The Colony Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 11, No. 49, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 27, 1993 Page: 1 of 45
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HANKS
N. COLONY BLVD.
THE GUEUN, 1A 7000 5
Colony Leader
Big Splash
Swim team
looks strong in
season opener
Wednesday
October 27,1993
50 cents
Page 12B
11
Ways to cope with
financial hard times
A headlong slide into poverty is not
inevitable — even for those with
vanishing incomes and dried-up savings
accounts.
There are things to be done, said
Judy Reinke, president of Consumer
Credit Counseling Service of North
Central Texas.
“The first thing is to look at the
necessary living expenses, such as
shelter, food, utilities, and car pay-
ments,” she said. “Ask yourself how
you can cut back.”
The paring exercise need not be as
painful as some people think.
“If a homeowner calls in and speaks
to a loan counselor from the delin-
quency department, arrangements
might be made,” said Robin Velez of
Lomas Morgage USA.
According to Lomas loan counselor
Richard Gay, the homeowner will be
asked to fill out a financial statement. If
it looks like the flow of red ink will be
only short-term, the homeowner will be
referred to local social-service agencies
for an emergency cash grant.
He or she also will be referred to a
credit counselor such as Reinke. The
“■ counselor will talk to the homeowner’s
creditors to get interest rates either
eliminated or reduced. “That would
lower the monthly payments and make
more money available for the mort-
gage,” Gay said.
Turn to HARD TIMES, Page 5A
“Poverty is a disease. A saul-eatin^ gut-
wrenching disease. It takes away the Great
American Dream, it takes away any chance
—Georg- Stiles, manager of Samantan Ion,
cm. County, homdl.w. shelter in McKinney
Youth violence
topic of forum
Community meeting first in series
By CINDY INGRAM where between a 3 and a 4 (on a
Assistant news editor 1-to-5 scale).
Violence among young people will Smith, who will speak at the
be the topic of The Colony’s first forum, said the meeting will target
community forum, which makes its how gangs and gang violence affect
debut Thursday at The Colony High communities, families and schools.
School “Our goal is just to educate people
“Safe Community — Safe about this problem — educate them
Schools” will combine a panel discus- and make them aware,” Smith ex-
sion, demonstrations and a question- plained. We understand that it s
and-answer session designed to give hard not to be intimidated by a gang,
area residents a better understand- but people need to understand we’ve
ing of youth violence and how to got to stand up and take control (of
combat the growing trend. The the situation). We can’t let the street
forum is open to the public and will gangs have control.
take place 7-9 p.m. at the high Smith also pointed out it is not
school, 4301 Blair Oaks Road. against the law for someone to be-
“There’s a general concern on the long to a gang. The trouble stems
part of people about safety in the from criminal activity committed by
community,” said Mitch Hall, high members of such groups. Smith said
school principal and one of the forum the most effective ways to combat
organizers. “And if they have chil- criminal activity are increased public
dren in school, they are twice as awareness and support, as well as
concerned. There’s also a fear that stiffer charges and penalties for gang
gang activity is on the increase and members.
will just get worse if something isn’t The forum is sponsored by The
done to stop it.” Colony High School and the school’s
According to police investigator PTA group, as well as The Colony
Leslie Smith, there is a significant Chamber of Commerce and The Col-
gang presence in The Colony, ony Police Department. It is ex-
“If you have a gang member or a pected to be the first in a series of
street gang living in a community, periodic forums that Hall says will
then you have a problem,” Smith address “issues that concern the
said. “The question then becomes to whole community.
what degree or level is there a prob-
lem. I think The Colony is some-
Turn to FORUM, Page 4A
Vincent Frost/Staff photo
Barbara Sloan, manager of the Bargain Depot, checks out a purchase
Tuesday. The Depot is a fund-raising arm of Christian Community Action.
Women, children increasingly seeking assistance
In Lewisville and The Colony, homelessness
has a madonna’s face.
These women without roofs over their heads
are typically local residents with one or two
young children in tow.
And their numbers locally have doubled
over the past year, judging by reports from the
Christian Community Action social-service
agency.
“It’s a hidden homelessness,” said CCA
director Marketa Cross. “The homeless go
from house to house, from friend to friend.”
And although they sometimes turn up in acity
park or at a Lewisville Lake campsite, the
homeless are by and large not sleeping out in
the open.
Cross said 101 homeless personshave made
tiieir way to CCA so far this year. That figure
excludes transients from other areas, she said.
The number of transients is 34.
In all 12 months of last year, die homeless
numbered 59 local residents and 46 transients.
“It’s women in their early 20s primarily,”
said Cross. “Women who haven’t stabilized
yet, but have one or two young children. The
women are more likely to be white and sub-
stance abuse is probably fairly high,” accord-
ing to Cross. The incidence of mental illness is
low, she said.
Cross said poverty in general has a young,
maternal face in Lewisville and The Colony.
And over the years, there’s been little change.
“The number of people in need overall is
staying about the same.”
