and his minions. Yet, construction
delays and waste continue throughout all of LISD. While the
Superintendent is adept at employing long-time personal cronies such as
Sid Schmidt in high management positions, when will he finally learn to
frugally spend taxpayer dollars?
Will these bureaucratic leeches ever get enough? More pointedly,
where is the School Board and its responsibility to the beleaguered
taxpayers? With little to no inflation nationwide, a whopping increase
in tax revenues is outrageous, unjustified, and a clear call for tax
revolt.
Tina Wisdom of Llano has graciously submitted a letter for
publication in response to the September 13 newsletter. It can be be
found in Reader Letters Vol1. I would like to publicly thank and salute
her courage for stepping forward.
Tim Chorney, Publisher
Tim Chorney, Publisher
P.O. Box 997
Buchanan Dam Tx. 78609
llanoledger@mailcity.com
Page Updated Tue Oct 9, 2001 1:37pm EDT