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Friends pushing the council using singing kids, attorney’s opinion
Friends of the Auditorium continue to pound away at the Bowie City Council using singing children and addressing the question of illegality in using hotel/motel tax monies for restoration of the 1927 facility.
At its June 3 meeting, Councilor Laura Sproles said the use of the tax money for “historic preservation,” when nothing has actually been done to the building, which would constitute illegal use of the funds. Sproles chairs the city’s hotel tax committee.
Her statement raised the anger of the audience as they exclaimed it is legal. Back in 1997, three percent of the tax was set aside by the council for the restoration project.
In January of this year, the council demanded to know the status of the project and gave the Friends until November to return with some concrete evidence of financial support through grants or donations. Estimated cost to restore the building is between $4.5 and $5 million.
During public comments Tuesday night, Jim Graham, member of the Friends, read a letter from Bowie attorney Brandon Earp, whom the group had asked to write a letter to the city with his opinion on the legality of using the hotel occupancy tax for the ongoing restoration efforts of the auditorium. Earp, a former Bowie mayor and councilor, said while he provided his opinion the “relative lack of legal authority for the questions of fact that seem to be of paramount importance in considering this matter.”
Read the full story in the weekend News.
This summer the plant trials have been riotous in their displays of colors in the recipe section.
One that caught my eye this year was Merry Go Round which was full of colors from the hot side of the color wheel. One featured plant was Campfire Red Ember.
Red Ember is one of the three in the Campfire series. Campfire Marshmallow, Campfire Flame and Campfire Red Ember. They are known botanically as Bidens and are native to Mexico and the Southwest.
I don’t think any of us need the government to tell us groceries are expensive. We know it when we stand in the meat aisle and lower our standards real fast from 90% lean to 80% lean hamburger meat.
Still, the numbers are interesting.
According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report, grocery prices in July were 2.7% higher than they were a year ago. Beef is where things really hurt. Beef prices were up 9.4% from last July, and uncooked ground beef was up 9%.
Chicken, on the other hand, was actually down 2.7% over the same period, which makes it one of the better bargains in the meat case right now.
The BLS average-price survey puts a pound of ground chuck at $6.85 in July. Two years ago, in July 2024, that same national average was $5.47.
So maybe it is time to resurrect something our mothers and grandmothers understood very well.
Read the full On the Table feature in the Sept. 17 Bowie News.
Big-Pan Chicken Spaghetti
A pound of diced chicken can disappear beautifully through an entire pan of pasta.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken, diced
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can Rotel-style tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups shredded cheese, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Cook spaghetti just until tender and drain.
Meanwhile, sauté diced chicken and onion until chicken is cooked through.
Mix spaghetti, chicken, soups, tomatoes, broth, garlic powder and 1 cup cheese. Spread into a greased 13×9 pan.
Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Have half a bag of frozen peas, broccoli or mixed vegetables lingering in the freezer? Throw them in. This is a forgiving recipe.
Serves 8 to 10.
Perfect Score, Director’s Select, Best of the Best and Leader of the Pack are just a few of the awards for Superlophus. I’m also reasonably sure you are thinking: What is a Superlophus?
Superlophus Sunglow is the official name botanically known as an Oenothera commonly called Texas Primrose. That’s right: This golden yellow flower that is a non-stop bloomer and tough-as-nails is a native selection and winner of 15 awards from Canada to Mississippi.
Read the full Garden Guy feature in the Thursday Bowie News.
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