More than 1,200 area families have received
emergency financial assistance from the local
social-service agency so far this year; 1,169
residents have participated in the United States
Department of Agriculture Commodities Pro-
gram; nearly 1,000 individuals have benefited
from the CCA Food Pantry; 521 kids have
been outfitted and given school supplies.
The figures for 1992 are similar.
Again, CCA’s typical client is the young,
white mother with an average of two children.
“We’re seeing them in about the same num-
Tum to POVERTY, Page 9A
Stories by Valerie Barna
Teen crashes vehicle into house
Damage to resideeesesnyr I
estimated at $15,000 y/ r
By CINDY INGRAM
Assistant news editor
An unlicensed, teen-age resi-
dent of The Colony did an esti-
mated $15,000 in damage to a resi-
dence Friday when she lost con-
trol of the vehicle she was driving
and sent it crashing through the
home’s living room wall.
Police said the 1987 Red Toyota
4-Runner, driven by a 15-year-old
female, jumped the curb and
traveled about 38 feet before com-
ing to a stop inside a home in the
5000 block of Crawford.
The teen was cited for operat-
ing a vehicle without a valid driv-
er’s license. No further action was
taken.
The incident took place at about
4:45 p.m. Friday when the pickup
truck charged across the back
yard and through the glass sliding
9t
Turn to WRECK, Page 9A
Vincent Frost/Staff photo
Milbourn Crow surveys the wreckage in his living room after a juvenile driver
crashed into the house Friday. According to The Colony police officer D.J.
Fitzpatrick, the driver failed to negotiate a turn outside Crow’s home.
arte-Hank
SS
Early voting light
throughout county
68 ballots cast in The Colony for Nov. 2 vote
By CINDY INGRAM precinct polling sites: 109 — The
Assistant news editor Colony Public Library; 110 — De-
With less than a week left before nton County Government Center;
Tuesday’s statewide election, early 112 — First Baptist Church; 117 —
voting turnout for The Colony has Southwestern Bell Work Center,
been almost nonexistent. Highway 720/423 Witt Road in Frisc-
Since early voting began Oct. 13 o; 200 — Trinity Medical Center,
through late Monday, 68 of the esti- 4343 N. Josey Lane; 201 — The
mated 16,000 voters in The Colony Colony Fire House No. 2, 5572 N.
cast ballots, according to Tim Colony Blvd.; and 202 — The Col-
Hodges, Denton County Clerk.
ony Fire Station, 4900 Blair Oaks
Voter turnout has been extremely Blvd.
light throughout much of Denton Proposed constitutional amend-
County, with a total of949 votes cast ments for Tuesday’s election are:
countywide, Hodges said. Proposition 1 authorizes the
Early voting will continue from 8 Legislature to issue up to $50 million
a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday at in bonds to aid in the start-up costs
three locations in The Colony: The of a “historically underutilized" busi-
Denton County Government Cen- ness, such as those owned by
ter, 6301 Main Street; The Colony women and minorities.
Public Library, 5151 N. Colony Proposition 2 permits the
Blvd.; and First Baptist Church, Legislature to exempt businesses
4800 S. Colony Blvd. from property taxation on property
On Tuesday, polls will be open
from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the following Turn to ELECTION. Page 4A
Grant to help fund PediPlace
Program to offer low-cost medical service to needy children
By KELLY D. PATTERSON vices for children who have no health insur-
Staff writer ance, are underinsured or covered under
A $250,000 grant given last week to two Medicaid.
local pediatricians will fund a new program The Texas Department of Human Services
offering low-cost medical services to the chil- estimates there are 1,217 Medicaid-eligible
dren of low-income families in southern De- households in South Denton County.
nton County. The grant will provide the pediatric care
PediPlace, conceived by Drs. Mark Holt
and Darla Kincaid, is expected to provide ser-
Volunteers need to help
with community playground
From start reports
Kid’s Colony is seeking a lew good people — 1,400
to be exact - to help withupcoming construction on
the community playground.
Work begins Nov. 10 and will continue through
Nov. 14. Construction Week volunteers, age 16 and
older, are needed to assist with everything from food
preparation to childcare. Both skilled and unskilled
volunteers, age 10 and older, are needed to help with
the actual construction.
Families are encouraged to participate in the one-
week event. To volunteer, call Randy Morgan at
625-1678.
Turn to VOLUNTEERS, Page GA
asy
Turn to PEDIPLACE, Page 4A
On the Inside
Births.....................
Business Forum.......
Calendar.................
Classifieds...............
Driving...................
Halloween Activities
Obituaries...............
Opinion...................
Real Estate.............
Religion.................
Sports....................
....10B
...3-4B
......2 A
.4-12C
...1-3C
......9B
......2B
.......8 A
...5-6B
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11-12B
■ Students in The Colony are waging
a war against drugs this week — part
of a nationwide effort to promote a
drug-free lifestyle among people of
all ages — Page 1B.
625-S
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Epperson, Wayne. The Colony Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 11, No. 49, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 27, 1993, newspaper, October 27, 1993; The Colony, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1666771/m1/1/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Colony Public Library.